Week 72 (2 - 8 Dec 2007)

Photos: The BIG match (Thursday) to celebrate a birthday - but the birthday boy fell asleep during the match!

This was the last Sunday of the term and the Principal usually preaches at the end of each term. He agreed to incorporate his message with the Advent service that Andrea had planned, based on Christmas readings and carols. The time of the service was moved from 8am to 10am but some of the teachers on the site still managed to be late! The student readers did very well and the girls sang two carols we didn’t know. During the offering I managed to play a guitar medley with two other boys. I followed the music and they followed me, improvising as they went along. I think it was OK. We decided not to attend the opening of the new Emmanuel Cathedral in town – it was too hot and there would be a lot of people there to join with the Archbishop and other clergy.

The exams on Monday were fine although I was asked to arrange for someone to cover the Deputy Principal’s exam as he had gone to Kampala until Thursday. The Director of Studies was in briefly and the Principal was on business elsewhere. Our friends, Anne and Allan, from Kuluva spent the afternoon and evening with us telling us about their trip to Kampala and the dedication of the new cathedral. I think the break from the usual routine made us realise how much we were looking forward to having a break from Ushindi and to visit the UK again.

The monthly and end of term Staff meeting was moved forward from Friday to Tuesday so that we could attend. It was a long, hot meeting and a little tense at times but I believe we made some progress. The Principal was indirectly referring to some of the plans for next year that we have been thinking through and starting to set in place some of the changes. It’s a pity that neither the Deputy nor Director of Studies were able to be there. Andrea and I have managed to complete all our marking and report cards so have a couple of days to finish off some admin then tidy the house and pack up ready to leave on Friday morning.

We still seemed to be fairly busy on Wednesday even though the only scheduled item was a science meeting to discuss the staffing for next term. We will limit our teaching to two classes each on no more than three days i.e. leaving two days each week clear for other duties either within the school or elsewhere.

The last exams started on Thursday morning – and they have all started on time. The students seemed to appreciate not having to wait around wondering when they would start and they learnt very quickly to arrive on time – even if it’s only 30 seconds before the exam was due to start! It was also our last early morning call in the dormitories – I’ll miss the early sun and fantastic atmosphere as it rises as well as the friendly greetings given by the boys. During the last two weeks only one other teacher appeared for the morning parade, and that for just two days this week. So today we were on our own. The students sang the National and School Anthems with a more enthusiasm than usual and we congratulated them on their punctuality in getting up and arriving at the exams. It seemed to be a more personal atmosphere and wonderful to hear them laughing and see them smiling as we said our goodbyes and wished them well over the long break. It was one of those special and memorable occasions and very different from our first few weeks at the school. In the afternoon there was a special football match between the supporters of Arsenal (in their “new” shirts) and Manchester United. This was to celebrate the third birthday of Asuta Godwin, son of one of the teachers. Asuta fell asleep on Andrea’s lap and that may be why Man Utd won 3-0. Later in the evening I was able to show some photos of the year to the students followed by the film “Home Alone”. The students seemed to enjoy it and there were no problems of misbehaviour afterwards even if they were excited about going home and a little slow to settle.

Our early morning starts for the last three weeks or so made our early rise on Friday a little easier to bear. We aimed to leave the site at 7.15am as we were giving a student – which turned out to be three students – a lift into town. Many of the other students were also preparing to leave and waved us off. Cathy and her son Jonathan took us to the airstrip and waited with us until the plane arrived. Arua is still my favourite airport. You can watch your luggage all the way to the plane while having a leisurely drink and samosa in the restaurant. Nothing is hurried, no tannoy announcements or screens to check. It’s obvious when the plane has arrived. And it’s hardly crowded with only 18 passengers per plane! The flight arrived early in Entebbe and we were taken to Sophie’s Motel – a new one for us. It was comfortable and we rested in the morning and had a leisurely lunch before checking in for our BA flight via the internet. The Carpenters took us to their home for a meal in the evening and it was great to catch up with them as well as do some planning for the forthcoming AIM Conference on our return.
The weather was a little cool for us and the heavy rain woke us early on Saturday morning. Preparation for the British weather perhaps? We met two other AIM people who were travelling on the same flight as well as a British doctor who had been on our flight from Arua yesterday. The waiting around went fairly quickly as we chatted. Although the flight left a little late we made up most of the time. We both watched three and a half films on the way and hope that we can finish the fourth one on the way back! I think we missed the small screen so were trying to catch up. Libby and Brian met us at Heathrow and we arrived in Winchester with my Mum around 7pm. It’s great to be back but it will take us and our stomachs a little while to rest and adjust.