Pop, Pop, Bang! three posts in one day!

So these three posts were meant to be just one, but I got a little long winded....i know, weird huh?...on each topic so decided to cut them up into three. So here's the update post I have been intending to write for the last 2 hours (as i now hit 5400 shillings of internet time). So we're about 3 weeks into the term, which is a short one - 10 weeks, really 8 once you factor a week of beginning term exams and a week of end term exams. And as I mentioned before I've got a few physics classes and a biology class. Yesterday I had my first session with the S3 physics class that I will be covering "light and optics" with. I brought in a box of goodies - flashlights, a globe to demonstrate a solar eclipse, a mirror, etc etc - for my lesson to ensure I gave them plenty of demonstrations of what exactly I meant by angle of incidence or penumbra. This got them pretty excited, especially when I mentioned that we would be in the lab next week to do some more. The other classes are going about as equally as well, once we got over the initial shock of, "wow the white guy talks", and "whoa, we're not used to actually seeing these experiments". Here's a picture of my town that I took on my walk up to the boulders (see last post). This is looking west towards the mountains (which weren't out that day, but you can see some of the foothills in the distance)


A call to arms: So for my S4's, I've been brainstorming a bit and would really like to do something specifically for them as they will not be reaping the benefits of a potential library, or upgraded lab facility, etc. What I've come up with is this (and i cant help feeling like I've already mentioned this in the blog somewhere, but i can't find it, so my apologies if this is a re-run -> i'm hoping to start a second blog soon of St. Adolf projects, where I can collect these ideas and let you all contribute your thoughts and ideas):

They are preparing to take their o-level exams in November, which will determine if they can move on to either A-level (our junior/senior years of high school) or leave school with the satisfaction of having an O-level education (this is really the equivalent of being a high school grad in america, as far as society's view). A few weeks ago I met with them and we talked about what they were lacking most in preparation for these exams. I mulled over their suggestions and weeded out the impossible options (getting 65 textbooks to them in 4 months, etc) and decided on this. Scientific calculators. As i understand it, the rule for the exams is if you have one (aka can afford it) then you can use it on the exam. out of about 65 kids 3 of them have calculators. Having this tool on the exam would inevitably boost their scores and prevent a lot of simple mistakes - you try finding the tangent of an angle without a calculator. I've done a little shopping around, although I need to do more, and I think these can be purchased for around 10,000 shillings each here in Uganda, or about 6 bucks. That is worst case scenario - raising money and buying them from a store. What I'm hoping is that I can get some kind of deal with either a company or wholesaler to get a bulk order through at a good price. So as I continue working on this here I opening the floor to you. Please email me any ideas or suggestions for this small project. With the calculators I'm hoping to get them a study guide with past exams, test taking strategies, etc, as well. But that is second fiddle to the calculators.

Okay so some random Ugandan moments, since I know you all get a kick out of these. First one happened this morning. I woke up about 8am or so, slept in a little since I don't have class on Tuesdays. Walked out onto the back porch with my cup of coffee and sat down. Pretty soon I hear a rooster really making a commotion. They're annoying when they just crow but this was more of an "im in danger yelping". Sure enough a few seconds later the rooster rounds the corner of the building and starts running through the backyard with the dog fast on his heels nipping it's feathers. This proceeds for about 5 mins as they make circles around the house. I shooed the dog away a few times but he was persistent. The next time they came around the corner of the house the rooster got wise and jumped up onto the porch. He started walking around clucking and came up to me, like i was gonna save him. Just then the dog jumped up onto the porch and lunged at the rooster. It ran the only way it could. Into my open door. So now I've got a rooster in my bedroom and the dog waiting at the back door for it. Of course the rooster go anywhere near the back door and the dog isn't keen on giving up. So I have to climb onto my bed and reach out and open the front door to let him walk out. The father's were standing in the courtyard and got a good kick out of seeing my door opening and the rooster walking out.


The picture is of the two crested cranes who come to the parish pasture in the mornings. (The dog likes to chase these as well)

Last week I decided to attend a meeting at the school of the parents of the S4 students, the students, members of the PTA and staff. In typical Uganda fashion the meeting (scheduled to start at 10am) got going around 11:15. One of the first things they did was to invite me to change from my comfortable seat within the crowd, most of the way back where I could hide, up to the front where they had a few desks turned around facing the audience. I halfway expected this to happen but hoped I could just sit back in the shade of the mango tree and observe the meeting. So I walked up and sat next to Father Moses (who is on the board of directors for the school, and my supervisor). It worked out well that I changed seats because he was able to translate for me throughout the meeting, which of course was all in Rutooro. This isn't so bad I thought, obviously I wont be expected to say much since they're conducting the meeting in Rutooro. First item on the agenda. Opening prayer. "Myers Eric, will you lead us in the prayer please" <- this of course was said in Rutooro but I at least got the point that they were talking to me. I turned to the father to ask for my translation and he kind of grinned at me and said "umm, they want you to lead the prayer". Oh, fantastic! I stumbled my way through it...in english mind you....which is probably good because that means most people didn't know what I was saying and probably though it was a pretty good prayer. The rest of the meeting I was able to just slump back and read the notes the Father was writing in english for me. I lasted almost all the way through it. I left around 2:00pm because I had a class. I think the meeting wrapped up soon after I left. Just a shade under 3 hours, which is pretty short for Uganda. Needless to say next time I go to a meeting I will have a prayer ready to spit out. As well as brush up on my Rutooro introduction of who I am, where I'm from, etc etc.

Okay, I think thats pretty good for one day. Hope everyone is enjoying summer! Oh and a bit belated but Happy Father's Day to my dad and any others reading this. You too Chris! You guys are the best. And thank you to shara also, i forgot you in my care-package-preparers-pre-emptive-thank-you".

Love and miss you all.

(ps, I snuck a picture of "the treehouse" below. More about this at a later date, just know that it was in the middle of a jungle filled with monkeys ;)