There Are No Words...

...Ok, so maybe there are. But, that's how our new friend, Brenda, described the World Cup being in South Africa. With this being the first time for the continent of Africa to host the World Cup, everyone is abuzz with excitement! It's an international event that is bringing the world's focus on Africa.

Football (or soccer, as we call it) is the leading sport around the world. Though America is slowly catching on, the rest of the world is on fire for football! The World Cup is the Super Bowl of soccer with nations from around the world uniting to cheer on their teams to victory. It's bigger than the Olympics! Yeah, kind of a big deal.

Michael and I are so pumped to be a part of such a history-making moment for Africa. The first day of the World Cup we were anticipating the opening ceremony and opening match. We had made plans to hang out with our usual crew of friends and watch at Brenda's house at 5:00 just in time to catch the beginning. Brenda is a friend of Aggie. We all decided to make salsa, guacamole, and fresh tomatoes and cheese as party snacks. Being the star chefs that we are, Michael and I began chopping tomatoes, cheese, mangos, and onions away like a pair of Paul Bunyan twins. We got skills. We knew we had to rush. But, then a dreadful phone call came. "OH NO! YOU'RE KIDDING ME! WE MISSED IT?" exclaimed Aggie into her phone. Somehow, we had wrong information about the schedule of the games. We had missed the beginning of the most glorious event because we were cutting up tomatoes and onions. Womp, womp, womp.

No worries, we weren't gonna let a little schedule mishap rain on our parade. After finishing up, we headed over to Brenda's and began watching midway through the first game South Africa vs. Mexico. She greeted us by giving us two really cool yellow jerseys that the entire nation is wearing in unison. It reads, "Africa United. It's our time." They're fantastic! Once we all got food and settled, we watched an exciting game that ended in a tie. I actually really like soccer. It's exciting to watch, and the footwork and technique of the players is amazing. America needs to get on the ball with real football.

We ended up watching a re-run of the opening ceremony and a concert later that night. Filled with colorful fabrics, vibrant voices, and creative dances, the opening was a hit!The concert featured local African artists, Angelique, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, and my fiavorite K'Naan. I'm telling you "Wavin' Flag" is amazing! Everytime it comes on, everyone immediately sings in unison, "When I get older, I will be stronger. They'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag. so wave your flag..." Ah, so legit. It's the new "We are the Champions" No kidding! Is it a hit in America too?

So, here's to the World Cup. An event that has no words, except 5 blog paragraphs...

-Nick

Wave Your Flag

An air of excitement spread through Kampala on Friday as the start of the World Cup drew closer and closer. In the office, Nick and I worked on a logic model for the Spirit of Uganda Tour. Narrowing down on the final outputs and outcomes of the tour was difficult because it acts as such a transformative experience for the children. Luckly, after some colorful/productive exchanges, we were able to finish a draft - a great feeling!

Early in the day, we mapped out our plans. We would leave the office, quickly stop at the market, prepare food at Agnes' home, and then go to her friend Brenda's home to watch the opening ceremony and first game at 5:30. Our execution seemed flawless at first. After rushing through the market to get mango, tomato, onions, and avocado, we stormed into Agnes' home. I was in charge of slicing the tomatoes and basil. Nick assisted by slicing tomatoes and cutting the cheese for the salad. Rose cut onions, and Agnes made the guacamole. Suddenly, Agnes' phone rang. I heard her say, "Oh no. Your kidding me. I thought . . ." It was Brenda. We had based our plans on a false premise. The game had already begun, and we had missed the opening ceremony. With feelings of slight failure, we finished our food preparations and headed over to Brenda's at halftime. Simon, Peter, Alex, and Francis joined us. Fortunately, after the game, the opening ceremony and Thursday night concert was repeated. This made Agnes happy. When K'Naan performed "Wavin' Flag," we all went crazy. Great song!

Brenda added to the trend of Agnes having cool friends. She is the only person in the country with a business that runs parties. Earlier in the day, she had been in charge of MTN's World Cup kick-off party in Kampala. She gave Nick and I "Africa United" jerseys, which are really cool.

Saturday was calm. After relaxing and running some errands, we went with Richard to watch the England-USA game at the Kansaga Pool Joint. Kansaga is the neighborhood we live in. The place was dark and big. In the back room, there was a giant screen with a projector set up. Seats with people filled the room. About half the crowd was for England and half made the right choice to cheer for the USA. Richard had told us before the game that he would be upset if the USA won because football (soccer) is our 5th or 6th most popular sport. I can understand his sentiment, and at the end of the night, a draw (though a win would have been better) seemed fair and good enough against the hardest team in the USA's group.

