Some of you might be wondering exactly what I’ve been doing since my last comprehensive blog post. I’ve been out teaching in Anaka for five weeks. If you were adventurous enough to read my teaching reflections you will be well versed in my successes and struggles with teaching here in Uganda. Those of you whose eyes became droopy at the mere mention of dialogue and critical pedagogy, I empathize with you. I put myself to sleep reading them as well.
For me (ha! I’m a true Ugandan now!), the last three weeks of the teacher exchange were even better than the first three. I felt much more at home in my school and students were starting to understand me as I spoke. We went on an incredible safari - a game drive safari on top of our mutatus & Land Cruisers and then a river safari down the Nile. I cannot describe how incredible it was to be up close to hippos and giraffes and loads of other animals. Thankfully, I’ve stolen Lindsey’s blog post about the safari so if you can read more about the experience and see pictures of the animals.
The weekend that group one went home was bittersweet. I was excited to be back in Gulu and pick up some of my new African wear and use the internet for the first time in two weeks. It was difficult to say goodbye to group one. They are a pretty amazing group of teachers.
It seemed empty at the house in Gulu with only 16 teachers instead of 30. If I have learned nothing else on this exchange, I can definitely say I’ve learned how to live and coexist peacefully with 29 other people. Living in community is challenging and rewarding all at the same time. There is always someone to talk to, someone to walk with on the “secret forest path” to town, someone to order pizza with from San Kofa Cafe, someone to discuss teaching with or to share the couch with as you read a good book. I have to say the conversations we have in community living range from great books to read, to teaching strategies, to whether or not Will Smith has any talent. I love this place! However, you must remember you are not the only one living here and keep the noise down, try to clean up after yourself, and overall be considerate of others.
Us in group two headed to the Rhino Sanctuary for a weekend getaway. I have to admit that compared to the three day safari nature hike I took in South Africa, the rhino sanctuary was pretty anti-climactic. We walked for about five minutes and saw a mother white rhino and her baby. In South Africa, our group walked right into a group of rhinos and their babies in the wild. In Uganda, there are no rhinos in the wild because of poaching. The Rhino Sanctuary was only started in the last ten years to breed rhinos and eventually create a herd that can be released into the wild.
The weekend itself was great. We stayed at the sanctuary and they had flush toilets AND showers! As much as I don’t mind latrines or bucket baths, western plumbing makes me feel at home somehow. Group two had a chance to bond at the sanctuary eating a three course Ugandan meal for supper, singing some solid karaoke to Back Street Boys and other favourite 90s bands, and a chance to debrief our teaching experiences from the last few weeks.
I returned to Anaka ready for another great week of teaching, and loaded up with peanut butter and bread. My hunger is insatiable here for some reason. My last full week of teaching was by far the best. My teachers and I tried some new strategies for engaging the students in the science material. I was blown away by how successful such simple things as using a football to pass around to students as they share the answers can be.
I’ve been sick a few times here in Uganda, but nothing too serious until our last weekend in Gulu. I had a bacterial infection for a few days, but it was easily treated with a traveller’s favourite antibiotic: cipro. Is it that North Americans are not built as tough or is it that we are just not used to the food and different bacteria here?
The weekend was amazing. We went to HEALS, a non-profit organization that aims at developing children's potential through educational play. All fifteen of us North American teachers played games with the children and watched the children’s traditional Acholi dancing. We got to learn how to dance much to the kids’ delight! I wish we would have gone to HEALS earlier as it is a place I would have liked to return to. Please check out their website or facebook page as this organization does amazing work with children here in Gulu. www.jollysdreamheals.com
That evening we killed a chicken for supper and ate it and Kraft Dinner. I am going to have to say it was the most delicious Kraft Dinner I’ve ever eaten. Sunday afternoon we went to a place called The Recreation Project with our team teachers to develop team building. We played team building games on the ropes course and took a rip on the zip line. I had to climb with a harness and a belayer twenty-five feet up a tree to the zip line platform. I was nervous, but I knew this would be good practice for bungee jumping so I leaped off the platform and zoomed through the forest hanging upside down. Love it!
The Recreation Project was started about five years ago in the middle of a forest: [The Recreation Project’s Description of their Program]:
Young people in northern Uganda were born into a conflict zone. Since 1986, the Lord’s Resistance Army has abducted and killed tens of thousands of young people and displaced nearly 90% of the population in northern Uganda. Relative peace has finally come to the region and the youth who have endured this conflict are now in charge of rebuilding a hopeful future.
While young people in northern Uganda remain extremely resilient in overcoming adversity, the conflict has caused significant psychosocial and economic hardship. Lack of opportunity for education and employment are widespread, yet the youth are working tirelessly to consolidate energy and resources to press forward. This is a rare opportunity to motivate youth to build a society of peace and stability.
