Ask and You Shall Receive

Last Sunday, Doreen and I spent the afternoon looking through her photos from the past year. She stopped to tell me about her connections to Canada and about the many members of her family, near and far. More often than not, however, I found myself mesmerized by images of vibrantly clad women celebrating the marriage of a friend or family member.

Now, I’ll be honest, I’ve only been to a few weddings in my lifetime, but these snaps got me thinking, and I quickly decided that during my stay in Uganda I’d like to see a wedding. I proposed the idea to Doreen, knowing that back home this request might seem intrusive and assuming, but per usual Doreen was receptive to the idea and promised I’d get to a ceremony soon.

I don’t know what took her so long, but yesterday (just four days after her promise), I found myself front and center at a Ugandan wedding! We didn’t know the couple or even really where we were, but the celebration was incredible.

We had to be at Rwentutu until 3:00 that afternoon, so unfortunately we missed the formal marriage ceremony. BUT when we did arrive, we were just in time for the food, drinks, and dancing. How could you go wrong, right? We were immediately handed plates filled with food and ushered to our seats directly in front of the wedding party. (Typical Muzungu life: show up to a wedding uninvited and find yourself in the best seats in the house.)

While we ate…

with our hands,

a few things happened:

The groom’s mother gave a speech for the bride.

I made friends with this firecracker.

The groom presented the bride with a marriage necklace.

A group of local students performed.

The wedding cake display was essentially lit up like the 4^th of July.

And, the bride ceremoniously said good-bye to her brother.

It can be difficult sometimes to accept the selfless generosity of the people here, but once again Uganda has opened its arms and heart to us and all we can do is say wasingya—thank you.

Blasphemously Belated

I cannot believe it took me SO long to post this entry, but I will admit it should be worth the wait.

The weekend before last, the girls, Samson, and I took a trip to a beautiful hotel near Queen Elizabeth National Park—the place we’ll be going on safari sometime early next month. We wanted to go for a swim and had heard that this hotel’s pool was the best around. 

The view from the deck speaks for itself.

It was a picturesque day before the rain rolled in.

Doreen! :)

Okay! Okay! Now onto the good stuff. 

Drum roll please.

On our way through the park weee…saaaw….

AN ELEPHANT!

 …and on the return trip, we spotted

TWO more!

Plus a million cob,

some bufflers,

and a wart hog!

Annnd, then we fed a group of baboons walking in the street.

In this case, the journey was definitely better than the destination.

Orange is the new Charter

SO, after an immensely frustrating, weeklong battle with Orange (our African Internet provider), I have finally regained access! The fact that I can be on the web at all while I’m here is actually pretty incredible, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much. There’s just a bit more to be said now with another full week behind me.

Aside from the technical difficulties, my first week of lead teaching went swimmingly! All of my P2 students have finally reported and none have been chased, which is what happens if they don’t pay their school fees. Now that all of my students are accounted for, the biggest challenge I’ve run into has been helping students adjust to my unfamiliar teaching style. The kids here are extremely well behaved but at times have trouble authentically applying themselves to the material because they are so used to memorization and regurgitation. No doubt, this can at least partially be attributed to language acquisition, but nevertheless they have been working hard and are definitely making progress!

Here are a few snaps from the week!

Alfred, Dorica, and Godwin hard at work.

First homemade visual for the classroom

Story problems for days!

Rockin it out.

To celebrate the completion of our first lead week, we decided to take a daytrip to Fort Portal on Saturday. We’d only been once before on our way into Kasese but were eager to get back for their highly coveted “Italian” pizza.

Before we got around to lunch though, we were able to explore some caves close to town and take a hike in the neighboring mountains. 

One cave in particular led to this hidden gem...

and of course, we had to get our feet wet.

We also took a pit stop at a crater lake

and finally saw the famous Crested Crane! (Uganda's National Bird)

All-in-all, Africa has been fantastic so far! It's unbelievable that in only 40 days it will all have to come to an end, BUT until then we still have so much more to do and see; hopefully beginning with our long-awaited chicken slaughter. (Long story short, the chicken previously gifted to us escaped the compound and was caught pecking around in a neighboring field, which unfortunately meant that someone else killed him before we got the chance.)

Bukyayi for now!

A Week of Firsts

I think it’s safe to say that after a week of chickens in the house, improvised dinner recipes, balcony a cappella, and far too many episodes of The O.C., we are finally settling into life in Kasese. We’ve met a number of locals, explored the rustic neighborhood, and even built up enough confidence to travel to the market alone. 

The vibrancy of the Kasese market

Beans and rice for sale

Now, as most, if not all of you know, the reason for my African-excursion was not solely to climb mountains and share colorful dance moves with innocent locals. (Hard to believe, I know.) Instead, it’s been my privilege to accept an invitation to teach at Rwentutu Christian School—a rural primary school in a village bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Our first week at Rwentutu has been filled with warm welcomes and encouraging conversations.

Top students in Primary 5 raise flags at the assembly
 welcoming students and teachers to third term.

Each day the American, Canadian, Ugandan, Rwenzururu Kingdom, 

and Wisconsin flags are hoisted above the school's central courtyard.

After a week of observation, conversation, and deliberation, the four of us have each selected a grade placement. I will be teaching literacy and math in the Primary 2 classroom and could not be more excited!

My classroom for the next 7 weeks!

During our time at Rwentutu, we’ll be working closely with the faculty in order to compare methods and challenge our practices. In a meeting today, the Deputy Headmaster, King James, put it well, saying that we are all like pieces of metals. At times, we each assume the role of the file—jagged and demanding. At others, we are more like the sword—pointed and sharp. As educators, we are all working towards a common goal, but without the file, the sword could not attain such incisiveness.

No surprise that such wisdom came from a man in a Badger shirt. 

Now that we’ve found some semblance of a routine, I’m eager to dive into lesson planning and instruction. The coming weeks are sure to test my flexibility and creativity but are also certain to push me to become a better educator.

Let the fun begin!

Oh, and before I bombard you with kid pictures, let me make note that this afternoon we were gifted a chicken—now named Ovechkin—by a P6 student at school and have made plans to slaughter it on Sunday.  Wish us luck, and GO BADGERS!

The students love cameras. 

Donated ball number 1 has survived an entire week!

P1's got hops!

Christopher with his signed response letter from President Obama.

They have my heart. :)