Despite the title this has actually been a really great week back. I think I have enjoyed my teaching more this week than I have done for a very long time - and certainly more than any time since moving to Uganda. What has changed? Well my attitude as much as anything else I think. I have had a real rejuvenation of my joy of teaching and an uplift in my approach to life over the Christmas break and I am determined to enjoy the rest of my time here to the maximum - especially as it is looking more and more likely that I will return to UK in the summer when Ronnie finishes in Juba.
One thing in particular that has changed my whole outlook was a very short book I read called The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, and I feel compelled to share a brief quote with you all:
If you're Christian then I would strongly recommend that you read it as it gives a new perspective on what you already believe. If you're not a Christian then I strongly recommend that you read it - it might well change your life (and more importantly your afterlife!).
My photo-theme for today is quite simple - I thought I would share with you my journey into Kampala and back, via church and my classroom where I had to pick some things up before coming home. It shows how things have changed in my classroom since the start of term back in September (I blogged about that at the time so you can go back and compare if you like).
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| This is the ACP! |
At present at church we have four services on a Sunday and each one overflows the main cathedral into a couple of tents outside. When the ACP (the All Saints' Cathedral Plan) is funded, then the idea is that we can all worship together.
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| Communion taking place for the 7:30 service in one of the tents. |
I usually arrive by 9am for the 9:30 service so that I can join the scrum for a place in the main cathedral. One advantage means that you get to see the end of the previous one taking place outside - twice the worship for your money!
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| Getting out of one of the overflow car parks |
I have described the less than gracious tussle to get into the cathedral at the start of the service before. However, it is nothing compared to trying to get a couple of hundred cars out of various nooks and crannies around the building where we have to park. Wacky races comes to mind!
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| So, out of the city and finally on my way to GEMS Cambridge International School Kampala |
The journey from church to school takes about 10 to 15 minutes on Sunday morning, about an hour most other times, and anything from a couple of hours plus on a Friday afternoon! Kampala traffic is something that everyone in UK should experience once in their life - then they might appreciate what 'real' traffic is like!
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| Being the Principal and CEO is no doubt a daunting task - but you do get a large tax-free salary and very smart house (for free)! |
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| The main entrance to the school - a very smart area in which to greet prospective parents. |
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| This is one of a number of murals in the entrance. |
The school is very modernistic in design, which is not to everyone's tastes I admit. However, it very much fits in with the Ugandan view that modern, bright (perhaps almost garish) is good. I have to admit that it is growing on me.
I certainly I do love the murals and I am considering asking for one as a leaving present!
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| Year 5 had 'migration' as their first theme this year. |
One of the first boards displaying children's work to greet you as you go down the corridors is this one that my class put together last term. We had been looking at migration and, as well as studying their own family histories and making a class book about them, we looked at Indian partition as an example of mass migration. I was very pleased with the standard of work they produced for the display.
Okay, I think I will let the photos do the talking as we enter my classroom a term after I took over what was, almost literally, an empty shell:
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| The children chose the 5 things that were most important to them (in order) and I produced this display outside the classroom using 'Wordle'. |
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| Display boards, IWB clock, benches - I could go on! |
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| On the left, the children's expectations for themselves - on the right their expectations of me! |
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| Obviously badgers abound. |
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| As part of our study into weather and climate we were lucky enough to be able to take a trip to the Entebbe Airport Meteorological Centre. Having spent a couple of hours there being shown all of the instruments and how they used them to forecast the weather, this is the report that one of my children produced. Honestly, we did go to a weather station, really we did! |
So, to close, life is pretty good here in Kampala, although I am getting quite busy as I have picked up a couple of additional duties at school, plus we have an inspection imminent and I am wrapped up in a heap of work related to what I might end up doing next year - possibly!
From what I gather from our daily FaceTime sessions and WhatsApp chats, it is more or the same situation for Ronnie in Juba. Hopefully she will get a long weekend down here sometime in the next month or so, and I am planning to be in Juba over half-term. Obviously not visiting my wife as that would be breaking FCO rules, but who knows, I might happen to bump into her whilst I am there!
One final photo to end with. We have seen just about everything on the back of the minibus taxis and motorbike boda bodas whilst we have been travelling around, and that includes livestock. However, as I was leaving school this morning I saw a first - two goats actually waiting at the taxi stand to be picked up. I hope they had the correct fare.
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