I’ve just returned from probably the closest thing I’ll get to an American Christmas celebration in Uganda. Thanks to Maggie for hosting us in Iganga! There were excellent eats and company, very fun! We’ll see how the Uganda Christmas celebration compares...
I’ve also returned from Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), Uganda. It took place December 4-10 in Entebbe at St. Theresa Girls School. To see pictures from camp, check it out at their website here!
My experience as a counselor was so enjoyable, I didn’t think about e-mails, text messages, work plans or projects all week. Although I was technically working 24 hours a day, it didn’t feel much like “work” at all. This is mostly owed to all of the co-directors who did months of planning so that things would run smoothly. Because I was so busy, I didn’t take a single picture, but we had three fantastic photographers running around, taking snaps of nearly every moment.
I worked with my ever-awesome counterpart Immaculate as my co-counselor. It was great to work with her--she phrased things in a way that the girls really took the information to heart. Also, she led some great discussions in small groups, bringing up cultural contexts, which to apply new knowledge, that I hadn’t thought about. It was so meaningful to have a strong, well-spoken, female, Ugandan counselor (and role model) because it’s who these girls can really relate to. When they hear me talk, at the back of their minds they’re thinking, “Yeah but you’re American. You grew up in America where the culture is different and where you’ve had different opportunities in which to succeed.” When Immy spoke with them, I hope they were thinking more of, “Wow, she’s really great! She’s unlike other Ugandan women we know. She’s self-confident, kind, active and caring. She’s made it in our school system, in a Ugandan culture and continues to achieve her goals. She can do it, so--so can I!” At the end of the week, this was somewhat confirmed when Jacinta said, “You two are like no other women I’ve ever met. The way you talk to us and treat us...I’m really going to miss you (both).” I almost cried.
We had ten girls in our group, all fantastic young ladies. Three of our girls came from a school for the blind in Soroti. They were upbeat and smiling all week, which kept me smiling. Ketty, with partial vision but a very full vocabulary, represented the ladies during a play, which was presented at Camp BUILD. The Rafiki theatre group travels around Uganda and puts on plays depicting several situations that are very real in the homes of many of these kids-- domestic violence. At one point, one of the presenters asked the ladies what they would do in a certain situation of a married woman who was being abused--what would they say to that man? Our Ketty got up there and very deliberately told the actor her mind--with much support and applause from all of the ladies at Camp GLOW.
Doreen also came from Soroti, and is completely visually impaired, but fully able in every other way. She was a hoot all week, and kept the whole group laughing. On movie night, some counselors kept asking the group, “Can you see? Can everyone see?” and she was just having a fit laughing. As probably one of the best listeners in our group, I noticed that she’s good at memorizing things quickly. We played a game called “Big Booty,” which is somewhat like “Concentration,” the hand-clapping game. In this game, you have to respond to your number in a beat, and if you’re off beat, the group shifts numbers and you move to the end. Every time we played this game, she never once missed the beat, always responding in time. I was also impressed by her insight on things--I got to hear a lot of what she had to say when I stepped in as her scribe for the week. At school she writes with a braille typewriter, but until a mobile braille typewriter is created, she can’t really write on the go. I’m hoping that she took all of her notes, recorded by me, back to school where she could transcribe them into braille. Working with her this week showed me that your attitude towards life really determines the outcome of your experience. Doreen went into everything with a great attitude, and I think she got a lot of positive experiences out of it. I will remember this, and check my attitude before embarking on my future projects. Or even entering the classroom. I don’t want to speak for Immaculate, but from what I saw, I think she learned a lot both working as a counselor and working with the girls with visual impairments.
All of our girls were great in their own way. We had Oliva, a P6 student, whom I discovered on the first day is a champion day dreamer and an overall space cadet. It became the running joke that when we were collecting to move as a group, that we had to check specifically for Oliva. It was in good fun though, and she would laugh along with us. Imagine my surprise when, during our much needed tutorial kickball game, it was Oliva who caught a ball and knew in a split second to throw it to home base to get out the other team’s runner. I was so impressed and proud! Her daydreaming isn’t all that bad--what would life be without the dreamers?
Out most outspoken girl was Jacinta. She was never afraid to give an answer or opinion. Later in the week, at lunch, Immy was asking the girls something about sharing ideas, being open with their fathers. It was revealed then that Jacinta’s father had left, and she lives alone with her mother. I believe that may be a reason why she wasn’t afraid to stand up because she comes from a house where women make all the decisions. I see her as being resilient, and growing positively from maybe non-ideal situations.
I can’t wait to do Camp GLOW again next year, and meet another batch of Uganda’s young ladies!
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