Week 18 (19 - 25 November 2006)

We thought this morning’s church service was going to be the Christmas carols but discovered during the service that it was at 2pm instead of the Bible study. At the end of the morning service one of the student organisers of the Carol service asked if we would ‘preach’ – with just over 2 hours notice! We gently quizzed him about why it was such short notice but agreed to try to get something together. We arrived at the appointed hour (2pm) but, as usual, the service didn’t start until 3pm and ended at 4.30pm. There were a few carols that we recognised but the student in charge wasn’t happy that ‘Silent Night’ had been sung with sufficient gusto so it was sung again at full volume! We though that no baby could sleep through that until we discovered that there was a baby asleep in the congregation! Perhaps we need to clarify the meaning of ‘silent’. Our shared bit seemed to be OK in the end. There was a meal prepared by students following the service. This seems to be standard practice when visitors are present. There were a few visitors but we discovered later that most of the staff didn’t know the carol service was today and were disappointed to have missed it – and the meal. Being so weary after yesterday, we had a quiet remainder of the day chatting with the neighbours.

Well, today (Monday) we have to work out what to do with the car and the possibility of not being able to leave the site for a while. It was still damp but seemed to be drying out. I tried to phone several people but the signal was almost non-existent. This has been a problem for a few days now and is affection others as well. In the end, we decided to try the roads and turn back immediately if it seemed too risky. But it was OK with the mud having dried and been compacted a bit from other traffic. We collected some parcels and a letter from Laura as well as some money from the bank. We were down to our last 30,000 (£9) although it would have been enough for a week or so! We visited Diguna, a German mission agency which has links with AIM (the ones who transported our belongings from Kampala many moons ago). They have a very able mechanic, Thomas, who had a look at the car and confirmed that it was safe to drive but that the 4 wheel drive was not engaging properly. The power steering wasn’t working either. But as I learnt to drive in the days before power steering this isn’t too much of a problem for now. I will take the car back in on Wednesday so that Thomas can have a better look at it from underneath. We returned to Ushindi safely and spend a happy hour unwrapping the parcels and reading the long letter from Laura. Just as we were settling down to our evening preparation and e-mail writing, we had two sets of visitors and spend the next hour or so chatting and looking at wedding photos in the laptop. Not our wedding, but those of our neighbour, John, who was married in June of this year. The photos were on CD and he has not been able to see them all except for those that have been printed. It was good to see them but used up most of the battery so I couldn’t do all the e-mails and get up to date with the blog – which is nearly complete.

S3 start their practical exams on Tuesday thus giving them three weeks of exams and no more teaching. Pity, as I only found this out today and had prepared two more Physics lessons. So I only had one (S1) Chemistry lesson and started preparing for the exams. Their English is not strong and I’ve suspected that they don’t understand me or the chemistry. I managed to confuse them by saying as slowly as I could “Open your exercise books and find the question I set for prep last week.” Fortunately, one student did understand and translated for the rest. So I don’t hold much hope for good results. As I had some extra free time and managed to charge the laptop I have been able to make, for me, minor history. After exactly 11 weeks I have now caught up with the blog! So caught up that it is now 4pm on Tuesday 21 November and nothing more has happened so I’ve nothing more to write today! Hurray! I’ll probably get behind again by Saturday though. I went up to the S1 Chemistry ‘club’ at 4.30pm to find only 8 students there, but they were keen and kept asking questions so it was worthwhile – and enjoyable.

The weather on Wednesday morning was dull and damp and it had been raining heavily during the night. It’s supposed to be dry in November. The rain would not usually be a concern except that I was due to take the car to Arua to be checked but if the road is too muddy then I’ll get stuck again. I tried with the option of returning at the first sight of mud, but managed to get to Diguna safely. Then it rained very heavily! The mechanical expert, Thomas, showed me how the front wheels should engage for four wheel drive and why they weren’t. He managed to fix it without too much trouble and we tested the difference by reversing backwards up a very steep hill – what a difference! The power steering is another problem that will have to wait until we can get the car back to Kampala. But it’s not serious and will build up the arm muscles a bit. The return journey was OK and I got back in time to lead the staff devotions on the independence of God. Andrea says she enjoyed it – but then she would. Wouldn’t she? (Not always!) I’m not sure about the rest.

Four lessons on Thursday morning were tiring. Andrea wasn’t well enough to teach her lesson – just a stomach upset. I managed to cook for myself this evening before we watched our second DVD since coming here – “Defence of the Realm” (1985).

Last lesson today (Friday) as the exams start on Monday. It seems strange not to have any lessons to prepare for about 10 weeks! No doubt we’ll be busy doing other things. Andrea is feeling a little better but sleeping quite a lot – I’m weary too, especially as the temperatures are rising a bit again. The school assembly lasted an hour with one of the main topics being one of the boy’s pit latrines! I won’t go into details. The punctuality of the students, particularly to the early morning assembly, but also to lessons, is causing some concern. I think we need some imaginative solutions!
Saturday started with the usual trip to town – mainly to get a large bag of flour (12 kg). We got our last one on Monday. One of our neighbours has been buying some of the flour from us because it’s cheaper to buy in bulk but too heavy for most people to carry. She makes chapattis to sell to the students as a sort of ‘tuck shop’. We also collected a desk, two stools and a coffee set i.e. as set of coffee tables, one large and four small. We have one remaining desk to collect than will have all the furniture we ordered. A reassessment may be necessary when it’s all here to see what we would like to do next such as upgrade or tidy the solar system or add a few more shelves etc. Our afternoon was spent with Cathy Asiki and eating pizza with her children. Very enjoyable – both the pizza and the chat! Cathy lectures in Maths at the local teacher training college and will try to arrange a visit for us during the next week or so. There is a possibility that we might be able to do some ‘visiting’ lecturing. We had a long discussion with our neighbours about the role of women and marriage in northern Uganda. Very interesting, especially as Brenda was giving Andrea lessons on how to look after her husband and kneel when passing him food and drink! I can’t understand why Andrea was less keen to learn these important cultural traditions than new words in Lugbara! Later in the evening we re-arranged our furniture – twice - to allow for the new items before watching another DVD “A Handful of Dust” (1988)

Week 17 (12 - 18 November 2006)

The Sunday service was led by the few remaining S4 students. As we looked round we realised that we are becoming more a part of the community as things don’t seem to be so strange and we recognise many of the students by name. The car received another bathe. The Bible Study was in two mixed groups as the girls seem to be more reluctant to come. They are still not very forthcoming and for various reasons we met in the hall where the acoustics are more difficult for us. Although my stomach was a bit iffy later in the day I did manage to get out some paints – the first time possibly for a year. It was very relaxing (Andrea was asleep) but difficult when the light deteriorated around 5pm.

