Another Saturday Passes

Just a Painted Door at a Hotel we Visited

          

 Today is Sunday. I slept in a little this morning a and then woke up, planned my math lesson for tomorrow, and had something to eat. I just got done doing my laundry, and am trying to figure out how I want to introduce decimals to my students this week. It is difficult for me to plan because I doubt they have a very solid understanding about basic fractions, so it could be challenging to help them wrap their heads around decimals. Tomorrow I think I am going to give a pre-assessment to see where they are at with fractions so I know how to better introduce the new content that the Ugandan curriculum says I need to cover. So, that is what is on my mind right now. It will basically consume me this whole week as well. I am excited to teach it though. I will feel very accomplished if I can have them possessing a basic understanding by the end of the week.

Yesterday was fun. We picked Deborah up at a little after noon and took off for Bwera right way. She lived just outside of town in a beautiful compound. It was only about 20-30 minutes from where our school is. We were welcomed by her mother and a few of her brothers and sisters. Though we never got to meet him, Deborah’s father is the head politician of the Kasese District. So the family did fairly well for themselves, and their property was gorgeous.

When we first arrived we sat down and were welcomed by a man, Chris, who worked for the family. He introduced himself to all of us and then brought us some cold Coca Colas. This was exciting because we have been basically living off of air temp water since we have been here. We get juice or pop every once in a while, but it is a treat to have something so sweet unexpectedly. I don’t even really drink soda in the States, but here it is pleasure. I don’t want to make it sound like we do not have access to sweet beverages here, we just do not buy them that often. Anyway, the sodas, or pops, or colas, or whatever you call them based on wherever you are from were excellent.

He then informed us that we would be having lunch there. It was quite comical because of the way he listed what we would be having. He was like, “First you will have some steamed rice, then you will have noodles, then you will have some matoke, then you will have chicken, then you will have beef, then you will have chapatti, etc. It sounded like so much and so amazing! We asked him if we could help, but he informed us it was not necessary because he was an expert. I didn’t want to be rude and ask if I could watch him prepare the meal, but it would have been fun because the meal turned out amazing. I would have liked to see how he made some of it.

After looking through some of Deborah’s family photos, we took a tour of their home and property. Walking the property was fun for me. We first went around the side of the home past where they keep all their chickens. It was neat to see all of them in their pens and running around, but Jess reminded me that one of these chickens would be our lunch. That sort of changes the way you look at them. We went through another doorway that opened into an open common area. From here you could access different little homes in the compound. It is common for families to live together even as they age. So if they are not in the exact same dwelling they are next to each other or on the same property. A few of Deborah’s family members lived behind the different entrances.

Walking through the Matoke Yard

Look Familiar?

We left the common area which opened up into a fairly decent sized matoke farm, or field. I think Motoke (Banana) trees are such beautiful trees and I had not yet walked through a cluster of them. They also had a row of coffee trees in the back of the field. I had never seen these either, so it was cool breaking open the bean and seeing what it is like before it is sun dried and roasted (super slimy!). They also had palm trees that are like giant cacti. The seeds grow out of the base and they are broken open to extract palm oil for cooking. Exploring the trees, seeing their pig and chickens, and seeing their living situation made for a fun time.

Coffee Beans Still on the Tree

We returned to the sitting room and basically chatted amongst ourselves until dinner. We did not really know what to expect before we had went, so it was kind of funny that it was just me Jess, Kayla, Francesca, Doreen, and Samson sitting in their house entertaining ourselves. Due to the heat and hunger, we got a bit slap happy for a bit, but that was interrupted by a quick trip into town (Bwera) to see three different hotels.

Some Followers from Bwera

The first hotel was owned by her family. The second was owned by her family friends. The last hotel employed Doreen’s "brother" (actually her cousin), John. I enjoyed looking at the establishments and the rooms. Though they were fairly basic rooms, the design and feel of the hotels were very different than that of a Hilton or Super 8. Just seeing that part of town was an experience too. It was not surprising that on our way to the third hotel the news of our presence was traveling fast among the neighborhood children. It was not long before we were once again being followed by a group of excited children. Much of the poverty and garbage on the streets is kind of difficult to explain, but I am getting more used to seeing it and am less shocked by it now when I see it. Not to say that this area was poorer than others we have been through, but it was there. Anyway, I enjoyed going into town and seeing the hotels and some of the people. It was also nice to meet Doreen’s brother.

