Michelle Paine in Uganda

Slowly adjusting

2009-11-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Back in the States :(

2009-09-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Mom & Andrew here

2009-08-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

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!

Secondary Tour

2009-08-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

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!

Primary tour

2009-07-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

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.

visitors

2009-07-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

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 term is moving along

2009-06-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Second Term

2009-06-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

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 books 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!

Long Time

2009-04-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Family & Beginning of Term

2009-02-06T03:53:00.001-08:00

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!

Family & Beginning of Term

2009-02-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

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!

Holiday!

2009-01-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

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 (26^th), 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 24^th, 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 28^th. 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 4^th 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.

In Kampala

2008-12-22T01:56:00.000-08:00

Aunt Susan, my cooking teacher, got married on the 13th of Dec. Her introduction was on the 12th. It was good to see what a true introduction is like since we were with the groom’s family last time and had a shortened introduction since we got there so late. Abby and I were in one of the groups that got to go out and welcome the visitors. We had to get into our Gomesi. The changing area with an open room with no windows to close and no door since the house was being built. We got changed out in the open with different people walking by so that was interesting. Different groups of women go out and kneel to welcome the groom’s family. The aunt of the bride then goes and finds the groom within the visitors and place a hat on him so everyone knows that he is the groom. Then the sister of the groom goes and finds the bride and gives her a basket of flowers so everyone knows that she is the bride. The groom’s family then needs to bring in the dowry and they explain what they brought for the bride’s family. After much talking and the cutting of the cake, the groom’s family is feed. We got there at 1 PM but the introduction did not begin until around 5 PM. We left around 10:30 PM and they were just beginning the dancing. They requested that I dance before we left so I danced a couple of dances and they were so excited to see it, but it’s really hard to dance in a Gomesi.
On Sat., the wedding was supposed to begin at midday but it did not begin until 3 PM. I’m glad because it gave me some time to spend with some of my friends who were in the wedding or who had come for the wedding. The reception was about a 30 min. drive from where the wedding occurred. Osborn had promised all of the children still at the school that they could go to the reception so we had 34 people in a van that is supposed to only carry 14 people. Most of us had a child on our lap, but it was good to see that they got to enjoy the day too since Aunt Susan was almost like a mother to many of these children. The reception was only in Luganda so Abby and I were lost most of the time. We got to the reception around 7 PM and left around 10 PM.
I was able to travel back to Kampala with Osborn when he left on Sunday. It has been nice being back in Kampala and spending time with many of my friends. I have also had some days just to relax. I have read 3 books already and I’m working on another one. It is good to sleep in and not have to worry about teaching some. It is a good way for me to recover and continue getting stronger from being sick. I get to begin my first full year in about three weeks.
One of my friends invited me to a Christmas Cantata that his church is putting on. It was very nice to go because it is helping me think that Christmas is only about 3 days away although I still am having a hard time believing that it is December. I am making program (plans) with some of my friends for the holiday season. They have been good about helping me feel at home, but it still is strange to be away from my family for the first time in my 27 yrs for Christmas.

Term is over!

2008-12-10T01:28:00.000-08:00

We began exams on Thursday, 20th Nov., but they were the minor subjects like Religious Education and Agriculture. We continued with one exam a day the following week and I got to monitor on Mon., P5 Social Studies; Tues., P6 English; Wed., P4 Mathematics; Thurs., P1 Luganda. On Thursday only Nursery-P2 took their exams because the middle and upper primary pupils were preparing for Open Day. P3-P6 finished their exams with Science on Mon., 1st Dec.
Open Day was a great success! The pupils had a lot of fun and many of the parents came to watch their children. We began the day with a couple of football matches which of course began almost 1 ½ hours after they were supposed to. After the matches, the rain decide to come. I looked over and one of our tents had lost four of its legs so it was going to blow away. I called Abby and we went running over to try and hold it down until we could get the legs back on. We then started pushing the rain off the sides when it would build up. I was soaked from head to foot and my nice new shirt was dirty and it was only about 12:30 PM. The rain let up in time for us to serve lunch to the visitors. The pupils’ lunch was not ready so we did athletics to fill the time. Since I am the secretary I had to be there to record all of the scores. We had some of the secondary teachers as the judges, which was really good since the teachers were intense about their house winning. After the American visitors had eaten, we had the Top graduation which was really cute seeing children about 5 yrs old with graduation gowns on. We finally feed the pupils around 3:30 PM. We ended the day with songs and dances which were really interesting and also had an outside judge as we did not know how to judge it. The Apostles ended up winning and they were so excited since they were not sure they would win. Everyone was excited with the day and was happy to have such a great day. To the left is the Apostles' teachers and a few of their pupils with their cake and goat.
That evening I did not feel well, which is to be expected when I did not have time to eat or drink throughout the day. I drank a lot of water that night and ate a little but was so tired I went to bed soon after. The next day I was so out of it that I slept all day with only waking up to use the toilet and drink water. The visitors left and told me to take care of myself. I began to feel better one day and the next I would feel really bad again. Finally on Wed., 3rd Dec. they took me to Masaka town to go to the clinic. I was admitted and placed on 3 drips with extreme malaria and a bacteria infection too. I was given tablets (medicine) and sent home on Thursday. I am recovered now and I thank all of you for your prayers for me.
Since I was sick all the last week, I missed compiling the marks and deciding who would go to the new class and who we would hold back. I found out that 63 of my 94 pupils were promoted. I am curious to who those pupils are but I will find out in time. I asked certain pupils, who came to my room to see me, how they did and all of them passed which makes me feel good.
Currently there are only about 10 children at the school, but these are children who have no place to go. They are very helpful and did a good job taking care of me while I was sick. I am figuring out what I will take with me to Kampala early next week for a month of holiday. I am looking forward to spending some time in Kampala and going to Kenya over holiday. It is hard for me to think that it is December as it is the same weather today as when I came here almost six months ago. I guess that is part of life on the equator but it is different than what I grew up so I have to keep remembering that it’s December. I pray that things are well with all of you! God’s blessing and hopefully I will be able to write me often over the holiday, not that much will probably happen.

