Two weeks of teaching left.

As group 1 teachers hopped into their coaster to begin their journey home, I started to think about how I can be giving my best to Atanga SS in the final two weeks. I stayed home from the safari to concentrate on getting some work done and just relaxing a little bit.

Great news, it appears that the Invisible Children Teacher Exchange is really going to be an exchange and 11 Ugandan teachers will be coming to America in January. This might require some bit of fund raising, so I may be gently putting the squeeze on all of you. This is a huge piece of the puzzle and I feel can really make a difference on the ground in Uganda. America seems so far away to these students, but if one of their own teachers can get here, they might believe that they can also. They will see that hard work and dedication has a real payoff. I am so excited about this. I let my voice be known and it looks like the current teachers and all of you alums out there, will have a real voice and part of this program. I do not know the details, but I would love to have an Acholi teacher in St. Louis this January. Keep your fingers crossed.

I attended the Awere SS farewell dinner and connected with old friends, and my trusted colleague, Matthew, the head teacher. He is adamant to try to bring the culture of reading to his students. Like all African (think British) events their was a program and a list of speakers. I was actually compelled to talk twice. The second time I repeated a message many of you have heard. I keep trying to take my candle out into the world to light up the darkness that I think I see, but when I get there I always see the candles of the ones I am trying to help are usually more bright then my own.

CAUTION: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS DETAILS OF A LATRINE INCIDENT, YOU MAY SKIP IF YOU SO DESIRE
The dinner ended for me eventfully, as I was called to the latrine, things did not go well, but I am proud to say everything made it in the right place. The bathroom floor was wet, so I delicately balance my khakis on my crocs, before answering the now urgent call. I tried to flush the toilet and it did not flush. I was tall enough, so I took off the lid of the tank (6 feet off the ground). The lever was broken, so I tried to jimmy up a new way to flush it, although while wearing only a shirt and tie, and now sweating profusely. I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. After unsuccessfully trying to fix the toilet, I left realizing I would need to find management and ask for a bucket of water. No person, Ugandan or American needed to be subjected waht was still in the bowl. Right outside, was a 50 gallon tub, with a pitcher of water obviously for the purpose of flushing the toilet. SOMETHING I SHOULD HAVE NOTICED ON THE WAY IN. It would have saved me an agonizing ten minutes of spontaneous plumbing work. I excused myself from the dinner, and made it home, although a boda boda ride did not seem like a good idea. My group was having a party, so I rushed past them, took 2 immodium, and crawled into bed. 30 minutes of being in a fetal position, and I was fine. (Mom all is fine, really)

I then joined Ryan, Matt, and some of the other teachers. Michelle and Kelly from group 3 also seemed excited about the Ugandans coming to America. Kelly told me the Pope Paul VI Anaka teachers were ready for a good week, after kind of a rough first week.

Love to see the Cardinals playing well, my dad texts me every night with the score, it makes me feel a little closer to all of you.


Finally, this program has allowed me to talk, laugh, drink, dance, and sing with incredible people. I have told the stupidest jokes and have had deep conversations about faith, and how we can help change the world. These wonderful people are out there in our world, go talk to strangers, you will find amazing people. Especially Erin and Elise, and all those going to college for the first time. You are incredible people go find more incredible people and we can all be incredible.

Mr. Incredible
(if you don't see that image, think of me in my Smart car.)