We’re in to our last week of school and this seems to be the most inopportune time to leave because not only do we all know our classes like the back of our hand, but we’ve also become so much more confidant with teaching these children. It has been really fun to bring in some of our American culture into Uganda and have them teach some of the same ideas through a Ugandan perspective. We wish we could take all of the kids home with us, but since we’re still waiting to hear back about our visas, we decided to give you some bios on a few of our students!
Pricilla (Baby)- Our first reaction when we tried to sum her up was simply “Oh God”, in the best possible way! She is in baby class, but is known around the school. She is the Queen Bee and the rules do not apply for her. Recently, Frannie has taken to checking her pockets before she leaves because she has found beads, multiple pieces of sidewalk chalk, markers, etc, etc, etc. Even the teachers all have a soft spot for Pricilla! Her favourite English sentence is “I want porridge”.
Hassan (Top)- ADHD poster child. Frannie once counted the frequency of how many times Hassan got out of his chair during a lesson. 23 times in 45 minutes. Solid. He loves to talk in class and will repetitively say, “Teach-ah, teach-ah, teach-ah” until you call on him. However, he gets so excited by this point that he stutters and cannot get his words out! He is adorable and so smart! He was the first one to memorize all of the words to “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” and during class will not let the book out of his lap. We are all obsessed with him-he is one of the first ones to run out the door to greet us with a hug and huge grin each morning. It truly melts our hearts.
Symon (Top) and Sylvia (Baby) – First off, Uganda really seems to like alliterations when naming children in a family. This brother and sister duo are very quiet and sweet and oh so endearing! The each have matching bald heads and bushy eyebrows-Peter Gallagher has a run for his money.
Vicky (P1) – Obsession. Vicky is only five but in Mary’s P1 class while her little sister Vivian is 3 ½, but bigger than her! Mary’s heart breaks every time she sees Vicky ride away on a bicycle instead of walking home with Mary. Crack. Everyone in P1 is equally as obsessed with Vicky and cannot resist picking her up. If you just say Vicky’s name, she gets a huge smile on her face and just scrunches her nose! Today, much to Mary’s delight, Frannie picked up Vicky and placed her on Mary’s back. Mary and Vicky were beaming.
Francis (Baby) and Patience (P2) – Cannot get enough of the siblings! Francis is the wild and disruptive student that you cannot help but love! He is constantly yelling, tugging, jumping, spinning, running-name an action, he is doing it. Whereas Patience, the first three weeks, did not speak. Her soft-spoken temperament is so elegant and charming. Patience may not always understand English and Steph, but somehow she convinces Steph she knows what is going on!
Junior aka Junie (not technically enrolled) – Junie is the son of Rebecca, a nurse at the clinic. They live on the staff housing right next to the school giving Junie free reign! Almost daily, he will just appear in one of the classrooms ready to learn! When he is not joining a class, he is attached to a rolling tire on the playground. The three of us really cannot get enough of him!
Livingstone (P1) – He is probably the most unmotivated student in Mary’s class when it comes to math, English, science, etc. However, his face lights up when Mary gives lessons teaching music or art and he really excels. Some days, he even starts songs for Mary. Last Friday, when Mary was out in the hallway creating an example handprint lady bug, Livingstone walked by and exclaimed, “ MAWE! Sank you Teach-ah Mary!”.
Deus (P2) and Nicholas (P1) – These two are not siblings but share too many similar characteristics. Competitive. Check. Manipulative. Check. Disruptive. Check. Out of control. Check. Both of these students really try Mary and Steph’s patience yet hearing their laugh or a simple gesture of one of them bringing a gift of fruit, makes up for all of the rough moments. Moreau would be different without you and we would never want to know what that is like.
Allen (P2) – She does not understand a gosh-darn-thing! But when she does, Steph wets herself. Her eyes and her pants.
Provia (Top, take two) – Provia is one of the oldest girls in Top class and one of the most creative. Any project from tissue-paper butterflies to drawing a girl, Provia’s is always the most colourful and well-done. She is popular with every class, every girl, boy, and teacher. She has a very go-with-the-flow wonderful personality!
Joseph and Cecilia (P1) – TWINS! Joseph is a genius. Anytime Mary is looking for that student example, she always calls on the one and only, Joseph Kato. He is also the star athlete of P1. If he went to high school in America, he would be Prom King. Cecilia is one of the hardest working students in P1 but sometimes struggles with her work. At home, Joseph always helps Cecilia with her math homework. So cute.
Well, this is starting to take too long and too much room. However, we are still obsessed so we are going to give you the rest of students but shorten it to one word descriptions…or we will try!