The experiential learning model of The Recreation Project is one the most powerful and effective methods for teaching trust, self-belief, and hope. TRP uses a guided ropes course and outdoor adventure excursions as tools for learning. Young people who come to TRP encounter a radical change of scene that removes them from their daily routine and allows them to think new thoughts and use imagination to overcome obstacles at the ropes course and in their lives. They are having fun while internalizing the important life-skills and character-building skills needed to navigate a new landscape that for decades has been defined by war and conflict but through their energy and vision has the potential to thrive.
The Recreation Project is run entirely off of donations. Check them out at www.recreationproject.org.
My last week in Anaka. How fast the time here has gone. It seems like only a few days ago we were strangers invited to the first assembly to receive our Acholi names. It is a custom to “name” the North American teachers with an Acholi name while teaching in the region. [Ugandans have an Acholi surname and a Christian or English first name. ie. Opiyo Samuel and Oyoo Fred are my team teachers’ names]. Now it seems natural to hear people calling me “Aber” or Madame Aber Lanna. The name means “beautiful”. I think I received this Acholi name because it sounds a lot like my last name, Abbott.
It is also funny to remember first meeting my team teachers and feeling very shy. Now it seems so natural to see them and teach with them each day. It is strange to think about teaching on my own, without Samuel and Fred, when I am back in Canada.
Our school set up a trip for us North American teachers and our team teachers to a town called Pakwach in the West Nile region of Uganda. We hopped onto the school bus and headed across the beautiful landscape to the Albert Nile. We wandered around a secondary school in Pakwach, went down to the river to watch people fish, met Lawrence’s family in Pakwach, and stopped for refreshments. We saw elephants, giraffes, water buffalo, and gazelles. The Ugandans were more excited about seeing the animals than we were I think! I am glad to know that one does not grow weary of seeing African animals in the wild.
I had an amazing conversation with one my team teachers, Fred, on the bus. He told me his story, and for the first time, an Ugandan asked me to share my story. It was really touching. I’ve never had anyone ask me to tell them my story before. I had to think long and hard about what my story is. I realized that I have a beautiful life story to share, too.
Fred brought his one and a half year old son on the trip named Mark. Him and I are buddies now. I am hoping that someday him and Alice, my niece of the same age, can become pen friends. He reminds me of Alice the way he squeezes the back of arm while I carry him. I had one teacher tell me I looked very natural carrying Mark and that if I had an Acholi husband he could very well be my son! Always scheming to get the North Americans to stay in Uganda!
Our last day in Anaka was very touching. They had a special lunch prepared for us and speeches for us. “I don’t have very much to say and I do not want to waste any time...” And then the speeches go on for a minimum of five minutes each. I did not realize how much we were loved and appreciated in our school until these speeches. They thanked us for travelling all the way to Uganda to come and teach at Pope Paul VI Secondary School, for sacrificing that time away from our families.
We gave a response toast to the head teachers and the teachers. Ariel, my roommate for the last five weeks, did the honours. I could not have put it more eloquently myself (and I am terrible thinking and speaking on my feet):
Here in Uganda, I always hear people saying “I don’t have much to say,” when they begin a speech. Well, I really DON’T have much to say. First of all, thank you all for welcoming us into your school community. We truly did feel at home. When we first found out that we would be coming to Anaka, we asked our coordinator, Catherine, what Anaka would be like. She told us, “Anaka is like heaven.” We were here for only a short while before we understood what Catherine had meant. This is a beautiful place, and we were blessed to spend our time here with you. Even though each of us has had our moments of being ill or adjusting, we have loved the environment here. Regarding our partner teaching experience, we all feel like we have learned more than we have given or taught. We will go back to our home schools stronger teachers because of what we have learned and experienced here.
We had our final roundtable, or group discussion with North American and Ugandan team teachers, on our last day in Anaka. We had a chance to each share what we learned from our team-teaching experiences. It was the first time I realized what an impact I made while I was here. When my two teachers each shared they were bursting with excitement. They had learned many strategies in university and at conferences. Because I was there to work with them, they’ve now had a chance to use these strategies in the classroom, and see how effective they can be.
It was hard saying goodbye to Anaka: to our team teachers (I cried when I hugged them goodbye), the other teachers we had built relationships with, our school, the students, Jacob’s house, the parish, the fathers at the parish. Thursday was a pretty emotional day. Our mutatu was packed down with six weeks worth of stuff and I caught my last glimpse of Anaka as we drove away... leaving heaven. Hopefully I will be able to come back again someday.
