Week 7 - Cultural blog

When Sir Winston Churchill visited Uganda in 1907, he titled it the “Pearl of Africa”. This was due to the magnificent scenery and wildlife of the country, combined with the friendly natives. He explained that the beauty could only be described as a pearl, and proclaimed the country as “paradise on earth” in his 1908 book ‘My African Journey’.

This week, I have experienced a true mixture of Ugandan and Irish culture; as the Irish Ambassador for Uganda Kevin Kelly described, the Pearl and Emerald coming together to celebrate. It is a fantastic experience to live in an entirely different culture such as that found in Uganda, but this week I really enjoyed reacquainting myself with the Irish culture. Coincidentally, the African and Irish events and celebrations of this week alternated, so I was able experience each culture in turn. This provided a fantastic opportunity to compare the two and consider the similarities and differences between them.

On Wednesday night, Rachel and I attended a concert at Calvary Chapel Kampala with several friends. Although the main act was a Texan band called The Response, for me the highlight was seeing the Ugandan branch of the African Children’s Choir. I have previously seen the ACC twice in Belfast, but it seemed extra special to see the children performing in their home country, to hundreds of people who actually understood what they were singing! The children were followed by One Voice, a group which is made up of former members of the African Children’s Choir, and a well-known local pastor. The one thing which really stood out to me was how much the audience participated in the concert; where at home we would clap, cheer and sit back to appreciate the performances, Ugandans will sing and dance throughout, not at all bothered by others looking at them. I feel like I can’t really explain how vigorous this dancing was; we actually had to move away a distance in fear of losing an eye or a limb. Rachel described it as a mosh-pit of African hips, which I think is a fairly apt description!

Thursday being Saint Patrick’s Day, all Irish citizens were invited to an evening reception at the Irish Ambassador’s house. There were around 400 people there, ranging from statesmen to UN workers to students. It was a very surreal experience to be surrounded by so many Irish and Northern Irish accents when you’ve spent several weeks trying to interpret Ugandan English! With the Irish band The Waterboys, Guiness flowing and Irish food (including wheaten bread!) you could have believed you were at home - especially since it had been ‘bucketing down’ with rain all day! Many of the citizens already knew each other, having lived in Uganda for several years, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming to Rachel and I, enquiring how long we had been here and how we were enjoying the country.

Since school was closed on Thursday, I spent Friday morning teaching my P3 class about Ireland. First I read them the story of Saint Patrick, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes I forget that something as simple as a story, which we use so often in Northern Ireland, can bring so much joy to the children here. Then we had a class discussion on...wait for it...potatoes. While I realise that this sounds like a completely ludicrous topic for circle time, Ugandans mainly eat roast potatoes which they refer to as ‘Irish potatoes.’ However, very few people are able to make the link between ‘Irish’ meaning ‘from Ireland’, and it was quite amusing to finally see the penny drop. I explained that potatoes are our main crop, and described some of the different ways in which they are used; the children found the idea of potato bread particularly hilarious. We then discussed some other common Irish food and drink; Guiness was well-known and the children actually cheered when it was mentioned, while the idea of traybakes mystified them. Luckily, the next part of the lesson clarified this idea as we made Fifteens together. I was a little apprehensive about how successful this would be; while I adore my class they are extremely excitable, and this lesson had the potential to turn disasterous. However, they behaved like angels and I was so proud of them. They loved the opportunity to get involved in breaking up and mixing ingredients, and sampling the finished product. Two boys even copied down the recipe to take home for their mothers! Mark Kurlanksky (2002) writes that, “Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture”, and I am glad that I was able to share this part of Irish culture with my class.

Making Fifteens with P3Y

After school on Friday we headed to Lugogo Rugby Club, where there was a series of matches between English and Irish citizens in football, rugby and Gaelic football. Despite even more rain, it was a great afternoon with some of the people we had met at the ambassador’s the evening before – it was also the first time I had ever watched a Gaelic football match – I’m not just learning about African culture here in Uganda!

