Kevin Lockwood's Uganda BLOG
Links: Childen's Global Peace Project (CGPP): www.cgpp.org
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posted May 26, 2009 8:26 AM by Kevin Lockwood
May 26 - Tuesday
My last few days in Uganda were sad, as they have been in the past, sad to leave what has become home. I met with all of the children at Kibiri School one last time a on the 12th. Dinah from Action for Peace and Conflict Transformation (APCT) came, as she has many times in the past, to help with the peaceful place visualization and collaboration exercise for making a peace banner. The children chose three images that symbolize peace for them --- a mango tree, a crested crane, and peace dancing. They're all out of uniform because their on a four week vacation break from regular school. We all sang and danced and had some joy filled last few moments together. Hopefully I get a chance to see them a few more times before they graduate from P7 in November.
I'm not sure if I have shared that we're working to get a weekend of training for all of the teachers at Kibiri. APCT will be coming in to help all of the teachers learn new skills of how to better work with and connect with their students to create a more peaceful learning environment. We will continue to track grades as a gage to how the children are doing overall.
I'd like to exit this segment with a link to a review of a recently published book. It's about aid in Africa. I think you'll find it thought provoking. There are things I would agree with and things I might take some exception to - but I will let it stand on it's own for you to be your own judge: Dead Aid, By Dambisa Moyo - Reviews - Independent.co.uk.
Thanks for journeying with me on my first BLOG.
Kevin
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posted May 10, 2009 12:15 PM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated May 16, 2009 7:50 AM
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May 10 (Sunday - Late) - Update to JC McKenna Middle School Questions
It's been another peaceful Sunday. If you're ever in Kampala know that Sunday is a great day to explore the city. It's very quiet with very little traffic and only the tourest shops are open. You can really enjoy the beauty and serenity. On the way back from Kibiri today on was on a boda boda and we were riding behind a big truck full of laborers coming from or going to somewhere. One of them gave me the peace sign and said God bless America -- go Obama. I gave him a peace sign back and several of the workers laughed and smiled and gave me a peace sign. There was a matatu driver immediately on my right (it's like Boston here --- if there is pavement or something similar to it then it's considered a traffic lane) and he gave me a peace sign too. My heart swelled - some part of them knew I was American and I was here growing peace. I have shared with you that it's not uncommen for Ugandan adults to have some ill feelings towards Westerners. I have experienced for myself that many Westerners are rude and arrogant. I will add right now that there is generally a different sentiment towards Westerners from the United States. I have met more US Citizens on this trip then I have met on any of my three previous trip combined, and I will tell you that I am proud to be an American and I will say again that I feel much grattitude towards the Amercans that I have met here. God bless America -- go Obama!
Some exciting news from Stephanie, aside from getting engaged. She just returned from Kenya where she is funding for a school to be built. Yes, she is only 22 years old and she has managed to raise $3000 and be smart enough to find a self sustaining school that is going to except her microfinance support to build themselves a school so they don't have to pay rent for a bunch of crummy buildings and barely have enough cash to pay their teachers. BTW, administrators at this school don't get paid when cash flow won't support it. The exciting news is that they are going to build with Interlocking Stablized Soil Blocks (ISSBs) using techology from Techonolgy for Tomorrow (www.t4tafrica.com). She was really tentative about the idea a few weeks ago because the foundation is currenly being laid. She figured the school board had already made commitments and she didn't want to confuse things by bringing in new options. However, the school board considered her proposal, investigated the technology, and decided to go with it. Hooray for the trees, hooray for the swamps, hooray for the environment, hooray for the brilliance of Dr Moses Musaazi, and hooray for saving at least 40% in building costs. YEAH!
More exciting news -- Eka is starting to get better cash flow on her architecture jobs. People are paying her -- even giving her extra for her incredible work. I'll tell you she is amazing. I watched her design a house in less than an hour. She works that Computer Aided Design (CAD) program of hers faster than I work in Excel. I watched her play free cell, mine sweeper, and hearts on the computer and she moves with lightening speed. I told her that I when I was younger I used to be as fast as her. She laughed. I told her that really I was --- she laughed again. Hey -- I really used to be fast. I still am by most standards. - - - Eka just told me she can barely use Excel -- so there. ;o)
Now, without further delay, here is an email to Tajali with updated information concerning questions from JC McKenna Middle School:
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From: Kevin Lockwood [mailto:envoypeace@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 10:17 PM
To: 'Tajali Tolan'
Subject: Letters and Peace Banner from Kibiri P7 Class for JC MCKenna
I met with Herman today and his wife Angela did a Journey process with me. She went in really deep – especially for a culture that I see is so very polite and rarely expresses discontent with anything --- the La Fontaine gang excluded – lol.
Herman met with Edith (The Headmaster) last week and she has tasked him with teaching all of the other teachers what he has learned from our time together to the other teachers. Therefore – he was happy to accept our banner from the 1st grade in Evansville. He will be delivering it to the upper level P4 class after I leave. The P4s, like the rest of the children in the country, are currently on vacation. I have special permission to be working with the P7s right now. Herman, Angela, and I all agreed that the English comprehension for P1 through P3 is too low to try and connect with an American classroom. The sheer numbers in those classes adds additional challenges. This is congruent with previous conversations I’ve had on this subject with other people in Uganda. I anticipate the P4s will write a group letter and create a banner which we will receive sometime over the summer. You can decide whether it will work easier to deliver these to the children that have moved to 2nd grade or to the 1st grade teacher in Evansville.
Herman’s upper-level P7 class – the ones I have been working with – will also be accepting a banner. They will be writing letters to JC McKenna and doing a Journey on Monday when I am not there. Then on Tuesday when I meet with them for the last time we will do the peaceful place visualization and make a peace banner. I will bring these all home with me on the 19th. My inclination in that these letters will go to the Roots and Shoots Peace Club at JC McKenna and hopefully they will have a chance to reply before school ends for the summer. Here is Herman’s address:
Kayemba Herman
P.O. Box 27739
Kampala
Uganda
I asked Herman about the differences in Uniforms. I wasn’t too far off with my explanation. The children have three uniforms. One for academic classes (green), one for gym classes, and on for leisure time during and after school (purple). The green one is for academic classes, and it is the one the children ‘should’ be wearing to school. However, TIA. I would imagine that most parents can only afford two green uniforms and one purple one. I would also guess that the challenge for them can come in when it rains and the clean green uniform doesn’t have a chance to dry. Since Ugandans are very particular about cleanliness they wouldn’t imagine sending their child to school in yesterday’s dirty green uniform – so they send them in their purple leisure time uniform.