Baby Class
Marvin – cutest smile (he recently lost teeth!), worst foot infection
Vivian – thumb-sucking cuddler
Bridget – a little American Girl doll
Rugen – tattletale crier but so great
Michael – thought he was mute but now cannot stop talking
Prossy – quiet and stoic
Elizabeth – always wears a frilly dress with combat boots and the best grin
Erina and Barbara – best friends connected at the hip
Rose – happily independent
Akimu – sassy
Danny – oldest in baby: SIX
Edison – biggest stomach, huge snuggle-bear
Joshua – loves to cover his face in chalk
Jennifer – loves to swing and hang on everyone
Clever – sister of Jennifer who will forever be the girl that threw-up during fingerpainting
Rachel – has a face that you just want to squeeze
Pricilla – see above
Francis – see above
Sylvia – see above
Top Class
Ahmed – so smart and has the best strut, the kid cannot just “walk” anywhere
Joshua – wonderfully gigantic ears that matches his wonderfully gigantic personality
Marion – always must have her way, she sits in a red chair every day
Mackine – best friend of Marion, when she goes for short call, Mackine goes for short call
Jackline – Best. Smile. Ever.
Peter – silent and rather frightening
Joseph – attention-seeker
Rosset – calm but so smart
Lendon – split-personality
Sarah – slightly mischievous but her smirk gets her out of everything
Shadia – WAKE UP
Adolf – I hope you never get teeth, everyone loves his gap smile
Joseph – loves to cover his hands in chalk
Hassan – see above
Symon – see above
P1
Joram- his smile is contagious
Abdallah- constantly gives me blank stares
Timothy- SO stubborn… doesn’t listen
Edrine- Muhhh girl- so genuine
Joseph- see above
Richard- so smart and so good at football
Derek- big eyes
Sophia- you remind me of Mater from Cars- so wise
Prime- the second she meets your eyes, she giggles and looks the other way
Anna- loves to sing
Vicky- see above
Cecilia- see above
Lillian- she is always so proud of her work
Dalphine- skinny clinger and always by Mary at recess
Irene- so shy
Nicholas- see above
Emmanuel- butthead
Livingstone- see above
Nivia- “This is my student, Edrine. This is my other student, Edrine’s sister.”
Kellen- always works to the best of her ability
P2 Class
Karoline – addictive lovable personality
Bridget – Class boss
Winnie – little elf, little sassy
Sonia – older sister of Edrine and Nivia, you earn your name
Laudel – “Hey you guys!” so gooney
Deus – see above
Florence – you make Steph want to teach more everyday
Patience – see above
Abraham – calm and silent
Olivah – skinny, big head, big voice
Adella – only in class half of the time
Harriet – know-it-all, but really she knows everything taught to her
Allen – see above
Arnold – punk who always gets what he wants; and he’s smart about it
Annita – your laugh gets you out of re-doing your work
Rose – tomboy
John – all-around good guy
XOXO
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
True Life: Living in Uganda
Just a day in the life of us teachers to be:
6:45 a.m.- Mary wakes up.
7:15 a.m.- Frannie and Steph roll out of bed. Steph does get in the shower at this time as well and somehow makes it out by 7:28-7:30!
7:35- Jump in the car with Sister Edith and Teacher Dao. Frannie somehow falls asleep, while our bottoms are bouncing up and down.
7:50- We arrive to Moreau Nursery/Primary School. “Teach-ah, teach-ah, teach-ah!”
8:00- School begins- don’t be tardy.
8:20- Final attendance is taken.
8:00- 8:20- All of our classes start with “News, News”.
Ex: Student: “News, News!”
Class: “Yes, please, tell us the (de) news!”
Student: “Yestah-day when I was coming home from school I saw a bird!”
Class: “Thank you for telling us the news.”
Repeat 20 times. We love it.
8:20- 9:20- Nursery/Top class normally does writing and sometimes math. P1 usually has their math lesson at this time, while P2 has listening exercises and English.
9:20- 10:00- P.E and break. The kids are OBSESSED with Red Rover and we can’t get enough of their songs in Rutorro.
10:10- Prayer- “Thank you, Jesus!”
10:15 until porridge is gone- Porridge break under the huts.
10:45- Wash and short call.
11:00- Back to class. Their schedule varies in the afternoon, but this is when we give majority of our lessons in reading, music, art, English, Science, etc.
12:30- Nursery/top class is dismissed after their final prayer.
1:00- P1 and P2 are dismissed.
1:05- We grade papers or help students.
1:15- We go to the clinic to search for newborns!
2:00- If we walk home, we normally leave at around this time. The walk takes a little more than hour, but is so beautiful!
3:15- We are greeted by Dalphine, Duncan, Richard, Angel, Ricky, and Patience running at us with open arms. They are our favourites so we normally greet them back with sweeties, bracelets, stickers, and stamps. This is really one of the highlights of our day.
3:40- Escape the children and eat a late lunch. Gereti you da best!
4:00- We relax and check emails, read, nap, blog (you’re welcome), or just hang out with the sisters!
5:00-We play with the village kids and love life.
7:00- Dinner!
8:15- Clean up/ sing and dance in the kitchen with the sisters.
