Catching Up!

Hi Everyone!

It has been about a week and a half since we last wrote, but lots has happened! I wanted to blog to catch you all up. Brace yourself for a long post! :-)

First of all, happy late 4th of July! It might have been our most patriotic 4th of July ever! We celebrated by making dinner and fresh mozzarella cheese with our PCV neighbor Jean. We had cake decked out with an American flag and patriotic window clings on our windows (Thanks Mom and Dad for the package!!) During dinner we got into some great conversations about why we love America! Absence really does make the heart grow fonder I guess. So...Happy belated Independence Day you good ol' US of A, and know that I mean it when I say "We miss you!"

And...some wonderful news - THE STUDENTS RETURNED!!! We were so happy to see them start trickling back on campus last Wednesday (no meeting, no announcement, students just started showing up! Some strange Ugandan nonverbal communication?! We aren't sure...) The break ended up being about two weeks, so not nearly as long as it looked like it might be. We are really grateful, and the students seem to also be grateful! There are actually now only 3 more weeks of teaching, then mock exams, and then the term is over. Since this is supposed to be the "academic" term, we feel we are scrambling a little to get all the teaching done in the time that remains. To make matters worse, classes were canceled on Friday afternoon so the students could clean their dormitories (which were supposedly in a "shockingly" dirty state - one of the tutors reminded us in all seriousness that "cleanliness is only second to godliness!"), and a small group of students was forbidden from attending classes yesterday and today because they were late for the morning assembly. So, for so many reasons, it will be a challenge to cover all the material with students before the term slips away from us!

I also started a secondary project of sorts - a drama club at a local primary school! When I visited it a couple of weeks back, the principal shared with me his passion for including creativity in the school curriculum. This excited me greatly as, in the experiences I have had so far, creativity is generally not encouraged in the Ugandan school system. So, we decided I would work with the p4-p6 (3-5th grade) boarding students on Saturdays to lead some creative dramatic activities and maybe even create a play with them. So, I embarked last weekend with my trusty assistant Ryan ;-) and had a great time with the children. It was nice to have some creative time and wonderful to work with the children! When we arrived, they spent the first 30 minutes or so singing and dancing for us, then we got to work with them on the drama activities I had planned. It went pretty well, though was challenging to get the students to come up with original ideas and they much preferred to just copy the one brave student (often Ryan!) who came up with an idea. Not unexpected, but hopefully we can develop some imagination and a willingness to be creative in the kiddos! I'm really looking forward to it. (Incidentally, when I asked the children who could tell me what the word "imagination" meant, not a single child knew the word!!!)

Another project I am working on is getting a "Math Power Hour" set up for the PTC students in the evening. My idea is to have an informal time twice a week where students who are struggling with problems or topics can come for small group/individual help. The college is constantly expressing concern for the mathematical proficiency of the students, so I thought this could be a great way to help address that concern and hopefully build relationships with students in the process. It's been a mess of Ugandan red-tape to get it started, though. (Another one of those times where the need is there and solution seem so simple, yet I can't seem to find a way to connect the two!! There seems to be no lack of those situations here!)

My first step was to talk to our Director of Studies. Although I had an evening time slot in mind, he insisted we schedule it for 5:30-7:00 in the evening. Then, I had to get approval from the principal and the math department head. The math department head was not fond of the idea, yet later approached me with a "new idea" he had that was really just my idea in his words, and insisted that I should get it started. (So thankful that a man could help this "unknowledgeable" woman come up with something valuable! grr...) Anyhow, when I finally got it all approved, I showed up on Tuesday to find no students! After fifteen minutes of sitting by myself a thoughtful student arrived to tell me that nobody would be coming since there was compulsory sports and games every day from 5:30-7:00. Nice. So....I am working on getting a new time and working my way through all the protocol once again. If all goes well, it will start tonight! I'll keep you posted!

*Each night I am going to start with a critical thinking problem. Here's the one for this week, see how you do - "Use any mathematical symbols and the number eight eight times to create a mathematical expression that equals 1,000." Any ideas?

