soggy mondays and other common things

Here's me with some avocados picked from our tree and some poetry. Enjoy!

In Uganda,
Bright green banana trees
Hot sun
Clay baked Earth
Mango
Avocado
Pineapple
And….
Soggy Mondays
Where sleep and frustration
Underneath my sweater
Refuse the large mug
Of Coffee

I wrap up by the fireplace
Only
There are charcoal bits and chickens
In the kitchen
And no
Socks.

In Uganda,
People are poor
But diligent
Kind
Hospitable
More than southerners
In the states

With inexaustable patience
For three hour, confusing
Computer classes
Five hour masses
Meetings that cancel
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
The squeezing packed exhaustion
Of taxi travel
Rote memorization for national exams
4am to midnight

Exercises in
Futility

In Uganda,
Bright smiling children
In school uniforms
Obedient, subservient teens
Who never talk back

Behind the glittering teeth
The gritting pounding minds,
The mouths that cannot express dissent
Have hands and feet.

At the drop of a pin,
The rocks come, thrown
Shattering class windows
Injuring, killing, communicating

At times, the fit are swift,
Silent in the night
Underneath fences
Through gates
They disappear all together
The smiling, obedient face
Never again seen.

Clitter Clatter
Whirr Whir Whirrrr
We run down hill
Hands raised high
Cllliiiittterrr Clllaaattterrr Whhhiiiirrrr
We sweat, waiting
Ptt. Ptt. Ptt.
The last beans fall
Down.
mmmm. glp.
The soft richness
Of sandwiches
Without bread

Whoooo
Bright sunshine
Whir whir whir
Sweater machines

Yellow up
Blue down
Stomp stomp stomp
“we are wa--lking
In the light of God”

Foreward
We fall
On sharp stones
Scccrrrrr
Our knees
Get up
And
Whooooooooo!
Down hill, uphill
Hands raised
Run
Again.

Being and Doing

The school term has begun!
Now I teach basic English, Life Skills, computers, health, and baking at Mazzoldi . I also am responsible for some counseling and Life Skills education at St. Catherine’s. Quick shout out ot the new books from Book Aid, and the Why Wait Life Skills curriculum!!
Organizational development is a big part of my aim here, as creating and maintaining a budget, following a strategic plan, laying out some staff contracts, etc, are all exciting new projects.
Beyond this, I want to emphasize that I live with people. Here you see the groups of primary school children I meet when jogging and Sister Christine, my supervisor, with a graduate of Mazzoldi. This act of being, and more importantly, being with, is so much more important than the actual doing. I am reminded of all the times when I valued projects or success more than relationships, missing the best thing, the people, along the way.