When Rachel and I had said all are goodbyes, we were sad to be leaving Uganda but excited about seeing all of our friends and family at home. We were driven to the airport by the same taxi driver as when I went to Zanzibar so we were a little early and decided to sit in a small café area and play cards to pass the time. There was a man sitting at the table behind us who kept attempting to scratch his thought and making a horrible gargling noise. Rachel and I were nearly sick and were hoping that he wasn’t on our flight. When check-in opened, he queued up directly behind us to check-in for our flight. The thought of him sitting beside us for seven hours to Dubai seemed unbearable. Thankfully he wasn’t seated beside us but I could hear him when I walked past on a toilet trip.
We successfully made it to Addis Ababa where we were meant to just touchdown and take off again to head towards Dubai. Whilst on the ground, they found a leak in the plane and all passengers were asked to disembark the aircraft whilst they attempted to fix it. Rachel and I panicked to begin with as we knew that we had connecting flights to get in both Dubai and Heathrow to catch. After waiting in the Ethiopian airport for a few hours, we were informed that we would have to spend the evening in a hotel and fly out 24 hours later than scheduled. We were both frustrated as now that we had started travelling, we just wanted to get home.
The hotel that they put us up in for the evening was beautiful and even had a bath! Something which was had not seen in four months. They supplied us with three good meals and then we were shuttled back to the airport the following day. They had kept our luggage overnight but we had to collect it at the airport the following morning and check it in again. My patience began to decrease whilst standing in the line as the Ethiopians kept pushing to the front of the queue. Apparently Africans do not understand this concept.
Three hours later, Rachel and I reached the front of the queue. Originally our luggage had been checked in directly from Entebbe right through to Belfast but they informed us that we would have to pick it up in London Heathrow. After a few minutes, the man informed us that he was able to check it in the whole way through which was a relief to Rachel and me as we knew we had quite a tight connecting time. The computer system crashed during our check-in though so although both of our luggages was going all the way to Belfast along with me, the y could only check Rachel in to London Heathrow and she would have to check-in again there.
This was fine until we reached London. When Rachel went to check-in, they said that it was unlikely that they were going to get her onto the flight. I didn’t know what to do as I would have to pay for another ticket home if I didn’t take my seat that had been booked but I didn’t want to leave her behind. Thankfully they were able to get her on the flight although we were not seated together.
Fifty hours later, we touched down in Belfast City airport. Neither of us had ever been so glad to see Northern Ireland in our entire lives. The wait for our luggage was rather short but it felt like a lifetime when we knew your families were waiting around the corner to give us a huge hug. Mum, Dad and my brother were all there to welcome me home with huge smiles on their faces (and a few tears from mum). What more could I ask for?
Friday, 25 June 2010
Saying my goodbyes!! :(
The last few days in Kampala were the hardest of all. I hated saying my goodbyes when leaving home, but it was even more difficult in Uganda as I don’t know if I am ever going to see some of the people ever again.
I returned to Montessori for one final time and gave them lots of resources to use in their classroom. They were so grateful for them and I was greeted by 28 little children hugging my legs once again. It was very difficult to say goodbye to them but I’m glad that I can leave knowing that they all are safe and come from good homes and will be looked after.
The street boys on the other hand were a different matter. I had such a passion for these boys that I asked my dad to contribute into helping one of them start a business. I was able to help Ronald, one of the older street kids, to set up his own rolex (of the food variety) business. He now has the opportunity to make some money to support himself but also has to give a tiny bit back each week to HM who is looking after it for me. Overtime, the money that Ronald gives back will be enough to start another street boy in his own business. Hopefully over time, many of them will be able to benefit from this idea. Saying my goodbyes to them was emotional but they are strong boys and I know that my other friends in Uganda will continue to look after them for me. Someday I will return to see them again!
On Tuesday evening, HM ended up in hospital with malaria. This was not the way in which I planned to say goodbye to him as I didn’t want to leave knowing he was unwell but thankfully he managed to recover and pay us a short visit on our final evening.
Rachel and I both enjoyed our last evening in Uganda so much. We were invited round to Kate’s house for dinner with her and HM and then preceded onto Bubbles to meet some friends and finished the night in Iguanas with some dancing. It was a great night and definitely a great way to finish our once in a lifetime trip to Uganda but it was really sad as well. I don’t want to single anyone out but some of my goodbyes were rather emotional. I did manage to hold back the tears though which is surprising for me. Whether I knew the people for the entire four months, or just a few weeks as it neared an end, I loved every single one of the new friends I made and I hope that the friendships will continue for life!
I returned to Montessori for one final time and gave them lots of resources to use in their classroom. They were so grateful for them and I was greeted by 28 little children hugging my legs once again. It was very difficult to say goodbye to them but I’m glad that I can leave knowing that they all are safe and come from good homes and will be looked after.
The street boys on the other hand were a different matter. I had such a passion for these boys that I asked my dad to contribute into helping one of them start a business. I was able to help Ronald, one of the older street kids, to set up his own rolex (of the food variety) business. He now has the opportunity to make some money to support himself but also has to give a tiny bit back each week to HM who is looking after it for me. Overtime, the money that Ronald gives back will be enough to start another street boy in his own business. Hopefully over time, many of them will be able to benefit from this idea. Saying my goodbyes to them was emotional but they are strong boys and I know that my other friends in Uganda will continue to look after them for me. Someday I will return to see them again!
On Tuesday evening, HM ended up in hospital with malaria. This was not the way in which I planned to say goodbye to him as I didn’t want to leave knowing he was unwell but thankfully he managed to recover and pay us a short visit on our final evening.
Rachel and I both enjoyed our last evening in Uganda so much. We were invited round to Kate’s house for dinner with her and HM and then preceded onto Bubbles to meet some friends and finished the night in Iguanas with some dancing. It was a great night and definitely a great way to finish our once in a lifetime trip to Uganda but it was really sad as well. I don’t want to single anyone out but some of my goodbyes were rather emotional. I did manage to hold back the tears though which is surprising for me. Whether I knew the people for the entire four months, or just a few weeks as it neared an end, I loved every single one of the new friends I made and I hope that the friendships will continue for life!
Safari at Murchisson Falls
Friday morning was an early start as we headed to the Red Chillis Backpackers to begin our safari journey. We had a long six hour drive to reach Murchisson Falls National Park so had a pit-stop in Masindi on route for some lunch. When we finally arrived, we went for a walk up around the famous waterfall before heading back to camp for dinner. It was beautiful to stand a listen to the flowing water and learn all about its history.
Well our plan was to head back to camp for dinner anyway. Our bus broke down on the journey from the waterfall to camp and we had to wait around for an hour whilst they sent another one from camp to collect us. We had some fun climbing trees in the middle of the park whilst we waited but were glad to finally reach camp by the time we got there. On arrival, they greeted us and gave us a safety talk. The only thing that I remember from the entire talk was that the hippos like to come out of the water during the night and wander around the campsite, so if you hear a hippo, don’t get out of your tent! Alarm bells went off in my head at this point but thankfully I didn’t hear any hippos on either of the nights that I stayed.
Up bright and early the following morning, we began our game drive at 6.30am. We had to leave this early in order to see all the animals as they tend to hide away as the day goes on due to the heat. We managed to see a wide variety of animals including baboons, warthogs, buffalo, giraffes, elephants and lions. I think we were very lucky to see the lions as one of the guys back at the game said he had never seen a lion and had worked there for over a year. We also saw the crane which is the national bird of Uganda, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to see the leopard that the other group did. Their photos looked amazing.
After some lunch back at camp, we headed out on a boat cruise down the Nile to see the hippos and crocodiles. Before getting on the boat, everyone was scared of getting sun burnt but unfortunately the weather went the opposite way for us and it began to rain. They had to attempt to pull down the sides of the boat to keep us dry, but this proved to be a difficult task due to the wind. My contribution wasn’t much appreciated at the time as I sat and took photos of everyone fixing it, but they did appreciate them after when they could add them to their memories. We made our way down the Nile to the waterfall again and were able to see it from another angle. It was a beautiful afternoon and definitely a worthwhile trip.
Back at camp again on the Saturday evening, we sat in the restaurant and socialized with some of the new people we had met. Turns out that two of the boys we met stayed in the same hostel as us back in Kampala. This was really nice as it meant that we had made new friendships that could continue after our few days on safari. Toilet trips in the dark were also quite eventful during that evening. Tent ropes in the dark are never a good thing.
Sunday was our final day on safari when we headed to a rhino sanctuary to go rhino trekking. On route, our bus got a flat tyre so we had yet another delay but we were soon on our way. It was amazing to go on foot around the sanctuary as you felt so close to the animals. It was a little scary as the guide told us to climb a tree if one charged at us and I could not see many trees around but thankfully this was never an issue.
We made our way back to Kampala after a fun filled weekend with plenty of memories, laughs and photos to remember it forever. I’m so glad that I was able to fit this adventure in before the end of my trip.
Well our plan was to head back to camp for dinner anyway. Our bus broke down on the journey from the waterfall to camp and we had to wait around for an hour whilst they sent another one from camp to collect us. We had some fun climbing trees in the middle of the park whilst we waited but were glad to finally reach camp by the time we got there. On arrival, they greeted us and gave us a safety talk. The only thing that I remember from the entire talk was that the hippos like to come out of the water during the night and wander around the campsite, so if you hear a hippo, don’t get out of your tent! Alarm bells went off in my head at this point but thankfully I didn’t hear any hippos on either of the nights that I stayed.
Up bright and early the following morning, we began our game drive at 6.30am. We had to leave this early in order to see all the animals as they tend to hide away as the day goes on due to the heat. We managed to see a wide variety of animals including baboons, warthogs, buffalo, giraffes, elephants and lions. I think we were very lucky to see the lions as one of the guys back at the game said he had never seen a lion and had worked there for over a year. We also saw the crane which is the national bird of Uganda, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to see the leopard that the other group did. Their photos looked amazing.
After some lunch back at camp, we headed out on a boat cruise down the Nile to see the hippos and crocodiles. Before getting on the boat, everyone was scared of getting sun burnt but unfortunately the weather went the opposite way for us and it began to rain. They had to attempt to pull down the sides of the boat to keep us dry, but this proved to be a difficult task due to the wind. My contribution wasn’t much appreciated at the time as I sat and took photos of everyone fixing it, but they did appreciate them after when they could add them to their memories. We made our way down the Nile to the waterfall again and were able to see it from another angle. It was a beautiful afternoon and definitely a worthwhile trip.
Back at camp again on the Saturday evening, we sat in the restaurant and socialized with some of the new people we had met. Turns out that two of the boys we met stayed in the same hostel as us back in Kampala. This was really nice as it meant that we had made new friendships that could continue after our few days on safari. Toilet trips in the dark were also quite eventful during that evening. Tent ropes in the dark are never a good thing.
Sunday was our final day on safari when we headed to a rhino sanctuary to go rhino trekking. On route, our bus got a flat tyre so we had yet another delay but we were soon on our way. It was amazing to go on foot around the sanctuary as you felt so close to the animals. It was a little scary as the guide told us to climb a tree if one charged at us and I could not see many trees around but thankfully this was never an issue.
We made our way back to Kampala after a fun filled weekend with plenty of memories, laughs and photos to remember it forever. I’m so glad that I was able to fit this adventure in before the end of my trip.
The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music
On Thursday 13th May, The Ugandan Amateur Dramatics Society were presenting ‘The Sound of Music’ in the National Theatre. Rachel and I decided to go and support the event as one of our friends who is volunteering in Uganda on a gap year was participating in it. It was a really lovely evening and a high standard of production. The little children who played the Von Trapp family were excellent for their age and made you smile throughout the entire performance. In the middle of the performance, a bat flew into the auditorium from backstage and unsettled the audience but the performers continued as normal. I was unable to get involved in something like this in Uganda as I was only there for four months but it has made me consider going back to my childhood and joining something similar again.
Zanzibar
After going to bed at 2am, I was woken by a phone call from the taxi driver at 4.37am to tell me that he was waiting for me outside. He wasn’t meant to be there until 5.15am, so I had to jump out of bed, got washed, dressed and head down to meet him. He drove me to the airport and we arrived at 6am. I had told him that I didn’t need to be there until 7.30am but he was being safe I suppose, so I had to wait for an hour and a half before check-in. Everything went smoothly in the airport and I managed to get some sleep on the rather turbulent journey to Zanzibar. When I arrived in Zanzibar I had to get a visa. I was a little confused when the man asked me for US$100 as I was expecting it to be US$50. Apparently Irish citizens have to pay more than British ones which is the opposite from Uganda.
After making my way to the hostel and getting settled in, I decided to go for a walk around the capital of Stonetown. It was a beautiful quaint town with lots of tiny shops and stalls to look around. The only problem was that everyone kept trying to persuade me to buy their things as I was travelling around alone. The girls who had been studying in Zambia were due to arrive the following morning, so I passed some time shopping, grabbed a bit to eat for dinner and then resorted to my hostel room by 7pm to watch a few dvds as I didn’t want to be out in the street on my own after dark.
After eating a yummy breakfast on the roof top terrace of the hostel, I was rather excited about seeing Kirsty and Rachel. When I returned to my room, I received a text from Kirsty saying that their train to Dar Es Saleem had broken down and that they would not arrive in Zanzibar until the following afternoon. So that meant another day of chilling out on my own in paradise. Some people may think of this as idyllic but it did get rather lonely.
By lunchtime on Tuesday, the girls FINALLY arrived. We dropped their bags off to the hostel and then went for a catch-up lunch. It was great to hear all of their stories as I could relate to so many of them. There were so many similarities in our experiences but they were totally unique at the same time. Later that evening we headed to a food market at the marina. It was beautiful and reminded me of the continental market at the City Hall during the Christmas period. We tried a few of the local dishes including chocolate and banana pizza and sugar cane juice. They were both pretty tasty.
