4 1/2 months!

I'm heading home for the holidays! I'm excited to see friends and family and to EAT all the foods I've missed...

At times, the last four and a half months moved at the excruciating pace of a snail, and at other times, I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted. At least I know I will still have time later on. I'm not done here yet.

I'll be back, but for now... I'm going to enjoy being HOME! (which is funny considering I don't actually have a home in the US anymore...)

One Term Down...

Dec. 7th marked the official closing of the school year for students at Maranatha Christian School. I was invited to attend the parents' meeting at 2pm, the afternoon of the 7th, with the promise to meet with the Head Mistress immediately following.

I've been told in the past that I can be overly optimistic at times (which is not necessarily a bad thing)... and I guess this was one of those times. I left home, fully expecting to be home by 5pm. I even left laundry out on the line, feeling confident I'd be back before dark. I mean, how long can a parent meeting take?

Well, first mistake...thinking the meeting MIGHT start on time. I did arrive a few minutes after 2pm knowing they wouldn't start exactly on time, but then stood around for about 45minutes before they declared enough parents were there to start the meeting.

Mistake two...thinking I would be able understand what was going on at the meeting. I sat and listened to about 4 hours of Luganda! None of it was interpreted, since I was really the only one there that needed it to be to understand. Every once in a while I'd hear English words thrown in there among the mess of Luganda, like "Sports Day", "school fees", and "Obama".

I sat wondering why I was even there...but at the end of the meeting all of the teachers were asked to introduce themselves in front of the parents, including me. The parents clapped for each of us, and I received an extra hearty applause after I spoke :)

Many of the parents came to greet me as they exited the meeting to collect their child's report card, saying in broken English, "You are most welcome. Thank you for coming!"

By now the sun was setting and I hadn't gotten to meet with the Head Teacher yet. I wanted to go over the exam results of the students I had been working with during the last term and set goals for the beginning of next school year.

Now rushing, so I could catch a taxi before it was completely dark out, I met with the Head Mistress. There were a number of interruptions, but I felt satisfied with what we discussed and headed home in the dark.

So, how did my students do? I am very happy with the improvements my students made this last term, especially considering the circumstances and situations that came up throughout the term! Of course, there is still much to be done...

All in a Ugandan Day's Work!

Jinja

I came back bruised, sunburned, and with bug bites all over my body, but it was worth it anyway...

Renee and I decided to take a few days to get away from Kampala, before she heads back home for good. With flights being so expensive, we decided to go to Jinja, just a couple hours away by bus.

Jinja is the home of the "Source of the Nile" and some of the best whitewater rapids in the world. So, how could I resist?

Most of my bruises came from the first BIG rapid we went through. I was thrown out of the boat and everything was a white blur! I was thrown out of the boat on the next class 5 rapid as well and then tossed around the boat a few times after that...

I did manage to stay in the boat going down the 15ft. waterfall though!

The next day, we took a well deserved "day of rest" by the pool...

The third day was spent lounging around with a book as well, but I also took the chance to swim in the Nile and test my luck fishing... No luck this time!

We finally decided it was time to head home on the fourth day...taking public transport back to Kampala. It's only about $1.50 for the two hour bus ride back to the city, and then another $.50 to take a taxi home... not bad, as long as you're willing to deal with the joys of public transport in Africa.

Ugandan Thanksgiving

Despite being thousands of miles away from family, and the U.S. for that matter, Thanksgiving celebrations still ensued in Uganda!

Since Christine was still out of town on the ACTUAL Thanksgiving Day, and we were waiting for her return for the traditional celebration, we went out for pizza downtown as a mini-celebration...

Then, the traditional Thanksgiving celebration took place on Sunday.
Ok, so a few of the things that happened were NEW for me this Thanksgiving holiday...

1) Watching the turkey dinner be slaughtered right outside the kitchen window, and even having to be the "camera girl" for part of the gruesome event. Here's a pic of Jeff de-feathering the turkey after cutting off its head :(


2) Making everything from scratch: chocolate chip cheesecake, stuffing, pumpkin pie, turkey brine, apple crisp (although, Renee did a lot of the work too)

3) Not knowing half of the faces around me (there was something like 40 mzungus throughout the house!)

But, a few things also made it feel like I was right at home...

Like being stuffed, but still eating a sampling of every dessert on the table...and the guys letting out their competitive side in a "friendly" game of football... and being thankful for the blessings God has put in my life the last year...

Ahh...Thanksgiving :)

Back in Soroti Again

When I heard Renee and Apollo were going to Soroti for a few days, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to hitch a ride...

