New pictures posted. Two from St. Jude's, one from the Nile.
Traffic in Uganda was the opposite, but it was not just driving on the left side of the road. (Although, driving on the left side of the road is also a misnomer as the Mutatus drove where ever they thought the road was less bumpy and traffic was not in their way). No, traffic is opposite, because they operate under the rule of big. If you are smaller than what is going to hit you, you had better get out of the way or you will be hit. Boda bodas got out of the way of cars and trucks, although some came pretty close! And pedestrians and bicycles definitely got out of the way of the boda bodas. In the vehicles I was riding in over the last 6 weeks, I came closer to hitting people, boda bodas, dogs, goats, and you name it. But interestingly after all these close calls, there was absolutely no road rage. No pedestrians ever shook their fist angrily or banged on the hood of the mutatu that missed them by centimeters. They would just look up realize they came close to being hit, and move on down the road.
The Acholi people have suffered a couple of decades of murder, torture, kidnapping, and other atrocities of the civil war, yet as you walk down any street or path. They are smiling, welcoming, and often laugh with you. As I carried on my exchanges of "How are you?", "I am fine" with the little kids. It was enjoyable to see the smiles on the adults as they walked down the same path hearing our conversations. There was a joy that just permeated the town and your dealings with people. (If you need a visual, go look at how happy Moses is with Karl. I wish I could have filmed the excitement I saw on Moses' face when he saw Karl.) I know our students who have gone to Biloxi or other service trips can really appreciate the joy that I am talking about. And it does not come from----I repeat it does not come from, the good White people going to help the poor. But instead it comes from the conversations we have when we realize we are all quite the same. And it is those conversations of two peers, who were strangers a minute ago, that I enjoy the most. Ask those who talked to the homeless or Junior or Papa Pres in Mississippi, those are nice moments of happiness.
We live in a world, where fear is sold each and every day. We must fear the mexicans who are amassing on our borders to steal our jobs, we must fear the turbanned terrorists who will any day now fly a plane into our house, we must fear all people that are different from ourselves. And by keeping Americans afraid, we keep them angry, and we keep them for actually pursuing answers through reading and conversations.
But unfortunately we do not have enough children to point out that the emperor has no clothes. Or we do not listen. The world is a wonderful place with amazing friendly people who love their children, dream about a better future, and cook and clean and sleep and laugh just like us. And these wonderful people that we have not met or have not talked to--are not our enemies. It is only in their dehumanization that we allow ourselves to promote war and bombings and hit squads and torture. We have seen many examples in the last 20 years of people deciding not to hate and to forgive and to build bridges and dialogues where none existed. In Northern Ireland, In South Africa, In Rwanda, and hopefully very soon in Northern Uganda this will happen.
When we are afraid our body produces adrenaline to help us survive as animals would survive. Fear is a survival tactic. When we get angry, our body produces norepinephrine. Its effect is like adrenaline, immediate and it makes us react---"our blood is boiling". The interesting thing is that our body cannot produce norepinephrine for more than 15 minutes or so. Adrenaline it can produce for ever almost. So when we see people who are perpetually angry, it is not anger really. It is their fear producing adrenaline that is masking itself in anger. This has been known for years to teachers, as the biggest bullies, are often the children with the most fear.
And fear is easy to get rid of. I am still teased by my family because I was afraid and refused to ride the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland. I saw a boat going into a whale's mouth!!!
This is funny to anyone with an intellect, who has acquired enough knowledge to know that you cannot be harmed by a plaster whale, but still quite frightening to the child. So instead of embracing the fear and letting it spread across America. The solution is quite simple--if you are in fear of something read a book, a newspaper or two. If you distrust a people or a group, find a way to meet them and talk to them. Joy and laughter are experiences people want to share. And if you have not shared a laugh with a total stranger for quite some time. Then that is your homework assignment tonight, class.
Often, I have no idea where this blog will end up when I start writing. I wanted to express the joy of the Acholi people I met, and how I did not see much anger when I was there (I also did not see many fat people, but that is a different story). I got online and did a little research and although it did not quite fit. I wanted to end with this excerpt from Yeats' Vacillation:
My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop,
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.
I am blessed and I get my greatest happiness when I can bless. Let someone know how much their friendship means to you, how much you appreciate your hard work, or how you can see their talents that they might not yet see.
peace,
John
Walk to Atanga SS
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Why We Kneel--Reflections Part I
Well, I actually slept for 5 1/2 hours last night which is probably more sleep than I have had in the past 3 days combined. I have started to tell Africa stories first to my parents, then Shona and her parents, and then to my good friends Phil, Sarah, and Michele.
When the Africa students would come and talk to a teacher. They would walk to the table in the staff room and kneel in front of it until their were instructed to rise. While I was at Amos' school, he stayed kneeling during the entire conversation with the teacher while we were discussing his school fees.
It would be tough to imagine American students kneeling in front of teachers. I think it would appear too subservient or beneath them. But if we can remember why we kneel, then we can maybe start down a path we all want to take. We kneel to show humility, not subservience, and by kneeling these students immediately show a respectfulness and a courtesy for others. It is the opposite of ego, of boastfulness, of arrogance. It is saying not "me first", but no you first my friend. I really enjoy going through a buffet line last. It is a simple pleasure I get by saying, "No it is your turn first, my friend, my colleague, my brother." By being humble it allows communication to happen. It is saying I want to go more than halfway to meet you where you are, and I am on my knees and expressing your interests and your wants first.
Humility does not deny our self or our worth, but rather it affirms the worth of each and every human being we see or meet. And by affirming the value of others first, it triumphs us also. So we say, "Here I am my brother, meeting you down on my knees to listen before I speak, help before I ask favor, love before I am loved." It, our humility, is the ultimate risk, it is asking us to show love to show that we care before we know it will be reciprocated. And sometimes our humility is not met immediately with compassion or love, it can be met with derision or hate or indifference. And in these cases, we must be true to ourselves, we must understand that by kneeling, by being humble, we have truly gained. We have sacrificed ourselves and the needs of ourselves for others. We are truly then "Men and Women for Others."
I am sitting on a bed, typing this blog, and looking at my feet, which still bear some stains of the incredible red mud that is prevalent all over Africa. All of us in our travels, riding in dusty Mutatus joked about how dirty our feet were. Most of us, kind of gave up, on cleaning our feet, and just tried to keep the rest of our body clean. It is this setting, at 48 years old, looking at my still somewhat dirty feet, that I can really understand the incredible humility of Jesus' washing of the feet. And just as important, how enjoyable it must have felt, as an apostle, having your friend, your brother, wash your feet. To kneel before you, and be that humble--that is my goal. To be humble, is to live at peace, and borrowing this line from the website "twopaths.com"----"Humility dissipates anger and heals old wounds. Humility allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God's people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power seeker." And kneeling on the concrete or the hard wood pews in the churches of Gulu, I tried my best on bad knees to say to my Acholi brothers and sisters. That I was not better than them. I was just a man who was born into abundance and great wealth in the United States. But the wealth, I am seeking on my knees with you, the Acholi, is a far better prize.
A couple of years ago in a visit to the Jesuit Volunteer house, I saw the following quote which I have, of course, used on a basketball t-shirt for my team.
"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
Several of you have praised my efforts in going to Africa, and treat me now as the mighty hero. But I strive to think of my actions, not as the hero, but as one of many honest workers giving the tiniest push. I met so many people in Africa doing more, taking bigger risks than what I have accomplished in the last six weeks. And also if you think of me as a hero, of someone accomplishing a great task, than it is easier for you not to act. But if you consider my actions in their true context, of just one tiny push, then you can do something. You might not have the same talents or the same opportunities, but there is always something that each of us can do. When I tell people, we are going to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2025, I am occasionally met by the skeptic. They say things like that will never work or others have tried and failed and if you look at the enormity of that goal it seems impossible. But if you look at each of us giving one tiny push, and I have met many in Africa giving those tiny pushes, then all of a sudden we can see the world beginning to move little by little. And once we get it moving, you never know what WE can accomplish.
I found out that the quote actually starts this way. "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
So there my friends is the simple answer, I will continue to strive to accomplish the humble tasks, and to do that I have to start at the beginning. Just like my Acholi students, I will begin on my knees.
peace,
john
btw, pizza and pictures this wednesday night at Nerinx 6:30 pm
When the Africa students would come and talk to a teacher. They would walk to the table in the staff room and kneel in front of it until their were instructed to rise. While I was at Amos' school, he stayed kneeling during the entire conversation with the teacher while we were discussing his school fees.
It would be tough to imagine American students kneeling in front of teachers. I think it would appear too subservient or beneath them. But if we can remember why we kneel, then we can maybe start down a path we all want to take. We kneel to show humility, not subservience, and by kneeling these students immediately show a respectfulness and a courtesy for others. It is the opposite of ego, of boastfulness, of arrogance. It is saying not "me first", but no you first my friend. I really enjoy going through a buffet line last. It is a simple pleasure I get by saying, "No it is your turn first, my friend, my colleague, my brother." By being humble it allows communication to happen. It is saying I want to go more than halfway to meet you where you are, and I am on my knees and expressing your interests and your wants first.
Humility does not deny our self or our worth, but rather it affirms the worth of each and every human being we see or meet. And by affirming the value of others first, it triumphs us also. So we say, "Here I am my brother, meeting you down on my knees to listen before I speak, help before I ask favor, love before I am loved." It, our humility, is the ultimate risk, it is asking us to show love to show that we care before we know it will be reciprocated. And sometimes our humility is not met immediately with compassion or love, it can be met with derision or hate or indifference. And in these cases, we must be true to ourselves, we must understand that by kneeling, by being humble, we have truly gained. We have sacrificed ourselves and the needs of ourselves for others. We are truly then "Men and Women for Others."
I am sitting on a bed, typing this blog, and looking at my feet, which still bear some stains of the incredible red mud that is prevalent all over Africa. All of us in our travels, riding in dusty Mutatus joked about how dirty our feet were. Most of us, kind of gave up, on cleaning our feet, and just tried to keep the rest of our body clean. It is this setting, at 48 years old, looking at my still somewhat dirty feet, that I can really understand the incredible humility of Jesus' washing of the feet. And just as important, how enjoyable it must have felt, as an apostle, having your friend, your brother, wash your feet. To kneel before you, and be that humble--that is my goal. To be humble, is to live at peace, and borrowing this line from the website "twopaths.com"----"Humility dissipates anger and heals old wounds. Humility allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God's people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power seeker." And kneeling on the concrete or the hard wood pews in the churches of Gulu, I tried my best on bad knees to say to my Acholi brothers and sisters. That I was not better than them. I was just a man who was born into abundance and great wealth in the United States. But the wealth, I am seeking on my knees with you, the Acholi, is a far better prize.
A couple of years ago in a visit to the Jesuit Volunteer house, I saw the following quote which I have, of course, used on a basketball t-shirt for my team.
"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
Several of you have praised my efforts in going to Africa, and treat me now as the mighty hero. But I strive to think of my actions, not as the hero, but as one of many honest workers giving the tiniest push. I met so many people in Africa doing more, taking bigger risks than what I have accomplished in the last six weeks. And also if you think of me as a hero, of someone accomplishing a great task, than it is easier for you not to act. But if you consider my actions in their true context, of just one tiny push, then you can do something. You might not have the same talents or the same opportunities, but there is always something that each of us can do. When I tell people, we are going to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2025, I am occasionally met by the skeptic. They say things like that will never work or others have tried and failed and if you look at the enormity of that goal it seems impossible. But if you look at each of us giving one tiny push, and I have met many in Africa giving those tiny pushes, then all of a sudden we can see the world beginning to move little by little. And once we get it moving, you never know what WE can accomplish.
I found out that the quote actually starts this way. "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
So there my friends is the simple answer, I will continue to strive to accomplish the humble tasks, and to do that I have to start at the beginning. Just like my Acholi students, I will begin on my knees.
peace,
john
btw, pizza and pictures this wednesday night at Nerinx 6:30 pm
Friday, July 27, 2007
New Post Tomorrow
Sorry to disappoint all those who have read this daily.
So there will be a longer post tomorrow,
and a couple of reflections with some perspective will happen next week.
peace,
john
also many new pictures
So there will be a longer post tomorrow,
and a couple of reflections with some perspective will happen next week.
peace,
john
also many new pictures
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Nile was great
The raft trip on the Nile was great.
Our boat did not flip.
Tomorrow, I will be flying home.
See everyone soon.
Maybe next Wednesday night should be pizza and picture party at Nerinx.
peace,
john
Our boat did not flip.
Tomorrow, I will be flying home.
See everyone soon.
Maybe next Wednesday night should be pizza and picture party at Nerinx.
peace,
john
Sunday, July 22, 2007
great safari today, nile white water rafting tomorrow
probably will not be a long post until I get to new york on thursday the title says it all
I want to get off now to share my time with Trisha
peace,
john
I want to get off now to share my time with Trisha
peace,
john
Friday, July 20, 2007
Final Day at Awere--Thank You, Shona
Final Day at Awere
Well, it has ended, and I know of all the people I have met and all those that I have helped, and all of those that Invisible Children has helped—I know who was helped the most. His name is John Magee. There is an episode of SportsNight called “The Quality of Mercy at 29K” it is twenty-two minutes long and most of my older classes have scene it. But the actress Felicity Huffman comes barging into the office of Robert Guillame after she is talked into seeing “Lion King” because she thinks the theatre is not good and not worth anything. Her line is “Thank You, Isaac. Thank you for opening up my eyes to heretofore unspeakable beauty that I never would have scene. Thank You, Isaac and she runs on with sentence of more superlatives, and then another sentence of superlatives. Where Isaac stops her, and he says I know. And then she says Thank you Isaac.
So here is my homage to that scene. (Shona Clarkson is the student who brought the Invisible Children DVD into my classroom, and on the same day, the day of the deadline I applied for this program).
Thank You, Shona for opening my eyes to people and a culture I never would have met. Thank You for allowing me into the hearts of the most generous culture I have ever met in my life, the Acholi people. Thank You, Shona for getting me to take a risk I talk about a lot, but do not follow through as much as I should. Thank You, Shona for showing me the world is really as close as an e-mail and there is a world of new friends out there that want to meet us. Thank You, Shona for introducing me to my responsibility as an American, so many on this planet look up to us with admiration and respect. Shouldn’t we at least give them back a small fraction (say 7/1000). Thank You, for opening up my mind to the possibilities of wanting to come back to Gulu with students, and also to bring students of Gulu to St. Louis. Thank You, Shona.
Alanis Morrisette, said that when she wrote her song Thank You she wrote is as a prayer and if she could she often thinks about performing it on her knees. So when I say Thank You know that I am also thanking God for you, and will think a special thought for you tonight. Thank you, family for all of your support and kindness, and thanks Mary, Tom, and Katie for a wonderful camera where you will get to share so much of my experience. Thanks to Mike Barry and Cathy Barry for welcoming me into your house and for all the old and dear friends that contributed to this trip. Thank you Tim and Terri Gaffney for just be the everyday people that you are, and always welcoming strangers to your house like they have been friends for years. And all the people that came that day, and contributed so much I was and still am humbled by your generosity. Thanks to all my students, current and former, who inspire me each and every day to be a better teacher and man. Thanks to the 43 students and crew that went to Biloxi this year and of course the original crew last year. You started this summer out with a spirit of can-do and a wonderful sense of caring and sharing. Thanks to my professional colleagues, who I feel are so close right now with all of your special words of encouragement. And Thank You to all my friends who have touched my life, if you are proud of me and what I have done this summer you should know that I only took the best parts from each one of you to bring to Gulu to represent St. Louis and our village. I am known in parts of Gulu as the tallest man in the village. I also know that I am the most blessed.
Although this passage sounds like the end of a journey, those of you who know me know this is only the start. We can end hunger and extreme poverty by the year 2025. It will be accomplished in three simple and attainable ways. (1) There is an extraordinary group of people who are ready to disrupt their lives, use pit latrines, shower in cold water, and never miss the luxuries of home in order to change the world in the most remote spots of the world. I have met at least 50 of them here, and have scene the trucks of Action Hunger, Medicines Sans Frontieres, and many more here in Uganda. (2) For each one of those wonderful giving people here there are probably at least 100 people at home supporting them through gifts, resources, and prayers. There are also people buying bracelets, wristbands, mosquito nets, and supporting groups that will change the world, and (3) We live in the world’s only superpower who can change villages and thousands of lives with a wink or a nod, and it is time we understood and make our leaders understand that we have no task greater than helping those without learn how to learn, how to sustain, and how to save. We also need to contribute just a small fraction of our dollars to make sure this is working.
If my crusading before annoyed you---get ready because I will come back to America carrying the kindness and the dignity of the Acholi people with me. And in my heart I will hold the hearts of 800 Awere S.S. students.
Peace
John
p.s. I may write again about the beauty of the Nile or of seeing animals on safari, but I have already seen the smiles of the children of Gulu, and their words, “Mu nuu bye, Mu nuu bye, bye, bye, BYE, BYE, bye, bye…….The scream louder as you walk away, then all of sudden you hear a big laugh, and then you don’t hear them anymore as you are now too far away. I think God would have to make the Nile really, really, really special to beat that.
Well, it has ended, and I know of all the people I have met and all those that I have helped, and all of those that Invisible Children has helped—I know who was helped the most. His name is John Magee. There is an episode of SportsNight called “The Quality of Mercy at 29K” it is twenty-two minutes long and most of my older classes have scene it. But the actress Felicity Huffman comes barging into the office of Robert Guillame after she is talked into seeing “Lion King” because she thinks the theatre is not good and not worth anything. Her line is “Thank You, Isaac. Thank you for opening up my eyes to heretofore unspeakable beauty that I never would have scene. Thank You, Isaac and she runs on with sentence of more superlatives, and then another sentence of superlatives. Where Isaac stops her, and he says I know. And then she says Thank you Isaac.