On Sunday, we went to the children's home for lunch. Aunt Justine cooked a delicious meal of fish, matoke, cabbage, rice, and beef stew. The company was great as always. We ended the night at Agnes' watching Australia get shut out by Germany. She prepared African tea for me, which is like Chai. It was really tasty, and better than the Chai I get at Starbucks.

- Feldman

A Special Note from Teddy

Wow!!! i do not know where to begin but here it is!

First i thought Nick and Michael were boring to hang out with but they really proved me wrong. when they came to my graduation party, they danced as if they were Ugandans. The night ended up really well with lots of laughters and hugs. Michael is the goofiest and he is always smiling. Nick is always dancing in his chair while half way sleep.... Honestly Nick who does that?

i have had so much fun with you guys and i will not forget all the great times we have had with everyone. your parents should be very proud of you for coming to such a great country UGANDA.. i have so much to say so that means i will be blogging. i love you guys, Always Teddy!

Yee, Tusobola

Yesterday was Heroes' Day - a Ugandan public holiday similar to Memorial Day. Nick, Rose, Agnes, Teddy, and I spent the day at the American Recreation Association swimming. I acted as Rose's swimming instructor - a tough but rewarding task. By the end of our time in the pool, she was able to float and glide in the water. I told her, "There is a man who you believe in that once walked on water. I promise you can float on it!!! Believe in Yourself." I look forward to our next outing to the pool and further improvement. We went to dinner with Agnes and Rose's wonderful priest - Father Joe. He is a fun, engaging, and spiritual man. We talked about some of the sites we had both seen in Israel, Judaism, Catholicism, music, the US, and Martyrs' Day.

In contrast to last week, Nick and I have spent more time in the office this week. We are beginning to synthesize information and compose logic models for EAC's Spirit of Uganda, holistic care , and US Scholarship programs. We realized the need to speak with more people, and have spent time speaking with a student going through EAC's resettlement program and Peter Kasule - the artistic director of Spirit of Uganda. Both interviews were very helpful for me to understand some of the intricacies of the programming.

The resettlement program provides assistance to those who have reached an age to transition into employment. EAC helps their students find a home and provides them with necessities. After 6 months, students are no longer on the payroll but are free to come in for support. In Psychology 1630, we learned about attachment styles. Secure attachment - the most healthy- is when a person is attached to their parent but able to be their own person. For example, an independent college student seeks their parents - whether over phone, email, or face-to-face - for advice and support. EAC is acting as a parent with a child that has a secure attachment style! We met with Dora today. She has recently gone through resettlement and is now living on her own and working as a hair stylist. EAC's staff was able to push her in the right direction and then let her soar.

When I was a child, I was diagnosed as having a non-verbal learning difference, which would make socialization difficult for me. My brilliant parents pushed me to do drama as a way to express myself. I learned eye contact, important communication skills, leadership and discipline from my time in the theater. EAC is employing the same strategy with the Spirit of Uganda tour. Speaking with Peter today was powerful. Through training, the children aided by EAC gain confidence in their ability to ask questions and have conversations. They became disciplined and are forced to manage their time. Talents are recognized and leaders emerge. An understanding of team work emerges and friendships form leading to EAC children sharing their tough, often similar stories with each other. On tour, performance after performance ends with a standing ovation. For a performer, there is no better feeling. When audiences rise, its a sign to a performer that their voice matters. Performing is freeing, and the use of it as a sort-of therapy is one of the most exciting concepts I can imagine.

Unfortunately, I write this post at a time when an amazing American is being unfairly criticized for matters out of his control. Being in a foreign country furthers my deep appreciation, gratitude, and liking of President and Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama. In Kampala, there are stores, hair salons, restaurants, Internet cafes, and more named after him. Furthermore, talking to Richard - the British house manager where we are staying- I have learned that around the world, public opinion is changing about the USA because of the man. He told me, "the USA is the only country that could create such a public figure." So I say, Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can! Yee, Tusobola! Yee, Tusobola! Yee, Tusobola!

- Feldman

Kiki Kino? (What is That?)

Monday through today have mostly been spent in the office. Michael and I began creating drafts for our logic models. We realized it would take longer than we thought! With two very different working styles, it's always a fun day trying to figure out how to merge our ideas and thoughts together. We've done well, though.With one rough draft completed, we're working to articulate our thoughts in a concise manner.

