"Acholi are proud people. We want to sweat for our food." ~Robert

Northern Uganda needs rain. "Famine" and "Drought" have been headlines in the newspaper these past few weeks that I've been here, which sparked a conversation with Robert, by partnering teacher, about the UN World Food Supply here in Gulu. There are 12 huge barns that house maize, beans, and rice for distribution in this region.

Now that it is safe for displaced villages to move back to their original locations, relief is slowing down, however the weather is not cooperating! Much of the land hasn't been farmed for as many as 20 years because the government didn't allow people to leave the camps or town centers for fear of their safety. So just when things are starting to look up for this area, they are faced with a new challenge.

I know that the war is hard for northern Ugandans to talk about, so any time Robert mentions something I try to be sensitive, but also use it as an opportunity to understand what life was truly like during the time of conflict. My heart hurt when he said, "We don't want these hand-outs Jill. We are proud people who want to sweat for our own food."

Through our conversations I learned that there is a whole generation that doesn't know peace and prosperity.

Northern Uganda needs rain.

"You look very smart in your glasses." ~Simon

Another Ugandan phrase that I like hearing :) When they say 'smart' is means, good, nice, pretty, well-kept, etc.

We frequently hear Ugandans talking about the 'smartness' of someone and students are always told that they should look smart. I might have to borrow this phrase when I get home!

Are you looking smart today?

"Truth. Everyday." ~Daily Monitor Newspaper

It is encouraging that one of the daily newspapers here in Uganda uses the phrase, "Truth. Everyday." as their marketing slogan.

I forget just how valuable my first amendment freedoms truly are. Hopefully the free press continues to thrive here in Northern Uganda!

"You are right, but not here." ~ Jennifer

One of the Ugandan IC staff members said this to us and we all had to chuckle. It was related to spelling something I think. They use British English here in Uganda so words like colour, realise, and recognise are spelled different. They also "keep left" when they drive; all the result of colonization, or is it colonisation? I'm a terrible speller either way!

What we are comfortable with might be right, like Jennifer said, but it isn't the only way. Such an important lesson for Americans to learn and to take to heart.

"The big elephant is now down." ~Denison

I've had the privilege of working with one of the student teachers at Gulu HS for one of the classes of S2 students. The other day he said this elephant quote after a girl answered a problem correctly on the board. I found the analogy funny; the idea of referring to an obstacle as an elephant just reminded me that I was still in Africa :)

However, the comment was said to simply encourage this young woman and her pursuit of an education. In general, there are more boys than girls who are able to attend secondary school in Uganda because of the school fees. For example, in this class of 75 students, only 25 are girls. When it comes to finances, it is very challenging for families to send all their children to school and the priority is usually the boys.

In several of our conversations with Ugandan teachers they remind us of the importance of providing the girls with extra support and encouragement in light of this.

Week 4's Top 10

10. SAFARI this weekend
9. Safari bingo :)
8. Trip to Anaka ~ the IDP camp that half of our teachers work at
7. Half way point of trip: "Hump" week
6. Guitar sing-a-longs continuing
5. Running at Pece Stadium in the mornings
4. Hanging out with Catherine this week
3. Hand-made dresses and skirts~ the fabric here is incredible!!
2. Meeting people
1. Team -teaching (of course!)

How can we keep the momentum going? ¬Catherine

Today marks the half way point of my time in Gulu, where the newness of the experience has wore off some, yet there is still work to be done. Momentum seems to be the theme for the week as we strive to take advantage of all that the experience has to offer despite missing certain things about the comforts of home. (Cold milk randomly!)

With so many things in life, maintaining energy and enthusiasm after an experience is critical; the Teachers Exchange programs likes the word sustainability to define this idea and often asks, 'How can our time here have a lasting impact?' And 'Are we even being effective?'

We will have a unique opportunity tomorrow afternoon to watch our partnering teachers facilitate a lunch discussion among the entire staff at Gulu HS that addresses school-wide concerns. This is in response to the things they learned at the Teachers Conference our fist weekend here. It is our hope that through their dialogue and leadership that the other teachers wouldn't feel complacent or cynical, but that they would gain excitement through the sharing of ideas and solutions. Also that our partnering teachers would continue to feel like they have a voice so that these types of conversations about teaching would continue even after we board our flight 3 weeks from today.