Leaving Gulu

Last night was our final night in Gulu. Mac, the new proprietor of Fugly’s (formerly Bambu) had a special dinner for us, which was really nice. We were able to all eat together, hang out and dance. Ob and Apolo were able to join us, making the night that much more special.
We left Gulu this morning for the last leg of our journey. We were supposed to leave Gulu at 8:00 am, but in typical Acoli fashion, we did not end up leaving until 9:45 am. Our goal was to stop in Kampala at the craft market one more time on our way to Jinja for white water rafting on the Nile. The drive was long; they have added new speed bumps to the road to Kampala, and there were speed bumps about every 20 feet for a couple of miles. The most ridiculous aspect of it was that it was not near any town; just in the middle of nowhere. Why would you need to slow down there?
We had to stop for a short call about half way through the trip. The girls went to one side and the boys to the other. We realized that we were very close to the road, so we girls created a barrier so people from the road would not be able to see us. As we started to go, about 4 children came walking out of the bush the other way curious about the munos. It was very awkward and yet hysterical at the same time. We finally made it to Jinja and the Adrift place where we are staying in tents. We bungee jump and raft tomorrow!!!

Last Day of Teaching

I finished teaching today at Sir Samuel Baker. The week was par for the course in terms of successes and frustrations. Grace teaches an 8:00 am class… I should say she has an 8:00 am class, but she is never on time. She will get there between 8:40 and 8:50 in the morning. Because of that, I have been working with those students on my own, which has been wonderful. However the point of this project is to work with the teacher.
Most of my frustrations have been systemic. This educational system is so different and seemingly ineffective. Students are taught and then expected to regurgitate the information; however the information is really unimportant when looking at the skills necessary to live a successful life. The teacher is also considered the expert, and any questioning is strongly discouraged. Yesterday morning, I was sitting in the teacher’s lounge, and Sharon’s partner teacher, Christine, came in and sat down beside me. I was a little confused as I thought that Sharon left for school before me, and she was not with Christine. Christine asked me, “Where is Sharon?” I replied that I was not sure as I thought she had arrived to teach. She said, “Yes, I am supposed to be teaching right now.” I asked her why she was not, and she replied, “I was not able to prepare a lesson.” I said, “So?”, and she replied, “At teacher’s college, they taught us that we should always consider ourselves the expert, and if we are not prepared to give a lesson, then we should not come to class.” I think she noticed my stunned face and continued by saying, “If we are not prepared, then we cannot be the expert in the classroom.” I said to her, “That is the exact opposite in the States. There are many classes that I have walked into without a formal lesson plan in mind, but I just wing it. For us, it is important to meet with the students whether we are truly well prepared or not.” I also told her that she was the expert simply because she was older than the kids and therefore had more life experience. However, I believe that all of this information went right out the window.
Until the educational system completely revamps itself and moves away from regurgitation of facts and moves towards critical and creative thinking, I don’t think it will create an educated society. But I wonder if this government wants an educated society because then the people may question its practices?
Today we actually continued with adjectives in S1, and to add some meaning to comparatives and superlatives, I had them write love poems. I began the lesson with Shakespeare’s Sonnet CXXX, but they had never heard of Shakespeare before, so it took some time to describe him and teach about his language. Then I had to read the poem aloud several times since there was no way to make copies and writing on the board would have taken too long. Once we discussed the poem, they were to think of someone they loved and the write 6 adjectives to describe that person. At that point, they were to create a comparative poem using those descriptions. Some wrote about their mother, father, sister, brother, Tupac, Lil’ Wayne, etc. Some also chose to write about me. One student used the following adjectives to describe me: smart, beautiful, early (I think he meant punctual), good teacher, tall and fat. I am not taking offense to the fat comment as in Uganda, it is seen as a huge compliment. It was very entertaining though. I hope that the students have liked the lessons that I have worked on. I realized through this exchange how important to me it is to provide some sort of real world connection. From what I have witness, students are not expected to make connections, so doing something as simple as writing a love poem to someone connects the use of adjectives to something as little more relevant. I hope that Grace will continue to use some of the strategies we did together, but I do not know.

Fort Patico

On Saturday, we went to Fort Patico, which is an hour outside of Gulu (actually the distance is probably only 20 miles, but the roads are so terrible that it takes forever). Fort Patico was where the Arabs ran their slave trade of Africans. Sir Samuel Baker came to Uganda, ended the slave trade and then set up a fort there. It is pretty much a bunch of enormous boulders, but the views are incredible. It was a bonding day with our teachers, so I got to meet Grace's youngest son Jacob and her sister Josephine. I also got to meet Okello P'layeng's son, Bill Clinton (not kidding). Jacob is precious but very shy. He finally warmed up to me at the end of the day, but I think he enjoyed watching me. We ate a picnic lunch of a Acoli food; I was helping to serve so I didn't get to eat much. Matt and Kate made homeade guacomole, which was delicious, so I ate that and chapatti chips. It makes me massively crave Mexican food and a large margarita.

