Wednesday, February 11, 2009
When something bad happens then there is always something better around the corner! This week has been really great for me…and all three of us actually…school started on Tuesday for us..Monday, Erin and my students were still reporting (the first year students at the secondary school) and so we just went and sat in an upper-level geography class that was a double period and got to spend time interacting with those students…then I think went to town to get some amazingly awesome, fresh pineapples…and we have found the back paths to take to town to avoid the dusty road..so we get to walk though the back land behind our school..it is a beautiful and fun walk to town..we cut through a small village that makes me smile every time we pass through..the people come out from everywhere and the children go crazy…”Muzungu, Muzungu, how are you? I’m fine.” Then laughter!! It is so funny to see the reactions on some of the children’s faces! They look at us like we are aliens from another world…they get shocked..some cry even!! It is really funny to pass through…we have to dodge some cattle herding along our path too..anyways, back to the week…Tuesday, Brooke taught her first reading comprehension lesson with her teacher present, and Erin and I got to attended because neither of us had classes yet..she did great! Then later that day, our students, the senior ones, we were told had reported and so we went to talk to them and start to get to know them…we found out that no teacher had been in there all day..so they had done nothing all day..it was a scheduled Biology class, but the teacher Erin was supposed to work with had not reported to campus yet, so Erin started teaching them some Biology from her notes she made over last week! She did good too! I think Tuesday is when the sports started more…we played some volleyball and a little bit of soccer (with the deflated volleyball this time)..and now today…Erin and I found out that we will be the primary teachers for the senior ones..meaning we have no other teacher present when we teach..I had my first scheduled class this morning and Erin had one later in the day..so we planned activities to occupy more than our scheduled time with the students since no one else was…First thing this morning, we made name tags to pin on their shirts to help remember names..we have about 50 students, ranging from ages 12-16..then I taught my first lesson…we covered what Geography is and why we study geography. I asked the students to answer the question of where do they want to go most in the world and why and then who would they take with them and why. I had them turn their answers into me to keep..I had so much fun reading through the variety of answers that were given and their reasonings behind them. After lunch, Erin taught..and then we stayed a bit and took some individual pictures of the students..some love being photographed! After that, we walked to town and found a place that served CHIPS (french fries)!! Believe me we were happy…we still eat the same 5 things for breakfast, lunch and dinner… Breakfast: was one boiled egg per person, but now we get one chapatti (tortilla looking thing that if I think hard enough can taste like a waffle, Lunch: an assortment of cabbage, rice, beans, matooke (mashed bananas), Irish (potatoes), Dinner: an assortment of the leftover cabbage, rice, beans, matooke (mashed bananas), Irish (potatoes) from lunch…it all tastes the same…but we have gotten more water..instead of just 2 small bottles of water per person, we now get 3 big bottles for all three of us..we are running soooo low on our food stash..and our sauce stash..we have to go grocery shopping when we get to Jinja this weekend…but anyways..life has gotten better here..funny story…Erin and I walked to town to get our notes copied (I finally got my notes on Tuesday) and then walked and that’s when we found the chips…but this boy/man (people age so differently here, it is very hard to judge age) approached us as we were cutting through the village and then just kept walking and talking with us, all the way to the copy shop..and then waited for us there..and then that’s when we found the chips..so we were sitting behind a cement wall in the corner of this place waiting..and this same man walked up with his friend asking if he could take our picture and we were like how did you find us and he said he just asked in town where the 2 muzungus walked to and found us..so then we were like ok, whatever, take our picture and scat…not just one picture, a photo shoot!! He wanted individuals, ones of all 4 of us, then the two of us and one of them, then just us, a funny one…it turned out to be funny..ok, so then he was like your papers are done copying at this time..meet me there…we said yeah, yeah, yeah and ended up there much later than the time, but yes, he was still there, waiting for us with a note…so he walked and talked more to us as we made our way through the village..but once he left us finally, we read the note and it was an application to be our best friends in Uganda (it actually said that) so the creepy, stalker man actually gave us a hard laugh today! Now, I have just gotten done planning my lesson and some activities for tomorrow…we are taking in pictures for our families (people love to know about family here..good thing I love miineeee!!haha..corny, but I had to throw it in) I don’t know if you have noticed, but I say we when referring to teaching…Erin and I had been the only teachers for two days to see our students, so we have been planning activities together since our students are the same to fill their time..and also since they are senior one students, their English is not excellent, but not bad by any means, and sometimes have no idea what we are saying to them…so we sit in on each others class to try and help out when those situations arise…also in senior one, you have to write everything that you want your students to write in their notebooks on the blackboard..so your back is to them often..so whichever one of us is not teaching, is sitting towards the back watching out to make sure everyone is doing what their supposed too…since there are so many students crammed into desks, filling the room..but its been good so far..the students will begin picking our language as time passes..but they are doing a fantastic job so far I think! Teaching is not what I expected it to be, not surprising at this point, but I have enjoyed it!! All the students on campus are starting to feel more comfortable with us and talk to us much much more..even when we are just passing by!! It makes us feel much better about the situation!! They are all so beautiful!! Anyways, I got carried away again, so Sulabulungi (good night)!