We've also volunteered to help out with the upcoming Track and Field competitions! Although this is certainly not my area of expertise, it should be a fun way to support the students and continue to be more involved with them. Yesterday we observed the practice time and both of us about freaked out seeing the students "high jump" head first into a (way too small!) pile of dead grass. Neck injury, anyone? They're also throwing javelin (really long sticks), running, triple jumping, long jumping, shot putting, as well as all those other track and field events that used to make me cringe in gym class! :-) But it should be fun now that I'm not being forced to compete! There are regional, then national competitions, but for now they are just getting themselves ready. I'm excited to get friendly with a stopwatch and be a cheerleader for our kids!

Ryan's been busy with his computer classes (despite super frequent power outages as of late) and running open lab hours in the evenings. He is looking for a way to get involved in an economic development secondary project and is thinking about the clubs he hopes to get going at the start of next term. He's also been doing research into grad programs that he might be interested in post Peace Corps, so that's pretty exciting.

And...though it might seem like no big deal, we started getting fresh milk delivered to our door every morning! If you know how much I love milk, you'll know how exciting this is for me! So, at about 7 am each day a man shows up (straight from milking the college cows) with about a liter of milk for Ryan and I! We have a milkman! I love it! And...the milk is absolutely delicious! I don't know that I've ever had milk straight from the cow, and it is so fresh and really fun to get.

So...that's what's been happening in our neck of the woods. As always, we love and miss you all and think of you often. Keep in touch,

~emily~

Queen Elizabeth + Pictures!

This weekend we took a little "safari" to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It's a big and really wonderful game park in the Western/Southwestern part of the country. The drive from Bushenyi up to Kasese is really beautiful too - the scenery changes from the hills of our district to the flatlands of the park, to the foothills of the Rwenzoris! Amazing country!

We had really hoped to see the tree climbing lions, and although they evaded us we did see a number of other really interesting animals: Kobs, Buffalos, Hyena, Birds, Hippos, Crocodiles, etc. We took a game drive and 6 am and then a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon. We had a great time with friends and exploring another part of this beautiful country!

Here's a link to my facebook album with some pictures from our adventure: click here

PTC Article Link

Hi Everyone,

No new news about students returning to the PTCs yet. But, this article was in a local newspaper and gives some extra information. Check it out if you are interested! :-)

While we wait for our students to return, Ryan is keeping busy with training the college tutors on computers and I've been visiting local primary schools to see what kinds of projects I might be able to initiate there. So, we're keeping busy but really hoping for quick resolution to the PTC problem! Thanks for all the kind thoughts and well wishes! :-)

~emily~

Paint by Numbers

This weekend we attended a service project event to celebrate Peace Corps's 50th anniversary. We painted 6 or 7 student-created health-themed murals at a PTC and nearby health center. It was a lot of fun to be a part of! Check out the pics from the event here!

By far, one of the best parts of the experience was the chance to connect with our fellow PCVs! It's amazing how close everyone gets during PST and how awesome it is to see them all again, even if it's only been a couple of months! It was great to hear stories of everyone's sites. Some of our favorite stories:

• One PCV was recently having what she affectionately referred to as a "poop attack." (We've all been there!) Anyhow, she desperately needed to find a latrine. When she did, however, she realized that she had no toilet paper! So, being creative, she remembered the paperback book in her backpack (Incidentally, The Bourne Identity). She proceeded to remove every page that was not the actual story - dedication page, publishing info, etc. Problem solved! (Who reads those pages anyways?)
• Another PCV shared with us her favorite past time while bored at site - she kills mosquitos and places them in a pile. Within minutes, hoards of ants appear to carry away the mosquito carcasses! Discovery channel right in your living room, baby!
• Lots of our friend's houses are not yet completed. So, some are living in guest houses (hotels), some with other PCVs, and one in a convent! Who knew living with nuns could be a part of the Peace Corps experience?
• On the subject of houses - one PCV moved into her house to find she wasn't alone. She had an infestation of bats!!!! She ultimately moved out, but in the mean time ate dinner under her mosquito net while bats swooped around her room! (Did we mention that we are SO THANKFUL for our wonderful house?!)
• One of our PCV friends with little work at her actual site has found some ways to get involved at the local primary schools. So, on top of continuing a literacy club that was started by a previous volunteer, she attends Ugandan Sign Language class with the p2 students (1st graders!) At the end of each lesson, the PCV (and all of the children) have to demonstrate what they have learned. Whenever she makes a mistake, the students love to laugh at her!
  

All in all, it seems like people are doing quite well. Everyone has experienced challenges, yet seems to be making the best of them and finding great ways to get involved in their communities as well.