So here is my homage to that scene. (Shona Clarkson is the student who brought the Invisible Children DVD into my classroom, and on the same day, the day of the deadline I applied for this program).
Thank You, Shona for opening my eyes to people and a culture I never would have met. Thank You for allowing me into the hearts of the most generous culture I have ever met in my life, the Acholi people. Thank You, Shona for getting me to take a risk I talk about a lot, but do not follow through as much as I should. Thank You, Shona for showing me the world is really as close as an e-mail and there is a world of new friends out there that want to meet us. Thank You, Shona for introducing me to my responsibility as an American, so many on this planet look up to us with admiration and respect. Shouldn’t we at least give them back a small fraction (say 7/1000). Thank You, for opening up my mind to the possibilities of wanting to come back to Gulu with students, and also to bring students of Gulu to St. Louis. Thank You, Shona.
Alanis Morrisette, said that when she wrote her song Thank You she wrote is as a prayer and if she could she often thinks about performing it on her knees. So when I say Thank You know that I am also thanking God for you, and will think a special thought for you tonight. Thank you, family for all of your support and kindness, and thanks Mary, Tom, and Katie for a wonderful camera where you will get to share so much of my experience. Thanks to Mike Barry and Cathy Barry for welcoming me into your house and for all the old and dear friends that contributed to this trip. Thank you Tim and Terri Gaffney for just be the everyday people that you are, and always welcoming strangers to your house like they have been friends for years. And all the people that came that day, and contributed so much I was and still am humbled by your generosity. Thanks to all my students, current and former, who inspire me each and every day to be a better teacher and man. Thanks to the 43 students and crew that went to Biloxi this year and of course the original crew last year. You started this summer out with a spirit of can-do and a wonderful sense of caring and sharing. Thanks to my professional colleagues, who I feel are so close right now with all of your special words of encouragement. And Thank You to all my friends who have touched my life, if you are proud of me and what I have done this summer you should know that I only took the best parts from each one of you to bring to Gulu to represent St. Louis and our village. I am known in parts of Gulu as the tallest man in the village. I also know that I am the most blessed.
Although this passage sounds like the end of a journey, those of you who know me know this is only the start. We can end hunger and extreme poverty by the year 2025. It will be accomplished in three simple and attainable ways. (1) There is an extraordinary group of people who are ready to disrupt their lives, use pit latrines, shower in cold water, and never miss the luxuries of home in order to change the world in the most remote spots of the world. I have met at least 50 of them here, and have scene the trucks of Action Hunger, Medicines Sans Frontieres, and many more here in Uganda. (2) For each one of those wonderful giving people here there are probably at least 100 people at home supporting them through gifts, resources, and prayers. There are also people buying bracelets, wristbands, mosquito nets, and supporting groups that will change the world, and (3) We live in the world’s only superpower who can change villages and thousands of lives with a wink or a nod, and it is time we understood and make our leaders understand that we have no task greater than helping those without learn how to learn, how to sustain, and how to save. We also need to contribute just a small fraction of our dollars to make sure this is working.
If my crusading before annoyed you---get ready because I will come back to America carrying the kindness and the dignity of the Acholi people with me. And in my heart I will hold the hearts of 800 Awere S.S. students.
Peace
John
p.s. I may write again about the beauty of the Nile or of seeing animals on safari, but I have already seen the smiles of the children of Gulu, and their words, “Mu nuu bye, Mu nuu bye, bye, bye, BYE, BYE, bye, bye…….The scream louder as you walk away, then all of sudden you hear a big laugh, and then you don’t hear them anymore as you are now too far away. I think God would have to make the Nile really, really, really special to beat that.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The First of Good-byes
Good-bye
Tuesday afternoon, I was talking to Awere head teacher, Ottober Matthew Obol about ways we could continue the link between American and Gulu when I got back to America. He said a couple of interesting things, one he said we should find a way to get together and talk like family. Tonight, we got together and talked like family. Like a big Catholic family, where the beer and the laughter never subsided. We went to Hotel Roma, so the first time I met Matthew and Nyeko Alfred and the rest of the Awere teachers was at Hotel Roma, and we would also begin to say our good-byes there. Matthew had told me that when he found out Chris, an American who had worked for IC was leaving a week ago, he immediately hopped on his bicycle and pedaled to the office. He explained tonight that it was an Acholi custom that when guests leave they don’t slip away into the night, there is a celebration and a good-bye. You could still tell that Matthew was disappointed that he did not have a big celebration to say good-bye to Chris. But he was ready tonight.
He first told the waitress that she should take my order first because I was the chief guest. Since last Friday the bishop of Gulu was the chief guest and even though Matthew said his comment with humor, I was still touched. Eventually, we decided that ladies should go first. Trisha took a long time ordering and deciding between a lime fanta or a Fresca (which I don’t really think they have), I think she thought she could get a lime Fresca which intrigued her. Matthew, as she was ordering, stated more than once she could order any type of beverage. I knew then that in order to honor my friend Matthew, I would have to order a beer. The sacrifices I have had to make in this country!!!!! Matthew then turned it over to his Director of Studies. The Director of Studies, a young man who is always smiling and always welcoming then proceeded to list how tonight’s program would be run. He had an entire schedule of speeches and presentations written down, although there was only 14 of us. Oliki George talked first and welcomed every group of people, like we were welcoming dignitaries at a state dinner. It is kind of nice the formality that the Ugandans bring to many of the simplest of things, it is a vestige of their British Colonialism I think, but it is still a nice and polite way to do things. One of the Americans was scheduled to give a speech, and when that happened the other four pair of eyes looked to me. I hope that I was able to honor and give words to the hard work that Terry, Trisha, Wendy, and Adam have brought to Awere. I hope I represented us well. I relied on some favorite words, and began with the Shel Silverstein poem. If I was in America, I would be googling the poem and making sure of the correct words, but since I am in Africa, my recollection will have to do.
Listen to the Mustn’ts by Shel Silverstein
Listen to the Mustn’ts, Child
Listen to the Don’ts,
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Couldn’ts, and the Won’ts
Listen to them all and
Then Listen Closely to Me,
Anything is possible, Child,
Aything Can be.
I tried to tell the Ugandan teachers that no matter how many obstacles had been placed in front of their students. The worst obstacles and hindrances a child could imagine. Their students will still learning, still achieving, still wanting to do the best that they could. There are many people to salute, about the pride in the Awere students, but certainly the dedication and tireless effort of their faculty and their head teacher is a big contributor to their success.
Adam and I were the only men amongst the five teachers and during this ceremony, I think both of us could feel the emotion in the room, and tears welled in our eyes. I do not know about our distaff colleagues, but I think tonight was a special night for all of us. Who knew I could come half way around the world and meet such a good group of friends. I do not know yet, how I will honor Gulu and the people that I have met, but I can assure you that each and every day. I will have them on my person and in my hearts.
A few beverages followed with my four colleagues bringing criticism upon our own King of Beers. I told the Ugandan teachers that when you insult the brewery in my town, it is like a football team, it was like disparaging Manchester United. Immediately, one of the Ugandan teachers asked me what my problem with was Arsenal I quickly backtracked, because as of now, I do not have a dog in that fight.
We would have left an hour sooner, but one of the Colorado women was slow in finishing her beverage, so because of that we got stuck in a rainstorm. We waited out the storm by having a few more beverages, finally when it did not let up. Terry, Wendy, and I started back. It was pouring, we found a boda boda for Terry, but in this busy city it might have been the only one running. Wendy and I walked down the street laughing as we soon soaking wet, and one of my first steps was 18 inches into a huge puddle. We kept walking as I shouted “This is Africa” to a deserted Juba road. Soon after about 100 meters, there was a boda for Wendy. I then walked soaked to the skin, and I do not think I have ever been anywhere where my tie was that wet. It felt like I had 50 lbs. around my neck. Wendy took off into the rain, and I continued walking, soon Terry’s brave boda driver returned and we went motorbiking through the darkness and the rain on a cold Gulu night.
I have never been that happy.
Peace and still drying out,
john
Tuesday afternoon, I was talking to Awere head teacher, Ottober Matthew Obol about ways we could continue the link between American and Gulu when I got back to America. He said a couple of interesting things, one he said we should find a way to get together and talk like family. Tonight, we got together and talked like family. Like a big Catholic family, where the beer and the laughter never subsided. We went to Hotel Roma, so the first time I met Matthew and Nyeko Alfred and the rest of the Awere teachers was at Hotel Roma, and we would also begin to say our good-byes there. Matthew had told me that when he found out Chris, an American who had worked for IC was leaving a week ago, he immediately hopped on his bicycle and pedaled to the office. He explained tonight that it was an Acholi custom that when guests leave they don’t slip away into the night, there is a celebration and a good-bye. You could still tell that Matthew was disappointed that he did not have a big celebration to say good-bye to Chris. But he was ready tonight.
He first told the waitress that she should take my order first because I was the chief guest. Since last Friday the bishop of Gulu was the chief guest and even though Matthew said his comment with humor, I was still touched. Eventually, we decided that ladies should go first. Trisha took a long time ordering and deciding between a lime fanta or a Fresca (which I don’t really think they have), I think she thought she could get a lime Fresca which intrigued her. Matthew, as she was ordering, stated more than once she could order any type of beverage. I knew then that in order to honor my friend Matthew, I would have to order a beer. The sacrifices I have had to make in this country!!!!! Matthew then turned it over to his Director of Studies. The Director of Studies, a young man who is always smiling and always welcoming then proceeded to list how tonight’s program would be run. He had an entire schedule of speeches and presentations written down, although there was only 14 of us. Oliki George talked first and welcomed every group of people, like we were welcoming dignitaries at a state dinner. It is kind of nice the formality that the Ugandans bring to many of the simplest of things, it is a vestige of their British Colonialism I think, but it is still a nice and polite way to do things. One of the Americans was scheduled to give a speech, and when that happened the other four pair of eyes looked to me. I hope that I was able to honor and give words to the hard work that Terry, Trisha, Wendy, and Adam have brought to Awere. I hope I represented us well. I relied on some favorite words, and began with the Shel Silverstein poem. If I was in America, I would be googling the poem and making sure of the correct words, but since I am in Africa, my recollection will have to do.
Listen to the Mustn’ts by Shel Silverstein
Listen to the Mustn’ts, Child
Listen to the Don’ts,
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Couldn’ts, and the Won’ts
Listen to them all and
Then Listen Closely to Me,
Anything is possible, Child,
Aything Can be.
I tried to tell the Ugandan teachers that no matter how many obstacles had been placed in front of their students. The worst obstacles and hindrances a child could imagine. Their students will still learning, still achieving, still wanting to do the best that they could. There are many people to salute, about the pride in the Awere students, but certainly the dedication and tireless effort of their faculty and their head teacher is a big contributor to their success.
Adam and I were the only men amongst the five teachers and during this ceremony, I think both of us could feel the emotion in the room, and tears welled in our eyes. I do not know about our distaff colleagues, but I think tonight was a special night for all of us. Who knew I could come half way around the world and meet such a good group of friends. I do not know yet, how I will honor Gulu and the people that I have met, but I can assure you that each and every day. I will have them on my person and in my hearts.
A few beverages followed with my four colleagues bringing criticism upon our own King of Beers. I told the Ugandan teachers that when you insult the brewery in my town, it is like a football team, it was like disparaging Manchester United. Immediately, one of the Ugandan teachers asked me what my problem with was Arsenal I quickly backtracked, because as of now, I do not have a dog in that fight.
We would have left an hour sooner, but one of the Colorado women was slow in finishing her beverage, so because of that we got stuck in a rainstorm. We waited out the storm by having a few more beverages, finally when it did not let up. Terry, Wendy, and I started back. It was pouring, we found a boda boda for Terry, but in this busy city it might have been the only one running. Wendy and I walked down the street laughing as we soon soaking wet, and one of my first steps was 18 inches into a huge puddle. We kept walking as I shouted “This is Africa” to a deserted Juba road. Soon after about 100 meters, there was a boda for Wendy. I then walked soaked to the skin, and I do not think I have ever been anywhere where my tie was that wet. It felt like I had 50 lbs. around my neck. Wendy took off into the rain, and I continued walking, soon Terry’s brave boda driver returned and we went motorbiking through the darkness and the rain on a cold Gulu night.
I have never been that happy.
Peace and still drying out,
john
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Bonus---RAINSTORM POST
It started to pour, so I first ducked into the Shell station and had a 500 mL coke, but it would not stop raining. There is a small convenience shop there with Invisible Children's favorite employee Lucy. In the middle of the shop there was a man giving a pedicure to two women. Then I saw a Toyota pick up truck packed to the gills with boxes and gerry cans strapped to the side. On top of the load, sat what looked like an entire village, children, old women, old men, and also on top of the cab, 3 young men. I am not sure I will have any overloaded truck pictures when I get back, because I want to respect the dignity of the people who have to travel this way or walk. But since they were going out in the rain. They just got a big tarp out held it out over all the people and moved on. The young guys up front were holding it so they could somewhat see the road. Another African sight I will not forget.
\
but anyway
It is still raining so I will tell you more news, the American band Fall Out Boy has come to Gulu to shoot a video. Many of the IC staff is working very hard to help film their video at Awer camp. The closest I have come is that I ate dinner once accidentally at the same restaurant, and the other night I helped wash dishes that they would have eaten off of if the shoot had ended on time. Anyway I have to be brief because I am losing minutes, but the band showed up and watch me teach at Awere for five minutes today. I do not know what this film is for, but who knows? The video is for a song with lawyer in the title off the knew album, be watching for it for shots of Northern Uganda
peace
john
\
but anyway
It is still raining so I will tell you more news, the American band Fall Out Boy has come to Gulu to shoot a video. Many of the IC staff is working very hard to help film their video at Awer camp. The closest I have come is that I ate dinner once accidentally at the same restaurant, and the other night I helped wash dishes that they would have eaten off of if the shoot had ended on time. Anyway I have to be brief because I am losing minutes, but the band showed up and watch me teach at Awere for five minutes today. I do not know what this film is for, but who knows? The video is for a song with lawyer in the title off the knew album, be watching for it for shots of Northern Uganda
peace
john
A chicken in the classroom
A Chicken in the Classroom
This morning I woke up and it was a cool day in Gulu. I actually slept for a long period of time last night, which is unusual for me in or out of Africa. This morning I had an 8.15 am class with Senior 3C. They are a very alive and energetic class, and they had another great class today. After looking at Senior 3A’s homework, I wanted to make sure I emphasized the points I thought they understood, but it was obvious by their homework that did not happen. The Awere students do not call it homework, it is their exercises, and they put it in an exercise book. Somehow during the day, they get it done, maybe during part of their lunch, because we grade it the same day or it does not seem to get graded.
They are eager for grades and comments and to get their work graded, but the grades are not recorded anywhere and they do not really have grades. Their marks are based really only on their exams and their end of year tests. They have to pass the Senior 3 tests to move on to Senior 4 so the grades also have a wide disparity in age. There is also the fact that some of these students have been abducted or are former child soldiers, so it takes a special kind of courage and dedication to wanting an education to restart school at Senior2 (most equivalent to freshmen level) at the age of 20.
The students are so welcoming and polite in all of their actions, Today I circled the building in a different way because of the mud, and started going to the wrong classroom. Since they can see through the walls, my class was calling for me, “Sir, Sir, over here, Sir!” While the other class was directing me away also. Then another funny thing happened as mid-lesson a chicken wandered into my class, and stood behind a stool. I asked the students to move the stool so I could get a picture, and they answered, “Sir, if we move the stool, the chicken will run under the wall.” So I tried to get a picture of the chicken who wandered into the classroom, but did not. So just like the lizard, you will have to take this on faith. I have a new friend in the village of Oliyo I Long which if you remember either means, “Urine in the trousers” or “Man who pees himself”, he is a small boy with no front teeth who has worn the same blue shirt every time I see him. He runs out of one of the shops always says Hi, and often a How are you and cranes his neck in a weird angle to indicate how tall I am. It will be one thing I miss on a fifteen minute walk how many young children greet you, smile at you, and say goodby. It is my favorite form of entertainment. So students if you are reading this and I ask you “How are you?” with the emphasis on the you, please answer “I am fine!” with a very short clipped way of saying fine. I wll think so kindly of you, I will probably award you an A+ for the entire year.
Last night, I took Aliker David Martin to the Acholi Inn, in turn I filmed him talking about the Acholi concept of “mato oput” which translates to “drink the bitter herb” and is an Acholi custom of forgiveness that some want to use to end the war and bring peace. It is interesting that many, many Acholi do not want revenge or retribution to horrible acts of murder, rape, torture, and dismemberment. They simply want to forgive, have peace, and live their life. Amy Colleen Finnegan, the Boston researcher who is a friend of Cathy Modde from the CSC, told me that she believes it is possible that Northern Uganda might be giving the world something special with this new model for peace.
I will write tomorrow, and Friday, and then I do not know about the other days as wer are traveling to Murchison Falls, a game reserve, rafting on the Nile, and leaving
Africa. I will be home shortly and have many pictures and stories to tell.
Peace,
John
This morning I woke up and it was a cool day in Gulu. I actually slept for a long period of time last night, which is unusual for me in or out of Africa. This morning I had an 8.15 am class with Senior 3C. They are a very alive and energetic class, and they had another great class today. After looking at Senior 3A’s homework, I wanted to make sure I emphasized the points I thought they understood, but it was obvious by their homework that did not happen. The Awere students do not call it homework, it is their exercises, and they put it in an exercise book. Somehow during the day, they get it done, maybe during part of their lunch, because we grade it the same day or it does not seem to get graded.
