May 14, 2013
Today me and my Dad were mowing the lawn. We saw this kid named Kennedy looking at us the whole day. Then he walked up and said Uncle Jeff (my Dad) I don't have a Mother. Then we brought him to the Helping Centre and he said to the workers my parents left me can you help me? I gave him some of my shirts, shorts and shoes. Kennedy had a hurt foot so then we brought him to the medical clinic.
Finn Dyck (9 years old)
My name is Finn Dyck and I am graduating high school in June. I first moved to Uganda when I was 2 years old and have lived here most of my life. I am what they call a Third Culture Kid - which means I was raised in a country and culture that is different from my parents and from where I was born.
I want to share with you a glimpse into how living in Uganda has shaped who I am; my learning style, personality type, my post secondary and career goals, my learning in the Core Competencies and the artifacts that have most impacted my life so far.
One of the things that greatly impacted me from an early age was being able to visit children and their families at home; whether that is with their parents, a grandparent, a child-led family or even at an orphanage. The homes look very different from the ones I had lived in and saw in North America and the families did too. There are many children who have lost one or both their parents and many polygamous families, most families in the village I live in are in mud homes with mud floors, and they have no electricity or water.
Although the children here don't have much as far as material things go, and many are even lacking in basic needs, there is so much joy! This has taught me to consider what is important in life, to be satisfied with less and to be grateful for more.
We have seen that building a family a new home has had the biggest impact on improving not only the quality of life but their family situation. It is not uncommon for a father to leave his family if the home situation is bad, but we've seen after building a new home many fathers come home, they begin to grow things on their land and support their families. Being in a clean, dry and safe home means less sickness for a family as well.
Building homes in our community alongside my family is an honour and privilege I am so thankful for.
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Another thing that we really take for granted in North America is clean water. I have never been to a families home in Kibaale where they have running water. When you ask someone where the nearest water source is they often say it's a 30-60 minute walk away and when you say where is the nearest clean water source, it can be a 2-3 hour walk away.
Seeing the water come out of the ground for the future bore holes is always an amazing experience for the whole community!
Being able to drill bore holes in our community is one of the most exciting things to be part of, this does not just effect one family but hundreds or even thousands of people!!
One of the most impactful things that I experienced living in Uganda was a devastating famine in 2016. It was the worst drought this area of Uganda has had in 25 years! There was not a drop of rain between May and October resulting in the loss of almost all crops. There were hundreds of people lined up at our house and at the community centre asking for help every day, staff members were fainting at work from hunger, multiple people in our community attempted to commit suicide because they were so overwhelmed and there was even a number of deaths in our community.
After the country declared a state of emergency in our district they offered to provide food, but when the day came for them to come to our area they only brought 90 cups of food to distribute to a district with 500,000 people.
The Kibaale Community Centre knew that they had to step in and help.
We used email and pleas on social media to raise $120,000 which provided food to 4,000 families.
We spent months then buying maize flour, packaging it, and handing it out village by village. Seeing the social workers, staff in Kibaale, and also my parents advocate day and night for this important cause is when I decided that this is the work I want to be part of. Working in a non profit or with vulnerable people in some capacity.
My entire education I have been a homeschool student, but have lived on the campus of a school in Uganda. This allowed me to do my academics with my family but be involved in PE, outreach, field trips, Awana and soccer teams at the Kibaale Community School. It was a great balance for me!
My learning style is kinaesthetic and visual.
I learn best when I am doing a hands on activity or there is a visual component.
Having so much opportunity to take part in physical activity and hands on activities, with homeschooling and at KCC school, made my learning experience much more enjoyable and impactful for me than just sitting in a classroom every day.
Myers Briggs 16 Personalities says that I am an ENFJ, the Protagonist.