Coming to the end of term

2008-11-22T00:07:00.001-08:00

The P7 members did their final exams (Primary Leaving Exam otherwise known as the P.L.E.) on the 7th & 8th of November. They were so excited to be done with school. They stayed around for the weeks and had a football match with the other members of the school on Thursday of that week. On Saturday, 12th Nov. they had a party to celebrate being done. On Friday they were making their preparations and they wanted me to take pictures of them cutting up their goat. They were so excited and happy about getting to celebrate with people.
They invited all of the teachers at the school and other people who work around the school. Osborn was the Guest of Honor but he had gone to Masaka town to get some things for a building that they are separating into different rooms for Abby and I to live in so he did not come until around 3 PM when the party started at 11 AM. The party was so much fun and it was good getting to celebrate with the P7 pupils before they left the school. The food was really good as they gave us goat, rice, and matooka along with a bottle of soda. They also gave us some performances and then HM Rogers and Osborn both gave a speech. Osborn opened the dance and it was great to see him having fun with his children. We took a picture of all of the teachers, P7 pupils and invited guests. Afterwards, Osborn told me to go back in and dance with the pupils. I did and I danced with many pupils and secondary students until they turned off the music almost two hours later. It was awesome to just enjoy dancing where they are having fun and not having to monitor the behavior of the youth. The behavior of these children is so different than those in America. I was the only teacher besides the one running the music and there was no fear that the children were going to try and dance inappropriate. I danced with many different people and never once did someone try to touch me more than on my hips or the middle of my back which is different than school dances in America.
I talked with Osborn some about my plans for the holiday and I think I shall try and go to Kenya for a week to see some friends because we have from the 12th Dec. until the 12th of Jan. for holiday. It will be my first time not with my family for Christmas so that will be a new experience. It has been interesting for me to notice things about holidays. The other morning I woke up and realized that the next day was Veterans Day but we don’t celebrate most American holidays here so that is different.
Yes, I have heard the Obama will become the next president of America. I had forgotten that the elections were coming up until I was in Kampala a couple of weeks ago and they were talking about it on the news. The people here are very excited that a “black” man will be the next president of America. It is hard to explain to people why you may not have voted for him since you are in a country that is full of blacks but most of them are open to hearing your explanation instead of just getting mad at you.
We are preparing for our Open Day that will occur on the 28th November. Every day from 3:40-5:15 PM the different houses work on their song/dance and their athletics. It is great to see the children having some time to play and get out some of their energy. It will be an amazing day of competition because we already are having some competition each week with their sanitation, smartness, academics, English speaking, and discipline. We will have some visitors from America here to enjoy the day with us also.
We begin final exams on the 24th Nov. and will have one a day for the first four days of the week. The two weeks after that we will sit as teachers and discuss which children should be promoted to the next class and which children we will encourage to repeat the class. There is a lot of stress on teachers as they are trying to finish up the syllabus before the end comes.
Since the P7 party we have spilt my P5 class into two different classes to help improve the promotion rate. As of the end of Sept., only about 30 of my 94 pupils would have been promoted to P6 next year. I now only have 48 pupils in my class which is a much easier number to manage and see who really understands the concepts and who needs more help. The other half of the P5 are being attended by the P7 teachers in the classroom that has been occupied by P7 before their exams since many of them only had one class after P7 left. We are hoping that we will be able to promote at least 50-60 pupils, but it still seems like a small number.
For Open Day, Abby and I have decided that the money, that we help provide the school each month with, will go to mainly buying t-shirts for the teachers. We will be getting an uniformed t-shirt that can be worn at Open Day and other such events where we want the teachers to look uniformed and smart. Each shirt is Sh. 10,000 (about $5.50) and the teacher are being asked to pay Sh. 2,000 (about $1.10) and we will cover the rest of the cost. They will be collared shirts with the school logo and motto on them. The children are buying caps at Sh. 300 (about $0.06) for Open Day. The caps are made for each house so it will be easy to see which children belong to each house.
This last Saturday the children who are fully sponsored by the school dug (weeded) in the garden (and I forgot to bring my camera to take pictures but I‘ll get some on another day). Every Saturday they are they are supposed to work in the work as “payment” for school. The garden has corn that helps provide lunch and breakfast for the children. I got bored at the school since I don’t teach most Saturdays so I went over to see what they were doing. I ended up changing clothes and then digging with them until they finished. It was a good feeling to do something physical and knowing that I was doing something for the food that I eat for lunch every day at school. The children kept asking if I was tired and I did not get tired but I did get a blister on my hand. They have invited me to work with them every week and I think I will try and do that. It is great getting to spend time with the children and getting to know them more. Many of them are the children whom I have taken their stories so I know them better than most of the children.
On thing I have noticed recently is that when they are digging, playing football, or running in P.E. the children take off their shoes. I was bothered by it for a night but as I was thinking more I about it I realized that many of these children only have one pair of shoes and if they spoil them (ruin their shoes) then they will not have anything to wear. I took off my shoes when I was digging with the children because they kept filling with dirt when I had them on. I keep thinking if there is anything that can be done to help the children get more shoes. Here in the village you do not have to have shoes to go to school, which is good because at least half to two-thirds of the school does not have shoes, but in the city you MUST have shoes or you will be chased away from (not allowed to come). The children are supposed to wear black shoes as part of their uniform but we do not discourage the children who wear shoes of any kind. Some of the children come from 1-5 km (0.61-3.1 miles) and many of them walk that distance but some of them have bicycles.
I had a good talk with some of the secondary boys on Saturday after I finished digging. They wanted to know where I had been and they were very surprised that I had been digging and they did not believe me until I showed them my hands and feet. They then invited more to a dance that was going to happen that afternoon to celebrate the end of the year for S.2, although they start their exams today. I went and at first it was only secondary students. Once I arrived they allowed the primary pupils to come in and dance. I had a lot of fun again and it is good to just enjoy being with the children and having fun with them.
We are busy preparing for our visitors, our final exams, and the Open Day. It is beginning to keep me busy and the children are having fun spending time with me doing athletics. They are surprised by me dancing and that I enjoy doing athletics. It makes me want to begin training more so that I can do more physical work around the school and with the children.

