Hello! This is a photo of me kissing Baby Jack, from the perspective of one of the teenage boys, Patrick, who, it seems, has an artistic eye and wouldn't settle for a straightforward snapshot. I thought he did all right.
Jack and I became nearly inseparable anytime I was at the children's house. I adored him (and still do!) and he seemed to like to be with me as well. He is two years old, smiley, funny and just all around irresistible.
As some of you may have heard by now, I am back in the States. The above picture was taken moments before I said goodbye -- which was a very hard thing to do. I know many of you were beginning to wonder if I forgot how to type or something. The last few weeks have been a blur and I apologize that I haven't kept you posted on all that was happening. I arrived home almost 2 weeks ago. I'll explain a bit more about that in a moment, but let me give you those long-promised before and after pics of the school, along with an update.
The lefthand side of the school as you enter. The door leads to the computer room and TV loft. Before...
And after!! The gentleman pictured here is Uncle Titus, who runs the school library. He also tutors the children in mathematics and helps to watch over them during their playtime, as well as performing various and sundry other helpful tasks. In short, he's a keeper!
The posters were a wonderful gift from Sue, the mother of director Nathaniel. The wood cut-outs holding the posters were cut and painted by some of the older boys and girls. The bright orange side table was sanded and painted by some of the older students. They did a terrific job on both projects.
A shot from the front door toward the back of the school (with the stairs to the library on the right).
A tighter shot of the same area. We arranged the screens to provide three distinct areas for learning, all of which can be seen from the teacher's desk (pictured with Titus). The children on the left are also enjoying one of the new "tall" tables that was built. Some chairs are still being built, but soon both tall tables will be at full capacity.
On the right you can also see a newly-painted blackboard -- also compliments of the older students' hard work. They all seemed to really enjoy getting to be a part of the process. Sometimes they were the ones coming to me saying, "Is it time to paint the next coat?"
In the center is an open area, perfect for the preschoolers to play with blocks and other educational toys. Opio and Sam are breaking in the new area quickly.
Two of the older boys, Solomon (left) and Rodgers, enjoy the freshly-painted computer room. Both boys are actually in secondary school already, and were home on semester break. The poster on the right is another gift from Jaaja Sue. It gives tips for test-taking -- perfect since there is also a desk in the room that provides a quiet place for individual students to take tests. The stairs lead up to the TV loft, where the children watch educational videos from time to time.
This last photo shows off the front of the school and the great paint job. On the right the new head teacher, Emmanuel, sits tutoring one of the younger students. The children call him "Master Emma". In the back, Janat flashes her unending smile.
As I mentioned above, I am home again. It was so hard to say goodbye to the children, but I also trust that I'll get to see them again. It has been wonderful to see -- and at least start to catch up with -- friends and family in the last two weeks. It's strange to be here too. The toilet paper in the States is so soft!:) And at least for a couple of days, I felt very spoiled by my hot showers. There are so many wonderful things about Uganda, and so many wonderful things about the US too. But I'm very aware right now of how very different the two places are.
As I often feel when I come home from a trip, I'm trying to figure out what needs to change in my own life, what I don't want to lose hold of that I learned while I was gone. How to be accountable for what I know about our world.
I spent most of my final days in Uganda at the other Aidchild home in Mpigi (see the Easter posting for pics from there) -- and got to enjoy my 31st birthday there with the kids. This post has gotten long so I'll close for now, but I will try to post some pictures and stories from my time there in the next few days.
As always, thanks for being involved and spending a little time with me!
