Almost June......Really?!

Hey Everybody!

We can't believe it is already almost June!  Where has the time gone!

Things are continuing on here in Uganda.  I feel like we aren't posting as much recently, although I'm sure that's really common for PCVs in their second year.  Life goes on, day to day, and not as much seems as noteworthy.  But, at the same time, we are always trying to live in the moment here, enjoy the little things, and try to really "suck the marrow" out of our life here in Uganda. (Anyone love Thorough as much as I do?!)  Time is flying and we know before long we will wonder where our two years spent in Uganda have gone!

A few updates - today starts the second term here at BPTC.  If you remember last year, around this time, we were forced to send our students away after receiving only about 66% of the budget needed to run the college.  Well, this year we only received 33% from the Ministry, so the principals got together and decided to postpone the beginning of term until more funds came.  We thought it would be two weeks or more, but after only a week delay, the students *should* arrive today!  So far we've only seen two, but we'll remain optimistic until at least lunchtime :-) 

 We are excited to get going on another new term!  Term 2 at the PTC is the heavy teaching/extracurricular term.  Since there is no school practice with child study and student teaching, the students are physically here at the college the entire time.  So, it should be a great term for getting teaching done, having lots of great club activities, and helping out with other extracurricular (sports and games, music dance and drama maybe?) like last year.

 I'm also very excited to begin/expand a girls empowerment project that began on a small scale in the girls club I was working with last term.  The project involves teaching about women's health and the creation of reusable menstrual pads.  Since pads are very expensive here, many young women resort to using uncomfortable, unhygienic options (feathers, rags, leaves, etc.) rather that purchasing them.  Others skip school for the entire duration of their periods, and still others resort to selling sex to get money for pads and other necessary items.  It's a little thing that can make a big difference for the girls.  So, I'm using a model a PCV created a couple of years ago to use local materials to make washable, hygienic and very inexpensive pads.   The other component of the program is education related - teaching about the menstrual cycle, female anatomy, family planning, and offering a question and answer session.  The idea is that I will lead an example workshop for the girls at the college, then support them to lead similar, age appropriate workshops for the upper primary girls they work with during third term school practice.  I'm currently working on the printing of 280 manuals providing information for leading the workshops.  Next up - buying and cutting materials for 280 reusable pad "kits."  I am very, very excited about the scope and significance of this project, and will definitely update as the work progresses!


Another neat event we are looking forward to this term is a collaboration with Silent Voices, a local NGO working with the parents of deaf children.  Ryan and I will be working with them on their (somehow) annual activity day - a day to bring deaf children from all over the region of Bushenyi together for a day of fun and games at the college.  I'll be recruiting students to help run games and "make the day colorful" as they say here, as well as practice what I've been teaching them the last year in my Special Education classes.  Since students with special needs are often stigmatized and isolated, the day is a neat chance to bring together children with similar special needs - to realize that they are not alone, and just have fun!  We're hoping to bring back some of the successful games from the CarniBull we did last fall, and are really looking forward to it!


And...of course other things will come up, others will delay, and others won't happen at all!  But we're excited for a new term to start.  It's crazy to think that a year ago we were beginning our first term here at the college.  And next year at this time we'll be on the job hunt back in America!  I am thankful every day for this crazy ride that is the Peace Corps, the adventure of a lifetime with my best friend.  Here goes another term!


Love and miss you all,


~emily~





 

Parent's Trip Part II

Well our anticipation grew and our hearts were broken once again by the coming and going of my parents this time.  My parents flew in a couple of weeks ago, for the trip of a lifetime!!  Their first trip off the continent, first trip to Africa, and most definitely first time to a crazy place like Uganda.  They were no doubt in for a treat!

We started our time in Entebbe staying at a nice little guesthouse near the airport, that we had also stayed at with Emily’s parents.  Being in Entebbe allowed us a nice chance to catch up, walk to the botanical gardens, and eat good western style meals.  Then after a day in Entebbe they got their first chance to see what sarcastically became their favorite part of Uganda, Transportation!  You will have to ask them in person why they loved it so much, but I think they got close to the full experience by the time they left.

