Celebrating Sport Leadership

Ciaran was able to indulge his passion for rugby and for sport generally over the course of the trip:

It was really interesting learning the different aspects of sport that Namilyango had to offer. The quality of sport and leadership skills presented by the boys amazed me; their driving passion to excel in all areas of school on and off the field was truly spectacular! An experience I’ll never forget. 

This joyous photograph was taken at the end of one of the sport leadership sessions that were undertaken at a local primary school.  Pupils and student leaders seemed to enjoy the experience in equal measure.

More Photos in Fifty Words

It definitely seems as though the visit to Hands for Hope really stood out in everyone's memory.

Here's what Izzie says:

I was surprised at how welcoming the students were and how stunning the fertile countryside was. My highlight of the trip would be visiting the “Hands for Hope” charity in the Namuwongan Slums as it has made me consider my outlook on life. I would love to go back one day.

A Thousand Ugandan Welcomes

Sam says:

Uganda was probably the happiest, smiliest and friendliest place I have ever been; everywhere I went they greeted you nicely. The Ugandans are not only friendly whilst greeting they are constantly friendly and put others before themselves. Since the trip I have been wiser with money and tend to be happier.

I couldn't agree more, Sam. Even this road looks as though it is smiling (though I suspect that the people in this traffic jam may not have been.)

In fact, I penned a little poem whilst I was there on the same subject:  A Thousand Ugandan Welcomes:

A Thousand Ugandan Welcomes

There is welcome in your collective smile
Two thousand rows of pearly teeth
A grin that's broader than the Nile
And a giant beating heart beneath

There's a welcome in the sunshine,
That caresses skin like an old friend
And darkens it as days go by
Warming the blood to heal and mend.

There's welcome in the falling rain,
Passionately kissing an earth that's dry
And welcome in that reddened earth
That clags and clings as you go by.

There's welcome from desmodium
That will go home on our clothes
A sweet reminder that leaves its mark:
Hooking on, it won't let go.

There's welcome in the smiling moon
It's crescent lips that whisper soft
Sweet dreaming under African stars
That wink down from aloft

There's welcome in matooke
Ambrosia, sweet and good
A staple and speciality:
A soul-warming food.

There's welcome in the flowers
That with hands held high are made
Bouquets for your visitors of
Blossoms that will never fade.

There's welcome in a thousand other things:
The Maribou stork that flew to meet us
Cassava plants, the guava's sweetness
Bonga, handshakes, symbols that complete us.

So we thank you deeply, kindly
And say Tusanyuse okokulaba
You too, my friends, are welcome.



Theresa Gooda
October 2014

'Hands for Hope': A Real Highlight

Jack says:

There is a new part of me which has developed a soft spot for Uganda and the Namilyango students. The environment is so friendly and I have made so many new friends who I still keep in contact with. My highlight of the trip would be going to visit the 'Hands For Hope' educational charity. The work they do there is fantastic.

Good news: it looks like the Weald will be supporting Hands for Hope as one of their selected charities in 2015.  But the question is: what exactly is happening in this photograph?!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.

The students were invited to share a single photograph from the trip; an image which had a special significance for them.  Here's the first in the series.

Georgie says:

Meeting the people in the Namowongan slums had the biggest impact on me. Despite living in complete poverty, I was shocked by how welcoming and positive they all were. This made me consider my own life and outlook; I appreciate what I have so much more now.

School Days

Thursday was a school day, though 5.30 am 'prep' was optional (at least for our students).

I team-taught a Senior 3 class who were studying Tarantella by Hillaire Belloc; it seemed strange to meet such a familiar name in such a foreign environment. I also had the opportunity to teach some creative writing techniques to Senior 2, but I had a little more preparation time this time round.  After lunch I met with Senior 5 students (equivalent of our Year 12) for an hour to discuss their English Literature course and assessment, whilst our students enjoyed a tour of the school including science and art rooms.

We spent the evening at the Ridar Hotel, and most took the opportunity to order pizza and enjoy a brief return to Western food.  We have all got used to the beans and posho that form the evening meal each night but it was nice to have a break from it, too.

Upon our return we were invited to another NAPA performance on the main stage.  Christmas had come early to Namilyango because we were treated to some energetically conducted Christmas carols and a nativity skit, (the crib selfie was a particular highlight, as were the representations of a heavily pregnant Mary as enacted by an all-male cast) as well as some acoustic guitar and recorder music and another extended version of the tribal drumming and dance. The day began and ended with poetry, as one of the boys had penned a dramatic performance piece called 'Blaite'.