I also have more information about school boarding and school meals. Kibiri is a mixed boarding and day school. I thought Edith told me they didn’t board anymore but I must have misunderstood. Parents pay additional fees for the school kitchen to cook breakfast and lunch for the children (also dinner for the boarded students). The funding for these meals is not provided by the government.
Peace and Light,
Kevin
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PS -- Ryan has decided to write a book called Chasing Chickens. I think it's about how some people come to Afica because they think they have to do something to feel fullfilled --- when all they need to do is just be. We have plans of what we think we need to do - but we're just chasing chickens. Just come here and be - just be wherever you are and feel the wholeness in that. Ryan emailed me the opening paragraphs. Make a note of this name, Mr Ryan Schuette. I imagine you'll see it again - the boy can write. He inspires me not to write because I realize that I've been trained to be a techinical writer and I really don't have his type of creative talent. Did I mention he's young enough to be my son -- lol -- he is. Hmmm -- that's not funny.
CHASING CHICKENS - BY RYAN SCHUETTE
It’s 9 p.m. on a Sunday night. I’m sitting idly, at a table under a thatched roof supported by tree-like columns, surrounded by Gordon, a Ugandan man angry about poverty, and Kevin, an American and former defense industry wonk trying to sow the seeds of global peace on small paychecks.
Around me, a tall, lanky Irish man, not quite unlike the tall, lanky marabou storks unique to Uganda, thrashes a soccer ball about the cramped restaurant area we all inhabit, a whir of excitement over a distinguishably smaller object of attention and that faint, freckled skin tone particular to creatures from overcast Belfast. On the other side of the restaurant, I hear the excited exchange of Japanese conversation and irreverent giggling, interrupted only by the muted incursion of a Ugandan waiter newly arrived to attend them.
It is 9 p.m. in Kampala, Uganda. It is May 10, 2009, a benchmark in that I’m entering the final month of my time in this cool, landlocked country, before I board my plane back to the United States. Amidst the cacophony of global life, I try to find a message for this novel, accurately titled but less thoroughly considered for what I want to say. What to say, exactly? After all, it’s not about chasing chickens – or choking them, as Kevin lewdly suggests, following which he grinds on with the hiss and suffocation of barely contained laughter.
It is 6:40 a.m. at a Hilton Hotel in a small town east of Houston, Texas, and I’m seated with my mother and aunt in the breakfast area, done up in the best suit and dress shirt you can buy on a college student’s budget for someone still dependent on a single parent teacher’s salary. It is April 28, 2007, the day of my interview for the prestigious scholarship I hope will whisk me away to Uganda, and I endure thick, unhandsome beads of salty sweat under my silken shirt. I see another interviewee, a young woman with strawberry blonde hair, slender and attractive, poring over a booklet she prepared for her interview. Of the two, one of us will probably make this interview, I think, as I look around to notice seven other interviewees.
It’s 7 p.m. on April 3, 2009, in Sierra Leone, a coastal West African country, and this time the memory I carefully consider is shattered by the mucous-gurgling scream of an infant, no older than six months, throwing herself into wracked fits under the watchful concern of her mother. Like me, the infant is battling malaria, but unlike me, I realize – even as I watch her from my bed, stained as it is with my urine and vomit, my otherwise comfortable view of the television obstructed by plastic tubes that flow with quinine and course into my vein – she may not survive the night. We are soldiers that night, and I feel like I’m about to lose my only friend.
I flash to Kampala on October 30, 2008, and I’m sitting uncomfortably on concrete steps outside a darkened shopping center at 2 a.m., looking up to find the smooth black barrel of an AK-47 rifle staring back at me. |
posted May 9, 2009 2:08 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated May 9, 2009 3:16 AM
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May 9 (Noon) - Notes from the 5th Journey in the Classroom
Taking a little break from moving Inventory around with Nathan at Mango Tree.
Tomorrow I will do a Journey with Herman's wife, who is also a school teacher, and Tuesday will be my last day with the kids at Kibiri. I've been wanting to share what happened last Tuesday. Don, one of founders of Action for Peace and Conflict Transformation(APCT), came with me last week. For the first time since I've known him he arrived early to meet me and ride out to Kibiri. I've waiting as much as 2 hours for Don some days. We were supposd to meet at 8:30. Dinah told him 8:00 since she knows how late he can be. Well, he arrived at 7:30, and ended up waiting an hour for me to show - LOL - poor Don.
Anyway, Don and I arrived at the school early and the children also arrived early, as usual. We did our morning introductions and brain gyms and then I introduced Don. In the past APCT has only worked in Secondary Schools, but they have developed a curriculim for Primary Schools that they are getting ready to deliver. They have also developed teacher workshops. This was the first time I had the opportunity to watch Don work with children. He is really talented. The children and Herman were very interested in getting involved and having APCT come work with their school. Then we did a Kids Journey which Don, and another teacher that Herman invited, got to experience for the first time. Here's a couple of the drawings depicting how these children felt before their Journey and after.
After the Journey we played a multicultural game where the children seperated into two groups and got to experience what it feels like to try to get to know people that are very different from themselves, and have different cultural habbits and ways of communicating. It was fun and interesting and they got to practice that new word I taught them nearly six weeks ago -- empathy. Then we did a Buddhist inspired peace dance about being the jewel in the lotus flower and clearly seeing the perfection and beauty in everyone we meet.
It was nice having Don there and I noticed the teacher that Herman brought to visit was having a lot of side conversations with Don as the day passed. Later Don told me that he was really interested it what we were doing and was beginning to realize new possibilities for ways of teaching. He had only come because Herman had encouraged him to, and he had thought it was just going to be a joke. Now he was very excited to learn more.