8:45- We head down to our annex to chat, chase birds, run from Jafar, kill bugs, shower, and prepare for the next school day!
10:00- Pillow talk. Frannie falls asleep first, Anne and Mary for a close tie at second, and Steph takes a little bit longer to fall asleep than the rest of us.
Although we have a set schedule, each day is unique and different and somehow better than the last!
XOXO
6:45 a.m.- Mary wakes up.
7:15 a.m.- Frannie and Steph roll out of bed. Steph does get in the shower at this time as well and somehow makes it out by 7:28-7:30!
7:35- Jump in the car with Sister Edith and Teacher Dao. Frannie somehow falls asleep, while our bottoms are bouncing up and down.
7:50- We arrive to Moreau Nursery/Primary School. “Teach-ah, teach-ah, teach-ah!”
8:00- School begins- don’t be tardy.
8:20- Final attendance is taken.
8:00- 8:20- All of our classes start with “News, News”.
Ex: Student: “News, News!”
Class: “Yes, please, tell us the (de) news!”
Student: “Yestah-day when I was coming home from school I saw a bird!”
Class: “Thank you for telling us the news.”
Repeat 20 times. We love it.
8:20- 9:20- Nursery/Top class normally does writing and sometimes math. P1 usually has their math lesson at this time, while P2 has listening exercises and English.
9:20- 10:00- P.E and break. The kids are OBSESSED with Red Rover and we can’t get enough of their songs in Rutorro.
10:10- Prayer- “Thank you, Jesus!”
10:15 until porridge is gone- Porridge break under the huts.
10:45- Wash and short call.
11:00- Back to class. Their schedule varies in the afternoon, but this is when we give majority of our lessons in reading, music, art, English, Science, etc.
12:30- Nursery/top class is dismissed after their final prayer.
1:00- P1 and P2 are dismissed.
1:05- We grade papers or help students.
1:15- We go to the clinic to search for newborns!
2:00- If we walk home, we normally leave at around this time. The walk takes a little more than hour, but is so beautiful!
3:15- We are greeted by Dalphine, Duncan, Richard, Angel, Ricky, and Patience running at us with open arms. They are our favourites so we normally greet them back with sweeties, bracelets, stickers, and stamps. This is really one of the highlights of our day.
3:40- Escape the children and eat a late lunch. Gereti you da best!
4:00- We relax and check emails, read, nap, blog (you’re welcome), or just hang out with the sisters!
5:00-We play with the village kids and love life.
7:00- Dinner!
8:15- Clean up/ sing and dance in the kitchen with the sisters.
8:45- We head down to our annex to chat, chase birds, run from Jafar, kill bugs, shower, and prepare for the next school day!
10:00- Pillow talk. Frannie falls asleep first, Anne and Mary for a close tie at second, and Steph takes a little bit longer to fall asleep than the rest of us.
Although we have a set schedule, each day is unique and different and somehow better than the last!
XOXO
Pink Pajamas Penguins on the Bottom!
Last weekend, the six of us left for Fort Portal on Saturday. After being stalked by a twelve year old girl, we tried to stalk King Oyo. Too bad he was in Kampala… and the bodas took us to King Oyo Academy instead. Bushted. It didn’t matter though because we saw an incredible view of Uganda and had quite the America’s Next Top Model photo shoot.
We stayed at the cutest house where the sisters of Fort Portal reside (blue retro walls, coffee cups hanging on the wall, a killer breezeway, and quite the movie collection). We kicked back and got inspired by Michael Jackson’s song “I Will be There” from Free Willy.
We left for Queen Elizabeth Park early the next morning. While we were driving, we stopped at the Equator and we were in two hemispheres at once! Obviously… another photo shoot followed. Shortly after that, we arrived in Queen Elizabeth! We were greeted by a wild elephant and loved every minute of it!!
Because the wild animals weren’t exciting enough, Saint Mary’s set us up at a five star resort called Mweya Safari Lodge. We were in HEAVEN! Within the first five minutes there, they provided us with delicious passion fruit juice and wet cloths for our faces. Once again, heaven. Heaven was interrupted momentarily by a wart hog invasion. Lets just say we got a little cocky and kept saying, “Oh my gosh! Look we’re so close… I can touch it!” Pumba was not impressed and followed with a strange snort/kicking escapade. Byeeee. It is all captured on video though and has easily been watched fifty times since then.
The six of us stayed in a “Royal Cottage”. It was huge and looked like a castle compared to the Backpackers’ Inn (Our Nile lodging). Shortly after, we dropped our bags on the zebra couches, blasted “Waka Waka” while jumping on our beds, and ran out the door to our water safari. We were so excited that we strayed from the path and made our own way – “Guys, I’m slipping… no, I’m really slipping. Why are you laughing and not helping me?” “Are their snakes around here?” “Whose idea was this?”