One and half days in Gulu. Internet, the market, packing, re-packing, trying to find a bank with an ATM that is working... I visited the Wawoto Acel - a fair trade arts and crafts cooperative. It was founded in 1997 as an effort to empower the marginalized, and to improve their household income at the height of the war in Northern Uganda. The name “Wawoto Kacel” is from the local indigenous langauge, Luo, meaning walking together. Today, there are 150 members of the cooperative. The majority of members are females who are HIV positive. Some members are disabled, single parents, orphans, or former LRA captives. Working in the cooperative ensures a major and stable source of income to the members and their families, offering them a dignified standard of living. The cooperative draws its strength from many dedicated and creative members who work hard to satisfy the ever-changing nature of art and fashion.
While I was there at the cooperative I saw many different arts and crafts sections: tie and dye, banana reed cards, banana reed weaving, tailoring and embroidery, and jewelry making. Wawoto is one place I felt excited about buying my Christmas presents from. Corporate America be warned: my Christmas shopping is finished!
My last day in Gulu: I taught a career development session at Awere school with two other North American exchange teachers. It was my favourite lesson that I have taught while in Uganda. It might be because we were talking about students’ favourite things to do and how that could translate into a career. I am glad I could use my career development skills in some form while here. Team-teaching with other North Americans was unreal! I was able to see how they used their voice and different techniques in order for the Ugandan students to understand. I saw how they interact and related with the students here. I think it would be extremely valuable to team-teach more with other teachers at home...
We had our last dinner altogether in Gulu at our favourite restaurant, Abyssinia, Ethiopia. As always, the injera and array of vegetable dishes was delicious and the conversation was delightful. Us teachers had a chance to say a hilite from teaching and a hilite outside of teaching from the exchange program. My hilite teaching was the final roundtable and hearing about the small strategies I helped implement with my two team teachers. My teachers seem to be really excited about these strategies and want to keep using them in the future. I was unsure of the difference, if any, I had made here until we had that final roundtable.
Outside of teaching, my hilite was getting to know the fathers and seminarian at the parish in Anaka. We had such rich conversation each night at the supper table and I felt I got to know about Uganda in a very natural way. Also, being surrounding by like-minded North American educators has been brilliant. No matter who you are with on this exchange, you are guaranteed to have a great time and learn a lot about teaching. I feel like I was a part of an organically developed Professional Learning Community for six weeks. This PLC is one I will miss, surely.
Leaving Gulu the next day was difficult. Goodbye compound, goodbye red dirt, goodbye bodas, goodbye market, goodbye Gulu. A long drive to Kampala. We hit up the craft market for gifts, and then headed to Jinja for the evening.
I cannot describe Sunday using words. I went bungee jumping over the Nile River. Sure, my whole body was tense and my mind was wondering, “Lanna, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”, but I jumped! FORTY-FOUR METRES! I also went on a wild afternoon of river rafting on the Nile River! Our guide, Josh, was from Canada and he said “eh” a lot. I wonder if he said it to be charming or because he is from Ontario...
River rafting on the biggest commercially rafted rapids in the world: exhilarating! I cannot think of a better way to finish this teacher exchange than navigating the Nile River with my new North American teacher friends. On the last rapid, we flipped our boat and plunged down the rapids grasping our paddles and gulping for air between massive swells of water. I am sure glad we flipped, but I think for a few minutes there, none of thought we’d make it back to North America alive.
Sooner than we’d like, we were back in Kampala for our last supper in Uganda. A delicious meal, great conversation, then rushing back to our hotel to ensure our suitcases were fifty pounds or less.
I had an interesting journey home. I stayed in Uganda one extra day; spending time with other exchange teachers walking Entebbe, eating Indian food, and processing our experience here. On Tuesday I flew to London, only to be greeted with riots. I had an overnight layover in London, but decided to stay in the Heathrow area and eat McDee’s instead of venturing into the city. I had a BATH, western food, TV, and traffic laws - everything I thought I'd been missing for six weeks - but instead of enjoying it I was missing Gulu.
Wednesday I flew from London to Toronto. The flight was over two hours delayed so I missed my connecting flight in Toronto. I tried to make the best of the situation. Sure, I’d be back home five hours later than expected, but at least I could sit and eat some Tim Hortons. It’s good to be back on Canadian soil! My flight did not get in until about 11:30 pm. I can’t describe how tired I was feeling after 48 hours of travelling... but I was sure glad to see my husband waiting at the bottom of those stairs!
So I am home in Canada, slowly adjusting to Saskatchewan time, running water, flush toilets, reliable electricity, traffic laws, Canadian money, living only with one other person... and many other things. I am trying to be HERE, wherever that may be, able to enjoy each minute. I will soon try and post a retrospective of what I have learned in Uganda. Now it is just nice to be back home with my family!
If you’d like to see pictures of my experience, check out my facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150236522083034.340715.508883033&l=1c829a04fd&type=1
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