I've visited Pastor Julius and his church, Soroti Community Church, twice in the past with teams from Mariners. This time, however, we stayed with Pastor and his family, seeing a more intimate picture of life in Soroti.

On Saturday, Soroti Community Church officially launched its child sponsorship program. They had a whole program and lunch scheduled for the day. Here's Pastor Julius giving his speech and showing off his perma-grin.

The children performed a couple songs at the celebration. They are so good!

After the celebration, I had time to just hang out with some of the kids. The only problem is, when you start to hang out with a few you soon have an overwhelming crowd of kids around you. I couldn't even play a simple game with them because they crowded so closely around. Later in the afternoon, there was a manageable number of kids around, so it was the perfect time to take some pics with them!



Some of the girls wanted to pose like it was a photo shoot...


We also spent a day visiting pastors in the surrounding villages. These pastors had been given bulls, plows, seed, and bikes through the Mercy Network. The Mercy Network is one of Africa Renewal Ministries' programs that helps resettle people, who were displaced during the LRA attacks, in their villages. The idea is that the pastors will then partner with about 12 other families, helping them to resettle, plow their fields, and spread the Gospel.

Strict Dress Code

At Maranatha Christian School there is a strict dress code enforced throughout the school. It is a cardinal sin to come to school with a dirty uniform or to get it dirty while playing at break time/lunch, students are sent home for not having school approved stockings, and boys are beaten for not tucking in their shirt.

And perhaps worst of all... if a student's hair is getting "too long" (and I'm talking about anything more than a 1/2 centimeter for boys or girls) the teacher will come with scissors and cut a small section of their hair on the top of their head so they look funny until they get it cut.

Calling All Single Ladies!

I don't quite remember how it started, but at lunch today what started as a bit of curiosity turned into total mayhem. The staff room is typically a pretty quiet place at lunch, but today I'm sure people could here the laughing, yelling, and cheering from a good distance.

Somehow, it came up that the three single, male teachers would like American wives. To this I said, "You DO realize that American women are very different and expect different things than Ugandan women, right?"

This is when the bombardment of questions began. After I mentioned that both men and women help with housework in America, marriage is a partnership, we are equal, etc. the ladies started chiming in, "Yeah, you men need to learn how to help!" The men were discouraged at this.

Both sides quoted the Bible to support their arguments, they asked the "experienced" man what he thought, etc. It was all in good fun, but totally chaotic.

Even after all this, the three single men said they will continue to pray and persevere in their search for an American wife. One even said he wants to give me some photos of himself so I can show them to my single friends. Single ladies...any takers?

Fieldtrip to Rwanda

This last weekend, we (Jeff, Josh, Renee, and I) went on a field trip to Rwanda. It was a "field trip" because the purpose of a field trip is to learn something. At least, that's what I always tell my students...and I certainly did learn a lot on this one.

So, what did I learn...
1) Jeff has not lost his American sense of time. He said we were four minutes late when we left Friday morning at 6:04am. We were on a "strict" schedule all weekend and then found out we were actually an hour early for everything since Rwanda is in a different time zone than Uganda! Jeff also managed to cut off an hour and a half from the 10 hour car ride home because of his mad dodging skills around huge potholes and vehicles of all sizes.

2) Rwanda's genocide was a huge tragedy that the rest of the world turned it's eyes away from until too late. A once peaceful place was divided during colonialism, and hostilities intensified in the years after independence. Nearly 1 million people died in only a few months' time. We visited the Kigali Memorial Center and two churches where mass killings took place. Pretty intense, but helpful in understanding the history of the country.

3) Kigali is one of the nicest capitals in Africa. No kidding! After the genocide, money was given to Rwanda to help rebuild itself. A little late, but at least it looks like the money was used the way it was supposed to be used. You look around and see nicely paved roads, registered taxi/boda drivers, manicured roundabouts, etc. It felt safe. People seemed to work hard and move faster than some of their neighbors in Uganda.

4) Rwandans are as crazy about Obama as the Ugandans are!

5) "Hotel Rwanda" doesn't look anything like it does in the movie!

All in all, a pretty good trip.

Faith's Introduction

On Saturday, I was introduced to Ugandan Introductions... I was warned ahead of time that it was long hours of sitting, staring at the people across the way, and all in a language I don't understand. Still, there was a part of me that was curious. Plus, I think Faith must have asked at least 10 times if I was going to be there...how could I back out now?

We (Jeff, Josh, Wilbur, and I) arrived around 2:30pm, much later than most of the other guests. We were escorted inside the house, where only the "important" people were allowed to sit and eat. Luckily, we ate sandwiches on the way and weren't hungry for the Ugandan food.

