Greetings from Kaliro, Uganda! Just want to give all of you a quick update on the going-ons here at the National Teachers’ College, Kaliro. So much has definitely changed over the past few months. Nearly everyone I came with has gone away, including Lisa, my site mate who has finished her 2 years of service and my cat Baghira (both ‘disappeared’ around the same time…hmm). All of them will be missed immensely. Currently we have our DEP in-service students. This is a smaller group of students; ones who are currently Primary School teachers and are working to upgrade their status, most importantly resulting in a pay increase after 3 years. As I am leaving in a matter of a few weeks I have opted out of teaching this group for this last month so that I can wrap most other things up before I come back for my holiday. Aside from marking papers, assignments, exams and practicals and compiling their marks, I have been trying to complete and bring to fruition all of the other projects that have been happening over the past (2) years. Here are some brief details:
Basketball Court:
First of all thank you to those of you who donated and supported our construction of the basketball court. Without that investment we would not be where we are now. You’re selfless assistance is integral to molding the lives of so many people here. The students, staff and other community members are incredibly excited about this new court coming in, and will be the only one in the district which makes it even more important! Unfortunately we have hit a few roadblocks, mainly the initial quote that we had received for the costs and construction of the court was nearly 6 times less than what we really needed. At this time we have reworked the budget and have rewritten an informational proposal to submit to whomever is willing to take a look at our situation and support the completion of this court.
Science Laboratories:
The work on the science laboratories is nearly complete. The 100 stools have been finished and currently we are marking the stools so that they are easily seen to be property of the science department here at the college. We are pondering imposing an immediate fine to any one seen taking the stools from the laboratories as often what happens to most of the classroom furniture here. The laboratories were repainted some couple of months ago and look dramatically better than before. The tables were also painted and the two laboratories look much brighter and more inviting than any of the other classrooms at the college. A few touch ups are necessary but all in all a huge improvement is seen!
St. Andrew the Apostle Church at NTC, Kaliro:
Through fundraising done by St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Vancouver, Washington, money was donated to the NTC, Kaliro for furthering the construction of the St. Andrew the Apostle Chapel on campus. Many, many thanks go out to all of those of St. Joseph’s Catholic School for support our college here. Your interest and investment in our college here has had an amazing impact on not just the Catholic community at NTC, Kaliro but even the outside community as members of the congregation do outreach to other community members, bringing many others to view the assistance that you have provided us here. The specific areas that the money from St. Joseph’s Catholic School has assisted are in completion of the roof to allow the sacristy, offices, smaller chapel and latrine to be used. This work is especially important in eventually finishing the entirety of the project. Thank all of you so much.
Guidance and Counseling Office:
Things have been on hold with bringing the Guidance and Counseling Office to fruition. The office has been used sparingly but we hope as we form more concrete guidelines for rules and regulations of confidentiality in regards to the office it will be best used to its fullest potential. Also we hope to utilize the office in conjunction with clubs on the college that relate to such matters as Guidance and Counseling, Life Skills and HIV/AIDS awareness. Thank you to all of you who donated in the completion of this office.
I hope that gives you all an idea of what has been going on here. The next few weeks I will wrap all of this up and begin my venture back home. Before returning to the US I will stop in London for about 3 days, then take the train to Paris for one night and then continue on to Geneva for about 5 days, where I will then wake up on the 10th of July and find my way journeying back to the US. After about 11 days in Minnesota for my brother’s wedding and to introduce Kate as a ‘sibling’ I will make it back to Portland on June 21st! Below there are a few pictures and I have also written a few thoughts on, well, many things, so take a read, but it is a lot…
Lake Victoria: Entebbe
Sitting at Goretti's Pizzeria at night at Lake Victoria in Entebbe...
PIZZA! at Goretti's Pizzeria: Entebbe
Some of if not the best pizza in Uganda! Here is Lisa and I admiring these two fine specimens before devouring them!
Basketball Court: NTC, Kaliro
Construction workers are seen here building a small containment wall that will house the surface of the basketball court once complete. The containment wall—which was a new addition to the budget—is important as it will aid in the prevention of spoilage of the cement foundation once complete. There is still so much work to go!
