Extracurricular Activities

It’s now the rainy season here. After such intense heat, the cool breezes feel amazing. One day, I was actually cold. But it’s probably been in the low/mid 70s most of the time; I’m not sure because there are no thermometers around here. But anyways, the rain has begun to limit activities at school, and I think it will start limiting our capacity for adventurous endeavours too. It’s hard to go to plan going to town, a trip to another city, or a hike with the constant possibility of sudden downpour.

Collecting rain water

However, last Saturday, we were spared a downpour until we got home in the evening. We were able to spend the morning at a talent show at a local secondary school. Our neighbor, Juliet, is a prefect at the school, and invited us to watch. In a few words, it was amusing, fascinating, confusing, frustrating, uncomfortable, and thoroughly enjoyable (simple emotions are rare for me). Upon arrival, we were ushered into the head office to shake many people’s hands, then led outside to watch some netball and volleyball games (simultaneously). At this point, the stares we received were expected. But it felt very strange to awkwardly stand on the sidelines alone (with Robert, Juliet’s brother) without talking to any of the students. We waited a long time for the actual talent show to begin, and being “out of the loop” was frustrating. But I had to remind myself that not only was it in Uganda, where time passes more slowly, but it was also entirely student-run. So naturally, once the show began, it was filled with hilarious problems, like speakers squeaking. We had to leave early, so all we saw were a few rap acts and “miming”– basically singing karaoke with the original singer still on the track. Audience members danced up to the “stage” to hand candy and money to the performers they thought were good. Many acts were entertaining and made me smile, but some made me really uncomfortable, as I watched male eyes (even those of the staff) following 16-year-olds’ bums shake. Maybe that’s just my culture talking, though. Unfortunately we left before the banana-peeling, egg-cracking, dancing, and eating contests began. Those sounded pretty interesting.

Juliet & Robert doing a duet

The crew heading back home

Later that day, we went to a lodge with an infinity pool. The view was breathtaking and it felt amazing to wade and relax in cool water. Our food took several hours for some reason, but it was delicious. I felt much more rich than I am, spending a leisurely afternoon at a ridiculously gorgeous hotel in a foreign country. It was wonderful, but it almost felt like an experience that didn’t belong to me. These sort of things are done by someone who can easily drop thousands of dollars at a resort, an isolated island of privileged people who think they leave knowing the country but never have any authentic contact with everyday life in that place. However, it was our celebration for Alex’s birthday, and I think we are at least aware enough of our privilege to not take the experience for granted.

Behold.

When we got home that night, we got some work done, but then spent some bonding time playing “Never Have I Ever.” None of the details shall ever be revealed to another soul. Anyways, we had started boiling a large pot water (for drinking) and left it in the kitchen while we played the game. When Cassie went in the kitchen for a snack, she found smoke and left immediately. Alex and I investigated and found roaring flames over the stove top! We freaked out, but fortunately our emergency reflexes kicked in and we grabbed some bottles of water to put the fire out. Luckily, I had just filled up a 2 litre bottle, out of fear that the water would go out again. So the fire was managed and the burn marks on the walls wiped off. Apparently the gas line from the tank to the stove top had come loose somehow… we’re not really sure what else happened. But we had to get a new stove.

new digs

At least you still feel loved if you burn dinner.

Another experience of note was attending a funeral (called a burial here). During classes on Wednesday, Doreen came by and collected money for a burial for a student’s uncle, saying that the burial would happen that same day. I had heard that burials were very expensive and happened very often, so I wasn’t too surprised that the collection was same-day. Later, she announced that we would be attending. I hadn’t expected that, but I’d heard of groups before us attending weddings without knowing the bride/groom all too well, so it didn’t seem like it would be too strange. We left school early and piled SIXTEEN people in the mini-van (eight adults, eight children- don’t tell the police) and drove about 15 minutes to the man’s house, where burials are typically held. It was great to see more of the surrounding area and see people’s houses up close. There were SO MANY people there– probably almost 200. The deceased was an uncle to at least 3 of the children with us, and probably somehow a relative of the rest of them. None of the students were in my class, but I knew a P3 student named Win (which I think is an adorable name) fairly well. She took my hand and led me everywhere throughout the burial. I was so glad to have her; her hand somehow signified a connection, a legitimate justification for being there, and confidence in my ability as a teacher to connect to students. Even though it was her uncle’s funeral, she didn’t seem too upset. In fact, most the people around didn’t seem very sad, and some were even making small talk as the man was lowered into the ground. However, the man’s wife and close family, who were in a procession, conveyed an intense sorrow. The wife let out heart-wrenching wails– the kinds of cries that shake your bones and leave cracks in your soul. I ached so badly to connect with her in some way, to help her, or even just understand her. I know I will never forget her face. The face of grief is universal, so that much I was able to decipher. But the rest of the ceremony eluded me. I was disappointed to not hear more of the ceremony to see how things are done here, but I wasn’t about to be pushy at a funeral for someone I didn’t know. 

Usually we spend Saturdays taking trips and Sundays getting work done. But this weekend we have nothing planned for Saturday, which I’m actually pretty relieved about. I love exploring the area and taking advantage of the fact that I’m in Uganda, but I do have a job to do, and I really need the extra time to plan lessons. There’s so much to do around the house, too! But next weekend I’m hoping to do a home visit.

I’m off to sleep but I’m writing a post about teaching tomorrow. I promise it will be interesting! Thanks for reading!

Here's a picture of a praying mantis!