By Wednesday, we decided to head up to the northern part of Zanzibar to hit the beach. We chose to stay at Nungwi in a place called Jambo Brothers. The first room they tried to give us had a leaky sink, no toilet seat and the door wouldn’t lock, so we ended up getting moved to another room. The room didn’t matter to us thought when we saw the beach. The sand was white and the water was turquoise. It was how you would imagine paradise.
African culture was paramount in Nungwi. Everything just took so long as they were so laid back about everything and never in a hurry. Kirsty and I ordered a fruit salad at the restaurant and we honestly thought that they were growing the fruit for us; it took that long to come.
The weather on Thursday, our first full day at the beach was awful. It poured down the entire day. It eased off a little at one point but it wasn’t for long as it soon started to empty again. Being from Northern Ireland we are used to the rain, but it’s not meant to rain in the paradise island of Zanzibar. We decided to try and not let it dampen our spirits and went for a swim in the sea anyway. It did reach the point where we had to go inside though but it was still nice to be able to catch up with the girls.
The sun was out in all its glory the following morning so the three of us were on the beach from bright and early. By 9am the heat was powerful. As we lay there, several beach boys approached us to try and sell us their things. Their ‘names’ made me laugh as they included Barack Obama and Stevie Wonder. We had a great time sunbathing, playing with the beach ball and also learning some Swahili.
Saturday was my final day in Zanzibar with the girls before heading back to Kampala to see Rachel again. We began the day on the beach once again and lay there for the majority of the morning. By the early afternoon, it was too hot to lie out so we decided to go and get some milkshakes instead. Later in the afternoon I spent my final time on the white sanded beach before heading for a shower. One of the Israeli boys we met informed us that there was hot water if you flicked a switch around the back of your room. I was so excited to finally have hot water but angry that I hadn’t realised before this.
My final night in Zanzibar included a party on the beach. This is a weekly occurrence in Zanzibar at the Kendwa resort so we headed there with some of the other travellers that we had met. Rachel decided to stay behind as she was feeling unwell but Kirsty and I had a great night just dancing away to all the African tunes that we had learnt over the few months and the old faithful that you know from home too. It was a great way to end my time in Zanzibar.
During my week in Zanzibar (East coast of Tanzania), I had a wonderful time and it was nice to get away from the city like ways of Kampala for a while. I think it has made me realise how little time I have left here thought and that I need to make the most of it and squeeze in every little memory that I can. Kirsty and Rachel have already left Zambia for good and miss it so much, and this has made me realise how much I am going to miss Uganda. I may not have learnt much in Zanzibar, other than a few Swahili terms and tasted new foods, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience and one I would never change.
After making my way to the hostel and getting settled in, I decided to go for a walk around the capital of Stonetown. It was a beautiful quaint town with lots of tiny shops and stalls to look around. The only problem was that everyone kept trying to persuade me to buy their things as I was travelling around alone. The girls who had been studying in Zambia were due to arrive the following morning, so I passed some time shopping, grabbed a bit to eat for dinner and then resorted to my hostel room by 7pm to watch a few dvds as I didn’t want to be out in the street on my own after dark.
After eating a yummy breakfast on the roof top terrace of the hostel, I was rather excited about seeing Kirsty and Rachel. When I returned to my room, I received a text from Kirsty saying that their train to Dar Es Saleem had broken down and that they would not arrive in Zanzibar until the following afternoon. So that meant another day of chilling out on my own in paradise. Some people may think of this as idyllic but it did get rather lonely.
By lunchtime on Tuesday, the girls FINALLY arrived. We dropped their bags off to the hostel and then went for a catch-up lunch. It was great to hear all of their stories as I could relate to so many of them. There were so many similarities in our experiences but they were totally unique at the same time. Later that evening we headed to a food market at the marina. It was beautiful and reminded me of the continental market at the City Hall during the Christmas period. We tried a few of the local dishes including chocolate and banana pizza and sugar cane juice. They were both pretty tasty.
By Wednesday, we decided to head up to the northern part of Zanzibar to hit the beach. We chose to stay at Nungwi in a place called Jambo Brothers. The first room they tried to give us had a leaky sink, no toilet seat and the door wouldn’t lock, so we ended up getting moved to another room. The room didn’t matter to us thought when we saw the beach. The sand was white and the water was turquoise. It was how you would imagine paradise.
African culture was paramount in Nungwi. Everything just took so long as they were so laid back about everything and never in a hurry. Kirsty and I ordered a fruit salad at the restaurant and we honestly thought that they were growing the fruit for us; it took that long to come.
The weather on Thursday, our first full day at the beach was awful. It poured down the entire day. It eased off a little at one point but it wasn’t for long as it soon started to empty again. Being from Northern Ireland we are used to the rain, but it’s not meant to rain in the paradise island of Zanzibar. We decided to try and not let it dampen our spirits and went for a swim in the sea anyway. It did reach the point where we had to go inside though but it was still nice to be able to catch up with the girls.
The sun was out in all its glory the following morning so the three of us were on the beach from bright and early. By 9am the heat was powerful. As we lay there, several beach boys approached us to try and sell us their things. Their ‘names’ made me laugh as they included Barack Obama and Stevie Wonder. We had a great time sunbathing, playing with the beach ball and also learning some Swahili.
Saturday was my final day in Zanzibar with the girls before heading back to Kampala to see Rachel again. We began the day on the beach once again and lay there for the majority of the morning. By the early afternoon, it was too hot to lie out so we decided to go and get some milkshakes instead. Later in the afternoon I spent my final time on the white sanded beach before heading for a shower. One of the Israeli boys we met informed us that there was hot water if you flicked a switch around the back of your room. I was so excited to finally have hot water but angry that I hadn’t realised before this.
My final night in Zanzibar included a party on the beach. This is a weekly occurrence in Zanzibar at the Kendwa resort so we headed there with some of the other travellers that we had met. Rachel decided to stay behind as she was feeling unwell but Kirsty and I had a great night just dancing away to all the African tunes that we had learnt over the few months and the old faithful that you know from home too. It was a great way to end my time in Zanzibar.
During my week in Zanzibar (East coast of Tanzania), I had a wonderful time and it was nice to get away from the city like ways of Kampala for a while. I think it has made me realise how little time I have left here thought and that I need to make the most of it and squeeze in every little memory that I can. Kirsty and Rachel have already left Zambia for good and miss it so much, and this has made me realise how much I am going to miss Uganda. I may not have learnt much in Zanzibar, other than a few Swahili terms and tasted new foods, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience and one I would never change.
3 weeks left!!
My official time in Uganda is now over but I am so glad that I decided to stay in Africa for an extra few weeks before returning to reality. There are so many things that I have wanted to do during my time here that I have not yet experienced. Over the next three weeks, I will try to keep you all updated on the many adventures I hope to have. I am heading to Zanzibar tomorrow and a safari will definitely be squeezed in somewhere before I leave. Hope everyone is doing well at home, and I do apologise to all my friends at Stran for having so much fun when you are all stressing on teaching practice. But then again, you did all have the option to study abroad too!! See you all in three weeks.
Love Natalie
Love Natalie
Week 13: My final week in school and the scariest moment of my life
Personal and Cultural Development
As this was yet another stressful week full of lesson planning and resources making, Rachel and I didn’t really get up to many other adventures. We did decide to treat ourselves to a yummy Chinese on Tuesday evening though after both having our tutor visits earlier that day. We headed to the Red Lantern and ordered some dinner including prawn crackers. When they arrived, the crackers were a variety of colours including pink, green and blue. They seemed a little odd but we munched away at them anyway. Rachel ended up spending the remainder of the evening being sick. We are unsure if this was anything to do with the crackers but it seems quite likely as I was also ill the following day. This is just a warning against multicoloured prawn crackers for all of you!!
On Friday evening, Rachel and I headed out for dinner with a few friends. Unfortunately, one of our friends had received some bad news this day so we spent the evening trying to cheer her up. After dinner at Javas, we headed to the good old faithful of Emin Pasha for some live jazz music and then onto Iguanas for some dancing. It was a lovely chilled evening to celebrate the end of teaching practice.
Although it was a struggle, I managed to pull myself out of bed and down to Zai Plaza (a Ugandan shopping mall) for 9am this morning to get my nails done. Wasswa, the nail artist was so excited when I told him that I was heading to Zanzibar the following morning and ensured me that he was going to make my nails look amazing and then I could advertise for him whilst I was away. They did indeed look very good. Everyone commented on them. I’m not sure whether people will want to travel from Tanzania to Uganda thought to get their nails done though.
I spent the rest of Saturday morning sorting out money and other bits and pieces for heading to Zanzibar. Around lunchtime, I headed to Kiwumu slums to visit the street kids and prepare lunch for them once again. Kate and I headed deep into the slum to buy some beef and rice. The rice bag split on the way back but luckily we managed to save it. Whilst dinner was cooking, some of the boys were playing football. Next thing we knew, one of the boys was lying on the pitch. Kate initially ran over to see if he was okay, but after realizing something was wrong, Rachel and I rushed over to attempt to help her. He was unconscious but we didn’t want to move him in case he had any unseen injuries. Whilst Kate and Rachel attended to the boy, I phoned Roscoe (the man in charge at our hostel) and asked him for advice on how to get him to the hospital. Roscoe immediately came to the slum and offered to take him but by this stage (20 minutes later), the girls had managed to get the boy to come round and he didn’t need to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully HM arrived not long after this so he was able to speak to him in Luganda and check that he was fine. This has to be one of the scariest moments of my life. We had no idea who to contact or what to do if the boy died. Did anyone care enough about these boys to come and help?
On Saturday evening, Rachel had organized tickets for us to go and see a talent show in the school that she has been teaching in over the past few weeks. After a long trek down a muddy road, we reached a beautiful school. It was far more westernized than the one that I had been teaching in and seemed to be well equipped. When Rachel had mentioned a talent show, I assumed that it would be in a small assembly hall with a few acts, and a barely audible sound system. Boy was I wrong. They had put in so much effort for the occasion. A stage like you would see at a Snow Patrol concert back home had been erected on their football pitch and they had djs and lights galore. At the interval, they even had local artists perform. Rachel and I had no idea who they were but the kids were going crazy at the thought of them being there. To be honest, I thought that the kids who performed were better than the artists.
Professional Development
This was my final week teaching in Montessori Children’s Academy and involved many different lessons once again. I had the opportunity to go swimming with my Year 2 (primary 3 in Northern Ireland) and get into the pool with the children. Teacher Jen had reminded me on Friday to bring my swimming things to join them in pool and then ended up forgetting her stuff herself. I do feel that it was beneficial to be in the pool with the children as I was able to encourage them to progress a little deeper into the water, which they were comfortable to do when they knew I was there to help them. One little boy kept pretending that he was drowning even though he was a strong swimmer. My stomach was in my mouth most of the time trying to ensure that everyone was safe.
On Tuesday morning, both of my tutors came to visit me during the same lesson. I initially panicked a little at the thought of six adults (the two tutors, the teacher and three classroom assistants) all watching me teach, but it all went well. They both gave me positive reports and said that I would be a great teacher if I continue to teach in the way that I did.
I had the opportunity in school this week to teach the children some more songs. They really enjoyed ‘Our God is a Great Big God’ and ‘I may never fly like Superman’. They were still singing them out in the playground for days afterwards. We also had several weddings in the playground this week. Different members of the classroom were being matchmakers, pairing the others and having a wedding ceremony at lunchtime. One of the little boys even asked me to marry him. He came in the following day and told me that he had to call the wedding off as his daddy told him that he wasn’t allowed to marry anyone older than him and started crying. He wasn’t too upset though as he ended up marrying one of the girls in the class by lunchtime.
Friday was my final day in Montessori. As glad as I was to finish my entire lesson planning, I hated the thought of leaving all of my pupils behind. We spent the day learning about the water cycle and taking lots of photographs to concrete the memories that had been formed there. Teacher Jen helped the children make cards for me during their art lesson and I received a huge hug from every individual before I left (even the boys who are ‘too cool’). One of the little boys told me that he was going to hug me forever as he didn’t want me to leave. I hope to return and visit them again before I return to Northern Ireland.
As this was yet another stressful week full of lesson planning and resources making, Rachel and I didn’t really get up to many other adventures. We did decide to treat ourselves to a yummy Chinese on Tuesday evening though after both having our tutor visits earlier that day. We headed to the Red Lantern and ordered some dinner including prawn crackers. When they arrived, the crackers were a variety of colours including pink, green and blue. They seemed a little odd but we munched away at them anyway. Rachel ended up spending the remainder of the evening being sick. We are unsure if this was anything to do with the crackers but it seems quite likely as I was also ill the following day. This is just a warning against multicoloured prawn crackers for all of you!!
On Friday evening, Rachel and I headed out for dinner with a few friends. Unfortunately, one of our friends had received some bad news this day so we spent the evening trying to cheer her up. After dinner at Javas, we headed to the good old faithful of Emin Pasha for some live jazz music and then onto Iguanas for some dancing. It was a lovely chilled evening to celebrate the end of teaching practice.
Although it was a struggle, I managed to pull myself out of bed and down to Zai Plaza (a Ugandan shopping mall) for 9am this morning to get my nails done. Wasswa, the nail artist was so excited when I told him that I was heading to Zanzibar the following morning and ensured me that he was going to make my nails look amazing and then I could advertise for him whilst I was away. They did indeed look very good. Everyone commented on them. I’m not sure whether people will want to travel from Tanzania to Uganda thought to get their nails done though.