Around 3:30pm we were told to get our seats...it was about to begin. For the next 4 hours, I sat and watched a dialogue, mainly between two spokesmen from the two clans, of which I understood about 3 words.

Here's a picture of some women in their traditional gomas, of which I believe no two are alike...


This is what Joseline later explained to me (remember this is an abbreviated version of the next four hours!)... the men from Faith's clan pretend they are having a meeting, in which people from Alfred's (the man Faith is going to marry) clan interrupts. This is where the questioning begins: Why should we let you interrupt our meeting? You will bring in your diseases. Do any of your people know our people? etc. etc.

Then groups of people are brought out to help determine if they know the imposing clan. First they brought out the young girls, then boys, then ladies (including Joseline), etc.

Joseline...

And finally, Faith's group!

Faith's aunt says she knows Alfred, then they pick out Faith to marry Alfred. Next comes the dowry. I watched as 42 baskets of food, crates of soda, bags of sugar, boxes of soap, two goats, and a cow thigh were marched past me.

Finally, Faith and Alfred are "officially" engaged to be married!
It was dark by the time they served cake, right after which, we took off...adding 5 more to the car, making 9 passengers!
Joseline and I took a couple pics after we got back home...yes, I borrowed a modern, yet still traditional dress from a friend. And least it's not as bad as the guys having to wear dresses!

Aerobics with no Music?!

So, Christine and I went to aerobics on Thursday for the first time in about a month. When we first arrived, it seemed to be eerily empty, which made us question if they still had a 6pm aerobics class...

The aerobics instructor walked in shortly after, giving us a hearty "Welcome Back!"

About 5 minutes into aerobics class, the sound system was acting up. Then, it completely shut down. How can we do aerobics with no music?! Oh, no worries, the instructor just ignored the fact that there was no music and continued, making the rest of feel a little silly. Then, he decided to get a little creative...

He had us do "sprints" across the room, leg work against the walls, mat exercises, etc. All in all, not too bad of an improvisation.

Uprisings

The P4 class has started protesting, well kinda. They just all whine and complain that I never take them to the library and can I please make another group with them in it. While I wouldn't mind making more groups if I had more opportunities to pull groups from class, this isn't possible. I'm limited to taking groups during English, Reading/Writing (which only happens like twice a week), or P.E. (since they don't actually do anything for PE). So, as it is, I only see each of my four groups 4 times a week, on a good week. I even got a very sad note from one boy who wants to come the library but isn't in one of my groups. I can't make everyone happy...

Hard to Swallow- Warning: not for the faint of heart

This last Tuesday was a particularly hard day at school. Not because I worked so hard, but because of what I watched. I walked into the P3 class prepared to take a group for reading. Instead, I found the Science teacher with the whole class lined up for their caning. Yes, the WHOLE class was being caned for their poor performance on their Science mid-term exam. Granted, two-thirds of the class had been sent home to retrieve school fees, but there were still 25 of them who received the beating. If a child screamed out or put up a protective arm, they were told to stop or the previous hit would not count. Yelps and crying ensued.

How does one sit and watch this? Yet, at the same time what could I do? The profuse use of beating in Ugandan schools is a common and culturally accepted occurrence. They truly believe it helps the child. And they truly believe that poor performance on a test is because the students weren't listening. The whole class? In America, the teacher would be questioned, not the students, if the whole class failed a test.

Ugandan teachers are baffled by the mere idea that in the USA teachers can actually lose their job or go to jail for hitting a kid. My own opinions and reasonings will not hold weight with these teachers. So, I've started to do my own research...Looking up scientific studies on the effects of corporal punishment in schools. Perhaps this will hold more weight...

I know I haven't painted a very pretty picture of Ugandan schools here, but it's the reality. I wish I could say everything is wonderful, the teachers and students work so hard, it's just the extreme poverty that makes things so bad here, but it's not. I'm up against a mindset, so ingrained into their heads, it's sometimes hard to hold on to the hope for change.

Class is IN session...

Many of you have been asking about school...so, here are some pictures!

I'm working at Marantha Christian School in Ggaba. The primary school goes from the baby class (which is like pre-kindergarten) up to P7 (which is like 7th grade). I'm meeting with several different groups of students from P3 and P4 each day of the week now. We work on reading skills, play word games, practice English, and work on grammar. I took a couple of pics, so you can see my students too...

"P4- Green Group"
"P4- Green Group"

"P3- Blue Group"

Yorkie- It's Not for Girls

So, there's this candy bar called Yorkie. Have you heard of it? It actually says on it that "It's not for girls." Kinda strange, huh? So, Josh decided to buy one- just to test it out.