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Oh how much I loooooove Muzungu weekends!! We left school Thursday after Erin and my classes got over to come spend the weekend in Jinja..so we packed up our backpacks and a carry along bag and headed for the taxis in town..we got on one and after getting a few men to push us off we started our adventure to Jinja..about 10 minutes into the drive, the row that us three and another man was sitting on broke and we went falling backwards into the laps of the other passengers…TIA right…but then we had to taxi hop twice after that..but we maddddee it to Jinja safely!! After we dropped off our stuff, we headed straight for some muzungu foood!! I got to eat a waffle and some chips…and then we headed to the internet to get back in touch with the rest of the world…it felt so great to come back to Jinja..it feels like my home away from home!! And I got to sit down on a toilet and use toilet paper and when we eat we got to use napkins!! It’s the small things in life that make me smile now!! It was really funny though walking through the streets of Jinja and seeing so many more other muzungus!! I was like awestruck…but VEEEEERRRRRRYY EXCITING NEWS!! We are going to be going on a safari before we leave..its about an 8 hour drive up north to Merchenson Falls..we will be gone for 3 days and camping overnight…then I believe we are going to extend our time and travel up to Gulu since we will be so close…I couldn’t help but bubble up with so much excitement once I found out this trip would be possible…if everything works out, I will get to see the place with my own eyes that inspired and changed my life!! Our program director has associates in Gulu that we would be staying with and he said that he would beable to take us into some of the displacement camps…I am getting chills writing about it now!! I am praying that this trip works out!!!!! (PS Mom and Memaw, I can only imagine the looks on your faces as you read those last few sentences, but we have asked many people and they have told us that it is safe to travel there now…even say Gulu has turned into another town completely..with all the NGOs there) Anyways, tomorrow is Valentines Day and we are spending the day at the Nile Resort..we will be laying by the pool all day and we get to eat some pppizzzzzzzzaaaa!!! =) So…I think I have said enough for now..but I love everyone and miss yall!! Our phone is messing up so we cannot send (and I don’t think receive) text messages anymore…so your always welcome to call!! Peace and much loooovee!!
When something bad happens then there is always something better around the corner! This week has been really great for me…and all three of us actually…school started on Tuesday for us..Monday, Erin and my students were still reporting (the first year students at the secondary school) and so we just went and sat in an upper-level geography class that was a double period and got to spend time interacting with those students…then I think went to town to get some amazingly awesome, fresh pineapples…and we have found the back paths to take to town to avoid the dusty road..so we get to walk though the back land behind our school..it is a beautiful and fun walk to town..we cut through a small village that makes me smile every time we pass through..the people come out from everywhere and the children go crazy…”Muzungu, Muzungu, how are you? I’m fine.” Then laughter!! It is so funny to see the reactions on some of the children’s faces! They look at us like we are aliens from another world…they get shocked..some cry even!! It is really funny to pass through…we have to dodge some cattle herding along our path too..anyways, back to the week…Tuesday, Brooke taught her first reading comprehension lesson with her teacher present, and Erin and I got to attended because neither of us had classes yet..she did great! Then later that day, our students, the senior ones, we were told had reported and so we went to talk to them and start to get to know them…we found out that no teacher had been in there all day..so they had done nothing all day..it was a scheduled Biology class, but the teacher Erin was supposed to work with had not reported to campus yet, so Erin started teaching them some Biology from her notes she made over last week! She did good too! I think Tuesday is when the sports started more…we played some volleyball and a little bit of soccer (with the deflated volleyball this time)..and now today…Erin and I found out that we will be the primary teachers for the senior ones..meaning we have no other teacher present when we teach..I had my first scheduled class this morning and Erin had one later in the day..so we planned activities to occupy more than our scheduled time with the students since no one else was…First thing this morning, we made name tags to pin on their shirts to help remember names..we have about 50 students, ranging from ages 12-16..then I taught my first lesson…we covered what Geography is and why we study geography. I asked the students to answer the question of where do they want to go most in the world and why and then who would they take with them and why. I had them turn their answers into me to keep..I had so much fun reading through the variety of answers that were given and their reasonings behind them. After lunch, Erin taught..and then we stayed a bit and took some individual pictures of the students..some love being photographed! After that, we walked to town and found a place that served CHIPS (french fries)!! Believe me we were happy…we still eat the same 5 things for breakfast, lunch and dinner… Breakfast: was one boiled egg per person, but now we get