Three Gone, One Left

So Teecha Judy, Teecha Bob and Teecha Gaby have said their goodbyes -with pancakes and sodas for the children and a staff room gathering with pineapple and water melon plates ( a luxury on Uganda teachers' pay). No risk of loneliness for me over the next few days. There is usually nice company for a pot of African tea on my patio - new teacher for the project Agnes yesterday and Maria this afternoon. And excitingly I'm invited to attend Maria's best friend's wedding reception on Saturday. The beautiful red earth soon becomes ground into the feet, so I'm thinking of a pedicure for the occasion..
Now about our actual class. On our initial arrival, Judy was taken aback to find that eight of our children had been promoted, but without any sponsorship,to the regular school. The question of who was paying the fees was sorted out in her meetings with the new St Henry's School headmaster. New relationships have been established and old ones re-affirmed. The 6 new children have settled in really well - with the exception of BBC who sleeps out in the open with his mother and has been absent, apparently due to a lack of clothing. I hope to find him when I go back tomorrow to the Soweto slum with Maria and two academics from Trinity College Dublin who are researching the migration stories . In return for our help, they have agreed to seek answers to questions we presented to them that might help in the Literacy Project as it continues to evolve.
Two hands clapping together, you might say (the researchers' and the Literacy Project's). It's apparent that add-ons will be needed over the long term. Sadly, not all of the children will get sponsored or go on to secondary school. Fortunately, our Literacy Project directors are very innovative people!

Yes, I continue to love being in the classroom with these brave and spirited children. Hardly any of our lesson plans go as planned (It would help to speak Lugandan!), but the adaptations are always fun and the resulting giggles and laughter are precious. Stories - reading books to them and having them discover story-making through puppet and papier mask-making was a success, I think. Joining in physical education with our class joined up with others out in the red dusty field consists largely of dancing and singing, as well as some games, and is a great work out for me too!

There are currently 19 children in the class (hopefully still counting BBC) and one more that we'll bring back tomorrow. If you are wondering about a particular child, please ask about him or her on the blog.

Best to you all from Carole (called "Caro" here)

OUR LAST DAY AT TNP

We tried to explain to the children that 3 of the 4 of us would not be back. They nodded as though they understood, then said "see you tomorrow"How can we describe these kids?Bright, capable, and wanting to learn. Teddy has grown and is not as stocky a girl. Lillian, at 5, picks up everything. Hilary doesnt cry,but clutches his hanky. Moureen can be sullen.Grace is great. Our 2 newcomers just out of the slum are tall and gangly and delighted to be at school. Owori Daniel is very bright, itching to go ahead. BBC didnt show up as he had no clothes.Edmund smiles. Yasin is learning well.I will truly miss them all. We have 19 out of our 20, and I have report cards and photos for ALL of you who are sponsoring. Today I visited Gadafi at his high school. (I was a bit nervous on the boda boda and had to ask him to slow down). Gadafi is a joy to behold. We have followed him for 6 years!!! We now have a meeting with 2 Irish Phd students picked up by Gaby and carole. It may be a symbiotic, useful relationship, as they are interested in migratory patterns and need a contact, which we gave them! Im tired. We meet Hannah Grey for supper. Another visit to Kampala and the Namuwongo Project! Truly successful. You would all love these kids. To return to the Irish students: most of our kids are Acholi, from the Norh, migrating initially because of war, and now in a horrible slum..

judy

I want to here honor Judy and what she did here from her playing table tennis with someone,George, half her age and not only beating him in all the games but exhausting him and giving him Charlie Horse but her working "things" out with the school in what seemed to me to be a very difficult situation, and her making possible a meeting with the Rotary Club which then was of help to our students to her arranging hotel accommodations not only for herself and me but also for Carole and Gabby as well as transport to and from the hotels Bob

Our Hearts Break

One of the new boys, who ,for lack of information we call BBC, came to school today with a rash and cuts.Agnes wondered,but the boy speaks a different language, and she couldnt get an answer.He is the boy who cried quietly for 3 whole days. She asked another Soweto kid who explained that BBC sleeps in the street. He has no shelter.Anything I write now is superfluous. We had a surprise invitation to the Rotary Club. It went well. I believe ther are taking over the sponsoring of 5 children at St. Henry's, and will do more. One woman, a pfof at Makerere University was interested in volunteering! I hope she calls. We are meeting a journalist at 1000 Cups this eve. His mother lives in Mtl. and we are a favour to his mom. We know he dreads this,but we dont care!

