It's Not Just About the Books

It's Not Just About the Books is written on the back of our T-shirts (which we wore in the airports and helped us get help when we needed it). I became a true believer of this on the trip. When we intereacted with the children, they LOVED it. I don't think they get much attention from adults in general. In one classroom the headmaster followed us in and observed. One of the kids asked us about our families so we went around and talked about our own children at home, their ages, interestes, and names (I was with 2 other adults at this time). The headmaster then asked the classroom teacher to share this information with the students and the students were thrilled to learn that she had 2 children of her own - they wanted to know their names. This made me realize that the teacher/student relationship is very authoritative and not very personal. Which I guess helps when you are trying to control a classroom of 100 kids. So when we went out to "play" with the kids when we were on break, it was a big deal to the kids. It was rare for any of us to have just a couple kids - it was usually a horde. I went out once with a frisbee and started playing with a boy who I was surprised to see was REALLY good! This of course grew into about 8 of us throwing it around and soon we were surrounded by like 50. So I had to leave that group and start a game of DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE. We made a big circle and I tried to explain with words and actions. It was fun and of course they loved seeing this chunky white lady run around so I would hear they talking to themselves in Lugandan and hear the word MUZUNGA (white person) and know that I was next. They would LAUGH when I got chased or would chase someone. But even that game grew. We had about 40 in our circle and there was a complete ring of students outside that circle standing around and watching. So I would try to leave this game going and start another circle with the kids standing outside. I would stand to make a circle nearby and sure enough the first game I started would come and join so then we had a DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE circle with 100 people!!!!! It was crazy but it also meant I didn't have to run much. I soon figured out that if I got put in the mush pot (by being caught) I didn't get picked so I tried to spend some time there to rest! Next time I go I need to figure out games I can do with large groups of kids. I once tried to start RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT and realized they wouldn't know what a red light is!!!!! So I made it into a Stop and Go game. They also taught me a few games that consisted of singing I didn't understand and dancing which I hope I didn't offend anyone too bad. They got a good laugh for sure!!! Even when you read a book , there were a dozen heads leaning in to try to read along with you. All the adults in our group interacted with the kids - in many different ways. One knew martial arts so he lead a group in that, one lady taught logic games with rocks, many would sit and read, many would just sit in cirle and talk. Heck one time I looked out and a teenager would run across a field and 50 kids would run along with her. She'd then turn around and run back and they would follow. The kids LOVED any interaction!
ANYWAY, the most time we spent with kids was at a Catholic boarding school on a national holiday. We got done with sorting fast and they didn't have to be in class, so they took us around the school and we spent the whole day playing games and also just sitting in groups where they could ask us questions and we asked them questions. We then didn't get to see them again until the opening ceremonies but there we were all dressed up so we really coudln't get out and get sweaty with them. The little ones would come sit on your laps and the older ones would send you a sweet note. Laur and I got a couple of these notes. They would say something like "you are my best friend and I'm so glad you came to Uganda. I will not forget you. I will work hard and study and make you proud..." SOOOOO Sweet and the thing was most of the time we weren't sure who gave us the note! They would put their name on it but when it arrived to us we were in a group of kids and it was just passed up so we weren't sure who it was from! Laura got one with an address so we are hoping to correspond with her.
But my favorite saying of the whole trip was from a little boy who walked me to the finished library one day. He said "Whenever I come into this library, I will remember this day!" It's not just about the books.