When we got back to our site we got a chance to show them what our everyday life looks like, from washing clothes by hand to cooking absolutely everything you plan to meet (no buying a bag of tortilla chips here).  We got to spend some time gardening with them.  I think my dad was a bit surprised when I told him we were going to get manure for fertilizer, and we literally just walked into the field and starting picking up pies.  But time at site was quiet and relaxing.

While they were here we had to give them the full African experience so we took them to the National Park near us (Queen Elizabeth National Park).  We had a good time staying at a local lodge, and enjoying the views overlooking the park.  Then we got up early to go on a game drive.  We had much better luck then the first time Emily and I went to QENP.  On the drive we saw elephants, kob, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, monkeys, LION, and more that I can no longer think of.  Then we went on a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel.  We got to see hippos and Nile crocodiles, as well as a ton of amazing birds.  Queen Elizabeth was a great experience overall and we had great luck.  On another day we tried to push our luck at tracking chimps but our luck had run out. 

The final experience that we had with my parents was some time in Jinja, which is a fun place to spend a few days.  We got a chance to ride horses by the Nile, and take a boat trip on the Nile as well.  We stayed in fun tents that overlooked the river, and was a peaceful conclusion to the end of our trip. 

I think I can say that my parents had a true Africa experience.  From hippos and elephants, to hand washing clothes, to seeing the Nile, to hordes of Ugandan children yelling Mazungu at them, to riding on Uganda’s wonderful transportation system.  I loved having them here and it was hard to see them go.  If you want to see pictures from our time the link is: HERE.

Ryan

Midservice + New Pictures!

First of all, I added some new pictures to my day to day album on facebook! Click Here if you'd like to check them out!

In other news, we had our Peace Corps Mid-service conference this week!  It was a great time to getting together with the other 42 volunteers we traveled to Uganda with (we are all *still* here 14 months from when we arrived!!!) and getting some training to help us continue to serve effectively at site.  Although the training was mainly idea sharing and trouble shooting, the best part by far was seeing our friends and fellow volunteers from all over the country.  While sitting in a discussion group with the other 8 or so volunteers placed at PTCs, it was amazing to hear their struggles and successes and realize that we are not alone in the challenges we have at site.  What a great perspective to be given!  At one point we made posters to visually describe our year at site.  It's crazy to think back on all of the details last year - friendships made, discouragements weathered, new things learned, successes celebrated - all the day to day ups and downs of life as a PCV.  I have to say, though, at the end of it all, I'm really happy with where we are at, and also really happy to know that in less than a year we will be home!

We also got checked out by our medical unit, and had our first visit to a Ugandan dentist's office.  We are both foot fungus and cavity free (sort of funny the things they check for!) and survived both visits without too much pain! :-)

And, Ryan's parents flew in yesterday!!!  So, the Johnsons and Kjesbo-Johnsons will be enjoying Uganda together this week!  Also, Mom just booked tickets to come in June, and Bryan and Jen will be here in August!  We have a great few months ahead of us!

Love and miss you all!

~emily~

Things Fall Apart

 Let me start by saying - "don't fear" - as they say here in Uganda!  This isn't going to be a bummer of a blog post!  Things aren't falling apart for us here in Uganda!  But I recently finished reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe with some of my students and wanted to tell you about it!

Things Fall Apart was one of the books we chose to read with the book clubs that we began this term.  It was one of the two clubs that actually survived the entire term, and although only seven students were involved we had a wonderful time reading, discussing and sharing ideas!

The basic story told in Things Fall Apart is about a village leader of a tribe in Nigeria, the culture of the people there, and the things that happened to him that ultimately led to his demise (no big surprise there, I hope, given the title!).  The book was written in 1959, and tells stories both about the village and the coming of missionaries to the region.  (apologetic note: for the literary folks out there, I realize that I have just grossly oversimplified one of the most famous pieces of African literature, but you'll have to forgive me)  Although I wasn't sure if the reading level would be appropriate for the students here, I thought it would be neat to read an African author with them.  That, and the fact that the library had about 30 copies, was the reason that the eight of us embarked on one of the most famous novels to come out of Africa in the mid 20th century.

