Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Man House

So last week, Mr. Odoi left to return to his home village in Tororo and took his two daughters with him, leaving his three sons here to fend for themselves for two weeks! This has happened several times before, apparently it is no big deal. Kids are incredibly self sufficient here. They cook for themselves. They maintain the gardens. They clean the house. All on their own volition.


The three sons, Junior, Oumolo, and Sam stayed behind. I'm quite fond of Junior and especially Oumolo. He always has a gigantic smile on his face whenever we're around each other. He's courteous and curious and giddy. The three sons staying behind made our duplex paradise officially the "man house" for two weeks. I was actually more excited than most of you can imagine or understand about this. Haha.


From left to right: Sam, Junior, and Oumolo


School is out now and there are not a lot of people around where I'm at. There is something rugged and adventurous about the four of us just living on this homestead in the middle of East Africa together, alone. It brings forth amazing feelings of independence and mystery. And it's really amazing to see these three boys do all the work themselves without a parent here to give them chores and discipline them. They are very well behaved.


So, anyways, our newly reduced "man house" dynamic has been something I've truly enjoyed the past week. We've done a lot of manly things let me tell you. Such as gardening together. We cook together and eat outside while sitting on a reed mat on the ground underneath the crystal clear, African star scape (which is an amazing experience and one of my most cherished moments in Uganda thus far).


About to eat some delicious pork

After dinner, we have the opportunity to go the cinema (as my kids call it), which consists of my laptop, speakers, and a movie. We watch real intense manly films. So far it it has been Madagascar and Ice Age 3 (which was pretty decent but a far fall from its two predecessors). They love Madagascar! They recognize a lot of the animals and think it is hilarious that they can talk and have human voices. It's a good time.


They are incredibly timid and hesitant to take more food at dinner. This is the culture in Uganda, when the food is limited, the adults and largest children get most of the food, the little ones have to endure with what small portion they get. I know they have to be hungry because this is the only decent meal they get of the day. When we watch movies, they slowly walk into my house, afraid to intrude or disturb me. I welcome them in each time with open arms, but they are still very shy. A stark difference from children in America many times.


The boys are very humble. And in a country where you are constantly bombarded with people asking you for things, this attitude is more than welcome.


Nothing like a hefty mountain of millet bread to make you feel full and healthy


Running Through My Mind

One of my staple activities of village life is running. I say staple because it contributes so much to my life and happiness at site.


First of all, I enjoy the routine. I like getting up three to four times a week and running through my village, greeting the villagers, seeing the sun crest over the shadow of the foothills of Mt. Elgon and taking in the cool morning breeze.


I enjoy the workout. I love the way I feel when I've just finished a good run. If I still feel strong and energetic at the end of my run, it lets me know I'm in shape that day, which makes me feel good. If I feel weak and weary by the end, I know I have gotten a good workout.


I enjoy the time spent thinking. My runs lately have been ranging anywhere from 30 to 90+ minutes. This gives me a lot of time to think and process. Sometimes, I don't think at all. I simply take in the scenery and listen to the music I have loaded up on my iPod. But many times, I think about the day's activities. I come up with new ideas for activities or things to write about. I process feelings and emotions about my human relationships. I propose different approaches to the same problems I encounter here, both in my work and personal life.


In the moment though, mostly, I just enjoy the experience. I marvel at how lucky I am, really. To be here in this beautiful country doing one of my favorite things in life.


I love how the red, Ugandan soil is hard enough for running, but soft enough to help avoid running injuries. I love how cool the air feels as it blows against my body, desiccating my face and arms from sweat.


I love the bright white smiles contrasted against the dark, black faces I get from random Ugandans I pass by. I love greeting my own students as they walk to school. I love how I can tell they are my students solely by their uniforms.


I love seeing the primary students in their adorable little uniforms walk to school with their brothers and sisters, many of them holding hands or carrying books. I love how just about everyday I run, at least some of them will join me for my run, sometimes for miles at a time. It's a humbling experience to know that elementary aged kids can keep up with you for an extended duration, what can I say, these Ugandans are fit!


