Africa

My Mom runs a non-profit organization building primary schools and bettering education in Tanzania. I've been 3 times with her and have a 3-week trip planned in May. I've only been to Tanzania and Kenya, not Uganda, but PM me if you have any questions....I'll try to answer them. Her NGO is "Asante Sana for Education" (Asante Sana means thank you very much in Kiswahili), check out her site. www.asantesanaforeducation.com
 
There's two different forms of malaria meds you can take. The one I take is a daily pill called Malarone. Start 2-4 days before the trip, and keep taking them when you get home for about a week. The other med you take less frequently but it apparently fucks with your sleep and you can get real bad nightmares. Waking up to a nightmare in the middle of a third world country doesn't sound appealing to me.

Link to basic info here:http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/drugs.html
 
Sure, but calling them poor and disgusting implies he looks down on the people that arent as fortunate as he is. Honestly this isnt worth arguing about and if youre going to tell me you dont think that statement was ignorant in the slightest bit then I hope to never run into you either.
 
Tell me about how in Australia people will jump at any chance to steal your stuff because they most likely need it more than you do. Also, tell me all about how you can die very easily in Australia, or Ohio...

Africa is new world, and Uganda is a very bad place. go somewhere feasibly safe like Zambia
 
So I shouldn't go to Africa?? Ok I'm not here to argue about wether I'm going or not. I want to experience a new world, one ridden with poverty and disease. You can stay here and live out your life just like everyone else, I don't really care. Let me do what I want to do.
 
Not entirely true. They are starting to realize that psychology is so rooted in western ideology (perception of health, self, property etc) that it doesn't neccesarily apply in cultures beyond our own. If you wanted into a field like this you for sure would need some background in psych/sociology but anthropology's approach is becoming increasingly valued. This is also why medical anthropology is also growing rapidly in the US, with most major hospitals hiring an anthropologist to take part an committees and stuff.

That said it'll be very hard to get into, you'll need a phD from a good program, publishing and a lot of hands on region-specific experience
 
The thing is, you're going to experience this new world ridden with poverty and disease with literally NO experience, and you're coming to Newschoolers for help with it. We're recommending the best thing possible for you in your situation...don't go. Going to Northern Africa at all currently is extremely dangerous, let alone unexperienced.
 
go to zambia, check out livingstone, go to botswana, do a safari, go home....i have an idea...

talk to a travel agent
 
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what an ignorant group of people. Africa is actually a thriving continent. yes there are parts that are spotlighted as infested with AIDS and poverty but parts of africa are still very much prosperous, both first world and tribal.
 
i have a friend who lives in south africa and he says unless you're visiting the rich areas of cape town or going on an expensive safari with a bunch of other white bitches you pretty much don't want to be anywhere else on the continent
 
Seriously tho, if youd like to visit africa, with a lot less of the sub sahara sketchiness, Morocco is the place to go. You can travel south and visit the desert yet its a short boat ride away from Europe.

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They dye fabrics at these places

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Make sure to pick up a QUALITY ass moroccan rug for cheap, they have these huge rooms filled with rugs that they just keep showing you rugs for endless amounts of time and pour you some bomb sweet mint tea

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dont let them scam you tho, you havta barter. What ever they say like 1000 euro. Be like no, way to high. He might talk himself down to 600. Then be like I dont really think I could spend much over 50 on this. he'll prob talk himself down to 300. Then be like Ill talk it for 150, not a cent more.

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make sure to visit the bazaars, remember to barter

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the sand is this dark gold/burnt orange color that is simply unreal. If you do go there take an overnight camel tour with some guides. We did that and rode camels (crazy fuckin animals) for a long ass time in to this never ending desert. We stayed overnight in a big oasis where you could dig 3 feet down and get water. They had these big white tents to sleep in and cots. At night it got pretty cool if I remember which was nice. They cooked some dankkk ass meat/rice stuff with some veggies and kabobs.

My sister challenged me to a race up one of the giant dunes that surrounded the oasis and I agreed. What we thought was gonna take 2 minutes ended up being like an hour thirty.

do it op.
 
yeah, probably. i'm a huge pussy so it would make sense that i would associate myself with similar individuals. i'm also gay and stupid.
 
I know that I am lacking in experience but that's why I'm going. I came here to ask those with experience for help, and so far, I don't think anyone that's been to The area around Uganda has advised against it. Look I'm not trying to pass off as an expert, but I probably have a little more experience than the rich white tourists that go on safaris there and come back without a scratch. Not everyone that goes to Africa dies of AIDS, or malaria, or revolutionists, or thugs, or even lions.
 
