First Day of School!

Yesterday I came to the point where I didn’t really know what else to do to prepare for the big FIRST DAY. Which was kind of scary. When there’s nothing left to do, all you can do is wait. The same was true this morning. It felt a little bit like being the new kid in school: not quite sure who to talk to, where to be, what to do with myself. But then the day started, and once things were rolling I settled in.

Today I had four lovely students. All 5^th grade. More are coming at different points during the semester, but today there were just four. Two boys, two girls. Two from Korea, one from Zimbabwe, and one from the states. They are an excellent bunch.

The highlight was definitely the art project at the end of the day. On Friday we are having a school dedication/convocation and each class will present something (a song, bible verse, or poem) and our project is a class art project. The project is a mixed media collage of a tree (that perhaps looks vaguely like an acacia) made from all kinds of things scavenged from the art closet. I even grabbed wood shavings from the new construction in Becky’s classroom, so there will be little bits of the school right in our art! Today everyone was on the floor tracing out the outline and filling in the trunk and branches with newspaper and construction paper. I think it’s going to look pretty awesome when it’s finished. I was honestly a little nervous about teaching art (I don’t even know the last time I did anything that artistic) but the students love it, and it made for a lovely wrap up of the day. I'll post pictures once it's finished. (I keep promising pictures...one of these days.)

The rest of the day went well. It seemed to fly by, really. And I’m definitely learning tons about the pacing of an elementary classroom. I think they got a little bored at some points today. Ooops. But that was mostly the set-up type things…setting class rules and expectations, explaining routine, etc. I’m really emphasizing with them the idea that they are role models for the school, and one thing they got to do to go along with that was make a scavenger hunt for the 3^rd and 4^th grade. They loved thinking of clues and hiding them around school. And best of all it meant Miss Carpenter and I didn’t have to write a scavenger hunt!

Overall it seemed to be a very successful first day school wide. Everyone was all settled into their rooms (which was no small miracle), the 3 and 4 year olds only seemed to cry occasionally, and everyone appeared happy at the end of the day.

Tomorrow, of course, is when my really work begins. The introductions and get-to-know-yous are done, so we are jumping straight into our math curriculum, reading testing, writing workshop, and history lessons. One down, 179 to go. And so it begins…

First Week

So, I have come to the end of my first full week in the country of Uganda. I cannot believe it has only been 11 days since I left Oregon, and only nine days since I landed in Entebbe. My brain feels like it has processed about six months’ worth of information in the last week, and this is only the beginning! I have a lot to learn, and a long way to go, but it feels like things have gotten off to a really good start.

Getting here was a breeze, really. No hang ups, no stress, no problems. It was long, and a bit laborious (mostly trying to hoist my carry-on full of books into the overhead compartment). Generally, though, nothing noteworthy. Other than on the flight to Entebbe, when I’m fairly certain I sat across the aisle from an honest to goodness, Tolkien created, middle-earth dwarf.

Everyone I’ve met here so far has been wonderful. My housemate is a fellow teacher from Acacia who is bravely taking on kindergarten this year. She’s from the states originally, but has lived in Uganda for the last two years. She has given my lots of insight into living here, and we are getting along marvelously. The other teachers and teachers’ assistants (and administration, and support staff, everyone really) at Acacia are fun, welcoming, patient, and helpful people. I am really looking forward to the school year with them. Also, the Tuggys have been such a blessing! With their help I got a phone number, figured out internet access, and learned where to find the best Indian food. All very important things. And of course that’s not an all-inclusive list. It’s so nice to have their help, and also to have some familiar faces from home.

I don’t have pictures yet, but I can try and explain a bit in the meantime. My house sits at the back corner of a compound of four houses, very cute and not as small as I thought it would be. We have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living/dining room, kitchen, garage, and even “boy’s quarters” in the back that currently are unused. I’m feeling pretty well settled in, although some might find my lack of basic groceries a little shocking. Luckily I am quite content with peanut butter and beans and rice. It may be quite a while before I brave the butchers and cook meat. Dad, I know you would find this hard to believe, but I had a delicious dinner tonight made entirely of vegetables!

If you leave the compound (and say hello to Mike, the guard, on the way out), it is just a 10 minute, albeit very much uphill, walk to school. On the way, you will walk past two hotels, a coffee shop, souvenir shop, supermarket, and a dozen or so boda drivers that never seem to remember that no, you don’t need a ride. Boda bodas are the motorcycle taxis, by the way.

Upon arriving at the school, you notice the remarkable progress made in the new buildings since you were last there. The workers were literally there round the clock this last week, and the classrooms are beautiful and (mostly) finished. There are three classes in the newly constructed buildings: kindergarten, 1&2, and 3&4. The main building in the center of the campus has the early years, the kitchen, the computer lab, and my classroom. We are the sole occupants of the upper kingdom on the second floor. Right now the room looks a bit bare, with just a map, calendar, and a few pictures, but I’m hoping once the students come it will look a bit more lived in. The playground in the back is awesome! The play structure weaves into this big beautiful tree and there is sand instead of bark chips, like a giant sandbox. We also have swings, and even a trampoline! It really puts those lawsuit conscious play structures of the states to shame. 

There you have it, folks. My house and my school, which pretty much covers my life this past week. More to come later!