Last post maybe

yes, this might be the last until i get to the states and finalize. We leave Gulu today and are going to some falls, then on a safari and white water rafting before we head home and I do not know if i will write or get to the internet but thank you all for reading and I will see you soon.

Ok here are photos from my last day in Atanga. I do not know the order but the one is obviously me teaching, yes I actually taught here. the picture of my class is awesome, that is how big one class is. The picture with the student is my boy Liboso Martin, he is great. I paid his school fees for the term so he better do well. The picture of the four of us is myself, my teacher Alfred, Otim john and David. The dude with a hat is Komakech, he is a teacher at Atanga and a funny guy and the last picture is the avsi people who became great friends and the woman on the far left is our sister Brenda, who cooked for us everyday up there. This was my life up there and it was amazing, I am happy to be coming home but I will miss these people dearly.

Last week in Atanga

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 Uganda.

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 Uganda. The drive back on Sunday was interesting, because within an hour of driving our tire blew out and we had to wait on the side of the road for a bit. I am sure all the passers by enjoyed seeing twenty plus muzungus chillin on the side of the road. Got back to Gulu and just went into town and enjoyed my last day there as I head back to Atanga tomorrow and then we begin our journey back to Kampala. Gulu is so unique, it is trying to modernize with a satellite here, an internet shop there, but then you go to the market and you step back a hundred years. It is changing and I hope the people there are ready for it.

Rhino Trip

Hey all,

Went to a rhino sanctuary this weekend, it was pretty cool, here is a pic from it. I cannot believe this is my last week teaching here. It has been such an amazing experience. (David and me at the Rhinos, we are freaken close to them!!!) I will post pictures from my school on Friday. Things have been hectic here but awesome. Africa is everything I imagined and more. Whether it is the nature, or people, or just being somewhere different in the world where you are not in your comfort zone is such a great feeling. Being an outsider gives perspective and I am so glad I had this opportunity. I have some great stories to tell when I get back. Also, some people have asked to get the blog so pass it on if you could.

Also, here are some blogs from the people that I am closest with here in Uganda. Take a look at them and see their perspective, here are the web addresses. www.teachinginvisiblechildren.blogspot.com (Alison),
caseyolson.blogspot.com (Casey),
mageeinuganda.blogspot.com (Papa bear Jon),
www.ugandaamatt.blogspot.com (Matt, oh yeah he graduated from STC in 1998, really weird)

HEALS dancers Sunday July 13, 2008

hey here is one picture to tide you over. Going on a rhino trip tomorrow and have a bunch of school pics to give you during my last week of teaching. Hope all is well.

Fort Petiko and week three at Atanga camp

Wednesday and Thursday July 16 and 17, 2008

Very normal days, almost routine but take a look at what else I have been up to below

Monday and Tuesday July 14 and 15, 2008

These past few days have been pretty frustrating ones for me. My main purpose for being in Northern Uganda is to teach and also to collaborate and guide with my partner teacher. I have collaborated and worked well with Alfred, but I have not been in the classroom yet this week because they do not follow their schedule at all here. Sometimes teachers do not show up so we have a lot of time to conduct class, sometimes we have only forty minutes, so it makes it really hard to plan for the day. Yesterday I did not teach because a group came to perform some skits on prevention for the new hepatitis that has emerged in Uganda. It is understandable but it was not made clear to me until I went to go in the room and they were there. Today I didn’t teach because the English teacher asked to have our time to test. It would be alright, except that Alfred still did not make arrangements to swap with that teacher. There is a lack of communication and accountability and it’s hard to hide my disappointment at times. Also, the students wonder and ask why I was not in the room and I feel like I let them down. The students complain everyday at morning assembly that the timetable is not followed by the teachers but it seems to be ignored.

