Admission: 2010 Fall ITTP Master Program

Affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries

Position : Senior Statistician

“Through the programme, friendships have been forged, families born, and careers flourished.”

My time in Korea was a big learning experience both academically and socially. In Korea, I found very sociable and honest people; people who were always willing to help and offer support in whichever way possible.

My journey started in June 2010 when I first received a call for my phone interview. It was my first experience to have such an interview. The questions asked were more about my social life than academic life, which was odd, but I answered them anyway. When I received the news of my successful selection to be part of the ITTP scholarship, I was overjoyed because I knew my dream of doing a masters in a technologically advanced country had come true.

August 29^th, 2010, the day I landed in Korea. A completely new experience, full of anxiety and yet exuberant, I looked forward to the challenge ahead and the assimilation into life in a new country. And it was exactly on this day that I started experiencing the kind and warm nature of the Korean people.

Having landed at the Government Complex stage, my mentor and I had lost communication because his battery had died. I felt stranded but there were some gentlemen seated at the stage that offered me taxi services. I calmly declined the offer and informed them that I was waiting for someone to pick me up. Having seen me try to make a call on a public phone and later sit on the bench for about twenty-five minutes, one of the gentlemen approached me once again and this time round offered me his mobile phone to call whoever I wanted to call. Again, I politely declined the offer; in mind, these were conmen trying to fleece me of my money. However, the gentlemen were so insistent that I later accepted the offer and made the call to my mentor who I was able to reach eventually. I expected them to ask for a reward, but they were just so happy, I had been able to reach the person I wanted. Meanwhile all this happened when both parties (myself and these gentleman) could not ably communicate because of the language barrier. When I saw this, I was so relieved and felt very lucky to have found myself in country that had such caring, carefree, and helpful people.

Like most foreigners I met, I struggled with Korean food and took me a while to appreciate the food. As a matter of fact, It took me a full semester and traditional meal with Professor Rho at the end of my first semester to appreciate Korean food. During that semester, I used to eat only cutlet, pizza and burgers. By the end of the semester, I had gained over 15 kgs. My Korean father, Professor Rho must have noticed this, and he invited our batch to a dinner at the end of the semester. During that dinner, he took time to explain to us what each type of food on a Korean menu means and its purpose. After that meal, I must say we were all transformed and found a new liking for Korean food.

What really made it easier for me to adopt is that somehow, I found the Korean culture almost similar; the people in Korea are so respectful and kind. Additionally, the setup at ITTP was conducive enough for one to feel at home; it felt like a family. The mentor programme ensured that a new entrant into the programme didn’t find themselves stranded because they did not know what to do or where to go. All thanks to Professor Rho and the staff who always went out of their way to make our assimilation into Korea as simple and seamless and possible. As a christian, since I didn’t know much about Korea’s faith and religion, I didn’t expect to find a church in Korea, however, I found myself with plenty of choices. Efforts were always made to make sure we interest ourselves with Korea and learning more about the country; on reflection, I noticed this was mainly to ensure that besides the academics, we occupied ourselves with a variety of excursions so as not to feel home sick. It also helped us meet and make new friends, learn about Korea as a country through these experiences. And even during lectures, the professors were always good at sharing their stories, experiences and life journeys which offered very good lessons. I indeed returned to Uganda a better man both as a professional and as a person, and I have since encouraged many other colleagues to join the ITTP programme. Special thanks to the AfDB and the Republic of Korea for the opportunity. Because of this programme, Korea became a second home.

Congratulations to Professor Rho, for having held the ITTP together for 16 years. Through the programme, friendships have been forged, families born, and careers flourished. From the skills gained, I now head the IT department in the Ministry of Agriculture in my country. I am now using my skills to digitise the agriculture sector in my country. For anyone new to the programme, study hard, but also make sure you experience Korea; travel, make friends, try to learn the language- these experiences will improve you both academically and personally. The friends and contacts I made have helped me get a lot of support from Korea, both officially and unofficially. This is what ITTP offers beyond the Masters or Ph. D we receive.