So I am leaving tomorrow afternoon to go up north! The girls I was originally supposed to go with canceled on me, so now I am going with anther girl and a guy. It is better that way. Both of them have been up north and I feel safer going with a guy. We are going to Arua first and then onto Gulu. It is my hope to visit 1 or 2 IDP camps while there. We will be returning on Monday.
So I had my first break down yesterday. Yes I cried:) I was feeling sick because I hadn't eaten all day and I couldn't find any food. Yes a white person in Africa with a ton of money who can't find food. As I mentioned in a previous blog the grocery stores here don't sell much food so I went to one of the only restaurants in my town. Everything I ordered they were out of, so I got fed up and just left. I never ended up getting any food. Trust me, if you miss a meal or 2 here it takes a big toll on your body. I am already weak from lack of food so not having any for a day beat me up bad. I woke up with a screaming headache and I am soooo weak. I finally made it into Kampala to have a pizza. I am going to try to stuff myself full today because I am not sure what the food situation will be like up north.
It seems like all the volunteers are getting sick. It's usually from bad food. A few of them have had violent episodes of throwing up and some diarrhea. Glad I haven't had that yet!
In yesterday's entry I forgot to tell you about my bad trip back from Kampala one night. I went into town because some of the volunteers were playing in a band. I didn't want to go but felt I should be supportive. Because I am really the only volunteers with a heavy work load no one understood that I needed to get back to get my work done. Needless to say they all wanted to stay so I had to go home alone. Kampala is about 45 min away from Mukono, and you have to take a taxi to get there. So I left the club and took a scooter (boda boda) to the taxi park. When the driver asked me which taxi park I didn't know and just took a guess. On the way there I asked him if there would be any taxi's going to Mukono from that park. He didn't know. Once we got to the park he asked another driver in Lugandan if there were any taxi's going to Mukono. He said no. I had a feeling that the boda driver was just trying to get more money out of me so I went to check for myself. Here's another mental picture for you. The taxi park is HUGE and has no lights so I couldn't see anything. Plus I have come to the conclusion that the moon does not shine in Africa. When it's dark here, it's DARK. Anyway, here I am alone clutching my purse asking people if they could tell me where to go to get a taxi to Mukono. After many tries someone found me one. There was no conductor in the taxi so I wasn't 100% sure that I was even on the right one. After sitting inside for about 15 min waiting for it to fill up (and watching various bugs crawl around me) we took off. At first we were heading in the right direction but then they went off onto some back road. Again, I use the word road loosely. We were bouncing around and driving through holes like crazy. (the drivers here all drive the fastest the vehicle will go, no matter what the road conditions are like, scary!!!) I started texting my roommates to tell them I had no idea where I was. After about 1/2 and hour we came onto the main road again. I was never so happy. I made it home safe and sound but a little scared.
So yesterday I went to this HUGE outdoor local market. There is no way I could ever possibly fully explain this place but I will try. First of all it is probably over 1000 little shops. They aren't really shops but 5x5 lots with no walls where people lay out their stuff on the ground in piles, then they lay on top of them and yell and grab at you. The floor is mud and has random sticks on it to keep you from falling in a hole. You constantly have to balance yourself on the sticks to stay standing. The isles are only 1 to 2 people wide so you are always running into people. Everything is dirty and everyone is grabbing you. As soon as they see a white person they grab your hand or arm and try to pull you over to their location. Then they sift through their huge mound of stuff. There is so much to look at you don't know where to look. This market sells everything. You can buy clothes, shoes, jewelry, food, sports stuff, and live animals. At some point I saw a guy with probably 30 chickens tied upside down to his bicycle which he was trying to sell. The chickens were going crazy! I also saw this very large African lady sitting on these large bags of flower. She was covered in white powder and had her head wrapped in a scarf. It was really cool to see. Because they want to show as much stuff as possible the people lay on top of everything all day long.
Now, lets talk about prices here. Everything is sooooo cheap. I can buy a pair of good name brand (Puma) running shoes for $14 and they are good quality. Jeans are between $7 and $14. For me to get to Kampala in a taxi (40min to 1 hour) is $1. I am definitely going back to the market to see what else I can buy.
I think that's pretty much it for now. I will email again once I return from the north.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
3rd world education
I sure hope all of you who read this blog are enjoying it, but it is a pain in the butt to find time to write it, let alone a proper internet connection. We've have had a lot of power outages and the internet has been down a lot, that is why I have not written much.
So I realized that I have not told you much about my actual teaching. I am teaching P4 here which stands for Primary 4. I was told that it was equal to grade 4 in Canada but it's not even close. I would say more like grad 2 or some things grade 3 at best. The kids are still reading very simple books. A few lines on a page in large text. Their English is much better than most of the other schools the other volunteers work at but they lack in other areas. For the next 2 days they are doing mid terms. I just gave them their English exam this morning and will mark it tonight. I think they will do ok. However, tomorrow is their Science exam and I don't think they will do so good. I gave them a quick test on Friday and most of them got something like 3 out of 18. Not good. It make me feel like I am failing as a teacher. I'll keep trying though.
As I mentioned before I am having each kid write a journal entry a day. It was hard for them at first, but now they are getting into it. One boy asked my brothers name and now each day he writes to Chad. It is sooooo cute. He is excited for me to show it to Chad when I come home.
