Leadership and Team Work

We have a great group of Esangalo helpers!

They are the kids that will one day be the Esangalo leaders.  This past Thursday and Friday, we had a training seminar just for them.

We discussed topics like team work, leadership and the importance of a personal Quiet Time.

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Come along and see what they did!

Registration

Me, Doreen and Brenda

Name Tags - there were 35 students in all

Praise and Worship 

Workshops on leadership, responsibility and quiet time

Small group discussion - "What does it mean to be a leader?"

"Why do you serve God?  What is your motivation?"

Of course, breakfast and lunch!

Afternoon team building games

"Don't Touch"

Trust fall

There she goes!  Trust!

Trying to get everyone on the team through the net - without touching the string or repeating a hole

Me and John

Skits - What is your offering to God?

Alloys and some of the boys

"We are a team."  

Jumping the great pit - later they decided they should work together, as a team, so that everyone could cross the pit.

"One, two, three, step"

Summer Vacation

Our kids are on what Americans would call summer vacation.  But, they don't have television, internet, ipods, ipads, or video games.  

So what do they do? 

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They make hats out of mango leaves.

They make mud swimming pools.

And then, just play in the mud.

They dig holes and gather rocks to play amakora, similar to mancala.  

They build doll houses out of cardboard.

They have tea parties.

They play the drums (a lot).

They play volleyball, and soccer and tag and hide 'n seek.

They dig more swimming pools (I think we need a real one. . . ).

In short, they just have fun!

Teacher Interviews - Rome, strikes and southern accents

I just sat through 4 hours of teacher interviews!

The good news, we found four really potential people – Christians, educated and good attitudes.

The funny (because you know that is where I am going with this post. . . )

One person, when asked to share their testimony basically said this:  I was born Muslim.  But after I finished my teacher education I decided to be a born again because “When you go to Rome, do as the Romans.”  (Translation:  I was born Muslim, but I found out it is easier to get a job if I am a Born Again, so. . . here I am.)

We had a panel of three doing the interviews, myself and two social workers.  One asked religious questions, one asked teaching questions and then I asked a mixture of the two topics. The funny thing was that almost every time I asked a question, the applicant would look to the social workers for translation.  They would repeat my EXACT words, in English.  The applicant would then respond.  My southern accent!

Another interesting/funny response. The question was “Why is it important to have a scheme of work?”  The applicant responded that teaching without a scheme of work is like a driver who is driving without a permit.  If there is an accident, they will blame the drive that doesn’t have the permit. (Not real sure how that relates. . . )

One question on of the social workers kept asking was how the teacher would react to hearing news that the students were preparing a strike.  My thought every time was “Does that happen often?  Should I expect my students to strike?  What would they strike about?”  I never did ask the probability of a student led strike in the school.

Safety Regulations?!?

I stopped to buy fuel one day.  They were painting the shelter above the tanks.  I pulled up to one of the tanks farthest from the man on the ladder.

The attendant quickly waved me over to the tank directly underneath the man and ladder!

Somehow, I don't think OSHA would approve. . .

Ugandan Wedding

Pastor Moses called me on Thursday and invited me to attend a wedding at his church on Saturday.  I agreed.  After hanging up, I realized I didn't even know who was getting married.  It turns out it is Pastor Jacobo from Lake Victoria.  Moses said the wedding starts at 9:00, so arrive at 10:30.  My American culture made me start sweating around 10:25 and we had not arrived yet.  We arrived at 10:45.  We were the only ones there besides the choir warming up!

About 45 minutes later, a band came in, playing loudly.  They were escorting the groom, best man and some other men into the sanctuary.

There were still not very many guests; mainly just children from off the street with nothing better to do on their Saturday morning.

After something was said, everyone got up and ran out of the church.  The bride was coming!

 I was sitting behind a building, talking to Brenda about a patient's medicine.  I spotted the bride through the fence.

The children were so excited.  Everyone gathered to watch her grand entrance.  And Grand it was!

  Everyone stopped to watch the Bride's entrance.  Here in Uganda, as Moses says, "People like to take their time at a wedding. The bride walks slow to enjoy herself and take her time."

The bride had to walk the distance of a city block.  She took 30 minutes!  She and her attendants danced, slowly from the car to the front of the church.  All the community watched, laughed, smiled and generally enjoyed themselves.