Don and I had lunch afterwards and I learned more about the programs they are developing for teachers. APCT is operating in their third year, while CGPP is operating in it's second - and it seems like we always have great ideas and learnings to share when we get together. I also realized after talking with Don that he fills a role at APCT similar to role Tajali fills at CGPP - the one with many years of experience working with children and teacers, and the one that is really driving the creativity and curriculim. Dinah, on the other hand, seems more of the 'Kevin' of APCT and provides more focus towards organizational structure and all that yuckity yuck. It's just interesting. |
posted May 8, 2009 10:42 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated May 21, 2009 4:08 PM
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How old are the elementary children [at Kibiri Elementary School]? Some look very tall and older (like us).
The small children pictured in the very crowded classroom where I am up front singing are Primary 3 (P3). They follow a British school system here - P1 is equivalent to Kindergarten, P2 is 1st grade, etc. Most of the older children in the pictures are the P7 (6th Grade equivalent) children I have been working with, but in some cases there younger children mixed in because they are curious about what we are doing. Middle and High school grades are called secondary and are designated Senior 1 (S1) through Senior 6 (S6) (7th grade through 12th grade).
Since some children do not have the opportunity to go to school when they are younger you may see older children in the earlier grade levels. One of my friends met a woman in her thirties that was just getting an opportunity to go to secondary school. You may also see older children in the earlier grade levels because they did not pass their grade and were held back. Typically there are at least twice as many children in a classroom compared to what you see in the United States, so children do not get as much individual attention to help them learn and it can be more difficult for them to pass and move on to the next grade.
Do the colors (purple and green) of their uniforms mean anything?
Colors are typically used to designate a grade level. I’ve worked with secondary schools a lot and many times I see blue for S1-S4 and white for S5-S6. I’m guessing for Kibiri School that at some point in the past green was for P1 – P3 and purple was for P4 – P7. This is a very poor town and I might surmise that at some point in the past parents wanted to be able to send their child to P4 wearing the same clothes they had for P3, and eventually it no longer mattered what color uniform children wore, as long as it was purple or green.
Why are the students wearing those colors
A good place to start might be asking yourself why your school has school colors. Once you’ve answered that, expand that answer to include school uniforms. Additionally, there’s a reason why they call them uniforms – they help bring uniformity to a setting. In some cases this helps to level the playing field for children with less social status that can’t afford new clothes every school year or many sets of clothes that might allow them to wear different things for weeks before they have to repeat an outfit. Uniformity also brings with it a certain amount of built in discipline. When individuals dress the same there is a feeling that they are all in something together and the tend to stick together. This may result in things that work well like having everyone cooperate together, and it may result in things don’t work well like having everyone lose their sense of individual and creative thinking.
Is Kibiri a public or private boarding school? Do they have to pay to go to school?
It used to be a public boarding school. Now it is a public day school. Students don’t have to pay to go to school, but at the beginning of each term they are required to bring a package of paper, chalk, pencils, and other materials that are used as general school supplies for everyone. This practice is pretty common since there is very little government funding to run a school. Students are fed a humble breakfast and lunch at school or they typically would not have any meals at all. Teachers are fed lunch at school. They make about $100 a month, which is barely enough for them to take care of themselves and their family.
How many students in one classroom? Is it multi aged?
Kibiri school is large enough so that they have two classrooms of children for each grade level P4 through P7. There are about 45 children in each of the two P7 classes, and the P4 through P6 classes have over 50 students each. The P1 through P3 classes don’t have it quite as good. There is only one classroom for each grade level and about 100 children in each class. There is another school I worked with occasionally that only has two teachers and two classrooms. At that school P1 through P3 are combined and P4 through P7 are combined. There are a total of about 50 children at that school and they are mostly orphans.
What are their subjects that they study?
The public school systems is British based, since this is a former British colony, and in general students study the same subjects as you do. Specific content may vary just as it varies from state to state in the US and from country to country around the world – especially in subjects like Social Studies. They do have an additional subject area which is only found in some states in the U.S. – it is called Life Skills. Whenever I work with them, to teach skills like feeling peaceful within and creating peace without, that falls under their Life Skills subject area.
Did you have these students write letters?
Students at the following schools will be receiving your letters in two weeks when they are back from their term break, and with some luck we’ll receive some letters back from them later this month. Remember though -- TIA ;o)
Alliance High School - Kampala, Uganda
Kabanyoro Secondary School - Kampala, Uganda
Kibiri Elementary School - Entebbe, Uganda
Lango College - Lira, Uganda *NEW*
Mbale Secondary School - Mbale, Uganda
The students at Kibiri have not written letters, and have not been connected with a foreign classroom. We have not decided if we want to do that yet. I have been working very closely with their teacher to help him gain skills that he can use after I leave, and that may change the whole future of Kibiri School. Although the children here have been learning many of the same things you have been learning about peace, the students at Kibiri have not been receiving the same Children’s Global Peace Project (CGPP) curriculum as you have. Some areas of my BLOG have specifics about what skills the children have been learning while I’m with them. For example, the children here now do brain gyms every day to help awaken minds and to be more ready to learn. A lot of the CGPP curriculum at Kibiri has been centered around a program called The Journey for Kids, which is very popular in South Africa and Australia, and well known in England, Israel, Holland and other European countries. In South Africa the government is currently doing a large study with the Journey for Kids at 250 schools. Initial results show that children who are offered this program feel much better about themselves and in classrooms where the pass/fail rates were on the mid 60s they improved to the low 90s. When you teach students and teachers Life Skills and academics improve that tells me they have really found more peace for themselves and that their minds and classrooms have become more peaceful environments that are conducive to learning. Some of my favorite movies that show the impact of teachers and students connecting are The Ron Clark Story, Remember the Titans, and Freedom Writers. I also heard that Ballroom Madness is good. Have you seen any of these?
How big are the ants? Do the ants bite?
The ants are pretty large, about 3cm long x .5cm wide. My friend Charles, the Production Manager at Mango Tree, says they are very good to eat and rich in protein. Those particular type of ants do not bite. Charles says you can eat them live if you like. They also have little red ants here that byte just as well as any American red ant.
Why do some women have their head shaved and others don't.