They are eager for grades and comments and to get their work graded, but the grades are not recorded anywhere and they do not really have grades. Their marks are based really only on their exams and their end of year tests. They have to pass the Senior 3 tests to move on to Senior 4 so the grades also have a wide disparity in age. There is also the fact that some of these students have been abducted or are former child soldiers, so it takes a special kind of courage and dedication to wanting an education to restart school at Senior2 (most equivalent to freshmen level) at the age of 20.
The students are so welcoming and polite in all of their actions, Today I circled the building in a different way because of the mud, and started going to the wrong classroom. Since they can see through the walls, my class was calling for me, “Sir, Sir, over here, Sir!” While the other class was directing me away also. Then another funny thing happened as mid-lesson a chicken wandered into my class, and stood behind a stool. I asked the students to move the stool so I could get a picture, and they answered, “Sir, if we move the stool, the chicken will run under the wall.” So I tried to get a picture of the chicken who wandered into the classroom, but did not. So just like the lizard, you will have to take this on faith. I have a new friend in the village of Oliyo I Long which if you remember either means, “Urine in the trousers” or “Man who pees himself”, he is a small boy with no front teeth who has worn the same blue shirt every time I see him. He runs out of one of the shops always says Hi, and often a How are you and cranes his neck in a weird angle to indicate how tall I am. It will be one thing I miss on a fifteen minute walk how many young children greet you, smile at you, and say goodby. It is my favorite form of entertainment. So students if you are reading this and I ask you “How are you?” with the emphasis on the you, please answer “I am fine!” with a very short clipped way of saying fine. I wll think so kindly of you, I will probably award you an A+ for the entire year.
Last night, I took Aliker David Martin to the Acholi Inn, in turn I filmed him talking about the Acholi concept of “mato oput” which translates to “drink the bitter herb” and is an Acholi custom of forgiveness that some want to use to end the war and bring peace. It is interesting that many, many Acholi do not want revenge or retribution to horrible acts of murder, rape, torture, and dismemberment. They simply want to forgive, have peace, and live their life. Amy Colleen Finnegan, the Boston researcher who is a friend of Cathy Modde from the CSC, told me that she believes it is possible that Northern Uganda might be giving the world something special with this new model for peace.
I will write tomorrow, and Friday, and then I do not know about the other days as wer are traveling to Murchison Falls, a game reserve, rafting on the Nile, and leaving
Africa. I will be home shortly and have many pictures and stories to tell.
Peace,
John
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday Morning at Awere
Tuesday Morning at Awere
I am sad that my friend Nyeko Alfred is not able to be here this week in the classroom. I am proud of him that he is studying hard to make himself a better teacher and make Awere a better school. What it does allow me to do, though, is interact more with the students. This morning I taught Senior 3A about grouping data and finding the mean and the median. And then immediately after, I had to teach Senior 3C, and I taught them line graphs and pie charts. They are a very outgoing class, and this class was fun today. It ended with me trying to pronounce correctly the 60 African names and the whole class giggling a lot. Then a few of them produced cameras and we took several photos. On the way to the market, Terry, Trisha, and I were going to pick up clothes. Thanks to the selfless acts of these two women, some of you are getting better gifts. Because I am quite out of my element when it comes to material and tailoring. Terry has been working tirelessly to knit a pair of socks for her team teacher. She had a pair started then found out Solena did not like blue, so she had to quickly finish that pair before starting another pair with colors that Solena liked. I really enjoyed going to the market with both of them, they are great people and great educators, and I have not gotten enough time on this trip to have just regular conversations with them.
Yesterday was also an interesting day, when it came to my friend Amos. He had been sent home from school because he had not paid his exam fees. I told him to go back to school, and if he was sent home again to meet me at the IC front gate at 1:30 pm. He was not there so that was a good sign, but it meant I had to go to his school by myself. I started down the main road (really a 14 foot width of dirt) he told me. Once again, I saw Isa, I see that kid several times a day it seems like all over town. It is almost like he has a transponder or something tucked in my shoe. I asked him how far to K…. .. School and he said 100 kilometers. I said Isa it can’t be 100 km. Soon he was home, and the road kept getting narrower. I came to a fork in the road, and could not decide after looking down both baths. I finally asked a 10 year old, and he showed me that it was not even one of the forks, but off the road and between huts. He led me for a distance and at least we got a path again, but we were walking deeper and deeper into a village. I tried real hard to keep my sense of direction, but I figured it was 1.30 pm how lost could I get. Soon I lost my guide, but he pointed me down the road. I walked for awhile and asked the next person I saw who pointed me between another 2 traditional round brick huts until I ran into another and he told me to go right around the hut, instead of left. Since the hut is not that big I wondered what the difference would be, but I followed anyway. Now I was mid-village and there were no paths anywhere. Luckily, I found another 10 year old guide, who deftly led me through the maze of huts and all of a sudden I could see a school with bright uniforms and fences and everything else.
Since I did not have an appointment, I asked the guard at the gate, if I could talk to the head teacher. He said the head teacher was not here. I then asked about the deputy, and he said the deputy was not there. I then asked if there was someone who I could talk to get a cel phone number for the head teacher. He directed me to the office of the Senior Woman Teacher. We had a pleasant conversation about Amos, although she told me she could not recognize the boy right away. I told her that I was looking to make arrangements, to pay the students exam fees and get him back in school. She said if I called back I could get the boy’s details and maybe help out in that regard. She also hinted that there were many students with needs and she talked about two orphans she had taken in and the 4th grader was a very bright girl and she also needed school fees. I empathized, but stated that I would have to help Amos first, because he was my friend and I believed he was a bright boy who could accomplish a lot. She gave me her number and said too bad it was lunch or we could find Amos, but he was probably gone. ( Many students in Ugandan schools walk either home or a market or road side stand for food at lunch. So in the middle of the day, there are always all kinds of kids walking back and forth every where. Actually at all times of day, you see school kids walking everywhere.)
I left and asked the guard at the gate if there was a larger road I could take to town, because I knew I could not make it back to familiar surroundings the same way I came. I also would have been unable to match that path again. As I started to walk up the road, I ran into Amos and I quickly hustled him back to the Senior Teachers office. Of course, as she directed me into the chair, Amos knelt at her desk, another custom of Uganadan schools. We were able to figure our that Amos needed an exam fee, monthly exam fees for the third term, and third term fees. I was able to pay them all, so Amos should have no more problem completing P6. Btw, I paid a total of 8,000/=, which equates to about $5. Amazing.
So it is Tuesday afternoon, and I am typing this at home. A couple of nice successes in a row. With two good class sessions this morning and helping Amos a little bit last night. Tonight I am taking Aliker David Martin out to dinner after our last roundtable. I am going to tape him talking a little bit about his experience and also explain “mato oput” on film for the Nerinx students to see. As I walked back through Prison primary, someone was actually in the latrines cleaning them, WOW! I walked a little further and again met Ocen Juma who was grazing 8 cows in the corner of the soccer field. I talked with him again, and he told me that both of his parents had died, and he gets paid by someone else to tend the cattle. So I wonder how this child eats, where he sleeps, etc.
But then I talked to an old man on a bicycle who was in town for his son who was at Lacor Hospital. As we talked he pointed to the Gulu, and I could see how beautiful it was and how far I could see. So as I wind up my time in Gulu and Africa, I am going to believe that the sun is shining, there is so much beauty and kindness to see, and I believe things can get much better for the Acholi, whether they be the best students in Senior 3C or Ocen Juma tending cattle in a soccer field for just a few shillings a day.
Peace,
john
I am sad that my friend Nyeko Alfred is not able to be here this week in the classroom. I am proud of him that he is studying hard to make himself a better teacher and make Awere a better school. What it does allow me to do, though, is interact more with the students. This morning I taught Senior 3A about grouping data and finding the mean and the median. And then immediately after, I had to teach Senior 3C, and I taught them line graphs and pie charts. They are a very outgoing class, and this class was fun today. It ended with me trying to pronounce correctly the 60 African names and the whole class giggling a lot. Then a few of them produced cameras and we took several photos. On the way to the market, Terry, Trisha, and I were going to pick up clothes. Thanks to the selfless acts of these two women, some of you are getting better gifts. Because I am quite out of my element when it comes to material and tailoring. Terry has been working tirelessly to knit a pair of socks for her team teacher. She had a pair started then found out Solena did not like blue, so she had to quickly finish that pair before starting another pair with colors that Solena liked. I really enjoyed going to the market with both of them, they are great people and great educators, and I have not gotten enough time on this trip to have just regular conversations with them.
Yesterday was also an interesting day, when it came to my friend Amos. He had been sent home from school because he had not paid his exam fees. I told him to go back to school, and if he was sent home again to meet me at the IC front gate at 1:30 pm. He was not there so that was a good sign, but it meant I had to go to his school by myself. I started down the main road (really a 14 foot width of dirt) he told me. Once again, I saw Isa, I see that kid several times a day it seems like all over town. It is almost like he has a transponder or something tucked in my shoe. I asked him how far to K…. .. School and he said 100 kilometers. I said Isa it can’t be 100 km. Soon he was home, and the road kept getting narrower. I came to a fork in the road, and could not decide after looking down both baths. I finally asked a 10 year old, and he showed me that it was not even one of the forks, but off the road and between huts. He led me for a distance and at least we got a path again, but we were walking deeper and deeper into a village. I tried real hard to keep my sense of direction, but I figured it was 1.30 pm how lost could I get. Soon I lost my guide, but he pointed me down the road. I walked for awhile and asked the next person I saw who pointed me between another 2 traditional round brick huts until I ran into another and he told me to go right around the hut, instead of left. Since the hut is not that big I wondered what the difference would be, but I followed anyway. Now I was mid-village and there were no paths anywhere. Luckily, I found another 10 year old guide, who deftly led me through the maze of huts and all of a sudden I could see a school with bright uniforms and fences and everything else.
Since I did not have an appointment, I asked the guard at the gate, if I could talk to the head teacher. He said the head teacher was not here. I then asked about the deputy, and he said the deputy was not there. I then asked if there was someone who I could talk to get a cel phone number for the head teacher. He directed me to the office of the Senior Woman Teacher. We had a pleasant conversation about Amos, although she told me she could not recognize the boy right away. I told her that I was looking to make arrangements, to pay the students exam fees and get him back in school. She said if I called back I could get the boy’s details and maybe help out in that regard. She also hinted that there were many students with needs and she talked about two orphans she had taken in and the 4th grader was a very bright girl and she also needed school fees. I empathized, but stated that I would have to help Amos first, because he was my friend and I believed he was a bright boy who could accomplish a lot. She gave me her number and said too bad it was lunch or we could find Amos, but he was probably gone. ( Many students in Ugandan schools walk either home or a market or road side stand for food at lunch. So in the middle of the day, there are always all kinds of kids walking back and forth every where. Actually at all times of day, you see school kids walking everywhere.)
I left and asked the guard at the gate if there was a larger road I could take to town, because I knew I could not make it back to familiar surroundings the same way I came. I also would have been unable to match that path again. As I started to walk up the road, I ran into Amos and I quickly hustled him back to the Senior Teachers office. Of course, as she directed me into the chair, Amos knelt at her desk, another custom of Uganadan schools. We were able to figure our that Amos needed an exam fee, monthly exam fees for the third term, and third term fees. I was able to pay them all, so Amos should have no more problem completing P6. Btw, I paid a total of 8,000/=, which equates to about $5. Amazing.
So it is Tuesday afternoon, and I am typing this at home. A couple of nice successes in a row. With two good class sessions this morning and helping Amos a little bit last night. Tonight I am taking Aliker David Martin out to dinner after our last roundtable. I am going to tape him talking a little bit about his experience and also explain “mato oput” on film for the Nerinx students to see. As I walked back through Prison primary, someone was actually in the latrines cleaning them, WOW! I walked a little further and again met Ocen Juma who was grazing 8 cows in the corner of the soccer field. I talked with him again, and he told me that both of his parents had died, and he gets paid by someone else to tend the cattle. So I wonder how this child eats, where he sleeps, etc.
But then I talked to an old man on a bicycle who was in town for his son who was at Lacor Hospital. As we talked he pointed to the Gulu, and I could see how beautiful it was and how far I could see. So as I wind up my time in Gulu and Africa, I am going to believe that the sun is shining, there is so much beauty and kindness to see, and I believe things can get much better for the Acholi, whether they be the best students in Senior 3C or Ocen Juma tending cattle in a soccer field for just a few shillings a day.
Peace,
john
Monday, July 16, 2007
Now What?????
Now What?
I am meeting today with the Head Teacher at Kusami Army Primary School. My intent is to figure out why my young friend Orach Amos keeps getting sent home from school. It has something to do with fees not paid. It is my desire and goal to make sure that Amos does not miss any more days of school in P-6 or P-7 due to fees. I am trying to get a holder of the school supply company in Kampala to but 180 good math notebooks for my Senior 3 students. I am at least considering that there may be an opportunity for me to accompany some Nerinx students to Africa next year. Where would they stay, what would the cost be, and how are they not just tourists? I am considering figuring out ways to bring students to visit Nerinx for a couple of weeks. Again what is the cost, how do I do it?
I guess all of my thoughts are how do I keep the friendship and warmth I feel from the Acholi people and students and how do I continue either helping them or just as important letting them help me become a better person. I really feel after this year in Biloxi we have a model and a tradition that can continue another 10 or 12 years down the road. Where the community of Nerinx helps and is helped by the people of the Back Bay. So how do I get a model started for a Gulu-St. Louis or Awere-Nerinx connection?
And why stop at Nerinx how do I take all that I have learned here, and come up with a presentation that I can take to Cor Jesu and SLUH and Loyola, and St. Raphael’s etc.
Here is where I need your prayers, I think all of this is possible. I think we can end world hunger and extreme poverty by the year 2025. The poople here all want to do better, they all want to do more. They are a friendly and industrious people. How do we find jobs, and industry, and permanent solutions like Micro Loans to help each person get started in a business or a risk they would like to take. But please continue to pray for the people of Northern Uganda, and also pray that I can find real concrete ways to help them. Not superficial things that make me feel good, but concrete steps to make their lives better and their education freer of so so many obstacles.
There are so many Wa nuu (the plural of mu nuu) who want to help and besides the easily adaptable problems of no real western food, not as many showers, and pit latrines, many Westerners have come here and adapted quite nicely. It can be done, and Invisible Children is now taking dramatic steps in turning over many of the important jobs to the Ugandan people.
I would like to end this now with the Acholi words for this can happen or the future will be our success. That would have been really cool, but I don’t know that much Lwo so imagine if you will those words with Lwo resonance.
This is my last Monday in Gulu so this incredible experience is winding down almost too quickly.
Peace,
John
I am meeting today with the Head Teacher at Kusami Army Primary School. My intent is to figure out why my young friend Orach Amos keeps getting sent home from school. It has something to do with fees not paid. It is my desire and goal to make sure that Amos does not miss any more days of school in P-6 or P-7 due to fees. I am trying to get a holder of the school supply company in Kampala to but 180 good math notebooks for my Senior 3 students. I am at least considering that there may be an opportunity for me to accompany some Nerinx students to Africa next year. Where would they stay, what would the cost be, and how are they not just tourists? I am considering figuring out ways to bring students to visit Nerinx for a couple of weeks. Again what is the cost, how do I do it?
I guess all of my thoughts are how do I keep the friendship and warmth I feel from the Acholi people and students and how do I continue either helping them or just as important letting them help me become a better person. I really feel after this year in Biloxi we have a model and a tradition that can continue another 10 or 12 years down the road. Where the community of Nerinx helps and is helped by the people of the Back Bay. So how do I get a model started for a Gulu-St. Louis or Awere-Nerinx connection?
And why stop at Nerinx how do I take all that I have learned here, and come up with a presentation that I can take to Cor Jesu and SLUH and Loyola, and St. Raphael’s etc.
Here is where I need your prayers, I think all of this is possible. I think we can end world hunger and extreme poverty by the year 2025. The poople here all want to do better, they all want to do more. They are a friendly and industrious people. How do we find jobs, and industry, and permanent solutions like Micro Loans to help each person get started in a business or a risk they would like to take. But please continue to pray for the people of Northern Uganda, and also pray that I can find real concrete ways to help them. Not superficial things that make me feel good, but concrete steps to make their lives better and their education freer of so so many obstacles.
There are so many Wa nuu (the plural of mu nuu) who want to help and besides the easily adaptable problems of no real western food, not as many showers, and pit latrines, many Westerners have come here and adapted quite nicely. It can be done, and Invisible Children is now taking dramatic steps in turning over many of the important jobs to the Ugandan people.
I would like to end this now with the Acholi words for this can happen or the future will be our success. That would have been really cool, but I don’t know that much Lwo so imagine if you will those words with Lwo resonance.
This is my last Monday in Gulu so this incredible experience is winding down almost too quickly.
Peace,
John
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Mass at Gulu High
Mass at Gulu High
My colleague, Phil Kelly, who is now probably sitting on a stream somewhere in Idaho, told me that he had gone to a Catholic Mass at Gulu High, and I really should go. Phil is not Catholic, but he told me he found the service to be wonderful. Well, Phil thanks, thanks. It waas one of the most amazing experiences of the trip. I walked the 15 minutes to Gulu High, only once having to ask directions, and that was just because I thought I was running late or perhaps forgot I was on Africa time. When I got there, I soon spied several students standing around a class room. Many of the boys that live there were taking advantage of the bright sun, and washing their sheets and drying them on the lawn. But I figured this classroom, must be the one for Mass, I peaked my head in and saw an all student congregation, sitting in the desks still in line from the classroom. The students were on my left, and the choir was singing on my right. As is often the custom in Gulu, a student soon got out of his chair, and another student politely and graciously directed me to his chair. I turns out I was not late for Mass and listened to the choir practice, and the church was filled for choir practice. When the priest showed up 15 minutes later, you could tell that the students were excited. Phil told me that the priest is not always available and sometimes if he does not show, they just have a service with readings and songs. I cannot tell you how proud I was as a Catholic, that this overcrowded room of students was excited to see a priest and excited about Mass. Erin and Elise and all other Cor Jesu students this is the school and the students you have shared with this year!