I love how some Ugandans just stare in confusion, wondering why you are expending energy unnecessarily, instead of doing something more tangible, practical, beneficial, like digging or washing. They have a concept of running for exercise, they just don't do it. But they don't need to either.


I love how many children will give me high fives, or should I say low fives, they're pretty short. I love how Ugandans will thank me for running. Yes, literally. "Thank you for running!"


I love how when I get far away from my home and thus stranger and stranger to the locals, people will literally just stare at me for literally minutes without breaking away and turn their heads as I pass by in a synchronized motion. I still get a kick out of this one, although sometimes it can be creepy, like zombies watching you in a graveyard.


I love, on a hot day, going up to the closest random borehole and sticking my head under the faucet as the kids pump water for me, splashing my face and drinking as much as I can without feeling like I'm going to vomit. The kids are elated with my presence and I thank them sincerely for pumping.


I love the views! From the open fields of lush savannah sprinkled with trees to the sunrises behind Mt. Elgon. Most of all though, I love thinking about how I will cherish the memory of this routine for the rest of my life.


At the end of my run, I walk a bit. I eventually retreat back to my house to find my neighbors still out digging or washing, their exercise. I stretch. And the forgotten reasons for my love and appreciation of water return to me as I quench my thirst.


I like that I have the time, flexibility, and opportunity to engage in such a meaningful exercise. I enjoy my morning strolls across the lawn on my way to school after a long run. One where I can still feel the pain in my leg muscles and know that they will ache even more after four hours of standing and teaching. I'm not a masochist, I just appreciate the routine emotion, however brief it may be.



Running with a parade of small followers

Friday, April 22, 2011

Term 3: Check

The first school term of 2011 and my third term teaching in Uganda has come to a close. The last two weeks were filled with teachers grading exams and hurriedly entering final grades into report cards (all done by hand) before the deadline. On Thursday, students filtered onto the school grounds on foot and bicycle from all directions, anxious to receive their one and only meaningful source of feedback for the term (a typical course has one test per term - at the end).


The turnout was pretty good! Most of the students showed up to pick up their report cards. I had made it a goal to finish marking all my exams and entering report cards by Tuesday. With the help of an obliging student teacher, I was successful.


Filling out report cards this term was a revelatory experience. As I turned through each page of the thick packet of report cards (each page representing a different student), I realized just how many students I never see. Some names I had never heard of. I try and take attendance and give quizzes throughout the term and still, I had not received anything from many of the names in this packet. It made me wonder where they were and what they were doing. What was their reason for not coming to school? Did they get married? Did they transfer to another school? Were they really sick? Did they just not feel like it? If they were a girl, did they get pregnant? I'll likely never hear the final answer for most of these students.


Last week the government of Uganda sent out a military official to every single USE (Universal Secondary Education) school to conduct a nationwide head count of all the students. The government wanted to know how many students were benefiting from its still very young and inchoate USE program. Officially, 637 students are registered at Kamuge High School. I would estimate the quotidian attendance to be far less than this number, maybe 20-25% lower.


I took this snapshot of our official student count. It's broken down by level, sex, and stream. Now, common sense would suggest that each stream would have roughly the same number of students. But they don't! Notice that S2 Blue has 55 while S2 Green has 81! Why the huge gap? I've asked my teachers several times if there is any discriminating criteria used to differentiate the students and create the streams. There are exactly none. It just is. Like many things that don't make sense. It just is. Getting used to and accepting this paradigm has been one of my most challenging struggles in Peace Corps.




Moving on, we had an assembly to ready the students for the head count exercise. Some teachers got up and made a few remarks. Mr. Odoi (English teacher and my next door neighbor) got up and spoke about the lack of a "reading culture" engrained within the students at Kamuge High School. He blamed the students for not taking advantage of the school library and chastised them, talking of their "flimsy excuses".


"Here, it's as if someone said we don't want Africans to have information, so we'll just put the information in books so they'll never discover it." I don't agree with this logic for obvious reasons, but the mere shock of hearing it humored my senses a bit. It also saddened me. These words isolate the students and make them feel as if they are an inferior group of human beings, "these students of Kamuge High". This reducing and destructive tone often dominates assemblies and is a misguided approach. And I see it in the attitudes and confidence of the students everyday! They don't think they are worth much and it shows. The lack of self esteem and assertiveness is epidemic amongst our student population. And I'm reminded of a quote I recently read.


