Busia Week 1

So here I am in downtown Busia at an internet cafe... it's a miracle I made it to this page at all between the virus warnings that keep popping up and the computer's tendency to freeze completly.

Other than that minor set back, things are going wonderfully here. Yesterday we met with the headmaster at New Hope to discuss our teaching schedules, and today we went to Howard Christian High School to establish when we (Grace, Maressa, and myself) will be teaching there. I am very excited because I am teaching English to primary grades 4 & 5 in the mornings and to the secondary level 1. I will have the whole class to myself and be free to generate my own curriculum and activities, even tests! Very exciting!

I spent most of yesterday teaching Samuel (a man who works at New Hope) and Brenda (an older student there) songs and dances to perform in Church on Sunday. I was very excited to share my love of singing with them, and proud that they apprecaited my efforts.

Although things have been somewhat trying here, including the water cutting off at the hotel, being locked inside the room (yes, you may laugh at me), the very limited selection of food, the 5 hour drive to Busia crammed between suitcases and duffle bags, and the never ending heat, I am throughly enjoying myself. Everyone is so kind and accomadating here, people continually bring us food (including tons of fresh pineapple!) and invite us over for tea or dinner. Everyone stops to greet you and welcome you to Uganda.

A few of the girls at New Hope shared their life stories with me about before Uncle Ken found them and brought them there. It was difficult to even bear hearing it and watching the girls cry as they recounted their painful lives. We discussed how lucky they were to have such wonderful lives now and how they will be muhc stonger women because of their trials. It was horrible but surprisingly cleansing and wonderful expereince. I think we will be working more with the girls on overcoming their lives and making sure that they don't fall victim to the diseases and circumstances that caused their mothers to leave them to such childhoods.

Anyway, off to the market to try to haggle for some fruit. Hopefully I can write more next time... on a computer without a million viruses...