Each morning this week, I have woken up to the Ugandan
sunrise and walked less than a half-mile to Legacy Christian Academy Uganda. As many of
you know, I’m usually not well-acquainted the sunrise, but I have embraced the
early mornings so far. At some point during my commute, I’m greeted with fierce
hugs by a few of the students in my class, and we walk the rest of the way
together. The students are usually so excited to come to school that they show
up very early.
The head teacher, Kate, is a fabulously sassy Ugandan who
loves Boyz II Men, which is always a good beginning to a friendship. We have
had a great time working together. Bekah is next door in the same grade, so we
get to see each other a lot during the day. We teach K-2, which is the second
year of kindergarten, although I have kids ages 5-11 in my class. We are trying
to get them all to a basic level before they start the first year of primary
school.
This is the third term of the first year of Legacy, and it is
amazing how much progress they have made this year, especially because it is an
English immersion program and many of the kids began not speaking any English. Because
English is the national language of Uganda, the universities and many
professional jobs use English, so if the students want to get a job outside of
the village, they will need to speak English.
Seeing as I don’t speak much Luganda yet, the communication
is pretty comical at times, with lots of hand motions, repeating and
translations from Kate. But we are learning to be patient and laugh at each
other when we have no idea what the other is saying. [Enter cheesy line about
how laughter is the universal language.]
School goes from 8 am – 1 pm, and is begun with the kids
brushing their teeth, because they don’t usually get to at home. We do Bible
and circle time to start the day, followed with table time where the kids
rotate through stations. A few days a week, we have chapel, which is led by
Solomon, the headmaster. He is so animated and energetic that if the school
thing ever falls through, I think he could have a serious go at a game show
host.
Lunch in the same every day, posho (ground up corn,
including the husks) and beans, made over a fire and served under a big tent.
The teachers usually hang out under the trees, getting tea and a special food like
chapatti (fried bread) or cassava fries (a root vegetable seasoned and fried).
The kids run around and play soccer after lunch and then we finish the day.
It has been quite the learning curve, but as far as first
weeks go, it has gone surprisingly well. I always wanted to be a teacher when I was
growing up, so here’s my big chance. I’m demanding they give me an honorary
doctorate from the village before I leave! Haha. Not surprisingly, the kids
have quite successfully crawled into my heart, and I can already get a little
sad thinking about leaving them. One thing that is so fun is that they aren’t
jaded and unimpressed with simple things. They will sit and color for an hour
if we would let them and the older boys were still quite enthusiastic about
“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” when I taught them.
I’ll post more about the education system and attitudes
about children in Uganda and how Legacy is trying to begin some reformation in
a small way, starting with this village. You can pray that I would love the
kids well in my time here. Pray that I wouldn’t get sick, as no one keeps their
kids home when they are sick, so there is a lot of funkiness in our class. Pray
for the relationships with the teachers, that a common vision and love for God
and the community would bring us together, as we try to cross cultural
barriers, involve the parents, and begin to train a generation.
