Tuesday, March 06, 2007
December 2006 School Update
Mmpora Mmpora…
I am SLOWLY trying to update you on the things that have been taking place here in Mbarara over the past several months. I think it’s easier to do it with pictures…plus they’re way more fun for YOU to see than to just read my blabbing!
Book projects:
Each student presented a project on a book they had read on their own (outside of class).
Kaho Sato made a creative poster of different people’s feet after reading The Foot Book
After our fun party, we did a little performance for the parents. My p1, p3 and p5 students acted out Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas while I read it aloud. (Thanks Camp Wamava for the great memory and idea!) Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died and I didn’t get any pictures…but it IS on my list of stuff to get over to Andrea’s to get some pictures from her of this fantastic event.
I am SLOWLY trying to update you on the things that have been taking place here in Mbarara over the past several months. I think it’s easier to do it with pictures…plus they’re way more fun for YOU to see than to just read my blabbing!
Book projects:
Each student presented a project on a book they had read on their own (outside of class).
Elizabeth Fouts read Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and as part of her project, her grandmother and grandfather (Nick’s parents who were visiting for a few weeks) came in as Mr. and Mrs. Claus explaining why they had chosen Rudolph to lead the sleigh and share some treats with the class! SO fun!
James Baker created a “television” box to summarize the book, The Paint Brush Kid
Luke Fouts created a hugehouse to explain the plot of the book,
One Day in the Tropical Rainforest
Kaho Sato made a creative poster of different people’s feet after reading The Foot Book
All the other students did great projects and I’m so proud of the work and progress they’ve been making this year…it just takes a LOT to upload tons of pictures and I thought you would get a nice picture of things by seeing these couple of photos for this particular school “project.” The projects were as diverse as the books they read:
Hannah: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
David: Stone Fox
Herin: Sounder
Jae: The Chalk Box Kid
Kiho: My Side of the Mountain
Hannah: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
David: Stone Fox
Herin: Sounder
Jae: The Chalk Box Kid
Kiho: My Side of the Mountain
After studying simple and complex machines in science, we had fun trying to create the “perfect” wheel and axle. Here we are testing one of the vehicles and releasing it down the ramp. It was a fun activity and I think I learned as much as the kids!
We had a fun Christmas party with a couple of silly games…
These pictures are when we had a relay race where the kids had vasoline on their faces and had to put their faces in a bowl of cotton balls to make a “santa beard”…so fun!
While David Earles and Kiho Sato were in a hurry to get back to their teams, they were also very cautious because they wanted to keep the cotton balls stuck to their faces!
These pictures are when we had a relay race where the kids had vasoline on their faces and had to put their faces in a bowl of cotton balls to make a “santa beard”…so fun!
While David Earles and Kiho Sato were in a hurry to get back to their teams, they were also very cautious because they wanted to keep the cotton balls stuck to their faces!
Curt Baker likes to be a crack-up!
Group photo of my little “santas”!
After our fun party, we did a little performance for the parents. My p1, p3 and p5 students acted out Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas while I read it aloud. (Thanks Camp Wamava for the great memory and idea!) Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died and I didn’t get any pictures…but it IS on my list of stuff to get over to Andrea’s to get some pictures from her of this fantastic event.
The preschool plus class sang some fun songs to us (before my camera battery died), so that is this picture:Davis Baker, Micah Fouts and Avery Fouts. So cute!!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Great Unknown
After much prayerful consideration, it has been decided that I will leave Mbarara, Uganda after I finish school in June 2007. It is SO hard to believe that this life that I have come to love here in this small town is coming to an end.
I thought I would stay here forever! The team here is going to be going through so many changes over the next year, though, and we decided it wouldn't be a good time for me to try to "transition" my job also, especially since what I KNOW is school and kids. (Also because I have felt called to do something more with Africans if I'm going to be here in AFRICA!)
Anyhow, even though I'm really sad to be leaving Mbarara, I'm also really excited!!
Strangely, my future is TOTALLY unknown and I'm sort of okay with it. I do need to start making plans and figuring out where to go once I leave Mbarara on/around June 13th, but the world is FULL of possibilities!!
I could go back to Michigan and work for Woodhaven Schools again. (There's a good chance I could get a 2nd grade teaching position there!) It would require some work, on my part, to figure out certification and continuing ed. credits to stay up-to-date.
