Hello All,
Happy Monday. We are getting all settled in here in Kampala. The people here are so kind. …Well, it is a free-for-all on the roads, but for the most part, the people here are very kind. Many Ugandans aren’t exactly sure what to make of us mzungus (white people), but a kind word and a smile on our part can generate some of the biggest smiles you have ever seen, as well as some very interesting conversations. And it is so nice to be around people who love to laugh as much as Ugandans. Africans are extremely social and communal. …you know, just like me (this is Gary writing, if you can’t sense my sarcasm). But as much as I am often times ready to get on with it and get to work, it is nice to just slow down and appreciate each other. This is just one of many lessons I’m sure I will be taught while I am here.
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| Ggaba Road |
We had a good weekend. It was nice just getting a little time to wander a little more on our own. We had fun trying to stock up our kitchen with a little more food shopping. Erin fixed her first meal in our kitchen and proved that this kitchen can produce excellent meals just fine! She prepared pasta primavera, ……and I cleaned my plate. We then finished it off with an awesome, fresh pineapple that cost us the equivalant of 50 cents.
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| Maggie showing us around |
The weekend also consisted of the Donahues showing us around a little deeper into downtown Kampala where there are a few more westernized stores. Maggie took us to a fish market, and we took more boda rides. Sunday morning we walked to a church service not too far, and enjoyed worshiping and praising as one with people of very different heritages.
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| The Donahues |
I think we’ve mentioned it a few times, but we are so glad God has been watching out for us. Our transition here thus far has been absolutely seamless. Everything has fallen into place beautifully, and we know that’s no coincidence. He’s provided wonderful people to show us how to do life here and just to share their awesome stories of God’s work here. Maggie and the Donahues are continuing to take very good care of us, showing us the ropes. I don’t believe we’ve mentioned, but the Donahues have a 6 year old son named Caleb, and he is a bunch of fun. He is excited about just about everything and has no problems telling us what we need to see in Uganda.
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A view of Erin's classroom
through the window |
Erin will start her classroom preparation at the school this week. We’ve gotten a peek of her classroom, and hopefully she will be able to get in it soon. I was pretty excited to see the classroom with ‘SCIENCE’ on the door. Erin seemed to be more concerned with the mess inside that she will have to organize, but I was happy to see where she will be and will soon get settled in. It is a beautiful campus, complete with stone paths and well taken care of green spaces. The school is growing, and they are currently building several more classrooms. Tomorrow all the new teachers report, and she will get an official tour of the campus. Erin is very eager to meet with some of her fellow teachers and admin and get a few more of her questions answered. It is hard for a natural planner to be going into the school year so blind. But it is truly inspiring to see her be excited to tackle the start of class whatever direction it goes. I hope I prove to be half as good as she is with rolling with the punches. Students arrive for classes on the 22nd of August.
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Heritage International School Campus
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| To the eMi office |
I put in a day of work at the eMi office today. It felt good getting settled in and finally getting ‘back to work.’ It is very quiet in the office these days as most of the crew is back in the US for a conference - so Robert Donahue and I have the run of the place. I worked today with some minor tasks on an orphanage project and school project while I familiarized myself with eMi standards, building practices, and working with the metric system. It was interesting walking to work today on a dirt road saying "hi" to the goats that woke me up this morning with their constant morning calls and walking up the hill with my laptop over my shoulder, nodding to pedestrians and boda drivers.
We are very thankful God has allowed us to come here to this land of people with such kind hearts. And I’m so glad we get to be here to help build some infrastructure and provide some education into a system that has little. And by doing so, hopefully the next generation of Africans will be even better able to support itself and still maintain this beautiful sense of community that we are learning to love more and more.
We had a good weekend. It was nice just getting a little time to wander a little more on our own. We had fun trying to stock up our kitchen with a little more food shopping. Erin fixed her first meal in our kitchen and proved that this kitchen can produce excellent meals just fine! She prepared pasta primavera, ……and I cleaned my plate. We then finished it off with an awesome, fresh pineapple that cost us the equivalant of 50 cents.
Erin will start her classroom preparation at the school this week. We’ve gotten a peek of her classroom, and hopefully she will be able to get in it soon. I was pretty excited to see the classroom with ‘SCIENCE’ on the door. Erin seemed to be more concerned with the mess inside that she will have to organize, but I was happy to see where she will be and will soon get settled in. It is a beautiful campus, complete with stone paths and well taken care of green spaces. The school is growing, and they are currently building several more classrooms. Tomorrow all the new teachers report, and she will get an official tour of the campus. Erin is very eager to meet with some of her fellow teachers and admin and get a few more of her questions answered. It is hard for a natural planner to be going into the school year so blind. But it is truly inspiring to see her be excited to tackle the start of class whatever direction it goes. I hope I prove to be half as good as she is with rolling with the punches. Students arrive for classes on the 22nd of August. 
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ReplyDelete(This is my 3rd attempt at posting a comment on this entry... Apparently I can't do it right but it went something like this...)
ReplyDeleteHeritage International School looks beautiful! And mzungus? Sounds like that Swahili Rosetta Stone is coming in handy! ;)
I cannot wait to see pictures of your classroom, Erin. One week till students come back! I want to hear everything about your first week of school - the staff, the students, the curriculum... Gary, I'm excited about what you are doing, too. But to both my father and step-father's great disappointment, engineering just doesn't get my blood pumping like teaching.