What a day!

Wow! What a day. Since I last posted so much has taken place it is difficult to put all of the ideas and events in an order that makes much sense. Here it goes… After a while the rain stopped mid-day. We had a meeting with Dr. Gillian Kasirye. She talked with us about Uganda’s system of education, and prepared us for what we might be able to expect when we begin teaching. It was especially interesting to listen to her speak about the values and practices inherent to Uganda’s system of education. While there are still questions that linger, I now have a better understanding about the culture of schooling in this country. I will explain more about the system education here and our conversation with Dr. Gillian in a later post.

After thanking Dr. Gillian, Samson drove us into town. Enoch showed us around a market in Kampala. I couldn’t help thinking about my older sister he whole time I was there! She would have absolutely loved it. There were numerous rooms connected to one another set up as store fronts. While it was touristy and many of the items sold in the various shops were similar, each had its own character. Exploring today will help us choose what we will buy to take home with us upon our return to Kampala. My favorite part was looking at the artwork and talking to the artists bout their paintings. Each artist had their own wall with similar, yet very different styles. Enoch also made many comments on the paintings. He is a very thoughtful man. For example, in one particular painting he said to us, “You see the burden of the woman?” He was commenting on how the painting captured the great responsibilities many African women experience from an early age. Enoch has been an excellent cultural guide thus far and some of the stuff he says you might think was originally intended for inspirational posters. When he speaks, it is worth listening.

We then drove back to the Makerere guest-house to have dinner. Accompanied by African tea , I had an egg sandwich and fries. Both the sandwich and side was delightfully tasty. Speaking of driving back to anywhere…After driving once through Boston, MA I developed the idea that the driving in Boston is crazy. Well, after having been in a car in Kampala I will never ever again say that driving in Boson is crazy. Driving in Kampala is! I don’t think pictures or text could do the experience justice. To give you an idea, Ugandans drive on the left side of the road. In the city, there are people everywhere. As you drive there are people merging, bikers biking, people walking on the side of the road, people crossing traffic EVERYWHERE, vendors walking up to the window when stopped, motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic, etc. As an outsider I have probably been most shocked so far by our car rides through the city. It is an unbelievable experience that I am happy to have had. Not to mention as we drive I am trying to take in everything around me. Samson even had a vendor chase us a ways today until we could stop so he could purchase a steering wheel cover! It is all exciting and somewhat overwhelming (in a positive way) at the same time. Anyways, as I said, I will stop trying to describe it. Hopefully I can get some video of it to share.

Local Artist Trying to Sell his Work

Enoch Explaining the Burden of the Woman

So after dinner we packed back into the with Samson and Enoch and went to pick up Enoch’s sister in law. She was a wonderful woman who has had an unbelievable past and she was super insightful. We picked her up at her home in a Kampala community that would in no way reflected communities I am used to seeing based on appearance. On our way out from her house we got stuck going up a hill to the main road. We all got out of the car and Samson was able to power through the slick spot. Enoch apologized, but we told him there was no need since getting stuck is a familiar experience being from Wisconsin. So we were back on the road and shortly arrived at an outdoor venue where we sat and watched an African performance that told some of Uganda’s history and culture through song and dance. Enoch noted how the performance helped to keep traditions alive in Uganda. The performers were both entertaining and talented. While sitting and watching it really clicked that I was in a new and wonderful place. We even got to go down and dance with the dancers at the end. Though I am not much of a dancer myself, I am trying to embrace every opportunity I have while immersed in a culture different from my own.

So here I am back at the guest house for the fourth time today wondering if it was today or yesterday that we went to town to exchange cash. And while it has seems like a weekend vacation is coming to an end, I am so excited to because tomorrow we will drive to Kasese where I will be teaching for almost 2 months. I look forward to many challenging experiences and smiles along the way. I will keep you updated.

Uganda has him now.

     Well, I have arrived! Our plane came in last night around 11:00 pm. After almost a whole day in the air, it was refreshing to step off the plane. My flight was interesting because I slept for a majority of the time. I basically slept (uncomfortably), and woke up every time as the food cart passed. Eat, sleep. Eat, sleep. That is basically how it went. On the first flight I was also lucky enough to get free beverages from one of the flight attendants because she liked the sound of the program I was traveling through. Needless to say this contributed to my sleepiness. After switching planes in Brussels, and then picking up other passengers in a nearby town, we safely arrived in Entebee. Enoch, one of our supervisors, greeted us after we obtained our visas. It was not difficult to spot him in his white Wisconsin T-shirt! He briefly greeted us and then he and our driver, Samson, drove us to Kampala, which is the capital city of Uganda.  On the way we passed terrain and infrastructure very different than what I am used to seeing. This was very exciting for me.

      We arrived at Makerere University at around 12:30 am where we checked into the guest house. After a long day of travel, it was not that difficult to fall asleep. I woke up at 5:00 this morning and laid in bed until about 7:00. I didn’t want to get up and wake anyone. After a hearty breakfast consisting of hardboiled eggs, potatoes and vegetables, pineapple, and coffee Enoch brought us downtown Kampala to exchange money. We had to go to a few different places before finding somewhere to exchange because it is a National Holiday celebrating the transition of power to Museveni. We actually passed the property where he lives on our ride through Entebee yesterday. We only exchanged a small amount ($50) because Enoch said the rate was low. $1 U.S. dollar was equivalent to 2600 Ugandan shillings. We also walked around a store much like a Shopko and looked at how some items were priced. Most products were quite similar in price to American purchases. One that stood out to me was a six pack of Carona, which I believe would have cost about 3 American dollars. Currently it is raining and we are back at the guest house until later today when, well….we are not really sure what is taking place. Here are pics of the guest house and my first view of Uganda in the daylight.

My First Daytime View of  Uganda

Makarere Guesthouse

Almost Home

What is up friends, family, nation, internet, bloggers, planet earth, etc.? If you are reading this blog then I am already.....in Uganda! On January 28th, 2013 I will begin student teaching. Not only am I excited to start applying what I have learned in the classroom, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do so in Uganda. It is difficult to express the excitement I am experiencing as I look forward to my upcoming journey. While abroad, I will be living in Kasese, Uganda and teaching about a half hour from there in Rwentutu. Three others (Jessica, Kayla, and Francesca) will be sharing this experience with me. They all seem like great people and I am excited to get to know them, and share their secrets and personal information with you (just kidding, I won't do that). This blog will be a venue for me to share my continued excitment with you during my time abroad. I will be updating regularely to document my daily successes, failures, and follies. I also hope this blog will provide evidence of my professional development as a teacher. So if you are interested in keeping up, I welcome you to follow and read my rambles. If not, then I will see you in........America.