I absolutely will one day, unfortunately it will have to be another trip, Africa being such a massive continent. I've always wanted to start a trip in Morocco and end in Spain.
 
Thats exactly what we did, it was fun going from tents and water in the desert to a 5start resort on the coast with fresh squeezed oj that was unreal
 
That sounds so sick. I heard that when you get to Spain you realize there's still a lot of Moroccan architecture and stuff. Interesting haha
 
Why? Because you've been to California? Colorado? Sydney, Australia? Like it's been said, it's not the same shit. Even with going to relatively safe part of Africa in the middle of a capitol city, staying with a very well-known organization, I've been planning for months and talking with my volunteer advisor, making sure I know ever risk and danger I'll currently be facing when I arrive. That's how you get experience, not by just going and hoping it all goes well.

Also, these 'rich white tourists' going on safaris are also traveling to Zambia, a much safer area than fucking Uganda.
 
Definitely, you notice its like an upgraded Morocco, Spain is super different then the rest of Europe too if you ask me. From what ive experienced in my travels, Spains like the half blood child of africa and europe. Theres some cities that are nearly 100% european inspired and theres ones that are clearly more Moroccan.

And to the dude who posted a picture of a dumptruck with money, my family puts a decent amount of money aside so that they can travel. People are dumb about planning trips and saving money. Traveling the world isnt hard if your smart about it
 
I know its not the same shit. No place can possible prepare me for Africa and nothing will convince you I'm ready for it. I'm not gonna argue about it anymore, I know what I'm doing is dangerous and I'm accepting the risks. If I die you guys will hear about it on the news. If not I'll post pictures and videos here to prove I went and didn't die. All I want is advice on what to do when I get there.
 
Yeah I'm definitely more interested in Spain and Portugal than the rest of the European Continent.

And you are so right about the money. I went on a sick Senior Road trip where we wakeboarded on Havasu, did an insane hike in the Grand Canyon, rappelled into crazy canyons in Zion, and hung out in Vegas all for around $400 over 12 days.
 
you don't know what you're doing. And accepting the risks isn't the same as preparing for them.

Go to Mali. I've heard it's lovely that time of year.
 
I took the once a week one, cloroquine, for my field school. However I was in central america, different drugs do better for different mosquito species. I had some strange dreams for sure but actually pretty cool ones just abnormally vivid. Most of the kids on cloroquine didn't even get that. A couple kids taking malarone had upset stomachs and almost no appetite, a few stopped taking it early as a result. I also found out that the kids on malarone paid over 10× what I did, mine came out to $17 for 10 weeks worth.

The worst reaction I've heard of to the meds was my prof who works with Lemurs in Madagascar. Had a dream/hallucination that someone was breaking into his tent and ended up tearing the thing to shreds because he started slashing at the hallucination with his machete.

Find a good travel clinic that is knowledgeable about the specific areas you'll be travelling and talk to them about what will work best for you and your budget and likely activities. Make sure it's a good one, one place i wnet merely read the recommendations off of a pamphlet the other could talk about things very knowledgeably and gave me tons of documents to look over. Make sure you do this more than 6mo in advance as some vaccinations (twinrix for sure) need a number of booster to reach full efficacy.
 
I've been to Eastern Africa, to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Never been to Uganda, but:

I really enjoyed it there, generally. It feels very, different, to say the least. I went to Tanzania and our hotel was like a little Oasis.. Ten seconds out the gates and it was poverty, dirt and crumbling buildings... That being said it was an amazing experience seeing what there was to see, and my favourite part of being in the city was taking a cab ride through the town... People driving there are crazy... If you're planning on driving, good luck. There was one time, on a two lane highway, three transport trucks were all trying to pass each other, along with an oncoming jeep, and four motorcycles dodging between all of them.

Anyway, I'm not sure if Uganda does Safaris and all that... But I'd say I'd go to a country that has good safaris just for that. The safari was amazing, hands down the best part of the trip.

I'd recommend Africa as a place to go, but it's not for everybody. If you're adventurous, go for it, you won't regret it. Unfortunately the airfare from my place is fucking ridiculous.
 
Africa is great. I love it down there. People are so friendly. Uganda is great and beautiful, but pretty expensive. If you wanna travel cheap, Western Africa is the way to go.

It's a whole different continent though. In the West, that's where the rich culture is, where the friendly people are.

In the East (and South) are the wide open plains, the animals and the people are a little more drawn-back.

Either way: it's gonna be a great time
 
I went to morocco for a day. it was crazy, everyone is trying to sell you things, its pretty sad. It smells terrible, flies are everywhere along with insane poverty. Never a place I would go unless I was there to help out. Makes you appreciate how well we have it.
 
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