Mass began and the altar boys and girls looked fantastic. The altar boys were in one piece bright green print surpluses with wonderful embroidery and craftsmanship, one each sided they had an embroidered cross. The girls were in a yellow or orange surplus with a single cross embroidered in front. The songs throughout the mass (they have about twelve, were incredible, and although the Mass and sermon were in English many of the songs were in Lwo. I looked up at the song list which was written on the class backboard, it was comforting to see H2CO3, H2SO4 and H2O still on the chalkboard left over from a previous chemistry class. They did not erase the whole board, just enough to write which songs they would be singing for each part.
The students were ready and participating at each part. It was also interesting to know that there, since this is a boarding school, were students participating in various activities outside. These students did not go to Mass because someone told them they had to; they were there because they wanted to be there. The gospel was about the Good Samaritan, which is really interesting in a region that has been deeply devastated by war in a continent where sometimes differences in people often lead to armed conflict. It was also interesting that in a region of the world that really needs peace. The student prayed the entire sign of peace part together out loud with the priest. I thought about how much this prayer and its significance actually means to these students.
` The priest gave a wonderful sermon. He talked about the woman who went to the well to fill two buckets and one was a good bucket and held water, but the other bucket had a leak and by the time she got home, it would only be half full. She asked the Lord what she should do, and soon planted flowers on the way back from the well. Thereafter, as the one bucket would leak it would water the flowers. People soon commented about how beautiful the path to her house was.
The second story was about a teacher who asked a student when they knew that the night had given way to the morning. The student replied that is was when he could telll the difference between a sheep and a dog in the distance. Another student said it was when he could tell a fig tree from a palm tree. The teacher told them you both have failed. The night gives way to the morning when you see a stranger and you greet him as a friend.
So with a few hundred students around me, I was humbled, and in their voices their faith, and their song. I noticed that the night had turned to day, and the sun was shining magnificently on all the students of Gulu High.
Peace,
john
My colleague, Phil Kelly, who is now probably sitting on a stream somewhere in Idaho, told me that he had gone to a Catholic Mass at Gulu High, and I really should go. Phil is not Catholic, but he told me he found the service to be wonderful. Well, Phil thanks, thanks. It waas one of the most amazing experiences of the trip. I walked the 15 minutes to Gulu High, only once having to ask directions, and that was just because I thought I was running late or perhaps forgot I was on Africa time. When I got there, I soon spied several students standing around a class room. Many of the boys that live there were taking advantage of the bright sun, and washing their sheets and drying them on the lawn. But I figured this classroom, must be the one for Mass, I peaked my head in and saw an all student congregation, sitting in the desks still in line from the classroom. The students were on my left, and the choir was singing on my right. As is often the custom in Gulu, a student soon got out of his chair, and another student politely and graciously directed me to his chair. I turns out I was not late for Mass and listened to the choir practice, and the church was filled for choir practice. When the priest showed up 15 minutes later, you could tell that the students were excited. Phil told me that the priest is not always available and sometimes if he does not show, they just have a service with readings and songs. I cannot tell you how proud I was as a Catholic, that this overcrowded room of students was excited to see a priest and excited about Mass. Erin and Elise and all other Cor Jesu students this is the school and the students you have shared with this year!
Mass began and the altar boys and girls looked fantastic. The altar boys were in one piece bright green print surpluses with wonderful embroidery and craftsmanship, one each sided they had an embroidered cross. The girls were in a yellow or orange surplus with a single cross embroidered in front. The songs throughout the mass (they have about twelve, were incredible, and although the Mass and sermon were in English many of the songs were in Lwo. I looked up at the song list which was written on the class backboard, it was comforting to see H2CO3, H2SO4 and H2O still on the chalkboard left over from a previous chemistry class. They did not erase the whole board, just enough to write which songs they would be singing for each part.
The students were ready and participating at each part. It was also interesting to know that there, since this is a boarding school, were students participating in various activities outside. These students did not go to Mass because someone told them they had to; they were there because they wanted to be there. The gospel was about the Good Samaritan, which is really interesting in a region that has been deeply devastated by war in a continent where sometimes differences in people often lead to armed conflict. It was also interesting that in a region of the world that really needs peace. The student prayed the entire sign of peace part together out loud with the priest. I thought about how much this prayer and its significance actually means to these students.
` The priest gave a wonderful sermon. He talked about the woman who went to the well to fill two buckets and one was a good bucket and held water, but the other bucket had a leak and by the time she got home, it would only be half full. She asked the Lord what she should do, and soon planted flowers on the way back from the well. Thereafter, as the one bucket would leak it would water the flowers. People soon commented about how beautiful the path to her house was.
The second story was about a teacher who asked a student when they knew that the night had given way to the morning. The student replied that is was when he could telll the difference between a sheep and a dog in the distance. Another student said it was when he could tell a fig tree from a palm tree. The teacher told them you both have failed. The night gives way to the morning when you see a stranger and you greet him as a friend.
So with a few hundred students around me, I was humbled, and in their voices their faith, and their song. I noticed that the night had turned to day, and the sun was shining magnificently on all the students of Gulu High.
Peace,
john
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thanksgiving Day at Awere
Thanksgiving Day at Awere
I walked into Awere and right on the concrete, I saw two of the workmen hacking at something with wood axes. I then realized what they were attacking with a vengeance was half of a cow. Today was going to be a day of celebration and feasting, and apparently I was looking at dinner. I then just stayed out of the way. Alfred says the Acholi have a saying, “Don’t let the visitor carry the luggage.” So as opposed to home where I am always grabbing chairs and moving them. I think I might be insulting the students and staff at Awere by helping myself. Alfred always calls to a student who runs and gets me a chair if I don’t have one. Also, when the students come and ask for a teacher’s help they either curtesy or bow lower than the seated teacher until they are told to take a seat or stand up.
So I could not help set anything up, as the students and prisoners from Gulu prison, assembled two large tents. All of the boy fit into each other, but each joint was secured by lashing. I remember I loved lashing in boy scouts, and I think every Ugandan knows how to lash. So I watched as they assembled the tents. It was a good thing too, because we were all under the tents from about 10.30 am until 3.45 pm. It was a pretty amazing program.
The Anglican bishop came in a parade to the school, up the back dirt road where he was led to the school by dancers. The boys were all in shorts and fake leopard skins, the girls were in the traditional dance costumes. As the crowd moved toward the tents, I was able to have my photo taken with the dancers. They also showed me how to play the whistle that they had made from a horn of animal.
We then sat down and had a church service with the bishop. He was very warm and engaging and gave a good sermon for young students. They had a confirmation class of 20 that was confirmed and had a great choir who seemed to add a song whenever the bishop wanted to hear one. We then heard many speeches, including some great ones by the Head Boy, Head Student Prefect, and the incoming Student Prefect. The prefects are responsible for a lot of the discipline at school and in the dorms and it was really nice to hear students talk about discipline and what was needed to be a good student.
We had lunch where I ate the beef I saw earlier, it was the best beef I have had in Africa. Although, it was a very formal dinner with lace on the tables. We had to eat with what Komakech called “our tribal fork” aka our hands.
We then saw more dancing, a student written play about finding Jesus, a student written play about a girl who responds to peer pressure, gets pregnant and dies having an abortion. As silly as this sounds there were many comedic moments in both usually supplied by the student playing the witch doctor. It ended with students lip syncing and half performing music.
Today we drove 3 hours so we could see the site where Awere is going to be when they go back. Remember they are only in Gulu due to the war, and actually are much further north. I have so much more to tell you, but we just got back on Saturday and I am going to have to rush in to town to get this published.
peace
john
I walked into Awere and right on the concrete, I saw two of the workmen hacking at something with wood axes. I then realized what they were attacking with a vengeance was half of a cow. Today was going to be a day of celebration and feasting, and apparently I was looking at dinner. I then just stayed out of the way. Alfred says the Acholi have a saying, “Don’t let the visitor carry the luggage.” So as opposed to home where I am always grabbing chairs and moving them. I think I might be insulting the students and staff at Awere by helping myself. Alfred always calls to a student who runs and gets me a chair if I don’t have one. Also, when the students come and ask for a teacher’s help they either curtesy or bow lower than the seated teacher until they are told to take a seat or stand up.
So I could not help set anything up, as the students and prisoners from Gulu prison, assembled two large tents. All of the boy fit into each other, but each joint was secured by lashing. I remember I loved lashing in boy scouts, and I think every Ugandan knows how to lash. So I watched as they assembled the tents. It was a good thing too, because we were all under the tents from about 10.30 am until 3.45 pm. It was a pretty amazing program.
The Anglican bishop came in a parade to the school, up the back dirt road where he was led to the school by dancers. The boys were all in shorts and fake leopard skins, the girls were in the traditional dance costumes. As the crowd moved toward the tents, I was able to have my photo taken with the dancers. They also showed me how to play the whistle that they had made from a horn of animal.
We then sat down and had a church service with the bishop. He was very warm and engaging and gave a good sermon for young students. They had a confirmation class of 20 that was confirmed and had a great choir who seemed to add a song whenever the bishop wanted to hear one. We then heard many speeches, including some great ones by the Head Boy, Head Student Prefect, and the incoming Student Prefect. The prefects are responsible for a lot of the discipline at school and in the dorms and it was really nice to hear students talk about discipline and what was needed to be a good student.
We had lunch where I ate the beef I saw earlier, it was the best beef I have had in Africa. Although, it was a very formal dinner with lace on the tables. We had to eat with what Komakech called “our tribal fork” aka our hands.
We then saw more dancing, a student written play about finding Jesus, a student written play about a girl who responds to peer pressure, gets pregnant and dies having an abortion. As silly as this sounds there were many comedic moments in both usually supplied by the student playing the witch doctor. It ended with students lip syncing and half performing music.
Today we drove 3 hours so we could see the site where Awere is going to be when they go back. Remember they are only in Gulu due to the war, and actually are much further north. I have so much more to tell you, but we just got back on Saturday and I am going to have to rush in to town to get this published.
peace
john
Friday, July 13, 2007
Celebration Day at Awere
Celebration Day at Awere
Today there is no school at Awere, there is a whole day planned of speeches, dances, a Mass by the Anglican bishop where confirmation candidates will be confirmed, and more speeches. The dances and the presentations by the students will be great, but I am curious how the speeches of the leaders will be. Not to worry, lunch is scheduled at 3.30 pm.
There are 5 teachers here, and I have been lucky to see two of my colleagues, Wendy and Trisha just have some wonderful interactions with students. Wendy is from Colorado and has a family and friends that are very proud of her. If any of you ever read this your pride has been warranted. Wendy has taken her whole big personality and brought it to Awere school and has done great things. Trisha is a science teacher who is always working at being more curious about the world. She gave us a wonderful Astronomy course the other day at the house. You would not believe the stars you can see on a clear Ugandan night with a new moon. I saw the Milky Way, and Jupiter, and Saturn, and Anteres and many other (stop reading if you are not Frank Hellwig--but no Frank I did not see Uranus). Trisha has a father she talks about fondly and if you saw what your daughter was doing here, you would be so so proud (as the Acholi would say). I took videos of one of her rocket launches so you will be able to see. Watch that video twice, sir, and look how captivated her students are. Amazing.
Tomorrow a whole group of us, are taking a mutatu to the site of the real Awere school. If you remember Awere is a displaced school in Gulu, because of the war in the North. I am really looking forward to seeing this part of Uganda, it is supposed to be a very beautiful place. Whenever you get to the top of a hill or high elevation here, you can just look out and see beautiful green and foliage.
I am unfamiliar with their work, but “Fall Out Boy” is flying over from America this weekend. They are filming a music video in one of the IDP (internally displaced person) camps. It has all of the Invisible Children staff doing a lot of extra work, but the video will do two things. It will be another way to bring the faces and smiles of Northern Ugandans to the world, and also supposedly Fall Out Boy is paying for all of their expenses and also making a contribution to Invisible Children.
So next week will be my final five days with the children of Awere, and sadder still my friend Nyeko Alfred may not be there as he is taking a course at Makere University. I cannot really tell you the story of Alfred playing the headmaster at last Saturday’s presentation or just the ways he reacts to each student with discipline and dignity I wonder how many friendships are still out there in my life to be formed by people across the world. Whether it be Ocen Juma a 12 year old boy who was tending cattle at Prison Primary yesterday, and smiled and talked to me as I took his picture with his cows, or a tall secondary school student I met on the path home the other day who after hearing I was a math teacher told me that he was going for first distinction on his Senior 4 exams (the highest level in the country. But today I will end my thoughts with my friend Nyeko Alfred, just a teacher teaching math to Senior 3 in the Awere secondary school. . I am honored and humbled to call him my friend and my colleague, and he amongst a collage of smiles and greetings of many Acholi people will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
Peace
john
Today there is no school at Awere, there is a whole day planned of speeches, dances, a Mass by the Anglican bishop where confirmation candidates will be confirmed, and more speeches. The dances and the presentations by the students will be great, but I am curious how the speeches of the leaders will be. Not to worry, lunch is scheduled at 3.30 pm.
There are 5 teachers here, and I have been lucky to see two of my colleagues, Wendy and Trisha just have some wonderful interactions with students. Wendy is from Colorado and has a family and friends that are very proud of her. If any of you ever read this your pride has been warranted. Wendy has taken her whole big personality and brought it to Awere school and has done great things. Trisha is a science teacher who is always working at being more curious about the world. She gave us a wonderful Astronomy course the other day at the house. You would not believe the stars you can see on a clear Ugandan night with a new moon. I saw the Milky Way, and Jupiter, and Saturn, and Anteres and many other (stop reading if you are not Frank Hellwig--but no Frank I did not see Uranus). Trisha has a father she talks about fondly and if you saw what your daughter was doing here, you would be so so proud (as the Acholi would say). I took videos of one of her rocket launches so you will be able to see. Watch that video twice, sir, and look how captivated her students are. Amazing.
Tomorrow a whole group of us, are taking a mutatu to the site of the real Awere school. If you remember Awere is a displaced school in Gulu, because of the war in the North. I am really looking forward to seeing this part of Uganda, it is supposed to be a very beautiful place. Whenever you get to the top of a hill or high elevation here, you can just look out and see beautiful green and foliage.
I am unfamiliar with their work, but “Fall Out Boy” is flying over from America this weekend. They are filming a music video in one of the IDP (internally displaced person) camps. It has all of the Invisible Children staff doing a lot of extra work, but the video will do two things. It will be another way to bring the faces and smiles of Northern Ugandans to the world, and also supposedly Fall Out Boy is paying for all of their expenses and also making a contribution to Invisible Children.
So next week will be my final five days with the children of Awere, and sadder still my friend Nyeko Alfred may not be there as he is taking a course at Makere University. I cannot really tell you the story of Alfred playing the headmaster at last Saturday’s presentation or just the ways he reacts to each student with discipline and dignity I wonder how many friendships are still out there in my life to be formed by people across the world. Whether it be Ocen Juma a 12 year old boy who was tending cattle at Prison Primary yesterday, and smiled and talked to me as I took his picture with his cows, or a tall secondary school student I met on the path home the other day who after hearing I was a math teacher told me that he was going for first distinction on his Senior 4 exams (the highest level in the country. But today I will end my thoughts with my friend Nyeko Alfred, just a teacher teaching math to Senior 3 in the Awere secondary school. . I am honored and humbled to call him my friend and my colleague, and he amongst a collage of smiles and greetings of many Acholi people will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
Peace
john
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wash Day Surprises
I TRIED MY BEST TO POST YESTERDAY, BUT A SIMPLE PAGE TOOK 5 MINUTES TO LOAD SO I GAVE UP, BUT THERE ARE 2 POSTS TODAY
Wash day Surprises
Today it was kind of nice knowing that I would not have to get to school by 8 am. We do not have a class this early, and Alfred is working on some stuff of his for his University schooling. So I got out of bed with no urgency, and remembered today was my wash day. I got most of my clothes out and then went back and thought I should look to make sure I had not missed anything. I saw a grey t-shirt, it was either on the floor or on a chair, I do not remember where (this makes a difference in the story later so remember this fact). I then walked out to the eating area, which is outside, and saw some of the women eating. I then thought what is in my shirt, it was heavy, like maybe I thought a cel phone or an iPod, as I worked to get it out.----All of a sudden, my old friend, the black lizard leaped onto the ground from waist high. I screamed and the lizard start running toward the girls who also screamed and then he ran away. Quite a wake up call. Does anyone know if lizards return home like salmon or the swallows of the Capistrano, if so please let me know immediately.
I have not heard from Coach Nesbitt and I am curious how U of I went and how the summer league is going. If anyone knows, please e-mail me. It is always good to have news from home.
P.S. I have grown addicted to your comments and love the little messages from home on the blog, keep them up and thanks.
John
Wash day Surprises
Today it was kind of nice knowing that I would not have to get to school by 8 am. We do not have a class this early, and Alfred is working on some stuff of his for his University schooling. So I got out of bed with no urgency, and remembered today was my wash day. I got most of my clothes out and then went back and thought I should look to make sure I had not missed anything. I saw a grey t-shirt, it was either on the floor or on a chair, I do not remember where (this makes a difference in the story later so remember this fact). I then walked out to the eating area, which is outside, and saw some of the women eating. I then thought what is in my shirt, it was heavy, like maybe I thought a cel phone or an iPod, as I worked to get it out.----All of a sudden, my old friend, the black lizard leaped onto the ground from waist high. I screamed and the lizard start running toward the girls who also screamed and then he ran away. Quite a wake up call. Does anyone know if lizards return home like salmon or the swallows of the Capistrano, if so please let me know immediately.