Samson on one of the Hotel Porches

So back to the compound and to the dining table. I don’t really know how to talk about it. I absolutely loved the meal! I wish I would have taken a picture of my plate to share the sight. I ate a ton and enjoyed every bite. End of story.

Dinner is Served!

So after taking some pictures with the fam and saying thank you, we took off for home. It was an enjoyable Saturday. I am already beginning to realize how few Saturday’s we have left in Uganda! So we will have to make the best of the rest of them as well. We still need to visit King James’ family, go on a Safari, visit King Fisher Lodge, and do a few other things. I can’t wait. But, now I need to keep planning. I will update soon!

Learning and Games

Some of the kids during games. 

Another week has passed! It is truly unbelievable how fast the time is flying by. This week went really well though. My lessons were all adequately prepared, and the kids learned much of the content I introduced. The only topic some are really struggling with is using the correct forms of their adjectives. They have no problem identifying them, but when it comes to writing them some are still struggling. I have been informally assessing them during class and with practice problems at the end, so on Monday I will formally assess them with a short test so I can identify the students who need more individual guidance. 

I am excited to move ahead in Math. This past week we focused on place value. Teacher John is reviewing with the Kids today (on Saturdays they have school from 7-12). So, next week I have to do a lesson on expanded form and then I am moving into decimals. They worked with fractions in P3 a bit but have not officially been taught about them. So I cannot wait to see how they respond to my lessons. It will be challenging, but I am excited to teach it.  

I had a great teacher moment yesterday. There is this girl in my class who knows very little English. After every lesson I try to sit with her for a few minutes to visually show her how to do and think about the math we are learning. She was gone for the lesson on value, so I needed to catch her up. She was really struggling at first, but then I showed her how to determine the value of different digits in a number based on the place value in two different ways. She understood the second way I showed her and began writing her own examples to practice. This was exciting! She was doing so well and she was self-motivated to get it. Then I quickly reviewed how to write our numbers that reach into the thousands place. Again, she struggled but then got it. I was so excited I congratulated her and gave her a big hug. She was embarrassed, but she was excited too. I was so happy to see her making such progress when she has been struggling so much to understand.

P4 Soccer!

In case I have not mentioned it yet, football (soccer) is a big sport here. After lunch yesterday all the classes took a break and there was a school wide soccer tournament on the big field. It was fun to see all the kids getting into the games. My P4 kids were paired up with P2.  They play hard even on the playground during games and lunch, so it was no surprise that they took this seriously. It was so fun for me to ref, watch, listen to the drums and cheering, and just relax for the afternoon. I am excited for the staff game that we have been invited to play in. I have a feeling everyone is really good though. I doubt I will be able to keep up!

Dinner at Henricks (about $3)

So today is Saturday. Last night we went out to Henrick’s for Dinner. I am really beginning to look forward to our Friday night dinners. It is super relaxing and the food has not disappointed us so far at either of the places we ate. I tried the pork and chips last night and it was DELICIOUS! Today we are going to pick a student up at the school and go visit her family in Bwera. From what I have heard her father is the head politician of the Kasese district. It should be fun to meet her family and I’m sure it will be a learning experience.

Ready, Set, Teach!

Give it up for P4!

Well, yet again I have managed to let the days slip past me without posting to my blog. I think now is a good time to talk about my lessons. I have taught almost 20 lessons now. Wow, that is unbelievable to me now that I write it! Time is absolutely just flying by. Anyway, my lessons have been going fairly well. I am feeling comfortable with them and am getting good feedback.

As previously mentioned, in Mathematics we just finished studying sets. I taught most of the unit and gave a test to assess their understanding of the content. The students did fairly well, but many of the scores needed improvement. Naturally, I am finding that the students who are less fluent in English struggle more when it comes to assessments and practices. I am still getting used to the fact that when I speak, a good portion of the words and phrases I use are misunderstood by a majority of the class. I am working on slowing up a bit, and being conscious of the language I use with my students. Also, working individually with students (which is nearly impossible to do with each student that needs one on one time) and using manipulatives are helping tremendously.

