Wednesday July 23, 2008
Today was a crazy day. The big event was David and I running a professional development for all the teachers at Atanga S.S. I was nervous as we wanted Alfred and John to play a major role in validating our teaching strategies. Also, how would the teachers react? I did not want them to think that we are forcing American ideas on them, but just trying to help pass along the fortunate situations we have been in.
Anyways, it was a success despite Alfred’s lack of preparation or desire to help. The teachers really seemed to take to the help and it was great to see that all the teachers really do seem to appreciate us being in Atanga. Anyways, mistake of the trip after that. David and I decided to go for a walk and literally got caught for 35 minutes in some of the hardest rain that I have ever been in. I was ridiculous and all the Ugandans laughed and watched from inside as we were the only ones on the road in the rain, but we definitely experienced
Monday and Tuesday July 21 and 22, 2008
Well we are back in Atanga for our last week and I am excited. Monday was a very routine day up here as Alfred and I got into our final week of teaching together. Tuesday provided much more excitement as David and Otim John came to observe Alfred and I teach. It was as if a light finally turned on in Alfred’s head, as he finally got what it meant to team teach. I was so happy to see that I have had some impact on him as we end our adventure together. After school we had our boy Komakech take us around the IDP camp. We cannot move alone, as we would look like tourists, but we were with Komakech as guests and it was all good. The camp was so much larger than I expected it to be. On the south end of the camp people have seemed to settle and accept peace and have begun to rebuild, farm and create permanent residence here. On the north end it was the opposite, very close together and poor where people seem to still feel worried and unsafe. The experience was amazing and I was able to gain some greater insight into life after the war.
Saturday and Sunday July 19 and 20, 2008
Today we are heading to visit the rhino sanctuary. It was setup to release captive rhinos back into the wild, two came from Animal Kingdom at Disney. It was a long trip in the mutatus, about three hours. The mutatus scare the heck out of me because they are beat up vans that have roll bars in them and can flip at any moment because of the crazy roads. Anyways, we stopped on the way and people come sprinting up to the vehicles with food and other things and they jam them through the windows. Things like bad peanuts, amazing chapatti and of course hepatitis on a stick (pork that has been on the ground for days). Once we reached the park our accommodations were very nice. We had a whole house to ourselves and they cooked very westernized dishes for us, because very few Africans visit there (by the way the food jacked me up, enough said). Anyways, we went a couple kilometers deep into the sanctuary and popped out into this little savanna. Sitting there were five giant rhinos grazing in the open area. It was phenomenal. Usually that many are not together so we felt super lucky to be out there. I was able to get about 15 feet from them and they are massive but really mellow. They would trot around and bump each other, it was such a crazy experience. The rest of the time was just a chance to relax and get away as we prepare for our last week in
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