I have not heard from Coach Nesbitt and I am curious how U of I went and how the summer league is going. If anyone knows, please e-mail me. It is always good to have news from home.
P.S. I have grown addicted to your comments and love the little messages from home on the blog, keep them up and thanks.
John
Ohhh and the Keeper was not ready for that one
Oh and the Keeper was not ready for that one.
Some of you remember, Toby Charles broadcasting soccer on Sunday morning. Well, the faculty of Awere with ample help from student teachers challenged the high school team after school on Wednesday. The Ugandans number the whole field 1 to 11 and asked where I wanted to play, they told me they had put me in 1. Which of course was the goal keeper. After taking shots from students, and blocking a few with literally a crowd of 600 students, and another 300 or so curious primary students looking on. I felt good about my debut in goal, but not great. Too bad, I did not have Bonnie Kuhn or the freshmen Augs to give me a few pointers. 30 seconds into the game, from about half field, one of the students launched a high arching shot, that because I was a little out of the goal looped over my head!!!!!!! Into the goal. He beat me high. And then I heard Toby Charles in my head saying, “Oh the keeper was not ready for that one.” I ended up stopping 4 of 12 shots, 3 were goals, and 5 were wide, until I was graciously replaced by a Ugandan teacher. Halfway into my experience, the students screamed and rain, and then I saw a hellacious rain storm, headed our way. We got drenched and the rest of the game was played in either a downpour or a very wet field with huge puddles. It was a blast although the faculty was on the wrong end of 6-nil score. I think I may have gained some credibility with the students of Awere for my feeble American effort at football.
I just went through another 12 pack of malaria pills, it is amazing how fast my time is going here. I will be home before you know it. I am looking for a bar on Friday the 27th to go hoist a Bell, or Nile Special with you my friends, or if they don’t have those I guess we could purchase a local St. Louis product.
peace
john
Some of you remember, Toby Charles broadcasting soccer on Sunday morning. Well, the faculty of Awere with ample help from student teachers challenged the high school team after school on Wednesday. The Ugandans number the whole field 1 to 11 and asked where I wanted to play, they told me they had put me in 1. Which of course was the goal keeper. After taking shots from students, and blocking a few with literally a crowd of 600 students, and another 300 or so curious primary students looking on. I felt good about my debut in goal, but not great. Too bad, I did not have Bonnie Kuhn or the freshmen Augs to give me a few pointers. 30 seconds into the game, from about half field, one of the students launched a high arching shot, that because I was a little out of the goal looped over my head!!!!!!! Into the goal. He beat me high. And then I heard Toby Charles in my head saying, “Oh the keeper was not ready for that one.” I ended up stopping 4 of 12 shots, 3 were goals, and 5 were wide, until I was graciously replaced by a Ugandan teacher. Halfway into my experience, the students screamed and rain, and then I saw a hellacious rain storm, headed our way. We got drenched and the rest of the game was played in either a downpour or a very wet field with huge puddles. It was a blast although the faculty was on the wrong end of 6-nil score. I think I may have gained some credibility with the students of Awere for my feeble American effort at football.
I just went through another 12 pack of malaria pills, it is amazing how fast my time is going here. I will be home before you know it. I am looking for a bar on Friday the 27th to go hoist a Bell, or Nile Special with you my friends, or if they don’t have those I guess we could purchase a local St. Louis product.
peace
john
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Acholi--Always Friendly, Always Working
No Water Still!!! and Cleanliness
The euphoria of showering in the rain was a little short-lived as it is now Tuesday afternoon and we still do not have water. Sarah Hartley, kind of the boss, told me that these water outages have lasted as long as 10 days. Btw, when I say no water we do have drinking water, in a old-fashioned water cooler, except that it is not cool. Except tomorrow morning we had no drinking water either, luckily I had a little bit in a water bottle on my dresser, and I also had some in my fake Nalgene bottle. So I again shaved with sunscreen, that is actually quite easy although it does gum up the razor a bit. And I used my bucket of rain water to mini-shower in my room. The flush toilet is starting to get quite nasty, so this afternoon I donated my rain water to the cause. Unfortunately, it did not flush, so it was just wasted. Through all of this life is actually easy, it (the shortages are just annoying). Doreen still makes us a wonderful breakfast and dinner each day. Doreen had a good Monday, because some of the staff played Chicken poker. Tournament poker where instead of $10,000 buy-in like the WSOP, the buy-in is one live chicken. Jamie and Karl did not get to the market in time and were unable to find the buy-in. But anyway Doreen was the recipient of I think Chris’ win as she was given most of the chickens. They ran around between the houses for awhile, but soon Doreen put in a basket. Just to mess with them, I coughed out “dinner” every time I passed them. I could not tell, but their chicken noises sounded a lot like, “When is the last time you showered, fat man, b-balk, b-balk”. But then again my chicken is not that good.
While we acknowledge the obstacles that this means, we are living better than most of the Acholi people. On our way to Awere, we pass the latrines for the Prison Primary School, and on the wrong day, that smell is something I wish I could capture on film or on videotape just to share. Btw, Prison Primary School is by the prison, it has nothing to with the prison, and the Acholi have no problem being practical and naming the school by the prison, the Prison Primary School. I guess if one of the town’s names is “Man who pees himself”, prison primary sounds pretty good.
Wow, I still have not made the point I wanted to make. The Acholi spend a lot of time cleaning. Agnes sweeps and mops my bedroom floor and the rest of the house 5 times a day. When I get to the Awere faculty room, the same women is sweeping out the entire room. They do not use brooms, but merely straw tied together, so to sweep you have to really bend over. She then wipes down every table. The dust and dirt is everywhere, and I can really tell why they use the red earth theme in a lot of their flags. But they constantly work at sweeping, even the street (wider mud path) in front of their business. There is no trash pickup, so everything must be burned, and there are no real trash cans. It is amazing how much less I throw away knowing that I do not have a big trash can to throw it in.
Had a great class this morning, and it was filmed by Amy Collins, so there is video although the students were less involved than they have in the past. Had a real good time with my class in Senior 3C. Then I rushed back to the IC house, so I could take a boda to Sacred Heart. It was a long boda ride, and a lot of the mud had been washed off the road, leaving big rocks. The boda drivers were very skillful, finding the six inch wide smooth path amongst the 18 ft wide road. I talked with several of the teachers at Sacred Heart and then sat in a class of Senior 6A students. At this time in their secondary schools, the students have specialized to only 3 sometimes 4 areas of study. And Senior 6 might translate more appropriately to first year of university, but still the concentration and skill level of this class would rival the very best of our Nerinx Hall students on their best day. Calculus here is not the end of the line, but more of a tool they use in the middle of the class when they need a slope. The whole class was impressive. I am trying to send two pictures of the class along with this blog. Hopefully, Jack Magee can get them posted quickly.
The message I conveyed to the Director of Studies at Sacred Heart. He told me America was great and the confidence of Americans is extraordinary. I told them that I thought America could be great, but we needed to know more about the world. So there is both of our challenges, me to deliver the message and the experience of what I have seen. And for you my family, friends, students, and colleagues that we together open our eyes to all of the people of this world, and realize just a few simple actions of Americans can change the world. And if you knew or had met the Acholi, this goal would be one you would feel compelled to do.
Peace,
john
The euphoria of showering in the rain was a little short-lived as it is now Tuesday afternoon and we still do not have water. Sarah Hartley, kind of the boss, told me that these water outages have lasted as long as 10 days. Btw, when I say no water we do have drinking water, in a old-fashioned water cooler, except that it is not cool. Except tomorrow morning we had no drinking water either, luckily I had a little bit in a water bottle on my dresser, and I also had some in my fake Nalgene bottle. So I again shaved with sunscreen, that is actually quite easy although it does gum up the razor a bit. And I used my bucket of rain water to mini-shower in my room. The flush toilet is starting to get quite nasty, so this afternoon I donated my rain water to the cause. Unfortunately, it did not flush, so it was just wasted. Through all of this life is actually easy, it (the shortages are just annoying). Doreen still makes us a wonderful breakfast and dinner each day. Doreen had a good Monday, because some of the staff played Chicken poker. Tournament poker where instead of $10,000 buy-in like the WSOP, the buy-in is one live chicken. Jamie and Karl did not get to the market in time and were unable to find the buy-in. But anyway Doreen was the recipient of I think Chris’ win as she was given most of the chickens. They ran around between the houses for awhile, but soon Doreen put in a basket. Just to mess with them, I coughed out “dinner” every time I passed them. I could not tell, but their chicken noises sounded a lot like, “When is the last time you showered, fat man, b-balk, b-balk”. But then again my chicken is not that good.
While we acknowledge the obstacles that this means, we are living better than most of the Acholi people. On our way to Awere, we pass the latrines for the Prison Primary School, and on the wrong day, that smell is something I wish I could capture on film or on videotape just to share. Btw, Prison Primary School is by the prison, it has nothing to with the prison, and the Acholi have no problem being practical and naming the school by the prison, the Prison Primary School. I guess if one of the town’s names is “Man who pees himself”, prison primary sounds pretty good.
Wow, I still have not made the point I wanted to make. The Acholi spend a lot of time cleaning. Agnes sweeps and mops my bedroom floor and the rest of the house 5 times a day. When I get to the Awere faculty room, the same women is sweeping out the entire room. They do not use brooms, but merely straw tied together, so to sweep you have to really bend over. She then wipes down every table. The dust and dirt is everywhere, and I can really tell why they use the red earth theme in a lot of their flags. But they constantly work at sweeping, even the street (wider mud path) in front of their business. There is no trash pickup, so everything must be burned, and there are no real trash cans. It is amazing how much less I throw away knowing that I do not have a big trash can to throw it in.
Had a great class this morning, and it was filmed by Amy Collins, so there is video although the students were less involved than they have in the past. Had a real good time with my class in Senior 3C. Then I rushed back to the IC house, so I could take a boda to Sacred Heart. It was a long boda ride, and a lot of the mud had been washed off the road, leaving big rocks. The boda drivers were very skillful, finding the six inch wide smooth path amongst the 18 ft wide road. I talked with several of the teachers at Sacred Heart and then sat in a class of Senior 6A students. At this time in their secondary schools, the students have specialized to only 3 sometimes 4 areas of study. And Senior 6 might translate more appropriately to first year of university, but still the concentration and skill level of this class would rival the very best of our Nerinx Hall students on their best day. Calculus here is not the end of the line, but more of a tool they use in the middle of the class when they need a slope. The whole class was impressive. I am trying to send two pictures of the class along with this blog. Hopefully, Jack Magee can get them posted quickly.
The message I conveyed to the Director of Studies at Sacred Heart. He told me America was great and the confidence of Americans is extraordinary. I told them that I thought America could be great, but we needed to know more about the world. So there is both of our challenges, me to deliver the message and the experience of what I have seen. And for you my family, friends, students, and colleagues that we together open our eyes to all of the people of this world, and realize just a few simple actions of Americans can change the world. And if you knew or had met the Acholi, this goal would be one you would feel compelled to do.
Peace,
john
Monday, July 9, 2007
Shower from the Roof and a Monster Lizard
Last night, at 9 pm the rain came, and as Jamie, Carl, and I realized what that meant, we all sprang into action. I quickly put a bucket under where it drips heavy off the roof, and soon was able to flush the toilet for the first time in 20 hours. All of a sudden, I saw Carl, who was really bumming after playing basketball and sweating that there was still no water, sprinting in his underwear with a bar of soap and a towel to the edge of the house. Jamie soon followed. Not knowing how long the rain would last I also sprinted. My hair was wet enough that I was able to apply the Fructis shampoo that I had sprinted to get. Then when Carl was done, I got the prize spot of standing where a steady stream of water was running off the roof. Although, we were giddy about taking a “shower”, I was not ready for the coldness of the water or stepping into a 12 inch hole of equally cold water. BUT THAT SHOWER WAS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER TAKEN. IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE CLEAN. Btw, 12:30 Monday afternoon and still no water.
Later I was looking all over for my phone, see Uganda is just like America, I picked a pillow off the ground. I was startled to see a lizard lying where the pillow used to be. This was not the small gecko that Hadley had found a day earlier on my mosquito netting. This was a lizard. I am not saying it was big, but it was just a step below a Kimodo Dragon. I went to get help to capture it after it ran under the bed, but when we came back it was gone. I do believe it is just a coincidence that although I had planned on sleeping on the lower bunk, I slept on the third level. This had nothing to do with the lizard that may or may not still be sharing my room. I also talked to Sr. Mary Cara Ajio, the head teacher at Sacred Heart (a Catholic secondary school for girls) and I will be visiting there tomorrow.
Yesterday was our first day off of the trip. It was kind of nice just relaxing and not doing anything. Most of the teachers went for lunch at Bambu, but since I was at Da Pub, the night before I did not wake up early enough for 9 am Mass, so I again went to noon at Holy Rosary. Not quite as crowded or as hot as last week. The sermon was the three things that were needed for peace in this region. Point number 1 was division. I listened intently as the Italian priest mentioned all of the divisions that Gulu and Uganda has and it reminded me of the division in America.
But then I thought, here I am halfway across the world and althought almost everything is different, almost everything is the same. There food is different, and their mud brick huts are obviously different, but the pride they take in their home, and inviting people over for dinner reminds me a lot of Jane Magee and 7486 Woodlawn Colonial. As I picked up my lap top, and started writing this. Agnes is hand washing our clothes out back. Since we still do not have water, she had to go to the bore hole to fetch water to wash the clothes. She walked up the dirt path with two gerry cans full of 5 gallons of water each. She takes great pride in what she does, and I do not think I have ever seen anyone scrub clothes with the gusto she has. You have now seen pictures of Awere and realize the classroom is very different. Yet there are kids that pay attention when others do not, and there are kids taking copious notes. There was a boy today who stood up for the watchman who delivered a message that disquieted a teacher.
So as I walked home from Awere through the village that translates too, “The man that pees himself” (I am not joking about this, they said it either got its name, because a man did this after he had been drinking or maybe not). I shouted to the people after the children’s call of “Moo Nu!” and asked them how they are doing, and of course they replied, “I am fine.” I had to smile and laugh with them, because we are not so different after all.
Peace,
john
Last night, at 9 pm the rain came, and as Jamie, Carl, and I realized what that meant, we all sprang into action. I quickly put a bucket under where it drips heavy off the roof, and soon was able to flush the toilet for the first time in 20 hours. All of a sudden, I saw Carl, who was really bumming after playing basketball and sweating that there was still no water, sprinting in his underwear with a bar of soap and a towel to the edge of the house. Jamie soon followed. Not knowing how long the rain would last I also sprinted. My hair was wet enough that I was able to apply the Fructis shampoo that I had sprinted to get. Then when Carl was done, I got the prize spot of standing where a steady stream of water was running off the roof. Although, we were giddy about taking a “shower”, I was not ready for the coldness of the water or stepping into a 12 inch hole of equally cold water. BUT THAT SHOWER WAS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER TAKEN. IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE CLEAN. Btw, 12:30 Monday afternoon and still no water.
Later I was looking all over for my phone, see Uganda is just like America, I picked a pillow off the ground. I was startled to see a lizard lying where the pillow used to be. This was not the small gecko that Hadley had found a day earlier on my mosquito netting. This was a lizard. I am not saying it was big, but it was just a step below a Kimodo Dragon. I went to get help to capture it after it ran under the bed, but when we came back it was gone. I do believe it is just a coincidence that although I had planned on sleeping on the lower bunk, I slept on the third level. This had nothing to do with the lizard that may or may not still be sharing my room. I also talked to Sr. Mary Cara Ajio, the head teacher at Sacred Heart (a Catholic secondary school for girls) and I will be visiting there tomorrow.
Yesterday was our first day off of the trip. It was kind of nice just relaxing and not doing anything. Most of the teachers went for lunch at Bambu, but since I was at Da Pub, the night before I did not wake up early enough for 9 am Mass, so I again went to noon at Holy Rosary. Not quite as crowded or as hot as last week. The sermon was the three things that were needed for peace in this region. Point number 1 was division. I listened intently as the Italian priest mentioned all of the divisions that Gulu and Uganda has and it reminded me of the division in America.
But then I thought, here I am halfway across the world and althought almost everything is different, almost everything is the same. There food is different, and their mud brick huts are obviously different, but the pride they take in their home, and inviting people over for dinner reminds me a lot of Jane Magee and 7486 Woodlawn Colonial. As I picked up my lap top, and started writing this. Agnes is hand washing our clothes out back. Since we still do not have water, she had to go to the bore hole to fetch water to wash the clothes. She walked up the dirt path with two gerry cans full of 5 gallons of water each. She takes great pride in what she does, and I do not think I have ever seen anyone scrub clothes with the gusto she has. You have now seen pictures of Awere and realize the classroom is very different. Yet there are kids that pay attention when others do not, and there are kids taking copious notes. There was a boy today who stood up for the watchman who delivered a message that disquieted a teacher.
So as I walked home from Awere through the village that translates too, “The man that pees himself” (I am not joking about this, they said it either got its name, because a man did this after he had been drinking or maybe not). I shouted to the people after the children’s call of “Moo Nu!” and asked them how they are doing, and of course they replied, “I am fine.” I had to smile and laugh with them, because we are not so different after all.
Peace,
john
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Da Pub
Last night about 8 of us went out to a place called Da Pub. It was the first bar I have been to in Uganda. Sorry Frank no AB products what is the deal with your distribution anyway. It was great to just relax and have several beers with people. I enjoyed listening to Sarah's stories about her mom meeting John Lennon, and just talking about Gulu. It was a good end to a good day.