Manipulatives are proving especially helpful right now. We have begun studying place value, so I feel that visual and hand on aids will give them a deeper understanding of the concept. So far I have used base ten blocks and number tents to teach. Though it is helping, I am wondering if I should have lectured on the topic before allowing them to explore with the blocks. Normally I would support their prior exploration, but with the language barrier they might have benefited from being shown, and then exploring. Regardless, I think it is something they are enjoying and I believe they will ultimately benefit from learning in such a way.

Something funny related to base ten blocks actually happened the other day. I knew I would be starting the unit on place value so I went to the resource closet in the office to see if they had the blocks. There were only a few sets of 100, and King James said he thought they must have all been misplaced. So that night, I spent way more time than I thought it would take to make my own sets of base ten blocks using notebook paper and markers. After much marking and cutting, I got to sleep and woke the next morning excited to put my hard work to use. After passing out the paper “blocks” in class and getting through the first example, Merince, one of the teachers who sometimes sits in while I teach math, brought in a giant bag of base ten blocks. So, though I ended up wasting my time the previous evening, I was not frustrated. Had she not seen me using my homemade blocks, she may have never located the bag. I know Jess wants to use them for teaching place value too, so I am glad that we now know their location.

Sorting Sentences. This proved to be a beneficial activity.

In English our unit is about describing people and places. Basically, we have been exploring different adjectives and working on using them in sentences when they are in their positive, comparative, and superlative forms. We have also looked at opposites and are reading short descriptive stories. I have been trying to do group activities and visually stimulating lessons to avoid lecturing in class. Because some struggle with not only speaking, but with reading and writing too, I feel like we have really been hammering some of these concepts into one another. But today in class I definitely saw a huge difference in their responsiveness to questions than I did three days ago. I was basically yelling while congratulating them in class because I was so excited that they had shown improvement from Monday. I was going to give an assessment on Friday, but I think I might wait until Monday. I don’t want to rush into the new unit at the expense of a deeper understanding of the content they are just starting to really understand.

Jetridah (wall-side) looks to be deep in thought. Mission accomplished!

So that is where I am at right now with everything. Planning has been taking up a ton of my time. I am not yet very efficient when it comes to the task. I am still too concerned with having lessons completely mapped out (good thing/bad thing). I am getting better with this though. It is helping to write up more of a general outline with a few solid examples of whatever it is we are covering. From there, it is working to let the flow of the class dictate where the lesson goes. I am learning to be more flexible, yet I still stick to my lesson objectives.

Standing Just South of the Equator in Igna!

Last point of interest: today was my very first and last “planking” experience…on the equator! Totally immature, I know. But to tell you the truth, it felt pretty sweet. More to come soon (blogging not planking)!

Really? C'mon.

Learning and Living

We absolutely love this little dude! Elton and I eating a Banana.

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. Regardless of my intentions to post every other day, time sure has managed to sneak right past me. A lot has happened this week, and it has left me feeling exhausted, yet energized at the same time. I wanted to write a bit about my time thus far before we entered another weekend. A bit too late I guess.

As of this past Monday, I am responsible for teaching math and English in the P4 classroom. This is exciting because I basically have free reign to do what I want, within reason of course. I am still following the structure specified in the Ugandan curriculum that the classes generally follow, but the teachers trust me enough so far to plan, teach, and assess however I feel necessary. Teacher John gives me feedback for math and Teacher Jauquness provides me with feedback in English.

Currently, we are finishing our math Unit on sets. It is not the first time the P4 kids have seen sets, so they are following along fairly easily, or so it seems. We reviewed on Thursday and I modified and distributed the test yesterday (Friday). I will mark their exams tonight and tomorrow. This is exciting for me because I taught most of the unit However, though I have not corrected many of them yet, I can say that I am already feeling the burden of the teacher. I graded three of the tests so far and with each question I marked wrong I felt as if I had failed! It felt like I was the one who got the questions incorrect because I was the one who was responsible to teach them. Anyway, this will inform me how I am doing, and I can see if we are ready to move on Monday with a new unit.

