My bags are packed for Kampala, Uganda: Saturday Morning in Kampala, Week 2

Saturday Morning in Kampala (Week 2)

Since this is not an extended holiday, I had to come to terms with the mandatory school induction meetings. As always, this is not devoid of trepidation. With the apartment suitably organized and cozy enough, it was time to cozy in to the school routine and get a chance to meet the entire staff which is impressively multicultural. Apart from the Ugandan teachers, the foreign teachers come from more than 30 different countries - Holland, Belgium, England, Ireland, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, the Philppines, The U.S., and more. As expected, new teachers had to stand and introduce themselves as we gathered in the large assembly theatre, a semi-enclosed theatre on the sprawling campus. After the initial meeting with the entire faculty, new teachers were given yet another tour of the campus. We were all quite amazed at the facilities and I was particularly impressed by the plant life. The plants and trees are luxuriant, some of which I have never set eyes on. The meetings went on all day and I had a chance to sneak off to the gym/club in the afternoon while the new teachers were whisked off to the furniture market downtown. Some new teachers were still jet-lagged, having arrived only the night before. Later on the Monday evening, all teachers were expected to gather by the school swimming pool and bar, we enjoyed a lavish bbq with free-flowing booze. To be expected, some people could not draw the line, so there were unsavoury stories to be heard on the morning after. Enough said. The week was filled with meetings – as is expected. The school is fairly organized, but I did get somewhat distressed to discover that the tech had not been installed in my classroom. Several new teachers are awaiting their smartboards/projectors to propel us into the 21^st century. Naturally, older teachers are all smugly established, carefully guarding what they have, with little intention of sharing. Nothing changes. Schools are the same around the world. I have my time-table with a full workload. I have been relieved of homeroom duties because I have 32 lessons a week, teaching grades 7, 8, 10 and IB1 (Grade11). I am also one of the teachers responsible for chaperoning the Grade 8 students on their outdoor education excursion two weeks after the students arrive. They are scheduled to visit Lake Bunyoni (spelling?) in south western Uganda, about three hours from Kampala. I am told that it is somewhat like Canada – green, clean, cool. Speaking of which, I am constantly amazed at the weather/climate. The temperature does indeed range from 18-30 every day – the only changes are determined by the rain. The little rain that has fallen since I have arrived serves to hold down the dust – not a bad thing at all! But, I am kicking myself for not packing some galoshes! The streets –how could they be so named?! – turn into fast-flowing rivulets, and the terracotta mud makes for treacherous navigation. Fortunately, my apartment is a ten minute walk to school – if that.

We did, thankfully, have some respite from Kampala because we were scheduled for a two-day/one-night stay at the Speke Resort – one of the plushest resorts in Kampala, sitting on the bank of Lake Victoria. It belongs to the guy who owns the school, so we used the facility to continue some of the team-building activities. Lots of laughs were had, and we had time to chill. After an extremely meat-heavy dinner on the boat (beef, lamb, chicken, fish, liver), the aisles were turned into a dancing floor, as we sailed along Lake Victoria. Of course, there was little to see, but it was ambient, nonetheless. Did it feel like Africa? Hmmm – not sure. Could have been any lake, really. As expected, there were post-cruise parties. I chose bed! Can’t keep up with the youngsters! In the morning, I ventured to the gym at the resort. While on the treadmill, I was joined by an ‘important’ person who insisted that his treadmill be cleaned thoroughly with detergents. I couldn’t understand the fuss. Between my huffing and puffing, I heard him say to the gym attendant, “When the president was here, yesterday, he said we should have no fears about Ebola! But, I am not taking any chances!” At that point, I began to wonder if I should have had my treadmill scrubbed down! Anyway, my point is that this is the kind of resort that has a presidential suite, and hosts the dignitaries of the region and beyond. There were all sorts of conferences going on, and the place was abuzz with people from various parts of the world. Of course, the food was spectacular and it was quite hard to stick to a sensible eating regimen. I did try, though. We left the resort on Friday afternoon and I returned to my less-stocked kitchen! This morning, it’s back to fruit salad and herbal tea.

Vlad, my neighbour, wants to go to the club at noon – in about an hour. He knocked on my door, most likely expecting looking coffee. I’ll join him at the gym. Managed to read one of my set texts for Grade 8, and I am very aware of a huge pile of books that I have stacked on my desk at school. But, all in due course. Tonight, I’ve been invited to a party on a rooftop somewhere not too far. By the way, Kampala is a sprawling, chaotic city, spread across seven massive hills around the lake. It is nowhere near the size I had imagined. 3 million (probably more) people. It took more than an hour to get to the lake which, as the crow flies, is barely fifteen kilometres away! Traffic jams are the order of the day. Thankfully, the party is close by. A U.S. marine has a birthday party, and I’ve been invited. It will afford me a glimpse into expatriate life in Kampala and my chance to determine whether to draw closer, or retreat from the expatriate community. More to come in my next blog. In the meantime, here are some pics from the week.