After further investigation, on the internet of course, we found out that "In 2001 the Yorkie "It’s Not for Girls" campaign was launched because, in today’s society, there aren’t many things that a man can look at and say that’s for him." (from the nestle.co.uk website)

But, despite the warning, Faith and I were willing to take the risk of trying it anyway.


Basically, it's just a regular old chocolate bar. Unless something happens to us in our sleep tonight...

"Church"

Since arriving, I've been attending Gaba Community Church on Sunday mornings. It's the church associated with ARM and the school I am working at. It's a pretty big church. Many Sundays there are westerners visiting from all over. There's a choir, there's music, there's prayer, there's a sermon, and there's announcements. Seems pretty typical, right?

But, it still doesn't feel like my "home church." So, Renee and I decided to have "church" at home this week. We made a yummy breakfast of eggs and potatoes and then listened to a Mariners Church podcast as we ate. This felt more like "church" than actually going to church. There's just something about listening to a sermon that matches my cultural experiences in life. I even laughed a couple of times listening, something that I never do here because I just don't get what's funny when people around me are laughing.
I will probably still go to church at Gaba or maybe try some of the international churches around, but it definitely makes me appreciate church back home :)

Visiting Mubende

Last week I had the opportunity to visit some of the rural ARM schools in the Mubende district. Our mission was to take hundreds of Bibles and some teaching resources to help improve the religious education curriculum at the schools. We left early in the morning to start our 2 ½ hour trek out to the first school. Some of the roads were paved, but you know the roads are bad when the driver drives on the dirt shoulder rather than the paved road because of the numerous potholes.
Our first school visit was to Agape Christian School. Abby, the director of schools, met with the teachers to tell them what we had brought and her expectations for using the new curriculum. She also asked them what their biggest difficulties were. The consensus was the lack of text books- something that would never happen in the U.S. When we passed out bibles, the students were so excited to open them up and read them. Something about the children out there in the village is different. The children have this genuine thankfulness that is so sweet. Before leaving, we visited the ARM staff at this location and ate lunch: matooke, posho, beans, greens. The same thing could be said of the staff as the children: there was just something rejuvenating and exciting about being around these people. They were so gracious that we had even come to see them.
As we were leaving for the second school, it began to rain. In a matter of minutes, the dirt roads became muddy and slippery. Now, it would be a challenge just to make it to Grace Christian School in Kachungwa village (which means Orange and made me think of home in the OC). As we slipped and slided along the small dirt road, I was thinking we would definitely slide off the road and fall over into a ditch. We did get stuck a couple time in the deep mud puddles, but the teachers, ARM staff, and pastor came to the rescue and pushed us out.
The best part of visiting this second school was that my sponsor child, Ruth, goes to this school. This was the second time I have been able to visit Ruth (the first time being last summer when I was here for two weeks) but this time I was in her home village. I met her two sisters, who also go to the school. Then, while it was still raining, we traveled to her grandmother’s house, whom the three girls lives with. The path to the house was muddy and slippery as well. Renee even took a tumble. At the house, I met Ruth’s grandmother (jaja) and another elder sister who live in the small dirt floored home. I walked in and saw two small benches, a radio, a mat on the floor, and a jug that is used as a type of refrigerator. There was another small room they showed me, where the girls sleep. There were 3 mattresses covering the entire floor of the room and a rope strung across the middle of the room with all of their clothes hanging from it. The kitchen in the back of the house had just collapsed due to the rain- smoke still rising from inside. We sat in the front room and the grandmother told me about raising the girls on her own and how much she appreciates my help through Ruth’s sponsorship. After speaking with the grandmother for a while, the girls went to get my gift. They came back carrying a chicken! I didn’t want to take their chicken since I knew they needed it much more than I did, but it is rude to refuse a gift. They were so excited to give me this token of their appreciation. I left Ruth with a small gift as well, but I felt is was nothing in comparison to what they gave me.


Driving back we had to take a different road, because the one we came in on was too steep to take with the roads being so slippery. A boy from the school came along with us to show us the way. Only, he thought he’d take us down a shortcut that was only as wide as a village walking path. We were tearing through tall grass and bushes until we slid off the path and into a matooke tree. For several minutes the driver tried to maneuver around the tree, but the road was too slippery and we kept sliding right back into the tree. More and more children came to watch, so they were recruited to help push the van. We managed to get around that tree but then came up to another one we couldn’t get around. The wheels sped around in the mud creating a deeper and deeper trench that we could not get out of. All of a sudden the men from the school/church came around the corner to help us. Abby go out in her high heels to help as well, but we were told just to stay, so we did, despite our guilty conscious for not helping. All of a sudden a man with a machete ran at some of the children scaring them down the road. Apparently it was the landowner. We were ruining part of his field. He was told he would be compensated, and then he was all in on helping us out of the ditch we had created. It took a lot of manpower, spinning wheels, and prayer to get us out. Then, we slip-slided within centimeters of a house before getting back to the main road. By the end of it all, I was glad to be home, but so thankful for the experience.