I haven't noticed that any of the women or school children have shaved heads. Did you see a picture or pictures where some people had shaved heads? It is interesting to note that most Africans are simply are not hairy. They do not grow long hair anywhere on their bodies like most people of European decent. They also don't sweat much or have a lot of body oil. If you see Ugandan women with long hair in most cases it is probably because they have hair extensions, or they may have one parent that is from another culture where hair grows long. In general, Ugandans like to keep themselves very clean and neat and you will see that nearly all of the men have very very short haircuts. I would argue that since Western culture has most of the advertising dollars, a lot of women here are more likely to follow the latest Western trends for hairstyles and therefore have hair extensions. As far as school girls go, most of them, especially in a little village like Kibiri, cannot afford to have hair extensions. Do you find the pictures of the children and people here to be beautiful or do they just look very different to you? For me it's kind of like eating a new food that I'm not used to. At first I'm not sure what to think of it and I'm not so sure I like it. Then, after trying it a few times, I might begin to aquire a taste for it and really like it. I've found that I'm generally a slow learner when it comes to new things and people. I have noticed that after I'm in a country for about two weeks I finally begin to notice how beautiful the people are. It takes me that long to get used to how different they look and how different their culture is. Then I begin to feel the beauty within them and I can see for really the first time how that beauty shows up on the surface of how they look and act. Sometimes I find myself sitting around the table with my friends at La Fontaine simply falling in love with their beauty. Boy life would sure be dull if we all looked and acted the same - don't you think?
What do grain sacks cost?
That’s a good question. It’s 8:20 PM on Friday but Charles is still working here at Mango Tree so I will go ask him what the latest cost is . . . . . . A bale of 1000 grain sacks costs 600,000 Ugandan Shillings (UGX). Charles is currently looking at a higher quality grain sack that costs 700,000 UGX. We can get two full size charts, like you have used for peace banners, from one grain sack. Sewing for each full size chart costs 250 UGX. If the exchange rate is 2100 UGX per 1 USD, can you tell me what a full size chart costs now and what it will cost if Charles decides to purchase the higher quality grain sacks?
Do the grain sacks ever carry grain? What kind of grain? Are the grain sacks you write on at Mango Tree used?
Yes grain sacks do typically carry grain and rice and spices of various sorts – but the business at Mango Tree is too large to try to get recycled grain sacks so we only use new ones to make educational charts. Grain sacks are something people don’t throw away – they find a hundred other uses for them.
Do they (Ugandian's) have bathrooms and showers?
Only a small number of the population has bathrooms and showers. Stephen, one of the very brilliant managers here at Mango Tree, guesses less than 5%. The CIA fact book might have more acurate data. Most people, whatever that percentage is, use a pit latrine and bathe out of a bucket. Here at Mango Tree we have flush toilets but the water does not work most of the time and we fill the toilet tank from a jerry can (~5 gal container) each time we use the bathroom. Then we wash our hands in a bucket.
Do they drink coffee? If they do, how many cups a day?
Most people can’t afford coffee, they just drink water. I would say that the beverage of choice, among people that can afford it, is Coke or Coke products. I told my friend Sarah, the owner of La Fontaine, that Coke was bad for her and made her teeth rot. She laughed hard. She smiles and laughs a lot. She was in the habit of drinking two Cokes a day and had no idea Coke was bad or her. She quit drinking it.
Thank you so much for your questions. I see there are many more, but it’s getting late for me and I need to get to town to get something to eat and then get to bed so I can be at work again early tomorrow. If you would like me to continue with the list of questions I have let me know. If you have new questions based on my answers so far we could go that way instead.
Peace Out,
Kevin
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posted May 4, 2009 1:45 AM by Kevin Lockwood
4 May (Monday - Noon) - Mango Tree
Thought you all might find this amusing. It's the process steps for updating the Master Database and all of the worksheets linked to it: Main Inventory, Stencil and Sample Inventory, Office Inventory, Pricing Guides, and Website. Now all I have left to do is update the Master Database Training, update the process for maintaining the Main Inventory, update the Main Inventory Training, create Training for Stencils and Samples maintenance, create training for Office Inventory maintenance, create training for Pricing Guide maintenance, figure out how the new product identification numbers are going to get updated on the website, and complete the interactive form for Office Sales and create training for that. Oh - I also need to get going on developing and documenting a process for overhead expense allocation. Hmmm --- two weeks left. I'm with kids in Kibiri this Tuesday and next Tuesday. Looks like I'll be pretty busy as usual. Cheers :O)
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posted May 3, 2009 1:59 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated May 12, 2009 9:48 PM by Deb Ayer
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3 May (Sunday Noon)
I saw Deb on Skype yesterday.
It was the first time since I've been here.
I cried.
I don’t want to know that you’re not going to break my heart
I would welcome it if you could
Just to feel the vulnerability and openness would be worth it
I want to know if you’ll allow me to break your heart
And therefore be available for the possibility of breaking mine
I have touched the pain beginning to churn within me
Will you help me nurture and grow it – truly feel it
Will you be my witness as I come in close and pull away
Until it is fully embraced and integrated
Will you allow me to be the same for you?
kfl
Tree of Knowledge:
*top photo--> ROCKS
*bottom photo--> SOCKS (yet I can see the resemblence) ;o)
Tree of Life:
*top photo--> 2 hearts--ONE Light---ONE Heart
*bottom photo--> 2 hearts--ONE Light--ONE Heart (with a pinch of funny )
Hope this helps Ryan :-p
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posted May 1, 2009 10:18 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated May 1, 2009 11:46 AM
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1 May (Friday – Afternoon) – CHOGM Holes
I would have to say yesterday was one of the worst I’ve ever experienced in Uganda – and also one of the best. Good news - bad news – who knows?