We finished making the masks yesterday and that was a HUGE hit. I took pictures of them all. All the other teachers have asked if we would do a performance in them. Everyone at the school is very excited.
Now for the money update. I think I told you that I have paid a years rent so that the school can have a proper office. We thought that we would get it next week but there looks to be complications. (that's Africa) The lady who is living there doesn't have a place to go, so we have to wait for her to find another place before we can move in. It may be a few months. I will try to take pictures of the space though, so you can see it. I have also paid to have a dividing wall put up between two classrooms. That should be built this weekend. Again I will take photos for you.
Today I have agreed to pay for all my P4 students to go on a tour. They have all been asking me to pay for it because only 2 of them can afford to go. It is only $250 dollars so I agreed to pay for them all. We are going on next Friday to see the airport and a safari. None of the kids have seen big animals nor an airplane. It should be good to get their reactions.
Today I am off to a HUGE market in Kampala. I've been told that it is sooo big that you need a guide or you will get lost. I have asked a teacher at my school to come with me. I can't wait to see what they have there! We were supposed to leave to go up north on Friday but I am unsure if we are going now. It is only 3 girls and they other girls are trying to back out. I am disappointed because that was one thing that I really wanted to do. I am still working on them.
Sorry but I have to cut this one short. I have to get back to school. I will try to write in a couple days if I don't go up North.
So I realized that I have not told you much about my actual teaching. I am teaching P4 here which stands for Primary 4. I was told that it was equal to grade 4 in Canada but it's not even close. I would say more like grad 2 or some things grade 3 at best. The kids are still reading very simple books. A few lines on a page in large text. Their English is much better than most of the other schools the other volunteers work at but they lack in other areas. For the next 2 days they are doing mid terms. I just gave them their English exam this morning and will mark it tonight. I think they will do ok. However, tomorrow is their Science exam and I don't think they will do so good. I gave them a quick test on Friday and most of them got something like 3 out of 18. Not good. It make me feel like I am failing as a teacher. I'll keep trying though.
As I mentioned before I am having each kid write a journal entry a day. It was hard for them at first, but now they are getting into it. One boy asked my brothers name and now each day he writes to Chad. It is sooooo cute. He is excited for me to show it to Chad when I come home.
We finished making the masks yesterday and that was a HUGE hit. I took pictures of them all. All the other teachers have asked if we would do a performance in them. Everyone at the school is very excited.
Now for the money update. I think I told you that I have paid a years rent so that the school can have a proper office. We thought that we would get it next week but there looks to be complications. (that's Africa) The lady who is living there doesn't have a place to go, so we have to wait for her to find another place before we can move in. It may be a few months. I will try to take pictures of the space though, so you can see it. I have also paid to have a dividing wall put up between two classrooms. That should be built this weekend. Again I will take photos for you.
Today I have agreed to pay for all my P4 students to go on a tour. They have all been asking me to pay for it because only 2 of them can afford to go. It is only $250 dollars so I agreed to pay for them all. We are going on next Friday to see the airport and a safari. None of the kids have seen big animals nor an airplane. It should be good to get their reactions.
Today I am off to a HUGE market in Kampala. I've been told that it is sooo big that you need a guide or you will get lost. I have asked a teacher at my school to come with me. I can't wait to see what they have there! We were supposed to leave to go up north on Friday but I am unsure if we are going now. It is only 3 girls and they other girls are trying to back out. I am disappointed because that was one thing that I really wanted to do. I am still working on them.
Sorry but I have to cut this one short. I have to get back to school. I will try to write in a couple days if I don't go up North.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Frustration
So many little things happen here in one day it's hard to remember them all let alone write about them days later. The power was out for the past 3 days and the internet was down. It came up for a few hours yesterday so I tried to get online but after 2 hours and no success I went home frustrated. So I decided to take a trip to Kampala today so that I could get a reliable internet service.
Things are a bit primitive here especially with no power. Having to bath, eat, use the washroom and do lesson plans in the dark is difficult. Because I have a much more demanding schedule than the other volunteers I spend pretty much all of my day either at school or doing homework and lesson plans. They all can't believe how much work I have.
Now onto the stories. I have been having my kids write journals everyday. Most of the kids don't know how to think outside of the box here so they don't know what to write. The school system is really bad here. Basically the teachers read from the text book, copy it onto the board and the kids write it down. There is no creativity. Shame. So when I ask them to do something outside of that they need a lot of encouragement and guidance. Hence the writing in the journals have been a struggle. In the journals, most of the kids ask me to buy them things. Most of them ask me to take them to Canada. Then the ask my parents names my brothers name and how old I am. When I tell them almost 31 they don't believe me. They ask me where my white hair is. Because the life expectancy is so low here people my age are considered to be old. On the up side most of the kids thought I was 21 or 22. Even the other volunteers couldn't believe that I was 31, they all thought mid 20's. Apparently I shouldn't wear makeup or do my hair more often:)
Anyway, back to the journals. I had a student tell me that his parents are dead and that he lives with his is sister. He told me that he won't be coming back to school because they can not afford to pay for his school fees. Another 2 students of mine had the same problem where their families could not afford to send them to school. Needless to say I paid for all three to stay for another term. For all 3 of them it only cost me around $80. When the parents heard what I had done they came to the school to thank me. They were so happy. As harsh as it may sound I had to make sure that all of them understood that the money was only going to be given for 1 term and that they would have to pay after that. The reason I had to do that is because the people here think that once a white person has given money they continue to do so forever. In other words, after I left those families would think that I have given money to the school and that the school was keeping it from them. You have to make things very clear here.
