Well, I've been back in the states about 2 months and I'm still adjusting to things. People have laughed at me when I spell with the British spelling, say things that are not said here, or answer in Luganda. Things still amaze me here. I am also getting used to it getting dark early since I was used to sunrise about 6:30 AM and sunset about 7:00 PM (give or take about 15 minutes). In addition, it is COLD here! I'm still getting used to it getting colder as I was used to it being in the 80s & 90s most of the year with it getting down to the 60s & 70s during rainy season. And to think that I just applied to teach skiing up at Bluewood.
I find myself very tired at the end of the day and the only thing that I can think of is that here I am overstimulated since in Uganda I didn't have as much materials.
I am substituting in Walla Walla and Prescott and that has been also an adjustment. I have to get used to small classes again with all the extra things in the classes. The classrooms here are so lucky that each teacher has their own computer and a projector and document camera.
I have been able to share at both of my churches here in the states about my time in Uganda. I have also been able to share in many of the classrooms that I teach about my time and the differences between Ugandan and American schools.
I can't believe how materialist our culture is! Having Christmas things out before Halloween! Come on people! Why do we need to turn Christmas into a HUGE expense when it should be about Jesus Christ coming to the earth, and being with family instead of pressure for whoever is hosting and the stress of coming up with a gift that someone will appreciate. I had an amazing Christmas last year with a friend's family in Uganda. It was so simple and the focus was on Jesus and family. We went to church in the morning, and had people over for lunch/dinner in the afternoon. I didn't see things for Christmas in Uganda or presents being given (since most people don't have the money for it unless it is shoes or other things for school). I miss that type of attitude towards Christmas.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Back in the States :(
I have been back in the states since late Monday night. It was not my plan to come back, but there was some issues with immigration so I had to come home for now. I am here until the issues get worked out. I know that I'm going back to Uganda, but for now I'm working in Walla Walla and waiting for God's timing to go back.
Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers for me while I was in Uganda. Please continue to pray for me as the adjustment to the states is very difficult. Dad asked me to stop at the store yesterday to buy some taco shells for dinner and I had a really difficult time being in the store with so much food.
I am amazed at all the little things that I experience here. I was sitting in the Seattle airport on Monday on my computer and the battery got over. I was then thinking that I hoped that the electricity was on at home to recharge my computer. Also having running hot and cold water. Not having to boil my water before I drink it. Having so many options for food and having it in the house anytime I want it. I was continue to notice things and try to adjust back to life in America, but it will be hard as my heart is still in Uganda.
Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and support of the school. Please pray for the Senior 4 class as they begin their exams in only a couple of weeks.
Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers for me while I was in Uganda. Please continue to pray for me as the adjustment to the states is very difficult. Dad asked me to stop at the store yesterday to buy some taco shells for dinner and I had a really difficult time being in the store with so much food.
I am amazed at all the little things that I experience here. I was sitting in the Seattle airport on Monday on my computer and the battery got over. I was then thinking that I hoped that the electricity was on at home to recharge my computer. Also having running hot and cold water. Not having to boil my water before I drink it. Having so many options for food and having it in the house anytime I want it. I was continue to notice things and try to adjust back to life in America, but it will be hard as my heart is still in Uganda.
Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and support of the school. Please pray for the Senior 4 class as they begin their exams in only a couple of weeks.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Mom & Andrew here
Mom and Andrew came on the 3rd August! I have enjoyed having them here and it’s somehow sad that they are leaving today. They got to spend a week at the school and had a good time with the teachers, pupils & students.
Our programme got changed so on Wednesday, 5th August, I took them to Jinja since Mom had never been. We went to the Source of the Nile River and had a very good guide. It was the first time they had ridden boda bodas but we got good drivers that understood. It was a relaxing day and I took them by myself without having someone assist us so I felt very accomplished.
We ended up going to Kiwangala on Friday, 7th August. That afternoon the secondary school had their semi-finals for football and netball. Andrew got to be the referee for both the semi-finals and the finals the following day. It was interesting competitions as there were a few misunderstandings. The students were very excited and enjoyed the competitions a lot and are looking forward to them next year.
On Sunday, 9th August, Andrew preached at church. Then on Monday, we helped the teachers to work on sorting the exams and filing the exams. Them on Tuesday, we spent the day at Nambirizii. We gave out sweets, met with the teachers, had lunch with Pastor Josham, and went to all of the classes. It was a good day and we know that they were blessed by having us there. On Wednesday, Andrew and Mom had a meeting with the students. We then helped to file and make corrections to the circulars, and then Andrew coached the school team against the village team in football.
On Thursday, was the secondary MDD (Music, Dance, & Drama). It was an exciting day and great to see the talent of the students. Again they enjoyed the day and were glad to have Mom and Andrew as the Guest of Honours for the day. On Friday, we helped to finish the filing before visiting the classes and giving sweets to the pupils as it was the last day of the term. We then went to the well to do our wash and it started raining some. On Saturday, we got a taxi to Masaka and it started raining heavily. We had to wait in the taxi for some time for the rain to stop so we could move to the coaster to come back to Kampala.