I spent the rest of Saturday morning sorting out money and other bits and pieces for heading to Zanzibar. Around lunchtime, I headed to Kiwumu slums to visit the street kids and prepare lunch for them once again. Kate and I headed deep into the slum to buy some beef and rice. The rice bag split on the way back but luckily we managed to save it. Whilst dinner was cooking, some of the boys were playing football. Next thing we knew, one of the boys was lying on the pitch. Kate initially ran over to see if he was okay, but after realizing something was wrong, Rachel and I rushed over to attempt to help her. He was unconscious but we didn’t want to move him in case he had any unseen injuries. Whilst Kate and Rachel attended to the boy, I phoned Roscoe (the man in charge at our hostel) and asked him for advice on how to get him to the hospital. Roscoe immediately came to the slum and offered to take him but by this stage (20 minutes later), the girls had managed to get the boy to come round and he didn’t need to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully HM arrived not long after this so he was able to speak to him in Luganda and check that he was fine. This has to be one of the scariest moments of my life. We had no idea who to contact or what to do if the boy died. Did anyone care enough about these boys to come and help?
On Saturday evening, Rachel had organized tickets for us to go and see a talent show in the school that she has been teaching in over the past few weeks. After a long trek down a muddy road, we reached a beautiful school. It was far more westernized than the one that I had been teaching in and seemed to be well equipped. When Rachel had mentioned a talent show, I assumed that it would be in a small assembly hall with a few acts, and a barely audible sound system. Boy was I wrong. They had put in so much effort for the occasion. A stage like you would see at a Snow Patrol concert back home had been erected on their football pitch and they had djs and lights galore. At the interval, they even had local artists perform. Rachel and I had no idea who they were but the kids were going crazy at the thought of them being there. To be honest, I thought that the kids who performed were better than the artists.
Professional Development
This was my final week teaching in Montessori Children’s Academy and involved many different lessons once again. I had the opportunity to go swimming with my Year 2 (primary 3 in Northern Ireland) and get into the pool with the children. Teacher Jen had reminded me on Friday to bring my swimming things to join them in pool and then ended up forgetting her stuff herself. I do feel that it was beneficial to be in the pool with the children as I was able to encourage them to progress a little deeper into the water, which they were comfortable to do when they knew I was there to help them. One little boy kept pretending that he was drowning even though he was a strong swimmer. My stomach was in my mouth most of the time trying to ensure that everyone was safe.
On Tuesday morning, both of my tutors came to visit me during the same lesson. I initially panicked a little at the thought of six adults (the two tutors, the teacher and three classroom assistants) all watching me teach, but it all went well. They both gave me positive reports and said that I would be a great teacher if I continue to teach in the way that I did.
I had the opportunity in school this week to teach the children some more songs. They really enjoyed ‘Our God is a Great Big God’ and ‘I may never fly like Superman’. They were still singing them out in the playground for days afterwards. We also had several weddings in the playground this week. Different members of the classroom were being matchmakers, pairing the others and having a wedding ceremony at lunchtime. One of the little boys even asked me to marry him. He came in the following day and told me that he had to call the wedding off as his daddy told him that he wasn’t allowed to marry anyone older than him and started crying. He wasn’t too upset though as he ended up marrying one of the girls in the class by lunchtime.
Friday was my final day in Montessori. As glad as I was to finish my entire lesson planning, I hated the thought of leaving all of my pupils behind. We spent the day learning about the water cycle and taking lots of photographs to concrete the memories that had been formed there. Teacher Jen helped the children make cards for me during their art lesson and I received a huge hug from every individual before I left (even the boys who are ‘too cool’). One of the little boys told me that he was going to hug me forever as he didn’t want me to leave. I hope to return and visit them again before I return to Northern Ireland.
Week 12 and school takes over, just like at home!!
Personal and Cultural Development
This week was probably the hardest for me so far as I have been stressing a little bit with planning lessons for Montessori and making all the resources that go along with that, but I had a lovely day on Saturday. Rachel and I decided to spend a day at the pool with our friend Kate. This task wasn’t as simple as we first thought though. We ended up visiting four different pools before we found one that was open. One had a wedding around the pool, another was under construction and one was just closed. By the time we eventually began to lie by the pool, the sun started to go behind the clouds. Typical. Rachel and decided to make full use of the treatments that the hotel offered instead and decided to get a full body massage. When they say full body, they really do mean it. We also spent some time in the steam room and sauna. It was lovely just to relax and enjoy.
Later on Saturday evening, Rachel and I headed to the slums to see the street kids with Kate and HM. We decided to make them rolex for dinner as a special treat but it definitely seemed like a better idea at the time. We began at 6pm and by 11.15pm no-one had yet eaten. When they were finally ready, the boys loved them so they were worth the wait. During the 5 hour wait, some of the boys were teaching me some more Luganda and others were teaching me some new dance moves. They seem to think that I need to improve mine. We had such a good evening just hanging out and having fun with the boys. One of the boys asked me to be his mum which is really difficult, especially since Rachel and I do not have much longer left in Kampala but it’s also a privilege. I love these boys to bits and they are definitely going to be the hardest ones to leave when we have to return to Northern Ireland.
Sunday morning was quite an experience in church too. Rachel was feeling unwell so I decided to go to Watoto church with our other Irish friend. We were running a little late but there were still a few seats in the main auditorium. An usher guided us to seats right at the VERY front of the church, directly behind the pastor. It was a little intimidating but I really enjoyed the service.
Professional Development
I spent this week in school again and taught a variety of lessons including tenses, time, communication and diseases. I also got the opportunity to take my class swimming. This was great as I got to chat to the children on the bus there and get to know them a little better. Some of them were petrified of the water and I spent most of my time trying to encourage them. Coach Isaiah has even asked me to join the children in the pool next week. This is something that would never be allowed due to child protection in Northern Ireland, but I think it will be very beneficial to the children’s progress.
This week seemed pretty intense with the amount of preparation I had to do for lessons. All resources had to be hand-made due to a severe lack of teaching resources within the classroom. I sat on Monday evening and made 28 individual clocks using card and drawing pins in order to teach my class about time on Tuesday. Hopefully they will be able to use them within their class again though.
I have taught my favourite lesson so far this week. My class was learning about different forms of communication including letter writing. To encourage the children to write these letters, I arranged to set up pen pals with children in a school in Northern Ireland. My pupils were so excited to learn about children at the other side of the world and eager to write to them. We finished this lesson by allowing the children the opportunity to see ‘Skype’ as a form of communication. I had organised for my brother to be online to talk to them. They were amazed that they were able to see and talk to someone in Northern Ireland. Their little faces were a picture. My poor brother got asked the same questions over and over again though. What is your name? What age are you? When is your birthday? What football team do you support? Do you have a super cool sister?
As well as teaching my favourite lesson so far this week, I also taught the most difficult one. I was given the title of ‘The six immunisable diseases in childhood’. The children probably knew more about the topic before the lesson than I did. I had to do a lot of research before this lesson and eventually decided to attempt roleplays with the class but this was an absolute disaster. The children are not used to learning in this way at all and seemed pretty confused by the whole concept. I hope to get the opportunity to attempt this method of teaching again to show both the teachers and pupils that learning does not always have to be stuck behind a desk.
This week was probably the hardest for me so far as I have been stressing a little bit with planning lessons for Montessori and making all the resources that go along with that, but I had a lovely day on Saturday. Rachel and I decided to spend a day at the pool with our friend Kate. This task wasn’t as simple as we first thought though. We ended up visiting four different pools before we found one that was open. One had a wedding around the pool, another was under construction and one was just closed. By the time we eventually began to lie by the pool, the sun started to go behind the clouds. Typical. Rachel and decided to make full use of the treatments that the hotel offered instead and decided to get a full body massage. When they say full body, they really do mean it. We also spent some time in the steam room and sauna. It was lovely just to relax and enjoy.
Later on Saturday evening, Rachel and I headed to the slums to see the street kids with Kate and HM. We decided to make them rolex for dinner as a special treat but it definitely seemed like a better idea at the time. We began at 6pm and by 11.15pm no-one had yet eaten. When they were finally ready, the boys loved them so they were worth the wait. During the 5 hour wait, some of the boys were teaching me some more Luganda and others were teaching me some new dance moves. They seem to think that I need to improve mine. We had such a good evening just hanging out and having fun with the boys. One of the boys asked me to be his mum which is really difficult, especially since Rachel and I do not have much longer left in Kampala but it’s also a privilege. I love these boys to bits and they are definitely going to be the hardest ones to leave when we have to return to Northern Ireland.
Sunday morning was quite an experience in church too. Rachel was feeling unwell so I decided to go to Watoto church with our other Irish friend. We were running a little late but there were still a few seats in the main auditorium. An usher guided us to seats right at the VERY front of the church, directly behind the pastor. It was a little intimidating but I really enjoyed the service.
Professional Development
I spent this week in school again and taught a variety of lessons including tenses, time, communication and diseases. I also got the opportunity to take my class swimming. This was great as I got to chat to the children on the bus there and get to know them a little better. Some of them were petrified of the water and I spent most of my time trying to encourage them. Coach Isaiah has even asked me to join the children in the pool next week. This is something that would never be allowed due to child protection in Northern Ireland, but I think it will be very beneficial to the children’s progress.
This week seemed pretty intense with the amount of preparation I had to do for lessons. All resources had to be hand-made due to a severe lack of teaching resources within the classroom. I sat on Monday evening and made 28 individual clocks using card and drawing pins in order to teach my class about time on Tuesday. Hopefully they will be able to use them within their class again though.
I have taught my favourite lesson so far this week. My class was learning about different forms of communication including letter writing. To encourage the children to write these letters, I arranged to set up pen pals with children in a school in Northern Ireland. My pupils were so excited to learn about children at the other side of the world and eager to write to them. We finished this lesson by allowing the children the opportunity to see ‘Skype’ as a form of communication. I had organised for my brother to be online to talk to them. They were amazed that they were able to see and talk to someone in Northern Ireland. Their little faces were a picture. My poor brother got asked the same questions over and over again though. What is your name? What age are you? When is your birthday? What football team do you support? Do you have a super cool sister?
As well as teaching my favourite lesson so far this week, I also taught the most difficult one. I was given the title of ‘The six immunisable diseases in childhood’. The children probably knew more about the topic before the lesson than I did. I had to do a lot of research before this lesson and eventually decided to attempt roleplays with the class but this was an absolute disaster. The children are not used to learning in this way at all and seemed pretty confused by the whole concept. I hope to get the opportunity to attempt this method of teaching again to show both the teachers and pupils that learning does not always have to be stuck behind a desk.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Week 11 and my first full week in school
Personal and Cultural Development
As it is now week 11 in Uganda, I am definitely getting used to the way of life here but there is one thing that I wanted more than anything. A cup of tea. Some people may want to call me a stranny granny after that comment but I’ll admit it, I love tea. The tea in Uganda is spiced and although it tastes quite nice, nothing beats tea at home. On Monday evening, one of our friends who had just returned from Northern Ireland invited us round to their house and made us a ‘proper’ cup of tea. It was so good that I wanted it to be bottomless. On our way to our friend’s house, it was quite a long boda journey so the driver was trying to teach me some more Luganda. The one phrase that he kept telling me was ‘I love you so so much’. I was pretty thankfully to finally get off the boda.
In school this week, I think I have not only developed professionally but also personally. I have witnessed some things in the classroom where I have had to bit my lip in order not to say anything. I understand that it is all part of the African culture but some of their ways are uncalled for. I do not want to write any of the things I have witnessed as it may not be appropriate, but they have definitely opened my eyes. I hope to have a positive influence on my classroom within the next few weeks and to show them that violence is not the most effective form of discipline.
Unfortunately, I do not have many experiences to tell you about this week as most of my evenings have been filled with lesson planning. Everyone at Stranmillis will understand what it is like when it hits teaching practice time and I am afraid to say it’s no different in Uganda. I do not have to teach quite as many lessons but all my resources have to be hand-made as they do not have any available within the classroom. This has taken over my life this week.
On Sunday morning, I headed to church again at Calvary Chapel where I met Kate and HM. Rachel was feeling unwell so decided to stay in bed. Five of the street boys were there so we ended up taking them for lunch after the service. We decided to share portions as if the word got out that you got a free lunch if you came to church, next week we would have at least twenty of them. It was really nice to spend some time with a small number of the boys though. Usually when we go to visit them, there are around sixty boys so it is very difficult to spend any amount of time talking to individuals. I was able to get to know some of the boys a little better over lunch which was nice. Unfortunately, one of the boys there has recently been diagnosed with aids. They have tested him three times and it has come back positive twice. This little boy is only 9 years old. Obviously I was aware of situations like this occurring before I came to Uganda, but when you personally know the person it hits home a lot more.
On Sunday evening, Kate invited Rachel and I back to her house for dinner. This was the first homemade dinner that we have had since arriving in Uganda as we only have one ring to cook on in Nanas so it proves difficult to make anything. We made chicken, stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet corn and carrots, followed by banoffee for dessert! It was so delicious to eat something normal again, especially after a week of school dinners.
School dinners in Montessori consist of: Monday: Beef and rice, Tuesday: matoke and g-nut sauce, Wednesday: spaghetti and mince, Thursday: rice and beans, and Friday: potatoes and meat.
Professional Development
Mark’s class was cancelled yet again this morning as he was feeling unwell, so Rachel and I thought that we would use this time usefully and headed to the library to and get some books and quotes for our assignment. When we arrived in the library, we were totally clueless (a bit like the first time I entered Stran library). After about ten minutes of gazing at random books, Harriet, one of the girls from our class thankfully appeared and she gave us some advice. Her advice was not to bother wasting our time in the library as the reading lists are always irrelevant to the essay titles and to search online instead.
Tuesday was my first day back at Montessori after the Easter holidays. On Monday evening, I text Teacher Irene to inform her that I would be there in the morning. I received a reply saying that she would not be there as she had quit over the Easter holidays. I wasn’t sure what I was heading to, but I jumped on a boda to school anyway and made my way to the Year 2 classroom. I was greeted with the hugest hug from the entire class. Teacher Jen was in the middle of a lesson but she was about to stop and let me take over, but I convinced her to finish it and I would take over afterwards. She asked me to think of an art lesson to do with the class after lunch. There was some confusion after lunch but I ended up attempting circle-time with the class where they were meant to tell me about their favourite memory from their Easter holiday. This wasn’t as successful as I had hoped as the children are not used to be able to express themselves in the classroom and therefore just copied what the person before them said. The answer I received from the majority of the class was ‘I played hide and seek with my brother/sister.’ Hopefully if I get the opportunity to do another lesson like this, I can help the children develop the skill and confidence of speaking in front of the class.