FAITHFUL READERS/HOWAAR !

Please be advised that Howard is not with us and does not proofread the blogs!!!Howard, can you get your name off, or are you indelibly with us??? There was a 24 hour power outage. the main, private supplier says then govt has not pais it's bill and the govt claims it has. Something rotten in Denmark. We had an interesting St. Henry's celebration, complete with a Mass.The singing saved it, for me, though I much liked the priest.Here is a serendipitous happening... The speaker i like alot was from the rotary Club. At lunch I perched myself between him , and the priest. We got to talking and we 4 are going to their meeting tonight at the International hotel. I will not remind them that 6 years ago, promised a stipend of 500$, I spoke at a rotary m eeting in Montreal, with Melanie, and we were never paid!!! This man made sense, and talks about pit latrines in Namuwongo... more to follow.We are pleased to go.We have only 2 more teaching days... the 6 children from the slum are now veterans, and doing well. For me, the most important part of the ceremonies today was the unveiling of the plaque for Peter Okoth, the Headmaster who brought us to St. Henry's. It was indeed a moving moment. Howard, you will love this plaque when you next come here. We 4 are well and healthy and send our greetings, with love.

Back from a Safari Adventure

Judy said that we are to write on the blog. So I'm blogging! Gaby and I just returned from two days, two nights away on a safari adventure with it's own stories to tell - including having our quarters raided by monkeys who even ate a portion of our supply of malaria pills. We have found a pharmacy that with restock us - phew!

But back to Literacy Project news - With the wonderful Maria leading, we walked 3 girls and 3 boys (older this trip at ages 7 to 10) out of the depths of the Namuwongo slum to the Literacy programme at Saint Henrys School. Gaby has been doing a documentary of the process. Our hearts are full with feelings for these children. For me, special admiration is reserved for the desperately caring women - mothers, aunties or just neighbours who pushed a particular child forward for our attention, and who quickly changed themselves and their children into best clothes for the walk to the school.

We have yet to meet the mother or guardian of "BBC" (yes, he insists that this is his name) who, once finding that that a meal goes with the deal, is warming slightly to our lessons. I can't help feeling a special attachment and responsibility for these 6 children, new to school and whose lives have taken a sudden turn.

It will be St Henry's Day this Wednesday with much rehearsed music and performance activities happening at our host school all day. Boda boda riding (motorbike taxis) have become the norm for carting stuff to the school. We volunteers join up back at the Kenrock Hotel late in the day to share experiences and have a few laughs.

My heart has been in my mouth quite a few times over this past week and I'm happily sure there is more to come. Best to you all from Gaby and me
Carole

Back from a

Failure/success

Our 2 intrepid explorers, Carole and Gaby, are presently on a safari that sounds wonderful. They are expected back tomorrow, Sunday, evening. Let us go back to Friday at the literacy class. if I had been my supervisor in education 101, I'd have failed me....The lesson I prepared was simply beyond the reach of the babies.By the time I sweated and scurried to get the crayons necessary, I had lost them. I tried to rescue myself by knocking on the table, chanting :knock knock knock look at me! They joined in vehemently, disrupting Bob"s math lesson. He scowled at me. I called out for Aggie, and slunk away in shame. It was not a good afternoon for me. The children are all tired. There is alot going on, practicing for upcoming St. Henry's day. B
But today, , success. Otoa David at the school has been bugged by me to find a ping pong partner.He lied a little so as not to have his friend George run in the other direction, saying I weas sixty, with Arthritis. So Bob and I tried with difficulty to find the Indoor stadium. No luck, the floor was being repaired. We tried the Sikh Sport Centre, no table. Our last bet worked out,but not easily. One had to be a member. I used my CHARM and got a day pass. George, my opponent, has spent time in Canada, 4 years at Carleton. He hasnt played for 6 years. suffice it to say...the author won all games. unfortunately he was recuperating his previous skills and is determined to win next week.I think Nyka George, our friend, Sophia's son, may play too. After the big win B and I went to Aristoc Book shop and browsed. Wonderful.So all well with us. JUDY