Notes on the First Week of School

So, I finally had my first week of school. I was supposed to just be observing in several of the classrooms, so I could get a feel for how things are done in Ugandan schools. I got more than I expected. I realize that there are going to be some differences between American schools and Ugandan schools, but some of the things I saw just didn't seem right. I think I've got my work cut out for me...
1. Students are in school from 7am-5pm (technically, although I think some sneak away or are sent away on occasion), yet I think only about 2 hours of work is actually accomplished. A typical class goes like this: the teacher stands at the front of the class and writes exercises on the chalkboard for about 15 minutes while behind his or her back the students are talking, hitting each other, throwing things, moving around, etc., then the teacher has the students read what is written on the board at least 5 times outloud, then the students spend about 45 minutes copying the exercises into their notebooks, which would only take 5 minutes if they were given 5 minutes, but since they have 45 min. some will take 45 min. to copy it down while others take 5min. and then sit there doing NOTHING for the other 40 minutes.
2. I was asked to teach, impromtu, an English lesson on the topic of building. You know when you are ASKED to do something, but you feel like you don't really have the option of saying no? Yeah, so I was in front of 70 students, doing my best to get them to understand my accent and actually learn something. I was the crazy white teacher asking students to EXPLAIN their answers- not something they are used to doing, ever. So, when a student gave an answer and I said, "How do you know?" I was getting blank stares. I was also left in a classroom by myself several times with no instructions. The kids had nothing to do but create chaos. So, once again, the crazy white teacher took over and made them learn something or at least use their minds. I do have to say, it is difficult to manage 70-80 kids in a class, especially when you don't know their names yet.
3. Behavior management is a little different here. Ok, completely different. There basically is no behavior management other than beatings. Teachers threaten it constantly and then will select a student at any time to receive a beating. Students will be acting crazy and the teacher will do nothing. Then, a student reads a word wrong in front of the class or doesn't give an answer in a complete sentence or doesn't write neatly enough in their notebook and they are beaten with a stick. And they whack hard! It is difficult to watch. Students become scared to even answer basic questions in fear of being wrong and then beaten. No one's perfect. Making a mistake doesn't warrant a beating in my book.
4. Break time and lunch: The schools here provide students and teachers with a snack at breaktime and then lunch in the afternoon. I was a little nervous to eat the village food, but I at least tried it. I ate matooke (similar to plantains) with peanut sauce and posho (maize flour) with beans. The food is served on pre-prepared plates, in no small amount. So, I would put about a quarter of it on a different plate to eat and leave the rest for someone else. When asked about it, I said I was not used to the food yet so eating just a little matooke or posho made me very full, which was mostly true. They are very filling, since they are all carbs, but it's not my favorite either (especially when there's a gritty-ness to it that I'm pretty sure is dirt).

Next week I get to visit some rural schools, so that should be interesting. I'm also hoping to start some reading groups. I'll let you know how it goes!

Some Pictures

To the disappointment of some, I was not able to upload the aerobics video to blogger yet. But, here is, at least, a couple still photos to give you an idea of what it is like. I know the pics are great, but notice people facing in all directions! haha!

A couple people also asked me to include some pictures of my new room. Well, I've been in it for a few weeks now, but I guess it's still new :) I moved out of the original room when another guy from the USA came to stay for the next 4 months. He couldn't go in the outside room because there were already two girls (the Ugandan girls I live with) outside. Not bad...it's actually a little quieter out there, except for the rooster!

Any other picture requests? I'll take some of the school I'm working at soon. I'm also going to visit a couple rural schools next week, so maybe some from there. Let me know and I'll do my best to include more photos!

English Class

Today, I learned that in Uganda the words hut, hat, and heart are homophones (sound the same but have different meanings/spellings). So are born and bone, first and fast, bird and bad, and cat and cut.
I also learned that said and called are two syllable words: "say-id" and "call-ed"
Good to know...

Month One...

You know you've been in Uganda for a month when...

1. All your shoes are starting to have a nice reddish-brown coat on them.



2. Your feet have more blisters and soars on them than you thought possible (these are just a couple of the pics- there could have been more!).