I have also purchased a school uniform for one of my students. She was very grateful. Almost every day the kids ask me if I will pay for them to go on tour. Apparently the school is trying to take the kids to the airport to see the planes. Then from there they will go to the zoo. Out of 125 students I think only a handful can afford to go. I will ask how much it is per student and see if I can send my whole class. None of them have seen a plane. Most of them have never been further than 1 hour away from their home. Sad.
With the donated money I have decided to give my school a proper office. Right now the office is the back of the nursery class room. Picture this. 80 kids, a teacher, a desk, a bookshelf all in a 10x10 room. My school is VERY small and they are running out of space. So we have negotiated with the landlord of the complex to rent out the last remaining room. On Monday I am going to give him 1 years rent for the room. It was a grand total of $200 for the year. They are soooo happy. I am also arranging to do some work on the other classrooms. They need a proper dividing wall between 2 of the rooms. We found out this week that the school was almost shut down because they needed to make some changes. I of course agreed to help. I am shocked at how little things cost here.
So thank you everyone who donated to this trip. The money is going a long way and is helping many kids. I have also made friends with the bankers because I am going in there so often to exchange money. They are trying to each me new Lugandan words, but it is not going so well. It is still nice to have made some friends.
Today I am in Kampala and am here to buy more books for the school. Now that they have a proper office space for them to store the books, it is my hope that by the time I am done they will have enough books for every grade level to read something. That will last a long time here. the school is very poor and can use any help they can get.
Because the school is so small the kids don't really have anywhere to get exercise. The teachers here are very lazy and just do the minimum amount of work needed. So when we do have a break I take the kids outside and have them run. The first day I told them to run to the corner but when I said go they just kept on running. I have no idea where they went but it was far away. The other teachers just looked at me and said "they'll be back" I also try to chase around the nursery kids. They are so small and do not speak any English but they love the attention. It is absolutely crazy when I bring out my camera. They all go nuts!
My male teachers at the school are starting to creep me out. They keep coming into my classroom and just looking at me. One of them won't leave me alone. Everyday they ask me when we are going to go out clubbing. I of course don't want to so I keep dodging the question. Plus in Uganda I would be expected to pay for them if we go out. Forget that! Everyday they ask me to come sit and eat with them. I just tell them that I am going to play with the kids.
Ok now for the sad stories. 2 of the other volunteers heard from their students that the director of their school is raping the girls there. That is the second school this week where we have heard about the girls getting raped. It is sad to say but the men here are really bad! It is also a rumor here that the white man started AIDS and that if you have sex with a baby you will be cured. Crazy! Some of the volunteers teach sex ed classes and give talks about AIDS. It is unbelievable the questions these kids ask. And I stress KIDS! They are so small. One of the volunteers showed me a picture of a 5 year old who had syphilis. It was all over her head and the flies were attacking her. She has also had Malaria 3 times this month. Crazy. It is such a struggle to just live here.
Now back to some vanity. Seriously I can not stand to even look at myself anymore. It is impossible to get clean here and to smell nice. I have given up hope on my skin, as it seems to just be getting worse, and let's not talk about my hair. WOW! I so desperately want to feel normal again:(
As far as the food goes. I honestly don't know how people survive here. Most of my kids eat only once or maybe twice, if they are lucky, a day. And when they do eat it is posho and beans. There is little or no nutrition in that. I am being fed 3 times a day and have no energy. The food has no taste and you are given very little. I'm not kidding when I say it is a struggle to just walk up three flights of stairs. I had to go to a western hotel the other day just to feed myself properly so that I would have some energy. I was sick for a couple days, but I am feeling much better now. When I go to the grocery store, and all they had was water, bread, some apples, peanut butter, jam, juice, coffee, yogart, and some crackers. They rest of the store is random supplies. I can't even buy food here! It is so rare to get meat as well. I haven't had any meat in 2 weeks. I'm so hungry and all I can ever think about is food. I honestly don't know how they do it.
Tomorrow I am off to Jinja. It is where the source to the Nile river is, so I am excited to see that. I may stay overnight, but am unsure. On Sunday we are going to a traditional dance in Seeta. That should be good as well. Next weekend I am going up north with 3 other volunteers. I can't wait. We are going to one of the largest IDP camps in East Africa. There are 1 million people there and 1000 kids die a day from starvation. I am sure that one will be an eye opener.
There are a million other things to tell you but I am running out of time here and I need to go eat something. Provided the internet is up in Mukono I will write again soon.
Jenn
Things are a bit primitive here especially with no power. Having to bath, eat, use the washroom and do lesson plans in the dark is difficult. Because I have a much more demanding schedule than the other volunteers I spend pretty much all of my day either at school or doing homework and lesson plans. They all can't believe how much work I have.
