It has been pretty odd adjusting from having shared a bed most of the time in India, and always sharing a room ever since I left home, to having this room all to myself.
I feel very lucky to have such a large space which I can call my own for the next few months, but I have also found it hard to manage my time in my room and the time outside with the family - a balance I have never even considered before. For my time in Asia, even when I was in my room I was being sociable because there were always people there too, but here, when I close the door, it is just me. Thankfully, John and Sophie are used to westerners and our ways of life, which has made me less self conscious at all the time I spend in here, but its still something which plays on my mind most times when I shut the door behind me.
That first week was beautiful because I really connected with God and found His presence which I have needed ever since! He gave me verses to hold onto for my whole time here and in all that I will be doing. John 5:30 is one of the very first verses that stood out to me in my first day here - 'For I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.' If you get time, read Isaiah 49 too, it's a beautiful chapter full of hope and Jesus and Abba blessed me a lot through that chapter.
For the last two weeks I have been spending most of my time in a slum-like area where a group of people form the north of Uganda have settled after fleeing their homes due to war. They are called the Acholi people. When I was here for a week a year and a half ago I remember spending a couple of afternoons there seeing what life was like and playing with the kids, so I was looking forward to going back and getting to know some of them over a longer period. Nothing could of prepared me for what I faced on a Wednesday morning - well, that's a bit too dramatic I guess, that Wednesday was good, it was the last week after my 'muzungu' (white person) scariness has worn off which I was unprepared for!
The last 12 days has seen me making the 20 minute boda boda ride to the Acholi quarters and back, a ride which I am extremely familiar with now! Boda boda's are like the local taxis, except they're motorbikes - you jump on the back and away you go! I have my own trusted driver and my own helmet, so I am much safer than if you get on the back of a random one. Mondays to Fridays I have a group of about 40 kids for three hours, to keep preoccupied and not completely wild (easier said than done). I actually have over 80 kids registered, but apart from a dedicated 20 or 30, they are pretty inconsistent in their coming which is rooted in the slum lifestyle. Many of these kids have never been to school before, or have had to drop out because they can't afford the fees and they need to work to bring a few shillings into their family. Growing up in a slum also means you have to be tough to survive, so the kids I see are very much in need of constant love and a calm environment instead of the fighting, crying and beating which is common among them. A couple of the older ones have become like class control for me, but they do it by hitting with sticks, something I am trying very hard to stop because it is so wrong - it is so engrained in their way of keeping kids quiet and in their of teacher that when I tell them not to, they just look confused.
Three hours with that rabble is more than enough! It is super hard to fill three hours of teaching when you have so many students of all abilities - I have ones who can barely walk or talk up to ones who have almost reached the end of their primary education. Overwhelming sums up those hours pretty well I think. When I am not in the community hall teaching those kids, I am in the community with some of the women. One in particular, Catherine, has adopted me and so I sit in the house every afternoon. She gives me a Mirinda when I get in from class (I am pretty smug because I know the way through the maze of paths from the hall to her house now and can do the walk on my own if needed) and then, three hours later serves me lunch. It is truly humbling that she does all this for me, considering six people live in her house - her husband, youngest brother, two children and someone else I haven't met - and she only makes a living through rolling paper beads and her husbands occasional building work. Yet every day without fail she feeds me until I am begging her not to give me anymore, which of course she does. Her generous hospitality can be a little trying at times though - I have eaten meat because of her insistence and hurt by my refusing, and when I told her I wouldn't be coming at weekends anymore because I really needed to look after myself and properly rest, well I thought I had physically hurt her! Nevertheless, she is such a blessing to me, and always brings me joy.
Twice a week, about eight of the women all congregate with me in Catherine's small home and I work with them on their English. It is much quieter and calmer than my morning class for sure. They are all at different levels too - a couple of the ladies can't even say the alphabet - but because the group is smaller I know their levels much better and so look forward to meeting with them and seeing their beautiful smiles when they grasp something new. The community feel between them is very strong - a key part of not just surviving but living in this place. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my mornings with the kids too, but I have to admit some mornings I have woken up and just wanted to stay in bed all day! But you have that whatever you do, I guess. It's what you do when you get up despite that feeling that matters.
Outside of the Acholi quarters (and on at least two afternoons every week, inside too) I spend the majority of my time marking books and writing more work for my kids. The challenge of a wide range of abilities in one room means I have to come up with a few different tasks for them when we do bookwork, and I have to hand write every single one! Many days I have come home at 4pm and after a quick shower and with a break for dinner I am marking and setting work till 10pm when I collapse into bed. I'm not saying for you to pity me or be impressed, this is simply my reality at the moment. I have written so many letters for kids to trace my hand hurts, and the baby class have a new picture to colour every day - these are some of my favourites!
God has blessed me with much needed rest as I have had the last three days off to just be at home and slow down. Today I didn't even touch a workbook! This week will hopefully see things settle into a more manageable system for me as John is going to help me work out a new way of handling all the kids. We will see how it goes, and I will let you know as and when things change. The highlight of this week will undoubtedly by Thursday night and Friday morning though when I will be with mum!!!!! This is actually happening! She is just flying through Uganda before journeying onto Zambia (I think, I can't keep track of all her travelling!) but I get to spend her layover with her. It's been over six months since I last saw her, and whilst Skype is wonderful, it just isn't half as good as the real thing. Then, this time in two weeks, all four Harrisons will be reunited for one glorious week! I have so much to look forward to and I feel so blessed!
I'm sorry the photos are few and pretty boring but the Acholi quarters are so intense that I couldn't face it with a camera! Tomorrow I will try and get a few shots of where I am spending my time and of the wonderful people I have the privilege of getting to know there. But for know, I will leave you with a glimpse of Uganda - the view from by bedroom window. It is a beautiful country. We've had rain this week so it's been mercifully cooler; the first two weeks I was sweating even when I wasn't moving it was SO hot, but this week I have almost needed a jumper in the mornings! The rains also mean less dust, which is lovely, but we will see if this is truly the start of the rainy season, or whether it is just a teaser. Much love to you all! Thank you for your continued love and prayers - you all mean the world to me!
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