The first few weeks were overwhelming. So many new impressions. Both positive ones, such as the hospitality and openness of the people, and negative ones, such as poverty. Slowly, I began to get used to my new living conditions and culture. In the process, I developed strategies and found ways to deal with challenges in everyday life. The people in the village welcomed me with open arms and treated me like a member of their family. They let me taste local delicacies and taught me various recipes. I was also allowed to participate in various celebrations such as school graduation parties and a wedding.

From Monday to Friday, accompanied by my internship supervisors, I conducted therapies in individual and group settings. One day a week, I was allowed to accompany a physical or occupational therapist on home visits to the surrounding villages. This gave me an insight into the everyday life and challenges of families with children with disabilities. During the holidays, I helped out at the school's therapy camp for a week. For another two weeks, I accompanied an Austrian speech therapist to workshops at a school in Gomba.

At the beginning, I spent my weekends exploring my immediate surroundings and places in Mubende. After a few weeks, my internship supervisors allowed me to explore the country safely as a young solo traveler. They gave me travel recommendations and advice on how to stay safe on the road. This allowed me to get to know this side of the country as well. During these trips, I learned how incredibly helpful and open-minded the people of Uganda are. I never felt unsafe or lost for a second. I knew I could rely on my abilities and the people by my side. Even though I was traveling alone, I was practically never alone.

The twelve weeks flew by. Saying goodbye was harder than arriving. During this time, I was able to flourish not only in my role as a future occupational therapist, but also grow personally as a person. I took home a heart full of memories, new perspectives, and knowledge. My time at “Kindern Eine Chance/ A CHANCE FOR CHILDREN” meant a lot to me. If I could turn back time, I would choose to do my internship with “Kindern Eine Chance” in Uganda again.