Monkeys in the Trees

What would a Uganda Team blog be without some animal sights and sounds?  The guest house we stay in at Noah's Ark is surrounded on 3 sides by jungle. We wake each morning to the crowing of roosters which are quickly overwhelmed by the chorus of birds in the trees. The loudest birds seem to be the Ugandan Crested Cranes which are about the size of a large duck and perch on the highest branches of the trees so they can show off their crowns.  They are given a run for their money by the squawking of ungainly, chicken-sized birds with huge long pointed beaks.  Then the monkeys join in as the race through the branches, and the games are on.  The source of the Nile boat cruise featured all kinds of water birds - kingfishers, cormorant, and eagles.  Personally, I was most taken with some giant iguanas - perhaps 3 ft long -- which would work their way along the banks before sliding in for a swim.  These must be the very distant cousins of the dozens of small geckos which live all around our cottage (inside and out) and seem to be our watch-pets against mosquitoes.

Kids in the Schools
As we drive the city and country roads around Noah's Ark we see thousands of kids in school uniforms walking to or from school and hundreds or signs for private schools - some large and prosperous looking, but most looking like little more than a collection of brick huts. Teacher's tell us that public school may have many hundreds of children in a class and teacher's patrol their classes with a stick at the ready. The young Ugandan teacher's at Noah's Ark appreciate the smaller class sizes (around 35) which still seems high by our standards. At Noah's Ark the 120 or so school age "Papa's kids" are joined  by an equal number of village kids in the primary school, and more in the newly-opened secondary/vocational school.  This is an interesting exchange.  Papa's kids speak English and often know little about the outside world.  The village kids speak Lugandan, and know more about the "real" world.  Village kids follow Ugandan culture and are usually more quiet, respectful, and obedient - often avoiding eye contact with adults, while Papa's kids have a reputation as being a little more stubborn and have learned Western-style manners.  For me, the highlights have been the music and band classes where the kids sing exuberantly with multiple harmonies, often accompanied by dancing, clapping and African drums.  The open air classrooms are beautiful but tend to be noisy as the brick walls and concrete floors create a lot of echoes and seem to magnify the sounds coming in from outside.  Please pray with us that the teachers will find ways to effectively educate their diverse students with all the varying needs they arrive with.
Chuck
P.S. Greetings and hugs to Clan Geddes