End of term 2009

Back from 10 fun and relaxing days at Zanzibar, just in time for the end of term staff meeting at St. Joseph.

All the teachers assembled together in the main hall, discussing students and their grades, good and bad things that happened this term and making plans for next term..

Friday is the last day of this term, and all the students will be leaving school after the General Assembly at 8.00 am, and after they have packed and cleaned out the dormitories. We are also getting ready for the holidays- expecting visitors and lots of fun the next four weeks.

Yesterday we had a FK get-together at Budo, a very nice combined meeting and lunch with former participants + Tormod and me of course:)

Tormod and me at the Millenimum Gardens at Budo

Charles and Peter playing....

Having fun posing for 7 cameras...

Making plans for next term...And Tormod's birthday party.

And I found a new funny tree:) This is cocoa!!

School's out for summer!

Arnold Kizito with his term card, ready for the holidays

School's out for summer and today we went to Namiryango junior boys' school to pick up Charles' two boys; John Lawrian, 10 years, and Arnold Kizito,7 years, who are in primary 1 and primary 4 . They live at school three months each term, having three weeks at home between terms. This time however since it is the end of year and summer holidays they get to stay at home for two months! Hooray:)


Empty dorm. Imagine what it looks like when it's filled with students!

Carrying the mattress to the car

We packed and picked up all their belongings from the dorm rooms, filled up the car and drove back to Kisubi,

Tormod carrying more luggage to the car

Hooray! We're going home:)

stopping on the way to get some ice cream to celebrate:)


Banana split heaven

Yesterday I went to Budo for the annual Christmas lunch for teachers and students.


It was very nice, and very hot.
It is a tradition that the teachers and the headmaster serve the students and I joined in with the others, serving cabbage and peanut sauce to hungry students (and staff).



Happy holidays!!

Kindergarten graduation

class of 2009

This Saturday I went to Cabana kindergarten to participate in the celebration of the graduating kindergarten class of 2009.Being 5 years old is great! You're officially a big kid. You know almost everything you'll ever need to know.. And, you get to graduate from kindergarten and enter the school world. Hooray!

It was a great event:) We marched- with a band in front: the police even stopped the traffic so we could cross the main road and parade through the nearby trading center, and we watched the children perform plays, traditional dances, sing songs and read poetry. They were truly wonderful performances.

After the official celebrations-that lasted 8 hours (!) we went out to dinner with the Kanema`s and their graduate son to celebrate.

Charles,Winnie and the boys at Lake Vic

A part from this it’s been fairly quiet around here the past couple of weeks. I’ve been sick so have not been able to do much. But I am better now and hope to do some fun and useful things before heading off to Zanzibar on Friday.

Oh, and yesterday we discovered the reason behind our printer’s sudden erratic behavior; a family of (very large) cockroaches has been (might still be) living inside it! (The discovery led to rather erratic behavior on our part..) but the problem is now solved as Charles came to the rescue and took the printer home with him.. Sadly Tormod’s efforts to document the incident were in vain as he forgot to insert the memory card before snapping away. Oh well.

I don’t think we really do need a printer anyway.. At least not one with alien life forms in it.

Gilbert is very proud of his brother

Tormod and the kids

Matoke

How to make Fried Matoke (Maria's recipe)



- Peel the green matoke bananas (after someone find them in a tree). Make sure you do not get any juice on your clothes as it stains them.
-Cook them for as long as it takes (they will at some point turn yellow and I think "as long as it takes" means sometime after this happens, red.anm)



-Chop some vegetables, does not matter what kind, put whatever you like (today we put onion,garlic,tomatoes and capsicum)
-Fry the vegetables, when they become somehow ready you put in spices and salt and add the right amount of water




-Mix the matoke bananas and the vegetables. Cook for 1 min and then

Enjoy:)

Strange fruit..

john and his vanilla tree

Pictures from a visit to John the botanist's:
Vanilla tree, bananas, aloe vera and of course jackfruit; largest of all tree borne fruits.. It takes at least a week to finish one:)
me&jack:)

John also has some pigs and was very interested in discussing ways of raising them, especially when he discovered that I was from a farm and used to have lots...
pig talk:)

Short up-date from Kisubi

We've bought some fantastic new outdoor furniture! The best chairs ever. Perfect for reading, relaxation and g&t's..
And the vegetable garden is coming along nicely- we've planted water melons, spring onions, garlic, pumpkins and a bunch of other edible (I hope) things.
Things grow quickly in this country and we're hoping to have some home grown stuff on the menu soon:)
Until then- Lake Victoria Hotel is a haven for hungry Norwegians, the other night we went there with Charles and Winnie celebrating our first month in Uganda.



Tomorrow we are going to a graduation party and Monday it's back to work. The students start their exams this week and I'll be filming at St. Joseph.

Teaching at Budo

Due to some trouble with the internet connection I’ve been unable to update the blog for some time. But the problem seems to be solved now.

And that was how far I got last night before I lost the connection again..
Maybe it will work this time.. Fingers crossed:)

The past two weeks I have been teaching biology and chemistry classes at Kings College Budo.

It is a bit different from teaching at home; up to a hundred students per class - but it has been great fun!

Next week I‘ll be in Kisubi working on a plastic recycling project (will write more about this project later). And the week after that I’ll be back at Budo working with a group of students making short films for The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. Lots of fun to come!! And very busy days.

I’ve also almost finished my first film project- a short information video about the plastic recycling project at St Joseph Technical Institute. So things are starting to happen; although mpola mpola as they say in Luganda, meaning slowly by slowly.

Will write more later this week- when the internet might be having a better day

First week:)

It has been a great first week in Kampala! It is really true what they say on the VisitUganda web site; Uganda has got very nice sunny and rainy weather. Sometimes even at the same time:)

The house in Kisubi is great. It's about an hour's drive from Kampala (depending on the traffic situation) only a few steps away from Lake Victoria. I am staying here together with Tormod who is going to be teaching at St. Josephs. Our nearest neighbours are a printing press and some nuns. And at the moment we have police guards at the gate because they are printing the school exams here.

On Saturday I went for my first drive on Ugandan roads; I was stopped by traffic police after about 150 m, not I don't think due to any strange driving behaviour on my part-however, driving here is a bit like being in a video game, and it's a full time job trying to avoid other cars, people,bodas, chickens,goats, more people, hippogriffs and who knows what else, so following traffic regualtions is really the last thing on your mind. Sometimes the best strategy is to close your eyes and cross your fingers. I think perhaps that was my passanger Tormod's strategy. I kept my eyes open. Most of the time.

Tomorrow I move to Kings College Budo for a few days. To get to know my way around there as well. And soon it's time to start working:)