After lunch, we went on a "hike." In the States, you would call this bouldering as we were climbing sheer faced boulders without any gear. It took us about 20 minutes of walking through the bush and a family's corn and cabbage fields before we made it to the bottom of the hike. I can see how people can easily get lost in the bush. The grass was so thick and way above our heads; it is very eassy to get disoriented. There were some local boys who helped us find out way; they were walking without shoes and then climbed to the top with no problem. When we finally reached the top, it was worth it. The views were breathtaking, and it was fun to sit and relax with everyone for a couple of minutes.

I began to worry about the trip down... did I mention the sheer rock face we climbed up? But I made it safely. I am going to write a letter to Keen and explain to them how amazing their shoes are; I think their grip saved me a couple of times. I came out of the hikes with several bruises, cut and scrapes, but no broken bones.

I think I am ready to bungee jump...

Rap is Universal

On Tuesday, July 14, I was at Sir Samuel Baker sitting outside between classes. Three small children (I would guess their ages between 3 and 6 years) were walking by and stopped to stare at me, which pretty much happens everywhere. I said to them, “Kop ango?” which means “How are you?” in Luo. They replied, “Kop peke”, which means, “I am fine.” One of the boys then said something to me in Luo, and I told him that I only knew a little Luo. They stared at me, so I said, “Are you coming home from school?”, and they replied, “yes.” I then said, “Did you learn a lot?”, and again they said “yes.” At this point, I felt that we had exhausted the conversation, and I turned around to leave. As I was doing this, the other little boy said, “Got my mind on my money…” I turned around, looked at him, and replied, “And my money on my mind.” They cracked up as did I. Who knew that rap would turn out to be a universal language?
Yesterday Obi and I went to lunch at Kope Café, which is one of my favorite places to eat here in Gulu. As we were standing outside Hotel Katherina’s and talking before we walked to the restaurant, he noticed all of the children walking by, stopping and staring at me. Several of them came up and stared until I spoke to them. I think at some point, Obi stopped listening to me because out of the blue, he asked, “Does this always happen to you?” I replied of course. I think for Obi, it is not as big a deal because he is Ugandan. It is only when he opens his mouth and a British accent comes out that people stop and stare because they really don’t know what to make of this Acoli man speaking in a different accent. There are definitely days when I get so tired of the staring. It is not malicious; they are just curious. Most of the time, it doesn’t bother me. It is what it is (this is my motto for Africa).

Winding down- Wednesday, July 15

I can’t believe I only have one and a half weeks left here in Gulu. The time has gone by so quickly, and I will be so sad to leave when it is time.
Grace and I have been working really well together. We are now focusing on the S1 students; we were also teaching S4, but the students stopped coming to class so they could study for their national exams. It doesn’t really make sense to me why students would stop coming to work with a teacher who could help them perform better, but that is Ugandan thought for you (or lack thereof). So we are back with the S1 students, and we have been working on adjectives. Grace works on giving the students the rules, and I then provide reinforcement through activities. Today I had the students choose an emotion (angry, happy, tired), and in groups, they had to act it out. The group had to guess the emotion and then write a sentence using it. We then looked at the sentence structure and discussed it. It took a while for the students to understand as they never do activities. Information is conveyed to them through lecture and copying notes. It is the idea of the student as a sponge who just sits there and soaks up the information instead of interacting. The teacher is seen as the authority figure and is never doubted, and there is rarely discussion. Consider that these students have been taught this way since primary school, and you could understand why they might think the American muno teacher seems a little crazy. So I literally have to set up the activity one step at a time. The other issue with this particular activity was that they had to demonstrate an emotion. These students rarely show emotion, and even when they do, it is very subtle. So to engage them and get buy in for this activity, I had to encourage them to be silly for a couple of minutes just to warm up. The great thing about teaching them is that once they understand the activity, they really enjoy it and become very involved. They also work in groups really well together and teach each other. And they love to get “high fives” from me.
This past Monday, several of us went to Bambu. Derek, the owner sold Bambu, they threw him a going away party. It was a lot of fun hanging out with other NGOs. We used our dinner coupon from winning trivia the week before to buy dinner. I ordered the fish fingers, which are the equivalent of fish sticks. Before I actually placed the order, I had to be reassured that there would not be any eyes looking at me nor any bones. Most of the time when you order fish here, you literally get the whole fish: face, skin, and bones included at no extra charge. I have to say it’s pretty disgusting. I never really thought of myself as a picky eater, but I am picky over here. I hope that it is because the food is SO different, and I will get over it when I return to the States.
I have to share something that I think is hysterical… One of the main roads that we take daily to Sir Samuel Baker is undergoing construction. It is a dirt road, and a couple of days ago, we noticed that there were work men digging at the ground in the middle of the road. I couldn’t figure out why they were making the road worse by adding more holes. When we returned from school, we were driving and turned onto this road only to have to slow down because they had put a skinny rope across the road. The idea is that it would prevent people from driving down it; however it is right at neck level and therefore is a prime opportunity to close line anyone on a bike or boda if they are not paying attention. The rope does not stop people from driving down the road; they just lift the rope up and go under it.
At the end of the work day Monday, they covered the holes with a log and some leaves. On Tuesday, they put telephone poles in these holes- now keep in mind that these holes are in the middle of the street. Well it turns out that they are poles that they will use to string electricity, but they are in the middle of the road and one pole is even in the middle of an intersection. It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. I will try to get some pictures so you can enjoy it. My thought is if they want to improve the town, they should pave the roads first. The roads are completely ridiculous.
That is all for now. Let’s see what other adventures I can hunt up.