English has been going well so far too. I am currently teaching about adjectives in the positive, superlative, and comparative forms. We are focusing on defining different adjectives, and structuring sentences that use the words to fit the appropriate forms. Constructing these sentences has helped to give me a better idea of how competent the students are with the English language. I have been using some hands on activities, like sentence sorts, and plenty of examples for my lessons so far. I think this has definitely helped to advance their thinking. Jauquness, the regular English teacher, said he admires the strategies I have been using up to this point. I was unhappy with my lesson Friday, but having a few poor lessons that I can learn from now will help me do better later. I look forward to learning more from the teachers I am working with, and sharing some useful strategies with them as well.

Cleaning the Compound with the Kiddos during Social Development

I must point out that the language barrier between my students—their general lack of understanding of the English language and my general lack of understanding of Lhukonzo—poses quite a challenge for me. While many of the students speak English fairly well, there are others that know very little; and it no coincidence that these are the students who need help with the content we are learning the most. So when I try to help them individually, we both try so hard to understand one another, but little communication is actually taking place. As I said, it is getting better, but I still have to find ways to prevent these kiddos from falling behind in math and English. Though it is a challenge, I believe I will learn valuable lessons from these interactions that will make me an overall better teacher when it comes to working with English language learners, and students that have limited vocabularies. It is forcing me to be much more reflective about the language I use, how I structure examples, the speed at which I explain things, etc.  It also helps that I am struggling to learn bits and pieces of their language at the same time, because I realize how difficult and frustrating it can be. We will continue to do our best as we move further into the term.

One item related to the language barrier that frustrates me a little is the way that they take tests. When writing their math test, I wanted to give the students an exam that only required them to read the questions and write the answers. However, I was told they would have to write the questions and then answer them. I understand that writing examples and questions will help them understand English, but when taking a math test they should be assessed on their knowledge of the math, and not use energies writing out the whole test. That is just a personal opinion of mine, not to say that my way is the best. I will likely try and give the test in a different format for unit 2, just because I feel that writing everything out burns them out. We will see whether or not it makes a difference in their scores.

So, overall, I am absolutely loving my experience here. The kids are great, the teachers I work with care, the country is beautiful, our home is home, and the girls I am living with are still sane (except for Francesca when she sometimes laughs uncontrollably). Today topped off my time here up to this point. We went to fort portal, which is about an hour and a half drive from Kasese. There we went for a hike that allowed us to explore a waterfall, volcanic craters, and small caves with stalagmites and stalactites. Our guides name was Wilson. He was a great guide and we were able to have some nice conversations. He and I were talking at one point about his experiences with school, the university, and his career path. It was inspiring to hear that tourism has always been his passion, and he pursued and is living his dream. People like him emit positivity—and let me tell you—it is contagious. Anyway, it was great. The best part was showering in the falls before we left. The water was refreshing and invigorating. The smiles on our faces in the pictures best describe the experience.

Wilson and I

Well, that is al for now. I have tests to grade! Oh, I also recently found out that my class back in Madison has a blog of their own. If anyone is curious what is going on in their room the link is www.learninginroom221.blogspot.com. Room 221, if you are reading this I wanted to say that I hope everything is going great for you so far this semester. Even though I am having a fantastic time here, I am so excited to come back to Madison and work with all of you. Until then, I will continue watching for updates on your blog. I will see you all soon. Take care and do well.

Education and Weekend Extras

    My first week at Rwentutu Community Christian School has come to a close. When we arrived at school on Friday we sat down with King James and told him which classes we would like to teach in. I have chosen to teach in Primary 4, which is similar to fourth grade. While I would have loved to teach in any of the classrooms I observed (P4, P5, and P6), I feel that I will work well with the P4 students. I will be teaching Math and English, and then co-teaching for the other subjects. I begin teaching Monday, so I am excited to establish a presence in my classroom and get to know the students I will spend the next 7 weeks with.

