All in a days work..painting, etc

We pitched our "pocket hotel" just outside the room where all the volunteers slept/ate/cooked/socialised/lived and did this little tent not just bring out the curious. School starts early in Africa. By 0730 most kids are already there. So it was never a surprise to wake up and hear the crowd outside. A rustle or stir from us would produce animated converation amongst themselves!

Translated from the Ugandan…

Child 1: What the hell is that green thing?

Child2: Must be something those crazy white people use.

C1: For what?

C2: Crazy white people stuff?

When the inner zip went down, the crowd went deathly quiet. More rustling and peeking out the outer zip, produced a sea of smiles, but also concerned faces.

C2: See? Its some of those crazy whites

C1: What do they do in there?

With craning necks and burning curiosity, they would try and catch a glimpse of where we had come from. They were surprised to see one white person come out. And completely flabbergasted to see another!

C2: Stucks his teeth

C1: Eish. He ran away!

Child 3: Blooooody hell!

With paint splatter clothes on, it was necessary to get the toilet key and do what was necessary. Sometimes it flushed, sometimes it did not. We eventually worked out that there was a valve that needed opening or closing, depending on whether the feeder tank was overflowing or not. The value was protected by barbed wire and you needed pliers to work it!

All the children love to play catch-catch. 15minutes of this with uber-fit 10 year olds takes it toll. Never mind that it is about 25 degrees at 0730 with about 70% humidity! Thank goodness breakast, or the start of school, was an excuse to end it all.

After breakfast, it was time to work. Classrooms need preparing - dusting, wall washing, sandpapering and painting. Paint and supplies needed to be got from the store, water needed to be fetched and the dasy work begun. From start to finish, a class could be finished within two days work. The long bit was painting on the teaching aids. With few textbooks, big classes and only one teacher, teaching aids are invaluable. But they took time to get right, to plan and paint. Each teacher had their own wishes and were asked well in advance for a list of what they wanted. Sometimes getting the list was the hardest, most challenging and painful task. Some teachers had it the next day and a mile long! Others just couldn't be bothered.

When breaks come along and school was out, the kids graviated to us, around us generally staring, gawping. But they were almost always friendly, polite and respectful. But a small crowd can easily turn into a mob and get very rowdy! Especially in a small classroom. I think I heard Ing shouting at them a few times from various places in the schoolgrounds. Maybe she has a little sergeant-major in her, yet!

Child 1: Eish…..She can shout

Child 2: Thank you for the hard/good work. (Running away).

The school provided lunch. And then back to work for the afternoon session. Then it was pack away and the late afternoon was yours. Since their was no supervisor, and we were all volunteers, you could come and go as you pleased. Both a very good thing. But also a very bad thing. Some people and their motivations will forever remain a mystery to me…..

The deaf kids always wanted interact, some way or another. I converted two empty jerry cans into crude go-carts. If chasing kids was hard work, then pulling them in half a jerry can was murder. The carts were so well used that they had worn away 3mm of plastic. No mean feat, I tell you! Their enthusiasm was never waning! Hearing kids took their chances with the deaf kids to get a go! Paint tin lids were particular favourites. They made great frisbees. Throwing took a little practice, but catching was something beyond them!

We escaped to near by Jinja for a rest on some afternoons! Darkness fell and supper was served and the kids disappeared to the dorm. With our own cook, who bought us supplies, we were incredibily spoilt. Ponsiano (Porsh) knew his stuff! It is amazing what he produced on a two ring cooker and some vegetables and spices. We were never ever disappointed or went hungry. A wash and bed were a welcome relief. As was the labour induced sleep…….

School lunches

Those British kids should be bloody grateful for the choice in food they get for school lunchs, even if it is Jamie Oliver pushing a more healthy line (dinner if you are proper)! Come out to Uganda and enjoy what this school prepared. By no means was it inedible, nor did it not deliver what any good food should, but hell, did it get hard to swallow. Literally. Even with all the salt, pepper, tomoato and chilli sauce and soy sauce it was smothered by. But it never ever varied for the four weeks we were there…..

Monday: Ugandan pap (a stiff ground maize meal porridge that tastes like unsalted popcorn), beans, cup of water. Good stuff this. Any more?

Tuesday: Pap, beans, cup of water. We had this yesterday, didn't we? Still nice though.

Wednesday: Pap, beans, cup of water. Do you think that it is healthy to put that much bright red, clearly artificial, tomato sauce on your food?

Thursday: Joy of joys. Matoke (boiled and then mashed plantain. This tastes like yellow paper-mache), green wild spinach with ground peanut (I think. Tastes very bitter), cup of water. A change! Hallejuhah! Hmmmm….would rather have the pap and beans actually.

Friday: Thank goodness a change; pap, beans, cup of water. Maybe that yellow matoke was pretty good after all?!

Needless to say, leftover supper and breakfast was highly sought after accompaniments. And fruit became an even bigger part of our diet! You certainly didn't get fat out here!