Well, it had to happen sometime. My stomach behaved itself during the night but at 6.30am on Monday it just had to go. And I had to go with it, and in spite of its objections, I needed to get dressed first. Then unlock the door which is not easy in the dark when other things are on your mind – or stomach. Then run. Before the runs ran. Just made it past the goats to the throne room. It’s quite cosy compared with the others we’ve tried but there is a technique to using it! Although considerably relieved, I felt queasy for the rest of the day and didn’t go far. I didn’t have any lessons today but was able to start preparing the end of year exam papers. Andrea stayed in the staff room marking until 5pm so as it was quiet I got out the paints again. The colours seem to be brighter than I remembered. It may be the light here or that most of the colours we see are more subdued, except for some of the women’s clothing.

Still feeling a bit queasy on Tuesday morning. I had to get up at 3am to inspect the new latrine. It was OK, the goats just outside the door seem to be guarding it well. Managed to teach both lessons and also went to the S1 Chemistry Club – which went well and is definitely more fun than the normal lessons. Completed the S1 exam paper on the laptop and printed it. Still enjoying the novelty of being able to print. Andrea started to feel queasy with rumbles in the tumbly.

On Wednesday morning we talked though our plans for our “Life Skills” session on Friday’s “Careers Day”. The activities and reflection on teams and communications should fill an hour easily. Robert Matua (Director of Studies) is organising the day and found a Ugandan report on Life Skills in schools. It was written about 10 years ago after research in 10 schools in five districts. It clarifies what is meant by Life Skills and the lack of emphasis on them in schools, even at Ushindi. The findings corroborate what we have discovered here, for example, the lack of communication and poor speaking skills of the students. It gives us more confidence in what we have discovered and the potential influence in changing how teachers work. We were beginning to wonder if we were planning to do something too adventurous for our session on Friday but it looks as though it will cover most of the skills in some way! I completed the S2 exam paper. These exams are important for the students and could be decisive in whether they repeat a year or leave altogether. Only four of us were at the staff devotions – Andrea had gone to bed. We had a good time and were able to be a little more personal in the smaller group.

The early start started early on Thursday. I started slowly but S2 were even slower. Later I took S1 into the lab/hall for a demonstration lesson which worked reasonably well because I could plan in advance using my inventory of the chemicals and equipment. As I returned to the staff room at the end of the lesson I was a little preoccupied and was frightened out of my skin when the other chemistry teacher, Grace, suddenly jumped out from behind a door! She was giggling about this for the rest of the day! Still, although it was a shock I was encouraged that she felt she knew me well enough play a joke – and we’re still speaking. I’ll have to think of some way of returning the compliment. Watch this space! (Or more technically, the ones that will appear above this one.) The other event of the day was a ‘JCB’ equivalent moving earth all afternoon near the house in preparation for building a new dormitory for the A level students which are due to arrive in February.

Well, the big day (Friday) arrived. The programme for “Careers Day” was due to begin at 9.00am but was delayed as the students hadn’t arrived! Our activities took place on the football field and we discovered how difficult the students found being divided into teams. When given a number (1 or 2) they forgot the number within a few paces! Some of the teams found it difficult to work together which helped illustrate the points! They seemed to enjoy themselves and learned through experience how to work together. The older students worked much better, partly because they new each other better. The worst were the youngest class. The teams were deliberately mixed but two groups of girls managed to get together in one team and proceeded to giggle and be disruptive. In the end this was an advantage as they clearly annoyed the others. They were given the opportunity to reflect on how the groups and worked and how they felt about it. We were surprised how open some were when they said that when the team did not co-operate they felt angry and ashamed. By the end, the disruptive group were working really well together and this was recognised by all.

After the second session and a break there was a talk by a local science teacher who now worked for the Arua District Education Office. Sadly, he talked for a long time and was not particularly inspiring, although he did commend our practical Life Skills sessions. After another talk and questions and other contributions we eventually finished the session (after over 3 hours) at 2.15pm, just 15 minutes after the afternoon sessions were due to begin. The final session was a quiz which was more enjoyable than expected but I found it very difficult to sit on a hard chair for a further 2½ hour session.

This next bit is a long entry so it’s time to put the kettle on. And just in case you find the blog so riveting, don’t forget to put the water in first. Make one for Andrea too. By the way, she’s just realised that she hasn’t actually read any of the blog entries except the first few. So any errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and fact are ENTIRELY the fault of the laptop and dodgy internet connection.

It was raining on Saturday morning. It had been raining during the night. Not heavily, but a steady drizzle. It would be best not to go anywhere except that we had been invited to the wedding of a neighbours mothers cousin (or something like that) and we had said that we would like to attend a wedding as part of our Ugandan induction. Weddings play a big part in life here and are big events with meetings for the organising committees being announced on the local radio! The wedding was due to start at 10am (according to the invitation) so our neighbours suggested that we leave at, you guessed, 10am for the 40 minute journey so that we would be on time for the actual start around 11am. Due to the rain I was uncertain about driving conditions but as the rain eased off we eventually left at 10.30am with four passengers. The journey went well until we got to the “road” widening and resurfacing work. The new surface was a generous layer of soil, but with the rain it had become very heavy and sticky. And slippery. So we slid, then slid some more and eventually stopped next to a ditch. This was not our choice but the car didn’t seem to like being out in the rain. I switched to the 4x4 and the wheels turned. But the car didn’t move. Within seconds we were surrounded by local villagers armed with spades who immediately began digging and discussing what to do and pushing. After a few minutes we were free – but not for long. A few yards further on the car decided to stop and play in the mud again but our rescuers though otherwise. We were freed again but our assistants walked along behind us – there was a further road development scheme ahead. Yes, we got stuck again but much worser this time. At one point I though the car was imitating a truculent child and started digging several holes. Big ones which quickly filled with water. Dried grass, pushing and shoving and lifting didn’t seem to work t first but at last we were free – and advised not to go any further along the road OR go backwards. So the only choice was to go off the road and along a footpath that was partly hidden. Someone else drove for me and ended up in a small cluster of huts not designed for vehicles large than a bicycle. We were delayed by an hour only and arrived at Emmanuel Cathedral and managed to get seats at the back. We’d missed the marriage part but the service went on for a further 90mins. As there would be a delay before the reception we all went into the town for some supplies. We returned our visitors to the reception which was being held under several marquees. It looked as though the food had not been served and there were more speeches. I had also realised that the steering was a bit heavier than usual so Andrea and I, being a bit weary and watching the grey clouds forming, made our apologies and set off back to the school.

