olyotya?!

My dear people!

Olyotya??!!! (means how are you in the local language, in luganda)

I am doing well…very well actually! It`s just difficult with internet.

Now I am here two weeks, but it feels much longer, since I experienced so much in this time!

I flew on wednesday, the 5^th of October, via Istanbul to Entebbe / the main airport in Uganda. It`s located between lake victoria and kampala, the capital city. Someone from the organization fetched me at the airport. I wanted to see a lot from the new country on my way to the place where I stay, but since I arrived at two in the morning I was tired and fell asleep in the car. But I woke up often on this ride because some parts of the road were paved, and others weren’t. so always when we left the paved and continued on dirt road with huge potholes there was no more chance for sleeping! Finally at about 4 in the morning I arrived, a house was opened, I found a bed and fell asleep.

The next day I woke up to find out that I live in a school compound. I live in a house where the teachers live, and I think I have the most comfortable room of all! I even have something like a shower (a corner I my room) where I can `shower`. This means filling some bottles with rain water and then - showering!

In the school live about 80 pupils, and many more come during the day to study. Since pupils in Uganda have to wear school uniform it was in the beginning EXTREMELY difficult to distinguish the different children. And what made it even more difficult is the fact that boys as well as girls have very short hair! So you can imagine that I had and still have some difficulties (the ones who know me better know that remembering names is not one of my strengths anyways!!). but I know quite a few names by now!

In my first 3 days the chairman of the organization from Austria was there as well – and so I was introduced to many, many people! Many meetings took place, many people welcomed me – and there were now even more names to remember!

I also got to know the local food. It`s mostly posho (made out of mais, like polenta, but white) with beans and some cabbage. Mostly means  5 days a week, for lunch and supper. On Saturday its rice, and sometimes its matooke (cooked banana, tastes like kartoffelpueree). And for breakfast it`s always porridge. All of these things have not so much taste – to be honest almost no taste since they cook without salt.  If you put sugar and cinemon in the porridge its like `griaskoch`, and with some spices also the other food is quite ok. So that’s the food which is cooked in school, and I am free to eat it as well! I wonder how I will think about this menu in a few weeks!

One day we went with our school to a different school for some competitions. The teachers and I got a special food, rice and meat. Rice is something special, and meat is really a highlight – at least for the locals! In this school we ate with our hands, so I grabbed my peace of meat and tried to bite a piece off…it was almost impossible, and when I had a piece in my mouth I was just not able to chew it properly…es war brutal zach und sehnig, keine chance das gscheit zu kauen!! While I was chewing it I had maybe 15 hands of rice, but still I did not get through it. But since everybody was so happy to get meat I could not spit it out…and I could not hide it somewhere – so I swallowed it! Fortunately I could give away the rest of the meat to my colleagues!

This school we visited was in a really bad state, the floor of the classrooms was not paved, they had 3 latrines for 500 pupil, 2 classes have to be taught outside under the trees (but its rainy season, its raining almost every day, and if, mostly really strong). To see this school showed me how good the school, where I live and work, is. And that the organization really has done a great job!

Back to this visit. We went there with many, many pupil, I think more then 100. they were all wearing their blue uniforms and shoes – only the ones that had a uniform and shoes were allowed to come with us. Then a truck, like where you normally transport animals, arrived and all of the pupils  went on it. It was really crowded, and it looked amazing. I really could not belive it! And in front we could be only two people plus the driver because the police doesnt allow more people in front – but for the back there are no regulations. So we went to this school, and there were competitions in different subjects, a discussion, and some sport events. Our soccer team played as well…and they lost. One teacher was coaching them, and I also had some things to say…and now they asked me if I wanted to become their coach. So this is my first station as a football coach!! It`s an historic event!!

In the school, during the time where they have class, I and gunter (the second white person – as well from Innsbruck, austria) are repairing what ever needs to be repaired. We had a lot of work with the watertanks (the rain water is collected, and used for everything-for drinking they boil it before), I renewed a system for washing their hands, I have to look after the tailors, and there are 1000ds of small other things to do. 3 days a week I give flute class to some of the smaller children, and I give 4 type writing lessons. They are all old typewriters from Austria, and most of them do have some problems. Like with most of the things you need to improvise a bit – but a lot is working, and the conditions here are much better then in other schools.

I am now in my room, I have a computer, but no internet. I have to go now, because on Wednesdays I go with the chairman to visit some other schools who are supported by `a chance for children`, `kindern eine chance`. Some schools `just` get porridge for the pupil, because otherwise they would not have food all day long, other schools are supported by building new latrines, renovating buildings etc. and the organization wants to have a good standard in the schools they support – and without controlling this is not possible! So I go for such a `visit` now. It`s interesting – and its also interesting to see more of the country.

It`s really beautiful here, small hills, its all really green, mango trees, banana palms,…I like!

and I have a phone here, the number is 00256781773622 feel free to call if you are bored! And with the internet it`s really difficult, I am also not sure if I will be able to upload pictures. If not I will go to kampala soon, and there it should be possible! (yes I know, pictures are much more interesting then writing!)

one more thing. I live in Uganda, in the kingdom buganda, and the language they speak (and I am busy learning) is luganda!!!

Bye, sevi

Written the next day, on thursdsay… like so often some other things happened than planned. I wanted to go with the chairman yesterday, but it was not possible since it was raining all night long and it was impossible to use the roads!! Zesterday in the evening I went with our secretary to hospital, because her little baby boy was delivered there during lunchtime. He was in a really bad state due to malaria and vomiting. And the nurse just had had a bad car accident, she almost lost her foot and is in the wheelchair (but still in a better state than the 5 people that died at this accident. It was quite a sad picture to see her sitting in the wheelchair, having her seriously sick baby with all the needles in the arm on her lap… but the baby is better today, and will be most probably released in the evening!

and today, on friday, i am finally at a place with internet!!

some pics...

view out of my window

mugaga, the headmistress

the kitchen

in the morning...

 here you see some of our pupils in their blue school uniform

some of the children playing at the farm

one of their duties is to collect firewood for cooking

on the way back to school...at sunset

since it takes ages to upload pictures and i have to go back to work i will try to show you more pictures soon!

maybe i go to kampala on the weekend...and find good internet there!!

in the meantime have a good time...bye

sevi