Yesterday, we went to church and they greeted the people. We then traveled to Mama Grace’s home to see her and the children who stay with her. We also picked up a cake for my birthday. I only have a few short hours with them left and I’m trying to enjoy every moment instead of thinking about how sad I will be to see them leave.
The children began their holiday on Friday, 14th August, and will begin third term on the 7th September. It is short holiday and we will continue to have many programs next term as the Primary 7 and Senior 4 candidates are preparing to sit for their exams soon. Please continue to pray that the rain continues so it will make having water easier at the school. In addition, the prices of food have gone up because of the drought so pray that the crops will be able to grow well and that the prices will go down soon.
Thank to everyone who sent greetings with Mom and Andrew. I was encouraged to hear from so many of you. I continue to pray that things are well with all of you and hopefully will write again soon. God’s blessing until then!
Our programme got changed so on Wednesday, 5th August, I took them to Jinja since Mom had never been. We went to the Source of the Nile River and had a very good guide. It was the first time they had ridden boda bodas but we got good drivers that understood. It was a relaxing day and I took them by myself without having someone assist us so I felt very accomplished.
We ended up going to Kiwangala on Friday, 7th August. That afternoon the secondary school had their semi-finals for football and netball. Andrew got to be the referee for both the semi-finals and the finals the following day. It was interesting competitions as there were a few misunderstandings. The students were very excited and enjoyed the competitions a lot and are looking forward to them next year.
On Sunday, 9th August, Andrew preached at church. Then on Monday, we helped the teachers to work on sorting the exams and filing the exams. Them on Tuesday, we spent the day at Nambirizii. We gave out sweets, met with the teachers, had lunch with Pastor Josham, and went to all of the classes. It was a good day and we know that they were blessed by having us there. On Wednesday, Andrew and Mom had a meeting with the students. We then helped to file and make corrections to the circulars, and then Andrew coached the school team against the village team in football.
On Thursday, was the secondary MDD (Music, Dance, & Drama). It was an exciting day and great to see the talent of the students. Again they enjoyed the day and were glad to have Mom and Andrew as the Guest of Honours for the day. On Friday, we helped to finish the filing before visiting the classes and giving sweets to the pupils as it was the last day of the term. We then went to the well to do our wash and it started raining some. On Saturday, we got a taxi to Masaka and it started raining heavily. We had to wait in the taxi for some time for the rain to stop so we could move to the coaster to come back to Kampala.
Yesterday, we went to church and they greeted the people. We then traveled to Mama Grace’s home to see her and the children who stay with her. We also picked up a cake for my birthday. I only have a few short hours with them left and I’m trying to enjoy every moment instead of thinking about how sad I will be to see them leave.
The children began their holiday on Friday, 14th August, and will begin third term on the 7th September. It is short holiday and we will continue to have many programs next term as the Primary 7 and Senior 4 candidates are preparing to sit for their exams soon. Please continue to pray that the rain continues so it will make having water easier at the school. In addition, the prices of food have gone up because of the drought so pray that the crops will be able to grow well and that the prices will go down soon.
Thank to everyone who sent greetings with Mom and Andrew. I was encouraged to hear from so many of you. I continue to pray that things are well with all of you and hopefully will write again soon. God’s blessing until then!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Secondary Tour
On Friday, 24th July, we took the secondary students to Jinja for their tour. The bus was here at 2 AM and we loaded and left by 3:30 AM. The students were sitting three or four to a seat and some were standing in the aisles because we had so many. I was sharing a seat with two other people and kept sliding off the seat whenever we hit a bump, which was quite often with our roads here.
We reached the tea factory around 9:45 AM after stopping a few places to buy food and dealing with traffic through Kampala. The students had a lecture with the manager of the factory and plantation. It was very educational and it will help them on their exams. The manager took us around to view different parts of the plantation and see the workers in the fields but we were not allowed in the factory.
I learned about the 1995 constitution as I was taking photos and a field boss came up and started informing me about their constitution and how it is illegal to take photos without someone’s permission. HM David talked with the man and thanked him for their education. He then asked the workers if it was okay to take their photos and use their shears and they said it was. They pick the fields either using their hands or using shears. The students, and even myself, got to try with the shears.
I walked back to the bus with a student, the agriculture teacher, and the head field boss. We had a good conversation and I continued to learn about the plantation. The workers are paid by weight and those that use their hands are paid more then those who use the shears. They are provided housing and lunch. Some get paid weekly, some bi-monthly and others monthly. They have a school and a clinic and are looking at ways of improving their plantation and life for their workers.
Around midday we left and headed the rest of the way to Jinja. We ate lunch, after having to wait some good time to get something to put the food into for each of the students. We then entered the Agriculture and Trade Show. The agriculture students got a lecture on the different types of machines that they had at the show and the other students were free to explore. It reminded me of a fair as it had different animals, rides, shops, food, crops that they were showing off, games, camel rides, and a mini-zoo. The students enjoyed and they did not want to leave after only spending two hours there. There was so much to see and do and they did not get adequate time, but at least it was better than nothing.
