Uganda 2014: Week 9

Professional

‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ Dr Seuss (cited in Stone, 2008, p.74)

My lovely class

Learning about the parts of our body

Six weeks have flown by. It seems like yesterday I arrived in school for my first day teaching P2Y. I was apprehensive as I stood in front of 73 excited children, concerned that they would go wild as they knew I wouldn’t cane them. Yet, the past few weeks have been completely fun - filled and I’ll never forget their love of singing and dancing and their hysterical laughing at their crazy ‘muzungu’ teacher.

As part of the theme ‘School’ we created a beautiful collage. The children were so pleased with what they had achieved and it has and it has pride of place on the wall in their classroom.

School Collage

Two of many 'stars'

Each week I choose two stars of the week which motivated my class to put in effort in their work and to behave appropriately in class. On the last day I prepared 73 little gifts for the 73 stars in my class. So much time was put into preparing them but to see their smiles and how grateful they were made it all worthwhile. To say thank you we gave the Headteacher, KS1 headteacher and my class teacher gifts as they have been a great support during our time in City Parents.

73 little parcels

It was difficult saying goodbye on Friday especially with all the hugs and pupils saying ‘I’ll miss you Teacher Naomi’, but my time in City Parents was made when a little girl said ‘Teacher Naomi, you showed us love and care.’ I prepared many lessons for that class but the most important lesson I wanted to teach the boys and girls was that they are special and loved and even if that is the only thing they remember, then my time here has been very worthwhile.

Time to say goodbye

Cultural

‘For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.’ (Canfield et al., 2014, p.114)

Not long after starting university one of our lecturers gave us an important piece of advice: ‘In Uganda everyone smiles, but not everyone who smiles is safe.’

Naturally we attract a lot of attention when moving in Kampala. ‘Muzungus’ are considered wealthy and so we are careful to carry only the money and valuables we need, never taking our phones (except our trusty Ugandan phones) out in public.

Normally Nicola and I travel together wherever we are going as we feel safer. On Saturday the boys from the Tomorrow’s Heroes home invited us to their church the next day so we promised to attend. Unfortunately Nicola was unwell on Sunday morning so I headed out on my own. Yes I was scared but I called our Boda Boda driver and he made sure I arrived safely and even waited outside for an hour and half to make sure I got back safely. Caution is important but we have grown in confidence and are aware of the areas that are not safe and are careful to avoid them.

Personal

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody.” Mother Teresa (cited in Knechtle, 1986, p.63)

The uncles and the boys

Some of the street kids who fled from home left because they felt unloved or unwanted. That feeling is not a feeling that disappears overnight and even whilst on the street they are often attacked by men or chased by the police. The boys who live in the Tomorrow’s Heroes home spend much time alongside a social worker receiving support but sometimes they just love a friend to have a laugh with. On Saturday Nicola and I went to visit armed with lots of crisps, soda and heaps of energy for the afternoon ahead. They kept us entertained watching ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ in Luganda, joking around and taking pictures on my phone. Over the next four weeks we can’t wait to spend more time getting to know them all even better.