Audreen, Joy, and I

A little bit about elementary school in Uganda…

     Students begin in nursery school. Nursery school consists of 3 levels; bottom, middle, and top class. After nursery school students begin the primary levels. This goes from P1 to P7. At the end of Primary 7 ALL students must take and pass the Ugandan national exams to move on to the next level of education. If they advance, they begin secondary grades. This goes from S1-S4 and then students take another national exam. They then prep for University and compete for merit scholarships. Based on their performances they will be assigned a placement. Most of the information we received about Uganda’s curriculum and system of education we got from Dr. Gillian when we were in Kampala. She also gave us general information about schooling in Uganda. For example, she informed us that there is a repetitive methodology and that the philosophy behind teaching is that teachers must make sure that students have things exactly right so they can pass their exams. So many concepts are drilled into the students heads from an early age. The system is basically driven by the national exams. And many of the schools here have little resources, so the teacher is the main source of knowledge.
     Because the success of a student is determined by their performance on exams, we were told we would likely see a different approach to education than we are used to in the United States. For example, they said that creativity is less valued than it is in the States because students might assume that fun lessons are failing to prepare them for their exams. However, Enoch also told us that creativity is required when teaching with few resources. Dr, Gillian said that student/teacher interactions are minimal. The teacher teaches, and the students write down what they say and listen. The “drilling” also intensifies around testing time because Uganda will release the concepts that will be addressed on the national exams some time before the students are assessed. I have heard it can be tense around those times in the older classes. Also, classes are supposed to be taught in English, however it is acceptable to teach a little in the local language for the younger students as they are still learning.
     Another big difference in practice between here and the U.S. is the use of caning. Caning is hitting a student with a stick in response to poor behavior or performance. The practice has actually been banned for some time; however we were told that it still takes place, and many families and schools support it because it teaches discipline and is consistent with some parenting practices. Even the woman from Kenya that I spoke with on the plane said she thought it was positive because it just seemed to work. I have not seen this take place at Rwentutu, and I have heard from some of the teachers already that they do not agree with it.
      I was actually surprised after my first week to see that much of the expectations I had about the pedagogy were somewhat inconsistent with what I was told was common practice. I can say that I have noticed that the methodology is very repetitive in regards to reoccurring concepts and repeating after the instructor; however the teachers I have observed employ strategies that are many times considered to be good practice for teachers in the States. I hadn’t expected to see teachers grouping students for brainstorming, including the students in the knowledge-construction process, using students as manipulatives for teaching various concepts, and using humor to comfort students. The information we were given gave me a ridged view of the education here, yet I see the instruction at Rwentutu to be much more warm and flexible than I had imagined. Things may also be somewhat different because Rwentutu is so rural. I will be curious to observe the public schools in Kampala when we return before our flight home.
      So the week went well and the weekend is off to a great start. Last night (Friday evening) the girls and I went to the White House hotel for dinner. We were able to have a few drinks and I had the goat stew. The broth was amazing and tasted delicious over a bed of rice. The others got chicken and veggie curry and a chicken and chips (Fries) dish. It was amazing to think that 2 large drinks and a large dinner cost me 14,000 shillings, which is about $7.50. You can’t beat that! The funny part about our dinner adventure though was the walk there. It had reined before we left and we figured it would rain again. We stated walking anyway. When we were about half way there it started to rain pretty good. Doreen turned back and the four of us continued on with only two small umbrellas. By the time we were walking through town it was pouring and we were the only ones on parade walking down the street. Everyone under their awnings watched, probably thinking we were just some crazy muzungus!

 Almost done….

      This morning we woke up early and left the house just before 7. Our goal was to hike to the top of one of the nearby mountains. We just didn’t quite know how to get there. We managed to get close though, and ended up walking through a small mountain neighborhood that was exciting to see. And of course, we were watched with interest as we passed by children and their parents outside of their homes. It was fun to see the homes and animals that lived on the incline. After almost reaching the top where the small mountain got steeper, we reached an end to the trail. The trail looked less public and more like trails into the homes. So we decided to turn back and take a different road. Shortly after we turned a 13 year old boy named Muhindo walked up and asked us if we were trying to reach the top. We said yes and he said he would take us. Muhindo was an awesome little dude and he turned out to be quite the tour guide. He took us up a steeper face and we were quite winded when we reached the top (and to think he led us in a broken flip flop!). Needless to say, the view was beautiful and he pointed out landmarks, told us a little about Kasese’s history, and taught us a little about the local plants. Interactions like we had with Muhindo are the things that value cannot be assigned to. They make it all worth it. I will always remember this kid and I am so happy that we had the chance to spend an hour with him. I hope his life is filled with opportunity and happiness based on his kindness.

