Perspective: July 2010

For breakfast this morning we head back over to Josephine's house. Only a few of us knew why - it was Ashley's birthday and we had a surprise for her.

Josephine used to be a baker and she had prepared a gigantic birthday cake for Ashley. Which, of course, we had a slice of for breakfast.

I love Josephine's expression here. I think she was even more excited than Ashley!

Next on the agenda was the Nyakatare Primary School. We would be giving them a lesson on U.S. culture and geography, with a focus on Oregon of course.

We met with the headmaster, who then gathered the other teachers for our meeting.

Nyakatare is the oldest school in the Kanungu District and has the highest enrollment.

The stats:

There are 800 pupils and 18 staff.

No staff quarters, which is problematic as many travel very far.

A Few of Their Programs:

P.I.A.S.C.Y., Sports, Scouting, Gardening, Music, Young Talk

Challenges:

Parents are poor, unable to equip students

Lack sufficient textbooks

Buildings need renovation

Lack furniture

Water issues

Children also travel long distances (note: most don't own shoes)

Staff poorly paid - issues with payment

After our Q&A session with the staff we head over to one of the classrooms.

We were originally just going to speak in front of one class. However, we were soon informed that this would show preferential treatment to those students. So, the class would continue to grow...

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

We started by drawing a map of the United States on their chalkboard. Actually, Bradford did this for us.

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

We went down the line and each of us drew our state on the map and briefly spoke about it.

The students had many questions.

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

Soon it was my turn and I drew Iowa...

Speaking briefly about our similarities, maize and pork.

Ironically, my 'Iowa' turns out looking like a pig... so I draw a tail on it.

After we each talk about our home state, or countries in Abdi's case, we go in-depth with Oregon.

We had previously decided which topics to cover and who would do them.

Ashley = transportation

Jessica = exports

Hanni = tourism

Me = industry

Abdi = Kenya

Bradford = volcanoes/mountains

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

Any nervousness we may have had soon faded and we ended up having a great time with the students. It was informative, even for us, and quite hilarious.

The students thanked us by singing a couple of songs. One of which was "If You're Happy and You Know It." I guess some children's songs are constant regardless of country!

We returned the favor by singing them a song. Can you guess which one?

Yes, for the 4th time, we would serenade a group with "The Star-Spangled Banner."

(Photo by Hanni)

While we had been inside giving our lesson, the remainder of the school had gathered outside and were peering in the windows.

Needless to say, we were mobbed by school children as we left. All very excited to meet us.

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

Our itinerary was originally full for the remainder of the day, with several other school stops. However, we were desperate for some time off.

After all, there was still the paper to contend with.

We were still struggling with direction and, at this point, there were only 4 days left for us to finish/start it. Our stress levels were rising the closer we got to our departure date.

We expressed our concerns and after this morning school stop our schedule was wiped clean. Hooray!

We drove into town for the first time to look around and us ladies went shopping for some fabric.

(Photo by Dr. Richard White)

While in town, Ellen took us to a shop with a nifty machine that knit sweaters without electricity.

The owner was nice enough to give a brief demonstration.

This small shop also sold uniforms for the primary school we had just visited. Hanni came up with a great idea of buying one, out of pocket, and donating it to the school. Jessica and I thought that this was a wonderful idea and we each purchased one as well.

We met back up with everyone and let them know that we needed to make a brief stop back at Nyakatare to deliver our surprise.

Hanni, Jessica, and I jump out of the van to find the headmaster. Now we had to figure out which 3 kids would receive the sweaters.

We decide on the following criteria:

It must be a very poor/needy student whose family cannot afford a uniform

Yet, the student must get very good grades & be involved in the school.

The teacher picks out 3 students, one of which is at home for lunch, that fit our description. The shirts of the students she selected were either too small or full of holes.

The students were very excited to receive their new sweaters. We wished we could have helped more.

After our quick school stop we drive over to Josephine's for a refreshment and to figure out how to best prioritize our day.

Richard takes the opportunity to upload some photos to his netbook.

After a tasty glass of mango juice, we head back over to the Joy Guesthouse. We decided to take a few personal hours off and then we (students) would reconvene in the afternoon to have a meeting.

Jessica sneaks in a photo-op along the way - he was transporting matoke.

Many of us were hanging outside the guesthouse when groups of children started congregating outside the gate and peering in at us. The group grew steadily larger, until we finally broke down and invited them inside.

Bradford had his frisbee out, so we decided to teach them how to play.

This girl was a natural, really good!