Crazy chocolate cake and a good book!

Let me first say, I didn't love the book.  But, I loved loved LOVED what came out of reading the book with seven of our students here.  They thought it made perfect sense while I was confused, they found parts hilarious that I completely overlooked, they related to the stories and characters in ways that I never could!  Over the course of the last eight weeks, I watched them completely come out of their shells!  What began as timid and tentative more or less question and answer session truly became discussion somewhere near part 2 of the story!  By the end, there were even some heated arguments and strong opinions on some of (what I think are) the book's major themes - colonialism/missionaries, male/female relationships, the clash of modernization and new ideas in a traditional society, the role of individuals and dissenting ideas in a tribal culture, etc.  Reading the book together also gave us the chance to talk about English vocabulary that was brand new to them, and gave me a chance to practice some of the things I learned in my literacy classes during grad school (thanks Hamline) and the intentional focus my last job had on promoting literacy (thanks Harding)!

page corner bookmarks for each kid!

Last Wednesday I had all the students from the club over to my place for our final meeting and discussion of the end of the book.  I made them my gradma's recipe for "crazy chocolate cake" and make each of them a book mark with their name on it.  They were in the midst of studying for exams, so I didn't expect them to stay long.  But we got to talking and before I knew it we had spent over an hour eating cake and discussing the demise of Okonkwo.  As I sat back and watched them discussing (and at points arguing), I thought to myself - this is it!  Sucess!!!

Although it might not seem like a huge deal, the club feels like a big success for a few unique reasons.  One is that there is absolutely no culture of reading here.  In fact, out of the seven students involved in the club, not a single one had ever read a book before on their own outside of school.  One girl even described how she used to see books that looked big and thought she'd never be able to read one, but now that she has finished this book she knows that she can.  All of the students loved this book, and successfully starting, finishing, and understanding it gave them a huge boost of confidence and a new interest in reading.

Another reason this just feels huge, is that discussion isn't really encouraged here.  Despite the fact that teachers know in theory that discussion is good, in Uganda there tends to always be a right and wrong answer (and the wrong answer almost always leads to some level of humiliation for the unfortunate pupil who put it out there).  It's a test focused culture, and creative thought is really, really not valued.  Young people aren't valued for having a different view, and most aren't willing to offer up their ideas on anything for fear of making a mistake.  For example, during one of the first meetings of the club, two of the students had a small disagreement about a character's motivation for doing something.  It wasn't explicitly spelled out in the book, and it was really anyone's guess as to why the character did what they did.  But, in the middle of the discussion, one of the girls turned to me, exasperated, and said, "but MADAM!  Tell us the answer!!!"  I tried to explain that there isn't a right answer this time - that part of the joy of reading is putting yourself in the shoes of the character and forming your own ideas.  Yet, 8 weeks later, nobody felt the need to "but MADAM" me - they were all more than content to argue out their perspectives and really stand up for the ideas they had about the novels content.  This, to me, is big!  Not only having the comprehension to form an opinion about the book, but having the confidence to defend their idea, even as they consider the ideas of their fellow group members - a big deal for Ugandan students.

Next term we plan to read Chinua Achebe's followup novel, No Longer At Ease, and hope to see if we can't get a few more students excited about reading.  (The principal has made broad public statements that all 500 students should be involved, but we'll be satisfied with something in the middle!)  We also hope to have some times that the reading club members can bring children's books from the library to the primary school across the street and read aloud to them.  I'm excited by the enthusiasm of these seven, and really hope that we can see more good things come out of the book club in the terms to come!

In Peace Corps, we're always talking about sustainability.  So, I have to ask myself - will the book club continue next year when I'm back at home?  Probably not.  But, will at least seven students have a new passion for reading and a new confidence that they can do it?  I think so!  Through reading Things Fall Apart, I saw lots of "things coming together" for seven special kids!  Success!