"Protagonists (ENFJs) feel called to serve a greater purpose in life. Thoughtful and idealistic, these personality types strive to have a positive impact on other people and the world around them. They rarely shy away from an opportunity to do the right thing, even when doing so is far from easy. Protagonists are born leaders... their passion and charisma allow them to inspire others not just in their careers but in every arena of their lives." 16Personalities.com
Common careers for ENFJs are social work, teaching, counselling, coaching, health care or public interest law. They are also commonly found in public office, nonprofits, start-ups and even corporate empires. They are known for their leadership abilities and are often in positions of influence.
Reading these things about my personality does not surprise me, as I look back on my life I see how these traits helped me always make the most of my life, look for opportunities to help and take leadership roles on from an early age. This also has me excited as I think about university and careers that would be a good fit for me.
I have been accepted to attend Trinity Western University, I am interested in studying Human Kinetics and International Development. I will be taking classes in both of these programs while I discover what major will most help me achieve my career goals. I know that I want to work overseas in a nonprofit, and if I can add a physical or sports element, that would be ideal.
When I look back at my learning I can see how I have used Communication, Thinking, and Personal and Social skills throughout my education and life.
Communication is used in many forms. From speaking, to writing, posting on social media and then also through body language. I have had the privilege to grow up in another country which means not only learning another language but also a whole new way to communicate nonverbally! I feel like this skill has helped me to learn to communicate more effectively but also to be a better listener!
Thinking involves Creative Thinking and Critical and Reflective Thinking, I can look back on my learning and see how I've used both of these daily. Most recently I can recall using critical and reflective thinking while I was doing my university application. I had to decide which programs I wanted to apply for based on what I knew about myself, conversations I have had with people close to me, and also based on reading about the different programs and thinking about what suits me and my skill sets the best.
Personal and Social has taught me a lot about my identity, how to interact with others in a society and as an individual. Social Awareness and Responsibility is something that I get to use on a regular basis because I am a Canadian from Vancouver but live in a very remote village in Uganda. The culture is completely different and I have to think through how I will acknowledge the differences in the people I am spending time with. I also plan to use social awareness and responsibility in my career, working with vulnerable people in a developing country.
The first artifact I want to talk about is a buffalo skull that has been hanging in my room for more than 10 years. I found this skull while on a safari drive in Uganda.
Uganda has been my home since I was 2 years old, and it is such a huge part of who I am. It has fostered in me my love for adventure, playing soccer, helping vulnerable people, and experiencing new cultures. This small, land locked country in Africa, is a place I know much better than I do Canada, where I was born. The population is actually very similar in size to Canada but it is only the size of Oregon!
One of my favourite adventures while living in Uganda has been going on safari. Going on safari is something that we always do when we have our family, friends or teams visiting us, and as an extrovert that is one of my favourite parts of being in Uganda, sharing it with others! People are often surprised by Uganda; the friendly people, the amazing temperature and the gorgeous landscapes everywhere you look! I have tried hard not to take for granted living here and having safari parks at every corner of this country available for me to visit so often. Each safari I have been on has been an incredible adventure that I'm so thankful for, and hopeful that I can continue to share with more friends and family in the years to come!
Being able to share this part of Uganda with people visiting has affirmed me wanting to live in a developing country, where I am hosting and welcoming others into a new country and culture.
My second artificat is my Kuwasha hat; Kuwasha is the non profit organization where both of my parents are directors.
Seeing my parents work in Uganda at the Kibaale Community Centre is most definitely the biggest impact on my life. Kibaale is a school in the Rakai District of Uganda, with 1,500 students, a post secondary program with 200 students in university, a hospital that sees on average 18,000 patients each year, and a community program that ensures the villages in our community have clean water sources, agriculture opportunities and a micro-loans program.
I am passionate about seeing vulnerable people reached; to be shown the love of Jesus, to receive a good education, and their basic needs met in an empowering way.
I am so excited to attend Trinity Western University this fall where I will receive the education and experience I need to move into a career of nonprofits in a developing country.
My blog is called Canada Uganda, because I am so thankful to be a Canadian, but to have grown up in Uganda.
Living in Uganda has been a unique experience that has completely shaped who I am, and who I want to be. I am so thankful that God opened the door for our family to move here.
