#30 July 8th- Wednsday

-Team Teaching
While it’s good to have a schedule, life looses its flavor when you fall into a rut. My days are beginning to feel routine. I hate that feeling. I need to change that, right away. My routine is getting up grabbing breakfast, taking a shower, writing a blog, going to Café Larem to post and check email, going to the school where I sit and wait for David, teach and talk with other teachers, come back to the hotel, eat dinner, wait for Lisa to call and go to sleep. Now there are some cool things that find their way into the mix. For example, last night we had Bible Study. It’s my favorite part of my week. My friends there are like family. We had a great time last night considering what it means to be a volunteer in a place where so many people have so little money. People don’t give out of their excess. Giving is a sacrifice in this place. We read through 2 Kings 4 about how a wealthy woman who made a room in her home for a man of God and was blessed because of it. Most of the people in the group would be happy to have a room for themselves let alone a guest. They don’t get hung up on that though. We talked about how volunteering a skill at the right time is as significant as giving money. For example, if you know how to fix a motorcycle, your knowledge could be more valuable than money to a person who is in a jam. On the way to Bible study, I met Pastor Joe and his wife Jackie. They are really cool people. I think one fallacious notion that has been blown up for me is that of the poor, uninformed African who needs help from the outside. The people here have been through a devastating war for over 20 years. That has had an effect, but there are signs of resiliency and strength everywhere you look. For example, there are some men missing limbs. They get around town on a bicycle that required the use of arms and not hands. This gives me an idea. I think I’m going to create a photo essay of the hope I see here in the people.
This Thursday and Friday is sports weekend. There are students from all over the country staying here to compete at Pece stadium. I hope to see some of the competitions. I’ve been getting some positive feedback about rugby. The kids seem very interested and the best part is that Nyeko and Simon are going to be driving the bus on this venture. It has a chance to be sustainable! I’ve got to confess I am a bit irradiated with some of the missions groups I’ve seen here. It feels like conflict tourism to me. I know I can be just as guilty of blowing through town looking for a good photo opportunity. The more time I spend with my Ugandan friends, the more I realize that they don’t need me in the way I thought they would. They need me in the same why I need them. There is give and take.
This Friday I’m thinking a taking a trip to see the IC Mend operations. Mend is an IC initiative to create high quality bags for purchase in the US and beyond. The women who work there are all affected by the war in a significant way. Some were child mothers. There are really too many tailors in Gulu for the market. This is because that skill is the one that all of the NGOs were teaching during the conflict. This means that the market for tailoring is very tight. To compound that, there is a steady influx of clothes donated from the USA. This puts more pressure on the tailors, because the shops that distribute these clothes can undercut the costs of the traditional garment makers.
Well, I hope that today is more than a routine! I hope to find the rhythm and improvise a good riff or two.