Traveling to Gulu

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

When we arrived in Uganda, we met our driver and his crew (James et. al.). He is a very nice and knowledgeable man. I shout talk with him soon.

James took us to BACKPACKERS, a hostel in Kampala. The hostel was quite cozy. We slept in a dormitory, ate delicious eggs and toast, and were able to use the Internet. Amy and Cat weren't lying - Ugandan coffee is less than good.

On the first day, we visited Lubiri - an A and O level school in Kampala. It has one of the highest rates of student acceptance into universities. It is both a boarding and non-boarding school. Students have uniforms according to grade level (which is not by age). There is teacher housing provided. Teachers are outrageously underpaid and work hard (they have approximately 12 classes per day from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM).

The two teachers I talked with appeared to love their jobs. These teachers also willingly told me about their continued use of caning. Though, I do not support violence, I can understand the use of such a measure. We learned that teachers are hired by the state and the state can move them from one district to the next whenever the government would like.

That aside, I do not know how Lubiri prepares their students for their terrifying exit / entrance exams. Their class sizes are huge. The students must pay $250 per term, double if they wish to stay in the dormitories. That is a small fortune for most families.

Overall, the school seemed quite well administrated. The students seemed happy. Their artwork was beautiful. Their library was impressive.

We went for a Persian dinner at Sam's in the city. So many people are in constant motion here! The buildings are functional, but not brand new (unlike America's obsession with new, shiny buildings). They drive on the left side of the road. The boda, bicycle, and car traffic is quite extensive.

The predominant tribe in Kampala are the Lugandans; their language is Bugandan. They are the upper class. The Acholi are the lower class. I have been warned that the Acholi's schools are much worse off than those in Kampala.

Also, random thought, the economy of Uganda greatly depends on tourism from Europe (safaris, rafting, etc.). With the European economy suffering, the Ugandan economy suffers.

So, today we visited Bavabuka. It is a youth empowerment organization. I learned more there than I have in a month's worth of college. Bavabuka was given a space out of some one's generosity where they do not have to pay rent.

At Bavabuka, youth are given the space to express themselves through any medium they choose. It is a community that supports the empowerment of women to leave their homes to work and be a part of their society outside of home maintenance. The youth have fortes in areas such as MCing, rapping, visual arts (screen printing), music, break dancing, poetry, writing, and much more.

One of the young gentlemen won the Ugandan competition for best MC. Another is East Africa's #1 visual artist. I purchased a screen printed t-shirt especially made by him for the teacher exchange group.

At Bavabuka, the youth were very expressive. The young women were developing a program called Phenomenal Woman. This program is in great need of financial support. It is geared toward reaching out to women across Uganda to speak for their own rights.

The youth MCs put on a performance for us, encouraging us to sing-a-long in any way that moved us. The difference between their community and ours was apparent. It took us a long time to warm-up to singing whatever we felt like singing... but we got there.

I talked with Brian, a man who comes to the US to talk about Bavabuka. He talked about his aspirations when he was young to be a teacher. He realized that within Bavabuka, he was not only able to teach empowerment, he was able to learn much more. He felt that Bavabuka was just as crucial to the development of the youth as education was.

Overall, this youth empowerment organization has the right idea. They give the youth somewhere to express their freedom, to gain validation from a community and not one "leader," to live, not learn about others living from books, but experience it. I want to incorporate this when I teach.

The drive to Gulu was beautiful. We saw chickens and goats and cows eating the weeds and bugs from underneath the plants. We saw monkeys crossing the road. There was a good deal of agriculture (many banana trees). I talked with a lovely young woman named Allison.

NOTE TO SELF: I can be much too serious... but Allison did not mind talking about serious things.

Gulu is now an up-and-coming city. It may be the second "qualified" city in Uganda. So much life, truly.

Well, this is me, signing off for the night. I sleep and await a new day.

With thanks,

Karen