My improvisation skills have definitely been improved since I started teaching in Uganda. For Wednesday, I was asked to prepare a lesson on multiplication but when I arrived at school was informed that Teacher Jen taught it that morning and to teach story-writing instead. I had to think of a lesson on the spot which was difficult as the children do not have very vivid imaginations, so I needed something that they could relate to.
Within my lessons for the rest of the week, I tried to use a variety of teaching methods to see which ones that the pupils responded best to. We attempted a walking debate, visual aids, painting with other resources rather than a paintbrush, class discussions, games and cloze procedure activities. Most of these methods were new to the children but I think that they enjoyed doing something other than the rote learning that they were used to.
As it is now week 11 in Uganda, I am definitely getting used to the way of life here but there is one thing that I wanted more than anything. A cup of tea. Some people may want to call me a stranny granny after that comment but I’ll admit it, I love tea. The tea in Uganda is spiced and although it tastes quite nice, nothing beats tea at home. On Monday evening, one of our friends who had just returned from Northern Ireland invited us round to their house and made us a ‘proper’ cup of tea. It was so good that I wanted it to be bottomless. On our way to our friend’s house, it was quite a long boda journey so the driver was trying to teach me some more Luganda. The one phrase that he kept telling me was ‘I love you so so much’. I was pretty thankfully to finally get off the boda.
In school this week, I think I have not only developed professionally but also personally. I have witnessed some things in the classroom where I have had to bit my lip in order not to say anything. I understand that it is all part of the African culture but some of their ways are uncalled for. I do not want to write any of the things I have witnessed as it may not be appropriate, but they have definitely opened my eyes. I hope to have a positive influence on my classroom within the next few weeks and to show them that violence is not the most effective form of discipline.
Unfortunately, I do not have many experiences to tell you about this week as most of my evenings have been filled with lesson planning. Everyone at Stranmillis will understand what it is like when it hits teaching practice time and I am afraid to say it’s no different in Uganda. I do not have to teach quite as many lessons but all my resources have to be hand-made as they do not have any available within the classroom. This has taken over my life this week.
On Sunday morning, I headed to church again at Calvary Chapel where I met Kate and HM. Rachel was feeling unwell so decided to stay in bed. Five of the street boys were there so we ended up taking them for lunch after the service. We decided to share portions as if the word got out that you got a free lunch if you came to church, next week we would have at least twenty of them. It was really nice to spend some time with a small number of the boys though. Usually when we go to visit them, there are around sixty boys so it is very difficult to spend any amount of time talking to individuals. I was able to get to know some of the boys a little better over lunch which was nice. Unfortunately, one of the boys there has recently been diagnosed with aids. They have tested him three times and it has come back positive twice. This little boy is only 9 years old. Obviously I was aware of situations like this occurring before I came to Uganda, but when you personally know the person it hits home a lot more.
On Sunday evening, Kate invited Rachel and I back to her house for dinner. This was the first homemade dinner that we have had since arriving in Uganda as we only have one ring to cook on in Nanas so it proves difficult to make anything. We made chicken, stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet corn and carrots, followed by banoffee for dessert! It was so delicious to eat something normal again, especially after a week of school dinners.
School dinners in Montessori consist of: Monday: Beef and rice, Tuesday: matoke and g-nut sauce, Wednesday: spaghetti and mince, Thursday: rice and beans, and Friday: potatoes and meat.
Professional Development
Mark’s class was cancelled yet again this morning as he was feeling unwell, so Rachel and I thought that we would use this time usefully and headed to the library to and get some books and quotes for our assignment. When we arrived in the library, we were totally clueless (a bit like the first time I entered Stran library). After about ten minutes of gazing at random books, Harriet, one of the girls from our class thankfully appeared and she gave us some advice. Her advice was not to bother wasting our time in the library as the reading lists are always irrelevant to the essay titles and to search online instead.
Tuesday was my first day back at Montessori after the Easter holidays. On Monday evening, I text Teacher Irene to inform her that I would be there in the morning. I received a reply saying that she would not be there as she had quit over the Easter holidays. I wasn’t sure what I was heading to, but I jumped on a boda to school anyway and made my way to the Year 2 classroom. I was greeted with the hugest hug from the entire class. Teacher Jen was in the middle of a lesson but she was about to stop and let me take over, but I convinced her to finish it and I would take over afterwards. She asked me to think of an art lesson to do with the class after lunch. There was some confusion after lunch but I ended up attempting circle-time with the class where they were meant to tell me about their favourite memory from their Easter holiday. This wasn’t as successful as I had hoped as the children are not used to be able to express themselves in the classroom and therefore just copied what the person before them said. The answer I received from the majority of the class was ‘I played hide and seek with my brother/sister.’ Hopefully if I get the opportunity to do another lesson like this, I can help the children develop the skill and confidence of speaking in front of the class.
My improvisation skills have definitely been improved since I started teaching in Uganda. For Wednesday, I was asked to prepare a lesson on multiplication but when I arrived at school was informed that Teacher Jen taught it that morning and to teach story-writing instead. I had to think of a lesson on the spot which was difficult as the children do not have very vivid imaginations, so I needed something that they could relate to.
Within my lessons for the rest of the week, I tried to use a variety of teaching methods to see which ones that the pupils responded best to. We attempted a walking debate, visual aids, painting with other resources rather than a paintbrush, class discussions, games and cloze procedure activities. Most of these methods were new to the children but I think that they enjoyed doing something other than the rote learning that they were used to.
Week 10 and its Easter
This was the second week of the Easter holidays so we decided to make the most of it again, especially since the girls from Ireland were still over. We joined them for some more activities and had another really enjoyable week.
Personal and Cultural Development
I don’t want to rub it in or anything, but I spent Easter Monday at Speke Resort whilst everyone at home had to embrace the typical ‘baltic’ Northern Irish weather. I spent the day lying by the pool, having the occasion dip whilst sipping sodas and listening to music. It was the perfect way to spend the day as it was so hot. On the way home from the pool, Nora (a Ugandan girl who we were with) took us to her sister’s house to visit her. It was meant to be a quick pit stop but she ended up pulling out the photo albums and making us omelette, chocolate rolls and FRESH passion fruit juice. The juice was unbelievable. I don’t think I have ever tasted anything like it. She had just been to the market and bought some fruit so it was as fresh as ever. She gave me the recipe but it is a shame that we have a lack of passion fruit at home. I will definitely attempt to make it before I come home though.
Roscoe came to deliver post on Wednesday, and whilst he was there we taught him how to play ‘Jack change it’. It was the funniest game ever as Roscoe called clubs ‘flowers’ and anytime a two was played he shouted ‘fireworks’. To help him learn, we played the first game with an open hand. This was not such a good idea as everyone was playing tactically as they could see everyone else’s cards. So a note to oneself… be prepared for competitiveness when teaching a Ugandan how to play cards. Roscoe was the most tactic of all and he had only just learnt how to play.
This week also seemed to be a week of football. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool played three consecutive nights in a row. I managed to see all the matches which was so really good as Arsenal and Manchester United got beat and Liverpool won! I was so happy that I text my dad to which I got a reply saying ‘I have brought you up well’. I know all you United and Arsenal fans are going to come back with the comment ‘at least we are qualifying for the Champion’s League’. I know that, but let us have this little moment of glory; it’s been a bad season.
On Thursday, Rachel and I went to the New Life Homes. As well as teaching the boys, we got to spend some time with them and get to know them a bit better. To begin with, they were rather quiet but they soon became chatty and humourous. They were singing the song ‘Get out, right now’ by Jojo. It made me laugh so much as they didn’t know all the lyrics so some of their words were completely wrong. I have promised them that I will bring the lyrics for them the next time I visit though. Spending this time with the boys made me realise how important it is to get the boys off the streets. All of these boys were on the streets until Abaana helped them, housed them and found them sponsors so that they could get an education. These boys far more educated than the boys in the slum and it is apparent to me that they have a greater hope of being able to look after themselves when they are older. The boys in the slum can defend themselves but have no skills or education to get a job in order to provide for themselves.
Saturday was a rather boring day filled with work so we decided that by Saturday evening we deserved to go out and do something fun. The evening began with me, Rachel, Dave and Mark having some Indian food at Nawab restaurant. The conversation topic over dinner managed to get to our cultures at home so we began discussing the similarities and differences between America, Canada and Northern Ireland. I assumed that our ways of life would be pretty similar as they are all westernized countries but we all ended up doubled in two laughing at some of the aspects of each other’s culture. The comment that made me laugh the most was when the boys started to ask about the ‘fighting’ in Northern Ireland. In jest, we mentioned that people get kneecapped daily just walking down the street and the boys believed us. The even more concerning thing is that they didn’t know what kneecapping was. They thought it was when someone hit your knees with a baseball bat. Our conversation made me realise how badly Northern Ireland is perceived, but also how we all have typical views of other countries as some of the Canadian and American ways are different than what I thought.
After dinner, Emily, Rachel and Brian met us and we headed to the Bowling Alley for our first Ten Pin Bowling experience in Uganda. This was the first time that I have worn socks since I arrived in Uganda. It felt so weird and warm…but I suppose I am going to have to get used to it again when I come home. I came third overall but first in my lane so I was pretty happy although I did lose a nail in the process!
On Sunday, we spent some more time with the street kids. We hadn’t managed to visit on Saturday due to the vast amount of work that we had to do, so we thought we would call to see them. Kate had just arrived back to Kampala that morning after being home in Northern Ireland for her sister’s wedding. It was good to see both her and the boys again. Every time I see them I want to take more and more of them home in my suitcase. I just have to convince Emirates to let me through security and also my mum to house them when I get home. I reckon the only problem would be Emirates as mum would definitely fall in love with them too if she met them.
On Sunday, I also experienced the need to order precisely what you would like to eat. I tried to order some toast from the Nana Restaurant. It wasn’t on the menu but they sell French toast so I assumed that they could make me some toast. When they eventually brought it out (after some discussion in the kitchen of what toast is, I assume), it was literally two pieces of bread set on a plate with a dollop of butter on the side. I decided not to argue with them but instead just to eat it. If it had have been good old Kingsmill or Sunblest it would have been fine, but Ugandan bread is sweet so after half a slice, I was already rather sick of it. I managed to eat one and a half but then I had to give up. Lesson learnt though: order something on the menu!
Professional Development
There was no class on Monday morning as it was the public holiday for the Easter period. Unfortunately I also didn’t make it to class on Wednesday morning as I was unwell. Rachel attended though and by the sound of it, I didn’t miss much. Mark only turned up fifteen minutes before the end of class. I managed to copy up the notes that I missed but it didn’t take me too long as it was a rather short class.
Thursday morning’s class with Gillian was rather practical again with a focus on true or false questions. We had to relate them to our main subject and submit it as part of our coursework. Her ideas and class was interesting and made me consider using this type of questions in ways in which I had never regarded before but I do not think they are overly relevant for mathematics.
On Thursday afternoon, Rachel and I headed to Gayaza to the New Life Homes set up by the charity Abaana. We arranged with the charity that we would spend some time with the boys there and help them with any mathematics that they were struggling with at school. I was assigned to the Year 5 boys (Year 6 at home) and asked to teach them how to change fractions into decimals and then how to divide. The boys were keen to learn and A* pupils when it came to effort. Some of them caught onto the principles and methods quicker than others but I hope that they all benefited from the lesson.
I attempted to also do some work for my assignment this week before I have the stress of assignment and teaching next week. I have been searching the internet for some ideas and it is proving to be more difficult than I first thought. The title I have been given is “To what extent is the secondary school curriculum in Uganda designed in such a way that its graduates are assets other than liabilities in the society.” Not only am I struggling with the Ugandan curriculum as I am teaching in an international school, but also, I am a primary school teacher. Even if I was in a Ugandan school, it would still not be very relevant to this title. I am discovering some interesting information though through my research and I hope to learn more as I continue to research the topic.
I received some post on Wednesday from my small group and from Eagles (the little children’s club I help in) and it really made me smile. Thank you all for being so thoughtful and generous whilst I have been away. Hope everyone at home is still keeping well and all emails are still very welcome
Natalie
xx
Personal and Cultural Development
I don’t want to rub it in or anything, but I spent Easter Monday at Speke Resort whilst everyone at home had to embrace the typical ‘baltic’ Northern Irish weather. I spent the day lying by the pool, having the occasion dip whilst sipping sodas and listening to music. It was the perfect way to spend the day as it was so hot. On the way home from the pool, Nora (a Ugandan girl who we were with) took us to her sister’s house to visit her. It was meant to be a quick pit stop but she ended up pulling out the photo albums and making us omelette, chocolate rolls and FRESH passion fruit juice. The juice was unbelievable. I don’t think I have ever tasted anything like it. She had just been to the market and bought some fruit so it was as fresh as ever. She gave me the recipe but it is a shame that we have a lack of passion fruit at home. I will definitely attempt to make it before I come home though.
Roscoe came to deliver post on Wednesday, and whilst he was there we taught him how to play ‘Jack change it’. It was the funniest game ever as Roscoe called clubs ‘flowers’ and anytime a two was played he shouted ‘fireworks’. To help him learn, we played the first game with an open hand. This was not such a good idea as everyone was playing tactically as they could see everyone else’s cards. So a note to oneself… be prepared for competitiveness when teaching a Ugandan how to play cards. Roscoe was the most tactic of all and he had only just learnt how to play.
This week also seemed to be a week of football. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool played three consecutive nights in a row. I managed to see all the matches which was so really good as Arsenal and Manchester United got beat and Liverpool won! I was so happy that I text my dad to which I got a reply saying ‘I have brought you up well’. I know all you United and Arsenal fans are going to come back with the comment ‘at least we are qualifying for the Champion’s League’. I know that, but let us have this little moment of glory; it’s been a bad season.