3. Your very STRAIGHT hair all of a sudden starts to get WAVY in the humidity.



4. Your taxi driver almost runs into a wall when you tell him to turn left because he thinks you want him to turn right.


5. You've gotten multiple marriage proposals from Ugandans who say they "love you".


6. The rooster becomes your alarm clock WAY earlier than you want to get up.


7. A chicken runs at you when you walk out the back door (thinking I had food?!?) or you see an occasional monkey sitting on the fence. And your pet turkey is soon going to be Thanksgiving dinner.


8. Ugandan aerobics becomes a part of your weekly routine (oh how I wish I could have included the video on this one!).

Sorry, guys. I tried to include some videos on a couple of these, but the connection is just too slow to download it. If anyone else has a suggestion, I'll take it because I was letting about a 5sec video of the rooster download for about 4 hours before I gave up. I didn't even try the 20 sec aerobic video.

Aerobics: One More, Two More, Thank You Very Much!

A couple of friends and I have decided to start taking an aerobics class. It is always entertaining. The class is mixed with Ugandans and westerners. The music is always funny mixes and the instructor speeds them up so they all sound like Mickey Mouse. It is a mixer of Ugandan local and international dance music. Unfortunately most of the experiences fall under "you had to be there" but here are some things that we as a collective have experienced or seen.

1. An instructor with a huge belly coming into the workout room, dropping his pants turning around to give a full Monty view before changing into his sweat pants. I am not sure if this is to inspire us to run... mostly out of the class room.
2. Ugandan men flailing their arms around trying to keep up with the instructor with zero rhythm and doing their own unique steps. Thus, destroying the myth that all Africans have rhythm.
3. The instructor flirting so much with the Ugandan girl who contorts her body in strange directions with every move she makes. I don’t know how she twists and turns like that without breaking her back. But I want to tell them to go in the back an just do whatever it is they need to do so we can focus on class.
4. The mother daughter duo who always lay down about fifteen minutes into class.
5. The ancient Ugandan man who has a phobia of using the step during step class. He prefers to run in place and kick at random intervals. Always moving in the opposite direction as the rest of us. Often almost kicking me as he seems to always take up residence beside me.
6. During every class there are very large men who come by and watch the class donned in blue sheets nice and wet from the steam room leaving little to the imagination.
7. Our instructor doesn’t know how to count often he calls out 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, reverse. Of course it took us a month to figure out what he was saying. Or "one more, two more, five more." Doesn’t he know if it is only one more he can’t ask us to do five more and then make us do three? But he always thanks us for our excellent work and for trying.
8. Flailing arm man wears very interesting work out outfits- last week he had on a bright red t-shirt tucked into blue swim trunks while wearing trainers and black dress socks.
9. The instructor will randomly stop class and give us a break for 2 minute break so he can go and change out of his pants and into shorts because he has sweat so much. During this time my motivation disappears with my heart rate.
10. More often than not the entire class gets lost as the instructor switches to advanced mode adding twists and turns.
11. Mosquitoes manage to stay away during "cardio" section of class but swarm by your legs and head when you are trying to do crunches. You know you will be eaten alive if you notice them swarming when you are jumping around with your arms flailing.

All in all in we have a great time and everyone tries really hard and we are always enthusiastic it is just sometimes difficult not burst out laughing in class although sometimes that laughter is what keeps us going! We are aggressively attempting to get some video of this so you can experience it first hand.

--Renee and Beth

Working Hard or Hardly Working

Which is better or, for that matter, worse: to be busy working or having nothing to do? To be working so hard that you miss the little moments to just BE in a place, to just BE with people, OR to feel like you are not being productive or useful at all? For the last few weeks, the children have all been on holiday from school (they are between terms), which means no work for me. Sure, I should enjoy relaxing, reading, walking around town, etc. But, it has also been a struggle. Many times in the last couple weeks I have questioned myself. What are you doing? Sure, I've gone in to the school several times to speak with the Headmistress, Director of Academic Studies, and Director of ARM Schools to try and solidify my purpose, goals, schedule, and action plan, but things have gone slowly. I've done some prep work, but until I am in the schools and can experience their education system, it is hard to truly prepare. So, I am learning to just be patient, to slow down and learn about the culture and my surroundings. In many ways, it is actually a blessing that I was not thrown into the fire to fend for myself. I am starting to feel more comfortable with the village paths, the taxi routes, the stares and calls, expressing my expectations, etc. all which simply take time. I'm sure the exhaustion from working with students all day long will be here soon enough. Then, I'll look back and wish I was hardly working! ha! Interesting that the theme in my devotions this month is contentment. Be content with where God has put you in this moment for whatever purpose He may have... I am reminding myself that all the time now :)