Sue, Brenda and Ritah with me and Rachel

Friday night was a brand-new African experience for me, celebrating Brenda’s 21^st birthday. Her best friend had planned a surprise party at a popular restaurant, beginning at 7pm. Rachel and I had only twenty minutes to get ready (with no water or electricity!) and arrived at 7:15pm, panicking that we had missed the surprise. We walked into the restaurant to discover that we were the first to arrive; clearly we forgot to go on African time. The next guests arrived at 8:30pm, while the birthday girl didn’t show up until almost 9:30! After the meal we headed to a karaoke bar, where Rachel and I brought back ‘Stran Panto’ memories by singing Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love.’ This was my first experience of performing karaoke in a bar... and I am truly thankful that no one at home will ever see it! We then headed to a bar called Fat Boyz, which played only Ugandan hiphop and RnB hits. While many Africans laugh at white people attempting to dance, both Rachel and I commented that their dancing would not have been out of place at the Back to School Bop in Stran; everyone stood in a circle, someone started a move and everyone else copied for a while until a new move was introduced. However, there was also some ‘African’ dancing, and Rachel and I were not allowed to go home until we attempted it. Understandably, this caused much hilarity all round... I think we need a little more practice.

Saturday night was the biggest night of the year for the Irish Society in Uganda; the Saint Patrick’s Ball. Knowing only two other people, Rachel and I were a little nervous before we arrived. We needn’t have worried; just as at the ambassador’s reception, everyone was extremely sociable and friendly. After one of the best meals I’ve eaten in my life, traditional Irish musicians and dancers performed before the dancefloor filled with people of all ages. Despite never having danced a jig in my life, Rachel and I pinned our arms by our sides and skipped around the dancefloor, even managing to convince a Spanish guest that we were actually Irish dancers. As the night wore on the party got crazier and crazier, with some guests dancing on tables and an England vs Ireland tug-o-war with the red carpet. Eventually Rachel and I arrived home at 5am, though the party was still in full swing when we left. The whole evening reminded me of some of my favourite aspects of home; the food, the familiar accents and the Irish ability to celebrate in style!

I would not have believed it if you had told me a year ago that I would spend in just one day I would make Fifteens with a roomful of African children, followed by watching football, rugby and Gaelic then celebrating an African friend’s birthday. Mixing these two cultures has reminded me of how much I appreciate my home culture, as well as becoming more familiar with Ugandan life.



Week 6 - Personal blog



Lake Victoria


It was absolutely horrible writing Week 6 at the top of this blog; it feels like there is no way my time in Uganda could be half over, and each week here is getting better and better. Last Monday night we went out to celebrate Lawrence’s birthday, and on Tuesday we spent the day at the beach in Entebbe with Brenda, Ritah and Sue to celebrate International Women’s Day. This was the first time we had seen Lake Victoria, and it was a brilliant day of sunbathing, swimming, playing with local children and bribing fishermen to take us out in their canoes (which had more holes than wood, resulting in Rachel and I having to swim back to shore so the boat didn’t sink!). Women’s day is such a brilliant celebration; everyone gets a day off and women do no housework and cooking, but instead are spoiled by their husbands or fathers. I personally think this should be a much bigger holiday in Ireland, and will be promoting it next year!


Five girls and two fishermen in a very dodgy canoe!

With numerous warnings about cholera, typhoid and bilharzia, Rachel and I have been very careful to drink only bottled or boiled water and not swimming with open wounds. Unfortunately, our diligence was completely undone by going white water rafting on Saturday and swallowing half of the River Nile. After school on Friday we headed off to Jinja, a city about two hours from Kampala, with five UN workers; two Irish, two Belgian and an Italian.

