Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Spelling Means Yelling

I apologize for the lack of updates, we've been pretty busy. The title of this post refers to our adventures at Crane School. I will admit that after my first interaction I have avoided returning. The school is crazy. This is how spelling class works.
Teacher: WHAT WORD IS THIS!?
Students: UNDER!!!!
Teacher: WHAT WORD IS THIS?!
Students: UNDER!!!!
Teacher: WHAT???!!
Students: UNDER!!!!!!!!!

It is a little ridiculous-there are 50 or so students to a classroom and I really don't know how they get anything done...except the teacher hits them when they aren't paying attention so I guess that's pretty effective. The students are really excited when we visit. We were waiting calmly in the office to do some extracurriculars (spell check says I spelled that wrong, I can't spell any more sorry).

As we were waiting we heard a low roar. Then we heard the headmaster bellow-IS THAT HOW YOU GREET YOUR TEACHERS??!!! We then heard a roar comparable to the huns as they cascade down that snowy mountain in Mulan. We were overrun. We had to sacrifice Scott but the rest of us made it. Just kidding. But we were then completely mobbed children throwing themselves up against us and cheering-they have very violent welcoming customs that I feel like we should adopt in the United States. Anyway so that is where a lot of our group spends time. I haven't gone back since I was asked to do reading club and the twelve students I had left after I turned my back to get books (I started with 20) decided to read on poultry keeping and bees. It was bad. I should not be allowed to interact with children.

Here is how I've mostly spent my time-these are in no particular order:
1) Riding a boda with Freddie in the sugar cane fields and jungles of Uganda

2) Going to Szebwa Falls and eating with a witch doctor. As we were asking some questions they offered me a skewer of meat, I decided it was best to eat it as opposed to being cursed by them later. I'm pretty sure it was beef.

3) Taking pictures of the gorgeous jungle around the falls

4) Crashing an ICC convention and getting to stay for lunch. Technically we missed the ICC convention by a week and this was a convention of parliamentarians about the ICC from around the world, but it was still fun and we enjoyed our lunch with the Barroness from the House of Lords and parliamentarians from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The Baroness is the least diplomatic person I've ever met, but hilarious. For example, asking the Argentinian when their currency crashed and they sank into financial crisis probs isn't a very kind thing to do. "Remember that time your currency failed and your whole country's economy collapsed? When was that again?

5) Frantically chasing down street vendors and trading watches for belts with boda drivers to try and look more presentable for when we were trying to get into the convention. We did quite well and looked semi-presentable.

6) White water rafting the Nile. Doing one rapid with no boat-so fun. Getting flipped in two other rapids and taking them partly with no boat. Going down an 8 foot waterfall-did not flip thankfully.

7) Finding the Evil Kneival of boda drivers in Kampala. Six inches of air as we hit every pot hole (keep in mind I was riding side-saddle per cultural norms). I should have been tipped off by his sunglasses-one only needs glasses that large if you're going 100 miles an hour.

8) Eating our way through Kampala. We really miss cheeseburgers. and milkshakes. and brownies. and pizza. good thing we ate all of it on Saturday.

9) Getting a random NGO to pay for a private taxi to drive us to a sustainable agricultural school-so beautiful. Unfortunately, empty.

10) Spending all day with our partner Jasper. We attended a corruption court to bail out his friend. It took all day. The judge was funny though and had sweet robes. We then chilled in several different mechanics parking lots as we waited for his friend Robert's lorry to be finished. We had a lovely meal of chips chicken (and no I did not forget an 'and') at 10:30 pm in downtown Kampala which was hopping.

I feel like this post is somewhat sporadic and very long, I apologize but at least I have updated you my loyal followers.