We boarded our boat “SIMBA”… no joke, our boat was really named Simba. We absolutely loved this because even before seeing the name of our boat we had been singing songs from the Lion King the whole day. While on our boat, we saw hippos, the cutest family of elephants (among many others), water buffalo, pelicans, birds galore (our boat mates LOVED birds), and many more! We loved every minute of it!
We had the best night. The next morning, we woke up from our nap at 5:45 a.m. to leave for our land safari. We were greeted our driver, Vincent (You’re doing it Victor… you’re driving us!) It didn’t take long for us to have our upper halves out of the sun roof and into the Pride Land. We watched the sun rise over the savannah and saw a large number of animals including kobs, impalas, elephants, lions (1.5), hippos, and “homo sapiens”! At one point we were three feet away from an elephant named Mary. We were out of the car… and she was trying to get in. Some members of the group were being selfish when they wouldn’t sacrifice their left arm (you don’t need it!) to attract more lions. Hi Uncle Jim, don’t worry Anne is still intact… for now! We took countless videos and photo shoots and seriously loved every minute of it!
After lunch, we spent the rest of our afternoon swimming in the pool that overlooks Queen Elizabeth Park. Spoiled much? It was honestly one of the best weekends we have ever had… and then our car broke down on the way back. The best way to end our fabulous weekend was to jump back into the classroom Tuesday morning!
XOXO
We stayed at the cutest house where the sisters of Fort Portal reside (blue retro walls, coffee cups hanging on the wall, a killer breezeway, and quite the movie collection). We kicked back and got inspired by Michael Jackson’s song “I Will be There” from Free Willy.
We left for Queen Elizabeth Park early the next morning. While we were driving, we stopped at the Equator and we were in two hemispheres at once! Obviously… another photo shoot followed. Shortly after that, we arrived in Queen Elizabeth! We were greeted by a wild elephant and loved every minute of it!!
Because the wild animals weren’t exciting enough, Saint Mary’s set us up at a five star resort called Mweya Safari Lodge. We were in HEAVEN! Within the first five minutes there, they provided us with delicious passion fruit juice and wet cloths for our faces. Once again, heaven. Heaven was interrupted momentarily by a wart hog invasion. Lets just say we got a little cocky and kept saying, “Oh my gosh! Look we’re so close… I can touch it!” Pumba was not impressed and followed with a strange snort/kicking escapade. Byeeee. It is all captured on video though and has easily been watched fifty times since then.
The six of us stayed in a “Royal Cottage”. It was huge and looked like a castle compared to the Backpackers’ Inn (Our Nile lodging). Shortly after, we dropped our bags on the zebra couches, blasted “Waka Waka” while jumping on our beds, and ran out the door to our water safari. We were so excited that we strayed from the path and made our own way – “Guys, I’m slipping… no, I’m really slipping. Why are you laughing and not helping me?” “Are their snakes around here?” “Whose idea was this?”
We boarded our boat “SIMBA”… no joke, our boat was really named Simba. We absolutely loved this because even before seeing the name of our boat we had been singing songs from the Lion King the whole day. While on our boat, we saw hippos, the cutest family of elephants (among many others), water buffalo, pelicans, birds galore (our boat mates LOVED birds), and many more! We loved every minute of it!
We had the best night. The next morning, we woke up from our nap at 5:45 a.m. to leave for our land safari. We were greeted our driver, Vincent (You’re doing it Victor… you’re driving us!) It didn’t take long for us to have our upper halves out of the sun roof and into the Pride Land. We watched the sun rise over the savannah and saw a large number of animals including kobs, impalas, elephants, lions (1.5), hippos, and “homo sapiens”! At one point we were three feet away from an elephant named Mary. We were out of the car… and she was trying to get in. Some members of the group were being selfish when they wouldn’t sacrifice their left arm (you don’t need it!) to attract more lions. Hi Uncle Jim, don’t worry Anne is still intact… for now! We took countless videos and photo shoots and seriously loved every minute of it!
After lunch, we spent the rest of our afternoon swimming in the pool that overlooks Queen Elizabeth Park. Spoiled much? It was honestly one of the best weekends we have ever had… and then our car broke down on the way back. The best way to end our fabulous weekend was to jump back into the classroom Tuesday morning!
XOXO
Friday, June 18, 2010
Teach-ah! Pict-chah, Pict-chah!
We can’t believe we have already been through our fourth week in the classroom. We are getting more and more obsessed with the kids! Lately, all of the hardships and differences between the cultures in Ugandan schools and American schools have made us appreciate and take advantage of the individual interactions we have with the students. We are all getting to know distinct characteristics of each of our students, such as handwriting, a nose scrunch, attention seeking screaming/gesturing, laughs, who always goes for seconds during porridge break, siblings, and so much more. Our day begins as we pass the window by our school, only to hear chairs scraping, feet pounding, and voices yelling “Teach-ah, teach-ah” meeting us just at the threshold of the door. We can only hope that every day of our future careers starts and ends this way.