I met up with Dinah from APCT at 7:30 and we headed out to Aliance High School (spelling is correct – only one “L” in Aliance). Dinah and I were scheduled to meet Don at the school at 8AM. We arrived at 7:50 and he arrived at 8:30 – not too bad for Don. (Margot and I waited two hours for him last year when we were heading out to Aliance for the first time.) The kids have school off for three weeks. They were supposed to report this the morning to get their term exam results. Well --- they straggled in between 9:00 and 11:30 and as some came, some left, and we never got it together with them. Ha the difference between teenagers and adolescents – it seems they usually have something ‘better’ to do. So at 11:30 we finally decided that Don would present the banner and do the letter exchange on the 19th when they’re all back in school. It also looks like we’re going to cancel my trip to Mbale and Lira for the same reason – why travel all that way when the kids probably won’t come. Mable and Lira would probably be even more difficult – since they are mixed day/boarding and boarding schools and the children at those schools often travel some distance just to be home during school break. This is where the expression TIA – This is Africa – comes in handy. You just have to go with the fow sometimes and see what happens next. This point was reiterated to me in casual conversation over breakfast with some Ugandan friends this morning. “Why do Westerners get so uptight when plans fall apart? It’s life – enjoy it for what it has to offer.”
By 12:30 I made my way back to La Fontaine, had some lunch, and caught a matatu out to Mango Tree to do some work. With my trip cancelled to the Lira and Mbale the pressure is off a little bit – but I still have a lot of work to do at Mango Tree before I leave for New Hampshire in 18 days. Guustaf has asked me to create a daily log and accounting form for Office Sales. The form needs to access the Master Database and be able to pull back product information – pricing, code, details, etc. This would be relatively simple if we were using a real database – but right now everything is in Excel and making pretty forms for easy use is not so easy. Mango Tree is not ready to make the leap to a real database and accounting system yet – “TIA” man – patience and persistence. The first Pastel accounting program and Excel inventory were put in place in 2007 – during their fifth year of official operation. Pastel is an accounting program from South Africa and the version we have does not include an Inventory System. You might say why not invest in something more practical. Well, there’s no money for a big time system here. We need to make do with what we have and what people can learn to work with and operate. We talked about using Microsoft Access but all agreed that moving to a new program and trying to learn that would not be the best idea now. Cleaning up process steps, expanding the base of Excel skills, and putting checks and controls into the process are the foundations of the improvements. I could go through a list of two dozen improvements that are taking place – not the least of which is an entire reorganization of the physical space over the next two weeks – but I think I’ve probably bored most of you all by now with this level of detail. By 7PM I last had wrestled through a half dozen iterations and I’m still was not happy with the results. It was getting dark out quickly and I was late for Ann’s dinner good bye dinner at an Indian restaurant in Kampala called Haandis.
I walked out of work and soon stumbled into a passing matatu as it was beginning to run out of gas – this is a pretty common occurance. Cash flow impacts just about everyone here and most of the boddas, matatus, private hire taxis, and everyone else run around with gas tank indicators pointing to E. We coasted into the nearest gas station and the engine coughed and choked its way to running again. Mid way through the trip to Kamapla the matatu changed drivers at one of the stages. When drivers or conductors change out it always makes me wonder how they keep track of the money in this business. Maybe one of these I’ll figure it out. The driver was very efficient in snaking through the back streets and by passing the traffic jams so I made it downtown in about 20 minutes. From there I hopped on a bodda that took me another mile or so to Haandis. Most visitors won’t ride in matatus because they can’t figure out where they are or where they’re going – and because their cramped – and because Ugandans get cold and close all the windows – etc. etc. Actually matatus are really amazing. Once you know the city you can just jump in one heading in the right direction and jump out when it starts heading in the wrong direction. From early until late there are always matatus running the main routes throughout Uganda. The cost is only about 25 cents per mile or two – I’ll stress the about.
Dinner at was great. It was a small gathering of the American gang of ‘independents’ (people here doing their own thing and not working for big NGOs). It was Ann Chang’s last night before heading to London then Israel then back to NYC in August where I think a bunch of us will meet to discuss our next moves – Ryan, Stephanie, Cory, Tadaj, etc. Stephanie, BTW, got engaged last weekend the day her boyfriend arrived. I haven’t seen them since – although there was a casual dinner invite on Tuesday that I passed on because I wasn’t feeling well. This brings us back to the dinner at Haadis for Ann. On the way home we dropped her at the clinic. She wanted to get some tests done, and some medicine if necessary, before she left the country. This is a typical and is generally considered to be a wise choice.
Since I have been experiencing continued intestinal challenges, headaches, and slight fatigue I thought I would go in with her and also get checked out. Early night time is a nice time to go to the 24 hour clinic. Most everyone is settled in at home for the evening, and for those out partying it’s too early for them to have hurt themselves. Well it turns out that those are the symptoms for ameba in your digestive system. So they asked me to return in the morning with a stool sample – and to bring that story to a quick close they didn’t find anything and think it might be a parasite. For now - take more probiotics and come back in three days if the problem persists.
Ann and I walked back together on the sidewalk along the road from “The Surgery” clinic back to La Fontaine. It’s about a mile and a half and there’s not much traffic at that time of night. Here’s a picture taken today during my return trip to the clinic. You can see the Metropole, one of the hotels built for CHOGM, in the background.
This is where the CHOGM Holes come in. I figured that I would need to share about them at some point, but not from the point of view of having fallen in one. If you recall from the 24 March BLOG, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is a large mess that occurs annually in some former British colony. Throughout 2007 most of Kampala and parts of the surrounding community were torn apart rebuilding roads and large and fancy hotels sprung up all over the city, all for the Queen’s visit in November. For most Americans we experience public drainage systems that have large metal grates over them. That’s not so much the case here. While all this construction was taking place, the number of large drainage holes without covers on them multiplied. Of course when you remove a resource from use it becomes free for other uses. So the drainage covers walked away and didn’t come back – mostly against their own will I would guess. My Canadian friends dubbed all of the holes – new and old – as CHOGM holes. The idea of CHOGM being a hole also fits in well with the amount money that disappeared into it. Here’s a ‘healthy’ CHOGM hole – one that doesn’t suck up money or people.
This brings us back to the walk home with Ann. We carefully traversed the very dark sidewalk along the road back to La Fontaine. What we first encountered were wanna-be CHOGM holes. These are just little potholes in the sidewalk. At night you can’t see well enough to be able to tell if it goes down 6 inches or 6 feet. You could call them distracters, so you can’t see where the all the CHOGM money is really going. In the picture on the right you can see Protea –another CHOGM hole – um I mean another fancy hotel built for CHOGM.