Now onto the stories. I have been having my kids write journals everyday. Most of the kids don't know how to think outside of the box here so they don't know what to write. The school system is really bad here. Basically the teachers read from the text book, copy it onto the board and the kids write it down. There is no creativity. Shame. So when I ask them to do something outside of that they need a lot of encouragement and guidance. Hence the writing in the journals have been a struggle. In the journals, most of the kids ask me to buy them things. Most of them ask me to take them to Canada. Then the ask my parents names my brothers name and how old I am. When I tell them almost 31 they don't believe me. They ask me where my white hair is. Because the life expectancy is so low here people my age are considered to be old. On the up side most of the kids thought I was 21 or 22. Even the other volunteers couldn't believe that I was 31, they all thought mid 20's. Apparently I shouldn't wear makeup or do my hair more often:)
Anyway, back to the journals. I had a student tell me that his parents are dead and that he lives with his is sister. He told me that he won't be coming back to school because they can not afford to pay for his school fees. Another 2 students of mine had the same problem where their families could not afford to send them to school. Needless to say I paid for all three to stay for another term. For all 3 of them it only cost me around $80. When the parents heard what I had done they came to the school to thank me. They were so happy. As harsh as it may sound I had to make sure that all of them understood that the money was only going to be given for 1 term and that they would have to pay after that. The reason I had to do that is because the people here think that once a white person has given money they continue to do so forever. In other words, after I left those families would think that I have given money to the school and that the school was keeping it from them. You have to make things very clear here.
I have also purchased a school uniform for one of my students. She was very grateful. Almost every day the kids ask me if I will pay for them to go on tour. Apparently the school is trying to take the kids to the airport to see the planes. Then from there they will go to the zoo. Out of 125 students I think only a handful can afford to go. I will ask how much it is per student and see if I can send my whole class. None of them have seen a plane. Most of them have never been further than 1 hour away from their home. Sad.
With the donated money I have decided to give my school a proper office. Right now the office is the back of the nursery class room. Picture this. 80 kids, a teacher, a desk, a bookshelf all in a 10x10 room. My school is VERY small and they are running out of space. So we have negotiated with the landlord of the complex to rent out the last remaining room. On Monday I am going to give him 1 years rent for the room. It was a grand total of $200 for the year. They are soooo happy. I am also arranging to do some work on the other classrooms. They need a proper dividing wall between 2 of the rooms. We found out this week that the school was almost shut down because they needed to make some changes. I of course agreed to help. I am shocked at how little things cost here.
So thank you everyone who donated to this trip. The money is going a long way and is helping many kids. I have also made friends with the bankers because I am going in there so often to exchange money. They are trying to each me new Lugandan words, but it is not going so well. It is still nice to have made some friends.
Today I am in Kampala and am here to buy more books for the school. Now that they have a proper office space for them to store the books, it is my hope that by the time I am done they will have enough books for every grade level to read something. That will last a long time here. the school is very poor and can use any help they can get.
Because the school is so small the kids don't really have anywhere to get exercise. The teachers here are very lazy and just do the minimum amount of work needed. So when we do have a break I take the kids outside and have them run. The first day I told them to run to the corner but when I said go they just kept on running. I have no idea where they went but it was far away. The other teachers just looked at me and said "they'll be back" I also try to chase around the nursery kids. They are so small and do not speak any English but they love the attention. It is absolutely crazy when I bring out my camera. They all go nuts!
My male teachers at the school are starting to creep me out. They keep coming into my classroom and just looking at me. One of them won't leave me alone. Everyday they ask me when we are going to go out clubbing. I of course don't want to so I keep dodging the question. Plus in Uganda I would be expected to pay for them if we go out. Forget that! Everyday they ask me to come sit and eat with them. I just tell them that I am going to play with the kids.
Ok now for the sad stories. 2 of the other volunteers heard from their students that the director of their school is raping the girls there. That is the second school this week where we have heard about the girls getting raped. It is sad to say but the men here are really bad! It is also a rumor here that the white man started AIDS and that if you have sex with a baby you will be cured. Crazy! Some of the volunteers teach sex ed classes and give talks about AIDS. It is unbelievable the questions these kids ask. And I stress KIDS! They are so small. One of the volunteers showed me a picture of a 5 year old who had syphilis. It was all over her head and the flies were attacking her. She has also had Malaria 3 times this month. Crazy. It is such a struggle to just live here.
Now back to some vanity. Seriously I can not stand to even look at myself anymore. It is impossible to get clean here and to smell nice. I have given up hope on my skin, as it seems to just be getting worse, and let's not talk about my hair. WOW! I so desperately want to feel normal again:(
As far as the food goes. I honestly don't know how people survive here. Most of my kids eat only once or maybe twice, if they are lucky, a day. And when they do eat it is posho and beans. There is little or no nutrition in that. I am being fed 3 times a day and have no energy. The food has no taste and you are given very little. I'm not kidding when I say it is a struggle to just walk up three flights of stairs. I had to go to a western hotel the other day just to feed myself properly so that I would have some energy. I was sick for a couple days, but I am feeling much better now. When I go to the grocery store, and all they had was water, bread, some apples, peanut butter, jam, juice, coffee, yogart, and some crackers. They rest of the store is random supplies. I can't even buy food here! It is so rare to get meat as well. I haven't had any meat in 2 weeks. I'm so hungry and all I can ever think about is food. I honestly don't know how they do it.
Tomorrow I am off to Jinja. It is where the source to the Nile river is, so I am excited to see that. I may stay overnight, but am unsure. On Sunday we are going to a traditional dance in Seeta. That should be good as well. Next weekend I am going up north with 3 other volunteers. I can't wait. We are going to one of the largest IDP camps in East Africa. There are 1 million people there and 1000 kids die a day from starvation. I am sure that one will be an eye opener.