Safari

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight… We headed to Murchison Falls Park, which is located in the northwestern part of Uganda and is southwest from Gulu. We left at 10:30 am on Saturday morning and proceeded to drive along the most ridiculous road… actually I would not even call it a road. It was a cleared area of potholes and massive crevices. Our driver, Dennis, insisted on driving about mock 4, so we were bouncing all over the place. It was the most ridiculous ride, and it lasted 3 hours. Wait, I take that back, it lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes; we rode on a paved road for about 10, which was absolute heaven. At one point, I looked at Lindsey, who is my mutatu partner, and said that I would rather walk and it take 9 hours to get there.
Murchison Falls Park used to be one of Africa’s best national parks; however in the 1960’s, poachers and military almost wiped out the animals. It is quickly making a comeback, and it is easy to understand the draw to this place. The landscape alone is absolutely breathtaking. When we arrived at the entrance, we were told that we still have an hour drive to get to the Nile and our boat tour. As we drove down another bumpy road, I was blown away by the vegetation and the sky. It just went on for miles; the yellow grasses gave way to green trees that gave way to bluish hills that gave way to a gorgeous blue sky and white cumulus clouds. It is scenes like those that confirm my belief in God and his power. That beauty cannot be done by accident. After driving about 20 minutes down this road, we began to see deer like creatures. Officially their names were Kob, Arribe, and Jackson Heart of Beast. They would prick their ears up as we drove by and every so often, they would prance away. Talk about graceful and beautiful to watch. We then saw Cape Buffalo, and while I would not describe them as beautiful, I would say they were impressive. We passed a mud hole, and one was submerged and covered in mud. They say it is to suffocate the ticks on its body, but it was hysterical to see.
Then the giraffes…Standing 20 yards (I think… I don’t really know distances) away from the road and absolutely breathtaking. If you looked at them with a critical eye, I guess that would not seem pretty. Let me tell you, they are majestic. When they move, it is with graceful fluidity, and even running, they seem like they have all of the time in the world. I could have stayed there and watched them all day. However we kept moving as we head to meet the boat for our Nile tour. Next we saw a herd of elephants. Again…wow. They were further away but still amazing.
We finally made it to the Nile. This section is called the Victoria Nile river, and it flows into Lake Albert. We waited about 15 minutes for the boat to arrive; once it did, we headed up river towards Murchison Falls. Our guide’s name Emmy, and he was very informative, especially about the birds, which I was not very interested in. We saw hippos first, and they were mostly submerged. He told us not to worry that we would see many more ahead. And he was right. As we moved farther up river, we saw pods of hippos, and they were beautiful. They look so peaceful just hanging out in the water, so it is hard to imagine that they can be pretty dangerous. We saw several baby hippos that were absolutely adorable. At one point, we saw a pod of about 15 hippos; something startled them, and they all jumped out of the water and began running. You would think because of their size, they would not be able to move very fast, but that is not true. These animals can move quickly both on land and in water. It was a sight to see. At one point, we saw a hippo in front of us in the water; he went below the surface. The next thing we know, he surfaces under our boat and nails us. All I could think was that he was going to capsize the boat, and I was going to be feeding the crocs. It was a little unnerving.
As the day drew on, it got closer to feeding time for the crocodiles, so they began to come into the water. All I can say is that these animals are scary. They are enormous; evidently Nile crocs are some of the biggest in the world. They are creepy, and it seems like they are skulking around the water. We saw a couple get close to a pod of hippos, and we thought there was going to be a rumble. They all submerged, so I have no idea what happened underwater, and I was not about to get in the Nile to find out.
We finally got to Murchison Falls, and it was gorgeous. The water that moves through there is super powerful, and it was so gorgeous. We hung out there for about 15 minutes taking pictures and just soaking it in. I sat there and took a deep breath and just looked. When I am back in America and caught up in the ridiculous details that make up my existence, I will remember that view and know to slow down and appreciate life.
For the boat ride back, I got down in the bottom of the boat, took two life jackets to use as pillows and fell asleep. It was heaven and one of my favorite moments- being in a boat on water. We arrived at our destination and picked up our mutatus to take us where we would be spending the night. We stayed at the Red Chili, where you sleep in tents. Sharon and I shared a tent for two, and it consists of two single beds and a table. I ate a dinner of chicken curry, which was delicious, wrote in my journal and went to sleep. Getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before finally caught up with me.
On Sunday, our departure for the morning game drive was 6:15 am. We piled back into the mutatu and headed back to the Nile to take the ferry across the river. It was a gorgeous sunrise, and yet again, I was so inspired by the beauty around me. Once we crossed the river, we met our guide, named Toban, who joined us in the mutatu. We began the drive by seeing baboons. Several of them had babies on their bellies, and the babies look nothing like the adult baboons. They look more like chimpanzees, so of course that started all kind of jokes referring to “baby daddies”. Once we got away from the baboons, we were able to climb onto the top of the mutatu. Those baboons are very grabby and will take things out of your hands and out of the mutatus. And the drive began. Again, words cannot describe the beauty of this land. We drove for 4 hours and saw many animals again. The only animal we did not see was lions, but the others more than made up for it. As I rode on top of the mutatu, all I could think of was, “I am in Africa looking at these amazing animals in their habitat. I am a fortunate person and am grateful to be alive.”
I wish everyone could come to Africa and see what I have seen. I think viewpoints would change immediately, and people would see that it not a place that should be ignored any longer. I hope you are able to read President Obama’s speech that he gave this week in Ghana. It really hits on Africa, and whether Americans want to admit it or not, we are connected to Africans here and should be concerned about their welfare. In the selfish sense, what happens in Africa affects America. Uganda is a country of absolute beauty in both its landscape and people. There are so many opportunities here now, and Ugandans are ready to grab them and make life better. I love this place and will be so sad when I leave.