one chapatti (tortilla looking thing that if I think hard enough can taste like a waffle, Lunch: an assortment of cabbage, rice, beans, matooke (mashed bananas), Irish (potatoes), Dinner: an assortment of the leftover cabbage, rice, beans, matooke (mashed bananas), Irish (potatoes) from lunch…it all tastes the same…but we have gotten more water..instead of just 2 small bottles of water per person, we now get 3 big bottles for all three of us..we are running soooo low on our food stash..and our sauce stash..we have to go grocery shopping when we get to Jinja this weekend…but anyways..life has gotten better here..funny story…Erin and I walked to town to get our notes copied (I finally got my notes on Tuesday) and then walked and that’s when we found the chips…but this boy/man (people age so differently here, it is very hard to judge age) approached us as we were cutting through the village and then just kept walking and talking with us, all the way to the copy shop..and then waited for us there..and then that’s when we found the chips..so we were sitting behind a cement wall in the corner of this place waiting..and this same man walked up with his friend asking if he could take our picture and we were like how did you find us and he said he just asked in town where the 2 muzungus walked to and found us..so then we were like ok, whatever, take our picture and scat…not just one picture, a photo shoot!! He wanted individuals, ones of all 4 of us, then the two of us and one of them, then just us, a funny one…it turned out to be funny..ok, so then he was like your papers are done copying at this time..meet me there…we said yeah, yeah, yeah and ended up there much later than the time, but yes, he was still there, waiting for us with a note…so he walked and talked more to us as we made our way through the village..but once he left us finally, we read the note and it was an application to be our best friends in Uganda (it actually said that) so the creepy, stalker man actually gave us a hard laugh today! Now, I have just gotten done planning my lesson and some activities for tomorrow…we are taking in pictures for our families (people love to know about family here..good thing I love miineeee!!haha..corny, but I had to throw it in) I don’t know if you have noticed, but I say we when referring to teaching…Erin and I had been the only teachers for two days to see our students, so we have been planning activities together since our students are the same to fill their time..and also since they are senior one students, their English is not excellent, but not bad by any means, and sometimes have no idea what we are saying to them…so we sit in on each others class to try and help out when those situations arise…also in senior one, you have to write everything that you want your students to write in their notebooks on the blackboard..so your back is to them often..so whichever one of us is not teaching, is sitting towards the back watching out to make sure everyone is doing what their supposed too…since there are so many students crammed into desks, filling the room..but its been good so far..the students will begin picking our language as time passes..but they are doing a fantastic job so far I think! Teaching is not what I expected it to be, not surprising at this point, but I have enjoyed it!! All the students on campus are starting to feel more comfortable with us and talk to us much much more..even when we are just passing by!! It makes us feel much better about the situation!! They are all so beautiful!! Anyways, I got carried away again, so Sulabulungi (good night)!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Oh how much I loooooove Muzungu weekends!! We left school Thursday after Erin and my classes got over to come spend the weekend in Jinja..so we packed up our backpacks and a carry along bag and headed for the taxis in town..we got on one and after getting a few men to push us off we started our adventure to Jinja..about 10 minutes into the drive, the row that us three and another man was sitting on broke and we went falling backwards into the laps of the other passengers…TIA right…but then we had to taxi hop twice after that..but we maddddee it to Jinja safely!! After we dropped off our stuff, we headed straight for some muzungu foood!! I got to eat a waffle and some chips…and then we headed to the internet to get back in touch with the rest of the world…it felt so great to come back to Jinja..it feels like my home away from home!! And I got to sit down on a toilet and use toilet paper and when we eat we got to use napkins!! It’s the small things in life that make me smile now!! It was really funny though walking through the streets of Jinja and seeing so many more other muzungus!! I was like awestruck…but VEEEEERRRRRRYY EXCITING NEWS!! We are going to be going on a safari before we leave..its about an 8 hour drive up north to Merchenson Falls..we will be gone for 3 days and camping overnight…then I believe we are going to extend our time and travel up to Gulu since we will be so close…I couldn’t help but bubble up with so much excitement once I found out this trip would be possible…if everything works out, I will get to see the place with my own eyes that inspired and changed my life!! Our program director has associates in Gulu that we would be staying with and he said that he would beable to take us into some of the displacement camps…I am getting chills writing about it now!! I am praying that this trip works out!!!!! (PS Mom and Memaw, I can only imagine the looks on your faces as you read those last few sentences, but we have asked many people and they have told us that it is safe to travel there now…even say Gulu has turned into another town completely..with all the NGOs there) Anyways, tomorrow is Valentines Day and we are spending the day at the Nile Resort..we will be laying by the pool all day and we get to eat some pppizzzzzzzzaaaa!!! =) So…I think I have said enough for now..but I love everyone and miss yall!! Our phone is messing up so we cannot send (and I don’t think receive) text messages anymore…so your always welcome to call!! Peace and much loooovee!!
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