On Thursday, Rachel and I went to the New Life Homes. As well as teaching the boys, we got to spend some time with them and get to know them a bit better. To begin with, they were rather quiet but they soon became chatty and humourous. They were singing the song ‘Get out, right now’ by Jojo. It made me laugh so much as they didn’t know all the lyrics so some of their words were completely wrong. I have promised them that I will bring the lyrics for them the next time I visit though. Spending this time with the boys made me realise how important it is to get the boys off the streets. All of these boys were on the streets until Abaana helped them, housed them and found them sponsors so that they could get an education. These boys far more educated than the boys in the slum and it is apparent to me that they have a greater hope of being able to look after themselves when they are older. The boys in the slum can defend themselves but have no skills or education to get a job in order to provide for themselves.
Saturday was a rather boring day filled with work so we decided that by Saturday evening we deserved to go out and do something fun. The evening began with me, Rachel, Dave and Mark having some Indian food at Nawab restaurant. The conversation topic over dinner managed to get to our cultures at home so we began discussing the similarities and differences between America, Canada and Northern Ireland. I assumed that our ways of life would be pretty similar as they are all westernized countries but we all ended up doubled in two laughing at some of the aspects of each other’s culture. The comment that made me laugh the most was when the boys started to ask about the ‘fighting’ in Northern Ireland. In jest, we mentioned that people get kneecapped daily just walking down the street and the boys believed us. The even more concerning thing is that they didn’t know what kneecapping was. They thought it was when someone hit your knees with a baseball bat. Our conversation made me realise how badly Northern Ireland is perceived, but also how we all have typical views of other countries as some of the Canadian and American ways are different than what I thought.
After dinner, Emily, Rachel and Brian met us and we headed to the Bowling Alley for our first Ten Pin Bowling experience in Uganda. This was the first time that I have worn socks since I arrived in Uganda. It felt so weird and warm…but I suppose I am going to have to get used to it again when I come home. I came third overall but first in my lane so I was pretty happy although I did lose a nail in the process!
On Sunday, we spent some more time with the street kids. We hadn’t managed to visit on Saturday due to the vast amount of work that we had to do, so we thought we would call to see them. Kate had just arrived back to Kampala that morning after being home in Northern Ireland for her sister’s wedding. It was good to see both her and the boys again. Every time I see them I want to take more and more of them home in my suitcase. I just have to convince Emirates to let me through security and also my mum to house them when I get home. I reckon the only problem would be Emirates as mum would definitely fall in love with them too if she met them.
On Sunday, I also experienced the need to order precisely what you would like to eat. I tried to order some toast from the Nana Restaurant. It wasn’t on the menu but they sell French toast so I assumed that they could make me some toast. When they eventually brought it out (after some discussion in the kitchen of what toast is, I assume), it was literally two pieces of bread set on a plate with a dollop of butter on the side. I decided not to argue with them but instead just to eat it. If it had have been good old Kingsmill or Sunblest it would have been fine, but Ugandan bread is sweet so after half a slice, I was already rather sick of it. I managed to eat one and a half but then I had to give up. Lesson learnt though: order something on the menu!
Professional Development
There was no class on Monday morning as it was the public holiday for the Easter period. Unfortunately I also didn’t make it to class on Wednesday morning as I was unwell. Rachel attended though and by the sound of it, I didn’t miss much. Mark only turned up fifteen minutes before the end of class. I managed to copy up the notes that I missed but it didn’t take me too long as it was a rather short class.
Thursday morning’s class with Gillian was rather practical again with a focus on true or false questions. We had to relate them to our main subject and submit it as part of our coursework. Her ideas and class was interesting and made me consider using this type of questions in ways in which I had never regarded before but I do not think they are overly relevant for mathematics.
On Thursday afternoon, Rachel and I headed to Gayaza to the New Life Homes set up by the charity Abaana. We arranged with the charity that we would spend some time with the boys there and help them with any mathematics that they were struggling with at school. I was assigned to the Year 5 boys (Year 6 at home) and asked to teach them how to change fractions into decimals and then how to divide. The boys were keen to learn and A* pupils when it came to effort. Some of them caught onto the principles and methods quicker than others but I hope that they all benefited from the lesson.
I attempted to also do some work for my assignment this week before I have the stress of assignment and teaching next week. I have been searching the internet for some ideas and it is proving to be more difficult than I first thought. The title I have been given is “To what extent is the secondary school curriculum in Uganda designed in such a way that its graduates are assets other than liabilities in the society.” Not only am I struggling with the Ugandan curriculum as I am teaching in an international school, but also, I am a primary school teacher. Even if I was in a Ugandan school, it would still not be very relevant to this title. I am discovering some interesting information though through my research and I hope to learn more as I continue to research the topic.
I received some post on Wednesday from my small group and from Eagles (the little children’s club I help in) and it really made me smile. Thank you all for being so thoughtful and generous whilst I have been away. Hope everyone at home is still keeping well and all emails are still very welcome
Natalie
xx
Monday, 12 April 2010
Week 9 and i'm in two places at once!
Personal and Cultural Development
Even though Easter is not celebrated for the entire week, we decided to make the most of the holiday and try to squeeze as many different excursions in as possible. An Irish girl that we met here had two friends coming to visit for a week, so we decided to tag along to the majority of their activities as we wanted to see some more of this beautiful country.
We first met the girls on Monday evening when we all went for some Chinese. The car journey on the way home was rather eventful as Ugandan roads are not the smoothest; the car was running out of petrol and needed some water! We were preparing ourselves for a long walk or a car push. We just about made it to the petrol station to get it sorted but apparently after HM dropped us home, he broke down and had to call a mechanic.
Tuesday morning was an early start. I had arranged to meet Pamela from Abaana (the charity that I am working alongside) at 7.30am at Freedom Square in Makerere University. I managed to crawl out of bed at 6.45am and walk there in time. She asked me a few questions about myself, what I was doing in Uganda and why I was keen to volunteer with the charity. The meeting was really informal and Pamela dropped me back to Nanas by 8am. I’m not sure why it had to be so early in the morning but that’s typical Uganda for you. Early mornings seem to be a favourite here but they definitely are not in my books. I can’t even imagine having a meeting at 7.30 am at home.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rachel and I headed to Streetreach. This is a programme run by Abaana for the street kids that we have been working with in the slums. It involves some people spending time with the boys, playing football and other games, studying bible stories and other organized activities. The boys were really excited to see us and we spent a few hours hanging out with them and participating in their programme. These boys are having a huge impact on my personal development whilst in Uganda. They have really made me reconsider my priorities in life and taught me to be truly grateful for everything that I have.
Wednesday was not the best day for me as I was feeling a little unwell but I think that it was due to the length of time I spent in the direct sunshine on Tuesday. After drinking lots of fluids, I began to feel better again. We had a meeting with the Head of Education in the afternoon and he was just checking how we were getting on and making sure that we had no problems. He was very friendly and approachable if any problems arise.
On Thursday, we visited two schools in Bajja but on the way home we made a pit stop at the Equator. We got to see the experiment that has always been of interest to me. They had a sink on each side of the Equator and one directly on it. The water in the Northern Hemisphere swirled anti-clockwise, the Southern Hemisphere swirled clockwise and the one precisely on the Equator did not swirl at all but instead went straight down. This was also a great photo opportunity to add to my memories as I was able to stand in both hemispheres at the one time.
As a treat for the boys in the slum, we decided to buy them all a present for Easter and also prepare a special meal for them for Easter on Saturday. We bought each boy a sponge, soap, toothpaste, a t-shirt, shorts and boxers each with money that people had kindly donated to us before we left. We spent the afternoon teaching the boys how to get washed properly and then they all got to get changed into their new clothing. Delegating the clothes out was quite a task as I was left on my own to do it whilst HM organized the meal and Rachel lay down as she was feeling ill. It was rather stressful as the boys are used to having to steal things to get belongings and were all fighting over who got what. Some of them do not have very good English either so the language barrier was a slight problem. I do not like being Teacher Natalie and the weekend but I had to go into teacher mode to try and control them all.
Thankfully HM returned shortly after which took the pressure off me and I was able to enjoy the rest of the evening more so. One of the street kids had my camera and was taking pictures of everything for me whilst I enjoyed seeing the huge grins on the boys’ faces. We ate dinner with the boys including matoke, rice, posha, beef, and beans and not to forget a soda. When the boys saw soda, you would have thought that I had bought them all an iPod. They were so excited! We provided so little for these boys, something that we take for granted every day, yet they were so appreciative. One of the little boys even told me how he couldn’t believe that he had just got washed. He could not remember the last time he had been able to do that as they had no soap or sponges. This has to be one of the most rewarding days so far. A smile can say far more than words.
Easter Sunday in Uganda was also a fantastic but tiring day. We decided to attend KPC (Watoto) church in the morning for their Easter service as we had heard really good reports about it. It was really good and a thought-provoking way to spend Easter morning. After church, one of our Ugandan friends invited us to his aunt’s house for a special lunch. She is a lovely woman who was very friendly and welcoming. She put on the most enormous spread of Ugandan food which left me feeling fit to burst afterwards. We spent the afternoon with Keith’s family and had some very funny and interesting conversations. One of his cousins was trying to explain how Ugandan men think to us but none of the five girls seemed to make any sense of it at all. Men will continue to remain a mystery!
In the evening, we headed to Ndere Centre. There was a special Easter show consisting of many traditional African dances and acts. Some of them were phenomenal including ladies balancing eight ceramic pots on their heads, one on top of the next. I thought that was difficult enough until they started dancing with them on their heads also. There were lots of other interesting acts such as juggling, dancing and very funny compare. They even got anyone who wasn’t from Africa up to do some Ugandan dancing. Let’s just say that we made an attempt but I wasn’t much better than I had been in the school assembly last week. It is all part of the experience though and I was happy to partake in the cultural experience.
Professional Development
Week 9 is the first week of Easter holidays back at home in Stranmillis but unfortunately the holidays are not the same in Makerere. We only get Good Friday and Easter Monday off and I have no classes on a Friday anyway so I only managed to miss one hour of class in total due to the holiday. I suppose I cannot complain but I was meant to have class as normal this week. Mark’s class was about the broad field curriculum again on Monday morning but the rest of my classes ended up being cancelled for the rest of the week. Mark’s car broke down on the way to class on Wednesday morning and Gillian was unwell on Thursday.
Montessori Children’s Academy is an International school so it follows the international holidays and therefore is closed for two weeks over the Easter period. We decided to use this opportunity to spend some time in a more typically Ugandan school as they only have the same holidays as the university. We travelled for roughly two hours to a village called Bajja where we visited Bajja Community School which was completely different to Montessori. The children here do not start learning English until Year 5 so very few of them could communicate with us. They also had even fewer resources and most lessons were taught by purely listening to the teacher.
We then proceeded up the road to another school which had even less again. Bare classrooms were packed to full capacity of pupils. We didn’t spend very long here at all but enough time for me to observe a few things. It gave me some ideas of how to conduct a lesson without resources but I am unsure whether their methods would be successful in a primary classroom in Northern Ireland. The children here are very well disciplined within the classroom but this is probably due to the methods of punishment used. Visiting the typical village schools in Uganda is an experience I will never forget.
Even though Easter is not celebrated for the entire week, we decided to make the most of the holiday and try to squeeze as many different excursions in as possible. An Irish girl that we met here had two friends coming to visit for a week, so we decided to tag along to the majority of their activities as we wanted to see some more of this beautiful country.
We first met the girls on Monday evening when we all went for some Chinese. The car journey on the way home was rather eventful as Ugandan roads are not the smoothest; the car was running out of petrol and needed some water! We were preparing ourselves for a long walk or a car push. We just about made it to the petrol station to get it sorted but apparently after HM dropped us home, he broke down and had to call a mechanic.
Tuesday morning was an early start. I had arranged to meet Pamela from Abaana (the charity that I am working alongside) at 7.30am at Freedom Square in Makerere University. I managed to crawl out of bed at 6.45am and walk there in time. She asked me a few questions about myself, what I was doing in Uganda and why I was keen to volunteer with the charity. The meeting was really informal and Pamela dropped me back to Nanas by 8am. I’m not sure why it had to be so early in the morning but that’s typical Uganda for you. Early mornings seem to be a favourite here but they definitely are not in my books. I can’t even imagine having a meeting at 7.30 am at home.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rachel and I headed to Streetreach. This is a programme run by Abaana for the street kids that we have been working with in the slums. It involves some people spending time with the boys, playing football and other games, studying bible stories and other organized activities. The boys were really excited to see us and we spent a few hours hanging out with them and participating in their programme. These boys are having a huge impact on my personal development whilst in Uganda. They have really made me reconsider my priorities in life and taught me to be truly grateful for everything that I have.
Wednesday was not the best day for me as I was feeling a little unwell but I think that it was due to the length of time I spent in the direct sunshine on Tuesday. After drinking lots of fluids, I began to feel better again. We had a meeting with the Head of Education in the afternoon and he was just checking how we were getting on and making sure that we had no problems. He was very friendly and approachable if any problems arise.
On Thursday, we visited two schools in Bajja but on the way home we made a pit stop at the Equator. We got to see the experiment that has always been of interest to me. They had a sink on each side of the Equator and one directly on it. The water in the Northern Hemisphere swirled anti-clockwise, the Southern Hemisphere swirled clockwise and the one precisely on the Equator did not swirl at all but instead went straight down. This was also a great photo opportunity to add to my memories as I was able to stand in both hemispheres at the one time.
