Well, the conference went rather well - Keyo did a GREAT presentation; we incorporated 2 skits and a powerpoint (as we found a projector at the IC offices and had a blank wall) - our teachers were really pleased with themselves and were proud of as well:) Daneen, Lisa, and I chose not to talk during the presentation as we wanted the Ugandans speaking to the Ugandans about issues that they face - we did not feel that as Americans we could really speak to the reality of the frustrations of teaching in Northern Uganda. We did participate in the skit and built the ppt. though! Saturday night was by far my most favorite night so far. We had a HUGE party at Acholi Inn - there was all-outdoor seating, catering provided, and a pool! All teacher groups (1,2,3 from the Teacher Exchange, Ugandan and International) were present and it was so much fun! In America we get so self conscious about dancing and 'letting loose', well in the presence of another culture and some Michael Jackson music, nobody really cared. We learned Acholi dances and just laughed and danced the night away - it was great excellence, if you could imagine some 120 Africans and Muno's (white people) dancing the night away on the lawn with a DJ; it was FABULOUS! Yesterday I went with Lisa to her teacher's house for lunch. Needless to say that this became an adventure as Florence had given Lisa inaccurate directions and we were driving out in the savannah (via boda of course) for sometime before we got the correct location of what Flo calls her "cave" - we took lunch and walked the grounds a little bit and then returned home. It was such a full weekend with the 2 day conference and the party, that I was exhausted and stayed in the for the evening, just reading and hanging out. Today, upon arrival to school, (note that it takes forever to just get there with a lot of waiting time in between) we found out that classes had been cancelled due to a national exam that was being given to all S2 (Senior Two (again, about 8/9th grade)) students. So, I love that I am now accustomed to this lack of planning because Daneen and I just laughed and said "Parace" (par-ach) which means "no problem". Therefore, we had to wait around for another 30 minutes until the lorry took us back to the displaced site so that we could walk back to the house - This Is Africa. I don't know if I will be teaching tomorrow, as they are to have some testing then as well, during the morning and our classes are in the "morning" (any class before lunch is considered morning). Tomorrow night Amy and I are taking Sam, Angeline and the boys out to dinner and the week is getting more and more packed before we leave for Jinja on Saturday. The high school students left on Sunday morning, closely followed by the arrival of Group 3's move-in - so we are still about 25 strong in the house with one shower. Tonight we (Group 1) has been invited back to Tom and Rose's house for dinner. Apparently they enjoyed us so much, and Daneen had written a great thank you note from us, that we have been asked to return - we are def. looking forward to it:)
The preposition lesson worked out amazingly - we ended up creating a fictional character called "Ayella" (which means causes trouble). We explained that Ayella is a stubborn undisciplined student and causes trouble in class. Ayella wears a hat, a vest, and a red nose. (I brought in props, Blake had a clown nose with him:). Then we had the students pair up and act out what Ayella would do in class using a prepositional word in the sentence. Our example was "Ayella exercises in class". After Angeline read the example sentence I put on the costume and did some jumping jacks and push up's in the front of the room (of course that day I chose to wear my white skirt). They were cracking up, but they got the idea and ALL students participated with their partners and we were able to assess their understanding of the grammar - and they got it! It was pretty funny they invented things like "Ayella jumps through the window" or "Ayella sings underneath the desk" and there they were jumping through windows and singing underneath desks - it was a good day!
So many people have been asking if I'm excited to get home - and my answer is 'yes' - after all it is my home. I feel that I have had a great experience here, all the while I do not feel guilty about returning to America - our lives are all relevant - I think some of the group members may feel bad about leaving their teacher or sad about it. I think that because my life has moved me around so much, and that people have often come and gone in my days that I am not upset or teary about "leaving" Angeline or the people of Gulu. I am hoping that some of the methodologies that Angeline and I used will be sustainable for her or that even she is encouraged in her practice, but if not, then I hope she knows she has a good friend in America that cares about her and her family.
It has been a good Moment.
Wrap-up entry, coming soon...
Shalom
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