Appreciation. Something that we see on a daily basis in our classrooms. Steph and Mary gave each of the students in their classes a new pencil and they went crazy! They looked at those pencils like it was Christmas Day. They were beaming and their smiles were so contagious. We wish we could give them a new pencil every day!
We have been doing a lot of fun activities with our classes! Last week, Frannie taught spider lessons. The Top and Nursery class were read The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle and after had so much fun making spiders out of vibrant pipe cleaners! Steph taught lessons about caterpillars and butterflies. After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (you daaa man), her P2 class wrote sentences describing what the caterpillar ate each day and made their own colourful tissue paper butterflies. Mary taught a lesson on The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfeister. After, the students were taught the importance of sharing and then made their own rainbow fish. The walls are significantly brighter at Moreau Primary School!
Our favourite part of this week was our team teaching lessons. The three of us taught WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. It was so adorable to see the students “gnash their terrible teeth”, and “roarrrrr their terrible roars”! Not that they needed it, but to bring out their wild sides even more, they each made their own “wild thing” mask. It was interesting to see the difference between the older students’ and the younger students’ work. It was great for all three of us to work with all of the students in the school!
Stay tuned to hear all about our safari adventure!
XOXO
Appreciation. Something that we see on a daily basis in our classrooms. Steph and Mary gave each of the students in their classes a new pencil and they went crazy! They looked at those pencils like it was Christmas Day. They were beaming and their smiles were so contagious. We wish we could give them a new pencil every day!
We have been doing a lot of fun activities with our classes! Last week, Frannie taught spider lessons. The Top and Nursery class were read The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle and after had so much fun making spiders out of vibrant pipe cleaners! Steph taught lessons about caterpillars and butterflies. After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (you daaa man), her P2 class wrote sentences describing what the caterpillar ate each day and made their own colourful tissue paper butterflies. Mary taught a lesson on The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfeister. After, the students were taught the importance of sharing and then made their own rainbow fish. The walls are significantly brighter at Moreau Primary School!
Our favourite part of this week was our team teaching lessons. The three of us taught WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. It was so adorable to see the students “gnash their terrible teeth”, and “roarrrrr their terrible roars”! Not that they needed it, but to bring out their wild sides even more, they each made their own “wild thing” mask. It was interesting to see the difference between the older students’ and the younger students’ work. It was great for all three of us to work with all of the students in the school!
Stay tuned to hear all about our safari adventure!
XOXO
Monday, June 7, 2010
Jinja: The Source of the Nile
On Friday, we woke before dawn to catch the bus headed to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. We entered the bus to loud Ugandan rap. Let the weekend begin! We watched the sun rise, Mary got car sick, watched some sketch music videos, and four hours later we arrived wide-eyed in Kampala. We’re pretty easy to spot here, so we were offered plenty of taxi rides to our final destination, Jinja! We chose the wrong cab. The driver had a My Little Pony dangling from the rear view mirror and had no problem inviting a strange man to snuggle with Frannie and Steph in the back seat.
We almost made it, but got pulled over… twice. Don’t worry, he had two different licenses and giggled after he gave the false form to the cops. Parents, sorry #1. We thought the driver and the police were close to a fist fight, but somehow returned holding hands and laughing. We made it to the Backpackers Inn, dropped off our bags, got ripped off by cab driver, and hopped on a Boda Boda. Parents, sorry #2. We ate at a delicious restaurant and Frannie insisted on having our waiter card her. He thought we were crazy. Mad Libs (giggle). We spent the afternoon shopping around the market and trying to find the Nile. Fail. We did buy some great souvenirs though! Not knowing what else to do with the night, ended up having a spontaneous gathering with a Notre Dame student, a Miami of Ohio student, Canadians, British, New Zealanders, and local Ugandans. Too much fun was had by all.
After staying up late to ring in the new 21st (Mary!), we still popped out of bed… ready to raft! Then, we ate breakfast while watching previous rafting videos. Not ready to raft. After giving us a brief explanation, life jackets, helmets, and not enough sunscreen, we were off. Mary had her awkward nervous laugh at full force, Frannie was reapplying sunscreen like it was her job, and Steph was telling everyone to calm down- “We will be fine!” Before we knew it, the six of us were on a raft with our new best friend and guide, Stef. We won over his heart by screaming within the first minute… in flat water, and he won over ours by telling us he and his wife adopted a son from an Ugandan orphanage that they volunteered at. DEAR CANADA, GIVE THEM A VISA ALREADY!