I Love America

It is Friday, July 10, and I am grateful to not have to go into school today. I don't teach classes on Friday at SSB, which is nice because it allows me to relax, catch up on errands and just hang out. Ryan, Kate and I have been socializing every afternoon and sometimes well into the evenings. I think that maybe I shouldn't so much, but I am only here for a short time and want to experience everything possible. As the philosopher Jon Bon Jovi said, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

We played trivia last night at Bamboo again, and the team that I was on won!!! We rocked it, and I don't mean to gloat, but I was the one who correctly named the scotch that is named after a tea cutter-- Cutty Sark (thanks for drinking alcohol, Dad)-- and the emporer who allowed Christianity to occur (I even knew that one over two history teachers!!). We had the choice of receiving 4 t-shirts or 4 meals from Bamboo; we all wanted the t-shirts, but they did not have any more. We were so bummed. However, according to legend, they have amazing banana pancakes, so I think we will go get those one morning.

We are going to MEND today for a tour. MEND is an IC project that is similar to the bracelet campaign. IC has found young females who were abducted by the LRA and either forced to be a child soldier or a child bride; most have had children from this experience. IC has trained them to sew, and so now they make handbags that are then sold around the US. Some of you may remember the purses from when IC roadies came to Ridge View last September. We are going to see their operation, which I am super excited about.

If you teach in the US, consider yourself fortunate. I know that you are probably snickering right now as you read this, but it is so true. To teach in this country can so completely frustrating. I am sure that part of it is because I am coming from America where the supplies and opportunities are endless, but at the same time, these teachers and students are at SUCH a disadvantage. The curriculum is ridiculous, the infrastructure is pitiful, and the supplies-- well there aren't really any except for chalk. I am amazed that teachers can have any success here, but they make it work. I promise that I will never again not appreciate my computer, my printer, the copier, the dry erase board, Staples or Office Depot, etc. American teachers and students are so lucky despite whatever issues they have. Any American has access to resources to make his or her life better; if they choose not to use them, well, that is another story. In Uganda as I am sure it is in other African countries, those resources are either non-existent or extremely limited. For all of America's problems, we are lucky to live there.

Besides, in America we have full toilets with seats you can actually sit on. If nothing else, love America for that.