There are a million other things to tell you but I am running out of time here and I need to go eat something. Provided the internet is up in Mukono I will write again soon.
Jenn
Monday, July 7, 2008
The REAL Uganda
Sorry it's been a couple of days since I last posted anything. The power has been out and the internet has been down. Not sure where I left off but I will write about my weekend.
Saturday I went to Kampala and bought some new books for my students with the donation money. I bought 62 new books which I gave to the school today and they were soooooo excited. It made me feel really good. While in Kampala I decided to treat myself to a little western food. Probably not a good idea. My body had become used to the food here so after eating I got an upset stomach. Yes envision me using those nasty toilets:) Good times! The trip to Kampala takes about an hour by Mutatu (taxi) They are small VW like vans that hold a ton of people. I'll tell you more about those later.
After Kampala I went to a local pool and had a swim. I was told they have showers there so I was excited. The showers were cold water and were filthy. There were bugs everywhere. NASTY! But at least I got a bit of a tan and got to wash my hair.
Yesterday I went out to a very far away village with my room mate. It took us 2 Mutatu (taxi) rides and a boda boda (Scooter) Now here in Uganda, most women wear skirts so you can't ride a boda boda like a man, you have so sit side saddle. Ok imagine this, me sitting sideways on a motorcycle and I am not allowed to hang onto the driver. I can only hang onto the seat. Plus there really are no road rules here. People drive where they want and how fast they want. We were on these old dirt roads (again I use the word road loosely) It was like 4 wheel driving, I was scared to death.
Now lets get to the Mutatu rides. In a van where in North America we would fit a maximum of 12 people, we managed to be in one with 27 people and another with 25. I was dying. Not only were we over crowed but the drivers were driving crazy fast. I was sure we were going to die. Once we got to the village it was great. The people there never see white people so they were so excited. We had a huge lunch (not good but big) and then took an 1 1/2 hour walk. We walked through some really remote villages where I am sure we were the first white people these people have ever seen. They would come running out of their houses and yelling Mzungu Mzungu (White person) The kids would follow us for a long ways. I stopped to take a picture of some of them. When I tried to show it to them they didn't get it. Because they don't have mirrors here I am sure they have never seen themselves. Once I took a picture with them and showed it to them they freaked out because they saw me in it. It was great! I loved being in the village and hope to go back. One of the teachers there is hoping to buy some land to build an orphanage on and some crop to feed the children. The land is only $800 so I was thinking of using some of the donated money towards that. He has done great things with the children in that area.
The most exciting news is that I got my Ugandan name while on my trip. It is Nansubuga! It is from the Mumba tribe that has something to do with fish. The reason I got that one is because they guy who gave it to me apparently liked me so he gave me the female version of his name (Nsubuga). So we jokingly say that I now have a Ugandan husband. The whole thing was silly but fun.
I am sure I have a million other things to write about but I have to get back to school. I am feeling sick today but I am trying to fight through it as today is my first art class and the kids are sooooo excited about it.
I will write more soon
Jenn
Saturday I went to Kampala and bought some new books for my students with the donation money. I bought 62 new books which I gave to the school today and they were soooooo excited. It made me feel really good. While in Kampala I decided to treat myself to a little western food. Probably not a good idea. My body had become used to the food here so after eating I got an upset stomach. Yes envision me using those nasty toilets:) Good times! The trip to Kampala takes about an hour by Mutatu (taxi) They are small VW like vans that hold a ton of people. I'll tell you more about those later.
After Kampala I went to a local pool and had a swim. I was told they have showers there so I was excited. The showers were cold water and were filthy. There were bugs everywhere. NASTY! But at least I got a bit of a tan and got to wash my hair.
Yesterday I went out to a very far away village with my room mate. It took us 2 Mutatu (taxi) rides and a boda boda (Scooter) Now here in Uganda, most women wear skirts so you can't ride a boda boda like a man, you have so sit side saddle. Ok imagine this, me sitting sideways on a motorcycle and I am not allowed to hang onto the driver. I can only hang onto the seat. Plus there really are no road rules here. People drive where they want and how fast they want. We were on these old dirt roads (again I use the word road loosely) It was like 4 wheel driving, I was scared to death.
Now lets get to the Mutatu rides. In a van where in North America we would fit a maximum of 12 people, we managed to be in one with 27 people and another with 25. I was dying. Not only were we over crowed but the drivers were driving crazy fast. I was sure we were going to die. Once we got to the village it was great. The people there never see white people so they were so excited. We had a huge lunch (not good but big) and then took an 1 1/2 hour walk. We walked through some really remote villages where I am sure we were the first white people these people have ever seen. They would come running out of their houses and yelling Mzungu Mzungu (White person) The kids would follow us for a long ways. I stopped to take a picture of some of them. When I tried to show it to them they didn't get it. Because they don't have mirrors here I am sure they have never seen themselves. Once I took a picture with them and showed it to them they freaked out because they saw me in it. It was great! I loved being in the village and hope to go back. One of the teachers there is hoping to buy some land to build an orphanage on and some crop to feed the children. The land is only $800 so I was thinking of using some of the donated money towards that. He has done great things with the children in that area.
