I have sat in front of my computer for ten minutes now. The words are not there - just emotions. I received these pictures from Joesph today and it both warms my heart and tears it apart at the same time. I wish I could have packed myself in a box and been delivered to these students. Through email I have felt so connected to this school and these students. The thought that I will not be there to learn from them as much as they may learn from me breaks my heart. I will hold out hope that I will go to Uganda and meet Joseph and the staff and students of Old Kampala!
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Joseph doesn't know it but the supplies will arrive in place of me!
Through the generosity of my husband's company, the supplies are being sent to Old Kampala! I hope the supplies make it safely overseas and through various custom checks! It is with a heavy heart that I write this post...Our trip is officially cancelled and possibly postponed until the summer.
There have been lots of tears shed since this announcement...I will share the words of my host teacher... These are the headlines today! I don't know what this does to my trip yet but I am sure it will have an impact. All of us in the TGC program are staying positive and are still planning on trip departing in a week.
I know that my ideals of education and freedom of thought are stronger than the ideals of those that perpetuate hate, ignorance, and fear...I just hope I will have the opportunity to spread mine before those with predominately negative ones spoil the chance... Our program has suggested that we bring small gifts to our host teacher and students. I feel that I can do better. My own boss, Harry, has donated some supplies for me to bring. A fellow board member on ATOMIC has donated supplies from her company Proradian! My wonderful husband, Jason, has also incorporated help from his company AIFS! The company has decided to incorporate my travel with their "Bring your Child to Work Day!" I am so fortunate to have such amazing people in my life! You know how you sometimes get emails and they are awkward? You can't understand the person? You don't know what their personality is? Well - I do not have this problem with my host teacher! He is awesome! You can totally tell what his personality and his sense of humor through email. This is so hard to do let alone do it cross culturally! I cannot wait to meet him!
He has set up a great itinerary for me! It includes traditional african dance, a cooking lesson for traditional Ugandan food! We will visit and meet with numerous different teachers. I am also excited to see he has planned different site visits to both public and private schools! As time ticks down - my excitement builds up for my trip to Uganda! We received our host teacher assignments for Uganda today. I am very excited to be working with Joseph, a teacher at the Old Kampala Senior Secondary School in Kampala Uganda. Joseph was involved in the International Leaders in Education Program through IREX and studied at James Madison University in Virginia. I cannot wait to hear back from Joseph and see what we will plan together!
After completing a long course in global education through George Mason, I have received my country assignment! I will be going to Uganda in April! This will be a return trip to Africa for me and honestly I have mixed emotions. When my husband and I went to Africa in 2010, I left the country with a sense of unease. It was the first time in my life that poverty was visible to me. Let me qualify that, it wasn't just the visible poverty but the difference between those that had and those that had not. These images have haunted me since I left.
I realize that there is a reason I am being asked to return. There is a greater calling...to not only grow myself as a person but to also bring these experiences back to students in my own country. Already the wheels in my head a spinning toward how to build this experience into Science and Math. I foresee some lessons on Population Rate, Sixth Mass Extinction, Food and Water Resources, Spread of Disease... |
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April 2015
DisclaimerThis blog is not an official U.S. Department of State blog. The views and information presented are the grantee’s own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State Categories |