While I was talking to some of the teachers about the challenges they face, one young teacher mentioned what she called the “These Kids Syndrome” - the willingness of society to find a million excuses for why “these kids” can’t learn; how “these kids come from tough backgrounds” or “these kids are too far behind.”

‘When I hear that term, it drives me nuts,’ the teacher told me. ‘They’re not “These kids.” They’re our kids.’

The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama


These words really brought to light my exact feelings on the way the students are managed here in Uganda. But it also shows that our struggles are universal. That they occur everywhere on the globe, from Uganda to America, provides a common sense of shared brotherhood, brings comfort, and thus peace.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Things Heat Up in the Pearl

If you've been following the news lately, you might have seen some headlines about Uganda. Opposition leaders have been arrested all week, some of them multiple times, for staging a Walk to Work/Walk to Church day to protest high fuel prices in Uganda. Police claimed they were "inciting violence". From everything I've read and heard, this is an outrageous lie and an oppressive abuse of state power. These people were simply trying to walk to work, there was no call to action, except the action of walking.


Anyways, I didn't really understand the whole stunt in the first place. I was told by some of my fellow Ugandans that Kizza Besigye, the main opposition leader, was trying to identify with the common man and gain their support. If you ask me it's a bit too late to be staging such acts right after an election where the incumbent candidate won an overwhelming majority of the popular vote, but whatever.


If you are trying to dissent against government, why protest something (commodity prices) that is not state controlled or even within the realm of government control? I think it was just another way for Ugandans to express their dissatisfaction. There have been many passionate and long discussions among my teachers this week regarding these protests.


My head teacher made a clever observation questioning why the government even chose to condemn and arrest these leaders for simply walking. In doing so, the government sends a signal that they think these leaders are a threat and could potentially cause serious havoc. Why not let them walk? Why give them all this publicity?


Things got out of hand on Thursday and Dr. Besigye ended up getting shot in the hand by a rubber bullet. Below is a picture of him at a news conference shortly after receiving medical care.


Seeing this picture of Besigye in his Ugandan-style cast stirred up some emotions within me. This is sad. The man was simply trying to walk to work that morning. He was doing nothing wrong, breaking no laws and he ends up being treated like an animal. I think being in country for a year and listening to my fellow teachers rail against the evils of Museveni has instilled within me some feelings of sympathy for opposition leaders.


These are simply people with new and different ideas on how to run and improve the country and best care for its people. My time here makes their effort and ideas important to me. And my interest and hope for their earned success escalates.

Why Development is So Difficult

While in Pallisa last weekend, I came across what was once the Pallisa Town Council Public Library. I'm told it was built a couple of years ago by a Peace Corps volunteer. It was stocked with plenty of books, computers, and other equipment.



Today, the library is closed. No one knows why. I asked a few people that worked around the area why it had closed. Know one came up with a reason that was either clear or sufficient enough to justify why the library was currently not operating. The closest thing resembling a decent answer was that the power system had been destroyed, but they didn't know how or why. A library can still provide many benefits even in the absence of power, so I considered this excuse to be insufficient.



This is a universal struggle with development efforts. To build something, while a great deed, is not good enough. For it to be successful, it must be able to endure and sustain itself even after it's creator long departs. It requires the community to be emotionally, physically, and preferably monetarily invested in the project to give them some incentive to see it through and maintain whatever result they gain from their investment. I'm sure this library was great when it was opened, but somewhere along the way some line was severed and that was it, the sustainability failed and you end up with a useless pile of bricks. So I may try to reopen this thing, who knows, if I can find someone who cares enough to keep it open once I'm gone. People here need books and information, I just don't understand.



Saturday, April 9, 2011

Unravelling the Pregnancy Mystery

I met with our local health center this morning to discuss a planned World Malaria Day event I'm facilitating on April 26th.


