Opio Joe and other madness (323 photos), by IC TeX

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This is how it is done!

So this is how it is done at Gulu Senior School! Thats right boys and girls, this is what the classroom looks like. Now, to be fair not all the classrooms have brick walls like in the one pictured here. The one I teach in only has wooden planks for walls. The roof is made of tin and when it rains it sounds like a motorcycle crew is parked right on top of the roof while they put in in neutral and punch the gas!

Now imagine if you will a class of 70+ students in these desks. Most desks are stuffed to the point of students literally sitting ontop of each other. I know that is the states it would be unthinkable to have a classroom in such shape but here you have it in Uganda.

So I know it is hard but lets look a bit deeper into what school is like. We might think to ourselves "wow, that is bad what hard conditions but at least they can learn the same" I'm sorry to say to those people that I have some bad news.

The teachers do the best that they can in the situation they have but they like us in the US are underpaid. These teachers are not only underpaid but they are paid a fraction of what their American counterparts get paid. I was talking with one of the teachers at the school and I asked if they could ask the administration for money that is not really an option. The schools are not well funded and many of the administration is not willing to pay money for materials. I asked why they would not pay and a teacher told me "They will say, if you have chalk and a blackboard then you have enough to teach."

I was shocked!

Ok so on a lighter note, this is Kristin and Nate who work at the same school as me. They are pretty cool and I really enjoy working with them and the Ugandan teachers. We wanted to be like the students....just an FYI those seats are not very comfertable! I am amazed at how the students and the teachers do it... they are pretty amazing if you stop and think about it.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

So this past weekend we headed to Ziwa a Rhino sanctuary between Gulu and Kampala. Its a

really cool place that we were able to visit. The Rhinos were sooooo coooool! We were able to get about 30 feet from them and watch them eat and basically do their normal thing.

The reason that Ziwa even exists is because a long time ago thousands of rhinos roamed freely in Uganda. But because of hunting, poaching, and increase in human activity the numbers decreased until few rhinos were left. Then in the 1970's rhinos were poached to extinction and the last rhino was seen in Uganda in 1983.

The reason they were hunted was because of the value their horns fetch on the worlds black market. They were sold for dagger handles and medicines all over the world. The Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) was established in 1997 and in 2004 they completed the rhino sanctuary. They received four rhinos from Kenya and two from Disney Animal Kingdom in Orlando Florida in 2006. The plan is that once 30+ rhinos are in the sanctuary they will then release a starter group into the wild.
I think its a pretty sweet idea and I hope that it works. It is sad to see how so many things in this world get taken for granted. Its not just the rhinos that are at Ziwa. They also have some small animals that have been rescued. This is one of the tiny deer that walks around the living quarters. You can even pet them and just chill. Its nice to be in a place where animals and people are just walking around together getting along. I half expected Tarzan to walk around the corner or see two people walking around with nothing but leaves covering their unmentionables.

I digress, the trip to Ziwa was a lot of fun and I really did enjoy seeing all of the diffrent things and just getting away for a bit.

How I wake up in the morning

Well, there you have it. This is the sunrise that I get to see every morning when I get up. I love the climate of Gulu, although it is hot
but it is an amazing city. The people are wonderful, the weather is nice.

I think that we need to think about the little things a little more in life. Many times we get stuck in the day to day grind and forget to look around. Being in this city with these people has helped me to remember that all around us is beauty, we just have to look.

Gulu SS

Welcome to Gulu Senior School or Gulu SS as it is called. The school is one of the oldest in Gulu and it is also one of the biggest public schools. It is amazing to see the diffrent kinds of schools around the world.

Even though it is diffrent you know that people are learning. So abve you can see a part of the school that is pretty. Not bad, but because of the number of students has increased so fast they have not had the funds or the ability to build all of the classrooms like this. The one where I have been doing my teaching is this one.....

BUT, I love it! I know that I am papered with technology in the states but this is making me work hard and really enjoy it alot!

Here is the library... right now they cannot use it so there is no place for the students to research or look up information at the school. It is hard to see that they have a resource but are unable to use it.

In my first week at Gulu SS I was able to see the elections of the Prefects for the school. Those are like the student government officers of Gulu SS. The elections were interesting to watch. The students would go to the classes and campain for their postions. It was just like the US in many ways. Some students tried to be goofy and funny and others more serious.

I overheard some girls saying to one candidate "no candies, no vote" it made me laugh. Kids are the same the whole world over.

The students then were put infront of the teachers and the student body and had to speak about what they planned to do for Gulu SS.

It was fun to see but when you have almost 2,000 students it takes a long time!

St Judes

On Sunday we went to St. Jude to visit. It is an Orphanage and there are two sides. One side is for regular children and the other is for students with special needs.

I visited both sides and loved being with the kids, but one child made a big impression on me. His name is Patrick and he has little to no movement in his limbs. When he first saw me he just smiled. I knew that I would like him from the second that I laid eyes on him. We talked for a while and he asked me if I would be his friend. You know I said yes! I plan on going back soon to spend time with him and the other kids.
Its hard to visit them and not feel some kind of tug on your heart. These kids were very sweet and they just need a little love and a home. Many of the children who live there are orphans who's parents died in the war with Joseph Kony. Some are children of parents that cannot take care of them so they are placed in the orphanage. Even in these situations the children are positive and they really do make me smile. I wish that I could just take them all home with me. I know that is a long term solution to the problems faced in Uganda but I do wish I had the funds and power to make a bigger diffrence.

Made it!!!!!!

Well, I made it to Uganda!
What a wonderful country this is! I am loving it alot and really enjoying the people and the different things I am seeing.
We first arrived in Kampala because that is the capital of Uganda and the biggest city. There are lots of things to do in Kampala but one thing that we did that I really enjoyed was going to see Bavabuka and their work. Bavabuka is a group of people that use music, art, poems, and fashion as a way of educating the youth of Uganda. The people that we meet were really interesting and I really liked talking with them.

The act of looking at education from a real world perspective is wonderful and I respect the dedication and passion that they have. You can find their stuff if you look online, it's well worth the search.

Enjoy!