Friday began with morning parade, and the official handing over of the rugby shirts, balls and frisbees that we brought with us.  We had the first two lessons at school, but after morning break we headed to Kiwanga Charity home and its neighbouring primary school.

Like at Hands for Hope on Wednesday, there were moments at Kiwanga that were quite hard to take, but by the end of our time there we'd all made some new friends.

After lunch was an aborted frisbee session as the rains came down with a vengeance!

Our week was nearly up.  How quickly it passed, and how much we saw and did in such a short space of time.

Hands for Hope: the Hardest Day

Wednesday was our visit to Kampala, and it began with a visit to 'Uganda Hands for Hope'. This was an amazing highlight, or perhaps a lowlight of the trip. It is an organisation who tackle poverty, health and education in Namuwongo, one of Kampala's largest and poorest slums.  On arrival we were welcomed by a gaggle of bright-eyed children, all of whom were were in school uniform and looked relatively well-nourished.

But then we were taken on a walk around the community where they live.  The experience was truly indescribable.  My students will say that I am not often lost for words, but I certainly was on this occasion, as we heard the harrowing stories of poverty and tragedy that breathe amongst the stench of the slum. It was really hard not to be affected by what we saw. I'm using pictures supplied by the organisation and it didn't seem right to take our own photographs there.

Many of the students were in tears; it was like those heart-wrenching clips that you see on Sport Relief where celebrities are overcome by emotion.

The contrast between inside Uganda Hands for Hope and the slum city beyond served to emphasise what a good job is being done by the organisation. You can find out more about them and their work here: http://www.ugandahandsforhope.org/

Afterwards were stops at the Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals in Kampala, the state museum and the Kasubi tombs (where all the girls were given sarong-like skirts to wear). We also saw the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Clock Tower, drove through Makerere university where a number of the Namilyango teachers studied, and were back at college in time for dinner with the boys.

Jinja Jewels

Tuesday was our trip to Jinja and the 'source of the Nile'.  En route we stopped for a forest walk:

The area at Jinja was beautifully landscaped and teeming with wildlife. John Henning Speke apparently 'discovered' the source in 1862. The Ugandan students were surprised to learn that we didn't know anything about this 'Great Briton'.

We took a boat-ride on the Nile, over to a little island where we saw monitor lizards, cormorants, herons, kingfishers and monkeys.  Once on the island we paddled round in ankle-deep water and through a little shop, also on water(!) round to a little sign marking the actual source.

Back on shore, lunch was at 'Rumours' restaurant where many of us had our first taste of 'Tallapia', the local fish. 

On the way home we stopped at Mukono market, something of an eye-opener for many of us.

 It was a great day, and a little more relaxing than the last few days of travel and school (though definitely not a holiday, Mr Woodman, if you are reading this). Uganda is the pearl of Africa; Jinja is definitely another jewel.

 

A Quick Round-Up Of Our First Few Days

Sunday was our first full day, and it began, as it always does at Namilyango College, with mass.  Two and a half hours of worship.  No making of the 'sign of peace', though; a wave suffices as a precaution against spreading disease. In the afternoon we visited a primary school to meet the children and play sports with them, teaching them to play 'team frisbee' with the frisbees we brought with us. It went down very well!

We saw a traditional dance and drumming accompaniment in the afternoon, and tried yam and cassava in the evening.  

Monday saw a very early start as the students experienced 'morning prep' for the first time.  This begins at 5.30am each day, so it meant a 4.30am wake-up (for the girls, at least).

The day began in earnest at 7.15am with 'morning parade' where we introduced ourselves and gave an address to the whole school.

The students went into lessons from 8.00am.  I had hoped to observe some myself, but some chalk was thrust into my hand, I was ushered in to a senior 2 class (Year 8/9 equivalent) of approximately 64 boys, and the door closed behind me.  I was teaching my first lesson in Uganda!  

At the end of the lesson, the students made 'flowers' with their hands by way of thanks, so it can't have gone too badly...

The afternoon was spent in primary schools doing some more sport leadership with the pupils.

The day finished with a walk into the local centre, and a tour of a farm to see the agriculture and livestock.  On the way home we stopped in one of the mud huts where the men were drinking 'ajen'. Students not allowed!

There has certainly been plenty to see and do on our first two full days.  More news to follow soon!

"Travelling Is Only Glamorous in Retrospect"

Well, my plan of keeping everyone up to date with our movements has failed miserably with only intermittent opportunities for wifi connection.  We are well in to our trip and have already enjoyed many adventures.

