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.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
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
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