Me and Rachel with Nathan

Heading down to the Nile on Saturday morning, we were given a raft whose guide was called Nathan. Unbelievably, Nathan was also my guide when I went white water rafting in Canada last summer! Back then we had had a long conversation about me going to study in Uganda, and he had informed me that his sister still lived there and I should look her up. I’d forgotten about him completely until he introduced himself and said that he normally lived in Canada but had moved back to Uganda in January because he missed his family. Even more crazily, Nathan doesn’t normally work for Nile River Explorers but had just decided that morning that he fancied going rafting. What the flip are the chances of that happening?!  

When I was rafting in Canada I loved every minute and don’t remember feeling scared going through the rapids at all. However, the Grade 5 rapids on the Nile are a LOT bigger than the Grade 4 ones I had experienced before, and Nathan endeavoured to flip our raft as much as possible. The first time we flipped I had a momentary lapse of judgement and had what Rachel described as a “Look! No hands!” moment. In all the excitement I forgot to hold on and ended up being washed downstream and had to be rescued by a kayak. Oops! In approximately 25km of the Nile we only managed to stay upright for three rapids, but the whole day was incredible. We had lunch floating in the rafts between rapids, and finished our trip with a huge barbeque on the banks of the river. I am definitely getting used to the Ugandan-sized meals, and Rachel regularly points out that I am getting an ‘African ass.’ Thanks honey. Love you too.

Returning to our hostel absolutely exhausted and covered in bruises (which we proudly showed off to everyone), we spent the evening chilling out at the bar and meeting other travellers and local Ugandans. There haven’t been any Irish people at the Backpackers for the previous three months but this weekend had a complete influx with 11 of us! Around 1am a large crowd of guests and staff headed to Sombrero’s, a club in Jinja town. In spite of some strange Ugandan music and remixes, we had a brilliant night dancing and finally got in at 4:30am. We crept into our dorm so quietly that no one heard us, and we were woken the next morning by our friends panicking that we hadn’t come home and had been abducted!

 In the afternoon the others headed back to Kampala while Rachel and I went on a horseback trek. Despite having been here for six weeks, I still have moments where I have to pinch myself to believe I’m actually in Africa. This was one of those moments; walking (and even some cantering!) beside the River Nile, hearing monkeys chatter and seeing them swing from tree to tree; hens and chicks running across the road while goats roam beside you; passing fields of sugar cane, banana trees, pineapples, rice paddies, jack fruits and avocado trees; dozens upon dozens of children running after us shouting ‘’Hi mzungo!” for all they are worth; mothers cooking on fires outside mud huts with thatched roofs. ‘This Is Africa’ (TIA) is an expression that many people use here laughingly to describe the disorganisation, the lack of service or other problems or hassles encountered in daily life. But in everything I saw yesterday I wanted to exclaim “No. This is Africa.”  As scary as it is that my time in Uganda is half over, I feel so incredibly fortunate to be having this experience and I cannot wait to see what is in store for the second half!

By the River Nile

After getting home pretty late last night, Rachel and I dragged ourselves out of bed for an 8am class. .Arriving at the School of Education, we found the doors padlocked and campus deserted; having been in Jinja, we missed yesterday’s announcement that today would be a public holiday (yes, they really are as spontaneous as that). To make ourselves feel better we decided to pay a visit to the spa at Emin Pasha, the most luxurious hotel in Kampala. After a gruelling weekend of adventure we definitely needed some pampering, right? Although we tried to draw up a budget last week, it appears our willpower and self-control aren’t the strongest...... having said that, we floated out of the spa with blissful smiles on our faces, and we definitely need to be relaxed before the Irish ambassador’s party, Brenda’s 21^st and the St Patrick’s Day ball this week! If only every Monday was like this J

Love Suzi xo

07/03/11 Week 5: Professional Development

This week for my professional development I have been considering and reflecting on how the system of discipline used in Ugandan schools differs to those methods used in Northern Ireland. Discipline is a fundamental element of classroom practice, and is defined as the system of rules, punishments and behavioural strategies appropriate to the regulation of children and the maintenance of order in schools (internet source one). Banjo believes that discipline is the first law in a good school, explaining that,

“...without it school life cannot fulfil its purpose. In front of a disorderly class the teacher loses inspiration, spends much time trying to secure attention and does very little, if any, effective teaching.” (1939:82).

