After patiently waiting outside immigration for about two hours we clamber inside carrying all documents we have been asked to bring (the folder under my arm is thicker than an Australian hamburger!) Once inside, the gentlemen quickly flicks through… asserts we need three more documents; one was a copy of the TEAMS constitution with a stamp in the top right corner. We have almost every possible official document of TEAMS with us except this one: how could they possibly want more? We asked for more information about this other official TEAMS document, he goes over to the shelf where there is clearly an order amongst the disorderly files: he pulls out a file containing ALL official government documents for The East African Missionary Society – shows us this ‘missing’ piece of paper we need, and says we need to bring in a photocopy of this document. We couldn’t help but laugh. “You have the document right here, can’t you photocopy it?” He certainly didn’t see the funny side. “No, you need to bring me in a copy.” A few hours later, and thanks to my amazing parents, Tatton, Sook and Liam for helping out with these ‘missing documents’ we return to hear we have all the right documents now – praise God! But we need to return tomorrow with a photocopy of all of them (one for the NGO Board and one for Immigration) – oh, and we also need to buy the correct manilla folder for them to file our application in 🙂 Slowly slowly… as they say here mot mot – but at least the ball is rolling!
This notice was stuck to a plastic table for sale in a Ugandan supermarket. Note: the staff were taking ‘leisure’ on the rugs nearby, it is good they listened 🙂
I don’t condone violence as a teacher: the children here quickly realised that the ‘Muzungu’ teacher will not hit them, but today it was a pupil who stepped in to help out with some of my ‘discipline’…
Scenario: quite chatty P7 class (but who could blame them). The time was just after midday, I had already taught them at 7.30am, it was the school holidays, and they were made to come back in and have ‘holiday lessons’ to make sure they pass exams. After a few requests for all pupils to be quiet I decided to move one of the ‘chatty back-seat’ boys to the front. He refused. I signalled again: he still refused, and other pupils started to beckon him to move to the front. Instead, he moved to the opposite side of the room and took up another ‘back-seat’. I repeated my instructions and said that he saw where I pointed and he should move there. He slowly got up, shuffled his way towards the front and then called out something to me in Luo (the local language). I assumed this was some sort of insult. (Now, my mind is in fourth gear: how do I deal with this situation – they didn’t teach me this at my London uni!). Instantly a girl in the front row got up, ‘decked him’ and he fell flat to the floor. Shortly afterwards he got up and had a ‘scuffle’ with the girl and were soon pulled apart by other pupils. (Now in fifth gear: what will I do?). Hmmm wait for them to calm down and then continue teaching. After setting an exercise I quietly asked the girl what the boy had said. His apparent insult was “I am an Acholi, so you talk to me in Acholi, you tell me to sit in the local language”. Not as bad as I thought, but I still have to do something. Hmmm: tell another teacher and he will be beaten to bruises…. I wait… and think… then go and approach him, kneeling next to him. I told him I was confused and needed his help to understand some things. I ask him what language the subject is in and what language the exam is in he just sat. English. It then went something like this: “My mother tongue is English. My first language is English. I am from Australia and England. Your first language is not English. Do you want to improve your English? Do you want to get better in the exam?” (I get a meek yes in response). “I left England and came here to help you improve your English and so you would get better results at school. I cam here to help P7 at Layibi Techo improve their English. I like you. You are a bright boy (smartest in the class). You could go to university. You could have a very bright future ahead of you. But you won’t if you continue to act like that. You need to think with your heart and your head before you act. You keep this up and no one will like you, no one will respect you, and you will not have a good future in life. I am your English teacher and you should respect me. I am here for you but it’s your future and you need to make the right decisions.” By now tears are streaming down his face and he is shielding his head in his arms. Did I break him? Did I succeed? Did I fail? Did I show weakness in how I reacted? Time will tell…
“My father never allowed me to go to school. He said that in our culture, men would never marry an educated woman. But now I am so happy to be able to have the opportunity to learn to read and write. I am so excited that I now know how to hold a pen! I can write the letter a and m. And I am learning to read! Thank you for this opportunity!”
TEAMS adult literacy student (she shared this with me when I visited her class today)
Scenario: Have almost all the paperwork ready to apply for a permit to stay longer. In meantime, need to apply for a visa extension while we get paperwork sorted.
Immigration officer: “I would give you an extension but I can’t, I don’t have a stamp. Stamp is over. Stamp has been over for the last month, so don’t wait for it.”
Daniel: “Well what do we do?”
Immigration officer: “Write a letter explaining you need your visa extended, will send it to Kampala on the bus with your passports.”
(We arrive the next day with our letter)
Immigration officer, 45 minutes late to work, arrives, checks letter, says it is ok.
Immigration officer: “We have run out of envelopes” (gets a sheet of old newspaper and wraps up our passports with visa money and bus fare inside)
Daniel: “And the letter?”
Immigration officer: “Oh yeah, forgot about that.”(Opens up newspaper passport package, inserts letter in with passports and staples newspaper together.)
Immigration officer: “Should be back next Friday.”
(Knock at the door).
Immigration officer: “You are finished”.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support re: Ojok Christopher and his operation on his feet. I spoke to his sister tonight and from what I understand (in broken English both ends…) the operation was a success! I believe they have already operated on both feet and he will stay in hospital for about 4 months for recovery. Ojok Christopher is a P6 pupil at my school, Layibi Techo, who has ‘Club Foot’. He has been like this since birth. A UK-based charity funded the operation costs, he just needed a little help getting it all organised. Let’s pray for a good recovery! Keep you posted 🙂
When the inspectors come and you are to be observed this is what we do: all children to put up their hand, right hand if they know the answer, left hand if they don’t; tell them you will say any name and even if you don’t get their name right they are to answer (because they expect you to know every child’s name); you can’t hit them then so for one stubborn one I trod on his foot while I was teaching; or you can pinch them in their side when inspector not looking
Ugandan teachers
This brave little drummer boy has half completed the daring task of shaving his long luscious locks for the children of Gulu. And his wife was the one carrying the scissors and clippers! Jimmy so far has raised more than £700 for books for the local school library and a Sunday school room for children (rather than sitting outside in the rain 🙂
One intriguing anonymous bidder challenged Jimmy to do half now and half later to double his bid…
Check out his progress at: http://www.everyclick.com/thebigchop
Good on ya Jimmy!
This brave little drummer boy has half completed the daring task of shaving his long luscious locks for the children of Gulu. And his wife was the one carrying the scissors and clippers! Jimmy so far has raised more than £700 for books for the local school library and a Sunday school room for children (rather than sitting outside in the rain 🙂
One intriguing anonymous bidder challenged Jimmy to do half now and half later to double his bid…
Check out his progress at: http://www.everyclick.com/thebigchop
Good on ya Jimmy!
If you don’t own a hat just… make one! Out of an old bag of cement of course! Now that is just ingenious and certainly good recycling 🙂
Dan and Jodes... in Gulu, Uganda 