The most exciting news is that I got my Ugandan name while on my trip. It is Nansubuga! It is from the Mumba tribe that has something to do with fish. The reason I got that one is because they guy who gave it to me apparently liked me so he gave me the female version of his name (Nsubuga). So we jokingly say that I now have a Ugandan husband. The whole thing was silly but fun.
I am sure I have a million other things to write about but I have to get back to school. I am feeling sick today but I am trying to fight through it as today is my first art class and the kids are sooooo excited about it.
I will write more soon
Jenn
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The first day!!!!!
hmmmmmmm where to start?
Today was great!! I was really nervous about starting teaching but I got into it really fast. There was no other teacher there to assist me so I just had to jump into it. I tried to tell them about me and to ask them some questions but all they ever said was yes. Cute. Oh and when I entered the room they greeted me with "good morning teacher Muzungu" Which literally translated means good morning teacher white person. So funny! They are now calling me just teacher or teacher Jennifer. Apparently I was told my last name would be to difficult for them. How much harder can Mack be. Oh well.
After talking to all the volunteers I am the one with the biggest teaching schedule. Most of the volunteers work only a few hours in the morning and that is it, plus they get Friday's off. I am there some days from 8:20 to 4:40. I teach 4 or 5 classes a day. On the up side my school is just a few steps away from the house. In fact I can see it from our balcony. So when I have a break I can come home and see everyone.
Aside from teaching I had the kids do name tags for themselves so that I could call them by name. They had a lot of fun with that. I gave them colored pencils and each kid got to chose a sticker. When I pulled out the stickers they went crazy. For some strange reason most of them wanted the St Patrick day stickers. Not sure if it was because they were the biggest or if they just liked them. Regardless the name tags turned out great. I can now read everyones names.
The school only has 15 very small books that the children must share for reading. They have all read them a 100 times, so I thought I would introduce something new. I brought in a kids encyclopedia so that they could choose a topic and read from it. I think it was a bit over their heads so I had to stop that and resort back to the other books. This weekend I hope to go to Kampala to buy everyone their own book. They are so cheap and all the kids will freak out. I was told that most of them have never held their own book in their hands, so I would like to do that for them.
In the afternoon I showed them the video of my apartment and my work. I was trying to explain how tall 15 stories is but I don't know if they got it. Plus I tried to explain an elevator but that went right over their heads. They asked me who lives in the apartment with me and when I told them it was just me they couldn't believe it. It was so big for just one person. They seemed most interested in my cat. Who knew.
The kids want me to teach them a song but I told them I can't sing. They said that later they will teach me a song and maybe a dance. That should be interesting.
So all in all the day was great. I am excited to get back to them tomorrow.
Back to the rest of the stuff. I got a small infection on my finger. Funny how fast it turned to an infection. It is impossible to stay clean here. I had to pop it open and get the puss out before I put some cream on it and a band-aid.
The food situation has not improved but I did find a local dish that is filling me up. It's basically fried dough. Hey, it's something.
Some volunteers and I are planning on taking a safari in a couple weeks. That should be fun. I think next weekend we are going to head up North. Apparently most of the people have left the IDP camps and have gone home. Great for them, but sad for me. I wanted to see them. Don't worry to much about safety because I am going with a volunteer who has contacts up there.
Well, it's about to pour rain here so I better get back. I also need to take a cold shower (or bucket as we call it here)
To sum everything up, I am past being nervous and upset and have moved onto pure joy. They people are amazing the county is amazing and I am having a great time. I can tell you however that I am already looking forward to coming home to a warm shower, real toilets and cheese. mmmmmmmmm. Oh and to all of you;)
Bye for now
Jenn
Today was great!! I was really nervous about starting teaching but I got into it really fast. There was no other teacher there to assist me so I just had to jump into it. I tried to tell them about me and to ask them some questions but all they ever said was yes. Cute. Oh and when I entered the room they greeted me with "good morning teacher Muzungu" Which literally translated means good morning teacher white person. So funny! They are now calling me just teacher or teacher Jennifer. Apparently I was told my last name would be to difficult for them. How much harder can Mack be. Oh well.
After talking to all the volunteers I am the one with the biggest teaching schedule. Most of the volunteers work only a few hours in the morning and that is it, plus they get Friday's off. I am there some days from 8:20 to 4:40. I teach 4 or 5 classes a day. On the up side my school is just a few steps away from the house. In fact I can see it from our balcony. So when I have a break I can come home and see everyone.
Aside from teaching I had the kids do name tags for themselves so that I could call them by name. They had a lot of fun with that. I gave them colored pencils and each kid got to chose a sticker. When I pulled out the stickers they went crazy. For some strange reason most of them wanted the St Patrick day stickers. Not sure if it was because they were the biggest or if they just liked them. Regardless the name tags turned out great. I can now read everyones names.
The school only has 15 very small books that the children must share for reading. They have all read them a 100 times, so I thought I would introduce something new. I brought in a kids encyclopedia so that they could choose a topic and read from it. I think it was a bit over their heads so I had to stop that and resort back to the other books. This weekend I hope to go to Kampala to buy everyone their own book. They are so cheap and all the kids will freak out. I was told that most of them have never held their own book in their hands, so I would like to do that for them.