Thanks Nora Thiemann, this morning we had no water again, so I used your little tube of sun screen you gave me to shave with. I also stabbed myself with a screw driver, attaching a handle to the bath room door, it was starting to stick and had no handle on one side. I looked through 9 wood screws to find the best four and they were still bad screws. Then I had to buy a too small of screw driver, so the slot would fit in my bad screws, then the only handle I could buy was kind of bent. It is amazing how lucky we are to have a home depot. It was just a slight cut, so I am using the band-aids with neo sporin the Thiemanns also gave me, I believe that one was from Kurt, sorry gotta go I only have a minute left. Magees why don't you call me at 1 pm your time if you are all together.
john
Thanks Nora Thiemann, this morning we had no water again, so I used your little tube of sun screen you gave me to shave with. I also stabbed myself with a screw driver, attaching a handle to the bath room door, it was starting to stick and had no handle on one side. I looked through 9 wood screws to find the best four and they were still bad screws. Then I had to buy a too small of screw driver, so the slot would fit in my bad screws, then the only handle I could buy was kind of bent. It is amazing how lucky we are to have a home depot. It was just a slight cut, so I am using the band-aids with neo sporin the Thiemanns also gave me, I believe that one was from Kurt, sorry gotta go I only have a minute left. Magees why don't you call me at 1 pm your time if you are all together.
john
Saturday, July 7, 2007
read the next two posts together
Sorry the next two posts should be read together, and I can't change the title on the one.
Sorry Danielle, Margot, and Catherines
Sorry Danielle, Margot, and Catherines
6 Colleagues (the guys)
Okay it won't let me change the title for some reason.
This is the girls.
oday we said goodbye to our Group 1 friends, here are the 3 women I just spent time in Gulu town.
Danielle, although she was right Dani Bananas never stuck, is a special teacher. I saw her teach 120 girls linear functions in Gulu High, and it was the largest ratio of student weight to teacher weight that I have ever witnessed. But don't be fooled by her size, Danielle knows how to command a room. She is passionate about her ideas, and even when I make a great point (ha), she often will not be swayed in her passion or her thoughts. She is from South Carolina, and has a southern passion about her that is contagious. She wants to do what is best for her students, and I expect she is a handful for administrators in her school that do not listen to her ideas. I believe Danielle will be one of the young teachers that teach for 30 more years. She knows herself and her students and this combination can mean only one thing---good news for her school and those that will attend her class. I hope she stays in teaching forever.
Margot probably smiled the most of everyone in the house. Sometimes she would pause for a minute as if thinking what I am supposed to do now, and then she would remember---oh yeah, this is where I laugh and smile. She was always kind and always listening. I think Margot's passion is theatre, so she will probably take a different path then some of us. But I know she will bring laughter and joy to all of the people she encounters. She is like a humidifier in the winter in St. Louis. Sometimes it is not obvious that she is there, and then you realize that oh yeah, I am feeling pretty good right now, Margot must be close. Oh yeah, she likes to dance with her wrist at 90 degree angles.
Catherine is my final colleague, and it was interesting walking back from the conference and realizing her time in Gulu was soon to be over, she was crying. I hustled across the street to talk with her and say goodbye, and also hopefully with a quick hug, show her that I appreciated all of the talents she brought to our house. She ran several workshops that taught us how to use the tools of drama in our classroom. Catherine is proud of being an Egyptian, and at first looks to be really serious, but she understands the most complicated of nuances. And if you think she is serious, she will fool you pretty quickly, as she is often in the crowd that acts the silliest. She has a courage in her actions and her movement and has a self-confidence that allows her to be serious and quiet and sometimes, and yet to crack into song or a smile at a moment's notice.
The goodbye was tough for some, but I thought that I was really lucky to spend some real time with 6 people that I never would have met in my life. And I feel humbled and blessed that I have become friends with this wonderful group.
peace
john
This is the girls.
oday we said goodbye to our Group 1 friends, here are the 3 women I just spent time in Gulu town.
Danielle, although she was right Dani Bananas never stuck, is a special teacher. I saw her teach 120 girls linear functions in Gulu High, and it was the largest ratio of student weight to teacher weight that I have ever witnessed. But don't be fooled by her size, Danielle knows how to command a room. She is passionate about her ideas, and even when I make a great point (ha), she often will not be swayed in her passion or her thoughts. She is from South Carolina, and has a southern passion about her that is contagious. She wants to do what is best for her students, and I expect she is a handful for administrators in her school that do not listen to her ideas. I believe Danielle will be one of the young teachers that teach for 30 more years. She knows herself and her students and this combination can mean only one thing---good news for her school and those that will attend her class. I hope she stays in teaching forever.
Margot probably smiled the most of everyone in the house. Sometimes she would pause for a minute as if thinking what I am supposed to do now, and then she would remember---oh yeah, this is where I laugh and smile. She was always kind and always listening. I think Margot's passion is theatre, so she will probably take a different path then some of us. But I know she will bring laughter and joy to all of the people she encounters. She is like a humidifier in the winter in St. Louis. Sometimes it is not obvious that she is there, and then you realize that oh yeah, I am feeling pretty good right now, Margot must be close. Oh yeah, she likes to dance with her wrist at 90 degree angles.
Catherine is my final colleague, and it was interesting walking back from the conference and realizing her time in Gulu was soon to be over, she was crying. I hustled across the street to talk with her and say goodbye, and also hopefully with a quick hug, show her that I appreciated all of the talents she brought to our house. She ran several workshops that taught us how to use the tools of drama in our classroom. Catherine is proud of being an Egyptian, and at first looks to be really serious, but she understands the most complicated of nuances. And if you think she is serious, she will fool you pretty quickly, as she is often in the crowd that acts the silliest. She has a courage in her actions and her movement and has a self-confidence that allows her to be serious and quiet and sometimes, and yet to crack into song or a smile at a moment's notice.
The goodbye was tough for some, but I thought that I was really lucky to spend some real time with 6 people that I never would have met in my life. And I feel humbled and blessed that I have become friends with this wonderful group.
peace
john
6 Colleagues (the guys)
NOTE: I know many of you have talked about sending packages of some type. I think your gifts could be more effective if you wait for me to get back and I can help you with some ideas. The students of Awere and the people of Gulu, thank you in advance.
Today, we said goodbye to the Group 1 teachers. On this blog, I have tried to use names to give you some feel of our days. Now I would like to tell you about my 6 colleagues.
Phil has a Ph. D. and is currently teaching at Boise State. He was closest to me in age and also to world view. We had several short chats where it just seemed our acknowledgment of mutual thoughts was comforting. I thought he was the old man of the group, but it turns out that is me. (Damn, I hate when that happens). Phil was and is very dedicated to his craft and his teaching. He is an old Detroit kid, and accepted my World Series commemorative ball with good humor and good grace. I like to know that there are people like Phil Kelly in the world. I think he brings a common sense and everyman's heart to everything he does and everyone he teaches. He also has the power of conviction to not be easily swayed from his views. He trusts the path he has taken, and uses his experience to help those around him and his students. I think the best part of Phil is the part I have not seen, he is a father to 3 daughters and has a wonderful wife, and I bet that just being a dad on a daily basis is Phil's greatest talent. Thanks, Phil.
On the other side of the age spectrum is Brian, Brian went to Miss. State, and the two of us are going to try to figure out how to see a State baseball game somewhere next year. He taught last year in Mississippi, but is moving to Houston to help his best friend coach and teach soccer. Brian is an English teacher, and brings real and honest dedication to his work. He was always being nice to someone in our house. I think he might have done the best job of just meeting people where they were and listening to them and sharing his thoughts with their views. I think he will be a wonderful teacher, and I would have brought him home to teach at Nerinx, but he is too cute and would have provided too much of a distraction to you girls. It is amazing how both Phil and Brian although completely different people share a real love of family. Brian has two brothers that he talked about often and very fondly. You can tell he has a real admiration for the work his father has done.
The third male, is also quite different. Seth Finkle is from New York and taught the Horah (spelling ???---the chair dance to his students at Gulu High). Seth is what you would think of as a fun loving person, who is working hard at theater at NYU. He was the first to welcome us in the house and he has a spirit that is infecting. He just enjoys like and enjoys being Seth. I walked with him this morning to the conference and he relayed a wonderful story about his admiration for a friend of his who is finishing a run playing Simba in the Lion King on Broadway! Seth recognized the significance of the role, but still talked about his friend with the pride and admiration that only a friend can do. He will continue to be a good friend to all he runs into, and I think I have a picture of Seth dancing at HEALS that if I have not uploaded I will soon. I imagine the people that are close friends of Seth to be very lucky people, and I also expect that each week he is alive, this number continues to grow.
Today, we said goodbye to the Group 1 teachers. On this blog, I have tried to use names to give you some feel of our days. Now I would like to tell you about my 6 colleagues.
Phil has a Ph. D. and is currently teaching at Boise State. He was closest to me in age and also to world view. We had several short chats where it just seemed our acknowledgment of mutual thoughts was comforting. I thought he was the old man of the group, but it turns out that is me. (Damn, I hate when that happens). Phil was and is very dedicated to his craft and his teaching. He is an old Detroit kid, and accepted my World Series commemorative ball with good humor and good grace. I like to know that there are people like Phil Kelly in the world. I think he brings a common sense and everyman's heart to everything he does and everyone he teaches. He also has the power of conviction to not be easily swayed from his views. He trusts the path he has taken, and uses his experience to help those around him and his students. I think the best part of Phil is the part I have not seen, he is a father to 3 daughters and has a wonderful wife, and I bet that just being a dad on a daily basis is Phil's greatest talent. Thanks, Phil.
On the other side of the age spectrum is Brian, Brian went to Miss. State, and the two of us are going to try to figure out how to see a State baseball game somewhere next year. He taught last year in Mississippi, but is moving to Houston to help his best friend coach and teach soccer. Brian is an English teacher, and brings real and honest dedication to his work. He was always being nice to someone in our house. I think he might have done the best job of just meeting people where they were and listening to them and sharing his thoughts with their views. I think he will be a wonderful teacher, and I would have brought him home to teach at Nerinx, but he is too cute and would have provided too much of a distraction to you girls. It is amazing how both Phil and Brian although completely different people share a real love of family. Brian has two brothers that he talked about often and very fondly. You can tell he has a real admiration for the work his father has done.
The third male, is also quite different. Seth Finkle is from New York and taught the Horah (spelling ???---the chair dance to his students at Gulu High). Seth is what you would think of as a fun loving person, who is working hard at theater at NYU. He was the first to welcome us in the house and he has a spirit that is infecting. He just enjoys like and enjoys being Seth. I walked with him this morning to the conference and he relayed a wonderful story about his admiration for a friend of his who is finishing a run playing Simba in the Lion King on Broadway! Seth recognized the significance of the role, but still talked about his friend with the pride and admiration that only a friend can do. He will continue to be a good friend to all he runs into, and I think I have a picture of Seth dancing at HEALS that if I have not uploaded I will soon. I imagine the people that are close friends of Seth to be very lucky people, and I also expect that each week he is alive, this number continues to grow.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Service, Track Meet, and Reminders of Home
This morning we got up and went into Awere school to do community service. They are off school today because of the big city wide track meet. I have sent a picture to my dad showing one of the classrooms I teach. Maybe he has uploaded it by now.
Since some of the students stay at school, we were the big attraction, as we washed the chalkboards, we often had a crowd of 10 or 12 students watching us. I cannot imagine, 12 Americans watching people wash board after board, but these kids did, and followed us to each classroom.
We then talked about our presentation at the workshop tomorrow. Alfred came up with a wonderful beginning on how to present teaching with limited resources. I will save that story for home. We then had the buffet at Diana Gardens, all 5 American teachers from Awere and 4 of our Ugandan counterparts. Trying to explain Halloween to them was funny, they did not seem to grasp the concept, especially when I described a Jack O Lantern
We then got to Pece (pe-che) stadium for the end of the track meet, there must have been 20,000 high school students cheering on over 30 schools. The track was grass, with spray paint and only the inside lane had been worn to dirt over use. We saw three heats of the 4 x 400, many runners were in bare feet. And the uniforms were often not there. The Awere kids who were cheering on the sidelines were very happy to see the Mu noo teachers. I have a picture of a kid with a very worn Cardinal shirt that walked by us. Then on the way home, I saw one of my Awere Senior 3 students with a rather new St. Louis Blues jersey on. Although, it was a little sunny and hot 80 degrees, many in the crowd had umbrellas from the sun.
Alfred and I then went back and made tetrahedrons and icosahedrons with soda straws. It was a great day. Alfred is a very good man and I hope I can do something for him one day and help out my friend.
john
p.s. I also bought gifts for all my nieces....
Since some of the students stay at school, we were the big attraction, as we washed the chalkboards, we often had a crowd of 10 or 12 students watching us. I cannot imagine, 12 Americans watching people wash board after board, but these kids did, and followed us to each classroom.
We then talked about our presentation at the workshop tomorrow. Alfred came up with a wonderful beginning on how to present teaching with limited resources. I will save that story for home. We then had the buffet at Diana Gardens, all 5 American teachers from Awere and 4 of our Ugandan counterparts. Trying to explain Halloween to them was funny, they did not seem to grasp the concept, especially when I described a Jack O Lantern
We then got to Pece (pe-che) stadium for the end of the track meet, there must have been 20,000 high school students cheering on over 30 schools. The track was grass, with spray paint and only the inside lane had been worn to dirt over use. We saw three heats of the 4 x 400, many runners were in bare feet. And the uniforms were often not there. The Awere kids who were cheering on the sidelines were very happy to see the Mu noo teachers. I have a picture of a kid with a very worn Cardinal shirt that walked by us. Then on the way home, I saw one of my Awere Senior 3 students with a rather new St. Louis Blues jersey on. Although, it was a little sunny and hot 80 degrees, many in the crowd had umbrellas from the sun.
Alfred and I then went back and made tetrahedrons and icosahedrons with soda straws. It was a great day. Alfred is a very good man and I hope I can do something for him one day and help out my friend.
john
p.s. I also bought gifts for all my nieces....
The Things They Carry
The Things They Carry
It first struck me on the road to Gulu from Kampala. Any numerous objects as vast as your imagination could thing about were being carried. Often strapped to a bicycle or motorbike, but sometimes just carried. The women tie their infants to their backs, the child’s legs are straddling the mother’s back, and their head is just a little bit outside of the cloth. The amazing thing is that these kids are always asleep. Like being tied to your mother as she tends the field is the most comfortable place you could be. It was interesting that at St. Jude’s orphanage, one of the 8 year old girls insisted on having her doll tied to her back, so she could walk around and “play” with her doll. But imagine going to Home Depot and everything you buy, you have to strap to a bike or a motorbike. Sometimes, people probably have to make more than a half dozen trips to the exact same store. Today as the “basketball club” was leaving the playground, I saw an old man trying to tie firewood to his motorbike. The bike was starting to fall over due to unbalanced weight of the logs. I ran over to help him catch the bike and then held it as he tied the logs on. Without saying a word, he finally decided he would have to leave two logs behind, but still there was no room on the seat for him. I saw him take off down the road as he kind of sat on the gas tank with his load of firewood.
Also every day on the way to school there is a long line at the bore hole aka well. There are forty jerry cans lined up and there is an intricate system of who goes next, but there are always families lined up taking the water that is necessary for each house. And each family member carrying water back. Most of the women carry every thing on top of their head, amd seem real at ease with this system.
SORRY THIS ONE DOESN'T REALLY END. BUT MY NEW STUFF ABOVE IS BETTER BY ITSELF.
john
It first struck me on the road to Gulu from Kampala. Any numerous objects as vast as your imagination could thing about were being carried. Often strapped to a bicycle or motorbike, but sometimes just carried. The women tie their infants to their backs, the child’s legs are straddling the mother’s back, and their head is just a little bit outside of the cloth. The amazing thing is that these kids are always asleep. Like being tied to your mother as she tends the field is the most comfortable place you could be. It was interesting that at St. Jude’s orphanage, one of the 8 year old girls insisted on having her doll tied to her back, so she could walk around and “play” with her doll. But imagine going to Home Depot and everything you buy, you have to strap to a bike or a motorbike. Sometimes, people probably have to make more than a half dozen trips to the exact same store. Today as the “basketball club” was leaving the playground, I saw an old man trying to tie firewood to his motorbike. The bike was starting to fall over due to unbalanced weight of the logs. I ran over to help him catch the bike and then held it as he tied the logs on. Without saying a word, he finally decided he would have to leave two logs behind, but still there was no room on the seat for him. I saw him take off down the road as he kind of sat on the gas tank with his load of firewood.
Also every day on the way to school there is a long line at the bore hole aka well. There are forty jerry cans lined up and there is an intricate system of who goes next, but there are always families lined up taking the water that is necessary for each house. And each family member carrying water back. Most of the women carry every thing on top of their head, amd seem real at ease with this system.
SORRY THIS ONE DOESN'T REALLY END. BUT MY NEW STUFF ABOVE IS BETTER BY ITSELF.
john
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The Counter
It is very humbling to see the counter on my blog go up by leaps and bounds. It is also great to hear from old friends and people I have never met. I feel I have to keep writing, so if things get boring let me know and I will start running repeats until I can get the writers to craft a very special episode of Magee in Uganda.
I am starting to bring my lap top to bed, so it is a good time to write. I had dinner with Amy Colleen Fitzgerald, who is doing research at Gulu University on peace research. One of the real interesting things she said was Northern Uganda might give a real gift to the world in showing how they can come out of a 20 year war with a much different model than we have seen before. She graduated from Wash U in 2002 and her and her husband kind of reside with 4 other people living in community in Boston. Her husband is going to school for Internal medicine and does some work with Partners in Health (for you Paul Farmer and mountains beyond mountains fans)
I then got home and talked with the Awere teachers about doing community service at Awere on Friday morning when the kids are at a track meet. Sounds great. Brian from Mississippi State (shout out Connor Powers), Trisha from Philadelphia and I walked into Gulu in the evening to try to buy 7up for a teacher that needed some help. We walked into David’s moms health clinic to try to buy Alka-Seltzer for a science experiment. Trisha then tried to make an Alka rocket to celebrate the 4th, it did not work because it was not in tablet form just powder and she could not get the lid closed on the film can quick enough. MacGyver (you know the tall guy) suggested wrapping the powder in toiler paper as a slow fuse. It worked.