While there, I asked them about the pregnancy tests they conducted at my school. They informed me that they examine each girl, checking first their stomachs for any obvious signs of pregnancy, i.e. a belly.


Then, they check their breasts, specifically their nipples. They told me that once a girl/woman becomes pregnant, her nipples will darken. And she may form dimples around her nipples. They also squeeze the nipples to check for breast milk.


If, through any of these tests, they have any suspicion that a girl is pregnant, they bring them back to the health center for a urine test to confirm.

Sound good women?

HOW TO: Create a 7-Acre School Garden... in Uganda

Yesterday, I took a trip to Mbale with our school's Head of Department for Agriculture, Mr. Francis Kagodo to purchase supplies for our 7-acre planned plot of corn and beans. The intent of this project is both to give the students practical experience in agriculture and practice controlled experiments, testing different fertilizers, herbicides, genetically modified seeds, etc. as well as provide lunch for the students when the crop is mature enough to harvest, grind, and consume as posho and beans.

What is posho you say? It's raw corn ground up in a very fine flour, mixed with water and boiled at high heat to create a sort of chunk-like (can't think of any other way to describe it) food that you eat with beans. It's my least favorite food in Uganda. It's also what I eat everyday at my school.


Plow the fields, I think the kid is there just to look cool and hit the bulls


Buy seeds, in this case beans


Transport via ghetto wheel barrows

What are they tranporting you ask? Well, let me tell you...

4 - 50 kg bags of fertilizer, yeah, that's 440 pounds
5 - 20 kg bags of maize seeds
1 - 50 kg bag of beans


Watch other people do the work, my favorite part

The picture above is of Francis. We literally did almost nothing to transport all of this. It was great. We just hired these guys to do all the heavy lifting for less than a dollar each.


Load onto taxi


Wait 3.5 hours for taxi to leave, this smile was so forced, Francis' expression is much more accurate


Lock safe and secure in Joe's office

Line item expenses (in Ug sh):
Fertilizer 440,000
Plowing 180,000
Transport 36,000
Corn seed 100,000
Sprayer 70,000
Planting lines 15,000
Herbicide 17,500
Bean seed 125,000

Total 983,500

About $410.

Next step: Hire (without pay) 500 secondary students to plant the seeds and fertilizer. We start Monday!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Results

S4 Class (average age: 18 yrs.)

24-hour Take Home Quiz (i.e. they could use all notes and books)


Example questions:

Calculate the surface area of the rectangular prism below.

Calculate the volume of the cylinder shown.


Results:

Total Students: 137

Actual submissions: 91

Missing: 46

Average score: 55% (F-)

Highest: 95%

Lowest: 5%


Epic fail? Wild success?

Might to Fight

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for."


I came across this quote recently and really liked it. It's so applicable to almost any problem or challenge we encounter as human beings. It's universally relevant, but it first requires you to determine what in life is worth having.


Now, the specific goals and material objects that meet this criteria are vastly different for everyone. But surely we can agree on a few foundational things: a family to love and be loved, good friends to share experiences with, a home to live in, food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, a quality education, a healthy and disease-free body, accessible and affordable healthcare, etc.


Everything else is just... nice to have.


Those are the basics. What have people decided is worth having lately? What have people been fighting for?


Freedom, Justice, and Democracy... in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, etc. People are fighting.


A world free of HIV/AIDS, most of Africa and many other parts of the world are fighting.


Obesity, many American fight tirelessly everyday against this first world affliction.


School fees for their children. Many parents in Uganda are fighting.


People here know what is worth having. Some know how to fight, others don't. They know what they want (most of the time - money). Some have prepared and planned, others haven't. Others can't, the fight within them is destroyed, is hopeless, was never there, is broken, is weak, is ill-suited, ill-equipped, lost.


Most people will tell you what is worth having: money, some food, a new backpack, school books, a football, medicine, etc. But you won't find them asking you how they can fight for that which they value. For many of the above reasons. They feel their ability to fight has been compromised in some irreversible or unsalvageable way. They expect you to fight for them. That's what you're hear to do, isn't it? That's what all those others are here for, why not you?


It's not. It can't be. Because one of these days WE will have to go home. The struggle would continue, and those fighting it would leave.


