The Journey

Disclaimer to Students:  I know I promised to keep posts short and I assure you future ones will be.  We needed to lay the foundation for this first one and as you are all aware that takes a little more time and effort.

The hustle and bustle of the end of the school year has caught me completely off guard, but not for the reasons you may think.  Sure the grading frenzy of the end of the year projects has been less than desirable, but more pressing has been the reality of my upcoming departure from the States and the start of my daunting summer plans.

This summer I have an opportunity to travel back to Africa to combine my two passions of fostering global community and teaching, and to invite you along for the ride.  As some may be aware, I have had the privilege of traveling to Africa several times over the course of the past 6 years for various development projects.  In 2008, I traveled to Pallisa, Uganda where I worked with a team to build a community well and help staff a rural clinic.  It was there that I delivered two babies!  One of which bares my name, a surreal honor.

This summer I will be traveling back to Pallisa where much has changed since my last visit in 2008. Where a field once stretched now stands St. Peter’s College Ambusala, a secondary school. The vision for this community project that Simon Okiria (a leader in the community) shared with me then is now a reality! Although he has moved his non-profit work and family to Kampala, Simon still makes the 185 km (114 miles) trek to the school regularly because he believes in the power of education.

St. Peter's College Amusala is a growing privately run institution that started just last year and is currently undergoing registration by the Ugandan Ministry of Education. The school is still in its infancy, but Simon and the school’s headmaster Lawrence are moving full steam ahead. They envision St. Peter’s as becoming one of the most sound learning institutions in eastern Uganda. Currently their total enrollment is 76 for classes 2, 3, 4 and 6 (9-11th & 7th grade equivalents). This spring they
admitted the first 1 & 5 classes with the expected total enrollment to go to 150. The physical structure of the school is simple at best with six classrooms, a main hall, and a rough science lab. Plans to set up a library and dormitories for both boys and girls are in place, but lack funding.

Senior 1 class hard at work.

 Lawrence and I view my time at the school this summer as part of a larger long-term project relationship. I’m looking to create the avenues for a partnership between St. Peter’s and school communities here in the states, including my own (Bath Middle School). I look forward to teaching science, supporting the school staff and their efforts to solidify curriculum, and helping with building projects around the school grounds.  This includes exploring alternative energy sources, an investigation students back at Bath Middle will extend upon as part of an energy expedition in the fall.

Just three years ago this was an empty field, now it’s home to St. Peter’s College Ambusala.

 The purpose of this blog is two-fold:  to be a guide of my time teaching abroad and to be an eye-opener for my soon to be 8th grade students.  The thought being they would share in this experience with me and it would spark intentional conversations with buddies at the beach or over an ice cream downtown at Dots.   I leave Maine on June 28th and will be leading a group of college students on a 2-week trip to Kenya.   I will wave goodbye to the group at the Nairobi airport on the 14th of July and head to Uganda till mid-August.   Be sure to stay tuned and have fun reading!  In the meantime, may you enjoy the start of your summer!