We decided to try a different route – the one through Kuluva hospital and very very rough road because we knew it was stony rather than muddy. We were doing well until the very last hill within sight of our house. Remember the “JCB” on Thursday? As it was leaving the school it ‘smoothed’ some bumps from the road. Yes, the bit on the hill was now muddy. I tried three times and got stuck about 1/3 of the way up each time. While I pondered what to do, Andrea walked back to the house to change and see if she could find some help. A group of boys came to assess the situation and see how they could help which was kind of them. As we were discussing this another car arrived behind us. It turned out to be a British couple who worked for SIL (Wycliffe). Andy tried to get our car up the hill without success and confirmed what we had suspected. The four wheel drive was not working. Further, it seems that radial tyres are less effective in mud than cross-ply. We have radials. With our car now just under half way up the mud hill, Andy drove his car past ours, attached a tow-rope and had no difficulty pulling our car up the remainder of the hill. If our 4x4 had been working, we could have done the same! We chatted with Andy and his family for a while and found out how we could develop our solar system amongst other things. He seems to be a fount of information, let alone arriving at just the right time. They had been for a swim nearby! We hadn’t even realised that there was a natural pool so close to our house but intend to make use of it when we can. It was a relief to be back home in one piece but also to know what the problem was and that it can be solved, but how? That’s for next week! We spent a very quiet evening reading though our post from the last 12 days.

Week 16 (5 - 11 November 2006)

We took John and Brenda to Okufura Secondary School on Sunday morning. This is about 20 mins drive from Ushindi going towards Vurra and the Congo boarder. John was preaching at the Scripture Union service which also starts at 8am. We were given breakfast afterwards and shown around part of the school. It’s mainly a day school of around 600 students with about 100 in each class. The rooms are little bigger than at Ushindi where they are full with 40 students. There didn’t seem to be many desks in the rooms we saw. The décor was more like Zeu SS, basic unplastered walls etc. The teachers are expected to do marking as in most schools but with a class of 100 it’s not easy! Back at Ushindi, it was open day where parents come to visit their darlings and find out the mid-term exam results.

A staff meeting on Monday to discuss and plan the “Careers Day” started 15 minutes late. It was suggested that the same topics that were used for a similar day be used again with all 120 students enduring 5 one hour lectures while sitting on stools in the hall. As there was little comment from the staff we were asked if we would do the session on “Life Skills”. On Friday. In 4 days time. We asked for clarification about the organisation of the day and their understanding of “Life Skills” before declining to take a session so soon and in the suggested format. It was eventually agreed that there would be smaller groups on a rotation and that further details of the Life Skills was needed so the way was postponed until the following Friday, 17th Nov. I then spent about an hour making an inventory of the chemicals and equipment. Yes, the lot in less than an hour and also included the main physics and Biology materials. Very little practical work is done and then mainly for the practical examinations. So after a rather frustrating day it was of great encouragement that I got something to work at last after 7 weeks of trying. No, it wasn’t the fridge. I haven’t done that one yet. It was the PRINTER. A simple, silly little machine but it wouldn’t talk to the laptop – until now. So I printed my second sheet of paper since 3rd July!!!!!! What fun and what potential there is now for – well, printing! You who read this with permanent electricity and easy access to printing be grateful, one day it might happen to you too!

On Tuesday S1 asked me to help them with their Chemistry “Club”. The clubs meet twice a week, Tuesday and Saturdays at 4.15pm – 5.30pm. One of the students is expected to ask the relevant subject teacher (Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics) to set a question for the students to answer as a group but without the teacher. Except that they forgot to tell me the part about providing a question. Anyway, they provided some and proceeded to answer them using the board. In the end it worked well and was much more enjoyable than some of the lessons! But I’m not sure how they know if their answers to questions are correct if there is no teacher there to check and confirm their answers and avoid them re-enforcing wrong ideas and understanding. At 8.15pm I took some Physics equipment to S3 to demonstrate some colour and light experiments. Although there is little equipment, a dark room is no problem. Just switch off the light (solar powered) and there is a complete blackout. I couldn’t see the students even with a small torch. Except when they smiled! Now with the printer working and as we are settling in more there seems to be much more to do even though the teaching load is not high.

We visited town on Wednesday to investigate the clothes market and a dressmaker. Most of the second-hand shirts had recognisable labels (e.g. M&S, C&A) and we both made a few purchases. We met a fellow missionary (from the US) that we were introduced to at the Bishop’s meal. She invited us back to her house to meet some of her six children. It was a brief visit as we had promised to return to school for the staff devotions. And there was another major breakthrough today. The toilets are finished!!! We can’t bring ourselves to use them just yet and feel that some sort of celebration may be required – possibly at the weekend.

On Thursday I tried my first ‘practical’ lesson with S2 in the hall/lab. Not easy with the limited equipment, especially at 7.30am but it made a change from the usual theory lesson. I forgot about an art ‘O’ level exam in the hall so we had to vacate quickly but I had just competed all the demos. Later I discovered that the S1 class have real difficulty in understanding any Chemistry. Is it me or their limited English in a subject with a difficult vocabulary or their passive learning style? I typed up (and printed, what joy!) the chemical list (less joy).


On Friday we planned in outline our session for the “Careers Day” in a weeks time. We seemed to agree on what was needed and had no difficulty with the ideas but need to reflect and add some detail during the next week. There was another success today. As we are using the printer and therefore the laptops more, the power to charge them is becoming more of a problem. I inquired about using the school solar power to charge the laptops occasionally and this was readily agreed by the Principal. I was surprised how much this cheered me up. I showed him my printed chemical list and he told me to let him know if there was anything we needed. So I’ll try to consult with the other science teachers to draw up a list in order of priority and cost – a long term project but may help them too in the future. I later went back to the lab to clear up from yesterday and ended up putting all the chemicals in alphabetical order and throwing away some junk. Sad. There was an advertisement pinned on the notice board about 1600 teaching vacancies in government schools throughout Uganda. The application process is horrendous but the government pay scales are almost double private schools. There are too many teachers in Uganda so every position is hotly contested. It’s a serious issue and I was discussing it with the staff for some time. Later, we were invited to carryout the dormitory inspection, award marks and report to the school assembly. This was both an eye-opener and a privilege to be asked. We couldn’t wait another day. The toilet was baptised (both sprinkling and total immersion!).