Ordering Take Out

There are only two places that I know of, so far, that deliver take out food here in Uganda. Thinking it would be fun to try, Renee and I decided we'd order food from JJ's Cafe, not too far down the road. We were watching the two Atherstone boys while Jeff and Christine went to dinner and then small group. The boys had Mac&Cheese, but we wanted something else.
Here's how it went (I know it's long, but this is just a glimpse of the night!):
6:15pm I call JJ's Cafe to order food. After several minutes of confusion on the phone, trying to find out what is in the 3 different wraps, the only info I really got was that the chicken wrap has chicken, pineapple, chili, and fresh pineapple? hmm? me: "I'll call you back."
6:30pm Jeff and Christine were going to JJ's for dinner anyway, so they called us and read off the menu to us.
6:33pm I call JJ's again to order. Renee and I thought we'd make it simple by ordering cheeseburgers and chips (fries), but find out even that is not easy! me: "I would like to order some food to be delivered. We would like 2 cheeseburgers." response: "I'm sorry what was that?" me: "I would like to order 2 CHEESEBURGERS." response: "I'm not understanding you." me: "I would like to have 2 cheeseburgers. You know, hamburgers with cheese?" response: "Oh, you want a cheeseburger?"
*hang up*
6:35pm I call them again. Me: "Hello? Yes, did you get that? I want TWO cheeseburgers and TWO orders of chips." response: "So, you want TWO cheeseburgers and what?" (AAHH! I handed the phone to Renee to complete the order- which went on for several more minutes)
Ok, first part down- getting the order made. Although, we were still not 100% sure we were going to get what we ordered.
Then, next part- giving directions to the house...
6:40pm me: "We would like you to deliver it to Pastor Jeff's house from the Gaba Bible Institute. Do you know who he is?" response: "You want it at the Bible Institute?" me: "No. I am at Pastor Jeff's HOUSE." response: "The guest house?" me: "No. Pastor JEFF'S house. (We go back and forth like this several more times.) Ask Jenny to give you directions. She knows." response: "Who? Jenny?" me: "Yes, Jenny. As in Jeff and Jenny's Cafe- JJ's Cafe." response: "I'm sorry what was that?" (AAHH! I handed the phone to Renee to communicate with this guy who was obviously not understanding me.)
Renee: "Ask the boda drivers at Zebra Point in Bunga to tell you where the mzungus live. If they don't know it's on Lake View Close (name of street). How long will it be?" response: "About 30 minutes."
7:05pm Nothing
7:35pm Nothing
8:00pm Put boys to sleep. Maybe we should make ourselves a drink?!
8:30pm My phone rings. "Ok, I'm at at Gaba Lake View Hotel. Where can I find you?" Renee: "No. We are not at Gaba Lake View Hotel. We are in Bunga. The name of the STREET is Lake View Close. Go back to Zebra Point stage and ask the boda boda drivers for directions." (She repeated this at least 3 or 4 times before he understood we were not at the hotel in Gaba)
8:45pm My phone rings. "Ok, I'm at Zebra Point. Can you meet me in the middle." me: "No. Ask the boda drivers. You need to go up the hill and turn left. Then, the road curves around and..."
*hang up*
8:55pm My phone rings. "Ok, I'm at Happy Venture Primary School." me: "I don't know where that is." response: "You don't know?" me: "No. Did you turn left going up the hill from Zebra Point?" response: "Yes, I turned left (no he didn't- he only turned left to get to Zebra Point). (AAHH! I handed the phone to Renee again and let them go back and forth with directions)
9:05pm My phone rings and I let Renee answer. "Ok, I'm at Bambula at Zebra Point. Can you come get it?" Renee: "No. It is dark and it is dangerous for us. You need to come here, etc. etc."
9:20pm Our food finally arrives!!! Only a little over 2 hours late. Cold meat, hard cheese, soggy fries. mmm :(
If only all the streets had names, it may have worked out a little more smoothly. Maybe.

Crazy Ugandan Weather!

