next post

Usually, i have something written ahead of posting to save time. today is not the case. maybe I should just begin my thoughts.

two weeks ago the school had a strike from the sophomore-level girls. they had grievances against some of the teachers and decided that until their demands were met, they were not going to partake in classes. as can be imagined, this disrupted the entire school. the girls did a little vandalism and one of their requests was that two of the teachers be handed over to them so they could cane them. i was not one of these, but my name was brought up as one of the teachers they were having qualms against. i don't know how really to tell this in a sensitive manner, because it really shocked and hurt me. the girls are amazing and somehow i...failed i guess. i don't know all the implications nor aspects of what happened, nor do i know what all i am to learn in this. a lot of people encouraged me and i really got a chance to talk seriously with a lot of the teachers and students so that was a positive. maybe im still a little dazed on the whole subject still. understand that i certainly am leaving out a lot of details, like the fact that the police had to come and girls were expelled, but that the general feel has been included. one of my colleagues here put it to me that perhaps this sort of rebellious stage is common in all girls. think about the most vicious girls in high school. her thoughts were that it tends to be the sophomore-junior level girls. maybe its got to do with some adolescence and rebellion, and the fact that the girls don't know how to manage those emotions in an acceptable manner, because in uganda, there is no acceptable manner. such emotions are crushed under physical and emotional pain. the girls really are good though. so amazing.

right now the girls are studying for end-of-term exams. the upper level girls (S6, which is right prior to attending the university if you perform well on the exams) just study day and night. one of them told me that they stopped even eating dinner as it took away from studies. i guess i will have to eat more to make up for it then!

about a month ago we sent students home who had not paid school fees. to my dismay, a lot of my students were included in this lot. one of these students is a girl who is not only really sweet, but really intelligent too. last week though I saw her on saturday and was thankful that her family had come up with the money for school fees so she could return. the next day though, she was gone. it turns out, she had gone through an elaborate scheme of bleaching and transferring data onto a bank slip all so that she could come to school. her family indeed could not pay. i thought about this, and its just amazing. these girls want to come to school so bad, and certainly not just for the social aspect of it. there is a desire here that i wonder if many have in the states. im sad, shocked, amazed, and delighted at this spirit, but frustrated too.

i have running water in my house, but as of late northern and eastern uganda have had a serious drought. im starting to see first hand what it means when the Bible talks about having a drought in the land and the seriousness of the matter. there is famine in the east, and talk of it in the north. because of the drought, the water in my house was gone for about a week. water is still available, but like other ugandans, i had to pump it and transfer it from the borehole (well). sometimes the kids will do this and just absolutely stockpile jerrycans full of water on their bicycles and then push it some good distance home. i suppose, in comparison to them, i am a big wimp. i would fill two jerrycans (20 L each) and then walk them to my house 3 minutes away. i didn't like doing this though and so I came up with the obvious conclusion that the only way to minimize my time at the borehole was to minimize my water consumption. my hygiene during that week...not good.

what i eat-i have no fridge. i laugh at the thought. bread lasts, at max, 5 days, fruit less, and vegetables more. rice and millet are my go-to foods as they keep a while and are not terribly expensive in the market. lately though, ive been on a bit of an egg craze and have been purchasing eggs like gang-busters from the lady down the road. she probably thinks ive got a pet snake. oh, speaking of which, i could have had a pet snake, had i not killed the one that i found in my bathroom one night. now all you animal lovers, don't hate me. i wanted to usher it outside, but i kept thinking that if for some reason i failed to get it outside that it would go directly under my bed and then i would have a hay-day trying to get it out. i smashed it with a wood board. when i get bread, my maz taught me to make some mean cinnamon sugar bread as well as some garlic bread so i've also been testing out my skills in that department lately. i tried to make cookie dough using some sugar, flour, and raw eggs...the turnout was not kind to me in the bowel region.

two of my best friends are getting married in two days. if they were getting married over here, matt would have to pay stac's family a couple cows, possibly some goats and chickens, and maybe some monetary gift also. i think you're getting off easy matty.

the premier league starts soon in the soccer/football world. that means a large percentage of my free time will now hopefully be spent talking under the mango tree about how great wayne rooney is and how real madrid is trying to buy their way to the championship. don't tell anyone, but i don't mind this fact one bit. frankly, i think its genius.

over and out