History is happening, and it's being decided by the people of America right now. I haven't been there for all of the mudslinging, the attack ads, the campaigns, younameit. For this reason, even though I try to follow the campaign as closely as I can online, I have no idea what's going to happen. But I guess no one does, right? It's on my mind. People are posting on Facebook that they're excited to watch TV without all of the pressure after tomorrow. At about 6 AM my time, a new leader of our nation will be announced. I fear that if I try to sleep, I'll just have a dream about me stuck inside a broken elevator again. With this inspiring introduction, let me update you on my life lately:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
“We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read.”
― Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth
OK--this last quote is the most important, if you just skimmed over them because you knew they were quotes. IT IS BETTER TO LET THEM WEAR OUT BY BEING READ.
I'm pretty sure that in addition to everything else, Maggie and I are most fueled by the fact that when books DO get donated to Uganda, they get "moldy behind an iron grating." I don't want to speak for Maggie however, so let me say that this is the kerosene behind my fire for getting books into the hands of children. Jules Verne, you said it so perfectly.
Current status: Maggie and I had scheduled to paint our final libraries last Wednesday. Then, last Friday. Then Monday (yesterday). Then, today. The carpenter had still not finished, nowhere near finished, in my opinion. The shells of Little Libraries sat there, with no doors and no roof, pathetic, in the rain. I almost cried. This was noon. The timing was perfect, however, because the rain was letting up. When I found the carpenter he was sitting under the iron sheets, keeping dry from the rain and chatting with his buddies. He knew I was upset not from what I was saying, but from what I wasn't saying. I wasn't happy to see him. I wasn't proud of his work. What I was, was disappointed and late for absolutely nothing, so I had more than enough time to supervise. I perched up on a work bench, perusing through my goodies from a care package (see below) I had just picked up. I sat there, chomping away on my Chex Mix, offering NONE to the worker who was wasting my time. After perhaps 30 minutes, I went to a nearby bar--
Mary, really, you resorted to drinking?
Oh heavens no, I had soda. Cafes aren't an easy find in a typical Ugandan trading center. So I went to a bar to have a Coca Cola and sit out the drizzle. I did have my computer with me, and I did have a very late report I had to finish, so I finished it quickly. I returned to the carpenter at 4:00 PM. He had made some progress, he was putting on the iron sheets. I sat for another hour and a half, and when he was just about finished, I went to find a driver with a truck to get the libraries to my college. It was dark by the time we reached the college, but my students have no fear! They helped my unload the truck with no complaints! I adore them sometimes. (Like, when they're helping me with something and not like when they're late to my class or they're reading the newspaper while I'm talking/singing/explaining/miming/generally in front of class).
That is the status of the physical libraries themselves. I delivered two (and by "I delivered" I really mean that I enlisted student labor) on Saturday to two schools, Wairaka and Divine Hope. I was so happy to see that there were people there ready to receive the libraries and mix the cement. At Wairaka, the Deputy Headteacher did all of the hard labor, while at Divine Hope the P6 boarding pupils worked together to put the library in place.
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| My students, delivering one of two libraries. We had a few "flat tyres," or broken shoes, on the way. |
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| Deputy Headteacher at Wairaka Primary School, mixing cement and stones. Thank you for your work! |
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| Me, at Wairaka, putting some final touches on the paint. |
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| At Divine Hope primary school, preparing to install the library. |
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| The Headteacher of Divine hope, directing the pupils about placement and cement. |
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| The aforementioned care package (THANK YOU JULIE! :D) |
As far as the rest of the project, Maggie and I are preparing for the workshop that is to take place on Thursday. I am really excited for it, I hope that everyone is on time (and even though we Bless the Rains down in Africa, I CANNOT have it rain on Thursday. Rain makes dirt roads mud roads, and mud roads deter people from walking on them, thus people will delay. More than usual). Honest to goodness truth here, I think all of my teachers will be late, as they're traveling from far, but I really, really, REALLY want them to prove me wrong. Sometimes I like to be wrong. I will take a bunch of pictures of the workshop and of handing over the books (THIS WEEKEND! :D) In the meantime...
VISIT Pizzeria Piccola! On November 25th, starting at 4 PM, there will be a fundraiser for our project, Little Libraries. Maggie and I are both from Wisconsin (what a coincidence!) and her mother is hosting this fundraiser at her restaurant. All YOU have to do is go there and eat pizza. The money helps with the shipping costs of books (for all of my lovely family and friends back home, you know how much it costs to ship a box!) Go forth and eat pizza for the sake of Ugandan children, so they may get books! :D
LET'S REVIEW:
Who: you and all of your friends who love pizza
What: eating pizza to raise money for Little Libraries
When: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25th, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Where: Pizzeria Piccola in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Why: To give Ugandan primary school children the chance to read real books.
Really quick, try to imagine growing up without ever handling a story book. Take out all of your memories of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, The Little Engine That Could, Curious George, The Berenstein Bears, Harry Potter, How to Eat Fried Worms and all of the other books from your childhood. It sucks, doesn't it? (Oh, you also don't have television). Man, now it really sucks.
GO EAT PIZZA AND DO GOOD.
With that, I'm signing off and finding ways to entertain myself and keep the broken elevator dreams at bay. Wish me luck.
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