Most of the students have toured more than the primary so they were not as excited about some of the things that the primary pupils were, but they also enjoyed and learned a lot as well. It was interesting to see the difference in the organization of the two tours and how the children reacted to the different things that they saw. I’m glad that I was able to experience both and I’m looking forward to next year and wondering about the places that we are going to tour.
I am counting the days and hours until Mom and Andrew arrive in Uganda. It is only a few short hours and then I will get to enjoy them for two weeks. I’m excited to show them my home and my children, along with my co-workers, both at primary and secondary.
Please pray as we end the term and the children go home to spend some time with their families before coming back. We are still without power as the transformer has not been fixed so also pray for continued patience in dealing with the government in fixing out power problem. Lastly, pray that we begin to receive rain soon. We got some last weekend and it helped, as are cistern is fixed, but the people are in need of rain to grow their crops. Thanks for your prayers and support. God’s blessing until I write again!
We reached the tea factory around 9:45 AM after stopping a few places to buy food and dealing with traffic through Kampala. The students had a lecture with the manager of the factory and plantation. It was very educational and it will help them on their exams. The manager took us around to view different parts of the plantation and see the workers in the fields but we were not allowed in the factory.
I learned about the 1995 constitution as I was taking photos and a field boss came up and started informing me about their constitution and how it is illegal to take photos without someone’s permission. HM David talked with the man and thanked him for their education. He then asked the workers if it was okay to take their photos and use their shears and they said it was. They pick the fields either using their hands or using shears. The students, and even myself, got to try with the shears.
I walked back to the bus with a student, the agriculture teacher, and the head field boss. We had a good conversation and I continued to learn about the plantation. The workers are paid by weight and those that use their hands are paid more then those who use the shears. They are provided housing and lunch. Some get paid weekly, some bi-monthly and others monthly. They have a school and a clinic and are looking at ways of improving their plantation and life for their workers.
Around midday we left and headed the rest of the way to Jinja. We ate lunch, after having to wait some good time to get something to put the food into for each of the students. We then entered the Agriculture and Trade Show. The agriculture students got a lecture on the different types of machines that they had at the show and the other students were free to explore. It reminded me of a fair as it had different animals, rides, shops, food, crops that they were showing off, games, camel rides, and a mini-zoo. The students enjoyed and they did not want to leave after only spending two hours there. There was so much to see and do and they did not get adequate time, but at least it was better than nothing.
Most of the students have toured more than the primary so they were not as excited about some of the things that the primary pupils were, but they also enjoyed and learned a lot as well. It was interesting to see the difference in the organization of the two tours and how the children reacted to the different things that they saw. I’m glad that I was able to experience both and I’m looking forward to next year and wondering about the places that we are going to tour.
I am counting the days and hours until Mom and Andrew arrive in Uganda. It is only a few short hours and then I will get to enjoy them for two weeks. I’m excited to show them my home and my children, along with my co-workers, both at primary and secondary.
Please pray as we end the term and the children go home to spend some time with their families before coming back. We are still without power as the transformer has not been fixed so also pray for continued patience in dealing with the government in fixing out power problem. Lastly, pray that we begin to receive rain soon. We got some last weekend and it helped, as are cistern is fixed, but the people are in need of rain to grow their crops. Thanks for your prayers and support. God’s blessing until I write again!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Primary tour
Yesterday we brought our children to Kampala for a tour (field trip). It was really interesting and educational. We took two coasters and each row had about 12 children sitting in it where there are only 5 seats so many children were carrying other children. In my row we had 12-14 people and I had one child sitting on my lap the whole time we were moving. The children were surprised by many things and it made me realize even more how little these children are exposed to places and things. As we were moving to Kampala they saw an aeroplane and were so excited that they were standing up in the coaster to see it better. I was thinking, “haven’t these children seen an aeroplane before?” and half way through the thought realized that most of them probably haven’t seen one so close before.
We left the school at 4:30 AM and travelled to Kampala. We reached around 8 AM and first visited the Kasubi tombs, the place where the Buganda kings are buried. We spent some good time there learning about the place and the kings that are buried there. We then gave them their breakfast around 10:30 AM of juice and a bun/roll as we prepared to move to the next place. We then visited the Uganda martyrs’ memorial. It is a now a Catholic church and we learned the history to the martyrs and why they are remembered every year on the 3rd June. We then visited the national stadium and the football players were able to play for about 15 minutes on the field. The last place we visited was Didi’s World which is an amusement park. We feed them lunch/dinner of rice and juice around 6 PM. They went back to the school after that and got home around 11 PM.
I’m so glad that I was able to move with them and also see these places. I learned a lot myself about the places we visited and also got to know our pupils better. I will be moving with the secondary next week when they also go for their educational tour to Jinja. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of our secondary students better and learn even more about Uganda.
We had our final football and netball competitions on the 10th July. All of the houses did very well and we have seen a lot of talent within our pupils. A local football coach, who was our referee for the day, has offered to come and help train our pupils to further develop their talents in the field. Secondary began their competitions on Monday and I am also on their committee. They are doing it inter-class instead of inter-house because of difficulties with the students changing houses. They are very competitive and I’m looking forward to enjoying their competitions also.