Our arrival was not as smooth as we might have hoped.  After a horrible four-hour trip to Heathrow where we rarely got above three miles an hour on the M25 and frantic phone calls were being made to ensure that we made the flight, tried to find alternative routes and liaised with the airport parking company, we eventually checked in with a whole minute to spare.  Once we had got our breath back, we were lucky enough to witness a beautiful sunrise over Ethiopia from 30,000 feet.

Unsurprisingly, since West Africa is in the grip of its worst Ebola epidemic for years, there was a disease control checkpoint in the airport terminal as we arrived for our stopover in Addis Ababa. Eleven of our number passed through without incident, but one student was evidently registering a slight temperature and was pulled aside. The removal of a few layers of clothing combined with some anxious gulps of water saw her through at the fourth attempt.  But I'll let Chloe tell her own story...

The flight onwards to Entebbe was only half full, and browsing the inflight magazine I noticed the quotation, 'Travelling is only glamorous in retrospect". 

It might almost have been prophetic, since after a warm welcome at the airport, this happened:

It meant three hours by the roadside 10km out of Kampala, whilst an assortment of Ugandans with varying degrees of mechanical expertise attempted to repair the leaking radiator in the borrowed school bus. It meant that our journey took twenty six hours in total, but the tiredness was offset by some roadside jackfruit and sightings of Maribou stork on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Rival Blog

One of our students has also created their own 'Weald in Uganda' blog:

Check out these links:

http://wealdtouganda.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/off-to-uganda.html

http://wealdtouganda.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/24-hours-on-clock.html

It Isn't A Holiday...

Two more students, Ciaran and Georgie, offer some of their thoughts prior to departure.  Just twenty four hours to go, now...

Ciaran:

At present I suppose you could say I'm slightly too relaxed about leaving my family for nine days, living a very different lifestyle and eating some "interesting" foods. But I guess I am extremely thrilled to be given the opportunity.

A couple of months back when this trip was first presented to me, I was a bit apprehensive to say the least. However with less than 24 hours till my great adventure begins, I'm glad I grabbed this opportunity and am prepared for whatever experiences Uganda throws at me!

Georgie:

When I first signed up to go on the Uganda trip, my initial feeling was just excitement. I was excited about it all: going on the plane, staying at the school, trying new food and meeting new people. Although I’m still just as exited as I was then, it’s only been in the last few days that my nerves have kicked in.

The trips has seemed quite surreal until now, one day before we go. It’s only just hit me what is actually going to happen on this trip. It isn’t a holiday- we’re going to be staying in a completely alien environment for nine days. I’m a little nervous that I’ll get ill, because of the threat of malaria and other diseases out there. I’m also nervous that I might accidentally offend someone, because their culture is a lot stricter and conservative compared to ours.

Although I am nervous, I’m mainly just exited and interested to see how their culture is different to mine. I think I’m going to really enjoy this trip- I can’t wait!

Thoughts Before Departure

How are the students feeling as they make their final preparations?

From Izzie:

Two days to go! I am currently filled with excitement mixed with trepidation for this eye-opening trip. Firstly, I am excited because I can’t wait to see the differences between Uganda and England and have an experience I may never have again in my lifetime. I can’t wait to see whether my preconceived ideas are correct. I am very interested to see their culture and views. However, there are parts of me that feels apprehensive. Mainly because of the food, but I’m willing to give it a try!

It seems unfeasible that I’m going to Uganda. This time last year I would never have believed it.


From Zoë:

At the moment I can’t decide if I am more nervous or excited about going; it just doesn't seem real right now as it has all ways seemed quite a long way off. My arm has been prodded and poked so many times from all of the jabs, my bag is almost packed and I started taking my malaria tablets this morning.

I’m not really sure what to expect to see out there, or what the food will be like or the lifestyle. I’m looking forward to the warmth over there compared to the cold October we have had so far as I really hate the cold.

From Jaida:

I'm not exactly sure how I'm feeling about going to Uganda. It's an amazing experience and one I'm sure I will enjoy; I just don't quite think it has hit me just yet that we are actually going. I am definitely looking forward to going back out to Africa after my trip this summer and I think it will be interesting to make a comparison. I think for me the best part of the trip will be meeting all of the boys, especially if we go to the primary school. Although childcare isn't something I would enjoy as a profession, I definitely enjoy spending time with kids. This trip will be amazing.

The Countdown Begins

It is now just forty-eight hours until our scheduled departure time from school.

