The Gremlin

I will venture to say most of my students will not know the creatures that this post pays tribute to so I will give a brief description to start.  I apologize for those who are already in the know and experienced many a nightmare as a child or avoided pouring water on the family dog (especially if it was "Gizmo sized") in fear of it growing into one of these vengeful pests as a result of this flick.  Gremlins was a 1984 horror comedy film where miniature green monsters tear through a small town.   This happens because a bank teller releases these hideous creatures after gaining a new pet as a Christmas present and violating two of three simple rules: No water (violated), no food after midnight (violated), and no bright light.

"So, when your washing machine blows up or your TV goes on the fritz, before you call the repair man, turn on all the lights and look under all the beds. 'Cause you never can tell, there just might be a gremlin in your house."

Now that we are all on the same page let me continue with what I lovingly referred to as The Gremlin my last week in Uganda.  Indeed the mischievous gremlins were scary looking (remember I was a kid), but more importantly they made interesting noises.  Grumbling mostly.  Here enters the connection between the noises Gremlins make and my GI tract.

I had made it 5 weeks in Africa sickness free.  In fact I felt great!  Then that last week hit and I thought my insides were deteriorating.  It is not uncommon to have stomach upset as an American abroad.  Simply put our bodies are not use to some of the foods eaten elsewhere.  Let me be clear in stating that I did not eat anything that was foul or rotten.  I later realized my body was probably fighting off some stomach infection, however the symptoms presented very much like malaria.  Don't worry the two tests I took came back negative...a relief.  I have never had malaria, but have been with friends who have and it's not fun.  For the better part of the week it was all I could do to keep my body hydrated as it wanted nothing to do with food and I grew pretty week.  The Gremlin (residing in my stomach) would keep me up most nights lying in the fetal position and was loud enough to be heard by others throughout the day.  Trying to make light of the situation I gave the stomach bug its name on Day 3 and it was a running joke for the rest of the trip.  After a week of antibiotics and a diet of solely oatmeal, I was much better for my flight back home which I'm incredibly thankful for.  You certainly don't want to be traveling sick for two days!

Special thanks to Amy & Kelcie for their amazing care, Gatorade packets, oatmeal, and laughter.
 

Challenges to Overcome

During my time at St. Peter's College Amusala I attempted to gain as much insight about the inner workings and challenges the school faces as I could.  I asked more questions than I can keep track of.  I'm certain many of the staff wondered if my questions would ever end!  Although they would never let on to this.  They were incredibly gracious and open with me, the questioning American.

It's difficult starting a school.  Even in the U.S most start-up schools fail within a few short years.  This is certainly the case with charter schools.  In Pallisa it is no different.  Currently there are close to 23 secondary schools in the district.  On my 2 mile walk to St. Peter's each day I passed 6 alone!  Naturally, many would question why anyone would start a school in a community with so many.  Simply put it's a matter of quality over quantity.

In 1996 the Ugandan government put into place Universal Primary Education (UPE) which required every child to attend primary school fee free.  This caused an influx of children in the primary schools (class size swells into the 100s) and a decrease in the quality of education they received.  One friend of mine teaches a 4th grade class of 300 students!!  She is understandably frustrated by the circumstances.  How could one teacher tend to that many children's academic progress?  The government had a good idea, but failed to provide the proper structure to carry it out (more schools, teachers, and resources).  UPE has been more of a problem than a solution.

St. Peter's vision is to increase the standard of education in the area and already has attracted approximately 150 students to attend.  Comparatively, other start-up schools in the area have struggled to meet the same level of enrollment in twice the time!  St. Peter's has experienced some success, but still faces some major challenges.  In the interest of time I will list these challenges and with time work to unpackage them in subsequent posts.