We had planned for a quiet Saturday without a trip to town but the say started with 10 students ‘slashing’ (cutting) the grass around our house as part of their community service. When I say cutting it’s more like hitting the grass repeatedly from both sides until if finally submits and leaves the safety of the ground only to land a few feet away. I can’t help thinking that a lawnmower would be more efficient and leave more mud hidden. Still it is necessary to keep is short. The snakes can’t travel as quickly as in the longer grass. That’s reassuring, I think. Andrea had intended to do some washing (by hand) outside but decided it was too dangerous while the students were around. Saturday is when the students also do their washing in groups around the pump which is about 50 feet from our house so we also had the noise of the pump and the students chatting almost all day. Otherwise it was quiet and we were able to spend some time with the neighbours just chatting. Some of the family stories are complicated and very sad. There is a mixture of cultures within families especially of some are more educated than others. To many, education implies more money regardless of the actual situation and cultural pressures can be brought to bear in what seems to be selfish and even uncaring ways. It is undoubtedly a harsh life for many here and education may help to alleviated it a bit but also creates its own problems.

Week 15 (29 October - 4 November 2006)

Get a cup of coffee or tea first – this was a very busy week!

The visiting preacher on Sunday, Rev James, was very good. The whole school prayed for the girls involved in the incidents during the last few days. The school grounds were being used for a community meeting so the normal Sunday routine was altered. The Bible Studies when ahead as usual and most of the students from the first week returned.

After a quiet Monday morning I gave the students their English exam results. It was very interesting to see what they found difficult. Punctuation and grammar was generally good but a few words and sentence constructions from Lugbara crept in such as “oftentimes” and “will be having” instead of “has”. The free response section was about what manners they wanted their brothers and sisters to learn from them. They have very high ideals but the one that I found most interesting was about greetings. They all agreed that girls should kneel when speaking to anyone in authority, especially parents. They were amused that my daughter would never, ever kneel for me! We still find it hard when the girls kneel for staff here, including us, but it’s seen as good manners when greeting and it’s not all the time. It’s acceptable to say “How are you?” and shake hands. The girls often curtsey when doing this. The boys hold their right arm with their left – a common greeting to indicate respect, which we use when we remember.

This afternoon we took our neighbour, John, and his wife, Brenda, to a mission at the Christian University Study Centre at Ringli (about 30 mins drive). John was due to speak at 4pm but the proceedings didn’t start until 5pm. While we were waiting we were introduced to the Director of the Uganda Christian University. John’s topic was “Youthful lusts” but most of the audience were under 10 (and some slept) or over 50 (lecturers) but it was an interesting experience. We were able to record John as he asked for some feedback. Brenda works for World Vision and likes “the whites because they’re so direct”! But we were tactful. Still haven’t got the fridge working yet.

Tuesday: As the teacher for S3 Physics is away for a while I’m taking them for a month but had difficulty finding out exactly where they had got to. It’s hard to phrase questions so that you get a meaningful answer rather than several contradictory ones or just blank looks. Perhaps it’s my accent. I discovered that “Not done” means notes copied but not explained by a teacher OR “not done at all at all”. They must be Irish in disguise. Isaac arrived to finish the woodwork but it was a bit depressing when I could have done it better and faster myself if only I had the tools and wood. And energy. Maybe one day! But to cheer us up we discovered that that after a rather tense week of waiting our UK bank has actually transferred some money (ours of course) to our Uganda account.

Very heavy rain woke us up early on Wednesday. But I went back to sleep after Andrea went out to teach at 7.20am. Found out that a new teacher of English starts next week and this will relieve some of the teaching load. Andrea took the staff devotions. She does well at that sort of thing. In the evening we went out for a meal! Yes, socialising! Diguna, a German based mission partner have strong links with AIM from their time in Congo. We stayed with Kurt and Hannah for two nights when we visited Arua in August but they have been away until now. A couple from New Zealand who have recently arrived in Arua were also there and we had a great time catching up – and eating the German recipes! A bit odd though, Germans, New Zealanders and British together in Africa.

Thursday means that it’s my turn to start at 7.30am. Uggh. We went to Ringli at 1.30pm to attend a confirmation service, again with John, and met Ann Houghton there. Our main aim was to meet the Bishop as we hadn’t managed to meet up yet. They served us ‘lunch’ at 3pm as we were regarded as honoured guests along with all the clergy and ended up sitting with the Bishop. He wasn’t expecting lunch either. The service started without us anyway! It was an interesting experience as they combined the confirmation service with an evangelistic service without a break in between. The Bishop preached an excellent sermon and later gave an inspiring talk about the future plans for the area. However, towards the end we were more interested in the fact that the wooden seats seemed to have got much harder and were watching the 6-7 year old fall asleep on a bench and jerk awake every time she lost her balance! It ended at 7.30pm and this time we were ready for the refreshments. Again, we were at the same table as Bishop Joel.

Isaac had another go at finishing the work on Friday. Again, not particularly successful. We missed the School Assembly (with permission is case you’re wondering) so that we could go out for the evening – yes again! I did say it was a busy week. We went to Heritage Gardens with Anne Houghton. This is a local hotel? restaurant? or something of the sort. Anyway, it serves meals and is a place to go for Sunday lunch sometime. We were there at the invitation of Bishop Joel to meet all the other mission partners in Arua. Some we knew already, but it was good to see just how many there are – about 50 people representing about 10 agencies. I was encouraging to hear of the work others are doing and how we are a part of a much bigger picture – all with the support of the Bishop. But it was another late night.

On Saturday we slept in but later visited town again. We visited the bank and even managed to get some cash with our new ATM (cash machine) cards!!! Just as well as we had only 80,000 shillings left (~£25)! We collected the bookcase which is handmade in mahogany to my design. And heavy. Fortunately the car roof managed without any dents. Temperatures now around 32OC but bearable. It was good to be able to re-arrange our books and files in a logical order and not in a series of boxes.

Week 14 (22 - 28 October 2006)

Due to the public examinations the Sunday service moved venue to the “dining area”. This is a more traditional African hut structure, mainly a straw roof. It seemed to be a more fitting setting for a service – provided there is no rain. We were able to enjoy the surroundings and animals as they passed by – superb visual aids to worship! After lunch we held the first of the Bible Studies with 15 boys and 8 girls. They were quietly enthusiastic. It’s difficult to get them to talk and then so that we can hear what they say! We went to see our Scottish neighbours for pancakes and tea as well as a good chat about our experiences so far.