Anyway, he had us jump out in the first rapid. The water tasted great. The grace and elegance of Saint Mary’s started right away with us being dragged and flopped back into the raft. Beautiful. The other rafters knew right away which raft would be “that raft”. We were not ready for the class 5 rapids that we knew were waiting for us, but it was one of the best days of our lives! We got stuck on a rock at one point… because we stopped paddling in fear. The grace continued when we had to awkwardly bounce around the raft with everyone looking on. Turns out, it is hard to bounce in unison (GIRLS, BOUNCE. STAY IN THE BOAT). The second we were free from the rocks, we were free falling down a waterfall. A legit waterfall. In case they missed us bouncing, we made sure everyone heard us. Pre-waterfall: Everyone sitting in positions… somewhat paddling. During waterfall: SCREAM… not really paddling. Post-waterfall: Steph lost her paddle, Frannie giggled uncontrollably after smacking backwards into Anne’s face, Anne clutching her face, Claire sitting on Mary’s lap, and Bridgette… little bit clueless.
We hit a nice long stretch where we enjoyed freshly cut pineapple and crackers. Stef enjoyed our musical renditions of Just around the River Bend and Rollin’ on the River. It turns out our raft was the only raft that didn’t flip all day, however the birthday girl got tossed overboard at one point… and shook for 20 minutes after. We loved how our guide described each rapid, especially the one that included a stretch of water called “the bad place”. We had a great day and cannot wait to show everyone the video! You heard us right… it is all documented!
Nile River Explorers had a barbeque waiting for us overlooking the Nile. The view was absolutely breathtaking and the food was delicious! We realized then that we got a little fried by the sun. We were really close to the equator… Parents, sorry #3. We headed back to the hostel to celebrate another birthday and our survival. Too much fun had by all… again.
Once everyone was up and accounted for, we paid for the weekend. We headed to the bus in Jinja, sad to depart from our new friends. The ride from Jinja to Kampala was cosy to say the least, but we realized we didn’t know cosy until the ride from Kampala back home. Steph was almost sleeping on a random man’s shoulder, Mary was getting sick again, Frannie was sitting next to someone getting sick, and Bridgette didn’t have a seat. It was a long 5 ½ hour journey. Overall, we had the best weekend, but were so happy to be reunited with the sisters in Kyarusozi! Miss you all!
XOXO
We almost made it, but got pulled over… twice. Don’t worry, he had two different licenses and giggled after he gave the false form to the cops. Parents, sorry #1. We thought the driver and the police were close to a fist fight, but somehow returned holding hands and laughing. We made it to the Backpackers Inn, dropped off our bags, got ripped off by cab driver, and hopped on a Boda Boda. Parents, sorry #2. We ate at a delicious restaurant and Frannie insisted on having our waiter card her. He thought we were crazy. Mad Libs (giggle). We spent the afternoon shopping around the market and trying to find the Nile. Fail. We did buy some great souvenirs though! Not knowing what else to do with the night, ended up having a spontaneous gathering with a Notre Dame student, a Miami of Ohio student, Canadians, British, New Zealanders, and local Ugandans. Too much fun was had by all.
After staying up late to ring in the new 21st (Mary!), we still popped out of bed… ready to raft! Then, we ate breakfast while watching previous rafting videos. Not ready to raft. After giving us a brief explanation, life jackets, helmets, and not enough sunscreen, we were off. Mary had her awkward nervous laugh at full force, Frannie was reapplying sunscreen like it was her job, and Steph was telling everyone to calm down- “We will be fine!” Before we knew it, the six of us were on a raft with our new best friend and guide, Stef. We won over his heart by screaming within the first minute… in flat water, and he won over ours by telling us he and his wife adopted a son from an Ugandan orphanage that they volunteered at. DEAR CANADA, GIVE THEM A VISA ALREADY!
Anyway, he had us jump out in the first rapid. The water tasted great. The grace and elegance of Saint Mary’s started right away with us being dragged and flopped back into the raft. Beautiful. The other rafters knew right away which raft would be “that raft”. We were not ready for the class 5 rapids that we knew were waiting for us, but it was one of the best days of our lives! We got stuck on a rock at one point… because we stopped paddling in fear. The grace continued when we had to awkwardly bounce around the raft with everyone looking on. Turns out, it is hard to bounce in unison (GIRLS, BOUNCE. STAY IN THE BOAT). The second we were free from the rocks, we were free falling down a waterfall. A legit waterfall. In case they missed us bouncing, we made sure everyone heard us. Pre-waterfall: Everyone sitting in positions… somewhat paddling. During waterfall: SCREAM… not really paddling. Post-waterfall: Steph lost her paddle, Frannie giggled uncontrollably after smacking backwards into Anne’s face, Anne clutching her face, Claire sitting on Mary’s lap, and Bridgette… little bit clueless.
We hit a nice long stretch where we enjoyed freshly cut pineapple and crackers. Stef enjoyed our musical renditions of Just around the River Bend and Rollin’ on the River. It turns out our raft was the only raft that didn’t flip all day, however the birthday girl got tossed overboard at one point… and shook for 20 minutes after. We loved how our guide described each rapid, especially the one that included a stretch of water called “the bad place”. We had a great day and cannot wait to show everyone the video! You heard us right… it is all documented!