• Incomplete laboratory set-up for the sciences.  Prior to my visit there were no gas hook-ups (or source of propane) for chemistry labs, but due to the financial support of some of my colleagues I was able to secure a gas tank and the rubber tubing & splicers to attach Bunsen burners (6 total) for this much needed project. 
• 100 single seated desks are required by the National Examination Board for  a school to be registered as a testing center (among other criteria).
• Complete the main hall (place of testing) with a cement floor, window shutters, and doors.
• Dormitories for both boys and girls.  Students are using temporary housing which is crowded and insufficient for the 80 students who board.  Many girls sleep on the floor on mattresses and lack enough mosquito nets.
• A reliable energy source.  Due to unreliable hydroelectric power (supplied from Jinja 2 hours away) a diesel generator (on loan) is used to run the computer (also on loan) in the office.  Two small solar panels and battery can supply the 6 classrooms and girls dorm with lighting, but are insufficient. 
• A clean water source.  Two shallow wells have been dug, but do not provide safe water.  A deep bore well is needed.  Students currently walk 2 miles to the nearest well; daily trips which I often frequented with students carefully balancing a filled jug on my head.  Update:  Shortly before leaving Pallisa the school leadership was in communication with a local water engineer in hopes to move forward with the well project. 
• A fence around the school compound for security.
• Curriculum materials and support texts/novels to establish a library.  Few students can afford textbooks and it is not uncommon to have many students share one book.
• Feeding boarders (2 meals/day).  Typically student's school fees would cover this cost, but many students have been unable to pay.  Their parents promising to pay once they harvest food to sell.  There is currently a drought in eastern (and much of northern) Uganda and the harvest is yielding little food.  Food prices have doubled and food has become more scarce.  Many speak of pending famine.   

It is easy to get caught up in the details of this long list and not stop to appreciate the good work that is being done in spite of these challenges!  St. Peter's staff are committed to tackling these challenges and working to find solutions.  Together we must push forward and think creatively about how we will accomplish what some may consider an impossible dream.  In the midst of criticism I am confident that trails are blazed when people work together for a more promising future.  That is what pushes us onward.  The hope of a community radically changed.

The Two Es

Energy- the ability to do work.  Energy can take a wide variety of forms- heat (thermal), light (radiant), mechanical, electrical, chemical, and nuclear energy.  There are two types of energy- stored (potential) energy and working (kinetic) energy.  For example, the food you eat contains chemical energy, and your body stores this energy until you release it when you work or play.  

All forms of energy are stored in different ways, in the energy sources that we use every day.  We use energy sources (oil, gas, wind, solar) to generate the electricity we need for our homes, businesses, schools, and factories.  Electricity (a form of energy made available by the flow of electric charge through a conductor) "energizes" our computers, lights, refrigerators, and washing machines to name only a few uses.      

Much of the electricity network in Uganda is poorly maintained and the country experiences frequent power outages. Less than 10 percent of the population have access to electricity and many towns, especially in the North of the country are without electrical power. In rural areas only about 2-3 percent have access to electricity, of which less than half is provided through the national grid, the remainder coming from household generators, car batteries or solar photovoltaic (PV) units. About 97% of Uganda's population do not have access to electricity.  Read more about the energy profile of the country here.  Despite its great importance in our daily lives, few of us probably stop to think what life would be like without electricity.  Like air and water, we tend to take electricity for granted.

I came to terms with the truth in this statement my first night in Uganda.  When traveling to Africa one of the most important items in my pack is a headlamp (the second a supply of Tums).  You can be certain I have offered up many appreciative words to the Petzel manufacturers (in addition to their making of solid climbing equipment).  A headlamp is how you cope with frequent power blackouts and stubborn back-up generators.  It keeps you from running into something or someone (this has happened).


I found myself in a situation in which I sadly must report I expressed animosity towards my headlamp (yes an inanimate object) and cursed my forgetfulness.  I had just got settled into my room when the power went out leaving me fumbling around in unfamiliar darkness.  I found my bag and went to grab the headlamp- not there.  A certain dread fell over me as I realized I had not remembered packing it in Mombasa, Kenya.  Frustrated and ashamed at the level of frustration felt I decided to go to bed at 7:30pm.  


We use energy to do everything we do, from making a jump shot to baking our favorite cookies to sending astronauts into space- energy is there, making sure we have the power to do it all.
 

Could you imagine living without electricity? What would your life be like? 

Note: I found my headlamp at the bottom of my pack the next day.  I had a good laugh.

