Teaching and Party
Trip Start
Jun 22, 2008
1
22
36
Trip End
Jul 31, 2008
Gulu,
Uganda
Monday, July 14, 2008
may be a few details that are left out. I will try to keep you entertained!
Monday mornings are no different in Uganda. They are the
days farthest away from the weekends and mark the beginnings of long work
weeks. After rolling in bed for 10 minutes I finally gained the motivation to
arise. I downed two hard boiled eggs, some pineapple and left for Pope Paul. My
enthusiasm rose the closer I got to school
KSP/ NIle
. That's because I came to therealization that my first class was with the "Superstars" (Senior Two Green)!
This class was lively, energetic and bright! I planned the lesson during my
walk.
I arrived at school around 9:30 a.m. to find James
waiting. He was excited to see me. I gave him a hard time for missing the
American Picnic the day before. To him, he didn't miss anything as hot dogs
were no substitute for the Posho he had grown to love. We quickly transitioned
to work mode and fleshed out the lesson we would deliver in an hour. The lesson
was a follow up to the "mining" the students had done previously. Today, they
would compile lists of possible "uses" for each mineral resource. As I
contemplated the "resourcefulness" of such a lesson I came to the conclusion
that it needed more engagement
Safe?
. Therefore, I included an endeavor in metaphorswith the students creating a "pipeline" to represent the benefactors of mining.
This pipeline would give the visual students a life line into an otherwise very
complex topic.
Feeling very pleased with myself upon entering class
precisely on time. Based on the initial reaction from students, they did not
share my pleasure. I was soon informed that I was 40 minutes late. Shit! Again,
I had misread the schedule. The class was a double period. James did not even
accompany me to share the blame as he was called to solve a discipline problem
in the headmaster's office. Oh well. Time was now even more precious. I
distributed the mineral resources to the appropriate groups and we began our
discussion of their uses
T.I.A.
. After about 30 minutes of discussion I turned thestudents loose to create their metaphors for how the resources would benefit
the Ugandan economy. They struggled with this concept. One student took the
assignment quite literally- creating voltage within the pipelines to encourage
the flow of electricity. Chuckling I explained the idea of metaphors. I asked
him to explain to me what he loves. Like most students, he was most passionate
about Futbol. I then explained that Futbol "was the liberation of his mind from
daily tasks." He understood this use of metaphor and soon applied it to the
pipeline he drew. I felt satisfied.
Students soon became restless. Arising to their feet they
made their impatience known. Little did I know that it was time for morning
tea. My response was typical. I tried to become even more inspiring- hoping
this inspiration would encourage them to stay. However, when James returned,
insisting the whole school was taking its break, not even Robin Williams of
Dead Poet's Society could divert the class' attention. I dismissed the students
in my most fluent Lwo and looked forward to seeing them tomorrow.
In actuality I was quite glad it was time for tea. I had
some errands to attend to in town. After saying good bye to James I boda'd to
Ma's computers to check my bank account balance and e-mail. Following Ma's I
walked to Kope Café for some much anticipated lunch. Kope Café is perhaps the
most infamous eatery in town. This is clearly evident upon arrival- every
Mzungu in town seems to find their way there.
It's also a notorious Invisible Children hang out. I met all the big
wigs of the organization. Kristy and Deane explained their multitude of
experiences in northern Uganda, detailing every major change the area had
undergone. They insisted that a year ago Gulu had only one bank and a few
sporadic businesses. At present, the area is home to three major banks and a
variety of businesses. They attributed the economic development to three major
factors: Periods of peace, foreign investment, and the work of NGO's. I will
discuss each accordingly. Gulu experienced a long period of peace because of
the absence of the LRA. This rebel group lost its foothold in Gulu as the
genocide it conducted received international attention. At present, the group
is in the Congo basin where there is marked instability and disillusion. Gulu
has also experienced increased foreign investment in the area. That's because
northern Uganda is a hot bed for development. It is rich in natural resources
and unspoiled in its topography. Some enterprising Ugandans have been the
benefactors of such realities, providing local knowledge to foreign capital.
Lastly, northern Uganda has been transformed by NGO's. These "Non- Governmental
Organizations" include Invisible Children, UNICEF, Invisible Child and several
others. The objectives of these organizations were simple: Provide basic
necessities to Ugandans so they could focus their endeavors on finding
employment. Once finding employment, economic development of the country would
be inevitable. It's classic Econ 101: Focus your economic efforts on a micro
level, and benefits would abound also on the macro level.
Always dedicate an hour to a Ugandan meal. This is the
approximate wait time between when you order and actually receive your food.
The ordering of the steak sandwich at Kope was no exception. Meanwhile I had to
watch the others devour their food since they called it in. Dope! I passed time
by both reading the paper and making small talk with the "big wigs."
Upon finishing my meal I said good- bye to my new friends
and headed back to Pope Paul for Session II. I was not as excited for "Manchester
United" as I was the "Superstars" since they were more hesitant, un- engaged
and at times disruptive. I tried to imagine overcoming these challenges, in
turn facilitating a more enjoyable class.
My imaginative creativity paid off! The class became more
engaged with each passing minute. By the time they had the opportunity to
reveal their feelings regarding the Land Schemes, they could barely contain
themselves. I concluded that inner- class competition unleashed their inner
desire to succeed.
Many students wanted an additional lesson following
class. They had so many questions regarding history and the "way the world
worked." They followed me to a big tree where I began this post- lesson. The
experience was reminiscent of the days in which Socrates instructed Plato
without the constraint of four walls. They asked me every question they NEVER
had answered. "Should we trust the
government?" "Should we trust the United States?" "Why are our schools in such
poor shape?" The lesson could have gone well into the night had it not been for
my prior commitments. I was scheduled to attend a "Schools for Schools"
function at Acholi Inn.
The function was not worth describing. I will say however
that it provided a great drinking opportunity. Sarah, Allison and I consumed
our first shots of the trip. We followed the Jose Cuervo with iconic Nile
Beers. It was a perfect combination. Holyfield's deadly right- left hook paled
in comparison.
Our truck arrived at 10 pm to bring us back to Christ the
King. We carried out tradition by singing the whole way home.
Sleep came shortly thereafter foreshadowing a great night
of dreams and contentment.