I could go to Maryland to be closer to the majority of my family. I'd love to work on my masters degree in counseling/social work or something like that. My ultimate goal is to work in a children's home, so I can HELP kids...not just deal with the politics and paperwork that goes takes place in many public schools.
It's even been suggested that I could go to Texas or Searcy to teach and work on a masters degree simultaneously...and I've THOUGHT (although not seriously) about Washington state or the west coast area just because that's where my big brother and his family are currently living. But I don't think I'm a west coast girl any more than I am a southern girl. Unless something VERY obvious and drastic happens, I don't think I'll be ending up in the any of these places... (TX, AR, or WA)
OR....
I could go to Kitale, Kenya and help to run a children's home there! I'm not sure about ALL of the details, just yet, but I think the majority of my job would be overseeing the primary school that is currently run by a corrupt headmaster.
SOOOOOOOOOOO.....Pray about it for me! I went there to visit a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with some of the kids--especially baby Ian! (I tried to post a picture of him---soo cute!! But alas, it's not working now!)
Anyhow, I'll try to write more later--especially about the trip. It was my first time taking public transport! What an adventure!! But I guess that's life--an adventure is always out there and ready when we are--and sometimes there's an adventure for us even when we're NOT ready!
I thought I would stay here forever! The team here is going to be going through so many changes over the next year, though, and we decided it wouldn't be a good time for me to try to "transition" my job also, especially since what I KNOW is school and kids. (Also because I have felt called to do something more with Africans if I'm going to be here in AFRICA!)
Anyhow, even though I'm really sad to be leaving Mbarara, I'm also really excited!!
Strangely, my future is TOTALLY unknown and I'm sort of okay with it. I do need to start making plans and figuring out where to go once I leave Mbarara on/around June 13th, but the world is FULL of possibilities!!
I could go back to Michigan and work for Woodhaven Schools again. (There's a good chance I could get a 2nd grade teaching position there!) It would require some work, on my part, to figure out certification and continuing ed. credits to stay up-to-date.
I could go to Maryland to be closer to the majority of my family. I'd love to work on my masters degree in counseling/social work or something like that. My ultimate goal is to work in a children's home, so I can HELP kids...not just deal with the politics and paperwork that goes takes place in many public schools.
It's even been suggested that I could go to Texas or Searcy to teach and work on a masters degree simultaneously...and I've THOUGHT (although not seriously) about Washington state or the west coast area just because that's where my big brother and his family are currently living. But I don't think I'm a west coast girl any more than I am a southern girl. Unless something VERY obvious and drastic happens, I don't think I'll be ending up in the any of these places... (TX, AR, or WA)
OR....
I could go to Kitale, Kenya and help to run a children's home there! I'm not sure about ALL of the details, just yet, but I think the majority of my job would be overseeing the primary school that is currently run by a corrupt headmaster.
SOOOOOOOOOOO.....Pray about it for me! I went there to visit a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with some of the kids--especially baby Ian! (I tried to post a picture of him---soo cute!! But alas, it's not working now!)
Anyhow, I'll try to write more later--especially about the trip. It was my first time taking public transport! What an adventure!! But I guess that's life--an adventure is always out there and ready when we are--and sometimes there's an adventure for us even when we're NOT ready!
School Fees
Well, as some of you know, I've been helping coordinate some of the school fees for some children that Amy Naramore was helping before she left in September 2006. Two boys who I am currently helping (out of my own pocket) are:
Dennis, who has started at Bishop Stuart University in August. He is studying business administration, which is a 3 year course. Dennis is active in the our church youth group and helps with worship on Sunday mornings by being the "overhead" guy. Even through the death of his mother (this past December), he has shown such trust and faith in God-- that HE is the great provider. What a great kid, with great potential! Each semester costs approximately $1200.
He has also expressed a need for a laptop computer...
Joseph, attending S6 (senior 6 advanced level) in Kampala, also has great potential. It is likely that he will finish secondary school at the top of his class in November 2007, which will hopefully help him get into university on a merit scholarship. He is 18 and has a goal to study engineering at the university level next year. He is also an orphan, without a father. Joseph's school fees are approximately $300 per semester (3 semesters).
If you would like to help these boys financially (which would help me immensely, since currently the majority of the money that is paying their school fees is coming from me), please send a check to:
First Colony Church of Christ
2140 First colony blvd.
Sugar Land, TX 77479
Be sure to write "Ankole Student Fund" on the memo line.
