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