Muhindo hitting us with some
 knowledge about Kasese

When the plant is split, you get a
glue-like substance. It also has plant parts
that look like big baloons. 

 

  So anyway, Muhindo then led us down a different way and showed us the outside of his home. I gave him a cliff bar to thank him and the girls gave him 3,000 shillings for his services. We had asked him how much new flip-flops cost and he said they were 2,000 shillings. Maybe he will use the money to but some new kicks. We are not back at the house (the electricity has been out since last night), and we will probably go to the market for shopping soon. This was a lengthy post, but I wanted to put some stuff out before more happens! That’s all for now. More to come soon!

Muhindo said that these little round parts of this plant are
used by many children to play marbles. However, if they are
broken and get in your eye they can blind you!

Teacher, Teacher!

    Today was my second day of student-teaching. It has been interesting to see how a rural Ugandan school year begins. Yesterday we arrived at school and had an orientation with Enoch, Wilson (the lead teacher), and King James (the deputy of studies). King James informed us that our relationships with him are like different metals because we are individually useful, but we can each sharpen one another to be better. His analogy was more articulated than the description I have provided, but that was the main idea of it. Because it was the first day there was not really any instruction taking place. In fact, most of the students did not even show up. The ones that were there were either cleaning the grounds and classrooms, or setting up the small building where up to 60 of them will live for the term. This gave us an opportunity to visit each classroom and talk with many of the kids that were there. Jess and I also sat while 4 boys read us a story about the origins of a fictional African tradition. I especially enjoyed that half hour. Prior to that though, there was an assembly under the trees in the school yard. King James and Wilson greeted the students and urged them to tell their friends and families that school was in session, and that they show up the following day. They had sent an announcement out on the radio, however the population that this school serves is limited in regards to the technology available to them for retrieving such information. We were then introduced to the whole group. We were warmly welcomed.

King James Welcoming the Students

    This morning I began my day in the P4 classroom, which is like fourth grade. We simply reviewed concepts form P3 math before switching to social studies. John was the name of teacher I first observed. I enjoyed watching the way he taught. He broke apart problems well, involved the students in the explanations, and was animated while doing so. He encouraged students to explain how they were solving the problems rather than by simply showing. I would definitely like to see more of his teaching and might possibly want to work with him more. Oh yes, in case I haven’t yet mentioned…For the next three days I will visit a new class each day. On Friday, I will then choose which class I would like to stay with for the rest of my time here. Tomorrow I will observe P5. On Thursday I will observe P6.

Teacher John Writing a Review

    When social studies started, John went to a different room and another teacher, came to give the social studies lesson. This lesson was beneficial to me because the kids were learning about Uganda and the way it is sectioned off. Uganda is made up of 112 districts, which are then broken down into counties, sub-counties, parishes, and villages. Furthermore, Uganda consists of 7 regions: Northern, Western, Central, Southwestern, Northeastern, Northwestern, and Eastern. Kasese (the district) is in the Southwestern region, and Kasese-town, the town I live in, is located in the Kasese district. I was able to learn a little while also watching how the students followed along with the teacher. Other than that, it has actually been a slow start to the term. We were informed that it usually takes about 3-4 days before everyone is in attendance and things are functioning normally around the school. And though I say it has been a slow start, seeing a school begin in a different cultural context has been an amazingly interesting experience thus far. I am anxious to begin instruction, yet I am thoroughly enjoying , myself while watching how things unfold. Extra tid-bits: It find it amusing to sit in class and see goats, roosters, or chickens walking by the open classroom doors.

Visitors

    It is great (as in comical and something I am not used to) how students address teachers as Teacher. When I asked King James how they will address us he laughed and said they will just call us teacher. He said they love to say it. And sure enough—all day I heard, “Teacher, Teacher!” “Teacher, Teacher!” I want the Merry-Go-Round removed! It seems like a death trap; however, the kids have so much fun playing on it. I hate to watch in fear of someone getting hurt, yet their smiles are outrageously contagious.