Invisible Children is creating new footage of the schools to show people how the donations are being implemented. Today they came to our school and it was good to see the kids interact as they got the footage. Also, it was good to talk to some Americans who just came from the states and had a real fresh feeling about being here. I think because they were shooting today, the teachers really got into telling us about the war and the L.R.A. rebels. It is crazy to find out and hear their personal stories. They told us that most of the kids here in Atanga were abducted at one time or another by the L.R.A. and were forced to fight in the war. Many would escape and return home, some in a couple of days, others years. They told us how Atanga was or had the most L.R.A. activity and abductions because it is far away from any urban center. The leader of the L.R.A., Joseph Kony (google his name, his story is pretty amazing) once stayed in Atanga with his family. No one during the heavy fighting in the late 90’s and early 21^st century ever slept in their homes at night because the L.R.A. would come to take them to fight. They would sleep in open fields, where if they saw the L.R.A. they could run. David’s co-teacher Otim John told us how he heard the L.R.A. a hut or two away and took off his shirt so they could not grab him, put his blanket in water so they would not take it, hid his belt and sprinted out the door and was able to flee the L.R.A. These stories are so surreal sometimes. Many times, if captured, they would be forced to kill or they would be killed. Since the war has slowed, many of the former abducted have tried to become part of society again, but are shunned by their community for taking part in the conflict. Many have to move to a new place to get away from the stigma of being an L.R.A. member, despite the fact that many were forced into it. (Little disclaimer, the Ugandan army caused just as many atrocities as the L.R.A. and there is mistrust for both here in Northern Uganda)

It is ridiculous to think that that there has not been fighting since only 2006, but many still live in fear with no resolution so far. It is a very difficult thing to grasp, and I cannot imagine psychologically what these people have been through. Even today, nobody knows what Kony’s intentions are or even what he is doing. (He is believed to be in the Congo). He has not been in public for years. The people that speak for him contradict each other and that is what seems to be delaying the peace process, because Kony himself has not given his voice. It makes things difficult to stabilize , but these schools are a start, as many of these kids are reeducated and find some comfort at school.

Sunday July 13, 2008

Today we welcomed our teachers to the volunteer house for a good ole American themed picnic. The plan was to have theme experience a little bit of America by each of us making an American dish and playing some games. It was great, the teaches were trying the American food like mac and cheese, hot dogs, pasta salad, etc…, but there were many plates that still had a lot of food on them. They just do not like muzungu food too much, but we talked and played volleyball and it was a great success.

At about 5 the children from H.E.A.L.S. (after school program in Gulu) arrived to prepare for their performance for the Schools 4 Schools winners. The top high school students that raised the most money from the best schools are visiting Uganda for the next two weeks. It was such an amazing experience for a high school student to be a part of. I look forward to getting Schools 4 Schools started at Waubonsie. The performance was amazing and it definitely welcomed the American students to Uganda.

Saturday July 12, 2008

What an amazing day. We had a book talk which is getting tedious and old, but then we went into town for a couple of hours and had the best pork and cassava you can have. My stomach is still liking it so that is a major plus. We went to Fort Petiko today and it might have been the best day of the trip so far. It is an old Arab slave trading post that is about an hour away from Gulu. It was ended in 1872 when Sir Samuel Baker came and defeated the Arabs and liberated the people of the post. We took a historical tour which took about an hour and it was pretty informative, but then we went hiking up some of the great climbing areas that they had there. They had some great cliffs and rocks that came from old volcanic formations that were amazing and we in them and up them and I was able to take some amazing photos from it. It was such a great time to monkey around on the rocks and vines that they had there. The area looked like it was right out of The Lion King. We hiked around for a couple of hours and when we returned we had a great BBQ and watched a local soccer game. The day was fantastic to get out into the real nature of Africa. When we got back a group of us went out with Aliker David (Ugandan who is School coordinator for Invisible Children). We went to a place called DA PUB. We listened to him tell us why he cannot marry his kid’s mother yet. It seems that his wife is so highly educated (he paid for a lot of it) and she has a good job that the dowry he owes to her family is extremely high for those reasons. Also, since he does well for himself by Ugandan standards he has to pay more in order to show his worth. Until he does, the family does not recognize he exists and will not say hi to him if he sees them (we saw some in DA PUB and that is how the story started). He says an average dowry is eight cows, but his dowry is way above average and will cost a lot. I felt like buying him a cow right there. We ended the night leaving David and taking a crazy boda home, but the crazier they are the more fun I have on them, even though it is really dangerous at night, but so is walking as well.

Fort Petiko

Fort Petiko was amazing. It is an old slave trade sight that Sir Samuel Baker came and liberated in the late 19th century and now is a monument to that, but also an amazing place to go hiking. We hiked up into some of these old volcanic rifts and mounds and then had an amazing barbecue. It was a great day, here are some pics to look at. 2.5 weeks left, it is going so fast.