June 6th, in Uganda at David's house. Waiting for Nownow

David woke me this morning at 7:30 to see if I wanted to join him in his garden. I declined and went back to sleep. Larry is coming to get me anytime now. African time seems to be like Jewish time. I'll get there when I get there. Dylan told me it is nownow time. When are you coming? Now now...(sometime in the next while...) There is an expression which people give when someone is impatient and want to move on their own time. Jesse told it to me (his kiniyerwandan is very good after living in Rwanda for 5 years). It means have patience. This too will pass. It is the same thing you say to someone when they are crying. (I think is a beautiful expression and idea...)

This morning I made some breakfast from the goods I am carrying around (same thing I did for most of dinner last night after everything was closed...but boy did we stop in some interesting places...one bar/pub that serves Ugandan and Ethiopian food and one fast food place called “I feel like Chicken Tonight.” So different and yet so the same...everything fried you could ever want like chicken, fish, beef, empanadas, french fries, or plain white rice. Soda in 1960's glass bottles in the fridge. Order at the counter, but there is one menu and it is in laminate at the counter when you get there. So “fast” food is a bit of a misnomer.) I was sitting on the veranda area in the backyard when children began appearing. Eventually I sorted out that these three are Hannah (8), David (3) and Ahmah (1, accent on the first syllable). They are David's grandchildren. Their parents are in New York and they live upstairs with their Aunties who I met briefly but do not speak English. Hannah told me all of this. She came knocking on my door and wanted to meet me.

She toured me around their home and told me a little bit about P3, her class (2nd grade). She showed me handwriting but could not show me her books since they are in her room and her room is locked. She, David and Ahmah were playing in the living room watching teletubbies while the aunties were next door talking and perhaps doing each other's hair, I could not tell when I came in. David loves teletubbies she told me...

So Larry is coming to get me nownow...he just called on the cell phone I get to use while I am here. Twenty minutes he said (which I think means 40).


And what are you doing in Uganda?
Somehow, someone here thinks I am an expert in education. I will be lecturing at schools to teachers about how to be better teachers using American methodology and to teachers at Universities while they are earning a second degree or upgrading their skills. (What!!!)

I am thinking of a conversation I had with Dylan and Steven (the people I met in the airport coming to Uganda) last night. Where is the line between imposing a Western methodology and sharing lessons from one culture with another for them to use and build on for their own situation? I struggled hard last night with Larry (the guy who makes all the plans and stuff at Teach and Tour) to understand
what the educational system is like. I asked him, how can I teach people here how to teach when I do not know what they do now or what they believe in? He said, this is the idea-show them the American way and then let them see if they like it. This makes me very nervous. I asked him about how foreigners and white people are perceived. He said everyone loves everyone. I asked about theater and he said there is a lot if it!! And by that he means, there are short skits (10-15 minutes) put on in public squares which advertise a product. Live commercials. There are also plays with political and social messages around HIV/AIDS. Jesse (from Global Youth Connect in Rwanda) does productions of plays like this. In his work, for example, he is currently working with service workers, hotel workers, restaurant workers, and other such folks. He meets with them, gathers their stories and then produces a production which depicts their situtations. For one play he showed a woman working in a hotel who turned down the offer of sex for money. She was fired from her job. The hotel manager goes home and we meet his house boy who is in a similar situation with the boss. The idea is to show what you do, that you have to say no, and what you do next (although, I did not hear about that part of the play.)

I asked this of Larry because I want to understand how cheldren in 200 person classrooms can learn how to thinkg. Do they have art? Yes. Do they have gym and sports? Yes. What does it look like? You will have to ask the teachers. Are people artists and writers? Yes but not many. I saw no theaters or galleries here either (I saw was in Kigali). Jesse said some theater happens there...but not much.

I asked about learning disabilities. We do not have them so much. A few...but not many (but how would a teacher know in a 200 student classroom?

What do students do while the teacher lectures? Takes notes. Do they do activities or work in groups? No. Can they ask questions? Yes, but they do not ask so many.

David said using the black board is a new technology he is trying to teach.

I suppose I need to see it, but I truly do not understand what this looks like and what it is I am supposed to say...