Studying abroad: Erik and Donna are doing an internship in Uganda
Erik van der Zanden and Donna de Weijer, both MA African Studies students, traveled all the way to Uganda’s capital Kampala in order to start their internship. They share their adventures at The Leidener, a blog that is run by international students of Leiden University.
Erik
Erik is doing his internship at the opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), where he works three days a week. In his blog, he tells you more about why he went to FDC in Uganda and how he liked the transformation from a student in the school benches to an expert / researcher in the field. Erik is extremely passionate about the potential of youth in Uganda for non-violent change; the research that he is performing consists of collecting data about how youth can change their social-political situation. Erik: 'I have the firm belief history is being written here and it is quite amazing to feel part of that process.'
Donna
During her internship, Donna gets to taste what it is like to work at New Vision, one of the two biggest newspapers in Uganda. The fact that she is the only non-Ugandan at the office plus the fact that New Vision is owned by the government, makes her internship all the more interesting. In her first blog Donna tells you about her daily routine, from waking up at 6 o'clock in the morning to attending a press conference of Uganda’s ruling party and the launch of a new agent against malaria at the Ministry of Health. Donna: 'Surprisingly enough, getting used to my new daily routine and falling in love with this bubbly and green city did not take much time at all.'