Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
SADLY, THIS TOO MUST END! (tear falling)
So much has happened in the last 2 weeks—and now I am on the 13-hour plane ride home (and that’s only to NewYork). Then I’ve got another 8 hours before I land on Chattanooga soil. I cannot believe how time has flown, but isn’t it always the same?
Let’s start where I left off:
Rhino Sanctuary near Lake Karuma: Incredible experience—the photos will tell the tale better than can words. On the rhino visit, we took the Landcruiser as far as we could, then walked about 3 kms (kind of in circles) until we got up close and almost personal with 5 of the 6 rhinos in the sanctuary. The three females (the more aggressive of the two sexes) lined up facing us (see photo) and began to walk toward us together. The park rangers talked to them as they would children: “Corrie, Stop! Go back!” They finally obeyed and dispersed. (Btw. two of the rhinos a donation of Disneyworld, Florida). The sanctuary accommodations were incredible—had great food and comfortable beds—but best of all, peace reigned—there were no sounds of cars or music in the distance or people walking by…the loudest noises were bird calls. As a group we bonded, the setting conducive to sitting and talking. After it was dark, we lay on mats in the grass and stared at the stars for a couple of hours—I have never seen so many stars with the naked eye, we could even see the cream of the milky way, and we saw at least 15 shooting stars. The evening ended with me “hearing” something grazing in the bushes behind us—and knowing that the rhinos do sometimes come up to the campsite, we were all in each other’s laps before you knew it. Needless to say, one brave soul flashed a light in the direction of the sound to find a plant rustling in the breeze! What a great retreat away from our busy life in Gulu.
Last week of team teaching: Incredible experience II: I felt that the teachers were catching on to the methods, that the planning and teaching together were going so smoothly and especially, the students were making so many more connections to the material in the classroom—I think they were actually enjoying the classes. Also, I was learning the kids’ names, and getting to know a lot of them on a personal level.
Near the end of the week, the students performed the traditional dance (bwola) for us (see photos). Since it’s an all-boy school, some boys played the girls’ parts (the ones in skirts)—amazingly enough, they were able to do the girl dance moves. After the dance, I went to shake their hands to thank them and then, all of a sudden, was surrounded by warm, smiling African bodies so close to me, wanting to take pictures with me. I can’t explain the feeling, but the Ugandan timidity had been shed for a time while they let me know how much they appreciated me and they would miss me.
Originally, I thought that in coming to Africa, I would understand what it feels like to be a member of a minority group—boy, was I wrong. I feel different (yes they do stare at you), but I now know what it feels like to be a celebrity. They greet you and treat you like someone special: kids run after you when you’re passing on the boda, yelling “Munu how are you!” or adults smile as you pass, “You are welcome,” or the shyer Ugandan stares from afar and watches as you pass.
Which reminds me of my first day in Gulu town. IC administration told us not to take photos at all of people in the town until they got used to seeing us on a regular basis, an effort to change their perception of Americans as simply tourists. The first day in town, I was rounding a corner at one intersection, and then, feeling like someone was looking at me, I turned my head to the left to “catch” a man taking a picture of me with his cell phone. There was an awkward moment as he quickly put the phone down and looked at me with bit of a scared look on his face. I responded with a smile and the thumbs up, and then he laughed back. The irony of it all amused me. We Americans are often obsessed with taking pictures of them without a thought of how this makes them feel—this guy was bothered by his behaviour enough to need my “permission.” The funny thing is that all of us, without exception, never took the camera to Gulu in the end. We all felt that it would ruin our relationship with the town that began to get used to our presence as “locals” rather than tourists.
During the last week of school, we had a two-day teachers’ conference—this was by far one of the best ones I’ve attended as far as practicality goes—the material was so applicable for both the Western and African teachers.
Then we spent our last few days traveling a little. We went to Murchison Falls, did a safari (no lions—but lots of elephants, giraffes and all types of antelope and water buffalo. Leo, we even saw hippos in the Nile). We went rafting down the Nile. This part of the trip I approached with much apprehension because I was nervous about the class 5 rapids…but it was actually a lot of fun. We had a great guide—ended up flipping on a class 3 rapids and made the two 5ers—one girl who had done the tour twice before said that this was the first time they made the “big brother” class 5 rapids (as you go into them, you feel you are entering a giant black hole). We all chipped in and got the photos the professionals took (hope I can get them on line); at times we look as though we were totally submersed or literally floating precariously on top of a wave. There were long, calm moments between each rapid, so we were able to jump out and swim, and recuperate a bit before the next one. Several of the group (not I) went bungee jumping as well. We spent an afternoon at the craft market in Kampala…and got packed and ready for the big trip.
By the time I get this uploaded on my site, I will be home…
It was hard to say goodbye—I have made so many friends and have connected with so many people in Uganda, many of whom I’ve connected with spiritually. I have been able to witness on so many occasions and many have also witnessed and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. Often, they would ask me questions—it was almost as though the Spirit was preparing them beforehand. I have also made lifelong friends among the Westerners as well. Our group of 8 really bonded (second group of teachers are 22). Although I’ll admit that communal living was hard at the beginning, I quickly adapted and soon could sleep through any noise; I also got used to sharing showers and all the other amenities (even clothes and personal information). What an incredible 6 weeks! How I want to return one day—and soon—I would like to build on the connection I have with my students, and with the other friends I have met here…
I want to thank all of you for reading my blogs, for thinking of me, and especially those of you who have been praying for me! You don’t know what that means to me. I KNOW your prayers made a difference. I was in situations where I would feel the Spirit working and think, “Someone must be praying for me right now.” I look forward to meeting you and doing show-and-tell firsthand! God bless you all!
