February Happenings

Blog Post About February 2021

How many men does it take to hang curtains?

I'm just kidding, of course. I was so thankful Doug hired these guys!

They hung curtain rods in 6 rooms, and in two of the rooms, they added custom curtains and/or blinds.

These (and the kitchen blinds) are the only two sets we bought from their store.

They weren't too impressed with the curtains we already had for each of our other rooms, but they faithfully hung them anyway, and it was nice to get a little privacy.

February 17, 2021

February also means the time of the year when we have to renew our visas. 

I think this was the last year we will have to drive two hours north to get our particular visas.

They are building a new highway, which makes the drive faster and smoother, but I must say it was a little frightening to drive on it.

Can you see the arrows facing us?

There were cars coming from the other side (since our side wasn't complete and we had to drive on the wrong side of the partition). Some cars obviously didn't know they were on a highway with two-way traffic, and we had one or two incidents where we had to swerve to miss oncoming traffic. 

That evening we travelled that same road back in the DARK!

I'm always SO glad that Doug drives us :)

February 23, 2021

We also visited a coffee shop up north and discovered they had "Prmkin" spiced lattes. 

My boy's first shave :)

February 26, 2021

Karis teaching one of her ballet classes :)

A Whole New World

I know I've written about the kids' school before here and here, an awards ceremony here, and a science fair here, but as the year goes on, I get more and more insight into the school.

For example, when a teacher is absent...nothing.

Do you think this is what it looks like?


Seriously, the kids have an entire free period un-monitored (except for the cameras in the classroom).  The kids have told me that sometimes if another teacher has a free period, that teacher will come in to sit, but what happens the next period and the next when no teacher is available?


When I taught school, faculty meetings with the principal were held after school, and if a parent wanted to meet with me, it had to be during my off-period.  At this particular school, if the principal wants to meet with her high school teachers, she calls them all out during a period during the day, leaving all 9th through 12th graders with no supervision.  Sounds marvelous, right?

If a parent wants to come and talk to a teacher, the principal will call the teacher to the office even if they are teaching.

But, to be honest, teachers are not respected in this culture.  The kids treat them terribly.  No one listens.  They talk while they teacher is talking.  They sleep.  There is never a moment of silence.  And no one studies or does homework.  Over half of one of my kids' classes is failing and they don't seem to know why???  I never saw it this bad in the States, but it may be present there and I don't know it. 

 I have heard that classrooms are different these days.

When my children attended school in the States, saying "No" to drugs was an important theme.  My then second grader came home with a poem that said:

If you're asked 
to try some pot,
just say, "NO,
I'd rather not."

If you're asked
to drink some wine
say, "No thanks,
I'm feeling fine."

If someone asks
you to smoke,
say, "I don't want
to cough and choke."

With other drugs,
like cocaine and crack
say, "I'd rather have 
a healthy snack."

When you say, "NO,"
you will agree
how great it feels
to be drug free.

He asked me what pot, crack and cocaine were.  I guess you have to get educated sometime.

The funny thing is that here, we have seen students from their school out smoking hooka/shisha, and at the school teachers and students all smoke together between classes.

Flavored tobacco smoked in a hookah, usually mixed with molasses or honey and often fruit pulp or dried fruits.

It's a Whole New World.

Conversation Class

Recently, I had the privilege of substituting at the language center in an Intermediate Conversation class.

I haven't taught in a classroom since Kylie was born (if you don't count a 10 minute Algebra lesson I gave in an African village).

Kylie, in fact, went with me when I substituted, because she said even though I had been her teacher since Kindergarten, she had never seen me teach in a classroom.

I loved every minute of it.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.

The "conversation topic" for the night was "fear."  It was a two hour class, and we covered a lot of ground.  We role-played, teamed up for a game, let them give presentations on their previous class topic of "Utopia," watched two short videos, and just talked.

Their Utopia presentations were insightful into the culture.  To see what was "perfection" to them in a society was interesting.  In all presentations, money was not needed because everything was free, and all presentations said oil would be nowhere in their land.  I guess they see it as a big problem for their current homeland.  And as for money, in a place where SO many people are not getting paid, this is on the forefront of their minds.

(As a side note, our language helper who went back to work in September in his field of engineering, still hasn't been paid for one day of labor, even though he says he's "sure" they will pay him eventually.)

Back to class.

After the "fear" game, where they came up with 23 fears, we brain-stormed a longer list of fears, and I wrote them on the board so they could copy down any words they weren't familiar with and ask any questions they might have.

It should be interesting for you to see that many of their fears are the same as yours, but it's also interesting to see some of the ones you would never think of...

Portable Bible School

I have a guest blogger today....the ex-con.

I have a new role of being at home a lot more with the new baby, so I'm living vicariously through my husband at the moment.

Here's what he wrote:

Last Monday morning, I drove north an hour to an area called Terego.  I went with a friend who was teaching a Portable Bible School (PBS) that the Anglican Diocee Youth Department hosts every year.  This PBS is an intensive Bible teaching course, and I am in constant dialogue, throughout the year, with some of the leaders.  I was going to the PBS to observe, see what they do, how they do it, and to learn.  The PBS had 32 students attending and 4 leaders that are teaching the lessons.  The students go through each book of the Bible (OT and NT), how to do evangelism, and much, much, more.

When we arrived at the PBS, they asked me if I would teach some of the sessions.  I was interested, but I wanted to know what they wanted me to teach.  They said, "We know your heart and commitment to discipleship and want you to teach us about discipleship." 

I gladly accepted to have this opportunity to teach 32 students and challenge 4 leaders.  I taught the rest of Monday (over 6 hours) and over half of Tuesday (over 6 hours).  

Unfortunately, I needed to leave on Tuesday afternoon because I had a Bible storying group back in Arua.

  

 
The PBS runs until February 2.  Tomorrow, I leave for Terego again.  They have asked me to come teach some more, and I'm very excited.  Pray for these students to hear what God wants them to hear and for me to share what God wants me to share.