As a treat for the boys in the slum, we decided to buy them all a present for Easter and also prepare a special meal for them for Easter on Saturday. We bought each boy a sponge, soap, toothpaste, a t-shirt, shorts and boxers each with money that people had kindly donated to us before we left. We spent the afternoon teaching the boys how to get washed properly and then they all got to get changed into their new clothing. Delegating the clothes out was quite a task as I was left on my own to do it whilst HM organized the meal and Rachel lay down as she was feeling ill. It was rather stressful as the boys are used to having to steal things to get belongings and were all fighting over who got what. Some of them do not have very good English either so the language barrier was a slight problem. I do not like being Teacher Natalie and the weekend but I had to go into teacher mode to try and control them all.
Thankfully HM returned shortly after which took the pressure off me and I was able to enjoy the rest of the evening more so. One of the street kids had my camera and was taking pictures of everything for me whilst I enjoyed seeing the huge grins on the boys’ faces. We ate dinner with the boys including matoke, rice, posha, beef, and beans and not to forget a soda. When the boys saw soda, you would have thought that I had bought them all an iPod. They were so excited! We provided so little for these boys, something that we take for granted every day, yet they were so appreciative. One of the little boys even told me how he couldn’t believe that he had just got washed. He could not remember the last time he had been able to do that as they had no soap or sponges. This has to be one of the most rewarding days so far. A smile can say far more than words.
Easter Sunday in Uganda was also a fantastic but tiring day. We decided to attend KPC (Watoto) church in the morning for their Easter service as we had heard really good reports about it. It was really good and a thought-provoking way to spend Easter morning. After church, one of our Ugandan friends invited us to his aunt’s house for a special lunch. She is a lovely woman who was very friendly and welcoming. She put on the most enormous spread of Ugandan food which left me feeling fit to burst afterwards. We spent the afternoon with Keith’s family and had some very funny and interesting conversations. One of his cousins was trying to explain how Ugandan men think to us but none of the five girls seemed to make any sense of it at all. Men will continue to remain a mystery!
In the evening, we headed to Ndere Centre. There was a special Easter show consisting of many traditional African dances and acts. Some of them were phenomenal including ladies balancing eight ceramic pots on their heads, one on top of the next. I thought that was difficult enough until they started dancing with them on their heads also. There were lots of other interesting acts such as juggling, dancing and very funny compare. They even got anyone who wasn’t from Africa up to do some Ugandan dancing. Let’s just say that we made an attempt but I wasn’t much better than I had been in the school assembly last week. It is all part of the experience though and I was happy to partake in the cultural experience.
Professional Development
Week 9 is the first week of Easter holidays back at home in Stranmillis but unfortunately the holidays are not the same in Makerere. We only get Good Friday and Easter Monday off and I have no classes on a Friday anyway so I only managed to miss one hour of class in total due to the holiday. I suppose I cannot complain but I was meant to have class as normal this week. Mark’s class was about the broad field curriculum again on Monday morning but the rest of my classes ended up being cancelled for the rest of the week. Mark’s car broke down on the way to class on Wednesday morning and Gillian was unwell on Thursday.
Montessori Children’s Academy is an International school so it follows the international holidays and therefore is closed for two weeks over the Easter period. We decided to use this opportunity to spend some time in a more typically Ugandan school as they only have the same holidays as the university. We travelled for roughly two hours to a village called Bajja where we visited Bajja Community School which was completely different to Montessori. The children here do not start learning English until Year 5 so very few of them could communicate with us. They also had even fewer resources and most lessons were taught by purely listening to the teacher.
We then proceeded up the road to another school which had even less again. Bare classrooms were packed to full capacity of pupils. We didn’t spend very long here at all but enough time for me to observe a few things. It gave me some ideas of how to conduct a lesson without resources but I am unsure whether their methods would be successful in a primary classroom in Northern Ireland. The children here are very well disciplined within the classroom but this is probably due to the methods of punishment used. Visiting the typical village schools in Uganda is an experience I will never forget.
Week 8 and I eventually start teaching!!
Personal and Cultural Development
Monday night was my first experience of a barbeque in Uganda. The Norwegian girl who I have become really good friends with was leaving on Wednesday, so she decided to hold a barbeque for all her friends at her hostel before she left. The food was really good but not quite what you would expect from a barbeque at home. We had chicken, Irish potatoes, roasted matoke and salad, followed by a food salad of pineapple, banana and passion fruit for dessert. Roasted matoke is definitely the best form of the dish that I have tasted as it actually had some flavor to it, unlike the majority that I have tried. Overall, it was a really lovely evening relaxing with friends including lots of photo opportunities to capture the memories.
On Tuesday I had to say goodbye to Line. It was really difficult saying goodbye to one of my closest friends in Uganda, especially as I am unsure when I will next see her again. As most of you have probably realised by now, we love Chicken Ghetto, so we decided to head there for Line’s last meal in Kampala. Usually it is just roasted chicken with spices and fried cabbage, peppers and tomato that we devour, but as a special treat we bought avocado and asked the ‘chicken president’ (as we like to call him) to add it to our dish. We also purchased some chapattis and then made our own wraps. They were delicious and definitely a good idea. After dinner, the time came to say goodbye, but I will definitely remain in touch with Line and maybe even take her up on her offer to come to Norway and go skiing!
As I am in Uganda for four months, I think that it is essential that I at least attempt to learn a little Luganda. On Wednesday night, I bought a book with some key Luganda phrases in it to try and learn some and one of the security guards from the hostel was teaching me how to pronounce some of the words. I am going to try a little bit more each week and hopefully by the time I leave Uganda, I will be able to at least hold a simple conversation in Luganda. This will be helpful as most of the boda drivers try to talk to you but usually in Luganda and I feel really rude not being able to reply.
Most of my week was taken over by school this week but I definitely enjoyed some new experiences at the weekend. On Saturday morning, our friend HM picked us up and we headed to a shop to buy some Ugandan Crane football shirts. Two hours and eight shirts later, Rachel, HM and I headed to Mandela National Stadium for the Ugandan Cranes v Burundi match. We were running a little late and just as we were walking up the steps into the stadium, we heard a might roar! The Ugandan Cranes were winning 1-0. I got the word ‘mzungo’ on the back of my shirt which several Ugandans found amusing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the match and got into the supporters spirit. At half time a crane flew onto the pitch which caused the entire crowd to erupt but they were even louder when the Ugandan Cranes won 4-0!
After the match we headed to the slums to visit the street boys again. We decided to make them some Irish stew for dinner but it was already dark by the time we got there so it was even more difficult than usual. The boys had never tried this dish before so when we added water to their meat, they thought we were trying to poison them. As we plated up the food, a thunderstorm started so we ate and had devotions under the shelter of the church. The boys loved it and all wanted a second portion. It was already 10pm by now so some of the boys started to get ready for bed. This really pulled at my heart strings as they slept on a bed on bamboo canes tied together and in a potato sack. Some of them didn’t even have a sack to sleep in and the rain was getting into the shelter. I felt so guilty heading back to my hostel and leaving them behind as some of the younger boys were frightened of the storm. Saturday night was definitely the most emotional I have been in Uganda and it has left a lasting impression on me. We are in the progress of arranging a night where we spend the night in the slums with the boys so that we truly understand their way of life. It is going to be an uncomfortable experience but I think it will mean the world to the boys.
Professional Development
Monday morning’s class this week was all about the broad field curriculum. This topic was also continued into Wednesday morning’s class as we discussed the advantages of this integrated approach. Thursday morning’s class was slightly more useful as it was about setting test papers that are going to be beneficial to a class, especially focusing on multiple choice questions. We had to come up with three questions in our groups- one higher order and two of lower order. We had previously chosen the topic of matrices which proved to be quite difficult to set multiple choice questions for, but Rachel, Ian and I worked together and managed to complete the task. This piece of work goes towards our coursework and overall grade for the module.
After class on Wednesday morning, I EVENTUALLY managed to spend my first day in school. The university still seemed to be in progress around the issue so I decide to organize it myself. A friend that I met in Kampala works in Montessori Children’s Academy in Muyenga so she invited me to visit the school and do my placement there. When I first arrived I had no idea where I was meant to be going but I managed to find my friend Rachel, she introduced me to some of the key staff and within no time I was placed within the Year 2 class with Teacher Irene. I was literally in the classroom no more than three minutes expecting to observe and she had me teaching. The class was in the middle of making Easter cards for their parents so she asked me to take over and to help them come up with a message to write inside their cards and some pictures that they could draw to decorate it.
After helping them to complete their cards, Teacher Irene asked me to teach them a song. The only song that I could think of off the top of my head was “Our God is a Great Big God”. Thankfully the children loved it, especially as it had actions to go along with it.
As soon as I had finished teaching them the song, I was handed a book with ideas for art lessons in it and told to choose one to do with the class. The book had plenty of good ideas but as my resources were limited to a sheet of A4 white paper each with some colouring pencils, and the lesson had to be taught immediately without any preparation time, I had to pick something fairly simple to do with them. I decided to talk about different flags with them (including the Ugandan and British flags) and then asked them to design a flag for their own country. Their flag had to tell me something about their country. By the time we finished discussing flags and our ideas, it was lunchtime. Lunch consisted of beef and pilau rice with cabbage. I wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. After lunch we continued with our flags. I asked Irene for a sheet of paper for each child and she had to send a child down to the office to get some as they have zero resources within the classroom.
The children who get the bus home left around 2.45pm but those who did not get the bus did not seem to have an exact time to be picked up. Parents arrived for them between 3pm and 4pm and this seemed normal. There was no bell to end the day like we have at home. The teacher just has to wait for the parents to arrive.
After class on Thursday, I headed to Montessori again. Irene had asked me to prepare a lesson on syllables for the class so I brought a bag of objects with me as a resource. On route by boda, it started to bucket down with rain. By the time I arrived to my classroom, I was soaking wet and even still had the entire class come running to the door to hug me.
The work that the class were set to do before I arrived really shocked me. This is what was written on the board :
1) Write the numbers from 1-300
2) Write the pairs of 2 (2,4,6…) from 2-200
The class is only Year 2 and capable of completing this task but it is just so tedious. I dread to think what would be said to me if that was one of my lessons.
One of the boys in the class who has special needs came up to me looking for attention and I told him that he had to return to his desk and complete his work. Teacher Irene informed me that it was too difficult for him and to ask the classroom assistant if she had a colouring sheet for him to keep him occupied. She didn’t have any so the two boys with learning difficulties were left doing nothing because of their disability rather than being helped. I spent some time trying to teach the two boys their colours whilst the rest of the class completed the task, and the excitement on their faces because they were getting some attention was unreal.
Later in the afternoon, I taught my lesson on syllables. The class seemed to enjoy it and I realised just how clever they were. They were far more advanced than I had expected for Year 2. I printed the word ‘syllables’ on the blackboard and they were able to read it without difficulty.
As I had no class at university on Friday morning, I had to be in school for 7.30am. When I arrived, some of the children were already there. This was the last day of term before Easter so they were having a party. Firstly, there was assembly. It was a special Easter assembly where each class presented something to the rest of the school. Three little girls from the preschool class did some Buganda dancing. It was so cute and funny to watch. Whilst Year 1 were performing their song, a girl in my class came over to me and said that Teacher Irene said I could do “Our God is a Great Big God” with them. I nearly died on the spot as I had only sang it with them that first day and I felt like I was singing to the entire school on my own. After all of the children had performed, the teachers also got up and did some Buganda dancing. They made me join in which was rather embarrassing as Ugandans are all very good dancers with smooth moves whereas I prefer the chicken dance variety of dancing.
After a two hour assembly, my class returned to the classroom for their party and some games. The note sent home to the parents the previous day had asked that the children were collected from school between 11am and 12 noon on this day and when I left at 1.30pm, several parents still had not arrived to pick up their children.
My first few days of experience in school have really opened my eyes to a different classroom than at home. Back at home, we are so used to having multiple resources and facilities for teaching but here, they have the bare minimum. The thing that struck me even more is that I am in a very good school for Uganda so I dread to think what a normal public school is like. I hope to be able to visit one during my time here. Special needs assistance is also non-existent here and I have noticed that it just results in the children falling further and further behind. This has emphasized the necessity for the diagnosis of special needs and how vital it is to cater for these needs. I am unsure whether it will be a possibility, but I would love to spend some time with the two boys I mentioned above, giving them the attention they need to progress. The short time that I am here is now going to make a huge difference in the progress but hopefully it will show the other staff that these children can learn if they are given the opportunity and not just forgotten about.
Monday night was my first experience of a barbeque in Uganda. The Norwegian girl who I have become really good friends with was leaving on Wednesday, so she decided to hold a barbeque for all her friends at her hostel before she left. The food was really good but not quite what you would expect from a barbeque at home. We had chicken, Irish potatoes, roasted matoke and salad, followed by a food salad of pineapple, banana and passion fruit for dessert. Roasted matoke is definitely the best form of the dish that I have tasted as it actually had some flavor to it, unlike the majority that I have tried. Overall, it was a really lovely evening relaxing with friends including lots of photo opportunities to capture the memories.
On Tuesday I had to say goodbye to Line. It was really difficult saying goodbye to one of my closest friends in Uganda, especially as I am unsure when I will next see her again. As most of you have probably realised by now, we love Chicken Ghetto, so we decided to head there for Line’s last meal in Kampala. Usually it is just roasted chicken with spices and fried cabbage, peppers and tomato that we devour, but as a special treat we bought avocado and asked the ‘chicken president’ (as we like to call him) to add it to our dish. We also purchased some chapattis and then made our own wraps. They were delicious and definitely a good idea. After dinner, the time came to say goodbye, but I will definitely remain in touch with Line and maybe even take her up on her offer to come to Norway and go skiing!
As I am in Uganda for four months, I think that it is essential that I at least attempt to learn a little Luganda. On Wednesday night, I bought a book with some key Luganda phrases in it to try and learn some and one of the security guards from the hostel was teaching me how to pronounce some of the words. I am going to try a little bit more each week and hopefully by the time I leave Uganda, I will be able to at least hold a simple conversation in Luganda. This will be helpful as most of the boda drivers try to talk to you but usually in Luganda and I feel really rude not being able to reply.