In the afternoon I showed them the video of my apartment and my work. I was trying to explain how tall 15 stories is but I don't know if they got it. Plus I tried to explain an elevator but that went right over their heads. They asked me who lives in the apartment with me and when I told them it was just me they couldn't believe it. It was so big for just one person. They seemed most interested in my cat. Who knew.
The kids want me to teach them a song but I told them I can't sing. They said that later they will teach me a song and maybe a dance. That should be interesting.
So all in all the day was great. I am excited to get back to them tomorrow.
Back to the rest of the stuff. I got a small infection on my finger. Funny how fast it turned to an infection. It is impossible to stay clean here. I had to pop it open and get the puss out before I put some cream on it and a band-aid.
The food situation has not improved but I did find a local dish that is filling me up. It's basically fried dough. Hey, it's something.
Some volunteers and I are planning on taking a safari in a couple weeks. That should be fun. I think next weekend we are going to head up North. Apparently most of the people have left the IDP camps and have gone home. Great for them, but sad for me. I wanted to see them. Don't worry to much about safety because I am going with a volunteer who has contacts up there.
Well, it's about to pour rain here so I better get back. I also need to take a cold shower (or bucket as we call it here)
To sum everything up, I am past being nervous and upset and have moved onto pure joy. They people are amazing the county is amazing and I am having a great time. I can tell you however that I am already looking forward to coming home to a warm shower, real toilets and cheese. mmmmmmmmm. Oh and to all of you;)
Bye for now
Jenn
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Oooops!
First let me start off by saying I screwed up on the phone number in the last entry. If you want to call or text me the number is 011-256-773-711142.
So I am feeling much better today. After writing yesterday I ended up having a great afternoon and evening. It was really nice to hear the all the other volunteers had went through the same thing I was going through.
I had a hard time falling asleep last night but once I did fall asleep I slept all night. I didn't even get up once to go to the bathroom. YEAH!!!!!!! This morning I took a walk off the beaten path and ventured into the back roads (if you could even call them roads) I happened to pass by my school. They were playing outside and all the kids were yelling. They are so small! So cute. I can't wait to meet them this afternoon.
Well walking, I got to see some real Ugandan poverty. It was sad. Torn clothes broken down houses, yet the people were still happy. They were yelling Muzungu at me which means white person. Some would come running out to meet me. I loved it!
Once I got past the shock off the living conditions (although I will never get over the toilets) I was able to see the beauty of this place. While sitting on my balcony yesterday a taxi drove by with about 15 people in it and a whole bunch of live chickens strapped to the ceiling. That was went I laughed out loud and said "wow, I'm really in Africa" It was a great moment.
I'm trying my best to take photos and video but it is considered to be rude to take photos of people here unless you ask. Even then, most of them want to run inside and change into their best clothes before you take their picture. People really like to look their best here.
Oh, here's a good one. So I learned that almost every volunteer here catches some sort of fungal infection or something of that nature. So far one guy has ring worm, the other guy has a fungal rash, one girl got hit by a car and broke her arm, some have foot infections, and a couple have passed out. Oh and I heard yesterday that a lot of the kids her have head fungus. They actually grow these spores or mushroom like things on their heads. Gross! I will have to watch out for that one.
Well I have to head back so that I can get ready to go to my school this afternoon. Wish me luck!
Jenn
So I am feeling much better today. After writing yesterday I ended up having a great afternoon and evening. It was really nice to hear the all the other volunteers had went through the same thing I was going through.
I had a hard time falling asleep last night but once I did fall asleep I slept all night. I didn't even get up once to go to the bathroom. YEAH!!!!!!! This morning I took a walk off the beaten path and ventured into the back roads (if you could even call them roads) I happened to pass by my school. They were playing outside and all the kids were yelling. They are so small! So cute. I can't wait to meet them this afternoon.
Well walking, I got to see some real Ugandan poverty. It was sad. Torn clothes broken down houses, yet the people were still happy. They were yelling Muzungu at me which means white person. Some would come running out to meet me. I loved it!
Once I got past the shock off the living conditions (although I will never get over the toilets) I was able to see the beauty of this place. While sitting on my balcony yesterday a taxi drove by with about 15 people in it and a whole bunch of live chickens strapped to the ceiling. That was went I laughed out loud and said "wow, I'm really in Africa" It was a great moment.
I'm trying my best to take photos and video but it is considered to be rude to take photos of people here unless you ask. Even then, most of them want to run inside and change into their best clothes before you take their picture. People really like to look their best here.
Oh, here's a good one. So I learned that almost every volunteer here catches some sort of fungal infection or something of that nature. So far one guy has ring worm, the other guy has a fungal rash, one girl got hit by a car and broke her arm, some have foot infections, and a couple have passed out. Oh and I heard yesterday that a lot of the kids her have head fungus. They actually grow these spores or mushroom like things on their heads. Gross! I will have to watch out for that one.
Well I have to head back so that I can get ready to go to my school this afternoon. Wish me luck!
Jenn
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Uganda Arrival
So I'm finally here in Uganda! To be honest I am having a harder time then I thought I would. Leslie says that usually the older volunteers have a bit harder time then the young ones. That's because most of the volunteers here are between 18-24 and are young and careless, and just glad to be away from home. I arrived yesterday and was a bit more surprised than I thought I would be with the living conditions. It is much smaller than I thought. I am sharing a room with 2 other girls both of who are very nice. The good news it that I got my own single bed. No bunk bed for me! Yeah. Since I only got 2 hours of sleep the night before in Dubai I thought I would just sleep when I got here. Surprisingly I wasn't that tired. I finally fell asleep at around 10pm. I woke up in the night for a few hours but then slept until 8 am.