We interviewed Dora, who is in the transition program out of EAC. She discussed life after EAC. Because academics were difficult for her, she got involved in the vocational training aspect of EAC. She went to cosmetology school, and now does hair at a local salon. In addition, she has some magazine spreads as a hair model. The pictures are really cool. EAC helped her. She said she would be a farmer digging trenches in a village if she didn't have the support of Empower African Children. But, now, she says, "I have a job, and I can provide for myself. That's success to me."

We also interviewed Peter, the artistic director of Spirit of Uganda. Spirit of Uganda is the American tour that the EAC children go on to spread awareness about issues in Uganda, get exposed to new cultures, and raise funds to sponsor EAC events. It's a vibrant cultural experience. This Sunday Michael and I are cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids as they teach us some moves. Watch out, I'll be the next Michael Jackson! Anyway, Peter. He told us how the arts become a way for the students to express themselves. They learn so many skills aside from just performing. Confidence, communication, professionalism, etiquette. It's such a well-rounded lesson outside of the classroom. Plus, they have so much fun traveling around America and seeing different people and places.

Outside the office, we've continued to be in great company. On Monday, Agnes invited Teddy, Rose, and us over for Italian. Michael and I helped cook. I chopped the veggies and made the garlic bread, and Michael made fresh tomatoes with cheese and basil. It was quite delicious. We make quite an exquisite pair of chefs We even had an exciting scavenger hunt for bell/green pepper...but that story is way too long to write about! It'll definitely be a great story to share once we get back! The food ending up being delicious. We had great laughs, vibed to Joe, Jill Scott, andU2, and stayed late into the night before Aggie drove us back home.

On Wednesday, Uganda celebrated yet another national holiday, Hero's Day. It's kind of like America's version of Memorial Day. We decided to teach Aggie and Rose how to swim. We went to the American Recreation Club to practice. The place was beautiful! Before swimming, we had a Mexican buffet. It was great because Mike and I had both been craving Mexican, especially since having Uncle Julio's back in Dallas. After eating, we hit the pool for some intense lessons. Rose and Michael paired off, and I worked with Aggie. Though I don't think we taught them much, we had a great time doing so. One lady gave us the thumbs up, and proceeded to tell us how important swimming lessons were because she knew a NFL player who drowned because he couldn't swim...RANDOM! It took all we could handle to not burst out laughing at her! That's the last thing a person should say when teaching other people how to swim. We splished and splashed (especially Rose, while she was learning to tread! haha) throughout the afternoon.

Later, we went to dinner to celebrate Hero's Day with Father Joe the priest at Rose and Aggie's church. He's such a relaxed, friendly guy. He's traveled all over the world including America. But, he hasn't visited the South. So, Mike and I both formally invited him to come on down and get some good ole' southern hospitality when he gets a chance. Should be exciting!

Uganda is gearing up for the World Cup, which starts tomorrow. Michael and I have been laughing at a friend's facebook message asking if we were going to watch the World Cup. DUH! haha The World Cup Song, K'Naan's "Wavin Flag" is a hit! Everytime we hear it in the car, we automatically turn up the volume and sway to the beat! We're excited to watch the Opening Ceremony tomorrow night. It's sure to be an exciting time for all the true football fans here in Uganda.

Because Michael and I are having so much fun and so many great laughs with our new friends, we have started a list of jokes and stories. We already have a notebook page covered front and back with hilarious jokes. We learned a new phrase, Kiki Kino. You use it when you see something crazy or funny. We've been using it a lot lately! It's so amazing to come to this foreign place not knowing anyone except Michael. Now, I have friends that I feel so connected to. I literally love being around them! There's never a dull moment. I'm always bent over laughing at Aggie's sassy remarks, Teddy's ridiculous comments, Betty's hilarious phrases, Rose's excited greetings, Alex's warm advice. They are my friends. There are so many negative stereotypes that come out about Africa and its people. Honestly, I even had them before coming! But, those walls have been torn down. Aside from geography, language, and some cultural practices, we share so much in common. We all want to be successful, laugh, enjoy life, and have friends. At the end of the day, there's more that connects us than that divides us. It's a simple lesson I've always been taught, but never has it been more manifested in my life than in these few weeks in Uganda.

-Nick

99% Ugandan, 1% Mzungu

In Kampala, 5:00 am is when the day begins. Birds begin their singing and the prayers from the nearby Mosque begin to radiate into our bedroom. On Thursday, we, with thousands of devout Christians in the area, woke the city up an hour early. At 4:00 AM, our alarm clocks went off , and we dressed at a zombie pace so we could participate in the National Holiday - Martyrs Day. With Galvin (the caretaker of the place we are staying), Rose, Agnes, Betty, Teddy, Drake (Agnes's friend), and members of Rose/Agnes' Church, we set off like thousands to Namugongo where the shrine for martyrs stands.