Continuing on, we see some more possible CHOGM holes - one up close and a few in the distance. The one up close turns out to be a filled in – only about three feet deep. The papers must have reported on that money drain and in got filled in.
 
The ones in the distance are a little more interesting. At night the one that’s close up in nearly invisible and your attention is really drawn to the wanna-be CHOGM holes - the distracters that keep you from seeing the real holes. Well, that’s exactly what happened last night.
 My attention was on the distracters and I stepped right into the big CHOGM hole, which was six feet deep. I’ve heard many stories of people walking along during the day and loosing friends into CHOGM holes because they weren’t looking where they were going. This was different. Ann and I were carefully picking our way along. I would have had my flashlight out that Deb sent with me – but that quit working pretty much as soon as I got here -- TIA. In retrospect I could have had my cell phone out and used that as a light – but that didn’t cross my mind at the time. We weren’t looking for a 500 shilling piece on the bottom of a matatu floor. Falling in was quite surreal. When the Earth disappears from beneath you unexpectedly there’s just no real way to describe it. The next thing I knew all 200+ lbs of me (I had my backpack on and I haven’t lost any weight this trip) crashed into the hole and my stomach and chest slammed into the concrete.
 (Like my shoes Deb bought me? They're just like Rick's)
There was a Ugandan man walking behind me and he quickly responded with the typical and polite “Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Despite of, or perhaps because of, all the hardships Ugandans face, most are very quick to empathize and ‘jump in the hole with you’ when a problem arises. He then pulled on the back of my backpack handle and helped me out, again asking if I was alright. At the time it was difficult to breath from getting hit simultaneously in the chest and stomach and having the wind knocked out of my. Aside from this, and a scrape on my hand I was okay and pretty much unscathed. I always wondered how people fell into these holes and didn’t get hurt – and now I know. Lots of people fall in and do get hurt – I don’t have a desire to figure out how that happens.
When we got back to La Fontaine I was pretty dizzy. Julie bought me a drink and encouraged me to relax. It was then that I discovered that my phone didn’t quite fair as well as me. I’m back to using my little phone from Thailand for the rest of this trip – oh well. If you think the adventures for the day end here – they don’t.
Sometime around 1 AM Eric drove me home. As I walked through the gate and reached into my pocket from my house key I realized my pocket was empty. Now, quite often I put my keys in the guitar case, but I was sure I hadn’t done that while I was playing for the little kids running around at Aliance. I checked throughout my computer bag, but no luck. I had left the guitar case at La Fontaine when I stopped in for lunch between my trips to Aliance High School and Mango Tree. It was in Ryan’s room. I thought to myself that I could call Ryan and ask him to check for the key, but my phone was broke. I could call Eric and have turn around and take me back to La Fontaine, but my phone was broke. I could call Eka and ask her to bring my keys to me from La Fontaine, but my phone was broke. Hmmm – don’t get caught without a working phone!
I checked my watch – it was about 1:30 AM. La Fontaine might be closing up soon and locking all of their doors, so I needed to get going. I walked the mile along the dark road from my place to the main road – wary of CHOGM holes. Then I walked about another mile along the main road until a bodda driver came by that seemed to be sober enough to keep his bike straight. We zipped down to La Fontaine and I found myself really enjoying the ride in the dark with very little traffic. Despite of, or maybe because of, the day I was really enjoying myself and the adventure.
When we got to La Fontaine at 2:30 everything was pretty much the same as when I had left shortly after 1:00. Eka and Tina were still talking with Eka’s brother on the restaurant patio and Ryan was still working on his computer upstairs. I found my keys in the guitar case and I thought about how grateful I was that I found a sober bodda driver, that La Fontaine was still open, that Ryan was still up, and that my keys were found. By 3:00 I was back in my room and showing for bed. To top off the day the shower head broke and the water now comes out in spurts instead of a steady stream – ha – oh well.
Something interesting happened last night that I want to share before I close. Two of my Ugandan friends shared with me that I shouldn’t take any of the negative comments against Westerners personally, and when my Ugandan friends spoke to me this evening I could really feel their hearts as they connected with me. I’ve come to realize that some Ugandan adults, in general, don’t necessarily care too much for many Westerners. I can’t blame them. In general I have found most Western visitors to be arrogant and degrading to the local population. Sometimes I just want to crawl, or fall, into a hole and hide my face when I see how rude people can be.
Ugandans, on the other hand, are pretty quiet and extremely polite. I’ve been told and I’ve generally experienced Ugandans to not be very direct and to never be insulting. My friends are generally no exception. However, when we all get chatting and the passion for life begins to flow from their hearts, things get pretty lively and loud. Derogatory comments towards Westerners aren’t blatant, but they’re obvious enough. I think what I have begun to feel is that my friends are not holding back to protect my ears from anything I might find offensive. Honestly I haven’t found anything anyone has said to be offensive – I have found it to be quite honest. I felt blessed again to be able to share with my friends how much I love their company and how much I love the beauty that emanates from them as human beings. I am in love with how passionately and openly they express themselves and live their lives. Honestly I would rather spend time with them then with my other good friends here. Time with them just seems to be so rich and fulfilling. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to sharing the conversation we had on sex and dating this past week. Who’s reading this BLOG anyway? Can we talk about R-rated topics?
Peace Out,
Kev
Have you smiled today?
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posted Apr 28, 2009 11:15 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated Apr 28, 2009 9:20 PM by Deb Ayer
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28 April (Tuesday – Evening) – 4th Journey in the Classroom
Ah- it’s Tuesday - my day off from Mango Tree to go work with the kids. It’s difficult to take time away from Mango Tree. There is always an endless amount of ideas for improvements and always a finite amount of time for me assist with their implementation.
The P7 kids were amazing. We got started at 9:30 again, even though their normal class time starts at 10:00. Today, after our morning song, greeting of classmates, and brain gym exercises, we talked about emotional intelligence. I brought educational visual aids from Mango Tree to get us started. We had charts of the external body, the respiratory system, the digestive system, and the heart. We talked about emotions and named a dozen of them. Then I asked them why they thought I brought the charts. After coming up with a half dozen beautiful answers – like because I liked them, I wanted to have good study aids for their test, I wanted to put beautiful decorations in their classroom, etc - they eventually decided - "because we feel emotions in our body". The discussion of not judging emotions to be good or bad took a little longer to grasp. I borrowed some words from the Rumi poem that my housemate Stuart constructed a peace dance from last year. Emotions are like visitors - greet them at the door and welcome them in and they’ll be on their way – resist them and they will persist evermore.