On Monday I only went out of the house for essential services – to the toilet and washing line. It was something of a trek as they are in opposite directions and at least 10 paces from the door. I spent most of the time preparing an English exam – another new experience!

Tuesday started with the S1 (Year 8) Chemistry mid-term exam. All the questions had to be written on the board. They should have taken an hour but spent at least 40 minutes copying the questions even though this was not necessary. I marked them in the afternoon – not an encouraging experience as the highest mark was 45% but it raised many questions. Were the questions to hard, had they not learnt anything from my teaching, could they not understand my accent, could they understand the questions and had they done any revision? The answer is probably a mixture of them all but it will be interesting to see how they do in their other subjects and how the other classes manage.

Wednesday – so it must be S2 (Year 9) English exam. They have textbooks and I set some questions from these which was a good idea except that 5 didn’t have books and it took 40 minutes to explain what questions to do and how to go about answering them. It would have been quicker to have a lesson. Again, they copied the questions in spite of being told several times in different ways not to as it wastes exam time. At the end of the exam I discovered that the five students did have books in their dormitories (about 5 mins there an back) but they didn’t tell me as they thought I wouldn’t let them out. It’s a pity they didn’t ask as it would have made things much easier. But communication does seem to be a problem – even in an English lesson.

No lessons or exams for either of us on Thursday so caught up with marking instead. The range of marks for the English was encouraging although I’m not sure what was being tested! Isaac was due to come today to finish the varnishing on the shelves and arrived at 4.15pm. There was a very heavy shower of rain which stops everything and as it gets very dark inside the house from about 6pm he couldn’t finish all the work. It seems that what was in our minds about what we wanted was different from what was in his mind. We’ve decided that any future work we get done by anyone will be preceded by carefully drawn scale diagrams in duplicate.

Friday afternoon was the last exam for me with the S2 Chemistry. I tried to simplify some of the language in the questions and just assumed that they would spend time copying the questions. They still took longer than I expected but I guess it would take me forever to do any exam in Lugbara! The school assembly was much longer than usual today, possibly because it was the S4’s last one. Many of them finish their ‘O’-level exams during the next week and then return home. A number of teachers seem to speak for a long time and we’re not exactly sure what about.

We’ve been here 6 weeks today (Saturday) and British Summertime ends tonight. And we miss the extra hour in bed. Still, we’re generally only sleeping for between 9 and 11 hours each nigh so can’t really complain. Heavy rain slightly delayed our trip to town and the roads were a bit muddy in places so that I had to engage the 4 wheel drive for one section. We have four passengers so that may have made a difference. We collected our sofa only to discover that they are made in two sizes but no one mentioned this. Of course the cushions are for the larger size and the sofa the smaller.

In the evening, just as we were sitting down to eat, one of the teachers called to say that one of the students was injured and probably needed to be taken to the hospital. Andrea went to check the student and I did what I had been taught to do in such circumstances many years ago by a member of a mountain rescue team. I ate my tea! There’s no point getting stuck up a mountain and running out of energy yourself. But it also gave me time to think about the journey and what might be needed. The lad did look to be in a bad way and not responding to anyone but conscious. Andrea concentrated on the nursing part while I focussed on climbing the mountain – yes the imitation of a riverbed that some call a road to the hospital in the dark. The car was full and I guess everyone was praying for a safe and speedy journey. While he was being checked out, Andrea and I went to seen Molly & Isobel for more tea and pancakes. They teach in the nursing school so were nearby and the Ushindi teacher, Vita Patrick, stayed with the student. In the end, the lad stayed in overnight. On the return journey, Vita helped us to understand what the assembly was about. There had been some strange happenings in the dormitories and during one of the devotions and it seems possible that some of the girls had or have been in contact with some occult activities or witchcraft. The teachers were reassuring the students as, understandably they were a little scared.

Week 13 (15 -21 October 2006)

The special Sunday service started 30mins later that usual – the S4 were about to start there ‘O’ level examinations and then leave the school for good! Needless to say (but I’m going to anyway) the emphasis was on examinations, results and working hard. There was a special breakfast for everyone, including the governors and parents. It’s still hard to get used to chicken and other cooked meat for breakfast although for us it was our first lunch of the day. The car had it’s first ‘bathe’ today. Boys from the Scripture Union have agreed to wash it weekly and in return we will contribute to the funds for new musical instruments. After 2 hours washing they were interrupted because a girl was taken ill and we were asked to take her to the hospital. So I had to drive the very rough and steep road BOTH ways. Fortunately, the girl was not seriously ill and returned with us an hour or so later. After my driving I suspect she felt worse that before she left the school. The boys finished the car on our return and did a brilliant job both inside and outside, especially has it had last been washed three weeks ago in Kampala and looked as though it had been on safari! We also discovered, by chance, that our shipping parcels had arrived in Arua last week. Pity no one told us even though there was a contact number on the paperwork.

We taught our first English lessons on Monday and realized that we only speak the language and often can’t explain why we say things in particular ways. But we hope we can help them a little and it’s better than missing the lesson completely. We collected our shipping in Arua and met with Cathy Asiki to help us open a bank account. The main sticking point is that a current account holder has to recommend you and needs to have known you for 2 or more years. Fortunately, we met Cathy on our first visit to Uganda 3 years ago! We found another almost impossible road to try out as we visited John, or home-stay host while in town. The roads seemed to be much easier when we walked them! Eventually, we got home and Christmas arrived early as we unpacked and discovered all the things that we had forgotten we’d packed. There were a few surprises but much pleasure as we were reunited with books and kitchen tools. But what to read first and what to cook first? Such problems we’re having!

Tuesday: We seem to be settling into the lessons a bit more but it’s still difficult to get the students to speak and when they do, loudly and slowly enough for us to understand them. They do seem to be content to listen and copy – more passive learners. But they are getting used to our accents too. Tried (and failed) to light the fridge again. The first round of the inter-class debating competition took place this afternoon. Fortunately we declined the offer to be judges as I had great difficulty making out what they were saying even though we were seated on the front row.

After a fairly tiring day of teaching on Wednesday, I was asked to lead the staff devotions – with 30 mins notice. I explained that more notice would be required but would see what I could do. It was OK but I would have liked more time. On the other hand, we should have been prepared for such an eventuality.