Having taught fourteen different Primary Two and Primary Three classes of between 55-65 pupils, I can confirm that without strict discipline lessons can quickly descend into chaos. Maintaining order in the classroom here is undoubtedly much harder than I have ever experienced in Northern Ireland; this is probably in part due to much bigger classes. With double or even triple the amount of children, one can only expect there to be more talking, disruption and incidents of misbehaviour. While there are two or three teachers per class, teaching a lesson is seen as a solo activity. Particular subjects are allocated to a teacher, and when he or she is not teaching they will leave the classroom or mark books. In comparison, when one is not taking a lesson in Northern Ireland it seems natural to offer assistance by helping maintain order and interacting with pupils. When Rachel and I teach together, the person who is not explaining or instructing is always observing pupil behaviour and implementing discipline strategies if necessary. When teaching my P3Y class alone, I am continually reminded how valuable the presence of another adult in the classroom is in maintaining order.

Another possible reason that pupil behaviour can be so difficult is that children are not aware of how they are expected to behave. Class or school rules are not visible anywhere, and children are frequently disciplined without the reason being made clear to them. Willes (1983) suggests that if a child does not know why he is at fault, he will not be able to correct this behaviour in the future. It also means that punishments are inconsistent and variable in terms of severity.

Banjo (1939) outlines that the main aim of the teacher should be to reform the offending pupil; there is a well-known proverb from the Yoruba tribe in Uganda, “He who falls into a pit teaches other people a lesson”, and this seems to apply to the discipline approach used in schools. A common strategy is to make an example of a misbehaving pupil by humiliating them to deter other children from such behaviour. For example, I witnessed a Primary 2 pupil having to attend an entire day’s lessons with no shirt, after being forced to remove it for having it untucked. Despite the boy’s tears and obvious embarrassment, the teacher remained unmoved and did nothing to deter other children from laughing.

However, the most common method of discipline here is to use corporal punishment. Despite the government stating that corporal punishment should not be used in schools (internet source two), and frequent reminders from senior management within the school, beatings are a daily occurrence in the classroom. These are not just light taps to deter misbehaviour, but range from slapping the face to caning to boxing a child’s head. I find this really distressing to watch; one of the reasons I decided to be a teacher is because I love children, so to witness an eight year old child cowering and trying to shield herself from the blows of an adult man is horrendous. Even worse is when I am scolding a child and they flinch or try to protect themself because they are expecting me to slap them. Thankfully my class have come to realise that I will not use this form of punishment, but pupils in other classes are not aware of this and so are fearful if Rachel or I approach them. It makes me feel like an ogre to realise that children are scared of me, and I have to wonder how children are expected to develop a positive attitude towards school and learning, let alone concentrate and achieve their potential, when they are subjected to this treatment. I find it extremely difficult to bite my tongue when I see my teacher beating a pupil for something as simple as forgetting to underline an answer, but I have to keep reminding myself that it is not my place to criticise his strategies. I am here to observe, learn and reflect on the education system, not to tell a professional teacher with almost fifteen years experience that he needs to change.