Soon the children had to leave and so we headed to the porch to cool down.

We then each split off and enjoyed some down time.

We reconvened later for our group meeting which turned into a much needed discussion. We all aired our concerns and decided to scrap our original nightly meeting objectives and start in a new direction. We laid out a structure for our group paper, creating specific categories and assigned them based on interest. I would select governance for my topic.

This group writing experience proved to be very difficult for all involved. It's hard enough writing an individual paper that synthesizes this much information, let alone trying to coordinate 6 people to do so.

Finally, it's time for dinner. Afterwards we feel much better, even though we have not begun to write our paper, we at least have the basic structure finalized. We can each begin to concentrate on our specific areas and mentally prepare for our upcoming assignment. Our next hurdle will be finding the time to actually write it.

We unwind for a bit before heading to bed.

Abdi had never seen a feminine product before -- remember the Makerere Sanitary Napkins?

I love Bradford's expression here: "What are you doin' man?"

This photo is far too hilarious to withhold, sorry for the embarrassment boys. (Sort of)

Hanni reading in bed

This is our last night in Kanungu, tomorrow we head to Mbarara and the U.N. Millennium Development Village. We will miss Kanungu, much like Fort Portal.

I wake around 6:30am and it is still dark outside. I once again find myself wandering outside to visit the latrine.

*One should also note that "bathroom" actually means shower and toilet means, well, toilet. This was confusing at first as I kept being led to the shower instead of the toilet.*

I pass Betty washing our previous nights dishes on the walk back to the house. I offer to help but she won't allow it. "Go back and rest," she insists. So I go inside and journal for about 40 minutes. Ashley finally wakes up and we go outside and attempt to help with breakfast. In the end, I just take this opportunity to photograph our home while we now have light.

The house:

This is the hall off the living room where she keeps her plates. To the right is the doorway leading to Ashley's room.

Looking out the back door.

The back of the house, still partly under construction.

You can see where they've extended beyond the original frame.

Looking back again and heading to her pantry and kitchen area.

Her pantry and storage area. She always had a wind-up radio playing in here.

Her "kitchen." They would only have one pot going at a time.

Outside shot of the bathroom, i.e. shower.

Inside of the shower

Her pit latrine, with two holes. The jerry can in front is to wash your hands.

Inside the pit latrine.

*Quick anecdote: I had to use the toilet in the middle of the night and so I head out with my tiny torch in hand. While inside, you place the light on the floor to somewhat illuminate the interior and just keep your eyes forward. It's usually wise not to look around too much as you're often not alone. At one point, though, I look up and see what appears to be a white shelf. It looks to be at least an inch thick and is triangularly set up in the corner at about shoulder height. Upon leaving I realize that it's actually a substantial spider web. Eyes wide, I quickly leave without further inspection, hoping not to meet its maker.

This is their compost/rubbish pile.

A view of the sunrise from her backyard. Breathtaking.

Heading back up to the house.

Betty preparing some pineapple for breakfast, something we ate nearly everyday. The pineapple here was the best!

Allan keeps a few pet rabbits. Yes, they are actually just pets. They eat their discarded plant materials - leaves, roots, etc.

I ask to hold a rabbit. This turns into an awkward experience as they customarily hold them only by their ears, a method I am not used to. I think Ashley was slightly horrified. Allan thought it was very funny.

Finally, breakfast is served!

Our meal once again is huge and included: hard boiled eggs, bananas, papaya, pineapple, roasted g-nuts, passion fruit, instant coffee and white bread.

Nothing beats fresh passion fruit. Allan can bust one open with one hand, I cannot. This was something else he found very amusing. I tried several times and just ended up bruising it. When I finally did bust it open, it spewed juice and seeds down my leg.

We have a nice chat over breakfast.

They share a few photographs of their family, as we had done for them the previous night.

Mostly though, we talk about Allan's plans as he is graduating from college in the fall with a degree in social work. Before he looks for employment though, he told us that he plans to return home to help Betty get started with a chicken program, associated with NAADS. This way, she doesn't have to worry about the garden plot and can just raise chickens at home for food and sale. Then, he says, he'll find a job.

Betty once again takes the opportunity to thank us for staying with her. She said that she will always remember us and now considers us her daughters.

We give her postcards of Portland with a small note, along with our name and contact info, on the back. Both Ashley and I are so moved by our stay that we actually give some of our clothing to her to sell. She needs it far more than we ever will. She thanks us profusely and tells us to never take our education or life for granted.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Betty and Allan.