The assembly over ran on Thursday so the lessons started late. Some students were late for the assembly which starts as 7.10am so were kept out of lessons and given some ‘gardening’ work as punishment. Unfortunately this meant that Andrea had only 12 in her first lesson and she had planned an interactive exercise which needed a full class. We also discovered that the arrangements for the mid-term exams (next week) were not as we had been led to believe. All the lessons were cancelled and there was a separate exam timetable. Some of the exams were set for 8pm. We had both planned all our lessons for the week. One of the teachers, Vita Patrick, then went through all the exam procedures, marking and recording requirements and answered all our questions. This was very helpful. We were asked to set and mark the English Language examinations too. Later we went to Anne Houghton’s for lunch – and let off some steam! She also works in an educational institution so understood our frustrations!

Friday was a quieter day today, mainly preparing the exam papers. We haven’t seen any examples so are guessing what is required, especially for the English.

On Saturday I gave Anne Houghton a lift to town and collected two chairs and a wardrobe. Andrea judged the next round of the debating competition. These are hand made from mahogany. Heavy. It took for of the carpenters to lift the wardrobe onto the roof of the car. I drove back VERY slowly as I wasn’t sure how safe the wardrobe was on the roof. But there were no problems. John, our neighbour, found some of the site staff to help unload and carry the furniture into the house. I tried to help by lifting one of the chairs but decided it was too heavy! But it was good to sit on a soft, comfortable chair again. We should get the sofa next week.

Week 12 (8 -14 October 2006)

This Sunday we wanted to avoid being late for the service so arrived at 7.50am but nothing happened until 8.30am! It was a special commissioning service for the new Scripture Union Committee. After breakfast we returned to the meeting room for a “File Handover” Ceremony and discovered we were Guests of Honour with the visiting preacher, the Dean of the School of Theology and Divinity at the nearby Uganda Christian University Regional Study Centre. The proceeding stopped briefly for lunch and eventually ended at 3.30pm – so only 7 hours of ceremony.

Monday was the UK equivalent of a Bank Holiday but here to celebrate “Independence Day”. Most shops were closed and there were no lessons for students. We were invited for lunch with Cathy Asiki and had a pleasant time chatting in her garden with other family members. We returned at 6.30pm. The students still had ‘prep’ but the staff had managed to set up a TV in the staffroom although the choice of programmes was limited.

Isaac, the husband of Mary (our home help), arrived to fit shelves in the kitchen, bathroom and pantry (food store) on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it seems that what we though we said is not what Isaac though we said but they are an improvement to our storage. He arrived late in the day so was unable to complete the work and they will all need a further coat of varnish. The teacher of English has not arrived so we have volunteered to teach S1 and S2 English until a replacement arrives. We have also had some discussions with the SU patron, John, about small group Bible Studies especially as the new SU committee are eager to start them.

We met the Wiltons (AIM in Congo) for lunch in town on Wednesday. They visit monthly for provisions and have much experience to share with us. We also ordered cushions for our forthcoming sofa set. There were too many insects for us to stay in the staff room for prep later. Pity.

On Thursday we tried again to get our printer to work – and failed. I did manage to attach a larger old solar panel from AIM to see if that gives us more power for the laptops. We met with the SU Committee to discuss the Bible Studies and agreed to start on Sunday, but only for the Committee members initially with the idea that they then lead further groups later.

Friday was a fairly quiet day with the only excitement being the sight of our second snake being caught and killed. They move surprisingly quickly. Maybe it was objecting to us reading “Animal Farm” to the S1 and S2 students (as in the UK Literacy Strategy). The language is a bit hard for them but gives us opportunity to explain some words and is the best we could find from the school library.

On Saturday we took 4 others to town but only one back! But also 8 live chickens. It was OK as they were tied by their feet. The chickens, I mean. We collected our cushions and saw the first of our furniture which just needed to be varnished. Visited the hairdressers this afternoon. In our lounge. We cut each other’s hair and it looks OK, thanks to the extensive practical training from All Nations. We became a bit decadent this evening and watched a borrowed DVD on a laptop. After eating pancakes with freshly squeezed lemons we enjoyed watching “Mona Lisa Smile” as it’s the first film we’ve seen since July. It probably wouldn’t have mattered what it was.

Week 11 (1 - 7 October 2006)

October already! The weather here is a bit autumnal and daylight disappears around 7pm. We managed to get to the Sunday service at 8.10am but it had already started. Must try harder. A visiting pastor, Rev Canon Isaac, was officiating. He comes once a month to lead the communion service. This was followed by our (second) breakfast with Isaac and the staff. Tried again with the kerosene fridge but I don’t think it works on Sundays. I think I’ll try reading the instructions. We went to the SU (Scripture Union) meeting but waited for 30 mins before the 45 mins of singing started.

On Monday morning, with the help of our neighbour, we interviewed a lady, Mary, who had worked for several white people to see if she could help us with our collection of water, washing clothes and general cleaning. We agreed that she would do three mornings a week – and started immediately! We could see the difference in an hour because she works so hard. Later we went to see what happens during the evening ‘prep’ from 8-10pm and worked for a while in the staffroom. Some interesting wildlife is attracted to the lights in the staff room and every minute or so one or more of the insects is swatted. It will take a while to get used to sharing a table with a group of ants even though they probably work harder!

I (James) taught three classes on Tuesday with signs that the students are starting to ‘test’ us – but very mildly compared with the UK classes. Much of my time is spent preparing lessons as the science notes need to be fairly thorough and handwritten. The students don’t have text books.

On Wednesday Ken and Anne (from Matoke Inn) arrived with Lyn Cooke (from Brentwood) and our vehicle. At last. It was great to see them again and catch up. We took Ken & Anne to a hotel in Arua but Lyn has the privilege of being our first guest and to experience our en-suite facilities. They brought the radio phone which allows us to connect to the internet and e-mail. A relief after a month of being disconnected.

Thursday was busy! We took Ken, Anne and Lyn to the airfield so see them off and then went into town to do some shopping. With the car we can now get some of the larger items we have been waiting for. Over the last two weeks we have been in contact with customs at Entebbe. Our three boxes took about three days to get to Uganda from the UK but trying to sort out the paperwork here is more difficult. It has taken five phone calls to convince a number of different people at Entebbe that we will not be collecting the parcels in person as we had arranged for them to be sent up to Arua. Eventually I managed to fax our visa and work permit details after four further phone calls to check the number as it wasn’t working. On the last one I was given a different number because there was no power in the building! Three calls and 30 minutes would have been saved if this had been realised sooner but TIA (This Is Africa!). The rest of the day involved trying to catch up with e-mails

Friday was another day of teaching sprinkled with marking. We got to the assembly at 3.59pm only to discover that it had already started. But this doesn’t happen in Africa! Starting a meeting early!!!! What next?