Having said this, I made it clear at the beginning of my teaching placement that I am never going to raise my hand to a pupil here. Sometimes I feel that my pupils do not give me as much respect because of this, and some of the teachers view it as a very naive approach to discipline, but I am endeavouring to implement some of the effective discipline strategies I have used and witnessed in Northern Ireland. I introduced some of these strategies at the beginning of this week, and although I realise they will need both time and consistency to be effective, I am very encouraged at how pupils have responded thus far. There are now class rules visible on the wall, which are easily remembered, justified and impartially enforced. There is also a poster displaying ‘sanctions’ so children are aware of the consequences of misbehaving. These sanctions range from mild to more severe, so children receive a punishment which is not out of proportion to the offence committed. The class is responding very well to the use of a ‘bean jar’; beans are earned as result of hard work and good behaviour, and when the jar is full the whole class will receive a reward.  The children are very excited by this concept, and I feel that it is effective in making pupils consider how their individual behaviour and attitude impacts the whole class. I genuinely consider that my pupils’ behaviour has improved, and I am hoping that these methods will continue to be effective over my remaining weeks at school.

 Banjo states that the good teacher does not use corporal punishment excessively, “but he has not yet decided whether he can spare the rod without spoiling the child” (1939:91). As I said, it is not my place to criticise the methods used here, but I hope that by demonstrating that alternative methods of discipline can be effective some teachers may be slower to resort to inflicting bodily punishment on pupils.

References

Banjo, A. (1939) The West African Teacher’s Handbook

Willes, M. (1983) Children into pupils:a study of language in early schoolin, Routledge, London.

Internet source one: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_discipline 

Internet source two: http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/pages/progress/reports/uganda.html

This week in Uganda has been my favourite week so far; although we are dealing with the teaching practice workload and intense (though entertaining) lectures at Makerere, Rachel and I are trying to balance our strong work ethic with healthy doses of relaxing and socialising. Although it’s a struggle to tear ourselves away from our books, (so hard to type that with a straight face) this week was full of banter with the different groups of friends we have made here. We have in fact made another new friend, who had heard there were mzungos on his floor and appeared at our bedroom door close to midnight on Monday to introduce himself and enquire if we would like to get high with him. As we politely declined, he then asked if we would like to sample some alcoholic porridge he had made. He then called over his 10-foot high friend to introduce us and ask if he could show us Kampala “as we’ve never seen it before.” Sorry, I think we’re busy that day...

We also got to catch up with Kate and Brandie this week, who we had not seen since we got back from Rwanda. We headed to Garden City on Friday night to hear a local band play, and after a ballet class on Saturday morning (loved it! especially watching Rachel try to touch her toes!) we went to watch a rugby match between the Heathens and the Pirates at Kampala Rugby Club. The Heathens won, and Brandie’s boyfriend Jude got Man of the Match; this was made even better by the fact that we had been sitting in the rival team’s stands the whole match. I was also approached and told my hair was beautiful and would I be interested in cutting it off to sell it... depending how the travelling budget looks in May, this could well be an option at some point.

Yesterday after church Rachie and I went along to Kate’s streetkids programme, a project she set up around Christmas. It was an absolutely brilliant afternoon, and I cannot wait until we have a chance to go back again. All of the kids were boys, mostly aged 8-15, and live in the slum very close to Nana’s hostel where Rachel and I live. They arrive around 2:30pm and play games for a while before washing themselves and their clothes, and having any cuts or wounds treated. Then there is a Bible story or skit, a memory verse and a song before the main activity (yesterday was a movie day). The kids were so friendly and affectionate; one boy held my hand the whole film and looked at his fingers interlinked with mine for a while before declaring, “One person, two colours.” Although we will probably be away in Jinja for whitewater rafting next weekend, I’m really looking forward to the next time we’re able to go and help out. Last night Ritah and Brenda invited us along to their cell group of university friends for a Bible study; we’ve got to know these girls pretty well over the last couple of weeks, so it was great to get to know this side of their personalities as well. We’re also heading to the beach tomorrow with them since we’re off school for Women’s day, although Rachel and I have a lot of tanning to do before our skin is as dark as theirs ;)

Thanks for reading this and also for the emails and messages you guys have been sending- i love hearing from you and getting filled in on the banter at home so keep them coming! And if you fancy sending a little post, our address is M105, Nana Hostel, PO Box 16153, Wandegeya, Kampala – go on, make our day J

Lots of love, Suzi xx