Busy Day

    I hate to keep simply posting the play by play, but we have had busy days and I haven’t had a ton of time to process much. Yesterday was great. We went to see our school, went to a market on the DRC and Uganda border, sat in on a teacher meeting, and walked around town a bit. Going to the border town was a lot of fun. Samson took us and walked us to the border, and into the market they have there. The guards near the border also told us not to cross or we would immediately be arrested! Talk about people everywhere! There were many fabric and food stands throughout the market. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures because it is a bit overwhelming to pull out a camera when surrounded by so many people. I will have to get some pics from Francesca. Anyway, we all bought some fabrics. I bought one greenish crazy designed fabric for 11,000 shillings. That is about 5 of 6 American dollars.

Rwentutu Community Christian School

    After getting back to the school we sat in for the end of their teacher meeting and had lunch. Both the meeting and lunch were interesting. Wilson, the headmaster, led the meeting and went through an itinerary topic by topic. He took teacher input and they would decide what to do in regards to each issue. I enjoyed listening; however I am still struggling to understand the Ugandan accent. I am beginning to adjust, but the heavy accents are still difficult for me. I will get more practice on Monday because I was assigned to be a greeter on Monday, the first day of the school semester (Wilson refers to it as “the beginning of time.” When talking about the school year, the end of the year is “the end of time.” ). The portion of the meeting we sat in for basically discussed budgeting issues. The only real difference between this and an American staff meeting was the view from the school (windowless) windows, the lizard crawling around the room, and the last minute planning for how certain school functions would work.
    Oh, and then we got fed lunch. We were dismissed to wash our hands out side. There was a girl outside the door with a pitcher of water she would poured onto or hands. We then went back inside for a giant bowl of rice over some goat or chicken meat. It was especially exciting because we ate with our hands! The four of us also ate what seemed to be way less than the others. There was even a little baby girl sitting next to us that ate just as much as we did! It was a neat and fun experience. I will quit rambling for now. More to come later.

Welcome Home

Our house in Kasese!

    “Welcome Home,” is what Enoch said to us as we pulled up to the house where we will stay. Today we drove from Kampala to Kasese. The trip took us about 7-8 hours including our stops. We left Kampala at around 10am. We had to quickly stop at a store so Francesca could get a charger for her camera, and then we carried on our way. Moving from the city to the rural areas and into the country was an exciting transition. The surrounding areas of Kampala reflect the city itself, only smaller buildings and less roads. But there still seemed to be a similar feel with all of the people moving about, the vendors, and the roadside storefronts.

      The country is absolutely beautiful. Everywhere there are Matoke trees (Banana), and others of which I have not yet had the privilege. The vegetation also changed as we moved up in elevation. The forest grew thicker and everything appeared much larger. It is also not uncommon to pass cows with large horns and goats. We even pulled right up next to a little baboon hanging out in the ditch. When we stopped in Fort Portal to have lunch Enoch informed us that we had already crossed the equator twice—once on our flight and once on the drive. He said that due to the equatorial weather, soon we would look more like him. The Rwenzori mountain range was and is a beauty on its own. Surrounded by the country it lays on, one of the sights I was privileged with today was the prettiest landscape I have ever seen.

Just Trottin' Down the HWY

-More to come on the mountains later-I will share the oral tradition behind it, and we will be doing some hiking on one of the upcoming weekends. The house where we will be staying is nice. I felt very privileged pulling up to the large gate that opens into the yard. Inside there are 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, a large living space, and facilities. My room has a small bathroom in it and two beds. I have my own room since I am the only male living in the house. It will be Francesca, Kayla, Jessica, me, and three others. Doreen is a local whose uncle started the school I will be teaching at. She will be helping us with our transition in terms of food, prices, cooking, etc. Lauren and Jamie are two Canadians I just met who are working with financial management at a clinic associated with the school. They both seem like good people. Jamie will be leaving in a few days, but Lauren will be here for the whole time we are here, and beyond. It feels nice to have met everyone and taken some stuff out of my suitcases. I am looking forward to getting settled and getting familiarized with my surroundings tomorrow.

My Bedroom and Mosquito Nets