being on duty & library

2008-11-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

The week of Oct. 13-19th I was on duty at school. That means that another teacher, Tr. Ronald, and myself were in charge of making sure that the compound was cleaned every day, that the cook had firewood and water to cook with, and take attendance. In addition, whenever a teacher or pupil had a problem, we were the ones who they came to. I also had to serve breakfast (porridge and a doughnut to each teacher) and lunch (posho and beans to each teacher). It is hard sometimes making sure that each teacher had gotten food, but it was a good experience. It was a lot of work and I was very tired every night. I had to be at school at 6:45 AM and I went home around 6:00 PM every day that week. I am glad that the week is over. At the end of the week, I had to write a record on what occurred during the week for the school to have. The teachers receive 5,000 shillings for the extra work that they do that week.
I had one really interesting event happen while I was duty. I was in the P1 classroom taking attendance on Thursday. The class teacher had her baby on Sunday so she was not here for the week so her assistant teacher was in class all week. The assistant teacher was in talking to the HM so I was the only teacher in the classroom. As I was finishing counting the pupils, they started screaming and running for the door. When I looked up, I saw that the electrical wires had started smoking. I was not too concerned but I knew that the pupils needed to get out of the classroom. The pupils had panicked and were pushing each other to get out of the class. They caused such a jam at the door that no one could get out very quickly. They were pushing each other down and stepping on each other. Once the pupils got outside the classroom they stood close and the other teachers had all come to see what was going on. Tr. Ronald had gotten the fire extinguisher but there was no need to use it since the fire went out by itself. It shows me how little these pupils and teachers know about fire safety. I was concerned about getting the pupils at a safe distance just in case something happened. The teachers finally were able to get the P1 pupils into another class and got the other pupils back to their classrooms.
In addition, we had a man from the Dept. of Ed. who came and looked at the school. He had come about a month ago and looked at the classrooms but this time he wanted to look at the dorms. He had brought some papers from the Department of Education and Sports and from the police about the 33 school fires that happened in Uganda from April to June of this year. The government had placed many requirements on the schools and if these requirements are not met then they can put us on probation or close the school. When he looked at the dorms, he was not happy about the conditions and warned us that someone from Kampala will be coming to check on the school sometime during the term which means any where from today until 12th December. HM called Abby and I into his office to discuss the situation. When HM talked to Pastor Betty, he asked if some of the older girls could move into the house for some time because they will check the dorms but not the house. On Friday (17th Oct.), Abby moved back into my room and we will be living together for some time. On Sunday (19th Oct.), the girls moved into the house and 8 girls moved into the room that Abby was living in.
We have been without power a lot lately because of the rain and it effects a lot of things. The rain here is helpful because it provides water for drinking, cooking, and farming, but it also is damaging because it is such a hard rain and causes lots of erosion. . I has been raining almost every day since I have come back from Kampala and it rains for about 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Thankfully we have the generator at night so that makes it easier to cook, bath, and do other things around the house with light instead of in the dark. Last week we were without power for almost 3 days. They turned on the generator around 7:00 PM and would turn it off again around 9:30 PM after preps were done. They then turned the generator back on around 4:00 AM for the morning preps. I heard the generator every morning when it was turned on and I got up every morning to turn off our light because there is switch to our room in the general living area and someone would turn it on out there. They normally would not turn on the generator but the Senior 4 students are taking their final exams, and the Primary 7 pupils are going to take their final exams on Monday and Tuesday so they want to make sure these pupils have plenty of time to study.
On Friday, 24th October, we had Visitation Day at the Primary School. It is a time when the parents come to the school and talk with the teachers about how their child is doing. It is like Parent-Teacher Conferences in America, but the pupils still come to school. In the morning, the pupils did revision work and then were able to read some books until lunch time. In the afternoon, we showed a film. I was in with Tr. Siraje listening to him talk with our parents all day so that was interesting meeting some of the parents. The pupils were so excited about having their family come visit them. The parents of the boarding pupils brought money for spending, and food for their children. As I was thinking of this day the next morning, I was thinking how the pupils without parents feel about days like this. It happens every term, but you can tell that it is hard for children without parents as they see their friends’ parents coming and visiting.
We had a revision workshop last Saturday. It was an interesting day. We had teachers from every subject talk about how they would revise with their pupils. HM would talk a little between each teacher. It was a hard day for me because many time I felt like the HM was putting down his staff for not doing proper revision with their pupils. He was saying that if we really did revision like it was presented then our pupils would do better in class. I was realizing that almost all of the presenters were from P.6 and P.7 who only have a max of 44 pupils compared to the other class who have 92-116 pupils. HM wants us to spend time going over questions and doing revision, but I wonder how we are supposed to get through the syllabus when we are doing so much revision. It is something that I am still struggling with and I’ll just have to see how things go in the future.
On Monday, I started organizing the books in HM’s office and cataloging them. It is amazing how many books we have that cannot be used by the primary pupils. Tr. Abby and I are discussing what we can do with the books that cannot be used by the Primary School. I cleaned all of the books and organized them so it looks really good. I have started cataloging them so we know what books we have and hopefully by the beginning of the new year, I will have done all of them and then we can do a library where the pupils can actually check out books and take them home. As I was organizing it made me wish that I had studied to be a librarian and had supplies to do maintenance on the books. I am thankful for the experience that I have dealing with libraries so that I have an idea how to catalog books and care for them. These teachers and pupils have no idea how to care for books which is hard when you are taught at a young age how to treat a book properly. Abby and I are thinking of talking to the teachers about how to treat books and what rules we give to pupils so they will understand and try to treat the books the same way. The picture to the left shows what the library currently looks like. The books that are standing are ones that I have cataloged and the ones that are laying down I have yet to catalog. It will be a long process but I’m looking forward to it.
Yesterday, I traveled to Kampala to pick up a package that my parents sent me. I am amazed at God’s awesome hand more and more every day. I got my hair done Thursday night in an Ugandan style and it took FOUR hours to do it. We did not completely finish it so we need to redo some of it when I get back, but it was 12:40 AM and I was leaving early in the morning so we decided just to make it look okay enough for me to come. It is nice because it should be able to stay in for about 2 months so I will not have to worry about doing anything to my hair for that long which is really nice. I got up around 5AM to catch the taxi early in the morning. Tr. Ronald took me on Pastor Kato’s motorcycle around 5:40 AM. We got to Kiwangala as the taxi was filling at the petrol station. It was nice timing and I was able to get on as soon as it finished filling and then we went on our way. The toughest part was getting into Kampala and having to wait for about an hour to get out of the taxi because we had to park before they would allow us to unload.
God’s creation is amazing and breath taking at times. As I was traveling the sun was coming up and it was the best sunrise I have seen here. In addition, there are valleys around where I live so we would come over a hill and the valley would be filled with fog that was truly breath taking. It is at times like that I marvel at God’s plan to make us the way He did and blessed me with eyes to see the beauty of His creation.
I picked up my package and was so excited because my parents did not tell me what they had sent me. I went to lunch with a friend after picking my package so as we were waiting for our food to come, I opened it. I felt like it was Christmas but early. I was so excited to see a few new clothes, some red marking pens, a few sewing supplies, and some candy. It was so nice to see Skittles, and Butterfingers, along with some trail mix. One of the hardest things here is getting sweet (candy). There is a limited variety and nothing that we have in the states so it was great to eat candy that I am familiar with. I shared a little of it was my friends, Hezron and David and they were intrigued by the new candy. I treasure hearing for any of you, whether it is in an email, letter, or package. It is great to know how people are doing in the states. If you send me an email or letter I will write back, but it may be some time before I am able to get to the internet or the post office to send you something since I only go into town once a month. I pray that you are all doing well. God’s blessing!