Still dancing. . . still dancing. . . I watched a grandmother with her 4 small grandchildren.  She was walking down the road, but upon seeing the bride, stopped and smiled.  She watched the entire dance from car to the church steps.  She was so happy!  So excited for the bride.  She never took her eyes off the bride.  When the bride arrived at the church porch, the grandmother turned, still beaming, gathered her grandchildren and went on her way.  

It showed me how important these events are to the people her.  Strangers stop to celebrate with the happy couple.  The wedding begins in the street with much fanfare and excitement.  The shop owners and bicycle-taxi drivers stop to watch, suspending business for a while.  Children come from everywhere!

Yes, still dancing. . . 

You guessed it, STILL dancing.  I have to say I feel so "white" as I watch them.  All the people have such great rhythm.  Even the babies seem to dance in their mother's arms.  I can not even sway to the music right!  

I timed the "bride dance" out of curiosity - this is not my first wedding here.

As if there had not been enough music, EVERYONE danced again, for about 20 minutes this time!

This is one of the ushers.  She carries the stick because she shoos out the children when they gather in too close.  She dances up and down the aisle as she taps the unsuspecting children on the head.  She takes her job very seriously.

We had to leave right as Moses was beginning the actually sermon/marriage talk.  After they finished Busia, the wedding party was going to take the reception to Lake Victoria where the bride is from. The groom is from around Busia but pastors a church at Lake Victoria.  

It is 6:15 in the evening as I write this and I have no doubt the party is still going on.  Singing, dancing - general happiness!

Outside, I noticed this sign.

Monitor Lizard in the back yard!

Forget bears, coyote and fox!  I have hyenas and monitor lizards!

Some of the workers caught a 18" monitor lizard at on of our fish ponds. 

They then brought him up and put him in our rabbit cage. (The rabbits are not in it). 

Monitor lizards can get up to 10 feet long. We saw one on the Nile that was about 4 feet. 

They are poisonous and have forked toungues. This one hissed at me!

Needless to say, all the children were gathered around, looking, screaming and trying to scare each other. The kids were reaching down and touching the ankles of each other. The scared were jumping left and right. 

I am not sure what Willie plans to do with the lizard. I made the announcement  "the lizard is poisonous. If you touch it, you will die. ". I know, a bit exaggerated, but u decided it was better for the kids to have a healthy fear. I don't know how to treat monitor lizard bites! 

They lined two sides of the cage with bricks. But then ran out of bricks. So the left him hanging in the cage. 

"Al"ison, the Nanny Goat

My grandmother bought a goat in honor of my grandfather for his birthday.  She thought long and hard and decided she wanted it to be a nanny, "So it could produce more goats" and she wanted to name it "Al"ison after my grandfather, Al.

Great!  We have found that goats are one of our better ventures here at the Village of Eden - they seem to thrive.

Then, my mother, as she sat on her soft couch in her air conditioned house decided that I should get a picture of said nanny goat, to send to my granny.  No problem.

But, as she sipped her coffee leisurely, she decided that just any picture wouldn't do - the goat should be wearing a hat!  "Al"ison the Nanny Goat, in a hat.

So, being the loyal, loving daughter and granddaughter I am, I endeavored to get this picture.  (My hat will never be the same. . . )

I went yesterday evening to get my picture, after the goats were locked up in their pen for the night.

I must admit, just the prospect of getting inside the small, overcrowded pen with the goats made me nervous and question my resolve. Goats are flighty and unpredictable in my experience - head butting, urinating, pooping and the like - you never know what or when.

 But, I ventured in, trying to spot a worthy nanny of my grandfather's name and my hat.

I then timidly started trying to get the hat on the goat.  The whole herd started running around the pen.  I realized that selecting a specific goat was not going to work.  I decided that if that goat was female, that was good enough!

I held out the hat, trying to see if one didn't bolt at the sight of it.  No takers.

So!  I tossed the hat onto the first available female head and snapped a picture (see above).  Then, the goat panicked and began running around in circles!  Which caused all the others to run too!

The worst of it was that my hat was hung on the horns of the goat!  I briefly considered sacrificing the hat, but decided I had to get it back.  I chased this goat around this pen.  She ran, her kid ran too, trying to nurse and I ran in circles.  I don't think I have to tell you how I felt at this point about my mother's "great idea".

 Finally, the hat fell off the horns and behind this other nanny (see above).  I reached in and grabbed the hat just before one of her kids began urinating right where my hat had fallen!

I recovered the hat, brushed off who knows what and left the pen.  Forget Mama's idea, I'll just tell Granny how much we appreciate "Al"ison the Nanny and be done with it.