We're hear to unlock that dormant fight within them. To awaken that hibernating potential. To erase those reasons responsible for the "dead fight" and to equip with the knowledge and tools to use in each individual's personal fight for (you name it).


The problem is most people aren't interested in knowledge and tools. They seek immediate gratification. Or they seek nothing at all. Or maybe they are interested, but not enough to do something about it. Or maybe they don't have a fight, a hope, a prayer. Sometimes those that don't have a fight are the ones that would benefit most from stepping into the ring.


There are, however, small and sudden moments when people do choose to make the fight, to begin the end of complacency. And though they may be few and far between, they make the rest of the struggle completely worth it. The problem is, I see the "dead fight" in almost everyone I meet nearly everyday I'm here. I see the want and desire in virtually everyone, but I don't see the willingness and motivation to fight.


I do see the fight in my students. Everyday. It's what keeps me sane. Thank God. They are my foundation of everything I do here. Without them, my purpose is aimless, worthless, lost. I see it when they ask an intelligent question in class. I see it when they come to my office to check out study materials. I see it when they ask me for chalk so they can write and review their notes on the chalkboard when there are no teachers in class. Or when they ask me for blank sheets of paper to rewrite and reorder their lecture notes. When they come to class everyday and are on time. When they submit their assignments and sit their exams, every time.


I see glimpses of it when one of my fellow teachers gets fired up about something. When they're talking politics. Or they're discussing some fantastic economic reform. Or commenting on why we can't manufacture chalkboard erasers in Uganda. Or why the school can't improve the staff room. The fire, however, soon burns out, and the passion is lost.


Because that's the thing about the fight here. Sometimes, in the minds of many, the fight just isn't worth, the fight. And if you've never fought before, how can you possibly be expected to perceive and envision the end benefit, that which will inspire and fuel your commitment to follow through, finish the fight. To many, this is the end result, and life goes on.


It's those that, despite adverse conditions, decide what it's worth, strap on the gloves, and fight for getting it that create the small miracles of progress. They reap the benefits and experience the revelatory feeling of having attained something truly unique through their own prowess. Something many people will never or cannot do.


It's time to get out the gloves.


Agree to Agree! The Hidden Democracy of One Party Rule

We, the United States, spend billions of dollars each year on military, diplomatic, and humanitarian efforts trying to root out tyranny and undemocratic societies consisting of one-party rule. We champion the benefits of democracy, liberty, freedom, and justice and praise those that welcome these ideals.


We, the United States, seek to eliminate the despotism that is so pervasive in many countries throughout the globe. The citizens of these countries have only one choice on the ballot when they enter the voting booth. We fight this corrupt insanity with passion and might.


And how many choices do we (Americans) have when we go to our treasured voting booths, two! Essentially, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have the independents, the greens, the yellows, and the prohibitionists. But two, ha!


This was a joke told on Colin Quinn's one man Broadway show, Long Story Short. A comedic retelling of the history of the world through Colin Quinn's eyes.


But this post isn't about the shortcomings of American democracy. It seeks to shed some light (though from an outside source) on Ugandan politics, and maybe even reveal something.


Here in Uganda, in its most basic form, one party controls the country. The NRM (National Resistance Movement) controls a majority in Parliament, the Presidency since 1986 (one man), the electoral commission, redistricting efforts, and virtually everything else. Uganda has many parties. Some of these parties even show some semblance of strength and durability. But it is essentially a one-party-rule type country and has been for a quite a few years.


I started to think about this for a moment and all these thoughts started running through my mind. I kept drawing comparisons to America and our system of governance. The US is a developed country. We have many issues of debate in the public forum. And of course, every issue has two sides, and many times even more approaches.


In Uganda, there are many issues of debate in the public forum also. But the issues are mainly surrounded and engrossed in the idea of "development". Uganda wants to develop. All Ugandans know this. They want to see progress. They want to see better roads, better schools, better health facilities, better jobs, a better life. The question then becomes, which party and their leading candidate is going to best provide the critical societal services to the country.