They still wanted to kick the emotions that didn’t feel so good out the door – out of their body. So I had one of the boys stand up and I started pushing into him, lightly at first, then more forcefully until we both were straining not to be pushed backward. Then, I stopped pushing abruptly and so did he. See, I explained, the more I push him, the more I am pushed against. As soon as I stopped he stopped. The more we try to push emotions away, the more they want to stay and get stuck in our bodies. I asked, Have you ever cried and cried until you were done crying with no one urging you to stop? Didn’t you feel better when you were done? On the other hand, have you ever been angry, held it in, until more and more anger built up in you and you almost exploded?
When we refuse emotions and stuff them, they begin to build up and can make us sick or explosive. Our health and actions can begin to become slaves to our unfelt emotions. For years, friends like Rita Haramy, Borden Smith, Margot Zaher, and Steve Bross have been trying to help me learn this. I guess it wasn’t until I began working with The Journey, and was able to really experience the powerful beauty of emotions, that I really began to get it --- I still feel like I’m on a steep learning curve. My Honey Deb encourages me to relate with more emotional freedom and less judgment toward myself or others – and of course I still have The Journey, Network Chiropractic, and Rita’s own brand of whatever to help me too.
Bare with me friends, I realize some of what I speak of is old hat for many of you, but this is all part of the experience of what we talked about today in the P7 class. I explained to them that to fully feel emotions is to enjoy the beauty of being human. Without fear we wouldn’t know safety, without anger we would never know forgiveness, without sadness we would never know joy. We all have a full range of emotions and it’s more than okay to feel that range – it’s wonderfully human – it’s life!
I asked the kids to share their emotions and where they felt them in their bodies. I went first, letting them know that I felt immense joy and gratitude in sharing this teaching with them. A teaching, that although is thousands of years old, modern science is just beginning to realize its benefits. I explained that the The Journey gives people a simple process to become more educated about it. There was so much joy in my heart and they could see the tears in my eyes. Most of the children then shared their emotions and where they felt them. They shared from such open hearts and minds. I wish Pearl could have come with me today. She would have been really blown away – again.
Then, Herman led his first Journey in the classroom. :o) I went to get paper and crayons, then listened at the door from outside of the classroom and could hear as the children were responding with loud ‘whispers’ while he took them on their Journey. They weren’t shy at all – and their pictures seem to get more and more involved each week. For the first time, a handful of kids stood up at the end and really shared about their pictures and their Journeys. I’ll try to get some of the drawings up here for you to see.
To wrap things up, I taught them their first partner peace dance today, "Light in the Soul". They picked it up pretty easily. It’s usually a bit of a challenge to guide a group of any age through their first partner dance.
Kizzah picked me up halfway home and took me to get a haircut. That may not sound like much of an adventure, BUT Ugandan men all keep their hair VERY short and Ugandan hair cutters pretty much only know how to do one thing – cut it all off! Every hair cut I’ve ever had in Uganda has resulted in a look similar to when I was a military officer. Of course Kizzah, however, knew where I could get a Mazungu hair cut. He was an Indian guy, and I know Markus knows that I got a good scalp massage and shoulder rub to go with it. I think it looks pretty good. Ryan thinks it looks a little too short/militant.
I had lunch with Ryan at La Fontaine, then traded in the guitar for my computer and headed into work at 2PM. Gustauf and I have been working on a Failure Modes and Affects (FMEA) analysis for the Inventory System and Master Database, and I wanted to wrap that up today so we could begin putting measures into place to ensure smooth running and checking of the new processes. I’m so grateful for his and Sjoerd's presence at Mango Tree --- it has been an absolute joy to work with/for them. |
posted Apr 26, 2009 10:26 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated Apr 26, 2009 1:26 PM
]
26 April (Sunday - Evening) - Ugandan Friends and Debates
Pictures from Kibiri Elementary are posted, enjoy :o)
Oh – so much to share and so little time. Where to begin? Perhaps a letter to the editor is a good place to start – or maybe with a discussion of the debating among my Ugandan and American friends here. Woo-hoo there’s been some passionate discussions about Men and Woman, Westerners and Ugandans, Emotional Intelligence, Saving Money for Children’s College Education, NGO Harm vs Help, and even Black Magic. I’m sure each of you would have enjoyed the lively, colorful and intelligent conversation at the table.
I can easily find myself with my Ugandan friends as with my closest friends in Colorado. They are certainly very independent and open minded thinkers. It brought me to the question of how did these Ugandans came to be such independent and critical thinkers. Of course you won’t be surprised to know that the large majority of the population in Uganda is not literate, and that public schools are very limited in educational resources and basically follow strict British guidelines that teach children to ingest and regurgitate information. How did these young Ugandan friends of mine become so passionately independent and open minded thinkers? Well --- the people that I rub elbows with nearly every evening at LaFontaine were educated in private and international schools here in Uganda, and in some cases Kenya, that rival the best private schools in The States. Certainly they seem to be better than the public schools in The States. In the case of International Schools here in Uganda - I think it would be difficult to find such an enriching experience anywhere in The States. I'll leave it at that. I feel well matched with my friends here and very blessed to know them and learn from them and their experiences.
Now for letters -- um letter - to the editor. Thank you Heather for sharing your opinions. Little did you know I would put you on the podium :o)
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Hi Kevin,
I honestly hadn't thought about all the implications of giving beanie babies. There was one thing you wrote on your blog which was really deep and good about it. But there's a big part of me that believes that generosity is a learned trait. And therefore, if someone has the inclination to give, they should be allowed to give freely. People (family) have been very generous with me and I am generous because of that. People who are selfish have selfish children. So from that perspective, I think the world would be better off if more people were giving.