I’m counting down the days until my mother and brother, Andrew, come to visit me. I’m down to two weeks. The pupils and students are also waiting to welcome them. Thanks to all of you who are praying for me and the school and those who are supporting us financially. I pray that all of you are doing well. God’s blessing and prayers until I write again.
We left the school at 4:30 AM and travelled to Kampala. We reached around 8 AM and first visited the Kasubi tombs, the place where the Buganda kings are buried. We spent some good time there learning about the place and the kings that are buried there. We then gave them their breakfast around 10:30 AM of juice and a bun/roll as we prepared to move to the next place. We then visited the Uganda martyrs’ memorial. It is a now a Catholic church and we learned the history to the martyrs and why they are remembered every year on the 3rd June. We then visited the national stadium and the football players were able to play for about 15 minutes on the field. The last place we visited was Didi’s World which is an amusement park. We feed them lunch/dinner of rice and juice around 6 PM. They went back to the school after that and got home around 11 PM.
I’m so glad that I was able to move with them and also see these places. I learned a lot myself about the places we visited and also got to know our pupils better. I will be moving with the secondary next week when they also go for their educational tour to Jinja. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of our secondary students better and learn even more about Uganda.
We had our final football and netball competitions on the 10th July. All of the houses did very well and we have seen a lot of talent within our pupils. A local football coach, who was our referee for the day, has offered to come and help train our pupils to further develop their talents in the field. Secondary began their competitions on Monday and I am also on their committee. They are doing it inter-class instead of inter-house because of difficulties with the students changing houses. They are very competitive and I’m looking forward to enjoying their competitions also.
I’m counting down the days until my mother and brother, Andrew, come to visit me. I’m down to two weeks. The pupils and students are also waiting to welcome them. Thanks to all of you who are praying for me and the school and those who are supporting us financially. I pray that all of you are doing well. God’s blessing and prayers until I write again.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
visitors
We welcomed the first team of visitors on the 22nd June and they stayed until the 28th June. They were people from Lake Bible Church and Christ Church. They cemented the floor and dedicated the new dorm. They also did some teaching, serving of porridge, and cleaning of the compound. We were very grateful to them for the work that they did.
The second team came on the 2nd July and stayed until the 6th July. They work for GSM international education so they sat in some of the classes to see the teaching and met with the teachers. They spent a lot of time interacting with different people at the school and encouraged them to continue the work.
Both of these teams brought many supplies for the school. We appreciate them for what they are doing and the things that they brought to make our school better.
On the 6th and 7th July we had 35 people from Solar Africa. They put two solar panels on our school. One on the primary side for P5-P7 and one on the main hall of secondary. We used them for the first time on Tuesday night. The ones for primary gave enough light that the pupils could easily study preps (7-9 PM) and winter (5-6 AM) and still have a security light on all night. The one on the main hall lights the hall but none of the classrooms. Still it is extremely helpful to use the solar lights instead of hydro lights as the transformer for the area blew on the 27th June and still has not been fixed. We have been using the generator since that time for preps and have not been having winter due to the cost of the fuel. The teachers are saying that the lights for solar are so much brighter than the hydro lights. We cannot thank the people enough for their love for our school. They have told everyone that they are coming back next year to provide us more panels and lights. We are waiting for them and praying for them as they have greatly given to our school. Words cannot express our love and thanks to these wonderful people.
On the 3rd July we had the visitation day for day school and then on the 5th July for the boarders. It is always good to see the parents and show to them how their children are doing in class.
We will have our final competitions for football and netball on the 10th July. The teams have been learning and growing in their skills during the league play. The Solar Africa people also helped us as they gave a set of uniforms to the primary and a set to the secondary for their football (soccer) teams. In addition, they gave us a good football and volley ball.
Then on the 17th July we will have a tour (field trip) to Jinja. We are still setting the program of the places we will visit, and I’ve been informed that the day may be changed due to availability of the places. We encourage every child to go but the tour costs sh. 22,000 (about $11.00) which is difficult for many families as the cost of tuition for a term (3 months) is sh. 30,000 (about $15.00) for day school. A few of the pupils will be given scholarships to go, but still there are many that will be unable to attend.
We still have two teams of visitors coming in August. Abby and I will each be receiving family. We are eagerly awaiting their visits. This term has been extremely busy so please pray for our pupils to remember what they have learned and for the teachers to get all of the material to the pupils before the exams. God’s blessing to each of you until I write again.
The second team came on the 2nd July and stayed until the 6th July. They work for GSM international education so they sat in some of the classes to see the teaching and met with the teachers. They spent a lot of time interacting with different people at the school and encouraged them to continue the work.
Both of these teams brought many supplies for the school. We appreciate them for what they are doing and the things that they brought to make our school better.