My thoughts should be all about the horizon, but in fact I am in no small panic about how things are going to operate at home whilst I am away.  I am leaving my three children for the first 'extended' period of time.  They are 3, 5 and 7 years old and, with my husband working next week, it has been very complicated to organise childcare.  In fact, there is a colour-coded spreadsheet in triplicate explaining where they are and who is looking after them at all times. Now that is in place I can start to look forward again.

Lists have been made. Anti-malarials begin tomorrow. The bag is half-packed.

Deep breath.  The adventure begins in earnest on Friday...

Tales of the Unexpected

So the nights draw in and the trip draws closer.  That means plenty of evenings spent reading through my long African booklist.

I've deviated slightly from Uganda-specific novels and am thoroughly enjoying The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, a tale of white missionaries in the Congo.  I feel this tangent is justified though, because as my geography of the region improves, I realise that Uganda borders this giant country, known today as the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

The family in the story move, in 1959, to a rural location along the Kwilu River, (to the far left on the map).  I'm really enjoying the different narrative voices in the story, especially Adah's and her propensity for creating palindromes; but I was particular disturbed by the following passage:

Cooking meals here requires half the day, and cleaning takes the other half.  We have to boil our water because it comes from the stream, where parasites multiply in teeming throngs.  Africa has parasites so particular and diverse as to occupy every niche of the body: intestines small and large, the skin, the bladder, the male and female reproductive tracts, interstitial fluids, even the cornea.  In a library book on African public health, before we left home, I found a drawing of a worm as thin as a hair meandering across the front of a man's startled eyeball.  I was struck through with my own wayward brand of reverence: praise by the lord of all plagues and secret afflictions! If God had amused himself inventing the lilies of the field, he surely knocked His own socks off with the African parasites. (p76)

Now I am thankful for a number of things:

1. This is a work of fiction
2. It was set in the fifties
3. It is at least a thousand kilometres away from where we are heading
4. I have now had all my jabs

Have you had yours?!

Armchair Adventures

With my arm smarting from the first of several vaccinations (Tetanus & Diptheria and Typhoid, today) and with eight weeks to go until departure, my thoughts turn to another kind of preparation for our trip.

I know, as an English teacher, it's stating the obvious, but I do quite like to read the odd book.

And when I'm visiting a country for the first time I like to read fiction that is set in that place.  I'm not very good at retaining facts and figures: I'll leave that to Mr Woodman who will, no doubt, approach this from a far more rational perspective and arrive armed with data and statistics about rainfall, population density, educational history, and the price of coffee.  So, I'll look forward to his powerpoint presentation, and meanwhile, I'll settle down with a good book.  It is the way, for me, to bring a country to life in my imagination - and to add flames to the fire of my excitement about visiting.

Here are a few that will shortly be lining my bookshelves:

Abyssinian Chronicles by Moses Isegawa
In A Free State by VS Naipaul
White Teeth by Okot p'Bitek
The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden
The Ghosts of Eden by Andrew JH Sharp
The Gravity of Sunlight by Rosa Shand
Fong and the Indians by Paul Theroux

Reviews and recommendations to follow shortly!

The Adventure Starts Here

The planning for the Weald School’s inaugural visit to Uganda is underway.  The stage is set: the students have been selected; as have the teachers - myself (Mrs Gooda in the English department) and Mr Woodman, headteacher,  and now we await confirmation and details.

Mr Woodman’s aspiration to establish a new East African link for the school looks like becoming a reality: A reality in the not too distant future.  If all goes according to plan then we are just three months away from departure to the Pearl of Africa.  I didn’t know that Uganda was known as that until today, but a pearl is something precious and cherished, rare and beautiful, brilliant and lustrous. I hope so.  The Visit Uganda website promises ‘stunning landscapes, incredible wildlife and unforgettable experiences’ which is what the students (and I) have signed up for. But we are all quite clear that (get ready to join in with the chorus) ‘this is not a holiday’. We will all be out of our comfort zones, for much of the trip.

Uganda: A country where savanna meets jungle, and both straddle the equator. I have dusted down my travelling boots after a good few years, and this is a part of the world that I have never been to before. The fact that we are staying in a school will be another factor that will make this trip special: the privilege of seeing, first hand, an education system within a totally different culture.

I am delighted and excited and terrified and overwhelmed, all at once.  That’s quite a lot to handle. So I want to capture the experience on this blog as precious memories are created. I hope that some of my fellow travelers will wish to contribute, too.

Here begins the adventure!