The NRM promises to do so. And to a large extent, they have. If you chart the progress of the country for the last 20 years, the improvements are many and substantial. Uganda has come a long way since the brutal dictatorship and mass murder of civilians that took place in the 1970's. Uganda is a safe, peaceful, rich, free, and politically tolerable country (in the eyes of this observer). A friend of mine wrote a blog post recently about how he thought that even in the freest and fairest of elections, Museveni (current President and leader of the NRM) still would have won. And i have to agree with him, for the reasons mentioned earlier about what the NRM has done.


So the NRM has the support of the majority of voters on the development issues coupled with the fact that the NRM has not turned it guns on its own people. A big accomplishment in Africa. This makes it a popular party for the common man. And the common men are many. What is left to divide the electorate?


Social issues? Ugandans overwhelmingly agree with each other. There aren't two sides. There is the Ugandan side. Homosexuality - intolerable. Gun rights - what gun rights? Guns are bad. Capital punishment - I've heard stories of lethal reprisals against criminal acts carried out on the streets with no repercussions. Abortion - universally against. Religion - yes please, God will provide. Healthcare - we want improvements. Schools - we want improvements. Gay marriage - see homosexuality. Federal budget - bigger. Social security - yes.


What do Ugandans have to disagree over? Granted there are huge exceptions and caveats. But I'm simply trying to highlight a potential explanation to the one-party dynamic that originated so long ago. Uganda is a small country, roughly about the size of the state of Oregon. They are a small country with an incredibly homogenous population. Go anywhere in Uganda and the greeting is the same. "How are you? Thank you for the work!", just one example. They don't have near the amount of complexity and diversity the United States has, which can sometimes be a hindrance for government in a healthy sense, especially nowadays, but I digress.


Now, over time, I think this will change. As Ugandans become more and more educated, they will develop diverse and well informed opinions on political issues, and they are going to continue to crave big change. And, for the first time, be universally empowered to pursue it. I mean, the country just got their ducks in a row (sort of) on universal secondary education five years ago. Imagine what the country is going to look like 5, 10, 15 years from now when these educated masses are released into the real world of a struggling economy. I will be intrigued to observe the progress. Until then, "Thank you for reading. And thank you for the work!"


P.S. - Does anyone know if the federal government is going to shut down? Cuz if they are I'm kind of out of a job. Since Peace Corps is a USG agency. Any words of informed wisdom are appreciated. Vote Peace Corps!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

On Divorce

A few weeks back, I was having a discussion with Otoke John about marriage and divorce, both in America and Uganda. I recited to him the often-publicized statistic that half of all American marriages end in divorce. (Sidenote: I’m told that this statistic includes ALL marriages, meaning the rate of first time divorce is actually lower, any challenges?) Regardless, Otoke John was astonished. He was perplexed and began to ask clarifying questions as to why this was the case.

I spoke honestly with him about the reasons why I thought this was the case: people change, people getting married for the wrong reasons, people not taking it seriously, its ease and accessibility in the US, and the constant assault of sexual imagery and promiscuity in America. I told him about the barrage of images our eyes take in everyday in American advertising, television, internet, and so on.

He understood. “It’s not too common here.” He replied. I agreed with him. Divorce doesn’t appear to be a common event here. That doesn’t mean, however, that there is any less pain or suffering occurring in the wake of broken relationships and families.

Ugandans and Americans often times view love and marriage in very different ways. Marriage in Uganda, many times, can be a decision based on function and practicality, not love. Women without an education feel they need a man to support her. Men feel they need a women to satisfy their desires and bear children, making him (culturally) an official man.

Uganda is a patriarchal society. Most of the time, women do not, or perceive that they do not, have as much power as men. And men can get away with a lot here: polygamy, infidelity, abuse (physical & mental) of the wife and the children, alcoholism, laziness, etc. I’m not saying this is always the case, but it is common.

But what happens? Well, in Uganda, it certainly isn’t divorce. Divorce has a very negative connotation here. You could make the argument that it does everywhere, but it is more pronounced here than in America. What happens? Life goes on. Relationships endure, sometimes painfully. So while the divorce rate may be lower here in Uganda, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of shady business (by Western standards) going on behind the scenes.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Meet Omwen Sam

I decided that my “Meet My Students” posts don’t have to be about just, well, my students. Omwen (pronounced oh-mway-nay) Sam is our school’s lab technician who also doubles as our librarian as well as technology manager (i.e. charging mobile phones and managing our solar power system).


