Week One...

The long awaited update? I should stop promising updates and simply post as I have access to electricity, internet, and time to compile my thoughts. I have been here in Uganda for seven days now, and let me tell you - this place is remarkable! 

I flew from Edmonton to London and sat beside an incredible lady from back home in Saskatchewan, visiting her first grandchild in London. After arriving in London and waiting in the Heathrow Airport for many hours, I was told the flight was full and I had to wait on standby. I have never been more nervous for an hour and a half. I was supposed to meet up with the rest of the teacher exchange participants on this flight and I did not have a way to let them know what had happened. At 8:30pm I was finally told there was a seat for me on the plane to Entebbe. I cannot describe my relief; however, my flight was leaving at 9:15pm. It was like the movies, running through the Heathrow airport (now that I finally had a boarding pass and could go through security), catching a TRAIN to my gate and running up incredibly tall escalators. I finally made it to the gate covered with sweat as they were closing it. I took one look and my seat and realized it was worth the stress (possibly?). I’d been upgraded to business class! Personal pillow, blanket, socks, foot rest, toothbrush, 3-way reclining seats and my own personal TV. 

I was in a different section than the other participants, so after a somewhat restful flight I waited for them to de-plane the next morning. The participants are from all over North America, and there are two other Canadians! [Side note: we celebrated Canada-day today on July 1 in true Canadian style.] What is truly remarkable about the participants is what young, incredible educators they are. I have learned more in my seven days of formal and informal conversations with fellow teacher exchange participants and facilitators than I’ve learned in some courses in university!  

The first day in Uganda we drove from Entebbe to Kampala and checked into our hotel. We headed to Garden City, a local mall, to exchange our money and buy an Ugandan cellphone. I was incredibly tired, which made meeting all the other Group 2 exchange participants difficult. We were all feeling the jet lag as we tried to stay awake for the day in Kampala. Staying on local time makes the time change transition easier, but the first day is brutal. We had a brief introduction to life in Uganda and then headed out for a great teacher exchange tradition, supper at a local Indian restaurant. Already I felt at home with these people. There is something so invigorating about being around other like minded individuals. We all come from vastly different backgrounds, schools, and experiences, yet we have one important thing in common: a passion for teaching.

I can’t describe what an amazing sleep I had that first night under my mosquito net. I felt like a princess. The next morning we packed up and headed to the US Embassy where we met with meet members of USAID. We had an enlightening round table meeting with the Ugandan USAID team here, focussing especially on education development in Uganda. One member of the USAID team put it very eloquently “we are working with a moving target.” Aid in Northern Uganda, and likewise in other developing countries, is transforming from emergency aid to far-sighted, sustainable projects for long term development now that the civil war in Uganda has ended.

Next we headed to the Bavubuka Foundation, an youth empowerment centre in Kampala. “Welcome to our ghetto!” The foundation works to empower youth through music (hip hop, rap, and traditional), dance (break dance and hip hop), and visual art (screen printing, painting, and photography). We had a chance to watch the youth perform and see their art work. We met an amazing young man named Cyno who is raising money through his music for his heart. Check out this website if you’d like to learn more http://www.active.com/donate/Cynosheart. 

We left the insane streets of Kampala (I am not joking - there is no such thing as lanes or traffic lights. It’s a free for all) and drove to our home for the next six weeks - Gulu. The trip took about five hours. We saw a lot of the countryside, crossed the Nile River (amazing! I can’t wait to river raft on it), and ran into some monkeys and baboons. We arrived at “the compound” that has been rented in Gulu for the Teacher Exchange Participants to live in for the six weeks here. I will post pictures of the house we are staying in. We were welcomed whole-heartedly by group one who has been in Gulu for two weeks already. 

Our home is in a small village on the outskirts of Gulu. Here is the sign posted in each one of our washrooms: “If it is yellow, let it mellow. If it brown go and squat over the ground.” We have pit latrines out in the back of our compound. We do have toilets and showers, but because of small pipes and a limited amount of water we do not shower or flush often. Baby wipes it is! 

I love what an active group we are. There is a group of us that head to Pece Stadium each morning to run and do resistance and body weight training. I am honestly impressed with my own tenacity. I HATE running and waking up early but I’ve done that three days in a row and felt terrific, even with only a baby wipe “shower.” 

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were spent in orientation sessions. We took a tour of the Invisible Children office here in Gulu. I cannot tell you how surreal it was to see what they are doing in person! I’ve watched a lot of the media from Invisible Children and here I am in Gulu meeting these people and learning about the programs running here on the ground that I’ve only ever saw in videos before. I have a huge amount of respect for the organization because they are not focussed on short term solutions, but sustainable projects planned and executed by the local people. Check out www.invisiblechildren.com if you want to learn more!

Our other training sessions have been about the Acholi Culture & Customs, Education in Northern Uganda, Living & Teaching During the Conflict, Luo Language, Extracurricular Activities and Clubs. I honestly feel this is such a great program because of the extensive training we have going into it. We are anxious to get into our schools and get teaching, but we understand the value of this orientation first.

We have had a great number of opportunities to travel around Gulu and explore the local market, restaurants, and shops. My favourite experience has been riding a “boda boda” on my way home from town. Bodas are a form of taxi - you hop onto the back of a motorbike and catch a ride wherever you need. You may find me on a motorbike when I am back in Canada, that’s how much I enjoy it! 

We met our partner Ugandan teachers at a special supper and dance the other night. I am partnered up with Fred, Geoffrey, and Samuel who teach Physics, Biology & Chemistry respectively. The Ugandan teachers taught us some of their traditional Acholi dances. It was pretty amazing - I feel like a great dancer here! 

The last few days we’ve had free to explore town and visit the children in two local orphanages. Yesterday I went to an orphanage called Mother Theresa’s. The other “munus” (foreigners/white people) and I played games with the children. I never realized before how educational “What time is it Mr. Wolf” can be. We will be visiting St. Jude’s, another orphanage, this afternoon. 

I head out to my school, Anaka, tomorrow morning. I very excited to meet my students and observe my partner teachers! I will post again when I am back in Gulu next weekend.