There is also a family of orphans we would love to be able to help with school fees. If you are interested in more information about this family or how you can help, please email me at : beth@everydaychurch.net
Thanks!!
Dennis, who has started at Bishop Stuart University in August. He is studying business administration, which is a 3 year course. Dennis is active in the our church youth group and helps with worship on Sunday mornings by being the "overhead" guy. Even through the death of his mother (this past December), he has shown such trust and faith in God-- that HE is the great provider. What a great kid, with great potential! Each semester costs approximately $1200.He has also expressed a need for a laptop computer...
Joseph, attending S6 (senior 6 advanced level) in Kampala, also has great potential. It is likely that he will finish secondary school at the top of his class in November 2007, which will hopefully help him get into university on a merit scholarship. He is 18 and has a goal to study engineering at the university level next year. He is also an orphan, without a father. Joseph's school fees are approximately $300 per semester (3 semesters).If you would like to help these boys financially (which would help me immensely, since currently the majority of the money that is paying their school fees is coming from me), please send a check to:
First Colony Church of Christ
2140 First colony blvd.
Sugar Land, TX 77479
Be sure to write "Ankole Student Fund" on the memo line.
There is also a family of orphans we would love to be able to help with school fees. If you are interested in more information about this family or how you can help, please email me at : beth@everydaychurch.net
Thanks!!
Pictures!
Guess who's able to post a some pictures FINALLY!!! I think these pictures mainly go with my last post (from Feb. 11th) except the first couple of family during hte Christmas holiday. So fun to see them all and I can't believe how fast my neice and nephew are growing up! (I'm sure the neice and nephew that I didn't get to see way out in Washington state are growing up fast too!)
First is "baby Logan"...he turned one year old in December and this was the first time I was able to see him. Awww...how sad! But he sure did love my long earrings! And Taylor sure is a talker! (I wonder where she gets that from!) Had a great time seeing them, playing with and reading to them. Hope to get to know them better soon!
Christmas morning at my Aunt Debbie's house. Her family tradition is to give her daughter new Christmas pjs each year...so she gave Debbie, Sarah and I a pair too....aren't we so cute?!? And we match too!!
Next, my beautiful friend Samantha on her wedding day!
I went all the way to America for this! It was so worth it!
I think I talked about going to London and visiting hte British Museum and the British Library with Shane and Carole Gage...so fun!...in my last post. So, the pictures below are:
The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum...I know I studied it (and even taught about it many years ago in Flat Rock, but I just can't wrap my brain around its significance or historical purpose. Shane just told me it's probably the most significant thing to see in the museum so I went to see it (and take a picture of it)! But I totally thought the mummies were way cooler!!
Actually, the museum itself was just beautiful--regardless of all the cool treasures they had!
Beautiful! Cool saying on the floor. Do you see Shane and Carole?
Carole and I at the British Library...SOOOO tired and jetlagged....but sitting on a book!
They wouldn't let us take pictures in the library...could ruin stuff??? who knows? But I'm a rule follower, so I didn't take pictures....except out in the lobby!
First is "baby Logan"...he turned one year old in December and this was the first time I was able to see him. Awww...how sad! But he sure did love my long earrings! And Taylor sure is a talker! (I wonder where she gets that from!) Had a great time seeing them, playing with and reading to them. Hope to get to know them better soon!
Christmas morning at my Aunt Debbie's house. Her family tradition is to give her daughter new Christmas pjs each year...so she gave Debbie, Sarah and I a pair too....aren't we so cute?!? And we match too!!
Next, my beautiful friend Samantha on her wedding day!
I went all the way to America for this! It was so worth it!
I think I talked about going to London and visiting hte British Museum and the British Library with Shane and Carole Gage...so fun!...in my last post. So, the pictures below are:
The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum...I know I studied it (and even taught about it many years ago in Flat Rock, but I just can't wrap my brain around its significance or historical purpose. Shane just told me it's probably the most significant thing to see in the museum so I went to see it (and take a picture of it)! But I totally thought the mummies were way cooler!!
Actually, the museum itself was just beautiful--regardless of all the cool treasures they had!
Beautiful! Cool saying on the floor. Do you see Shane and Carole?
Carole and I at the British Library...SOOOO tired and jetlagged....but sitting on a book!
They wouldn't let us take pictures in the library...could ruin stuff??? who knows? But I'm a rule follower, so I didn't take pictures....except out in the lobby!