Today is the first day where I wasn't sick from the malaria pills. My body must be getting used to them. Thank God for that because I don't know what I would have done if I was sick every morning.
I also got my tour of Mukono today. It is basically 1 strip of road. The road is a major road that runs all the way through Uganda and into Kenya. It is very loud and of course our bedroom window is right off it and there is no glass or screen. Good thing I wear ear plugs at night.
Ok, back to the house.... So we have to bucket shower every day. Which basically consists of pouring cold water into a basin and then splashing it up onto your body. Soap up and then dump some more on you. It sucks! The worst part is the toilets. I know we all laughed about them when I was at home and we were looking at pictures, but trust me there is nothing to laugh about! First of all there is waste everywhere and they sink. Then you have the spiders and other random bugs that live in there. But that's not the worst part. I can handle them in the day, but at night it is a whole other story. Apparently cockroaches live in the hole. At night they come out and sit on the floor. So not only do I have to walk down 3 flights of stairs in the dark with a head lamp but then once I reach the toilet I have to open the door and see these 2 inch cockroaches on the floor. And I am expected to squat with them around me. Not good! You know me and the bugs.
I haven't been able to stop sweating since I got here. You would be surprised at how hot it is under a mosquito net. I look a mess because I am sweating like a crazy person and my skin has completely broke out. Good times!
As far as the food goes. There isn't much to tell. Last night I had a scoop of rice some peas and green beans and a piece of avocado. This morning it was 2 mini banana's and an end piece of bread. Leslie says that most volunteers gain weight when they are here, but I don't see how that is possible.
Ok, now that I have ranted on about all the bad stuff, lets move onto the good stuff. From what I've seen, the Ugandan people are lovely. They are all very nice. Yes you get looked at a ton because you are white but it is cute. People wave at you and want to talk to you. The other volunteers are very nice as well.
Tomorrow I get to go to my school in the afternoon to meet my students and head mistress. I start the following day. I am very nervous about it but excited. Everyone keeps talking about how great the kids are and how much they enjoy what they are doing, so I am looking forward to that part.
OH! I forgot the most important part. I will have a cell phone tonight. One of the volunteers who is leaving today gave me hers. For you to call me you need to dial 001-256-773-711142. I will have it tonight at around 5pm this time. You can also text me with the same number. You might want to check to see your rates for texting but it is relatively cheap for me to do.
Well that's it in a nutshell. I guess I just needed to vent. It's hard here, but I think I just need to get used to it. We'll see in a couple of days.
Jenn
Today is the first day where I wasn't sick from the malaria pills. My body must be getting used to them. Thank God for that because I don't know what I would have done if I was sick every morning.
I also got my tour of Mukono today. It is basically 1 strip of road. The road is a major road that runs all the way through Uganda and into Kenya. It is very loud and of course our bedroom window is right off it and there is no glass or screen. Good thing I wear ear plugs at night.
Ok, back to the house.... So we have to bucket shower every day. Which basically consists of pouring cold water into a basin and then splashing it up onto your body. Soap up and then dump some more on you. It sucks! The worst part is the toilets. I know we all laughed about them when I was at home and we were looking at pictures, but trust me there is nothing to laugh about! First of all there is waste everywhere and they sink. Then you have the spiders and other random bugs that live in there. But that's not the worst part. I can handle them in the day, but at night it is a whole other story. Apparently cockroaches live in the hole. At night they come out and sit on the floor. So not only do I have to walk down 3 flights of stairs in the dark with a head lamp but then once I reach the toilet I have to open the door and see these 2 inch cockroaches on the floor. And I am expected to squat with them around me. Not good! You know me and the bugs.
I haven't been able to stop sweating since I got here. You would be surprised at how hot it is under a mosquito net. I look a mess because I am sweating like a crazy person and my skin has completely broke out. Good times!
As far as the food goes. There isn't much to tell. Last night I had a scoop of rice some peas and green beans and a piece of avocado. This morning it was 2 mini banana's and an end piece of bread. Leslie says that most volunteers gain weight when they are here, but I don't see how that is possible.
Ok, now that I have ranted on about all the bad stuff, lets move onto the good stuff. From what I've seen, the Ugandan people are lovely. They are all very nice. Yes you get looked at a ton because you are white but it is cute. People wave at you and want to talk to you. The other volunteers are very nice as well.
Tomorrow I get to go to my school in the afternoon to meet my students and head mistress. I start the following day. I am very nervous about it but excited. Everyone keeps talking about how great the kids are and how much they enjoy what they are doing, so I am looking forward to that part.
OH! I forgot the most important part. I will have a cell phone tonight. One of the volunteers who is leaving today gave me hers. For you to call me you need to dial 001-256-773-711142. I will have it tonight at around 5pm this time. You can also text me with the same number. You might want to check to see your rates for texting but it is relatively cheap for me to do.
Well that's it in a nutshell. I guess I just needed to vent. It's hard here, but I think I just need to get used to it. We'll see in a couple of days.
Jenn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)