Drove to Kuluva Hospital on Saturday (with 4 passengers who appeared at the last minute) directly from the school. This tested by driving as I’m still getting used to the vehicle, the roads and other travellers – mainly cyclists and pedestrians. The route was the most difficult yet and in some parts was hard to see how to get over the ruts as they were so large. I had to engage the 4-wheel drive at one point because the road was so steep and uneven. I won’t be doing that journey too often. We collected a fellow AIM missionary, Anne Houghton, from Ringili and took her to town. We managed to get some lino for our lounge floor but before I could catch the shopkeeper he had FOLDED it – to make it easier to carry and get in the car. It didn’t occur to us that he wouldn’t roll it and I couldn’t make him understand that I didn’t want it folded. But he assured us muzungus that it would be OK. It wasn’t but the fold marks may come out in time. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Anne at her home in Ringli.

WEEK 10 (24-30 September 2006)

On Sunday we arrived at 8.30am for the church service at the school only to find it was already in progress. Although we had been told it started at 8.30am we discovered that it really started at 8am! It was based on an Anglican format modified for Ugandan schools. An S1 student ‘preached’ and we found this a bit difficult. In the afternoon we set out to go to the Scripture Union meeting by got waylaid by a Science Department meeting we didn’t know about! We met the Head of Science yesterday for the first time – only two weeks into the term. He has been away studying and will be away from much of November taking exams. His A-level exams. Ho hum. We agreed my timetable and the rearrangement of other lessons as one of the teachers is leaving at the end of the week.
The Scripture Union meeting involved much loud singing and had not ended by 4.30pm when we left. This was followed by devotions in the evening for the students.

The 7.30am start to lessons is not easy on a Monday morning (or any other morning) but at least I only do that one day a week while Andrea has three early starts. It gives me a chance to waken up and do the chores at a more leisurely pace. The solar power is not so effective at present – could be the battery but we’ll investigate. It limits our use of the laptop and even the light.

I taught my first lesson today (Tuesday) – the class had not learnt any Chemistry for weeks so it was mainly revision. It will take a while for us to get used to each other, especially the different accents! The students speak very quickly and quietly so that I can hardly hear, especially if there is any noise from outside the room. This could be from other students who don’t have a teacher (or the teacher has not arrived yet) or from the various animals which wander around the site. We have found it easier and more reliable to prepare our lesson notes in longhand rather than the laptop, especially as we can’t get the printer to work yet. As the students don’t have science textbooks their notes need to be fairly comprehensive making the lessons less interactive.

Heavy rain on Wednesday morning so too dull to read! We seem to have a considerable amount of free time and it’s difficult to know how best to use it. It’s difficult to settle to anything not knowing if it is the best thing to do and mulling over the practical issues of how to get furniture and managing with what we have so far. Bible studies for the students have been mentioned several times during the last week but it’s difficult to know how to get anything to happen. We feel as though we don’t know all the facts or how things work yet and this can be a bit frustrating. The first of the weekly staff devotions was held this afternoon with a small group but should help us to get to know the other staff better in time. Only one more week without our own transport!

Lessons started late on Thursday due to the assembly overrunning. Tried to do rusting. In the Chemistry lesson and theoretically only. Haven’t seen much rust in Uganda even on the very old cars. It’s probably too dry as the ground dries out quickly even after heavy rain. It’s difficult to get the students to respond in the lessons and they seem to prefer just to copy i.e. are passive learners. It could be that they’re just getting used to us. Cathy Aski took us to town again to try to see if anything can be done about the battery for the solar power. They shop replaced the acid but I’m not sure if that will do anything. We went to the Catholic Centre for chicken and chips at a very reasonable price – about £1 per person. It was good to eat chips again but the chicken was like shoe leather! Not that I’ve eaten shoes. Yet! Also visited the Post Office with Cathy and checked out the boxes and how that works. She also helped us to retrieve our post from the last three months which had gone to the Primary School because they share the PO Box with the Secondary School.

On Friday we got the battery connected to the school solar system to see if it will gain more charge. Looked in the science equipment / library store room to see what’s available but need more time to sort it out and make a list of what’s there. Tried to light the kerosene fridge again. It stays alight for about 10 min on a quiet well behaved blue flame then for no apparent reason flares up to 4-6 inches (10-15cm). When I turn it down it looks at me in disgust and goes out. Our carpenter returned to finish the work on the window screens which was then thoroughly checked by the Principal and Deputy Principal – and found wanting! But at least they are looking after our interests and health. We had to leave the school assembly as we had visitors – from Scotland! Well, Molly and Isobel work at Kuluva hospital about 2km away and we can see some of their buildings from our back door. They were concerned that they hadn’t heard from us but it seems that text messages go up the hill but not back down again. Another mystery to solve! It was good to see them for a bleather.

Spent some time marking books on Saturday. Interesting but not necessarily encouraging. The notes are copied well but answering the problems set as homework (or ‘prep’) is a different matter. Got the fridge alight – and it seems to be staying alight. Heavy rain this afternoon so didn’t go out – except to the toilet. Interesting dilemma here – well, interesting to me. The rain has a particular physiological effect and makes you wonder for a while if it is only psychological as going to a pit latrine in the rain is not especially pleasant. Then there comes a time when you just have to get wet. Folk in the UK don’t have such tricky issues to deal with – just think what you’re missing!

Week 9 (17 - 23 September 2006)

On Sunday we declined the offer of being taken to the Kuluva morning service and not just because of the 40-60 min walk. It starts at 8am! We had a more leisurely start to the day instead before sorting things out in the house. At 11am we took a break to go to meet our neighbours and walk around the school site. We were able to relax a bit more by the afternoon although our furniture is very limited and we have only a few books. The box for the cooker is our only table.

Monday was our first day at school! Having not slept well (the excitement?) we got up at 7am and did some washing. Why not? Don’t most normal people wash their clothes first thing in the morning? The washing machine wasn’t working too well so I had to help her by rinsing the clothes a couple of times. Remember - no electricity. At least the carpets didn’t get wet. We don’t have any and concrete dries quickly here even early in the morning.