Omwen Sam

He is 52. The first born of six children, four of which died of AIDS in the 1990’s. He lives about one kilometer away from the school and rides his bike in everyday to open everything up; he is the man with the keys.

Sam is great. He’s one of my favorite people at the school and in my community. He’s almost always happy. He must have a lot of things providing happiness for him in his life.

He’s always interested in what I’m doing and what’s going on in my life. He’s fun to talk to. He provides a refreshing presence during some dreary mornings in the village.

I taught him to type using my laptop. Since then, he has been tutoring himself on our lab computer and learning how to use Excel and Word. Pretty cool.

Like I said, he manages our power supply and charges cell phones. In Kamuge, this is a very busy position to have. Since power is hard to come by, people (pretty much anyone in the surrounding community) always want their phones charged. And the politics surrounding this issue are complicated.

The school is only supposed to charge phone for teachers and staff. My head teacher erupted with passion today as he was discussing this policy and the lack of adherence to it. We decided to discuss it amongst the three of us to reinforce the need to follow this policy.


The problem is that whoever agrees to charge a phone for a community member makes about 300 shillings. Good money for them. My neighbor has been charging phones for people out of my office without my knowing, shady. But he is making a killing! Time to collect the keys. Just another day in Kamuge.

Why Village Life is So Unwieldy

Today I had one thing on my agenda, a Business & Life Skills Club meeting schedule for 4:00p.m. I spent the day at my school preparing for this meeting and working on other small projects unrelated to teaching with my colleagues.

At approximately 3:35p.m., 25 minutes before the official end of the school day, the students started exiting their classrooms and scattering off in the directions of their homes. Two girls came into my office and asked if we were having the meeting. I said yes, just like we discussed last week and all this week, it will be at 4:00p.m. I started to hear the noise of students walking and talking and realized they were leaving. I walked out of my office and most of the student body had vanished. I gathered the few students remaining and told them we would have the meeting next week.

Stuff like this happens all the time here in Kamuge. The lack of organization and structure, even proper infrastructure, all contribute to non-productivity everyday.

Reasons for work not getting done…

· The rains, they make hearing anything in the classroom virtually impossible, and sometimes the wind blows horizontally into the classrooms causing all kinds of disturbances

· The random midday student body assemblies, these usually last one to two hours with little to no notice of when they are going to happen

· Public holidays – they are many, enough said

· Athletics day – on days football matches are played, no lessons are taught

· Athletics practice – students are excused from lessons each practice, typically in the morning lasting from 3-4 hours

· Staff meetings – last all day long and no lessons are given

· Heat – sometimes it is too unbearable to teach anything after midday

· Exams – no lessons are given during exams, which can last three weeks

· First week mentality – no lessons are given during the first week, the teachers blame the students, the students blame the teachers

· Random health inspections – typically of the girls, takes them out of class for half a day

· Random visitors to school – I’m definitely guilty of this one, assemblies pull students out of lessons to focus on the visitor and what he or she has to say

· No power or not enough power

· No water or not enough water

· Absenteeism – prolific

· No communication when cell phone batteries die, which happens often

· No communication when cell phones are charging, everyday

· Random early days where students leave before 4:00p.m.

· Transport – it’s very difficult to arrive at my school before 9:00a.m. Since it is so remote, school is supposed to start here at 8:00 and in most other parts of Uganda, even earlier

· Timetable management and discipline – minimal level of effort put forth by everyone (including myself) to follow this precisely, can’t have more than one teacher in a classroom, doesn’t work too well

Ok, that’s all I can think of. I’m not trying to sound negative. I’m just trying to communicate the unwieldy environment in which we’re trying to educate a populace in. Some days it feels impossible, others, everything goes right.

In other news, my school is making wicked progress on constructing their additions. I’m amazed at how fast work is being done. This is going to be one great school, someday. Ha! Check out the pictures below.