Nile River Explorers had a barbeque waiting for us overlooking the Nile. The view was absolutely breathtaking and the food was delicious! We realized then that we got a little fried by the sun. We were really close to the equator… Parents, sorry #3. We headed back to the hostel to celebrate another birthday and our survival. Too much fun had by all… again.
Once everyone was up and accounted for, we paid for the weekend. We headed to the bus in Jinja, sad to depart from our new friends. The ride from Jinja to Kampala was cosy to say the least, but we realized we didn’t know cosy until the ride from Kampala back home. Steph was almost sleeping on a random man’s shoulder, Mary was getting sick again, Frannie was sitting next to someone getting sick, and Bridgette didn’t have a seat. It was a long 5 ½ hour journey. Overall, we had the best weekend, but were so happy to be reunited with the sisters in Kyarusozi! Miss you all!
XOXO
News, News!
Last Tuesday, Sister Mary Ann came to visit Kyarusozi from Fort Portal one last time before her departure back to the United States. In honor of her, Sister Edith wanted the P2 class to present a re-enactment of the Last Supper. After struggling the night before to name all 12 apostles, we finally showed up with (we think) 12 correct name tags, sugar biscuits, and Coke. We were pretty sure this was the first “drama” to debut at Moreau Primary School so there was a lot of giggling. Personally, our favourite part was when the students ate their biscuits for about 75% of the performance. After, all of the classes sang songs and presented farewell cards to Sister Mary Ann. We got excited when they sang the songs we taught them (If You’re Happy and You Know It is a BIG hit).
Wednesday was an interesting day and probably our hardest one yet. The three of us witnessed strong disciplinary actions to the students of all ages. We will never be able to support and accept their forms of punishment, but hopefully we can implement some of ours (sup behaviour management)! Heyyyyy Tamara! In all seriousness, tears were shed by all. Steph and Mary both had to excuse ourselves from the classroom because of inappropriate student punishment. Frannie took her student, Rose, to the clinic to treat an open burn wound on her foot only to be stopped because her father didn’t want it to get treated. Rose proceeded to talk home barefoot after, which was heartbreaking. The national holiday, Martyr’s Day, was the next day, so we thankfully took time off.
On Thursday, we went to mass at 10. We emerged almost three hours later… praising God. That night we cooked a delicious, carbolicious Italian feast: garlic bread, pasta, pizza, CHOCOLATE CAKE. Nom. The newly knighted Portia Prebys would be so proud. The sisters and Steph, Claire, Bridgette, and Anne sang happy birthday to Frannie and Mary! So fun! We ended the night with an “uplifting”, true story, Michael Douglas and Ice Man starring film at the brothers across the street. Lions ate EVERYONE. While the closest lion is probably 100 kilometers away, we were terrified walking home in the dark. Father Grasshopper was quick to tell us that the last lion seen in this area was 20 years ago. Mr LaGruth, Thank you for the headlamp! The night ended perfectly with us “borrowing” beer from the sisters’ refrigerator so Frannie could ring in her 21st appropriately. We’re not sure if we gave Jinja enough warning!
Wednesday was an interesting day and probably our hardest one yet. The three of us witnessed strong disciplinary actions to the students of all ages. We will never be able to support and accept their forms of punishment, but hopefully we can implement some of ours (sup behaviour management)! Heyyyyy Tamara! In all seriousness, tears were shed by all. Steph and Mary both had to excuse ourselves from the classroom because of inappropriate student punishment. Frannie took her student, Rose, to the clinic to treat an open burn wound on her foot only to be stopped because her father didn’t want it to get treated. Rose proceeded to talk home barefoot after, which was heartbreaking. The national holiday, Martyr’s Day, was the next day, so we thankfully took time off.
On Thursday, we went to mass at 10. We emerged almost three hours later… praising God. That night we cooked a delicious, carbolicious Italian feast: garlic bread, pasta, pizza, CHOCOLATE CAKE. Nom. The newly knighted Portia Prebys would be so proud. The sisters and Steph, Claire, Bridgette, and Anne sang happy birthday to Frannie and Mary! So fun! We ended the night with an “uplifting”, true story, Michael Douglas and Ice Man starring film at the brothers across the street. Lions ate EVERYONE. While the closest lion is probably 100 kilometers away, we were terrified walking home in the dark. Father Grasshopper was quick to tell us that the last lion seen in this area was 20 years ago. Mr LaGruth, Thank you for the headlamp! The night ended perfectly with us “borrowing” beer from the sisters’ refrigerator so Frannie could ring in her 21st appropriately. We’re not sure if we gave Jinja enough warning!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Oriho ota, America!
After an 8 hour plane ride to London, a nine hour layover exploring the city, an 8 hour flight to Entebbe, and a 6 hour car drive to Kyrarusozi… we finally made it! The sisters welcomed us with open arms and it took us all of three hours to become best friends with the village kids!
