My Kitgum Visit and journey back to Kampala

I'm seriously thankful for each an every moment I have here from observing amazing teachers to meeting their families. I take nothing for granted and I am soaking it all in over these two weeks. I had an opportunity to observe two of my favorite students in Kitgum on Monday and Tuesday. These students are in the bachelor's program at UCU and I had them in Writing and Study Skills. They are older than the tranditional student and often have many years of teaching experience. Kitgum is about 9 hours by bus from Kampala and very close to the South Sudan border. The people there have been through quite a lot and there are still many effects from the war. It is seriously my favorite place in Uganda. The streets are quiet and there are not many cars. It is far removed from the hustle and bustle of Kampala. I also feel people are friendlier. 

I observed Eric on Monday morning while he was teaching an English lesson. There were about 60 students in his class for senior 3 (like our 9th grade). Y.Y. Okot is a pubic, all girls schools with so much history. If you have read much about the LRA and Joseph Kony, this is the school that would house kids at night to protect them from being kidnapped. As I walk the grounds, I try to never forget the number of kids that were saved because of the heroic people who risked their lives to save others. Russell Crowe starred in the movie, Machine Gun Preacher, that featured this story. Eric is an amazing teacher and has an uncanny ability to connect with the students. His girls love him and he freely interacts with them. 

For the first time in my life, I saw a student being "caned". I've been to a lot of schools in Uganda and know they punish students, but this is the first time I've seen it live. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see one of the teachers holding up a stick (switch) in the air and the matron yelling at the girl. You can't see the girl because she is lying on the ground, face down. The teacher swatted her several times on her butt and broke several of the sticks on her. It wasn't awful, but he definitely made his point. This all took place in the teacher's lounge for all to see. The teacher talked with me afterwards and I told him it took everything I had not to stop him, but he explained this is the way they discipline students here. Despite my opinions, I have to respect the culture and allow it to happen. Many teachers here think that American children misbehave because they are not disciplined. He might have a point, but I will not cane any of my students. 

I also got to meet up with the guys' families and I feel in love with this sweet, 6-month-old named Karin.  Usually babies cry when they see me because of my skin color, but she embraced me and I soaked up all of her love.

I also had the chance to observe Patrick, again one of my students with his senior 3 class. This class was huge, like 200 students with one teacher. Patrick works at a private, mixed school just across the street from Eric's school. He taught an English lesson about giving instructions with a demonstration of tying shoes. I wish he had a projector to display the lesson, but he did a great job improvising.

I had a chance to catch up with my parents on wifi at one of th hotels. I know they worry about me, so I think it is better when they see my face and talk with my friends here. 

On Wednesday, I made it back to Kampala (which took nearly 10 hours). This is the first time I have traveled across country on a bus and I was a bit nervous. I wasn't sure how I would do, but people went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. My first seat mate was Beatice and she was traveling to Gulu for some business (about 2 hours). People get on and off the bus at different points along the journey and I enjoyed talked with her. I love the hospitality because when people buy food along the roadside, they share it with you. I tried palm fruit for the first time and it was delicious.There was also a woman across the aisle from me who was a primary teacher at Kitgum public. We conversed while she openy nursed her baby. I love how that is not a crime here like it is back in the U.S. 

When we reached Gulu, Beatrice got out and I looked for newspaper. People come up to the bus and try to sell things and one of the passengers helped me get a newspaper from the store. All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling my name and it was Beatrice. I had a casually mentioned to her that I wanted honey (you can often find it on the journey) and she had seen it in the store by the bus stop. So, I got out and bought some pure honey and comb. I'm hoping I get it through agriculture when I go back home. My second seat mate was an Indian guy who had a thousand questions for me. He had never really sat and talked with a "white" so he too full advantage of our 8 hours together. He bought me several things along the way, such a maize, water, etc. He was very sweet and I tried to be patient with his curiousity. 

We arrived in the bus park about 10 p.m. and I was picked up by my friend Daniel and taken to a gorgeous hotel in Kampala. I'm coming back here later this weekend, so I will post pics then. Love to you all. 