life in Kiwangala

2008-10-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

I stated that I had Malaria. Let me explain what happened so you have a better picture. We went for HM David’s introduction in Eastern Uganda on the 23rd of August. I had stopped taking my Malaria medicine because we do not have mosquitoes in Kiwangala. The area in Eastern Uganda has a lot of bush so they have many mosquitoes. I got bite there and then got Malaria on the 28th of August. I have never been sick like that in my life and I do not wish it upon anyone. I was throwing up, having diarrhea, a major headache, no appetite, and I was very weak. HM Rogers took me to get my blood tested at a Catholic mission clinic which as we were almost there I realized that I had not taken any of needles and I started praying they had clean needles. They took my weight, 51.1 kg, then I saw the nurse within 5 minutes. I told the nurse my symptoms and then she sent me to get my blood tested. My blood results were ready within 5 minutes and then we went to get my tablets, my medicine. The whole thing cost me about 5,300 shillings (about $3.50). The tablets that they gave me were amazing because I felt so much better just after one dose. I am completely fine now and I thank God for the prayers of you there and people here.
The introduction was very interesting. It is a time for the groom’s friends and family to go to the bride’s family and show them that the groom will be able to take care of the bride. They wear traditional dress, a Gomesi, which Abby and I also wore. The people were very surprised to see us dressed in a Gomesi. It is also when the groom brings the dowry to the bride’s family. We also helped carry the dowry from the vehicles to the party. The gifts are carried on the head so that was different but it was an interesting experience. We came back to Kampala on the 6th of Sept. for the wedding of HM David. We were supposed to leave Kiwangala at 8 AM but the taxi was late so we did not leave until 10:30 AM. We got to Kampala about 1:50 PM and the wedding was supposed to start at 2 PM. The wedding did not start until 4:30 PM but it gave me time to see some of my friends here in Kampala. We were then supposed to leave Kampala around 6 PM but we did not leave until 8:30 PM so we got home around midnight. Ugandan time can be frustrating sometimes, but I am learning to accept the time we do things no matter how I feel about it or when I think that things should happen.
I put on a workshop for the teachers at the end of August to discuss the teaching materials that I had brought with me. They were excited about the materials and we had fun learning how to use the material. Since the term has started, I have seen many of the materials being used. The teachers are asking for more materials that will continue to help them. It is hard when you have a class of 42-120 pupils and no textbooks or hands-on material for them.
The beginning of the term was hard for me. We started school on the 9th of Sept., but if the pupils did not bring the requirements (2 rolls of toilet paper, and 2 brooms) then they were sent home until they brought the requirements. I had 70 pupils at the start of the day, but after the assembly where they were sent home to get the requirements, I had 21 pupils out of 96. My teaching schedule is as follows:
Monday
9:50-10:30 AM - PE for P1 & P2 (about 200 pupils at once)
3:40-5:15 PM - Computer for P6 (42 pupils - half of them a week on the computers since I have 6 computers)
Tuesday
9:10-10:30 AM - Math for P5 (96 pupils)
Wednesday
8:30-9:50 AM - PE for Baby and Top classes (about 225 pupils at once)
9:50-10:30 AM - PE for P1 & P2 (about 200 pupils at once)
7:00-9:00 PM - Math Preps for P5 (about 15 pupils)
Thursday
7:30-9:10 AM - Math for P5 (96 pupils)
11:40 AM-1:00 PM - Math for P6 (42 pupils)
3:40-5:15 PM - Computer for P5 (24 pupils a week)
5:15-5:30 PM - Math homework for P5
Friday
3:40-5:15 PM - Counseling/Career Guidance
Saturday
7:30 AM-2:00 PM - school (I teach one subject and each week the time changes when the subject is taught)
These pupils have no typing skills so I am working on just placing their fingers in the right place and using the correct fingers for typing. I have no typing program to help me so I will design a true curriculum next term, but for now I am just getting them exposed to the computer. In addition, my math pupils do not know their basic math facts. I have challenged the P5 pupils that I do preps with, that if they can beat me at addition and subtraction facts by the end of term I will buy them a soda. With P6 I have challenged them that if they can beat all of their classmates in multiplication facts at any time during the term, I will buy them a soda. I will also monitor preps on two Sundays during the term. I will also be on duty starting on Monday for one week which means serving lunch, making sure the cook has water and firewood for the school lunch, making sure the compound is clean, making sure the teachers get water, and dealing with any other issue that occurs that week.