Wrong Way On a One-Way & Went to Prison

Just another day in Uganda!  These events happened on my last day in Africa, fitting really.  Why wouldn't it be action packed?!  Some Ugandan friends and I were in Jinja (the city which boasts the source of the Nile River) to explore a potential non-profit partnership for the school.  The Uganda America Partnership Organization operates currently in central and northern Uganda.  They actively engage in the development of Uganda through forming partnerships with Ugandans for a better future.  Projects include building wells, orphanages, and a self-sustaining economic and community development project for widows and orphans crafting jewelry.  Probably the most respectful part of what they are achieving is that the organization has NEVER given any hand-outs!  Something many non-profits in the country who construct buildings or give resources (money), but offer no training or support of African leadership could learn from.  Part of the landscape of Uganda are the signs of many NGOs scattered throughout, however most are short lived with empty buildings left standing and the lost hope of failed initiatives felt by communities.

Upon arriving in Jinja we were able to spend some time seeing the woman's project in action.  We  drove out to a rural community where woman were selling their jewelry back to the organization and receiving credit to their village savings and loan accounts.  We were able to get a better feel for what the organization (and ultimately the locals) was achieving in these communities.  It was an amazing success story!  With time to burn until we met up with the group from the States for dinner we decided to visit the cousin (who lived in Jinja) of one of the friends I was with for tea.  Little did I know he had an interesting living arrangement.

After picking up some tea we turned down a busy city street.  I quickly realized it was a one-way street and we were traveling "against the stream".  Unfortunately the friend driving was a little slower in realizing this than I.  Not wanting to be that pesky back seat driver I gave him a few extra moments to realize our circumstances.  However,  others in the car beat me to the task, "yo man! you are driving the wrong way!"  We were able to turn off onto a side street (two-way) with horns blaring at us and me (half-jokingly) telling Joseph (the driver) that up until this point I felt safe with his driving, but was beginning to seriously doubt my judgment.  Within 5 minutes I realized where we were headed...jail.

We drove out of the city and through a run-down industrial section on the shores of Lake Victoria which I was told once boasted a bustling fishing industry.  We arrived at a guarded gate and I was told we were at Jinja Prison.  The cousin is a corrections officer and lives on the grounds.  As we drove in my confusion gave way to inward laughter....seriously?!  We drove past prisoners working on the grounds and proceeded past the various buildings and up a hill to the workers homes.  At the top of the hill I gazed out the window and was met with an unobstructed few of the city and Lake Victoria...simply remarkable!

We had tea, chatted into the late afternoon, and played several games of checkers (with soda bottle tops).  My friend's cousin was disappointed that we hadn't come earlier so he could have given me the tour and introduced me to some of the staff and residents.  He asked if I had ever been in prison in the States.  I joked replying that typically being in a prison means you are a prisoner!  Later, I passed a soccer ball with some of the staff's kids as the sun sunk below the horizon and reflected sunset colors of orange and purple across Lake Victoria, my last sunset in Africa.  I couldn't have asked for a better end to my time here.   

Africans are Resourceful

"I'd be a great dentist!"  beamed Ezekial (deputy teacher) as he chiseled away at a cow jawbone attempting to free a molar.  "Yeah, on the dead!" was Raymond's (history teacher) reply.  This is just a glimpse into our comical biology lab preparations Monday morning for the senior 4 students.

Ezekial and Ishmael (biology teacher) had spent the previous two days hunting around the district for the various materials needed for the lab.  The most difficult to secure were: teeth (cow/goat), vertebrae from a goat, and cow liver.  (Not wanting to waste precious meat staff had arranged to use the liver of sick cow that was to be slaughtered and disgarded.  In addition to the liver staff also received a bonus, liver flukes -parasitic flatworms- which they later preserved in the lab for student observations).  This unusual  search prompted local residents to contact the headmaster of the school concerned that the staff were consulting a traditional healer (witch doctor).  Why else would anyone want so many bones?!  Well, for science of course!

By the end of the morning the lab was set-up for students.  They entered and began their observations.  They then conducted an experiment to test the enzyme activity in various tissues hence the raw and boiled liver.  As I watched students complete the lab (unsure if it would even happen four hours earlier), I was reminded of how resourceful Africans are.  They use what is available to the best of their ability.  Unfortunately, not many here share the same thought.  A negative way of thinking many staff in the school and members of the community are trying to change.