After a visit by the Principal to inspect the work on the house (no the carpentry team hadn’t turned up to finish it) we were collected by the Deputy Principal. Honoured guests indeed. Actually, John is our next door neighbour! So we set off on our journey to work. There were a few hold ups – a few chickens got in our way – but all of five minutes later we were in the staff room. The staff meeting was due to start at 10.00am but was delayed because most of the staff hadn’t arrived. We were given a warm welcome and introductions most of the meeting was taken up with a review of where each of the four classes was in the syllabus for each subject. The Principal asked if the teachers were ready to start lessons the following day! Not quite what we are used to. The Head of Physics, who also teaches Maths, leaves in two weeks and they were asking around the table for other staff to cover his duties. The only other teacher of Physics is also the Director of Studies so, wait for it, I was asked if I would be the Head of Physics!!! This must be the fastest promotion on record – 90 minutes after starting ‘work’. I said I would find out more about the role before giving an answer. We arranged to see some lessons and will no doubt visit others – our need to learn how the school operated was explained to the staff so we hope it won’t be too traumatic for them.

After we had returned home to have some lunch, another neighbour called in to say that there was a (late) staff lunch. Although we had just eaten, we felt the need to be with the staff – it turns out they were waiting for us! It seems that they don’t give vital information easily unless you ask, so we started asking from then on about things like “Where do you get chalk?” and “Do you register the class for each lesson?” [On the staff room table and no, because the students are boarders, have their own assigned desk so when you see a gap you ask who is missing and make a note.] We then took a walk around the classrooms to practice writing on the chalkboards.

As we have got a bit behind with washing, we had to do another lot before settling down to reflect on what we have learnt and start some preparation. One way to avoid spending to much time on school work is to get rid of the washing machine. I can think of more agreeable diversions.

The students have been arriving today and we have met a few. Already we can sense the respect students have for teachers. This will take a bit of getting used to! They have to fetch their own water from the pump which is about 50 meters from our house and carry it quite a long way, and it’s heavy. I can just about carry a 20 litre container (which takes 74 ‘pumps’ to fill. A good way to get exercise, but definitely for the young.

Tuesday: When we arrived on Saturday the workmen were still fixing the window screens and left with some fairly large parts incomplete. We eagerly waited for their arrival on Monday to no avail and after the Principal went to the home of the contractor we were assured that they would arrive today. Which they did, at 12.30pm, and started work at 1pm before taking a lunch break until 2.20pm! John, the Deputy Principal then spent the rest of the afternoon with the team of three encouraging and supervising until 6pm. It would be wonderful to say that the work is complete. But we can’t. Some varnishing needs to be completed along with minor repairs to the plaster. So hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to stop moving our very limited furniture around to make space for them. John also arranged for us to borrow a school table and two student desks so at least we can work more easily.

As the workmen were expected or around, we took turns going to the staffroom to work or just sit with the staff. Having such a small teaching staff (about 9) in a spacious room makes a change for us. The atmosphere was businesslike but much more relaxed than I have known for many years. By evening about half of the students had returned and there was a steady stream of pupil waiting to have their luggage and clothes checked by the teachers – every item was inspected for decency and appropriateness as some items are definitely prohibited. Around 7pm we heard drums and singing in the distance – had we not been so tired we would have gone to see where the students.

Andrea has started to prepare some lessons for her S1 and S2 classes (Year 8 and 9 equivalents) but I’m still waiting for the schemes of work – promised tomorrow! It’s frustrating having some time available but not being able to make the best use of it – and being interrupted by the workmen. But we’ll just have to be patient. The daily routines are still very demanding and difficult and we’ll look for some help as soon as possible, at least to do the washing and clean the house. Andrea will probably continue to do the cooking which will become easier when we have shelves etc and possibly some lights in the kitchen and bathroom area – solar powered or even candles – but without shelves or hooks or tools we’ll make do for now.

Andrea was up early ready to observe a double Maths lesson on Wednesday leaving me to – well, get up! But I did eventually do some of the chores. When she returned I went to arrange an observation – S4 Accounts. Five students only as it is an optional subject and not the most interesting subject to observe. During the morning break we realised that the Chemistry teacher wasn’t in so S3 would miss their lesson – I asked of it would be appropriate for me to take it so with 5 min warning I took my first 1h 20min lesson. Fortunately our experience at Zeu SS and the brief observation helped orientate me. I think it was of some help to them and will make it easier for me to prepare future lessons.

The first staff worship meeting was held today at the instigation of one of the staff. Only 6 of us attended this time but it was an interesting and worthwhile experience.

Our carpentry was not finished today as the workers were concentrating on laying the foundations for the new pit latrine. It also rained a fair bit – and our battery didn’t charge much so I’m writing by candle light!

On Thursday I was up early today to observe Period 1 (7.30am) S4 Physics (O-level year) to discover that it had been swapped to P3-4! Saw S3 Chemistry instead. During the whole 1h 40min lesson where a lengthy calculation was explained not a single student spoke except when asked by the teacher! We had a visit from Cathy Asiki in the afternoon. She is a UK secondary Maths teacher but now lives in Arua. She explained many things to us in a way we could understand! For example, it’s normal to take a week for all the students to arrive at the school. Ushindi is unusual in starting to teach during that week! I also visited the Chemistry practical. This is after normal lessons and runs from 4 – 6pm, so the students have been working for most of 11 hours! We also investigated the student devotions (7 – 7.45pm) and were asked to introduce ourselves – again. The singing was VERY loud and lasted for about 35 minutes before someone gave a brief message.

On Friday we took a taxi to Arua for provisions. There was very heavy rain on the way and the marked was flooded. I don’t mean just wet. We went there about 30 mins after the rain had stopped and parts of it were still under at least 12 inches (30 cm) of water and there were signs that it had been considerably deeper. No wonder that everything stops when it rains! Later in the afternoon we went to the staffroom for tea – a daily occurrence at 4pm. We discovered that there was a full school assembly and all teachers were expected to attend. So much for the tea – and we were parched! Of course we were asked to introduce ourselves – yet again.

Went into town again on Saturday but with Cathy Asiki who gave us another tour and helped find things we hadn’t noticed! We were also able to borrow a second gas cylinder from her and used it to get a filled one so at least that’s one other thing we don’t need to worry about for a while. Cathy gave us lunch too and allowed us to use her internet to catch up with e-mails. Saw John Onduma back at the school – he was visiting to see the progress on the buildings was going, or not! Hard to believe we’ve been here for a whole week!