Tr. Abby, Tr. Dickson, Aunt Betty, and myself are on the House Committee. The school is divided into four houses, Apostles, Kings, Judges, and Prophets and the other teachers are in charge of the houses. We check for punctuality (pupils getting to school on time), sanitation (their area of the compound and their toilets are clean), smartness (the pupils are clean and so is their uniform), English (the pupils are speaking English at school instead of Luganda), discipline (that they are well behaved in class and during their break and lunch), gardening (their section of the garden is being worked), and academics (we take the top 10 from each class on exams, and how they do on the weekly quiz/debate). It is a lot of work but it motivating the pupils and others teachers to make our school the best.
On Wednesday every week, we have time for sports. So far we have had football (soccer) matches between the different houses. It is great to watch the pupils be children for a period of time. They have so much fun and the other pupils and teachers get into cheering on their house. On Friday every week, we have a quiz/debate. We switch between spelling and quizzes on subject material. They are competing in their houses and there are 5 pupils who are the main contestants, but the rest of the house can answer if the main contestant does not know the answer. They pupils get so excited about it and unless you want to go deaf for a short time each week, you try to stay out of the classrooms when the final scores are totaled and pupils find out which house won.
At the end of the term (28th of Nov.) we are going to have a Sports Day. There are going to be lots of different activities. I am excited to see the pupils having fun. Since I am on the House Committee I will need to make sure that I am knowing which house takes which place so we can have a winner at the end of the day. We are giving out awards to the houses for the different positions that they achieve. I am looking forward to that day since I enjoy events like that.
I was given an assignment to interview some pupils and get their life stories. It is an emotional assignment and within the first two pupils my heart was completely broken. The first pupil that HM Rogers and I interviewed told us that his father and his twin brother have died from AIDS. His mother is about to die from AIDS and he is also infected with AIDS. He said something that will stick with me forever. He said, “I am alone in this world.” A boy of 11 yrs should not have to face such heartache. Our second pupil, a P4 girl, broke down crying before I even asked a question. She is so heartbroken because both of her parents are dead. My heart broke for her and I wanted to hold her and cry with her. I gave her a hug at the end of the interview and now when she sees me she smiles because she knows that someone loves her and is concerned about her. There is also a family of six where the oldest is 18 yrs old now, but their parents died when he was about 10 yrs old so he became the father of the family and was responsible for making sure his siblings were feed and clothed. These stories are so normal here where pupils do not have parents or they do now know their parents. These pupils experience so much heartache and pain but with most of them you would never know because they cling to God and have built a family out of their friends at school. I was thinking of how much I complained about my parents growing up and how much children in America complain about their parents. If American children could experience the life of a Uganda child for one day, I do not think they would complain again. These stories will stick with me for the rest of my life. Doing the stories, I want to hear every child’s story and the story of every teacher. They pull at my heart but I feel so much more connected to the people here as I listen to their stories.
On another note, my brother (Devin) and my father are coming to visit me at the end of January. I am very excited about and I look forward to showing them what life is like here.
At the end of Sept., a few people from Kampala came out to put up the fire extinguishers for the school. They gave only about an hour before people came to inspect the school. They then gathered the secondary students and some of the primary boarders to show them how to use the fire extinguishers. Of course they did it not long before break time so as the pupils were released for break, they came down to the field to see what was going on. It was hard to keep control of the pupils. Here keeping control of a group is very hard. They crowd instead of making a line and they grab at things so it is hard if you want things to be controlled because they don’t know how to do that here.
I went to immigration on Monday to extend my pass. It was very easy and I know God is with it. I went into an office and told the man what I wanted. He directed me to another man who was finishing with someone so I waited about 2 minutes. I went and explained to that man what I wanted and he pulled my file. There was a note saying I had been approved for a 12-month extension. He told me to take it to the cashier for an assessment. It took about 10 minutes for the people in front of me to finish and for me to get my assessment. I then went to the bank and paid for my pass. I then waited for 2-hours for my receipt. I took my receipt back to immigration. They told me to come back on today. I went and had to wait for a couple of minutes while they finished the signing of my form but my pass expires on Sept. 10, 2009!!! I'm so excited about that.