On the 6th and 7th July we had 35 people from Solar Africa. They put two solar panels on our school. One on the primary side for P5-P7 and one on the main hall of secondary. We used them for the first time on Tuesday night. The ones for primary gave enough light that the pupils could easily study preps (7-9 PM) and winter (5-6 AM) and still have a security light on all night. The one on the main hall lights the hall but none of the classrooms. Still it is extremely helpful to use the solar lights instead of hydro lights as the transformer for the area blew on the 27th June and still has not been fixed. We have been using the generator since that time for preps and have not been having winter due to the cost of the fuel. The teachers are saying that the lights for solar are so much brighter than the hydro lights. We cannot thank the people enough for their love for our school. They have told everyone that they are coming back next year to provide us more panels and lights. We are waiting for them and praying for them as they have greatly given to our school. Words cannot express our love and thanks to these wonderful people.
On the 3rd July we had the visitation day for day school and then on the 5th July for the boarders. It is always good to see the parents and show to them how their children are doing in class.
We will have our final competitions for football and netball on the 10th July. The teams have been learning and growing in their skills during the league play. The Solar Africa people also helped us as they gave a set of uniforms to the primary and a set to the secondary for their football (soccer) teams. In addition, they gave us a good football and volley ball.
Then on the 17th July we will have a tour (field trip) to Jinja. We are still setting the program of the places we will visit, and I’ve been informed that the day may be changed due to availability of the places. We encourage every child to go but the tour costs sh. 22,000 (about $11.00) which is difficult for many families as the cost of tuition for a term (3 months) is sh. 30,000 (about $15.00) for day school. A few of the pupils will be given scholarships to go, but still there are many that will be unable to attend.
We still have two teams of visitors coming in August. Abby and I will each be receiving family. We are eagerly awaiting their visits. This term has been extremely busy so please pray for our pupils to remember what they have learned and for the teachers to get all of the material to the pupils before the exams. God’s blessing to each of you until I write again.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The term is moving along
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for my health. I am much better now and feel like myself. I got the treatment that I needed and I’ve been back at the school for almost two weeks now.
We began the football and netball competitions this past Tuesday. It was very stressful the first day as teachers had many questions and complaints. The second day went much better as we had worked out some of the problems that we had the first day. I’m trying to post the standings weekly after the matches so the pupils and teachers know how they are doing.
We are waiting for the first team of visitors to come on Monday. We are expecting four different teams between now and August so we will be somehow busy. We always look forward to having visitors as they help the school a lot.
Thank you so much for those of you who contributed to our well and water issue. They fixed the well yesterday! It was exciting to see the pupils pumping water outside of my window. The extra money will go to finish the cistern, fix a faucet and pay off the people who have bringing water to the school. Thank you again so much! It is such a blessing to all of us as we don’t have the pupils to the well for water or pay someone sh. 200 a jerry can (about $0.10 for 20 litres).
We are preparing for midterm exams which begin this week. It is hard to believe that June is already here. Time is really moving along.
We began the football and netball competitions this past Tuesday. It was very stressful the first day as teachers had many questions and complaints. The second day went much better as we had worked out some of the problems that we had the first day. I’m trying to post the standings weekly after the matches so the pupils and teachers know how they are doing.
We are waiting for the first team of visitors to come on Monday. We are expecting four different teams between now and August so we will be somehow busy. We always look forward to having visitors as they help the school a lot.
Thank you so much for those of you who contributed to our well and water issue. They fixed the well yesterday! It was exciting to see the pupils pumping water outside of my window. The extra money will go to finish the cistern, fix a faucet and pay off the people who have bringing water to the school. Thank you again so much! It is such a blessing to all of us as we don’t have the pupils to the well for water or pay someone sh. 200 a jerry can (about $0.10 for 20 litres).
We are preparing for midterm exams which begin this week. It is hard to believe that June is already here. Time is really moving along.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Second Term
We finished first term on the 17th April and we began the second term on the 18th May. We had a teacher who was asked not to come back due to issues with administration. We are still looking for a replacement for her, but we know that the right one will come. The teachers are having to cover her classes so it is putting some stress on teachers, who work really hard to begin with, and now they are having to help teach another class too.
During the holiday studies, I began eating with a couple of the teachers, who I consider now my brothers. Now that school has began again, they call me to make sure that I’ve eaten dinner or to ask me when I’m coming up to eat supper with them. It is nice to have a “family” here. They having been teaching me a lot about the culture too.
We were sad to see Tom, Hilary, and Tony leave us, but we also know that it was their time (for now). They have done some good work at the school and they are missed by the pupils, students, and teachers. As they have gone, we are now waiting for the groups that will be coming this term. We are preparing to welcome out first group in a couple of weeks. My mom and brother, Andrew, get to be one of those groups. Please pray for the school as our schedule changes when we have visitors, but we still expect our pupils to perform at a high level. It puts a lot of pressure on the teachers and pupils to have many visitors, but we always welcome visitors with open arms.