Let’s start where I left off:
Rhino Sanctuary near Lake Karuma: Incredible experience—the photos will tell the tale better than can words. On the rhino visit, we took the Landcruiser as far as we could, then walked about 3 kms (kind of in circles) until we got up close and almost personal with 5 of the 6 rhinos in the sanctuary. The three females (the more aggressive of the two sexes) lined up facing us (see photo) and began to walk toward us together. The park rangers talked to them as they would children: “Corrie, Stop! Go back!” They finally obeyed and dispersed. (Btw. two of the rhinos a donation of Disneyworld, Florida). The sanctuary accommodations were incredible—had great food and comfortable beds—but best of all, peace reigned—there were no sounds of cars or music in the distance or people walking by…the loudest noises were bird calls. As a group we bonded, the setting conducive to sitting and talking. After it was dark, we lay on mats in the grass and stared at the stars for a couple of hours—I have never seen so many stars with the naked eye, we could even see the cream of the milky way, and we saw at least 15 shooting stars. The evening ended with me “hearing” something grazing in the bushes behind us—and knowing that the rhinos do sometimes come up to the campsite, we were all in each other’s laps before you knew it. Needless to say, one brave soul flashed a light in the direction of the sound to find a plant rustling in the breeze! What a great retreat away from our busy life in Gulu.
Last week of team teaching: Incredible experience II: I felt that the teachers were catching on to the methods, that the planning and teaching together were going so smoothly and especially, the students were making so many more connections to the material in the classroom—I think they were actually enjoying the classes. Also, I was learning the kids’ names, and getting to know a lot of them on a personal level.
Near the end of the week, the students performed the traditional dance (bwola) for us (see photos). Since it’s an all-boy school, some boys played the girls’ parts (the ones in skirts)—amazingly enough, they were able to do the girl dance moves. After the dance, I went to shake their hands to thank them and then, all of a sudden, was surrounded by warm, smiling African bodies so close to me, wanting to take pictures with me. I can’t explain the feeling, but the Ugandan timidity had been shed for a time while they let me know how much they appreciated me and they would miss me.
Originally, I thought that in coming to Africa, I would understand what it feels like to be a member of a minority group—boy, was I wrong. I feel different (yes they do stare at you), but I now know what it feels like to be a celebrity. They greet you and treat you like someone special: kids run after you when you’re passing on the boda, yelling “Munu how are you!” or adults smile as you pass, “You are welcome,” or the shyer Ugandan stares from afar and watches as you pass.
Which reminds me of my first day in Gulu town. IC administration told us not to take photos at all of people in the town until they got used to seeing us on a regular basis, an effort to change their perception of Americans as simply tourists. The first day in town, I was rounding a corner at one intersection, and then, feeling like someone was looking at me, I turned my head to the left to “catch” a man taking a picture of me with his cell phone. There was an awkward moment as he quickly put the phone down and looked at me with bit of a scared look on his face. I responded with a smile and the thumbs up, and then he laughed back. The irony of it all amused me. We Americans are often obsessed with taking pictures of them without a thought of how this makes them feel—this guy was bothered by his behaviour enough to need my “permission.” The funny thing is that all of us, without exception, never took the camera to Gulu in the end. We all felt that it would ruin our relationship with the town that began to get used to our presence as “locals” rather than tourists.
During the last week of school, we had a two-day teachers’ conference—this was by far one of the best ones I’ve attended as far as practicality goes—the material was so applicable for both the Western and African teachers.
Then we spent our last few days traveling a little. We went to Murchison Falls, did a safari (no lions—but lots of elephants, giraffes and all types of antelope and water buffalo. Leo, we even saw hippos in the Nile). We went rafting down the Nile. This part of the trip I approached with much apprehension because I was nervous about the class 5 rapids…but it was actually a lot of fun. We had a great guide—ended up flipping on a class 3 rapids and made the two 5ers—one girl who had done the tour twice before said that this was the first time they made the “big brother” class 5 rapids (as you go into them, you feel you are entering a giant black hole). We all chipped in and got the photos the professionals took (hope I can get them on line); at times we look as though we were totally submersed or literally floating precariously on top of a wave. There were long, calm moments between each rapid, so we were able to jump out and swim, and recuperate a bit before the next one. Several of the group (not I) went bungee jumping as well. We spent an afternoon at the craft market in Kampala…and got packed and ready for the big trip.
By the time I get this uploaded on my site, I will be home…
It was hard to say goodbye—I have made so many friends and have connected with so many people in Uganda, many of whom I’ve connected with spiritually. I have been able to witness on so many occasions and many have also witnessed and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. Often, they would ask me questions—it was almost as though the Spirit was preparing them beforehand. I have also made lifelong friends among the Westerners as well. Our group of 8 really bonded (second group of teachers are 22). Although I’ll admit that communal living was hard at the beginning, I quickly adapted and soon could sleep through any noise; I also got used to sharing showers and all the other amenities (even clothes and personal information). What an incredible 6 weeks! How I want to return one day—and soon—I would like to build on the connection I have with my students, and with the other friends I have met here…
I want to thank all of you for reading my blogs, for thinking of me, and especially those of you who have been praying for me! You don’t know what that means to me. I KNOW your prayers made a difference. I was in situations where I would feel the Spirit working and think, “Someone must be praying for me right now.” I look forward to meeting you and doing show-and-tell firsthand! God bless you all!
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