St. Andrew the Apostle Church: NTC, Kaliro
Workers completing the roof on the backside of the church (which will house the sacristy, offices, chapel and latrine) thanks to the fundraising and subsequent donation by the school community at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Vancouver, Washington.
Bell Lager at the Entrance to Mabira Forest
Classy isn't it? At the entrance of one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Uganda is a humongous billboard advertising beer!
Open Arms
I cannot even begin to fathom stepping on to an airplane at this point and leaving what has become a place composed of every emotion and feeling that I could ever imagine existing in our little world. At approximately 9.05am on May 31st, I will step foot on a plane that will bring me—eventually—back to the US. I go to wake up each morning in my bed, in my house, and make coffee and some sort of breakfast. I find myself at work, or doing my laundry. I reach the market when I need some fruits or vegetables or airtime. I leave Kaliro when I need a break away from the normal routine and I find myself longing to come back to where I live—to what has become home. One day, the hour will come when time is up and I will not set foot on this college as my home. One day Kaliro will be a place to visit, a place that contains only memories but is no longer the place to form those memories. Today I sit and know that I will be back; that my holiday back to the US though exciting will also be a time filled with angst and unnerving feelings, missing what has been built up as an incredibly significant portion of my life.
Over the past few months nearly all of the volunteers that I began this adventure with have returned to the US, leaving me to simply watch and hear from afar about the trials, joy and uncertainties of their return to the US. Most of them are staying there though, not coming back and are seeking an uncertain future in a land that probably seems so much foreign as Uganda seemed only 2 years ago. Though many of these people I would only see every few months to maybe only once or twice a year, life seems suddenly so different. I find myself now the only mzugnu here in Kaliro (maybe they are there, but not that I know of) after Lisa has left and it is just so different. It is strange. It is somehow mind-bending. It is what it is. The fact of the matter is that no matter how strange or unusual or uncertain things seem to feel, the sense of excitement is still a virtue to be reckoned with. There is o much to do, so much to look forward to and so much to wonder myself in to a state of conscious wandering.
How to I cope for these 3 months that I return to a place in which my heart forever and constantly feels some gravity towards? When I came back May of 2009 to see my grandmother, Eleanor, before she passed, I would find myself walking through the streets as if I did not even exist. No one looked at me. No one said a thing to me. It seemed as though I was a ghost; as if it mattered not whether I was there or not. I would walk through a supermarket amongst all of the essential and trivial items and all the colors, sounds and sterile avenues seemed so overwhelming. That was only 3 weeks. This time it is for 3 months. I cannot even seem to wrap my mind around returning. I guarantee you I am excited as h#%&; I’m excited to go to the Taco Bell Drive Thru window…and to see all of you. I will attend my brothers wedding and eat a hot dog at Portland Beavers games. I will walk the 8ish miles from 1023 to Pill Hill. I will attempt to paint a house. I will drive on the ‘right’ side of the road. I will sleep on a mattress that doesn’t contain simply foam. I will drink a beer from a tap. I will use a washing machine. I will sit in Washington Park and over look the city of Portland with wistful thoughts…wistful thoughts of both the US and Uganda. How do I balance these? I guess that is what living though so much is about. I look at the past 10 years and realize that I have lived in 3 countries, attending 3 universities and am currently working at a college in a place that I could never not be a guest. When does this slow down? When do I slow it down? I’ve got to be honest though even through all of the lows and the highs and the ever-changing environment the sense of excitement hardly escapes. And that is a good thing.
On June 21st I will set foot at PDX and breath in the air that will bring new life to my lungs. My eyes will adjust to the brightly lit silent streets and renew the focus to be something in this world. Every nanometer of matter my hand grazes will bring back a sense of resolve to the determination of setting my sights on each and every star in the sky.
The one thing and certainly the most important thing that I can set my sights on is wrapping my arms around each and everyone one of you as you have all supported me during so much of my life and especially the past couple of years. I might be scared to leave and stay; I don’t know. But I know that my life could not be what it is without any of you, and I thank you for that…
No comments:
Post a Comment