Yesterday, late morning, I walked over to the ARM and school offices to meet with some people. It takes about 40 minutes to walk if you take some of the small dirt back roads. By the time I made it to the office I was hot, sweaty, and dirty. Every time a car drove by it kicked up more of the red, dusty dirt that covered me from the knees down.
A few hours later I walked with Renee to her house (just a 5 minute walk) to drop some things off, and then we were going to head downtown. The sky was starting to look a little dark, but it was still warm out. It started sprinkling as we were leaving her house, but we figured we would just catch a taxi and it'd be fine by the time we made it to Kampala.
Well, we made it about 100 feet down the first road when literally in 3...2...1...a huge gust of wind and a torrential downpour of rain drenched us before we could even run back to the house. It was like being in the middle of a hurricane! There was no way we were going out in this, even if Renee needed to make it downtown by 4 to FedEx a package! It should pass pretty quickly...Then, huge chunks of hail, yes HAIL, began to pelt the roof, and the backyard was already flooded with several inches of water. Maybe this storm was going to pass as quickly as we hoped.
We waited about 30 minutes before we peeked outside again. It was hardly even sprinkling anymore, it had just sounded like it was raining from all the water running off the house! We ventured out to find a taxi, which we found quickly and, to my surprise, was practically empty. Mutotus are never that empty. Now, my feet and legs were covered in mud- not a good day to be wearing flip-flops! During the drive into the city, the sky cleared up and it was once again a pleasant day. All this in a matter of a few hours!

The Taxi Park

So, here's a couple pics of the crazy taxi park in downtown Kampala. You have to find the sign of the village you want to go to and hop in to one of the taxis. The drivers wait until the taxi is completely full (at least 15 people) before leaving. Then, somehow, they get out of the gridlocked lot and you're on your way home. Sounds easy enough right?!

Almost Famous...

It feels a little strange, but I imagine this is as close as I am going to get to being famous. As I walk down the street the children run up to say, "Hi mzungu! Bye mzungu!" (Mzungu is a term used for any white or American person.) Adults on the street walk by and say, "How are you mzungu? How is your time here mzungu?" Taxi and boda boda drivers want to know if the mzungu needs a ride. They are never to busy to take a mzungu where they want to go. There was even a man at the taxi park today that said, "I love you mzungu!" So much attention. So many eyes constantly watching you. They don't know you from one mzungu to the next, but yet they are still intrigued. They are always wanting something. They know that they can get more from mzungus than anyone else. So, they are shocked when the mzungu wants to walk all the way to her destination by herself or when she knows how to respond to their greeting, "Oli Otya." My hope is that they will know me as more than just another mzungu, not just someone they want to get close to but that they can get close with. I know, crazy thought, but it's lonely being famous. Good thing I have other mzungus around for now. They just think I'm normal.

Some firsts...

Last night I spent my first night in my new home. As with any new place, there were all of strange sounds that you’re not used to yet. For me, it was a mixture of dogs barking, roosters crowing, and a series of mysterious noises that, I’ve gotta admit, were slightly freaking me out. However, the house itself is very nice, even in American standards. I live with an American family with two young boys and two other Ugandan women. The pictures are of my new room (at least it’s my room for the first month or so before I move to another one). If you look carefully you can see the chicken coops right outside my window…
I also experienced my first mutotu (taxi) ride into the city. Mutotus are small vans that, somehow, fit up to 17 people in. There always seems to be room for one more in Uganda. It takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to make it downtown and only costs about 50 cents. Then, to get back home you catch a taxi from the taxi park- literally hundreds of taxis all packed into one little area. You have to find the ones going to Gaba, marked by a sign. Then, as soon as the taxi is completely full, they will leave. It is organized chaos! I’ll have to get a picture of it next time I go, because it looks absolutely insane.

Ready, Get Set, Go!

I'm here! The last week and a half has been filled with an assortment of experiences, emotions, sights, sounds, and SMELLS. One of the best parts has been seeing all the people I started relationships with last year. It was so exciting when some of the kids from Soroti ran up to me and yelled my name as soon as they saw me. They remembered my name! I wasn’t sure if they would, since most mzungus (white people) look the same to them. But, it just confirmed that my time in Soroti last year was worth while. It made a difference in their lives. If you haven’t checked out the team's blog yet, I highly recommend it. There were a lot of amazing things I got to be a part of: www.marinersteamuganda.blogspot.com

But, for this blog, I’ll be focusing on my experiences in Uganda from here on. I'm on my own now (well that's not completely true, since there are some other Americans helping me figure things out).

Saying Goodbye...

Why is it so hard to say goodbye? It's never been very hard for me to pick up and GO- to college, graduate school, Spain, etc. But this time, it seems a little harder. Maybe it's because I know I will miss many of the basic comforts of life we take for granted in the United States. Maybe it's because I will miss eating Mexican food at least 5 times a week. OR maybe it means that I really care about the PEOPLE and things that I am leaving behind for the next year! I will miss all of my friends and family immensely. But, I know that going back to Uganda as a missionary teacher is something God has been preparing me to do for a long time. There is some comfort in knowing that I am following His will in my life, and not my own. There has been a number of times when I have wondered, "What am I DOING going to LIVE in Africa?!" But there is a calming whisper reminding me, "Just wait. You will see what I have planned for you!" I'm certainly excited and anxious to see...