Working in Uganda...Sort Of

            I wish I could write that I started teaching, the students loved me, and I changed the world.  This is Uganda, however, and things don’t tend to go as planned.  For instance, if you have a staff meeting at 10am, it won’t start until 3pm (this is not an exaggeration).  On Monday, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t really start to work.  I called my counterpart about ten times and he did not pick up.  I had no idea how to get to my school that I am supposed to be working at, so I just hung out at the school where I live.  I would say only 1/8 of the students actually arrived, but I was told they would all be there by next week.  Tuesday I finally got a hold of my counterpart, who said his phone was broken and he has “some” malaria.  We planned to meet on Thursday, but that fell through because he is still sick.  I spent the past week introducing myself to the few students that did arrive to school.  We played soccer (I’m awful), volleyball, and I went running with some of the older students (they killed me!). 

            I know that all the people I studied abroad are thinking, “Oh TIA.”  They all know what it’s like to work in Africa where time means nothing and there is no structure.  For everyone else, you are probably wondering how I can possibly handle working here.  I won’t lie; it’s frustrating at times, especially when I know I could be doing something productive.  I have learned to just roll with it and I always bring a book to a meeting because I know it won’t start on time.  I am starting to create my own work too while I wait to get my teaching schedule sorted.  I am teaching PE in the afternoons even though it’s not technically on the schedule, but hey, anything goes here!  I also have started to work on the resource room for the school where I am assigned to work.  I remember my counterpart telling me that it is used as a staff room and there are no resources.  I have started making a math bingo and researching other learning aids.  If any of you have any ideas, then email me!  Hopefully, I will start teaching next week, but we will see.  I think all of the students will have arrived, so that’s a plus.