Paintin'

This is a picture of Mirembe after she tried to help us paint! ha

So, we've been on holiday for these last two weeks.  All the kids are gone and things slow down (if that is even possible. ha)  Anyways, William, the headteacher at the deaf school, mentioned that he was going to hire someone to paint the school over the break.  I said that Peace Corps and JICA (Japanese version of PC) volunteers would love to come and help out.  So a bunch of people got together over the last few weeks and we all got to work painting.  Some of the kids who stay over the break even pitched in.  It was a blast.... saved them a ton of money... and gave me a great project over break.  We ended up painting all of the admin. block, inside and outside, all of the classrooms (in and out), dining hall, vocational school (the one I am starting), and all of the dorms. It was so much fun!! Here are some pictures:

Above is the admin block of the school after we painted it

This is the admin block before~

Me and the kids taking a break from painting

World of Machines

People keep talking about how everything in America is a machine and that it does the work for us. I brought a mechanical pencil to the deaf school the other day and someone was amazed and said, “See, even their pencils are machines! They sharpen themselves!” I tried to deny this, but then I thought about it. Here is a list of things that do work for us that the average Ugandan does not have and has probably never heard of:


Toasters
Cruise control on cars
Washing machines
Dryers
Refrigerators
Mouth Guards
Blenders
Electric kettles
Coffee makers

Fans
Bread makers
Remote controls

Garbage Disposals

Electric Tooth Brushes
Hair dryers
Hot water heaters
Electric can openers
Clap-on-clap-off lights
Air conditioners
Electric irons
Vacuum cleaners
Contacts
Zip-lock bags
Car washes
Microwaves
Electric razors
Braces
Freezers and all the damn food we put in them
Mechanical pencils

So I guess we sort of do live in a world of machines!

Things we've learned

The things they have taught me:

● Respecting our elders is one of the most important things we can do.
● You don’t need luxuries to survive (ie. A car, refrigerator, cheese, constant electricity, TV, shopping malls.)
● Grown men can be seriously afraid of dogs.
● Corruption can keep a country from developing.
● Its important to talk to people everyday about their lives and yours, it reminds us that we are all alive.
● Sign Language.
● Saying hello to people, even if you don’t know them, makes everyone feel a little bit happier.
● I am lucky.
● Mashed bananas, dried fish and melted peanut butter make a delicious lunch.
● People can survive by only buying things that they can pay for right that very moment. What an idea.... no such thing as credit here.


The things I have taught them:

● Avocados and onions do go together... especially in things like guacamole.
● Girls can do a lot of things:
o Run
o Wear pants
o Climb trees
o Work on the computer
o Have a temper. Ha
o Ride a bike
● Frisbee.
● Hitting dogs (especially mine) is not a good idea.
● Reading can be a fun and enjoyable pastime.
● There is more than one way to wash clothes, cook food, dig in the garden, and theirs isn’t necessarily the “right way”.
● You don’t have to beat a child to get them to do what you want.
● It is possible to get to places on time here in Uganda, but it takes a hell of a lot of planning.