We then walked up the street where the IC VIP house was holding a 4th of July party. The early part was several American tunes, with Sarah the Brit who is head of IC here jumping in the middle to sing Rule Britannia. I had a couple of great conversations with the Ugandans including David talking about many things. David told me I talk about my students a lot, so there it is kids. Proof that you guys are always in my thoughts. It was great to just smell a barbecue pit. They had gotten good meat from Kampala and it smelled like an American back yard. Chris amd Amy then danced around the yard in the darkness each holding a single sparkler. The dance party was in full swing with some recent club hits that appeal to that younger crowd, but don’t worry as soon as I could I put on a little Nelly and showed them how we dance in the Lou. REPRESENT. I also realized that I have now danced to Nelly on 3 different continents.
It appears I have run out of events and good ideas so
To all my homies celebrating the 4th of Julizzle
Peace out A-town,
John
I am starting to bring my lap top to bed, so it is a good time to write. I had dinner with Amy Colleen Fitzgerald, who is doing research at Gulu University on peace research. One of the real interesting things she said was Northern Uganda might give a real gift to the world in showing how they can come out of a 20 year war with a much different model than we have seen before. She graduated from Wash U in 2002 and her and her husband kind of reside with 4 other people living in community in Boston. Her husband is going to school for Internal medicine and does some work with Partners in Health (for you Paul Farmer and mountains beyond mountains fans)
I then got home and talked with the Awere teachers about doing community service at Awere on Friday morning when the kids are at a track meet. Sounds great. Brian from Mississippi State (shout out Connor Powers), Trisha from Philadelphia and I walked into Gulu in the evening to try to buy 7up for a teacher that needed some help. We walked into David’s moms health clinic to try to buy Alka-Seltzer for a science experiment. Trisha then tried to make an Alka rocket to celebrate the 4th, it did not work because it was not in tablet form just powder and she could not get the lid closed on the film can quick enough. MacGyver (you know the tall guy) suggested wrapping the powder in toiler paper as a slow fuse. It worked.
We then walked up the street where the IC VIP house was holding a 4th of July party. The early part was several American tunes, with Sarah the Brit who is head of IC here jumping in the middle to sing Rule Britannia. I had a couple of great conversations with the Ugandans including David talking about many things. David told me I talk about my students a lot, so there it is kids. Proof that you guys are always in my thoughts. It was great to just smell a barbecue pit. They had gotten good meat from Kampala and it smelled like an American back yard. Chris amd Amy then danced around the yard in the darkness each holding a single sparkler. The dance party was in full swing with some recent club hits that appeal to that younger crowd, but don’t worry as soon as I could I put on a little Nelly and showed them how we dance in the Lou. REPRESENT. I also realized that I have now danced to Nelly on 3 different continents.
It appears I have run out of events and good ideas so
To all my homies celebrating the 4th of Julizzle
Peace out A-town,
John
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
4th of July
So last night at 4 am, the came and came and came and woke me up. It was pouring, unfortunately I had to use the toilet, so I tried to get skinny and stay along the wall like a cat burglar. Apparently, cat burglars are skinnier than me, because I got hit with a cold, cold ran. It was especially the worst when I hit the big drip that was running off the roof. YEEEEEEOOOOWWW!!! I was curious to see how the rain was going to effect Awere school this morning. And just as important, I was hoping that the rain would not hamper the ability of Denis to meet with Geoffrey his mentor at the IC house this morning. I know he can make it back and be something.
Class was fun today as we started with only about 11 students because of the rain. Alfred plans so much for each class, it was fun to just wing it. We started by reviewing the night's home work and I soon was able to sneak in the Identity Matrix. As Alfred collected the exercise books. I was also able to rework another problem. I know it was difficult to walk to school this morning in the rain through the mud, so I really admire the 13 or so students who were that at 8:15. We eventually had more than 40 before the 80 minute period ended,
I am writing this at Awere during a break. We had beef and rice today for lunch which is much better than the potio and beans they have every day at Gulu high and at most schools. Potio is like harder mashed potatoes with a third of the taste. The H.E.A.L.S. group left yesterday they were Josh, Megan, and Christine. Three really good people who did a lot at the afterschool program that Jolie runs. Josh was a great roommate and endeared himself to me at the very end by leaving almost a full pill bottle of immodium. After taking my first CIPRO of the trip on friday night, I have not had any more problems. We compare notes on our movements as regular conversation. My favorite quote was by South Carolina spitfire Danielle who said last week, " Every time I poop it's a party!" So although living together and eating the same food, we have different reactions. Maybe next volleyball game it should be the immodiums versus the fiber pills.
btw, It is time to get the Cardinals going.
I found out I was wrong. Nyeko Alfred, my colleague's name, Nyeko, means jealousy or in other words during his birth some friend or relative of his mother's was jealous. Also first girl twin is Apiyo and second one is Acen. So I forget is is Apiyo Elise and Acen Erin or Apiyo Erin and Acen Elise (ACEN is pronounced a-chen)
As I left school today, one class was laughing hysterically and I saw another young girl working feverishly on her assignment. It does not matter the resources, I think all teennagers will find a way to laugh, and in every school there will be the one student who works real hard no matter how big the obstacles.
john
Class was fun today as we started with only about 11 students because of the rain. Alfred plans so much for each class, it was fun to just wing it. We started by reviewing the night's home work and I soon was able to sneak in the Identity Matrix. As Alfred collected the exercise books. I was also able to rework another problem. I know it was difficult to walk to school this morning in the rain through the mud, so I really admire the 13 or so students who were that at 8:15. We eventually had more than 40 before the 80 minute period ended,
I am writing this at Awere during a break. We had beef and rice today for lunch which is much better than the potio and beans they have every day at Gulu high and at most schools. Potio is like harder mashed potatoes with a third of the taste. The H.E.A.L.S. group left yesterday they were Josh, Megan, and Christine. Three really good people who did a lot at the afterschool program that Jolie runs. Josh was a great roommate and endeared himself to me at the very end by leaving almost a full pill bottle of immodium. After taking my first CIPRO of the trip on friday night, I have not had any more problems. We compare notes on our movements as regular conversation. My favorite quote was by South Carolina spitfire Danielle who said last week, " Every time I poop it's a party!" So although living together and eating the same food, we have different reactions. Maybe next volleyball game it should be the immodiums versus the fiber pills.
btw, It is time to get the Cardinals going.
I found out I was wrong. Nyeko Alfred, my colleague's name, Nyeko, means jealousy or in other words during his birth some friend or relative of his mother's was jealous. Also first girl twin is Apiyo and second one is Acen. So I forget is is Apiyo Elise and Acen Erin or Apiyo Erin and Acen Elise (ACEN is pronounced a-chen)
As I left school today, one class was laughing hysterically and I saw another young girl working feverishly on her assignment. It does not matter the resources, I think all teennagers will find a way to laugh, and in every school there will be the one student who works real hard no matter how big the obstacles.
john
Several Different Thoughts
03 July 2007
Several Different Thoughts
I forgot to tell everyone another interesting story. All the Acholi people have names that they use at the beginning of their name. So Amos’ name is Orach Amos, when I asked what his name meant, he said it means my mom had me in a bad place, which I think means he is a breech baby. They also have a way of naming twins by who is born first. Erin and Elise I will try to have that for you before I finish this message. There was no water again, but I found a bucket outside with enough water to flush our working toilet. I have kind of taken on that responsibility to fill the toilet with water after a certain accumulation over a night or period with no water. Compared to some of the pit latrines, this is a deluxe bathroom.
Last night, I met two teachers from Ames, Iowa who were here with high school kids building a primary school. They brought 50 in three different groups, and I hit them up for a lot of info and have their e-mail accounts. Students, I am far from making this commitment, but you should know that I am doing a lot to gather information to see if it is possible. It still is going to be between $ 3000-$ 4000, but it is at least a possibility. Tomorrow night, I am meeting Amy Colleen Finnegan who is over here doing research into the peace process and is working in a seminar at Gulu University. Both of us have a connection to Wash U. Catholic Student Center and are now staying a couple of kilometers apart both 10,000 or so miles from Father Gary and his congregation.
Today, was the first day that I actually got to lecture in the class. Alfred is such a nice man, he is always making sure that we are working together to help his students. He also loves to Sudokus, so we have completed a couple together in our down time. I felt really good in the classroom, I got to teach Matrix multiplication in a way slightly different than they have learned. I was happy, because I felt like I got to teach with my personality and laughter in the room. Also, sorry I am skipping around, but we are all sitting in the dark, with candles, and my mind is wandering as I am listening to several conversations at once. But I wanted to tell you that I am the old man here, most of the group is under 30, including a few very experienced professionals who are less than 25.
Okay back to the class, the students were excited that they can approach me for help, and I think I would have had several takers, but it rained heavily after school, so everyone stayed in their buildings, as water was carried in mud ditches away from the school. I will try to get an exterior shot of Awere up on the blog before this week is over. I guess I can never complain about my classroom or facilities again. There is very little sound protection between the classrooms, and Alfred and the students, who like all Ugandans do not talk loudly seem to have no trouble hearing each other. Only the big moo nu at the back of the classroom had to really strain to hear. The students also got a big kick when I exaggerated my American nasal talking style. The Acholi use the word stubborn, like we would use the term smart alec, silly, or crazy. After class, Alfred said like he does a lot with a smile on his face, “Those students are so stubborn.” Apparently two of the students in their answers tried to imitate my American accent.
We had our second round table it was run by Phil, the professor from Boise State, who I think is a great guy. Afterwards, Phil, David (the Acholi I talked about earlier), and I were talking. Phil floated the idea that it might be possible to fly David to Idaho to speak. It would be interesting to capitalize on that same trip and come up with the capital to help finance David’s trip ( how about it Nerinx, Cor Jesu, SLUH parents and alums) this is probably someone your sons and daughters should hear. All of the soda bottles are deposit, and if you buy one from a gas station they really want you to drink it on premises. So walking away with half a case of 300 mL bottles can be tricky, but we have a good reputation here and usually can do it at the Shell station. Btw, most people in town, will not make change for a 20,000 /= bill (about $12.50) so you have to frequently go to the gas station, because they do make change. Next to the Shell station, I got to meet David’s mom and sister, David’s mom is a midwife and has a small clinic where she treats patients for a myriad of ailments. She like many Acholis told me I was most welcome here. The Lwo word for thank you is Apwoyo ( pronounced -- a foy o) and is often connected to another word. The ones that I really like to hear and is usually spoken by an older, wise women is Apwoyo Bino which means “Thank you, you are welcome here.” I think I am going to say that to all the new freshmen I meet in August. I really like the intent and kindness that I feel from those words. If you could somehow feel the kind smile that is attached to those words, you would feel welcome and just feel really good about being here.
So tonight, since I am now teaching I am giving you homework. Your assignment is to say Apwoyo Bino to someone in the next day. It is again from the Lwo language which is the language spoken by the Acholi people of Northern Uganda.
Apwoyo Matek,
John
Several Different Thoughts
I forgot to tell everyone another interesting story. All the Acholi people have names that they use at the beginning of their name. So Amos’ name is Orach Amos, when I asked what his name meant, he said it means my mom had me in a bad place, which I think means he is a breech baby. They also have a way of naming twins by who is born first. Erin and Elise I will try to have that for you before I finish this message. There was no water again, but I found a bucket outside with enough water to flush our working toilet. I have kind of taken on that responsibility to fill the toilet with water after a certain accumulation over a night or period with no water. Compared to some of the pit latrines, this is a deluxe bathroom.
Last night, I met two teachers from Ames, Iowa who were here with high school kids building a primary school. They brought 50 in three different groups, and I hit them up for a lot of info and have their e-mail accounts. Students, I am far from making this commitment, but you should know that I am doing a lot to gather information to see if it is possible. It still is going to be between $ 3000-$ 4000, but it is at least a possibility. Tomorrow night, I am meeting Amy Colleen Finnegan who is over here doing research into the peace process and is working in a seminar at Gulu University. Both of us have a connection to Wash U. Catholic Student Center and are now staying a couple of kilometers apart both 10,000 or so miles from Father Gary and his congregation.
Today, was the first day that I actually got to lecture in the class. Alfred is such a nice man, he is always making sure that we are working together to help his students. He also loves to Sudokus, so we have completed a couple together in our down time. I felt really good in the classroom, I got to teach Matrix multiplication in a way slightly different than they have learned. I was happy, because I felt like I got to teach with my personality and laughter in the room. Also, sorry I am skipping around, but we are all sitting in the dark, with candles, and my mind is wandering as I am listening to several conversations at once. But I wanted to tell you that I am the old man here, most of the group is under 30, including a few very experienced professionals who are less than 25.
Okay back to the class, the students were excited that they can approach me for help, and I think I would have had several takers, but it rained heavily after school, so everyone stayed in their buildings, as water was carried in mud ditches away from the school. I will try to get an exterior shot of Awere up on the blog before this week is over. I guess I can never complain about my classroom or facilities again. There is very little sound protection between the classrooms, and Alfred and the students, who like all Ugandans do not talk loudly seem to have no trouble hearing each other. Only the big moo nu at the back of the classroom had to really strain to hear. The students also got a big kick when I exaggerated my American nasal talking style. The Acholi use the word stubborn, like we would use the term smart alec, silly, or crazy. After class, Alfred said like he does a lot with a smile on his face, “Those students are so stubborn.” Apparently two of the students in their answers tried to imitate my American accent.
We had our second round table it was run by Phil, the professor from Boise State, who I think is a great guy. Afterwards, Phil, David (the Acholi I talked about earlier), and I were talking. Phil floated the idea that it might be possible to fly David to Idaho to speak. It would be interesting to capitalize on that same trip and come up with the capital to help finance David’s trip ( how about it Nerinx, Cor Jesu, SLUH parents and alums) this is probably someone your sons and daughters should hear. All of the soda bottles are deposit, and if you buy one from a gas station they really want you to drink it on premises. So walking away with half a case of 300 mL bottles can be tricky, but we have a good reputation here and usually can do it at the Shell station. Btw, most people in town, will not make change for a 20,000 /= bill (about $12.50) so you have to frequently go to the gas station, because they do make change. Next to the Shell station, I got to meet David’s mom and sister, David’s mom is a midwife and has a small clinic where she treats patients for a myriad of ailments. She like many Acholis told me I was most welcome here. The Lwo word for thank you is Apwoyo ( pronounced -- a foy o) and is often connected to another word. The ones that I really like to hear and is usually spoken by an older, wise women is Apwoyo Bino which means “Thank you, you are welcome here.” I think I am going to say that to all the new freshmen I meet in August. I really like the intent and kindness that I feel from those words. If you could somehow feel the kind smile that is attached to those words, you would feel welcome and just feel really good about being here.
So tonight, since I am now teaching I am giving you homework. Your assignment is to say Apwoyo Bino to someone in the next day. It is again from the Lwo language which is the language spoken by the Acholi people of Northern Uganda.
Apwoyo Matek,
John
Monday, July 2, 2007
Isa not Esau
Well God has a sense of humor. We had no water last night, and I prayed we would have water in the morning so I could shower for the first day I would be in the classroom. We did not get water, but instead in poured on the way to school. It is a 15 minute walk along all mud paths, so I tucked my pants into my socks and walked to school. I got many a laugh from the Acholi. Since most students and teachers also take this path, it is common to wait for the rain to let up. so essentially my first class where I would lecture is rained out. I am now in an internet cafe sweating, so I hope the water does not run out before I get back.
Isa is his name not Esau, so today Isa, Amos, and Samuel met me at the IC house and we walked up to the courts. We had a game of about 8 on 6 although I was not sure. The kids all had three shirts on after school, and every time I thought I knew who was on my team, that kid got hot and took off a shirt, resulting in an entirely different color. Good game though. Afterwards, the three of us went to the Corner bar, they did not go in, but I think they can and I ordered five waters, two for the big sweaty moo nu and one for each Acholi. I talked to Isa and found out that he had enough to eat on Sunday. He and his five siblings are living with his aunt while his mother is somewhere up north. So I think things are at least stable for him. but I also talked to Amos and found that he sometimes misses school, because he does not have his school fees and he is sent home. I immediately am looking at 3rd party sponsorship. His school fees for the year at 21,000 shs i think. Which is about $20........yeh, it really might take that little to figure out how to keep this bright, and talented, and well spoken P6 student in school.
I am not sure my Nerinx e-mails are going through, so if anyone in the math dept. reads this, my AP syllabus was approved by the College board.
Sometime soon my dad will post a picture of a little kid in a suit at ST. Jude's orphanage. A lot of the kids had torn shirts on a hot day, but this little executive soldiered on. I am sorry this was quick, but I am really trying to race back to the house and get in the shower.
peace
John
Isa is his name not Esau, so today Isa, Amos, and Samuel met me at the IC house and we walked up to the courts. We had a game of about 8 on 6 although I was not sure. The kids all had three shirts on after school, and every time I thought I knew who was on my team, that kid got hot and took off a shirt, resulting in an entirely different color. Good game though. Afterwards, the three of us went to the Corner bar, they did not go in, but I think they can and I ordered five waters, two for the big sweaty moo nu and one for each Acholi. I talked to Isa and found out that he had enough to eat on Sunday. He and his five siblings are living with his aunt while his mother is somewhere up north. So I think things are at least stable for him. but I also talked to Amos and found that he sometimes misses school, because he does not have his school fees and he is sent home. I immediately am looking at 3rd party sponsorship. His school fees for the year at 21,000 shs i think. Which is about $20........yeh, it really might take that little to figure out how to keep this bright, and talented, and well spoken P6 student in school.