On the 21st May, one of our P2 pupils died. I’m not sure what he died of as I have heard a couple of different things. A number of the teachers and some of our pupils went to the burial. I did not feel I was to go so I stayed at the school. This family had been struggling to get school fees and last term the father came saying he had a sponsor for both of his boys for their studies, and then only a few weeks later one of their sons is dead. What is somehow sad, is the people of this area expect death. Although they are sad to lose a child, it is a part of life. A few days before this boy died, two of pupils lost their father. Please continue to pray for our pupils as we live in a tough area where death is always at their door. Pray for their safety and for the strength of the teachers to help protect the child and help them deal with the deaths of family members.
Over the holiday, I began having some health issues. I was having some pain in my back, but I rested a lot and thought the I was better. On the 18th May, I had gone down to my room to pick something and became dizzy and fainted onto my bed. I was unable to get up without the room spinning for about 3 hours. Again on the 25th May, I became dizzy. I had gone to the doctor on Sat. and he said that my blood pressure was low and thought I was not getting enough liquids. I took a lot of liquids on Sunday and Monday, but again on Monday I became dizzy and had to go rest. I came to Kampala on Tuesday to go to a doctor here to find out what is wrong. He said that my blood pressure is low as it is 90/60, that I have the most common type of malaria, but is it also the more dangerous, that my red blood cells are 30% higher than they should be, and that I have too much stress in my life. He is suggesting that I go swimming to release the stress so I’m going to look into that and he gave me medicine for the malaria and told me to rest.
This term we will be having football (soccer) and netball competitions. Since I am the athletic director, I have to set the schedule, get the referee, get the uniforms, and organize the prizes. Our P7 members will not be able to participate since we are beginning to get close to the exams (although they are in Nov.). We are going to have league play so every house gets 3 games and then on the 10th July we will have the championship matches. We will be having the matches on Tuesdays and Wednesday beginning on the 10th June. I’m excited to see how our pupils do and to have them outside of the classroom.
Thank you everyone for your prayers for the school and everyone at the school. It is blessing to know that we have so many people standing behind us. I know that my life has been changed by my experience here and the lives of the pupils, students and teachers have also been changed. It is hard to believe that on the 21st of this month that I will be here for one year. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by, but when you are home time goes without you knowing it. God’s blessing until we talk again!
During the holiday studies, I began eating with a couple of the teachers, who I consider now my brothers. Now that school has began again, they call me to make sure that I’ve eaten dinner or to ask me when I’m coming up to eat supper with them. It is nice to have a “family” here. They having been teaching me a lot about the culture too.
We were sad to see Tom, Hilary, and Tony leave us, but we also know that it was their time (for now). They have done some good work at the school and they are missed by the pupils, students, and teachers. As they have gone, we are now waiting for the groups that will be coming this term. We are preparing to welcome out first group in a couple of weeks. My mom and brother, Andrew, get to be one of those groups. Please pray for the school as our schedule changes when we have visitors, but we still expect our pupils to perform at a high level. It puts a lot of pressure on the teachers and pupils to have many visitors, but we always welcome visitors with open arms.
On the 21st May, one of our P2 pupils died. I’m not sure what he died of as I have heard a couple of different things. A number of the teachers and some of our pupils went to the burial. I did not feel I was to go so I stayed at the school. This family had been struggling to get school fees and last term the father came saying he had a sponsor for both of his boys for their studies, and then only a few weeks later one of their sons is dead. What is somehow sad, is the people of this area expect death. Although they are sad to lose a child, it is a part of life. A few days before this boy died, two of pupils lost their father. Please continue to pray for our pupils as we live in a tough area where death is always at their door. Pray for their safety and for the strength of the teachers to help protect the child and help them deal with the deaths of family members.
Over the holiday, I began having some health issues. I was having some pain in my back, but I rested a lot and thought the I was better. On the 18th May, I had gone down to my room to pick something and became dizzy and fainted onto my bed. I was unable to get up without the room spinning for about 3 hours. Again on the 25th May, I became dizzy. I had gone to the doctor on Sat. and he said that my blood pressure was low and thought I was not getting enough liquids. I took a lot of liquids on Sunday and Monday, but again on Monday I became dizzy and had to go rest. I came to Kampala on Tuesday to go to a doctor here to find out what is wrong. He said that my blood pressure is low as it is 90/60, that I have the most common type of malaria, but is it also the more dangerous, that my red blood cells are 30% higher than they should be, and that I have too much stress in my life. He is suggesting that I go swimming to release the stress so I’m going to look into that and he gave me medicine for the malaria and told me to rest.
This term we will be having football (soccer) and netball competitions. Since I am the athletic director, I have to set the schedule, get the referee, get the uniforms, and organize the prizes. Our P7 members will not be able to participate since we are beginning to get close to the exams (although they are in Nov.). We are going to have league play so every house gets 3 games and then on the 10th July we will have the championship matches. We will be having the matches on Tuesdays and Wednesday beginning on the 10th June. I’m excited to see how our pupils do and to have them outside of the classroom.