Most of my week was taken over by school this week but I definitely enjoyed some new experiences at the weekend. On Saturday morning, our friend HM picked us up and we headed to a shop to buy some Ugandan Crane football shirts. Two hours and eight shirts later, Rachel, HM and I headed to Mandela National Stadium for the Ugandan Cranes v Burundi match. We were running a little late and just as we were walking up the steps into the stadium, we heard a might roar! The Ugandan Cranes were winning 1-0. I got the word ‘mzungo’ on the back of my shirt which several Ugandans found amusing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the match and got into the supporters spirit. At half time a crane flew onto the pitch which caused the entire crowd to erupt but they were even louder when the Ugandan Cranes won 4-0!
After the match we headed to the slums to visit the street boys again. We decided to make them some Irish stew for dinner but it was already dark by the time we got there so it was even more difficult than usual. The boys had never tried this dish before so when we added water to their meat, they thought we were trying to poison them. As we plated up the food, a thunderstorm started so we ate and had devotions under the shelter of the church. The boys loved it and all wanted a second portion. It was already 10pm by now so some of the boys started to get ready for bed. This really pulled at my heart strings as they slept on a bed on bamboo canes tied together and in a potato sack. Some of them didn’t even have a sack to sleep in and the rain was getting into the shelter. I felt so guilty heading back to my hostel and leaving them behind as some of the younger boys were frightened of the storm. Saturday night was definitely the most emotional I have been in Uganda and it has left a lasting impression on me. We are in the progress of arranging a night where we spend the night in the slums with the boys so that we truly understand their way of life. It is going to be an uncomfortable experience but I think it will mean the world to the boys.
Professional Development
Monday morning’s class this week was all about the broad field curriculum. This topic was also continued into Wednesday morning’s class as we discussed the advantages of this integrated approach. Thursday morning’s class was slightly more useful as it was about setting test papers that are going to be beneficial to a class, especially focusing on multiple choice questions. We had to come up with three questions in our groups- one higher order and two of lower order. We had previously chosen the topic of matrices which proved to be quite difficult to set multiple choice questions for, but Rachel, Ian and I worked together and managed to complete the task. This piece of work goes towards our coursework and overall grade for the module.
After class on Wednesday morning, I EVENTUALLY managed to spend my first day in school. The university still seemed to be in progress around the issue so I decide to organize it myself. A friend that I met in Kampala works in Montessori Children’s Academy in Muyenga so she invited me to visit the school and do my placement there. When I first arrived I had no idea where I was meant to be going but I managed to find my friend Rachel, she introduced me to some of the key staff and within no time I was placed within the Year 2 class with Teacher Irene. I was literally in the classroom no more than three minutes expecting to observe and she had me teaching. The class was in the middle of making Easter cards for their parents so she asked me to take over and to help them come up with a message to write inside their cards and some pictures that they could draw to decorate it.
After helping them to complete their cards, Teacher Irene asked me to teach them a song. The only song that I could think of off the top of my head was “Our God is a Great Big God”. Thankfully the children loved it, especially as it had actions to go along with it.
As soon as I had finished teaching them the song, I was handed a book with ideas for art lessons in it and told to choose one to do with the class. The book had plenty of good ideas but as my resources were limited to a sheet of A4 white paper each with some colouring pencils, and the lesson had to be taught immediately without any preparation time, I had to pick something fairly simple to do with them. I decided to talk about different flags with them (including the Ugandan and British flags) and then asked them to design a flag for their own country. Their flag had to tell me something about their country. By the time we finished discussing flags and our ideas, it was lunchtime. Lunch consisted of beef and pilau rice with cabbage. I wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. After lunch we continued with our flags. I asked Irene for a sheet of paper for each child and she had to send a child down to the office to get some as they have zero resources within the classroom.
The children who get the bus home left around 2.45pm but those who did not get the bus did not seem to have an exact time to be picked up. Parents arrived for them between 3pm and 4pm and this seemed normal. There was no bell to end the day like we have at home. The teacher just has to wait for the parents to arrive.
After class on Thursday, I headed to Montessori again. Irene had asked me to prepare a lesson on syllables for the class so I brought a bag of objects with me as a resource. On route by boda, it started to bucket down with rain. By the time I arrived to my classroom, I was soaking wet and even still had the entire class come running to the door to hug me.
The work that the class were set to do before I arrived really shocked me. This is what was written on the board :
1) Write the numbers from 1-300
2) Write the pairs of 2 (2,4,6…) from 2-200
The class is only Year 2 and capable of completing this task but it is just so tedious. I dread to think what would be said to me if that was one of my lessons.
One of the boys in the class who has special needs came up to me looking for attention and I told him that he had to return to his desk and complete his work. Teacher Irene informed me that it was too difficult for him and to ask the classroom assistant if she had a colouring sheet for him to keep him occupied. She didn’t have any so the two boys with learning difficulties were left doing nothing because of their disability rather than being helped. I spent some time trying to teach the two boys their colours whilst the rest of the class completed the task, and the excitement on their faces because they were getting some attention was unreal.
Later in the afternoon, I taught my lesson on syllables. The class seemed to enjoy it and I realised just how clever they were. They were far more advanced than I had expected for Year 2. I printed the word ‘syllables’ on the blackboard and they were able to read it without difficulty.
As I had no class at university on Friday morning, I had to be in school for 7.30am. When I arrived, some of the children were already there. This was the last day of term before Easter so they were having a party. Firstly, there was assembly. It was a special Easter assembly where each class presented something to the rest of the school. Three little girls from the preschool class did some Buganda dancing. It was so cute and funny to watch. Whilst Year 1 were performing their song, a girl in my class came over to me and said that Teacher Irene said I could do “Our God is a Great Big God” with them. I nearly died on the spot as I had only sang it with them that first day and I felt like I was singing to the entire school on my own. After all of the children had performed, the teachers also got up and did some Buganda dancing. They made me join in which was rather embarrassing as Ugandans are all very good dancers with smooth moves whereas I prefer the chicken dance variety of dancing.
After a two hour assembly, my class returned to the classroom for their party and some games. The note sent home to the parents the previous day had asked that the children were collected from school between 11am and 12 noon on this day and when I left at 1.30pm, several parents still had not arrived to pick up their children.
My first few days of experience in school have really opened my eyes to a different classroom than at home. Back at home, we are so used to having multiple resources and facilities for teaching but here, they have the bare minimum. The thing that struck me even more is that I am in a very good school for Uganda so I dread to think what a normal public school is like. I hope to be able to visit one during my time here. Special needs assistance is also non-existent here and I have noticed that it just results in the children falling further and further behind. This has emphasized the necessity for the diagnosis of special needs and how vital it is to cater for these needs. I am unsure whether it will be a possibility, but I would love to spend some time with the two boys I mentioned above, giving them the attention they need to progress. The short time that I am here is now going to make a huge difference in the progress but hopefully it will show the other staff that these children can learn if they are given the opportunity and not just forgotten about.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Week 7 including the shootings at Makerere
Many of you have many heard a little bit about the protests and shootings in Kampala over the past week but don’t worry, Rachel and I are both safe! I have included some details of our experience through it and would like to make it clear that everything is now back to normal and quiet again.
Personal and Cultural Development
Monday was a pretty chilled day this week including a little shopping with friends, getting my nails done and a DVD night with a friend, but we knew that Tuesday was going to be a busy day so it suited us w
ell. We didn’t quite realise how eventful Tuesday was going to be though.
Going about our daily routine, we jumped on a boda and headed towards Wandegeya, past the university. Outside the main gates of the university, there were hundreds of people and numerous police riot vans. We were curious as to what was happening but disregarded it quite quickly. It wasn’t until we tried to get another boda home that we realised what was happening. Our boda had to take an alternative route home as the people at the university were holding a protest and had blocked the road. The boda driver informed us that there had been 3 Kenyan students shot on Monday evening, two dead, and the pupils were now boycotting class and protesting against what had happened. Curious to find out more details, we checked online when we got back to our hostel. We found the following website and were warned to stay away from the university until the whole thing had calmed down. Our lecturer told us that she would let us know when it was safe to return to campus. The hostel where the shooting took place is only 500m from our hostel. We didn’t see any more violence though and were told that it was fine to continue as usual as long as we stayed away from the university.
On Tuesday we were invited to the Irish Ambassador’s House for some St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The invite to this occasion was printed on gold rimmed paper and the dress code was described as ‘business attire’. We had no idea what this meant in Ugandan terms as they always seem to dress their best, even if it is just to the market. Thankfully we met the Ambassador at the party last Friday night so he was able to advise us to wear cocktail dresses. It was fun to get dressed up for the occasion and we made our way there with 4 other girls. We arrived just in time for the speeches and the Irish National Anthem (which I didn’t have a clue of). There were waiters circling the guests with finger foods including salmon on wheaten bread, cheeses and chicken skewers, and also a free bar all night. I made an effort to speak to some of the other guests and even managed to bump into a man from Belfast. It was so nice to hear an accent from home because everyone else seemed to have a southern Irish accent.
Wednesday involved more sorting of our student visas! They seem to be a lot more work than we first thought. We had to pay for them in US dollars so we returned to the immigration office to pay and they then sent us to Diamond Trust Bank in the city centre. This bank had so many doors that we were unsure of which way to enter. Four doors later, we found the correct queue and lined up to pay. It took a while but eventually we paid and the woman told us to come back the following day to get our receipt. Only in Africa would it take 24 hours to get a receipt.
There was more trouble in our neighbouring area on Wednesday, but this time the rioting was political. Those who support the politicians were arguing with those who back royalty. We stayed well clear of this area and decided that it might be a good idea to head out of town for a day or two. So on Thursday morning, we ventured to the bank to collect our receipt and then proceeded to the taxi park to catch a taxibus to Jinja. Rachel had previously been to Kingfisher Safari Resort here whilst I was in Ssese Islands and she thoroughly enjoyed it, so she recommended that we headed to stay there again. When we arrived, the resort looked beautiful and the sun was shining so we immediately got changed and headed for the pool. It was amazing to be able to chill in the quietness of Jinja as Kampala is always so noisy and busy. Another highlight of our stay in Jinja was the HOT SHOWER! I do not think that I have ever appreciated a shower so much. The length of time I spent in it probably indicated how much I was enjoying it.
On Friday morning, we received word from our lecturer that things had settled in Makerere and that it would be safe to return to class on Monday. We spent the rest of the day by the pool again and made the most of the weather; maybe a little too much though as my stomach was rather red. The boda driver came to pick us up earlier than he was meant to but maybe it was a good thing otherwise I might have been really burnt. I have phoned him and asked him to come at 4pm but they just agree with you even if they have not understood so he arrived at 3pm.
On Saturday night, I went for some karaoke with some friends. The Ugandans are mostly good singers but some of them were awful. Some of the songs were barely recognizable. I decided not to sing as I wasn’t feeling the best but I did enjoy Rachel (the Irish girl we met) and Nellybrown’s (Ugandan) version of Boyzone’s “Baby Can I Hold You Tonight”
Calvary Chapel was our first destination on Sunday, followed by the slums again in the afternoon. This week’s menu for dinner was beef and rice. The boys had arranged a friendly football match with one of the other slums for the afternoon so we headed to the playground with them as support. We had a warm-up kick about before the other team arrived and also ended up winning 4-1. They boys were so excited and definitely ready for their dinner when they returned. Our friendships with the boys are starting to develop more and more each week and they feel like they can talk to you and tell you things now. Some of the stories are fun but others would break your heart.
Professional Development
Monday morning’s class with Mark was all about the disadvantages of the child centred curriculum. He mentioned some ideas that I had never really considered before which were beneficial but most of the class was merely dictation again, even more so than usual. I’m not looking forward to getting the assignment title as Mark is sometimes a little difficult to understand so my notes may not be completely correct.
It was not safe to attend university on Wednesday or Thursday due to the protests so I am afraid that my professional development this week is not very much. I did get a chance to sort out some work experience within a school for next week though so that is pretty exciting. I am looking forward to getting into the Ugandan classroom.
Personal and Cultural Development
Monday was a pretty chilled day this week including a little shopping with friends, getting my nails done and a DVD night with a friend, but we knew that Tuesday was going to be a busy day so it suited us w
ell. We didn’t quite realise how eventful Tuesday was going to be though.
Going about our daily routine, we jumped on a boda and headed towards Wandegeya, past the university. Outside the main gates of the university, there were hundreds of people and numerous police riot vans. We were curious as to what was happening but disregarded it quite quickly. It wasn’t until we tried to get another boda home that we realised what was happening. Our boda had to take an alternative route home as the people at the university were holding a protest and had blocked the road. The boda driver informed us that there had been 3 Kenyan students shot on Monday evening, two dead, and the pupils were now boycotting class and protesting against what had happened. Curious to find out more details, we checked online when we got back to our hostel. We found the following website and were warned to stay away from the university until the whole thing had calmed down. Our lecturer told us that she would let us know when it was safe to return to campus. The hostel where the shooting took place is only 500m from our hostel. We didn’t see any more violence though and were told that it was fine to continue as usual as long as we stayed away from the university.
On Tuesday we were invited to the Irish Ambassador’s House for some St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The invite to this occasion was printed on gold rimmed paper and the dress code was described as ‘business attire’. We had no idea what this meant in Ugandan terms as they always seem to dress their best, even if it is just to the market. Thankfully we met the Ambassador at the party last Friday night so he was able to advise us to wear cocktail dresses. It was fun to get dressed up for the occasion and we made our way there with 4 other girls. We arrived just in time for the speeches and the Irish National Anthem (which I didn’t have a clue of). There were waiters circling the guests with finger foods including salmon on wheaten bread, cheeses and chicken skewers, and also a free bar all night. I made an effort to speak to some of the other guests and even managed to bump into a man from Belfast. It was so nice to hear an accent from home because everyone else seemed to have a southern Irish accent.