I am not sure my Nerinx e-mails are going through, so if anyone in the math dept. reads this, my AP syllabus was approved by the College board.
Sometime soon my dad will post a picture of a little kid in a suit at ST. Jude's orphanage. A lot of the kids had torn shirts on a hot day, but this little executive soldiered on. I am sorry this was quick, but I am really trying to race back to the house and get in the shower.
peace
John
Rooster Time
THIS ENTRY IS SLIGHTLY OUT OF ORDER
Rooster Time
It is 6:40 am on an Sunday morning and I am in bed under my mosquito netting listening to a very loud rooster. This rooster sounds like a cartoon animal trying to imitate a rooster and not quite getting it right. I can just here the big chicken say, “I say, I say son that is no way to imitate a rooster.” Seriously something is wrong with the end of this rooster’s call. It rained most of last night, but it did not matter as I was in bed at 9:24 pm on a Saturday night.
Yesterday, we had our conference for over 50 teachers at St. Monica’s up the road. St. Monica’s is a home for child mothers. In case you did not know, a lot of child mothers are that way, is because they were kidnapped and used for sex slaves during the war. This place was a wonderful campus with well manicured lawns and decorative bushes and flowers. I guess they must have a lawn mower. I have only seen one lawn mower here, a push mower in our backyard. Most of the grass cutting I have seen at schools is being done by students (as a punishment?) who wield a piece of 3 ft. metal, slightly sharpened at one end.
Any way the conference included Wamala George the headmaster of Lubiri SS in Kampala, the District Education Officer for Gulu, a child psychologist who deals with PTSD in children affected by the war. And of course, more drama related workshops to get the teachers up and moving. It was a good day, all in all. I have a great picture of Alfred from one of the exercises. I also met Sr. Mary Cara Ajio, who is the head teacher at Sacred Heart a Catholic school for 940 girls just down the road. I have made arrangements to visit the school next week.
When I came home some of the interns, had killed a guinea fowl in their yard. They had brought it over to cook supreme, Doreen to cook it. They said it tasted good, but I backed away with first teaching day coming up, and my system not quite at 100%.
Today I am going to noon mass to hear Jamie, one of the interns, who sings in the choir.
I have also erased a lot of things off of my hard drive to hopefully make uploading pictures easier. I will also find out I guess whether Jack Magee was successfully able to upload the picitures.
john
Rooster Time
It is 6:40 am on an Sunday morning and I am in bed under my mosquito netting listening to a very loud rooster. This rooster sounds like a cartoon animal trying to imitate a rooster and not quite getting it right. I can just here the big chicken say, “I say, I say son that is no way to imitate a rooster.” Seriously something is wrong with the end of this rooster’s call. It rained most of last night, but it did not matter as I was in bed at 9:24 pm on a Saturday night.
Yesterday, we had our conference for over 50 teachers at St. Monica’s up the road. St. Monica’s is a home for child mothers. In case you did not know, a lot of child mothers are that way, is because they were kidnapped and used for sex slaves during the war. This place was a wonderful campus with well manicured lawns and decorative bushes and flowers. I guess they must have a lawn mower. I have only seen one lawn mower here, a push mower in our backyard. Most of the grass cutting I have seen at schools is being done by students (as a punishment?) who wield a piece of 3 ft. metal, slightly sharpened at one end.
Any way the conference included Wamala George the headmaster of Lubiri SS in Kampala, the District Education Officer for Gulu, a child psychologist who deals with PTSD in children affected by the war. And of course, more drama related workshops to get the teachers up and moving. It was a good day, all in all. I have a great picture of Alfred from one of the exercises. I also met Sr. Mary Cara Ajio, who is the head teacher at Sacred Heart a Catholic school for 940 girls just down the road. I have made arrangements to visit the school next week.
When I came home some of the interns, had killed a guinea fowl in their yard. They had brought it over to cook supreme, Doreen to cook it. They said it tasted good, but I backed away with first teaching day coming up, and my system not quite at 100%.
Today I am going to noon mass to hear Jamie, one of the interns, who sings in the choir.
I have also erased a lot of things off of my hard drive to hopefully make uploading pictures easier. I will also find out I guess whether Jack Magee was successfully able to upload the picitures.
john
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Just when you thought you were taking a risk
I just met someone named Amelia from Oregon, she is really in the bush. She came to the IC house because her area is currently not safe. She is a couple of hours away living with the Otesse tribe teaching them English. For a while she was the only American there. She is a half mile from the latrine, so she was telling us how she never drinks or eat close to bed time. She has no electricity or running water. She had to leave because the Kajimoro tribe believes all cattle belongs to them, so if they see another tribe with cattle they will shoot them and take the cattle. Relax mom, this has nothing to do with me, but it still is one of many interesting stories I have heard. Oh and some of the guys killed a guinea fowl today. These "expert hunters" used a rock, a big stick that looked like a bat, then a larger stone. Oh btw, I spend most nites watching Arrested Development with a couple of the guys. So this really is an interesting place.
john
there is another entry on my computer somewhere that will fit before these two.
john
there is another entry on my computer somewhere that will fit before these two.
Esau
I see Esau almost every day. He seems to want to do something everytime i see him.
I am going to play basketball Monday with those guys again, but I am trying to figure out more about Esau and how I can best help him. Invisible children is big about not giving any handouts at all, and that is because it just perpetuates the practice that Western faces are for money, and delays the progress of Uganda and its people. But still although, I believe in that practice it is hard sometimes. Esau has asked me for a pen, and after asking permission I gave him a pen. I made sure it was one he could have gotten in town.
Today, Trisha and I went to Mass at Holy Rosary. There were people lined up outside of the church when we got there. I did not want to watch Mass from outside, so we went around the side and Jamie explained to us, that one mass had not let out yet. So we were part of a crowd that pushed inside of Church while the last mass crowd pushed out. It was kind of crazy, but nice that both masses were overflowing. Mass was an hour and a half and in English and Lwo, but sometimes even the English was hard to understand.
I set a John Magee record for sweating coming close but not eclipsing the record by John Gilliam in Jeff City.
Anyway, back to Esau. We saw him on the way to Mass, and he asked for 500 shillings because he was hungry. It tears me up that I could not give him anything, but I will figure something out. The enormity of what is hear is overwhelming yet the people are smiling and happy and work hard to make a little bit each day. Esau has told me that he has lost his parents, but I have been unable to find out more about his story. I cannot remember the statistic, but many of these children have lost a parent to a violent death, because of the war.
Today, I prayed for Esau amidst the sweat. The Head Teacher for Awere directed the choir in the last two songs.
john
I am going to play basketball Monday with those guys again, but I am trying to figure out more about Esau and how I can best help him. Invisible children is big about not giving any handouts at all, and that is because it just perpetuates the practice that Western faces are for money, and delays the progress of Uganda and its people. But still although, I believe in that practice it is hard sometimes. Esau has asked me for a pen, and after asking permission I gave him a pen. I made sure it was one he could have gotten in town.
Today, Trisha and I went to Mass at Holy Rosary. There were people lined up outside of the church when we got there. I did not want to watch Mass from outside, so we went around the side and Jamie explained to us, that one mass had not let out yet. So we were part of a crowd that pushed inside of Church while the last mass crowd pushed out. It was kind of crazy, but nice that both masses were overflowing. Mass was an hour and a half and in English and Lwo, but sometimes even the English was hard to understand.
I set a John Magee record for sweating coming close but not eclipsing the record by John Gilliam in Jeff City.
Anyway, back to Esau. We saw him on the way to Mass, and he asked for 500 shillings because he was hungry. It tears me up that I could not give him anything, but I will figure something out. The enormity of what is hear is overwhelming yet the people are smiling and happy and work hard to make a little bit each day. Esau has told me that he has lost his parents, but I have been unable to find out more about his story. I cannot remember the statistic, but many of these children have lost a parent to a violent death, because of the war.
Today, I prayed for Esau amidst the sweat. The Head Teacher for Awere directed the choir in the last two songs.
john
Friday, June 29, 2007
Jack Magee adding pictures for John
I am not sure the best way to add pictures, the only way I could figue out was to place them along the side.
As an added comment John's mother asked him some questions I'm sure all of you are asking too.
John’s mother asked these questions.
Are you eating ok? What are you eating? What do you drink? Can you wash your clothes? Is the weather hot? Is there any rain?
John answered!
we have a great cook at the house, where I get breakfast and dinner. we have had chili, spaghetti, egg rolls, and noodles, kind of western food with an african flair.for african food I have had dodo and eggs (spinach and eggs), mugasi (deep fried dough), corn, mangos, bananas, pineapples, rice, potio, beans, and I will have to think tilapia, beef, I drink mostly water I have fallen in love with getting to the CalTex station for 1.5 Liter of water (it costs 1000 shs< 1 dollar)....I have also had their sweet tea at school, i have had several cokes 300 ml old style glass bottle....There is a women named Agnes at the house who does all the wash by hand and hangs them on a line.....all rooms have one day to put out their wash, so mine was yesterday...it is sometimes hot, but not really...it is amazing how much of a breeze you get in some of these buildings, including the mud brick hut with the thatch roof I was in.....it rained once, so the roads are very dusty, I have red dirt on everything......but if it rains again, we will be inundated by the white ants.....this is the end of their second rainy season it is hottest in december
As an added comment John's mother asked him some questions I'm sure all of you are asking too.
John’s mother asked these questions.
Are you eating ok? What are you eating? What do you drink? Can you wash your clothes? Is the weather hot? Is there any rain?
John answered!
we have a great cook at the house, where I get breakfast and dinner. we have had chili, spaghetti, egg rolls, and noodles, kind of western food with an african flair.for african food I have had dodo and eggs (spinach and eggs), mugasi (deep fried dough), corn, mangos, bananas, pineapples, rice, potio, beans, and I will have to think tilapia, beef, I drink mostly water I have fallen in love with getting to the CalTex station for 1.5 Liter of water (it costs 1000 shs< 1 dollar)....I have also had their sweet tea at school, i have had several cokes 300 ml old style glass bottle....There is a women named Agnes at the house who does all the wash by hand and hangs them on a line.....all rooms have one day to put out their wash, so mine was yesterday...it is sometimes hot, but not really...it is amazing how much of a breeze you get in some of these buildings, including the mud brick hut with the thatch roof I was in.....it rained once, so the roads are very dusty, I have red dirt on everything......but if it rains again, we will be inundated by the white ants.....this is the end of their second rainy season it is hottest in december
Ojara Geoffrey Ojiri
THERE ARE 3 NEW POSTS TODAY. I would suggest to you that when you read this blog. You page down to where you left off, and then start reading. I think some of the stories will be much better in chronological order.
So this morning, I woke up again and jumped into a nice cold shower. It really is a delight to wake up and take a cold shower. I am thinking of this tonight because we currently do not have water, and I have played basketball and volleyball today. I am really hoping some time in the next 10 hours we get water. If not it will be shower by baby wipes tomorrow morning. So what did I do today. Good things, so keep reading. Started this morning again, with assembly at Awere. Nyeko Alfred and I started working on some problems students have brought us. So we did not make anymore progress on grading their midterms. Grades are different here because they get progress reports, but the entire year is based on the end of year exams. So it was just kind of a regular morning. I was about to leave but then I showed Alfred my Sudoku in an old USA Today, and we worked together to solve it. The afternoon was to be spent shadowing one of the mentors that work with the Gulu students who are on scholarship with IC funds. Being a mentor is a highly competitive, and it is a job where Ugandans want the position. So the quality of mentors is quite strong. I had some extra time, so I walked to the IC office which is about a 22 minute walk. Along the way, the Crested Crane school was letting out for lunch, and so was another school with thousands of young kids. It was amazing, there were so many kids walking and laughing. I had a crew of about 20 kids following me. They were laughing and talking in Lwo the entire time. We all had a blast just walking down the street. Then I met up with Ojara Geoffrey Ojiri (Geoffrey), we hopped on his motorbike, and traveled for a while on the major streets out of town, until we started riding down paths that I thought were too small for a motorbike. This was a village of traditional huts, just like Awere, circular walls made out of mud bricks, and a thatched roof. We found the one where Denis, his student was staying. Denis has been suspended for two weeks for several offenses the most serious one having a small amount of alcohol with him. Denis invited us into his house. I had to duck quite severely to get inside. Once inside, there were handmade chairs he invited us to sit on. They were low to the ground, and I was thinking they might break, considering I was a “man of large mass”. I not only fit, but it was surprised about how solid the chair was. It was made out of what looked like twigs and several small branches, but it looked nice and it was solid. Geoffrey allowed me to listen to him mentor Denis, and I told him about kids that I knew in St. Louis, and East St. Louis who had also overcome obstacles to achieve. As the conversation, progressed it was obvious that Denis was embarrassed about his behavior and was slightly embarrassed that I was there, but I had the feeling that he was a pretty good kid. They both laughed when I told him that because although they use the word kid, it usually refers to the small ones. Btw, while we were inside there were 5 or 6 kids giggling outside of the door. This family had done a pretty good job of making the small circular space home. It looks like they had divided the circular floor plan into three rooms. There is a space underneath the thatch roof and it actually had pretty good air flow. I was able to tell Denis that we both believed in him, and that I would check back with Geoffrey about his progress. He will have to study for his mid-terms(not quite the same) over the next week or so at home. I believe in him and hope he will succeed. It has been a bad week for Denis as his brother went to the hospital and died. I do not think he has other siblings. He has an aged mom and an even more aged grandmother. Geoffrey described Denis as a very bright student when he first went to school, he was a clever learner. He was abducted and spent time as a child soldier, until he was able to find his way back. Then he did not go to school for two years. So this is the struggle for Denis, does he have enough strength and personal resolve to overcome the enormity of these obstacles. You all know that I believe he can do this, but maybe tonight you can include him in your prayers, and also a man named Ojara Geoffrey Ojiri, he is certainly fighting the good fight, and the other 21 students he is mentoring. I know that is what I will be doing, seems like a more worthwhile prayer than praying for the water to come back so I can take a cold shower.
john
ps and today I remember that after the enormity of suffering I saw in the Awer camp, that the world will be saved by thousands of little tasks and great people helping one person one at a time. Thanks Geoffrey
So this morning, I woke up again and jumped into a nice cold shower. It really is a delight to wake up and take a cold shower. I am thinking of this tonight because we currently do not have water, and I have played basketball and volleyball today. I am really hoping some time in the next 10 hours we get water. If not it will be shower by baby wipes tomorrow morning. So what did I do today. Good things, so keep reading. Started this morning again, with assembly at Awere. Nyeko Alfred and I started working on some problems students have brought us. So we did not make anymore progress on grading their midterms. Grades are different here because they get progress reports, but the entire year is based on the end of year exams. So it was just kind of a regular morning. I was about to leave but then I showed Alfred my Sudoku in an old USA Today, and we worked together to solve it. The afternoon was to be spent shadowing one of the mentors that work with the Gulu students who are on scholarship with IC funds. Being a mentor is a highly competitive, and it is a job where Ugandans want the position. So the quality of mentors is quite strong. I had some extra time, so I walked to the IC office which is about a 22 minute walk. Along the way, the Crested Crane school was letting out for lunch, and so was another school with thousands of young kids. It was amazing, there were so many kids walking and laughing. I had a crew of about 20 kids following me. They were laughing and talking in Lwo the entire time. We all had a blast just walking down the street. Then I met up with Ojara Geoffrey Ojiri (Geoffrey), we hopped on his motorbike, and traveled for a while on the major streets out of town, until we started riding down paths that I thought were too small for a motorbike. This was a village of traditional huts, just like Awere, circular walls made out of mud bricks, and a thatched roof. We found the one where Denis, his student was staying. Denis has been suspended for two weeks for several offenses the most serious one having a small amount of alcohol with him. Denis invited us into his house. I had to duck quite severely to get inside. Once inside, there were handmade chairs he invited us to sit on. They were low to the ground, and I was thinking they might break, considering I was a “man of large mass”. I not only fit, but it was surprised about how solid the chair was. It was made out of what looked like twigs and several small branches, but it looked nice and it was solid. Geoffrey allowed me to listen to him mentor Denis, and I told him about kids that I knew in St. Louis, and East St. Louis who had also overcome obstacles to achieve. As the conversation, progressed it was obvious that Denis was embarrassed about his behavior and was slightly embarrassed that I was there, but I had the feeling that he was a pretty good kid. They both laughed when I told him that because although they use the word kid, it usually refers to the small ones. Btw, while we were inside there were 5 or 6 kids giggling outside of the door. This family had done a pretty good job of making the small circular space home. It looks like they had divided the circular floor plan into three rooms. There is a space underneath the thatch roof and it actually had pretty good air flow. I was able to tell Denis that we both believed in him, and that I would check back with Geoffrey about his progress. He will have to study for his mid-terms(not quite the same) over the next week or so at home. I believe in him and hope he will succeed. It has been a bad week for Denis as his brother went to the hospital and died. I do not think he has other siblings. He has an aged mom and an even more aged grandmother. Geoffrey described Denis as a very bright student when he first went to school, he was a clever learner. He was abducted and spent time as a child soldier, until he was able to find his way back. Then he did not go to school for two years. So this is the struggle for Denis, does he have enough strength and personal resolve to overcome the enormity of these obstacles. You all know that I believe he can do this, but maybe tonight you can include him in your prayers, and also a man named Ojara Geoffrey Ojiri, he is certainly fighting the good fight, and the other 21 students he is mentoring. I know that is what I will be doing, seems like a more worthwhile prayer than praying for the water to come back so I can take a cold shower.
john
ps and today I remember that after the enormity of suffering I saw in the Awer camp, that the world will be saved by thousands of little tasks and great people helping one person one at a time. Thanks Geoffrey
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