T-minus 4 days!

For those who haven’t already heard my explosive rant on my impeding study abroad adventure (varying in degrees of excited-ness depending on whether you heard about it when I first found out several months ago, or yesterday, after I’d already talked about it 400 times): I’m going to Uganda!

I’ll be there for two months, student teaching at a school in rural south-western-ish Uganda. So I’ll be arriving in Entebbe five days from now, then staying at the Makerere University in Kampala for a few days, then spending the rest of my time in Kasese (see it? It’s right above Lake George), when I’m not teaching in Rwentutu (too small for the map).

That’s about all I know. Just kidding, I do know more details, which I’ve memorized from the handbook and the meetings, but you’ll figure them out as you read this enthralling, eloquent, and picture-sprinkled blog. Which reminds me…. I’d like to preface this blog by saying that I generally tend to not like blogs. But I’m required to do this. Ha, but actually, I’ve come to see it as a great way for me to process things and be reflective, as well as keep all my friends and relatives updated. So if you plan on following this, know that it will inevitably be teacher-y and philosophical, but I also hope to make it as interesting (and informative) as possible. Anyways, I want to start being teacher-y and philosophical before I leave, because I’m anticipating that my first few days there will be quite busy, and I want to share where my head is these days, and maybe you all will see some personal growth by the time I’m done with this.

So, I first want to say that I have been so strongly influenced by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who warns us of The Danger of A Single Story. The video is a bit long, but I highly recommend it, because she so perfectly articulates my perception of how many Americans view Africans– as a singular body of destitute, AIDS-stricken, unskilled, and inferior people who are in need of our charity. She also talks about stereotypes in general, and the danger of assuming that one story is the only story. So with all of what I write, know that it is just one story, and my opinions and prior experiences will undoubtedly affect what I perceive. And know that I come from the perspective that economics has come to define us too much, meaning that I believe people’s identities and purposes should not be confined to their economic status or activities (poor farmer, etc), and that education should not always be about climbing up one particular (free-market) economic ladder.

Because I am trying to see the whole story here, that Uganda was not Uganda until the British arrived; there were many tribes and kingdoms that occupied that space, there were Arab traders, peace, war, inequalities, harmony, and then there were colonization (although Uganda was never technically a colony), the establishment of parliament, schools, and a free market system, and military leaders, coups, and violence… it’s complex. And I’m not afraid to ask questions about who should hold power, what we should do to sustain and enhance human life, if the ecosystem is being too badly damaged, and, most importantly to me, what an education system for this locality should look like.

But that complicates my task.

I haven’t really been able to answer people’s questions lately about whether I’m excited or nervous or whatever. Of course I’m excited, but my feelings are currently a bit dulled by all I’ve had to do in preparation. I’m not nervous about traveling abroad– it’s thrilling and what I want to spend my life doing, and I could be put in danger or killed anywhere, so it might as well be somewhere awesome. I’m going to miss friends, family and my love (shout out, Owen), but this has an end date and the time will fly by quickly enough. I’m more nervous about the complexities that accompany the reality that I am a white woman (mzungu– hence the cutesy blog name) teaching in a place where whites have historically assumed cultural and intellectual superiority. I’m heading into this with limited knowledge of the country’s– let alone the district’s and village’s– history and culture, little experience heading a classroom, and insecurities about teaching English (as a non-primary language for most students) and math (the only two subjects I’m required to teach). I’m still working out for myself what I believe education should look like on a global scale, and while I believe this will give me a more concrete idea, I don’t want to waste my students’ time while I figure that out. What if, while experimenting with discovery-based learning, I neglect to teach students skills necessary for them to pass their exams to get into secondary school, and later into university and ruin their lives? What if I can’t get to know my students because they are expected to not express their opinions to adults? What if my explanations fall short because I’m used to having more resources? What if my lessons reflect how painfully ignorant I am?

Then again, I think there’s a certain beauty in an educator learning alongside their students. We must humbly accept that we can’t know everything. It is our job to show students how to learn, so what better way is there than demonstrating our own learning? It is our job to give students confidence and autonomy over their ability to discover, express, and lead, so what better way is there than asking them questions and learning from them? Plus, I've heard that the teachers are open to new ideas, and I found the national curriculum online (http://www.ncdc.go.ug/), which suggests considerable freedom in exploring broad ideas. Despite my fears, I’m going to choose this positive position.

Speaking of which, positivity is something I know I’ll need help with. So please, help keep me positive and friendly so that through the rough parts, I can still learn, develop meaningful relationships with people, and have a good influence on those around me.

And with that, I thank you for reading my first blabbering blog post! I promise to try to keep them more concise. Send me emails or facebook me because the phone will be off starting in T-minus 4 days!