Bad Timing, Good Experience

In addition to the handful of bylines you’ll see from me by the end of this internship, I’ve also been chasing interviews for longer-form projects at the request of Save the Mothers directors. These assignments will outlive my time here in Uganda, though, as you can imagine, grabbing an interview in person and on the ground is greatly preferred over trying to wrestle the time difference and technology barriers between the admins in Canada and the sources in Uganda.

And while these assignments are naturally less glamorous than those size 12 font, Times New Roman bylines, I’m finding they provide some of the best experience in international reporting.

In fact, my first interview of this nature was an extreme learning experience–the kind where just about everything goes wrong and by the end you can’t help but laugh and mumble, “Hey, at least I learned something.”

DSC_0148 Continue reading “Bad Timing, Good Experience”

Tulips and Pearls

Good morning!

Well, it’s morning in Uganda. I’m writing quite informally to introduce my next few weeks of work, all of which will be presented in some way, shape or form on this blog.

In quick summary, I received funding from the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication this spring to participate in a six-week communications/reporting project in Uganda. My work, beginning Monday, is in partnership with Save the Mothers, an international NGO committed to improving the health of mothers and babies.

While much of the content I produce over the following weeks will not be about me at all, I will do my best to mix in some personal reflection and–more than likely–humor related to my daily life to accompany the serious issues I will be reporting on.

My first days abroad can be well described by the following: Tulips and pearls. Continue reading “Tulips and Pearls”