Wednesday involved more sorting of our student visas! They seem to be a lot more work than we first thought. We had to pay for them in US dollars so we returned to the immigration office to pay and they then sent us to Diamond Trust Bank in the city centre. This bank had so many doors that we were unsure of which way to enter. Four doors later, we found the correct queue and lined up to pay. It took a while but eventually we paid and the woman told us to come back the following day to get our receipt. Only in Africa would it take 24 hours to get a receipt.
There was more trouble in our neighbouring area on Wednesday, but this time the rioting was political. Those who support the politicians were arguing with those who back royalty. We stayed well clear of this area and decided that it might be a good idea to head out of town for a day or two. So on Thursday morning, we ventured to the bank to collect our receipt and then proceeded to the taxi park to catch a taxibus to Jinja. Rachel had previously been to Kingfisher Safari Resort here whilst I was in Ssese Islands and she thoroughly enjoyed it, so she recommended that we headed to stay there again. When we arrived, the resort looked beautiful and the sun was shining so we immediately got changed and headed for the pool. It was amazing to be able to chill in the quietness of Jinja as Kampala is always so noisy and busy. Another highlight of our stay in Jinja was the HOT SHOWER! I do not think that I have ever appreciated a shower so much. The length of time I spent in it probably indicated how much I was enjoying it.
On Friday morning, we received word from our lecturer that things had settled in Makerere and that it would be safe to return to class on Monday. We spent the rest of the day by the pool again and made the most of the weather; maybe a little too much though as my stomach was rather red. The boda driver came to pick us up earlier than he was meant to but maybe it was a good thing otherwise I might have been really burnt. I have phoned him and asked him to come at 4pm but they just agree with you even if they have not understood so he arrived at 3pm.
On Saturday night, I went for some karaoke with some friends. The Ugandans are mostly good singers but some of them were awful. Some of the songs were barely recognizable. I decided not to sing as I wasn’t feeling the best but I did enjoy Rachel (the Irish girl we met) and Nellybrown’s (Ugandan) version of Boyzone’s “Baby Can I Hold You Tonight”
Calvary Chapel was our first destination on Sunday, followed by the slums again in the afternoon. This week’s menu for dinner was beef and rice. The boys had arranged a friendly football match with one of the other slums for the afternoon so we headed to the playground with them as support. We had a warm-up kick about before the other team arrived and also ended up winning 4-1. They boys were so excited and definitely ready for their dinner when they returned. Our friendships with the boys are starting to develop more and more each week and they feel like they can talk to you and tell you things now. Some of the stories are fun but others would break your heart.
Professional Development
Monday morning’s class with Mark was all about the disadvantages of the child centred curriculum. He mentioned some ideas that I had never really considered before which were beneficial but most of the class was merely dictation again, even more so than usual. I’m not looking forward to getting the assignment title as Mark is sometimes a little difficult to understand so my notes may not be completely correct.
It was not safe to attend university on Wednesday or Thursday due to the protests so I am afraid that my professional development this week is not very much. I did get a chance to sort out some work experience within a school for next week though so that is pretty exciting. I am looking forward to getting into the Ugandan classroom.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Week 6 and even more new adventures, including my trip to the slums!
A month and a half has passed already. When I first arrived, 108 days seemed like it was going to be a very long time but 43 days have already gone. I reckon that I am going to be coming home before I know it. I am obviously missing you all lots at home but I don’t know if I am going to want to give up this chilled lifestyle in the sun! Anyway… I shall inform you all of this week’s adventures and development.
Personal and Cultural Development
Monday was Woman’s Day in Uganda and I spent most of the day travelling back to Kampala. I did see a parade whilst going through Entebbe though. Some people were playing instruments whilst others paraded behind them. I think that there were rallies and celebrations happening all over Uganda but I didn’t see many of them.
On the way home, we called into a café at a petrol station to grab some lunch. We were able to get soft whippy ice-cream here. Everyone’s faces lit up when they noticed it. It was so hot and the perfect day for ice-cream, especially when it is such a luxury. Just after our ice-cream, we must have influenced the weather as the heaven’s opened and it poured with rain. Back at Nana’s like a drowned rat, I decided to chill out for a while whilst I had the room to myself. Then Rachel came back from her trip to Jinja and we chatted and had a little catch up session on our weekend adventures. Rachel and I have been getting on well but it was nice to spend some time apart as well. It gave us so much more to talk about when we returned.
On Tuesday, we found out that it had been Roscoe’s (the guy who looks after all our problems at the hostel) birthday and he hadn’t told us, so we decided to make him a belated birthday cake. As the cooking facilities here are basically a one ringed hob, we bought a marble cake from the supermarket and then iced and decorated it. Roscoe came round to visit us that later that evening and he was so pleased with his cake. He told us that no-one ever celebrates his birthday and that he had never had a cake before. Our little small gesture meant so much to him that he started dancing around our room singing Michael Jackson songs.
Thursday was not such a good day for me. I had to take some tablets that I bought from the pharmacy to protect me from the parasites in the water. The pharmacist recommended that I took these tablets as if the parasite lives in your system, it can make you very ill for up to a month. I thought that I would follow this advice after rafting in the Nile and swimming in Lake Victoria. I had to take three tablets, wait for six hours, then take another three, wait another six hours and then take a final two. The tablets made me feel a little iffy and I ended up spending most of the day in bed.
When I got up on Friday morning, I felt so much better and decided that I would be energetic and do some more walking again. I decided to walk to Garden City where I met Rachel (she didn’t fancy the walk) and we had a little nosey around and then I walked home again on my own. It takes about 45 minutes each way but it’s nice to get out into the sunshine for a little while, and also not to have to jump on a boda.
Friday night started the beginning of our St Patrick’s Day celebrations. We were invited by the Irish Society to a party in Bubbles, the local Irish pub/restaurant. This was a good night as we met some people from home and they also served everyone some Irish Stew. We got talking to some people and had a good night laughing, dancing and talking about things from home. There was an Irish band there so they played a lot of typical Irish songs.
On Saturday, I made my first visit to the slums to visit some of the street kids. When I first arrived, we went to buy some food for their dinner and had to go deep into the slums. Even just walking through the area really opened up my eyes. Back at the shelter, I washed all the dishes from the meal the day before. It wasn’t the nicest job in the world but at least I was being helpful. Once everything was clean, I began to boil the rice. I went to add a pinch of salt and all the boys laughed at me and then threw in lots in. I couldn’t believe how much salt they used. Whilst dinner was cooking, I chatted to some of the boys, learnt some funky dance moves from others and was even taught a crazy hand jive. Rachel had her camera with her as well so we took some photos with them too. They all loved the camera.
When it came to the fish to go with their rice for dinner, I was staying well away. The thought of it even makes me feel sick. It comes still on the bone, eyes and all! Once everything was ready, all fifty of the boys gathered round in a circle to praise and thank God before they ate. It was so moving as they have so little, yet were so thankful.
Sunday morning consisted of attending Calvary Chapel Church again. I enjoyed the service but I still hope to visit KPC church at some point as it is meant to be more like my church at home. After church, we headed to the beach in Entebbe. We went with some of our friends who we go to church with, and we also took two little boys from the church with us. You would have thought it was their birthdays, their eyes lit up so much at the sight of the beach and they had a really great day. I was playing with them in the sea and they seemed to love the attention, especially when they would climb on my back and I would throw them off. The boys live in the slums so a day like this is a dream to them. We all had a great day here and were shattered by the time we arrived back in Kampala that evening.
Professional Development
Back to class on Wednesday after 9 days without any seemed strange. Our classmates even commented on how long it had been as they have other lessons which we do not study, so had not had such a long break. The class was all about the child centred curriculum. I liked this lesson as most of lessons at home, if not all of them, are focused on this approach and I was able to contribute ideas on its advantages and disadvantages, and reasons why I liked or disliked it. The others in my class seemed interested in the topic as it is only a new idea in Uganda.
Class on Thursday morning has to be my favourite so far. It was all about ‘Tables of Specification’, and we were asked to get into our assignment groups to design one for our specific subject areas. As I study Primary Education with Mathematics at Stranmillis, I was told to focus on Maths. Everyone else in the class is studying to be a secondary school teacher so they all have specific subject areas. I am working with Rachel (as she studies Religious Education and Mathematics at Stran) and also a guy called Ian. Ian was not at class on Thursday morning so Rachel and I just worked as a pair. As everyone in the class is studying secondary education, all of the syllabuses that we have to work from are for that level of teaching and my assignment will focus on this level. I still think that this will be beneficial to my teaching career though and I will be able to transfer the skills that I develop to the primary level and it might also give me some experience and ideas for an alternative placement if that opportunity comes up.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Keep your emails coming, they always make me smile
Natalie
xx
Personal and Cultural Development
Monday was Woman’s Day in Uganda and I spent most of the day travelling back to Kampala. I did see a parade whilst going through Entebbe though. Some people were playing instruments whilst others paraded behind them. I think that there were rallies and celebrations happening all over Uganda but I didn’t see many of them.
On the way home, we called into a café at a petrol station to grab some lunch. We were able to get soft whippy ice-cream here. Everyone’s faces lit up when they noticed it. It was so hot and the perfect day for ice-cream, especially when it is such a luxury. Just after our ice-cream, we must have influenced the weather as the heaven’s opened and it poured with rain. Back at Nana’s like a drowned rat, I decided to chill out for a while whilst I had the room to myself. Then Rachel came back from her trip to Jinja and we chatted and had a little catch up session on our weekend adventures. Rachel and I have been getting on well but it was nice to spend some time apart as well. It gave us so much more to talk about when we returned.
On Tuesday, we found out that it had been Roscoe’s (the guy who looks after all our problems at the hostel) birthday and he hadn’t told us, so we decided to make him a belated birthday cake. As the cooking facilities here are basically a one ringed hob, we bought a marble cake from the supermarket and then iced and decorated it. Roscoe came round to visit us that later that evening and he was so pleased with his cake. He told us that no-one ever celebrates his birthday and that he had never had a cake before. Our little small gesture meant so much to him that he started dancing around our room singing Michael Jackson songs.
Thursday was not such a good day for me. I had to take some tablets that I bought from the pharmacy to protect me from the parasites in the water. The pharmacist recommended that I took these tablets as if the parasite lives in your system, it can make you very ill for up to a month. I thought that I would follow this advice after rafting in the Nile and swimming in Lake Victoria. I had to take three tablets, wait for six hours, then take another three, wait another six hours and then take a final two. The tablets made me feel a little iffy and I ended up spending most of the day in bed.
When I got up on Friday morning, I felt so much better and decided that I would be energetic and do some more walking again. I decided to walk to Garden City where I met Rachel (she didn’t fancy the walk) and we had a little nosey around and then I walked home again on my own. It takes about 45 minutes each way but it’s nice to get out into the sunshine for a little while, and also not to have to jump on a boda.
Friday night started the beginning of our St Patrick’s Day celebrations. We were invited by the Irish Society to a party in Bubbles, the local Irish pub/restaurant. This was a good night as we met some people from home and they also served everyone some Irish Stew. We got talking to some people and had a good night laughing, dancing and talking about things from home. There was an Irish band there so they played a lot of typical Irish songs.
On Saturday, I made my first visit to the slums to visit some of the street kids. When I first arrived, we went to buy some food for their dinner and had to go deep into the slums. Even just walking through the area really opened up my eyes. Back at the shelter, I washed all the dishes from the meal the day before. It wasn’t the nicest job in the world but at least I was being helpful. Once everything was clean, I began to boil the rice. I went to add a pinch of salt and all the boys laughed at me and then threw in lots in. I couldn’t believe how much salt they used. Whilst dinner was cooking, I chatted to some of the boys, learnt some funky dance moves from others and was even taught a crazy hand jive. Rachel had her camera with her as well so we took some photos with them too. They all loved the camera.
When it came to the fish to go with their rice for dinner, I was staying well away. The thought of it even makes me feel sick. It comes still on the bone, eyes and all! Once everything was ready, all fifty of the boys gathered round in a circle to praise and thank God before they ate. It was so moving as they have so little, yet were so thankful.
Sunday morning consisted of attending Calvary Chapel Church again. I enjoyed the service but I still hope to visit KPC church at some point as it is meant to be more like my church at home. After church, we headed to the beach in Entebbe. We went with some of our friends who we go to church with, and we also took two little boys from the church with us. You would have thought it was their birthdays, their eyes lit up so much at the sight of the beach and they had a really great day. I was playing with them in the sea and they seemed to love the attention, especially when they would climb on my back and I would throw them off. The boys live in the slums so a day like this is a dream to them. We all had a great day here and were shattered by the time we arrived back in Kampala that evening.
Professional Development
Back to class on Wednesday after 9 days without any seemed strange. Our classmates even commented on how long it had been as they have other lessons which we do not study, so had not had such a long break. The class was all about the child centred curriculum. I liked this lesson as most of lessons at home, if not all of them, are focused on this approach and I was able to contribute ideas on its advantages and disadvantages, and reasons why I liked or disliked it. The others in my class seemed interested in the topic as it is only a new idea in Uganda.
Class on Thursday morning has to be my favourite so far. It was all about ‘Tables of Specification’, and we were asked to get into our assignment groups to design one for our specific subject areas. As I study Primary Education with Mathematics at Stranmillis, I was told to focus on Maths. Everyone else in the class is studying to be a secondary school teacher so they all have specific subject areas. I am working with Rachel (as she studies Religious Education and Mathematics at Stran) and also a guy called Ian. Ian was not at class on Thursday morning so Rachel and I just worked as a pair. As everyone in the class is studying secondary education, all of the syllabuses that we have to work from are for that level of teaching and my assignment will focus on this level. I still think that this will be beneficial to my teaching career though and I will be able to transfer the skills that I develop to the primary level and it might also give me some experience and ideas for an alternative placement if that opportunity comes up.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Keep your emails coming, they always make me smile
Natalie
xx
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