Well, that is a brief overview of what has happened here over the last couple of months. I will try and write again sometime next month. I will not be back in Kampala until Christmas time (I don’t think) so I will not have much access to a computer once I go back to Kiwangala. I pray things are well for all of you. God’s blessing!

Life in Masaka

2008-09-26T02:43:00.000-07:00

I only have a couple of mintues but I wanted to let you know that I am still alive. I will write more when I am in Kampala in a couple of weeks, but I'm doing well and I have many stories to tell. Oh, I have now had malaria which is not something that I would like to have again but God was with me and I'm back to normal now. I love you all and I'm looking forward to writing you more. God's blessing!

Teachers

2008-08-12T03:21:00.001-07:00

I wanted to include a picture of most of the primary teachers and some of the secondary teachers that we took while the team was here in June. This is the team that I work with and I will try to take more individual pictures and give information about the teachers. God's blessing!

On Holiday

2008-08-11T04:13:00.000-07:00

So I am back in Kampala on holiday. We started holiday on Friday and I got here on Sunday evening around 9 PM. I will be in Kampala until Sunday. I had quite an experience getting to Kampala from Kiwangala (the town where I now live). We took a small car (like a Toyota Corolla) and we put 6 of us in the back and 4 in front. I was the only female in the car. Myself and one other guy were sitting on the laps of others in the back. That is the way they travel here to help make more money. My fare was less on the taxi because we sat so many (I think).

These last few weeks have been very good at the school. We gave out the report cards on Friday. It was very interesting because some of the students came late and they were sent home without their report cards and told to come back next Friday. It was a hard day for me since that is not how we handle the situation in America, but I am learning how things are done here.

The past two weeks we have only had P6 and P7 students at the school so it has been very slow and boring. The nice thing is that the P6 teachers have been requesting that I teach some so I taught mathematics for two days and watched how the English teacher taught so I have a better understanding of the teaching methods used here.

I will be putting on a workshop on the 21st and 22nd of August for the teachers on some of the teaching aids that I brought. I am looking forward to starting next term on the 8th of Sept. and getting back into teaching. The nice thing is that P5-P7 students are starting holiday studies today. We will be teaching from 8 AM to 1 PM Monday through Friday and the students will have the afternoons and weekends free from studies. I am taking a break this week in Kampala to see some of my friends and rest before I go back and work until I need to come in October or end of September to renew my visa.

The cooking has been good and a learning experience for me. We are using a gas burner mainly. It takes a long time to cook food and it is different food than we have in the states. I really enjoy all of the food and I am learning a lot.

The other day we bought a chicken (enkoko) for sh. 7,000 which is about $4.50 for the whole chicken. One of the secondary students bought it for us because it was still alive. One of the P7 students was going to slaughter it and I wanted to watch because I have never seen it. The students told me what he was doing and why as he did it. When it came to pucking the chicken, I asked if I could help so they taught me how to pluck the chicken. I took snaps (pictures) so enjoy them. The student then gutted it and had me wash out the inside of the chicken. Two of the students then cut it into pieces for us. It was very interesting to watch and they are telling me that next time I could do it by myself, but I am not sure that I could handle that yet.