Wowee

Who can explain things? Africans I've talked to feel they can pnly get high by visiting places outside Africa like New York. Tall buildings seem to makw Africans high as if somehow in just fantasizing New York they enter The Empire State Building.... While I just have to walk to our school along the orange sandy roadway with speeding motorcyclists like bullets aimed to kill me,orange fortresses blending into the roadway for me to feel like one of those birds I hear forever chatting near hotel now soaring now singing. And the cows with the large horns we pass snd the bananas growing along the roadside. Thr people forever walking in slow motion( if time exists here it is no time that we know of). And why have all my prostate problems vanished here(I who was infamous at my gym for spending half my time peeing) when I drink more liquid now than I have drunk in Canada(I have not become an alcoholic only a passionate fanta fanatic). It is as if I was destined to live in Africa(People who hear me,acting like Moish condemning our winters which last at least ten months a year can understand my feelings). And those wonderful children I spend my days teaching--they can now add and subtract.... The courage,with so little English at their command to enter the English bastion with guns blasting away. Wowee. Yes and like Hopalong Cassidy--I realize how old my audience is--finally walking away in victory Oh yes, and the mystery of the death of Peter: was it because of an infection or murder by the hand of a teacher and that of the most fiendish kind,i,e, by the hand of an English teacher. Bob

Amazing

Two amazing things! Yesterday Carole and Gaby went with Maria into the slum to round up our numbers.Five of the 6 are already flourishing. One cries quietly most of the day....We call him BBC,but that cant be his name. Today our class went up to rehearse with the babies,but I poked my nose into Primry 1 and saw some graduates: Shamim, Charles, Mutebi, Gloria, Assaba... 8 were promoted without consulting us... we are working on that problem successfully.
But, the awful possibility seems to be that PERHAPS our beloved Peter was poisoned by an angry former teacher!The Bishop, and police came to the school yesterday to evict the teacher who was fired for incompetence 5 years ago,and living still in he teacher's residence.It is thought that h e may have poisoned Peter, gradually. (HOW) Evidently,he sometimes wanted o fight Peter,but Peter ,being big and strong and smart, always avoided conflict .OK. It isnt my turn to blog BUT, thank you for your comments. Moishe, I totally forgot about my door and thanks for the tickets. Marian,how goes it? Howard, the kids ask after you.We are happy but miss our friends. Judy

Day 1

It's not really day 1, but it's our first blog since arriving in Kampala. The trip over was long and tiring as expected but uneventful. Three of the four of us had mishaps. Judy misplaced her wallet in the airport before we ever took off and Bob came to the rescue, or so he thought, by involving airport security, almost missing the plane. The wallet was sitting under Bob's bag the whole time. Judy lost her pink (yes, very PINK) knapsack on Friday night when she pushed her trolley from the airport in Entebbe to the parking lot. She had to go back for it later and she did find it. Carole arrived at the Hotel Kenrock on Saturday afternoon in Kampala and discovered she was missing her cell phone. It has not shown up yet. Luckily Gaby's special travel inflatable pillow went missing but was discovered at the guest house in Emtebbe and as a result Gaby will be able to face the long trip back to the West. The only traveller who has been blemish free is Teacher Bob but he has been falling asleep in his soup in the evenings.
Sunday, July 3rd, Gaby, Bob and Carole made a reconnnaissance walk to St Henry's school. To their delight a little boy was who had been hanging around the school grounds spptted Bpb and came over and said very quietly "Teacher Bob!". It was Assaba Michael. Later on that evening, the whole group shared a meal and wonderful talk with David Otoa, the school bursar (accountant).
Monday morning everybody woke up with the roosters and had breakfast as the sun was rising in order to be at the school on time (8 am). There were hugs and kisses all around as Maria and David and other familiar staff welcomed the group.
Each of us will contribute our own individual blogs with our personal impressions over the next few weeks. Stay tuned and weeraba (goodbye)!

Once Again, we are preparing to leave!

Bob, Judy, Carole Summers and Gaby Darling are readying themselves for a Ugandan adventure. We return to our literacy class,staying again at the Kenrock, filled with ideas and hopes. Read us daily , after July 4, our first day of "school" Weare always excited to read your comments. WISH US A PRODUCTIVE AND SAFE TRIP!