I whole heartily agree that empowering people is very important. I support an org called Women for Women. My sponsored sis in the DRC receives training and such so she gets the tools and resources to care/work for her family. My sis changes every year so no one becomes dependant upon the aid.
But I think that people can be empowered and receive gifts also. Isn't that the best of both worlds. Also, I guess I don't see giving beanie babies as an act of charity but an act of kindness. They don't need them...but if it puts a smile on their face and makes them feel good, it seems like a good thing.
Maybe I'd feel differently if I read the book [White Man's Burden] ...I don't know.
Love,
Heather
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Thanks again Heather for sharing and writing.
Oh I agree - giving is a beautiful thing. I try to rememeber to be so grateful for those in need that allow me to experience the joy of giving. I actually don't think that gernerosity is a learned trait per se - I think it is an experienced gift. Once we realize how much giving really serves oursleves through serving others, and once we realize that we're really all connected, I think we begin to come upon a whole new perception of giving.
Oh and I totally agree with the little girl at the end of the GCPP video that says we simply need to feed people. There's enough food to feed everyone in the world but something like 75% of the population is hungry. (Someone please correct me on the right percentage - but I'm close.) We can perform amazing feats of science and technology -- I think we can figure out how to feed everyone. And, when our stomachs are all full - - - - - let me just love you and believe in you for the amazing creation of the Universe that you are.
Namaste,
Kevin
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posted Apr 21, 2009 9:16 AM by Kevin Lockwood
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updated Apr 21, 2009 11:47 PM
]
21 April (Evening) - Third Journey in the Classroom
I'm continuing to work at Edith’s primary school every Tuesday doing Peace Lessons, Kids Journey's and Dances of Universal Peace with Herman’s P7 students. I’ll be in the secondary schools with Dinah and Action for Peace and Conflict Transformation 1 day each over the next 3 weeks. Pearl went with me today to visit Herman's class and to take pictures. I found out she is a former elementary teacher. She was absolutely amazed that I had only been working with the kids three times and how well we all worked together. They reviewed their peace skills and brain gym exercises for her. Then we did a Journey, drew pictures, and they learned three new Peace Dances. The kids showed up 30 minutes early for class – as soon as I arrived. This has happened two weeks in a row now. They seem to be responding to the Classroom Journey very deeply. I will look at the pictures and discuss with Herman on Sunday and I think this may give me more insight. I’m still not 100% sure they’re grasping the whole Journey inside their body thing. I may buy a “My Body” chart from Mango Tree to help them out. I think Pearl and Ryan may collaborate on a Kampala Press release for the Kampala and Denver papers.
On our way home Pearl and I wandered across the school yard for the P1 through P3 children. These were some of the huge crowd of children that were singing with me a few weeks ago. There was no chance of sneaking up on them -- they saw us coming and there was pandemonium in all three classrooms. One of the teachers walked out and greeted us with a smile - telling us that the children would love for us to visit their classrooms. They had all met me at a morning school assembly so I introduced each class to Pearl as we visited. All of their eyes were shining brilliantly and their attention was 100% on me as they watched the guitar come out and I lead them in a few songs. When I say attentive and brilliant shining eyes -- it's really an understatement. These kids were absolutely riveted. As I looked around the crowded classrooms at the children sitting on benches it was obvious that none of them had their own books, or pencils, or papers, or crayons, or anything beyond the clothes on their backs -- and they all seemed so eager to learn. Yes, Mom, these kids could use a few Beanie Babies to cuddle with.
Mom wrote back regarding the Beanie Babies. I always admire her optimizm and her giving spirit. It is something I've see and learned from my whole life. Here's what she had to say:
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Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 3:47 AM
To: kevin@cgpp.org
Subject: Re: Beanie Babies fro Kids in Uganda
Dad is going to the PO tomorrow to mail out a package to Dave and Family. I will have him check out the cost based on the address you gave me. You are right, we place to much on material things, but there is nothing like having a stuffed animal to hug when you are feeling sick or unhappy. They don't talk back they just accept your hug and that is worth something. If the cost is too much, I will just send money to your project for you to use as you see fit.
Love you, Mom
****************************************************************************** I'm sure she's thrilled about me publishing our email conversations. I don't think she (or any of her friends) have read the blog lately. I must agree with what she wrote. I also have some stories to share that might be interesting that kind of bend around subject in a different way.
A few years ago Jo Noble, my friend from Boulder that first introduced me to Uganda, had a dear Ugandan friend get killed. The killing was done by his relatives who wanted the land he owned and Jo was helping building a school on to be sold and the profits distributed among the family. Distributing profits among your family is an expected practice here. When he refused to sell the land they killed him - hoping not to get caught - so they could sell the land themselves. I know Jo has had many sleepless nights wondering how much her generosity resulted in the ending of her friends life.
Sarah, the owner and awesome cook, at La Fontain helped start a business a few years ago called the Crocodile in Kisimenti. This was before other very successful businesses, including China Plate, Pavement Tandoori, Just Kicking , and Fat Boys existed. Sarah's friend was the owner of Crockadile and Sarah was the cook. They were very successful and ex-patriots from all over the Kampala area came to the restaurant frequently. Sarah's friend's life was threatened - so she sold the business and left the country. Sarah left also and started La Fontain.
This gets me around to Kevin and Herman. I know that everyone in Herman's neighborhood knows he has a new mazungu friend. When there's only one mazungu in town everyone knows what he's doing and who he's spending time with. Additionally, it's quite likely that many will talk and assume that his mazungu friend must be giving Herman money - and if that is true he needs to be sharing that good fortune with his friends and family - it's a cultural thing. I believe that this, my American friends, puts Herman at risk - similarly to Jo's friend that was killed. So having material things appear with my presence may not be the best thing. If mom can ship the Beanie Babies -- it will be up to Edith to determine where they are stored until I leave and how they are distributed. Would I love to give give give all kinds of things to this school --- yes I would --- and I also feel that anything that is given must be well planned and coordinated with Edith. I think that the Beanies could be given to the really little children and Pearl and I visited and it may go relatively unnoticed since these children are P1 - P3 and have nothing to do with Herman or with my visit to Edith's school.
Peace to you all.
Love,
Kevin
PS --- You do realize this is just my brain dump and I don't proof read or think about this much -- right? |
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