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