Thank you everyone for your prayers for the school and everyone at the school. It is blessing to know that we have so many people standing behind us. I know that my life has been changed by my experience here and the lives of the pupils, students and teachers have also been changed. It is hard to believe that on the 21st of this month that I will be here for one year. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by, but when you are home time goes without you knowing it. God’s blessing until we talk again!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Things have been busy since school began. Our class sizes have grown and they are over 100 pupils each. The government says that we should allow in children since many schools have closed in the area. We are the only school in the area that doesn’t turn people away because they don’t have money. It is also difficult to decide how you would pick which children to send away. A large portion of the school are orphans so they don’t have money to go to other schools. When you hear the stories of these children you know that they need a place like our school where they feel safe and where the teachers consider the pupils as their own children.
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Long Time
Sorry for being quiet for so long. I have been unable to get to the internet until now and I only have a short time. I just wanted to say hi and let everyone know that I'm still alive. Hopefully within the next day or two I will be able to write more about what has been happening this term.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support of the school. We have just finished the term and have sent the children for Easter holiday. I pray that your Easter is wonderful as you take time to remember why God gave His son, Jesus, for us and why we can have joy each day when our world has so many sorrows. I pray for all of you often. God's blessing and keep checking for further updates.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support of the school. We have just finished the term and have sent the children for Easter holiday. I pray that your Easter is wonderful as you take time to remember why God gave His son, Jesus, for us and why we can have joy each day when our world has so many sorrows. I pray for all of you often. God's blessing and keep checking for further updates.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Family & Beginning of Term
The teachers had to be back at the school on the 12th January so I traveled there the day before. It was so nice to be home and everyone was very welcoming. On the 12th we didn’t do any scheming (planning for the term) but just spent the day talking about our holidays. In addition, one of our P2 teachers, and our P4 & P5 science teacher decided not to come back this year. It puts some stress on the school to find new teachers. We cannot offer what other schools can because we don’t have the money or the housing. Currently, the average pay for a teacher at my school is about $110 when the government requires that they get at least $120. It is hard when a teacher comes to us saying they want to work for us but they want $150 and we have to tell them sorry don’t come work at our school. We have found two new teachers and one of them is actually a former teacher that has come back to teach.
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
Family & Beginning of Term
The teachers had to be back at the school on the 12th January so I traveled there the day before. It was so nice to be home and everyone was very welcoming. On the 12th we didn’t do any scheming (planning for the term) but just spent the day talking about our holidays. In addition, one of our P2 teachers, and our P4 & P5 science teacher decided not to come back this year. It puts some stress on the school to find new teachers. We cannot offer what other schools can because we don’t have the money or the housing. Currently, the average pay for a teacher at my school is about $110 when the government requires that they get at least $120. It is hard when a teacher comes to us saying they want to work for us but they want $150 and we have to tell them sorry don’t come work at our school. We have found two new teachers and one of them is actually a former teacher that has come back to teach.
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
I talked with HM Rogers on the 13th about my schedule this year. He informed me that I will not be teaching mathematics but I will be only teaching PE and computer. I will be teaching computer to P5 & P6 again. They will each get one day for computer for one hour and 50 minutes. It will be interesting again with 6 computers and P5 has about 100 pupils and P6 has 80 pupils. I’m not sure how I’ll divide the classes but it will have more time to work with them again.
For PE, I will be doing Baby (Preschool) & Top (Kindergarten) classes one day a week. I will also do P1 & P2 together and then & P3 individually for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Therefore, I have about 300 minutes of PE a week. It is difficult because with P1 & P2 together I have about 200 pupils at one time and then P3 has 115 in their class as of the second week of school, but we will probably be getting more as time goes.
This year I am also the Games & Sports teacher. I have Tr. Benon as my assistant but I am in charge of the department. This first term we will have an athletics (track & field) competition between the houses. Second term we will have football (soccer) for boys and I’m trying to see what I can do for the girls to compete in something. I’m not sure yet what will happen during third term. It will keep me busy as I am in charge of training all of the pupils in the events. I will be working with a different house each day beginning Monday as we are re-dividing the houses this year. The athletics competition will be on the 27th Feb. so I don’t have must time to train the houses in the events.
I was bored as the teachers have been scheming because I didn’t know how much time I would have teaching each subject for the first week. I asked Auntie Betty, the school treasurer, if she had anything for me to do and she had 9 books that needed to be lined so she could record pupils payments. HM Rogers tried buying a PE teaching manual in Masaka town so I had to wait until I came back to Kampala.
The PLE (Primary Leaving Examination) results came back on the 19th Jan. and we received 10 first grades and the rest of our pupils got second grades. The exams this year were more difficult this year so we are happy with the results that we received. There are many schools which did not receive a first grade and many pupils failed this year.
So graduations on the new president. I am so tired of hearing about Obama on the radio here. On the 20th that is all that anyone could talk about on the radio and it was on every channel. I’m praying for America as I am in Uganda for the next couple of years. Since Obama is partly black, people in Africa as VERY excited that he is president.
We had a little for the month of Dec. so many of our crops died. Since the middle of January we have had a lot of rain so hopefully the crops that were struggling will come back to life and we can replant. We pray that the rain continues as we need it to drink, wash (laundry), bath, and water our crops.