Love and miss you all,
~emily~

422 Days = Cautiously Optimistic

As I write this we have been in Uganda for 422 days, 1 hour, 55 minutes. The past year or so has been many things and until recently none of those things were busy. But as I speak I am sitting typing this blog during my third week of evening lab times, piloting a lab assistants program. Emily and I have been overwhelmed by all the initiatives and clubs we are trying to start that are actually working. We knew that if we were going to get clubs, and study session times off the ground we would have to do it this term. So, going into the latter half of Term 1 this year we find ourselves cautiously optimistic about the next year!

The Primary Teachers’ College schedule is hard to navigate for anyone; much less overly excited Peace Corps Volunteers. Therefore, we kept asking if we should start clubs now or wait, and the answer was always to “Start Now.” So we would try to start and fail because of any number of things, including slashing, games/sports, worship, school practice, impromptu school breaks, and many other things. So we thought that with a new school year and new students we would try out our ideas. So, during the orientation week with 1^st years we plugged so many things it sort of felt like we were introducing a new club everyday.

We have started about 5 book clubs, 3 of which have been successful. Emily has started a Girl’s Life Skills group, where she has so far covered HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, and other important life skills. She has also started back up her math help time in the evenings. And I have started a Computer club made up of about 16 students who will be helping in the computer lab during class time and evening sessions. In addition I have been co-teaching this term and it has been really rewarding. The coming year will definitely be busy if these things continue and grow when the second years come back.

As we look ahead to the coming year we are cautiously optimistic about more than just our work at the PTC. We are optimistic that our original VSLA and second one started recently with staff at the PTC will be successful and no problems will arise. We are optimistic that relationships that we have built in our first year at site will continue to flourish and open new doors in discussing culture with our Ugandan neighbors. We are optimistic that our garden will continue to thrive as we transition back into a dry season in about a month. We are optimistic that our bikes will be able to be ridden multiple times. Our time in Uganda is going great but as with most peoples Peace Corps experience we are optimistic that the next year will fly by and we will be returning to 819 Edmund before we know it.

We are so excited to have so many extra things this coming year too. In May my parents will be here for a couple of weeks to get the full Uganda Peace Corps experience (well maybe not the full one). Then in June Emily’s mom is going to be visiting us again as she travels to Kenya to teach at the theological seminary there. Then we are super excited about a trip we just planned to Italy, France, and Spain in August. It will be our first time out of Africa since we arrived, our first time in that part of Europe, and my first time in Europe at all. It is a once in a lifetime trip, and it will feel exponentially (Can you tell I was just doing my college algebra homework online?) more rewarding and lavish coming from Uganda. Then finally in December/January we will get to visit America, and see what has changed before we come back for good. Those are all the things that are happening for sure, in addition to a few more possibilities in the works. So far it seems that our school time will be busy, and our breaks will be just as busy. We hope those things combined will make my cautious optimism about the next year flying by a reality.

Our first year at site has been so rewarding in so many ways, and makes me excited for what year two will offer. In the next couple of weeks we have to say good-bye to some of our better Peace Corps friends from the area, Jean and Hayley. Jean has been practically our next-door neighbor for the last year, and we can’t believe that our year with her is over. We have shared so many experiences with one another, and we will miss seeing her multiple times a week. Our Peace Corps friends are such a valuable support to us, and we will miss those who are leaving. The first year at site would also not have been possible without the support of our family and friends at home. I say this while eating Starburst Jelly Beans sent in one of many care packages that our family at home has sent us. We can not describe all the ways that the support of family and friends at home has helped us get through hard times and also allowed us to share victories.

Well with that all said we cannot wait to continue to share the next 365 or so days with ya! We will try to make sure that we keep you updated on our blog/vlogs, and by talking to you all. We hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend!

We love and miss ya,

Ryan KJ

New Pics

Hey everyone,

I made a part II to my life in Bushenyi album and added some new pictures! Click here! We had a great time hiking in Rubirizi district this weekend, and also added some other pics of what we've been up to.

Love and miss you all!

~emily~

Vlog #6: Random Happenings

Hey Everyone,
Here is some videos that we have been saving and decided to make a quick Vlog for you to see what we have been up to the last couple of months.