Early in our journey, we were seperated from Rose, Agnes and the members from the Church because we wanted to walk while they wanted to run. Walking on the streets of Kampala can be tricky. The roads are not well paved so you have to pay attention to where you walk. This is not a strength of mine. My foot may or may not be sore because I tripped more than several times. After a few hours and 3-4 miles, Betty and Drake made the executive decision for us to take a taxi (more like a bus) down the main road to shorten our journey. I think this was a good decision because we would have been walking for the longest time. When we got off the taxi, we walked 2-3 more miles. We ran into Rose and Agnes on the way. They had already arrived and were running back to find us.

As we drew closer to the Shrine, the numbers of people walking increased until we were surrounded by a sea. President and Commander and Chief Barack Obama's Inauguration is the only event I have been to with more people. The streets were bustling. Agnes and Betty were wearing running clothes, but they insisted on taking us down to the shrine. The combination of my skin color and their clothing caused us to recieve a bit of attention. To quote Agnes, "They need to get over it. My prayer for the day was done while I was excercising so this is what I'm wearing." Galvin, as am I, was very impressed with their bravery to be who they are. At one point when we were walking a man tried to take Agnes' sunglasses off her face. She punched him on the shoulder - a hysterical moment I will never forget. Seeing so many people in one place for their faith is a powerful experience. Despite hardship, there is hope through faith no matter what religion one follows. The journey for many to Namugongo was much longer than ours. They had spent days walking for communial prayer - what a beautiful sight!

The rest of Thursday was spent relaxing, seeing some of Kampala's malls, and going to hear the same band we saw Tuesday night (and will be seeing tonight again). They are so good!

On Friday morning, we went to Taibah - the school EAC sends their children to. They are so lucky. The school has an amazing philosophy toward education, which emphasizes critical thinking and freedom. One of the schools administrators told us she wanted to see if she could find one of the EAC students for us to speak with. She came to get us and there were a whole group of 6 students waiting. For some reason, both Nick and I thought we were speaking with non-EAC students. I thought because she had not been able to find one EAC students, she found six non-EAC students. Nick explained what EAC was and we asked many questions about Taibah. Everyone spoke about how the school allows autonomy leading to opportunity and learning. At the end of the discussion, one of us asked how many were EAC students. All of them raised their hands. I'm so happy Nick was the one who explained EAC to them! They were all so friendly, welcoming, and willing to take our questions. I wish we could have spent more time with them, and I cannot wait for them to come to the EAC house one weekend.

After seeing Taibah's primary school, we went to St. Jannan Secondary School to meet with the headmaster. What an interesting guy! Nick and I asked two questions, and he spoke for an hour and a half. Nick asked "How do you measure success?" and he said, "Personal or for the children?" to which responded, "Well... both... I guess" Needless to say, I could tell you this man's life story. Despite his talkitiveness, our conversation was interesting. An interesting fact I learned was that the government funds some of the more expensive, well performing schools not those in need of assistance. In contrast to Taibah, the instruction style at St. Jannan was very traditional. Each child has notebooks, which they copy material into from the board.

Friday was a fascinating because we were able to see two extremes in secondary education - Taibah and St. Jannan. EAC is a special organization because they recognize the importance of providing their children with well-rounded educations, which encourage analytical thinking, even if they sacrafice the quanity of children aided. A thousand children attend St. Jannan, which has a relatively reasonable tuition; however, as the headmaster admitted, "For most of our children, this will be the end of their education. I can think of maybe a hundred children since we began who went further. " It's hard to grapple how we allow education to be so unreachable and intangible anywhere in the world. Moreover, when a school focuses on quanity over quality, what are the consequences?

After seeing the schools on Friday, we went to the office for a few hours before going to Agnes' home with Rose for dinner. We had so much fun assisting her with the cooking of the delicious food. We had rice, potatoes, mushrooms, plantains, tomatoe/basil/mozerella salad, beans, and the best avocado. The vegetables are so fresh here - no steroids or chemicals. The avocados are so big and flavorful. Better than the food was the company. Rose and Agnes are so much fun to be with and have the best humor.

