Mentorship
Trip Start
Jun 22, 2008
1
18
36
Trip End
Jul 31, 2008
Gulu,
Uganda
Thursday, July 10, 2008
of the IC mentorship program, nothing was guaranteed. I was set to meet with
Francis at the IC offices around 9 am. I arrived around 8:55. The secretary
called Francis in; and after finding transportation, we were set to go. I even
got my own helmet! My experience with motorcycles in Uganda has definitely been
positive.
We ventured to a very remote part of northern Uganda (on
the road to Sudan)
Crude Shelter
. By the time we arrived at our first house I thought we werein Sudan!! He used at least a quarter tank of gas! Pulling up to the straw huts
I felt like an indigenous Ugandan. I imagined what it would be like to live in
a completely self sustaining unit- pumping my own water, growing my own food,
and constructing my own shelters. Then I thought- would I value education? I
had all my immediate needs supplied. There were no major industries nearby with
promise of increased revenue. How would I advance my livelihood? Being here
gave me even more respect for the elders who put their children through school.
They were investing in something with no guarantee of return. This was
commendable.
The couple we met was ill
Empowered Women
. They were nevertheless quitehospitable. Speaking in Lwo they conversed with Francis about their
grandson-one of his mentees. Like a typical American, I was more engrossed with
the surroundings. I took pictures until my battery died. Upon returning from my
side trip Francis informed me that we had more visits to complete. We said good
bye to the Acholi and left or our next hut.
About 5 miles down the road was our next stop. We drove
through some chickens, goats (with very large balls), and roosters and were
greeted by 2 beautiful Acholi Children. We would leave however as soon as we
arrived since Francis' mentee was at school.
Since we were having little luck finding the mentees at
their homes, we decided to visit them at school
Transportation
. Alliance High School waslocated in close proximity to our starting point. This translated into a 40
minute boda ride which included a number of sights along the way. These
included bicycling commuters, sporadic livestock and convenience stores.
We arrived at the school at approximately 11:30 Am and
waited in the front office for three of Francis' mentees. I became antsy-
Especially since there was a tribal ceremony going on in the school field. I
asked Francis if I could check it out for 10 minutes. He replied "It is ok"
(Acholi use this phrase all the time). How exciting! Maybe the students would
let me play the drums! They were of course excited to see a Mzungu enjoying
their cultural celebration and therefore put on quite a show
Try me
. A group of thembeat on small drums while a more experienced player created a general rhythm
with the large central drum. As they played they danced in a counterclockwise
motion. The description does injustice to the real impact of the procession.
Look for the video for a more real experience.
I could only refrain from playing for so long. They soon
asked me to join, and I became a dancing Acholi! They got a kick out of my
antics. I of course exaggerated every movement, rhythm and action. I had two
motives for such over- acting: Having fun and convincing the Acholis that not
all "Mzungu" were rhythmically challenged. I soon moved from the outer circle
to the inner circle- a clear rite of passage
What a dump
. I was now the drummer whodictated the movement of the music. Some songs I created, others I covered- the
best of which was "In the Jungle" (Lion King). I swear that along with perfect
rhythm, Acholis were also born with perfect pitch. Every one of them was SPOT
on the melody. It was amazing! After singing the chorus one time through they
had already mastered it!
After our 10 minute "Jam session" I returned to the front
office to meet the mentees. One was named Charles and the other OKELLO!!! My
namesake! We exchanged stories centered on education while also exploring our
common interests and beliefs. They were truly inspiring! They were the two
students that IC awarded full scholarships. Clearly, they were making the best
of their opportunity!
After saying good- bye to my new friends, Francis took me
back to Christ the King. Here I changed and left on foot for Pope Paul VI.
Although my class wasn't until 3 pm, I wanted to do some preparation with
James. I arrived at school at around 1 pm to learn that James had just left for
town. I graded papers with Jimmy (Adam's partner teacher) to kill time until
James returned. An hour later James arrived and we planned our lesson. The lesson
would center on the mineral resources found in East Africa. Lunch arrived
shortly thereafter. Guess what it was?? The SAME thing we have every day-
posho, rice and beans! Yes!
I was so excited for our lesson. Although lunch
officially ends at 3 pm, I was in the room at 2:55. James and I set up our map
as students entered the classroom. The class was full by 3 pm with only a few
students straggling behind. I was SO excited! We prepared diligently for this
lesson, and my instincts told me that this would be the most innovative James
had ever taught.
To expose them to
mineral resources, I told them a story of digging for gold everyday in the
creek bed by my house. I confessed that while I dug religiously I never found
anything! "Until one day" (at that point I removed a shiny rock from my pocket
to represent gold). James then chimed in about the value of mineral resources
and the fact that East Africa contained many. We explained to the students that
while they would not be mining for materials in East Africa, they would be
mining in the "bucket of beans." You see we had created a small scale mine with
beans and artificial "raw materials." These "raw materials" took the form of
mineral resources written on pieces of paper with descriptions on the back.
Groups would mine for these materials. Once uncovering a
raw material, they would create a list detailing its possible uses. This
process was of course facilitated by the pictures we provided them of the
uncovered material. James and I then circulated around the room ensuring that
students both had a material and could infer its usefulness.
After 10 minutes we brought their attention to the front
where a map of East Africa was displayed. This map displayed the three East
African countries with symbols for the natural resources found therein. Based
on the location and frequency of these materials, students would have to infer
the names. We had time to go over one- coal. The coal group then reported the
value and uses of coal. I was quite impressed. They explained how coal fueled
several industries including heating, providing tar for roads, and creating
electricity. The bell rang right as this group finished their description. We
bid the class farewell and assured them that we would finish the lesson next meeting.
Yeah baby! The lesson went well and my teacher was
empowered! He was like a new person! I really think he is enjoying this
cultural exchange. He is taking risks as a teacher that he may have previously
thought impossible. He is also helping me. I am learning how to affectively
interact with his pupils, and more importantly, how to integrate into his
culture.
To further integrate I decided to run into town and find
a basketball game. Town was approximately 5 miles away along a windy road! I
again would become the RAINMAKER (in my head). Everyone waved as I passed. Some
even called me by name. "Okello!" I didn't mind the popularity.
I found my game a km from town (less than a mile). Big
John was already leading the troops! They welcomed me to the game and placed me
on the more advanced team. We put on a show including alley oops, behind the
back passes and three point bombs!
After our game I bid the Acholis farewell and headed to
town. Here I purchased some Fantas, looked endlessly for some Chipote (of which
I never found) and found a boda back to Christ the King. Upon returning, I
showered and joined the meeting that had just started in the family room. Amy
was there to explain the itinerary for the rest of our time in Uganda. We
signed up for the rhino safari, updated her on the food situation, and received
feedback regarding our teaching partnerships. At the tail end of our meeting,
the food came....
The food to this point was bland and redundant. It was
the most predictable part of our experience. We knew we would be receiving something
involving beans and rice- EVERY NIGHT! Tonight was different however! There
were no beans and rice in sight. Dinner consisted of grilled pepper and onions,
fish, and get this...FRIES!! Omg! French Fries! I was in heaven.
Needless to say, dinner filled me up. It was a good
feeling. A feeling I had been deprived of for too long. I carried this feeling
to bed and enjoyed the most peaceful night of sleep thus far.