Days 1-5

I have been super disconnected and it has been glorious! I wrote this blog earlier, but I was not connected to wifi and it erased. I'm going to try to post periodically, but I will post the rest of my pics when I get home. My journey over was easier than normal with few delays. I did arrive about an hour later in Entebbe and of course my friends were anxiously awaiting me. After the Ebola checks and immigration, I found my luggage and my friends. It was so great to see them. I relaxed with Sam and Jenny for a few days while I recovered from the long journey. They took great care of me. 

On Saturday I hitched a ride with Sam and his team into Kampala to watch his team play a game an wait for my bus. The games are running late because of the rain, so we caught a boda to find a forex so I could change money. The money rate has increased here and I got UGX 3,157 to $1. You feel really rich when you exchange money here. Then, I went back to Wandegeya to watch the boys play. The won and it was so much fun to watch them play. 

After the game, we took another boda with my luggage through the streets of Kampala with my luggage an I only screamed once, okay maybe twice. Those drivers are nice, but they weave in and out of traffic and there are huge vehicles everywhere. I arrived at the bus park in plenty of time to find 

Eric waiting for me to accompany me on my journey. Eric teaches up north in Kitgu and he had agenda a language conference in Kampala. These bus trip are not for the faint of heart. They are 9+ hours with luggage in the aisles, very hot, cramped, and crowded. It is a very uncomfortable journey, but I was thankful that I was not alone in my misery.

We arrived in Kitgum at 6 am and Eric dropped me at my hotel. This is one of my favorite places because it is cheap, clean, and has hot water. It costs about UGX 52,000, which is $13 per day. After resting, I had lunch of "pork and chips" for UGX 10,000 ($3) and linked up with the guys for a walk through the town. 

We headed to a local hotel that was supposed to have wifi, but they didn't, so we played pool instead. 

Then, the guys brought me home and I prepared for bed. Tomorrow I get to see our former students in action at their schools. 

Leaving On a Jet Plane...

Nothing get me more exciting than planning a trip! I love everything about it, from the packing to the last minute Target runs to putting my newspaper on hold. I love it all. I am a habitual list maker, so before going on a trip, there are so many lists all over the house. I also like to buy lots of gifts, so I am always running all over the place like a chicken with my head cut-off, trying to find the best, inexpensive gifts. I love picking out gifts for friends and my sponsor child. It is so much fun because I know what they like and what they need. I bought seeds for one of my friends who loves to garden. I bought t-shirts for some of my favorite former students. I bought lots of baby clothes and things for a few friends who are having babies. I bought clothes for my sponsor child. It is fun to buy things for people. It is seriously one of my favorite things.

I also did a lot of errands this week, such as going to the bank, dentist appointment, shopping, library, and packing up my classroom. It is funny the way people respond when you tell them you are getting ready to go to Africa. They always assume you are doing some mission work, but when I tell them I am just going for vacation, they are very confused. I mean, yes, I am working with an organization and visiting some schools, but I am not a missionary - far from it! I just go to reunite with my friends and disconnecting from the busyness and overwhelming consumerism here in the U.S.

I have planned an exciting itinerary this time and hope I get to see all of my friends. I am planning to catch up with my friends in Mukono this weekend and then head up to Kitgum. Kitgum is one of my favorite places. It is not easy to get there and reach it by a long bus ride, but it is worth every minute of the journey. One of my students is going to come down and ride up with me. I love Kitgum. It is hot, but the area is very peaceful and quiet. I also don't feel like a freak because people are used to seeing white people there because of all of the NGOs during the war.

After my time up north, I am going to head back down to Kampala and meet with one of my favorite authors. I want to do some editing work with her and she always has some amazing books for me. I can't wait to see her. Then, I will spend some more time with friends in Mukono before I head off to Rakai where I work with an organization called Rakai Orphans Hope Project (ROHP). I want to spend plenty of time there so that we can strategize about the organization and where we want to go in the future. Rakai is also quiet and easy going. There is a resort that I like there and I hope to relax a bit. We will also visit schools and homes of our sponsor children.

Then, it will be back to the U.S. where I will relax for a few days until dad and I head to the Grand Canyon. I am purposefully not taking my computer to Uganda, so that I can disconnect and relax a bit. I am going to read and live a lot of life while I am there. I may blog, but it depends on the wifi availability, if I post.