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.
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.
posted by Anonymous at 10:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home