Sister Jacinta teaches at Kyrarusozi Primary School right by the convent, Sister Mary and Sister Beth are both nurses at the health care clinic, and we accompany Sister Edith to Moreau Primary School. We were so excited our first day there and our students greeted us with an adorable welcome song! It only took about 5 minutes for us to realize just how different their Rotoro language is from English. BUSTED.
For the past week, the three of us were each placed to work in a different classroom. Frannie is currently teaching/helping in top class (3 ½ years-five years old), Mary is in Primary 1 (5-7 years old), and Steph is in Primary 2 (7+ years). We have each given at least a lesson a day… and have eaten some “delicious” porridge. It’s hard to resist the water/flour mixture when our students kneel down and give us a full cup saying, “Teach-ah!” Not sure if you will ever hear these three American girls say, “Please, Sir, can I have some more?”
This is just a quick overview of what has been going on in this part of the world.
(Artie singing) These are my obsessions!
Obsession #1: The Sisters! ‘nough said.
Obsession #2: PRICILLA- The most defiant and adorable three and a half year old you will ever meet. While the rest of the class is reciting their alphabet, Pricilla stands silently with a chair on her head. Today, Frannie walked in on Pricilla coloring her nails... with a permanent marker. We always seem to come with new Pricilla stories.
Obsession #3: Village kids- These aren’t the kids that go to our school, but the kids that live right by us. They’ve turned amazing days into unforgettably amazing days. Without a doubt before 5 PM every day, they are waiting for us at our gate. Shout outs: Happy, Ricky, Patience, Yassini, Amidu, Brian, Angel, Jackie, Jombhaim, Johan, Davis, Dalphine, Danny, Miles, Francis, Mary, the other Francis, Shakela, Joseph, Annette, and so many more!
Obsession #4: Monkeys on the road (Yes, we did get out of the car. No serious injuries were inflicted, but two bananas were lost to the cause.)
These are my Anti-Obsessions!
Anti-obsession #1: Turkeys. Thanksgiving has new meaning in our book. So… loud.
Anti-obsession #2: JAFAR- one of the lizards currently cohabitating with us. Frannie explained to him before leaving to teach today, “Jafar, this will no longer be a witty banter between us if I find you in my laundry bag tonight.”
Anti-obsession #3: Monkeys on the road. (Busted! How are we going to get back IN the car?!)
If our power stays, we will update soon! Miss you all… and Sue Sylvester!
XOXO
Sister Jacinta teaches at Kyrarusozi Primary School right by the convent, Sister Mary and Sister Beth are both nurses at the health care clinic, and we accompany Sister Edith to Moreau Primary School. We were so excited our first day there and our students greeted us with an adorable welcome song! It only took about 5 minutes for us to realize just how different their Rotoro language is from English. BUSTED.
For the past week, the three of us were each placed to work in a different classroom. Frannie is currently teaching/helping in top class (3 ½ years-five years old), Mary is in Primary 1 (5-7 years old), and Steph is in Primary 2 (7+ years). We have each given at least a lesson a day… and have eaten some “delicious” porridge. It’s hard to resist the water/flour mixture when our students kneel down and give us a full cup saying, “Teach-ah!” Not sure if you will ever hear these three American girls say, “Please, Sir, can I have some more?”
This is just a quick overview of what has been going on in this part of the world.
(Artie singing) These are my obsessions!
Obsession #1: The Sisters! ‘nough said.
Obsession #2: PRICILLA- The most defiant and adorable three and a half year old you will ever meet. While the rest of the class is reciting their alphabet, Pricilla stands silently with a chair on her head. Today, Frannie walked in on Pricilla coloring her nails... with a permanent marker. We always seem to come with new Pricilla stories.
Obsession #3: Village kids- These aren’t the kids that go to our school, but the kids that live right by us. They’ve turned amazing days into unforgettably amazing days. Without a doubt before 5 PM every day, they are waiting for us at our gate. Shout outs: Happy, Ricky, Patience, Yassini, Amidu, Brian, Angel, Jackie, Jombhaim, Johan, Davis, Dalphine, Danny, Miles, Francis, Mary, the other Francis, Shakela, Joseph, Annette, and so many more!
Obsession #4: Monkeys on the road (Yes, we did get out of the car. No serious injuries were inflicted, but two bananas were lost to the cause.)
These are my Anti-Obsessions!
Anti-obsession #1: Turkeys. Thanksgiving has new meaning in our book. So… loud.
Anti-obsession #2: JAFAR- one of the lizards currently cohabitating with us. Frannie explained to him before leaving to teach today, “Jafar, this will no longer be a witty banter between us if I find you in my laundry bag tonight.”
Anti-obsession #3: Monkeys on the road. (Busted! How are we going to get back IN the car?!)
If our power stays, we will update soon! Miss you all… and Sue Sylvester!
XOXO
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