Late Saturday afternoon, Agnes and Betty picked us up to go to an art street festival. There were some beautiful paintings of Kampala and pottery. The only thing I bought was a t-shirt with the title of this posting. When it got dark, there was a concert, which we went to for a little while. There were several acts, but two really stood out. The first was named Richie (I think) and had a John Legend vibe and the second played a classical Western African instrument. We left the concert early before going to dinner and dancing. Teddy and her friend - Claire - joined us for the dancing. We had a great night.

On Sunday, Nick and I used public transportation to go to the mall. We rode boda-bodas to avoid the confusing taxi system. At first very scary, riding on these motorcyles is actually fun when you tell the driver to be slow. My driver stopped because he saw a jacket on a tree, which I found to be very humorous. I certaintly won't make a habit of riding these machines as my anxiety tends to be high sometimes!

Mzungu - the word used in my title - refers to the color of my skin. Everybody here is so friendly, and I truly feel 99% Ugandan and 1% Mzungu.

- Feldman

TGIF!

The Chora, a West-African instrument Taibah Mission Statement, sorry it's sideways

Qwela Band: They are GREAT! A familiar scene, and, yep, Nick found his beloved Tobasco!

After a busy week of interviewing different people and touring various institutions, Michael and I were glad to finish up our first exciting week of work. On Friday, we were slated to visit Taibah Schools and St. Janan Secondary School. Taibah, the school where all the EAC students attend, is a private college prep school with high school fees. On the other hand, St. Janan Secondary School was established by an NGO, PEAS out of Britain. In fact, PEAS is the sponsor of the volunteer house that we live at. St. Janan has low school fees and is located nearby the slums.

It was very interesting to see the difference between the two schools. Taibah had an emphasis on student needs and making sure that they succeeded. When we spoke with administrators, they discussed how the students felt. At St. Janan, there was more talk about how much help they needed. We met the principal, who was an interesting character. He discussed his involvement with the school from the onset and talked about its development. He talked about the importance of quality in education. In order to improve the quality of education, school fees must go up. But, because of the area that his school serves, any rate changes could cause a child to not be able to attend school. You may be wondering, "Why don't they just have free public schools?" The issue is taxes. Right now, much o the business that takes place is independent and street vending, which is difficult to tax. Thus, there is a lack of government funds to provide free public education for all communities. So, the only way to get supplies, pay salaries, and maintain schools is through individual fees. Never in my life have I appreciated the American tax system! Because of lack of resources, much of the education in Uganda is based on memorization and discipline. There is a lack of critical thinking. Children simply regurgitate what they are taught in classrooms of 40-65.

So, EAC chose Taibah, which is an amazing school located outside the city of Kampala, to send all their children to school. It's a weekday residential boarding school that involves one-on-one education styles. The school setting is beautiful. Students are assessed before coming in, and placed on academic tracks for instruction: A, B, C. Depending on one's learning levels, you can move in and out of categories. It's a cool approach. Another cool idea is separation of principal and headteacher. The principal deals with all business sides of the school (hiring, allocating funds, grants, etc), and the head teacher works to develop the academics and curriculum of the school. The division of power seemed to really work well.

I had an embarassing moment at Taibah. We were told that they" would try to connect us with an EAC student to talk to. Moments later, they told us that some random students were having a break outside and that they would be willing to talk to us. So, we all gathered around and began introducing ourselves. I go, "My name is Nick, and I'm working with an organization, Empower African Children, that works with orphans and vulnerable children to provide them quality education...blah, blah, blah" I go through this whole explanation of EAC. We start asking questions about the school, and I ended by asking, "How many of you are in EAC?" ALL of them raised their hands. My cheeks grew red. They laughed and laughed. It was a funny moment for all of us.

During the weekend, we went to an art show and concert. It was cool to see some of the local art here in town. Beautiful city scenes, decorated pottery, and colorful weavings filled the streets. I grabbed a few fun gifts and got a chance to practice my negotiation skills. Dad would be proud!

Night came quickly and we headed to the concert. We saw a great performer, Richie, who serenaded the audience. We laughed at one groupie, who danced alone in front of the stage the entire night. The funniest part was that her pants had split in half because of her intense dancing. We laughed so hard, it was HILARIOUS. Oh man...

We also rode bodas for the first time. After lots of urging, I finally convinced Michael to ride. It wasn't bad at all. We told them, go VERY slowly and carefully. They listened, and we had a pleasant ride and got to see the city streets up close and personal.

So, this week we are back to work. We'll mostly be in the office looking over our field work and putting it into logic model form. We only have a few interviews planned, so it should be a quiet week of office work.

-Nick