Soon, it is time for us to go. George picks us up and it's time for our next festivities to begin.

The plan for the rest of the day? A holiday feast and celebration for our student group along with our host families. It may be July 5th in Uganda but technically it's the 4th in the U.S.

Thus, we shall introduce our new friends to an American tradition: the holiday potluck!

The only catch is that us students are preparing the meal. Ha ha!

In preparation, we had purchased a few staple items in Fort Portal before leaving, such as flour, sugar, and a few apples - which are not grown in Uganda.

The menu: Goat, chicken, chapati, guacamole, baked beans, green beans, cooked carrots, potato salad, BBQ sauce (from scratch!), and an apple/mango crumble.

For drinks we had water, soda, and lots of box wine from South Africa.

We all pitched in and actually created a really tasty meal that we were very proud of once finished. Our group of 6 students -along with the assistance of one of our professors, Ellen- chopped, planned, experimented, rolled, baked, and cooked for about 20 people.

It was like a Top Chef quick fire challenge - few ingredients with limited utensils and cookware!

Me cutting carrots with a butter knife on a rimmed dinner plate. Or, what I like to call African lessons in patience #37.

...garlic and onions

Ellen shows Jess, Hanni & I how to make chapati!

The 3 of us take turns with each step of the process.

Hanni becomes quite good at tossing them like pizza dough.

Vegetarians Beware of the next 2 photos - 'the meat pics'.

Abdirisack and Bradford had the privilege of being the men and thus the slaughterers. In reality, Abdi was the one who actually did the killing for us.

It was the first time that I've met my meal before eating it. The goat was so unsuspecting...

And now, the spread!

Notice the one luxury item? Pringles!

Enjoying my wine before I grab a plate

Bradford, attempting to get the meat off the bone. Which bone? Who knows...

We opt for something we know will be tender. Goat liver:

It was actually good! ...despite my face.

Mr. William also joined us for dinner. After we had all finished eating, we gave him a present for shuttling us around and being such a good friend and driver - a PSU hat!

"Time to remove that UCLA hat Mr. William!"

He was excited and thankful, as were we.

We had all signed the underside of the bill, so he was inspecting our signatures...

As evening stretched on, Sheila's mom, Josephine, sat down with us to explain some of her duties. Josephine is an LC5, meaning Local Council 5.

History Lesson:

In a horrible attempt to paraphrase: After the constrictive and corrupt rule of both Idi Amin and Obote, Uganda was once again looking to decentralize and restore democracy. This was accomplished under their current president, Museveni. One of the measures was to establish village and district level local councils that would serve as policy-making organs. In the beginning of this decentralization process, the LCs performed the duties of the then defunct offices of government. Later, their new constitution would officially grant them these powers. These "local governments" have the power to act independently within their jurisdictions, including legislative & executive powers.

There are 5 levels in the Local Councils:

LC1: (Village)

LC2: (Parish)

LC3: (SubCounty)

LC4: (County)

LC5: (District)

An LC5 is the one with the most power... think mayor or governor. This is what Josephine is in the Kanungu District. In fact, she is the only woman to have held this politically high office. She is currently up for re-election, which will be held in February. The term is 5 years and this will be her last time running as she plans to retire. This is why Josephine knows everyone and why there were posters of her up at Betty's house. Betty is an old family friend anyways.

Ok, lesson over! Phew.

After Josephine's LC explanation, which was much better than the one above, we continue our 4th of July celebration with more wine and then we share our home-stay experiences.

Finally they got around to our experience. I noted that Betty was actually still here with us. So after Ashley and I each briefly expressed our thoughts, we turned to Betty.

We had the opportunity to hear her reflections as well.

Sheila translated for us:

Betty first thanked Josephine and her family for always being there for her, even when no one else in her family or community was there. They've known each other for 20+ years and Josephine's door was always open for Betty and her children.

She spoke briefly of her hardships and continuing struggles and admonished us to all stay in school and not to take it for granted. She reminded us that not everyone receives such opportunities and we should make our families proud. To cherish our education as it is very important and the only way that we will grow and learn.

She thanked Ashley and I for staying with her and said she would always think of us as her daughters. She said that everyone in our group was now a part of her family. She would continue to pray for us and wished us all a safe journey back home.

We held back our tears and thanked her.

Darkness fell and now it was time for a special treat!

At our grocery stop in Fort Portal, Richard picked up these weird giant sparklers. We lit them all and celebrated our very American holiday here in Africa.