Also, on the way home we added yet another fun experience to our repertoire of crazy Ugandan travel. We (along with 3 other PCV friends from the West/Southwest) were ushered on board a bus at Masaka and, once it had already taken off, we realized that there were absolutely no open seats! We assumed this meant that some passengers would be vacating the bus somehow soon. It wasn't until over an hour in that we finally got seats! Bear in mind, standing up while riding a bus in Uganda is something like standing up on a crowded, old wooden roller coaster! An adventure for sure!!!

PTC Update

Thanks everyone for sending your thoughts and prayers regarding the situation with the closing of Uganda's PTCs. Since I last wrote some things have changed - though with ultimately ending in the same result. Here's the timeline of the last few day's events:

10 June - Friday Morning
We were told to attend an 8 am assembly to send the students off. Once everyone is assembled, the principal shares with us that he received a text message in the morning saying to hold the students until tomorrow afternoon. (Hooray!) We don't know if they will stay for good, but we are excited to have some more time with them. Classes resume as normal on Friday and we teach all of the classes left in the day!

11 June - Saturday
We attend a service project in Kyotera, Rakai district. We get word from Peace Corps staff that the college closings are nothing but "rumors" and that they will continue to operate as normal. They tell us that nobody has authority to close the PTCs except the ministry of education itself.

12 June - Sunday
We arrive back from our trip to find all of the students still on campus. Things are looking good!

13 June - Monday
As Mondays are both of our big teaching days, we teach all of our classes throughout the day. The students are visibly overjoyed to still be attending school, though many of the tutors have already gone home.

14 June - Tuesday Morning
We wake up to a phone call from another PCV at a PTC in Northern Uganda. She tells us that her students are attending an assembly and will leave immediately following. Throughout the day, we exchange text messages with the other PTCs around the country hearing similar news. It doesn't look good.

14 June - Tuesday Afternoon
We notice that the students are all assembled and waiting for the Principal. We stand in the back and hear that the students are, in fact, leaving. They will head out tomorrow at 8. (Again!) But, we are quite certain the closure is happening this time. First year students are requested to do "Child Study" at a primary school near their home, and second year students should work on the packets we prepared for them to take home. Everyone (including us) is once again so disappointed!!!


So....We are back to where we started......and will keep you posted!

~emily~

Bad News

A little update from the week...What we feared would happen, has. The Ministry of Education did not come through with the money that the colleges need, so Bushenyi PTC and the other 44 PTCs all around the country are sending the students home. We approximate this is affecting between fifteen and twenty thousand aspiring teachers! They leave tomorrow morning and will return only when the money is acquired.

This is so disappointing for so many reasons! Mostly, we are so sad for the students and the turmoil that this causes them. They are all horribly disappointed. As many of the PTC students are unable to continue in Secondary school or university due to academic or financial reasons, they really understand the importance of their PTC education and the way that their chances to continue their education here directly relate to opportunities in their future. Something like this happening is really devastating for them. Tonight during Ryan's open lab hours they spent time writing inspirational notes to their classmates, typing journal-like entries about their disappointment, and expressing their sadness in word art. We feel so sorry for them. I fear that the message being sent by the government by this action is loud and clear....and really negative. I feel so, so sad for them all.

We don't yet know what this will mean for us. Optimistically, the issue will get resolved and we will continue our work here in little time at all. Yet, next week I plan to scope out some opportunities to get involved outside of the college all the same. My teaching load is light, so even if things are resolved quickly I should still have time to be involved in other community effort when I'm not teaching at the college. Ryan and his counterpart will likely continue to work in the lab, updating equipment and doing other techy stuff! ;-) All in all, though, it's just such a bummer. We were just feeling like we were finally starting to be really useful and helpful here and now everything stops once again. Ugh...

So...send your good thoughts to the PTC students of Uganda and pray for a quick response by the Ministry of Education!

~emily~

Vlog #1 ;-)

So, I think the word "vlog" is super cheezy. But, Ryan and I recently got a flip camera and so we are going to try to video blog (aka vlog) when we can to share a little more about what we're up to here. This weekend we got started. So, here is our first "vlog," just a little tour around our house and a lesson by Ryan on doing laundry by hand! :-) Hopefully in days to come we can show some of our work at the college, our market, our students, etc. Enjoy!

~emily~