My Dad and Devin came on the 26th January. I was so excited to receive them! The pupils were laughing at me as I kept telling them how many days it would be until I saw my family. The GSM van had a mechanical issue so we were unable to use it except to go to the airport. Therefore, we took public transport everywhere we went. It was a great experience for them to see how we move about here. The first day, I took them to see Mama Grace who is a good friend of my mom.
On Tuesday, 28th, we went to the Kings’ tombs and the Ugandan Museum so they could get a history of Uganda and a better understanding of our country. It was also a good experience for me as I have never been to either of those places.
On Wednesday, 29th, we went to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, and the waterfalls. The waterfalls are going to be destroyed to build a new hydro-dam so we are some of the last people to be able to see it. I have always gone with a group so I have never known the prices for any of these places. I can tell that I am becoming Ugandan because I was surprised by how much things cost, but for Dad and Devin it did not seem like much money. We took a boat out to the Source of the Nile and then got to see some of the different birds of the area and people fishing with lines in the area. We took boda bodas, motorcycles, from Jinja town to the waterfalls which was about 5 miles or about 20 minutes.
On Thursday, 30th, we private hired a van to take us to Masaka. We spent one week at the schools. They spent much of their time at the Secondary School. The secondary students were excited to actually have people come to visit them instead of only visiting the Primary School. Dad and Devin brought some Science supplies with them so they taught a class on circuits and another one on gears. On Saturday, I walked them into town to see the market and buy some things that we were going to eat. Dad got to preach on Sunday and the people were blessed. They also helped me teach some PE this last week. Today we are going to St. Mbuga Secondary School so they can see the difference between a village and city school. They fly back on Sunday night. I will be sad to see them go, but I know that they have a good understanding of the situation here and can do more for the school in America than here.
School began on the 27th January and we are one of the only schools that doesn’t turn away pupils. As of Monday, we had 768 pupils and I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Please continue to pray as our term gets under way. Our teachers need the strength to teach large classrooms for long hours. Our pupils need the focus to be able to be able to pay attention for longs days and remember the information for their exams. Pray for me as I continue to find my place at the school and how I can best help. I am feeling a little left out at times and trying to figure out how I can best be used. Thank you for your prayers! God’s blessing until I write again!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Holiday!
As this new year is beginning, I realize how amazing my life has been and how much I learned last year. It is hard to believe that 2008 ended a couple of days ago, but I know that 2009 will continue to be a year for me to learn and grow.
This holiday has been a relaxing time and a time of refreshing. I spent the first two or three days reading books. People here are surprised by how quickly I can read a book and that I would choose to read a book instead of watching a movie or going out with friends. I have watched a number of movies and spent some good time with friends also.
I was invited to Hezron’s, a friend of mine, parents house for Christmas in Namutamba. It is a village which grows tea so it is a nicer area than Kiwangala. His family was so welcoming when I arrived and they treated me as family the whole time I was there. It was nice to spend Christmas with a real family, instead of just a few people, although it was still hard to be away from my family for the first time.
Hezron and I traveled to his parents’ with a cousin so we did not have to pay the raised rate to take public transport. Hezron’s father is a head teacher for a primary school and a principal for a college so I was able to see both of these the first evening we were there. On Christmas day, we went to church and then had an amazing lunch with great food and fellowship. In the evening, Hezron and I walked around so I could see the village that he grew up in. I also got a call from my family and it was really good to be able to talk to them and wish them a Merry Christmas although it was morning for them and evening for me. On Boxing day (26th), a few of the children were baptized first thing in the morning. We then had the pastors over for lunch since Hezron’s father is the head deacon of the church. Hezron and I traveled back to Kampala that evening.
On the evening of the 24th, I struggled a lot missing my family and friends. This was due to Hezron’s family having family prayer at night before they go to bed. A few of them shared what God had done in their lives during the year and what they were thankful for. They also had me share and it was hard to get it out as I was trying hard not to cry. They have family prayer every night and it was good to see a family that was so focused on being together and having God at the center of their family.
I went to a BBQ on the 28th. We arrived at 7 PM and left at 5 AM. It was put on by the young adult group at one of the churches here in Kampala. We had worship, watching movies, lots of food, and modeling. The modeling was entertaining because they got about 15 of us and the guys wear girls’ clothes and us girls had to wear guys’ clothes. I had my friend David’s shorts and shoes on and my friend Jonah’s shirt on. They called me Andrew and Jonah was my girlfriend and he went by Melissa. It was very entertaining. It was good to get out and have fun with some of my friends in a safe place.
My New Year’s Eve was spent in a quiet way as I went to dinner with a friend and was home by 9:00 PM. I was glad that I was not going to town because there was a lot of jam, which is unusual for their to be so much traffic so late. At midnight there was lots of yelling and fireworks. The city doesn’t put off fireworks but different places (like churches, hotels, restaurants) can put off fireworks like the ones cities in America set off on the 4th of July. It was amazing to see fireworks coming from different parts of the city and they continued for about 15 minutes. Things were pretty calm until midnight and then the noise really began. I’m not sure what time the noise ended as I went to bed around 1 AM. I pray that that God will be with you and bless you in the year to come.
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