Last Saturday, Aunt Betty took me into Masaka town to buy material to make a Gomesi (the tradition dress for females) because we are going to an introduction on the 23rd of August. It is a party where the bridegroom is going to meet the bride's family and pay the dowry. I am excited to see what the Gomesi looks like because we took it to a lady to make in Kiwangala last Monday. It will be ready today but I will not see it until I go back to Kiwangala.

Abby and I were talking to Musuba (Pastor) Kato the other evening and we were very amazed at this man of God. He is the pastor of the church next to the school and he lives at the school to watch over us and the students. His name (Kato) means that he is the second born of twins. His mother died when he was very young so he was unable to attend school so he is going to school now to learn English. He told us he is 30 years old and he became the pastor of the church in 1994 so he was 16 years old when he became the pastor of the church. I am blown away by this man every time that he preaches so talks about God. He is a true blessing in my life and a man I know will do everything he can to make sure that Abby and I are well taken care of. A couple of weeks ago in church, he asked the congregation to bring us food. We have been over blessed with people bringing us food so we have been turning around and blessing the teachers with our extra food.

This is all I can say right now, but I will write again this week with other things that had happened and post some snaps. I pray that everything is well with all of you and I thank God everyday for the blessing that all of you have been to me. God's blessing on you today and in the days to come!

IN MASAKA!!!

2008-07-29T02:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Masaka finally a week ago Friday! The students did exams starting the Tuesday after we got here so we were only able to watch one day of teaching. I am teaching in the P5 classroom doing Math and maybe some other subjects. I have 96 students in my class! We did exams all last week and we have been marking them. I corrected the math exams by myself and it was a lot of work. It is amazing to see what these students are studying at such a young age. It gives me a good idea what to teach and what needs to be retaught before the end of the school year in the beginning of December. I am also on the academic committee so we get to check the exams for each level and subject. It is hard work and there are only 5 of us to check all of them and approve or give them back to the teacher to revise again.
Many of the students have left for holiday because we ran out of food to feed them although the holiday does not begin until the 8th of August. It is more quiet around the school now that many of the students have left for holiday. P7 and P6 students do not get a holiday and P5 will get only one week because there is so much material to get done before the end of the year. I will be going to Kampala for a week so I will write more when I can use free Internet instead of paying for it. I pray that things are well with all of you and thank you for your prayers! God bless each of you!!!

Going to immgration tomorrow!!!

2008-07-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are going to immigration. They currently have our passports and our paperwork. We are praying that we do not have to pay the $900,000 shilling (about $600 in the US). Hopefully we will be able to go to Masaka on Thursday. Oh, if you want to send me letters, they said it would be better if you sent it to our office in Kampala and they would get it to me so the address is PO Box 4428, Kampala, Uganda.

We had a conference this week (Thursday to Sunday) with a speaker from the states. It was really good and God is working in my life because I experienced things that I never had in the states. I know that God is working because I would have walked out in the states, but I felt a peace in my spirit about what was happening.

On Thursday, we walked into town to buy some things that we will need in Masaka. We bought our food and supplies and then walked to buy a dresser. We could not get the dresser that day so we ordered one that they had ready in 3 days for us. We were going to get a boda boda (a motorcycle) to take home, but none of them passed us so we ended up walking home with all of our stuff. I think we ended up walked about 10 miles that day. We were really tired when we got home, but it also felt really good to walk.

On Sunday, we came back to St. Mbuga to watch basketball. The school is divided into 4 different houses and they have different events. They finished soccer last week and basketball and netball on Sunday. It was fun to watch and I ended up staying later to hang out with the students and play soccer and basketball. I had 4 escorts on the way home so I felt really protected and they bought me some really good food.

The food here is awesome and so filling. It is nice to have food that has not been processed at all. I currently have not gotten sick so I thank all of you for praying for me health and protection. I pray that things are well with all of you!!! God's blessing to each of you!

Still in Kampala

2008-07-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

We get to go back to immigration again today. I realized that we have been there about 7 times in the last week. We are starting to feel like it is a new home. We went yesterday and got signed off in one department but when we went to the NGO office they said that we have to do some things again. We had to go back to the US Embassy and we have to go there today too. Hopefully we can get everything worked out so we can go with the group that is heading out there on Monday. It is supposed to cost us 900,000 shilling to get everything processed which is about $560 in the US. I'll let you know what is going later how everything goes. Please keep us in prayer while dealing with immigration and the US Embassy.

Got a phone!!!

2008-07-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

I got a phone today! The number is 011256756831346 which includes the international code and country code. Please remember that I am 10 hrs ahead of you in the states so I'm writing this at noon and it is 2 AM for you.

I have more time so I'll give you more information on what is happening in my life since I left all of you.

The time in Masaka last week was a great experience but it was also hard. When we arrived on Sunday the students were lined up on the road and driveway to welcome us in song. It was a little overwhelming but a true blessing too.

On Monday, we were able to go to Nambirizii to do some construction and do some crafts with the students. I felt out of place since I had not been at any of the meetings for the crafts and as many of you know that I do not do well with construction. I wandered around taking pictures of the different groups working until on of the Ugandans doing construction saw me watching him so he gave me a job. I was to pound the cement even after the guys had dumped into piles in the room that we were working on. It was a lot of hard work but it was also a lot of fun too.

