Conference Preparations!

Part of my job here with the state department is to train teachers, which we usually do through workshops and conferences. I have conducted two workshops and have one more coming up in about two weeks (watch for the blog entitled "Kabale"). I am also in charge of a workshop on campus coming up in June. The workshop planning is intense, but I have a committee of about four other people to help me. I have never planned a conference before. We are anticipating about 100-120 people, but there could be many, many more. Apparently people like conferences and if it has the U.S.'s name on it, it is even more popular. To say I am nervous about how this is all going to work out doesn't even begin to cut it. There are so many details that I am not familiar with because of my lack of experience, but the cultural distance also plays a part.

For example, when you want to invite people for a conference, you have to create an invitation letter. Now, at home, we just make a call for proposals and put a flyer online. That is not the case here. First, you have to write a letter to the head teacher. Many head teachers do not believe their teachers when they tell them they want to go to a conference, so you have to show "proof" that there is a conference planned. It must be on official paper and it can't be emailed. They must have the original.

The invitation must also contain a signature, in this case mine, so I have to sign all letters going out. Signatures and stamps are big here. Hardly any paper is taken as official without them. Our initial printing is 100, but I am sure we will print at least 100 more. Doesn't everyone love to sign their own name?

Next, we have to mobilize, which means we have to get these letters out to schools. We have students on campus for the next few days who are head teachers or who could take the letters back to their head teachers. We have a program here on campus where practicing teachers come during the holiday breaks from school to work on their degree. They have been here for the past two weeks and they are leaving tomorrow. So, of course, I had to meet with them to disseminate the information. One of the students in our Master's program is an inspector of schools, so he is meeting with all head teachers next week. That is a golden opportunity to meet with over 100 schools, so he came to my office to pick up some letters. I am going to try to attend the meeting if I am available. The conference costs UGX 30,000 ($12), so teachers will have to ask their Director of Studies (DOS) for money. It seems like little money to us, but when you only make $100 a month, that is more than 10% of your salary.

After all of these things, then I had to keep my team abreast of the situation. We met earlier this week and decided on the theme: Empowering the Learner Through Interactive Instruction in English and Literature Teaching. Interactive instruction is lacking here. Most of the time is spent in "chalk and talk" and students are rarely active in class. The classes are large and teachers are afraid of being seen as lacking discipline in the classroom. It is a HUGE challenge. We thought a conference on student-centered, interactive methods would encourage people to try out new things. It is received well when coming from a university.

The other thing to consider is food. If a workshop or conference is all day, it is expected that they will provide break tea and lunch. Break tea is usually tea, coffee or hot chocolate with eats and served around 10:30. These are not small feats, especially lunch. It is a FULL lunch. You will not find any sandwiches or salads here. There is usually rice, matooke, some short of meat, chipatis, fruits, drinks, etc. Everybody eats a very heavy lunch. It is absolutely essential and if  you don't serve a good lunch, you will be shamed! So the pressure is on!

break tea eats

typical break tea (this is from our workshop)

lunch!

We still have a lot to do with planning of the conference including food, registration, publicity, conference workbook, etc., but it is coming along. We are even up on the website now. You can check us out here. We hope to get the word out and have a very successful conference!

Standard Article (5/12-5/25)

Professional Development

All people can benefit from professional development (PD) in their respective occupation, but few people participate in these types of activities due to various excuses.  However, PD is vital to growing as a professional in your field and there are several ways to access these opportunities without breaking the bank!

One beneficial way to participate in PD is to attend an academic conference. I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Senegal in mid-April with my colleagues from around Africa. There are about one hundred fellows placed around the world, but only twelve of us are in Africa. The conference I attended was a gathering of all of the fellows in Africa. We were asked to present on various topics based on our current work. Presenting at a conference not only forces you to prepare to speak in front of others, but it also causes you to think about your current work in a succinct way.

Another way to gain PD is to publish an article. As a lecturer in the realm of academia, publishing is vital to maintaining a position at a university. Publishing provides a platform to share with others about your work and perfect your academic writing skills. There are several online, peer-reviewed journals that accept manuscripts both here in Africa and across the world. Also consider collaborating with people in your profession across the world through Google Drive. I was able to coordinate with a teacher back home while in Uganda for a publication back in September.

A third way to participate in PD is to attend online lecturers or participate in academic conversations online. There are endless possibilities due to Internet access, which allows you to attend webinars/seminars from the comfort of your own office/home.  For more ideas, check out Ted Talks or Teacher Tube. Skype also brings people together to discuss current academic issues in their respective fields.

However you decide to improve your skills and grow as a professional is up to you. Choose a way to grow and be the best professional in your field!

Infection by Insect

"Infection by insect" - that is the diagnosis for the elephantiasis-like appearance of my face. My biggest fear while living in Africa was getting sick because of the lack of medicine and healthcare here. I have always loved modern medicine, but this week I found out I NEED modern medicine. This whole dramatic situation began about a week ago when I was putting on my makeup early before my flight back to Uganda. I had been in Senegal for a week for our mid-year conference (for fellows) and I woke up at 4 to catch my flight. As any respectable girl would do, I covered up what I thought was a pimple or mosquito bite with concealer and went on my merry way.

About two days later, I woke up and the pimple/mosquito bite was getting larger and very, very sore. I tried to squeeze it and nothing came out. I decided to measure it with a pen before I went to sleep that night to check and see if it had changed in the morning.

The next morning I woke up with a swollen eye and a lump where the supposed pimple/mosquito bite was near my eye. I also noticed a line going from the red area to the corner of my eye and that is when I got concerned. By this time, I knew it was not a pimple/mosquito bite, but some type of infection.

So, like any smart person would do, I decided to Google it to see what I had growing in my face. This was a HUGE mistake. NEVER look at Youtube videos of an ailment because they always have the most extreme cases posted for everyone to watch. I watched video after video of larvae being pulled out of peoples' faces and bodies. It was disgusting. I decided the next day that I would go to the doctor. I began asking around for the best place to go in Kampala and asked Megan to call her driver for me. I did not want to go to the clinic on campus because they have limited resources as do the clinics in Mukono. I knew that I wanted to go to the place that other ex-pats take their children. So, I decided to go to The Surgery in Kampala (http://thesurgeryuganda.org/). Megan and I left about midday because I had a final exam to give in the morning. We arrived at The Surgery and registered with the front desk. Of course they didn't take my insurance, so I called my insurance company to confirm my benefits while waiting. This place was definitely the gold standard of care in Uganda. The place was gorgeous with new wooden benches, couches, and a coffee bar. As soon as we saw the coffee bar, we knew we were not walking out of there without a delicious drink. We waited about 30-45 minutes to see a doctor. The doctor was South Korean and very, very nice. He listened to my story with sympathetic eyes and told me about his experience with the same sort of thing on his back. He even pulled a worm out of his dog...gross!! I laid on the table and he began draining the infection. Megan was with me and she was a huge, huge help. Megan has delivered many babies here in Uganda and you could tell that she knew how to coax a patient through pain. She held and rubbed my legs as the doctor pulled out disgusting liquid from my face with various needles. It was a very painful procedure, but I was happy to get the gunk of out my face! After he was done, he dressed the wound and gave me follow-up instructions. I asked him if he knew which bug bit me and he said it was hard to tell because there are so many harmful bugs here. I left with antibiotics, antihistamines, ointment, and a delicious latte.

It has been two days since I started the medicine and I have seen a dramatic improvement in the appearance of my bite and my pain level. Greenish liquid is still oozing from my face, but I know I am getting better. Now, I just need to keep dressing the wound, taking my medicine, and hoping for no more bites for the next seven weeks.