On Tuesday, I was able to sit in the primary classrooms and watch the teachers to learn more about their system here. I was surprised at how much their teaching methods are like ours but also very different as the classes range from 50-110 students. On Wednesday, I sat in on the secondary classes and got to watch a debate between Senior 1 and Senior 2 on whether girls should have the same education as boys. It was really entertaining and a great English lesson.

On Thursday, I went with the group to Nambirizii again to do medical work on the students. It was an emotional day, but I know that God was in the middle of the whole things. I was mom that day as I held the students who were having to have cuts deep cleaned. It was hard to see the condition of the students' bodies but it was good to be able to hold the students as others dug into the wounds and did what we could for them. That afternoon was a huge contrast to the morning. The students at Masaka put on a talent show for us. It was great and we had a wonderful time.

On Friday, we did the medical work at Masaka. Again I was mom helping with the students who were really bad off. I also got the privilege of working on the hands and feet of the cooks as they have really bad fungus. We left Masaka that afternoon and came back to Kampala.

On Saturday, we went shopping and spend time with the team. We took them to the airport in early evening. It was weird to be still with the Ugandans after sending off the rest of the team. On Sunday, we went to church and then went to St. Mbuga Secondary School for visitation day. It was interesting to see the contrast between since a rich school as that one and the one that I will be working at in Masaka.

This week has been a challenge for me as we have been doing a lot of sitting around waiting for people and things. I was feeling like we were driving around in circles the other day as we were going to immigration and the US Embassy. Yesterday was a good day because we went to St. Mbuga again to spend lunch with the students. We have been walking around town, learning to cook, learning Luganda, and just getting used to Uganda. Goodbye for now and I hope to hear from some of you. I am able to check my email so feel free to write me at teacher.michelle@gmail.com but I"ll only get to it as often as I check this. God's blessing to each and every one of you. I love you and I'm praying for you!

Finally in Uganda!

2008-07-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

So I made it to Uganda a day late but we got here on the 21st of June. We had a great time in Masaka with the team that I was working with. We took them to the airport last Saturday night. I am staying in Kampala this week to rest and work on things with immigration and the U.S. Embassy. It has been an adjustment time, but I am doing well and enjoying my time so far. I do not have much time left on my credit right now so I am going to keep it short, but I hope to write more before we head to Masaka sometime next week.
It has been a blessing that I have not thought of home much until this week when things have begun to get hard with dealing with immigration and not being able to move around without someone to escort us and not having transportation. That is all for now, but I'll write again soon I hope.

LEAVING TODAY!!!

2008-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting in the Portland airporrt preparing to leave for Uganda today. We leave in only a few minutes and it is hard to believe that it is time. Both of my suitcases are 50 lbs each and I have all of my clothes in my carry-on. I also have a backpack so there is concern that I may not be able to take my backpack and carry-on in London. I am not worrying and just praying that God will take care of everything. God's blessing to all of you and I will write again when I get a chance.

1 WEEK!!!

2008-06-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting at the Portland airport waiting to go see my little brother for a couple of days before I move next week to Uganda. As I was driving down here today I was realizing that my parents will be driving me down here in a week for me to move to Uganda. It was a weird feeling driving here today and thinking about that. I have mixed feelings about going. I am excited, nervous, and confused all at the same time. I am excited to finally be going over to Uganda and teach. I am also nervous at the same time because I am leaving all of my comforts here in America to go teach in a foreign country where I know very little about their schooling system. I am confused because I want to stay here in the states because I have become so connect to people here, but I want to go to Uganda where my heart is for the people. I am sure that I will continue to have mixed emotions but I know that God will be with me through everything.

2 WEEKS!!!

2008-06-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

I leave in two weeks!!! It is hard to believe that it is almost here. I am busy finishing substituting for the school year. I finished at Wheatland Village last week, so my nights and weekends are free to work on things and spend some last time with people here in the area.

I have told some of you that I will be getting a cell phone so people can call me while I am there. The cool thing for me is that when people call me I am not charged for the minutes. I am only charged for the minutes when I call someone. It will be very expense for me to call, so it is up to everyone here to call me (but remember that I will be 10 hours ahead of you). I have found an awesome website where you can buy phone cards to call me for almost an hour for only $5! The website is http://www.uniontelecard.com/ and you then click on Crazy USA. The $5 card will allow you to call and talk to me for 54 minutes! I will let everyone know what my number is when I get it.

I pray that things are going well with everyone and I will write again before I leave. God's blessing!

Leaving in 6 weeks

2008-05-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was realizing today that I leave for Portland 6 weeks from today. I cannot believe that I fly out in only 6 weeks. I have been planning for so long that it is hard to grasp that it is finally coming (and soon too). There are so many things that I am noticing that I need to do before I am ready to leave. I guess I need to figure out what to cut out of my schedule so that I can have more time to finalize all of my things for my trip. I have sorted most of the school supplies and books that I will be taking, but I need to figure out if I have enough room to take everything that I want to take.
I praise God that I have blessed by so many people that are wanting to support the work that I will be helping with in Uganda. Thank you to all of you who have given finanically and through prayers.

Getting ready for Uganda

2008-04-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So, I'm working on my plans to go to Uganda. I leave JUNE 18, 2008!!! I cannot believe that it is only in a few weeks. I pray that things are well with all of you. God's blessing! Be sure to check back here every couple of months for updates on how things are going for me in Uganda.