On my recent trip to Uganda in May and June 2011 I had a different experience. Usually I stay in a guest house or rent a cottage but with all the changes I decided to stay in the apartment we had rented for the scholarship gals. Wow! It was wonderful and so great to really see how they live, the stresses they face and really have a better understanding of things.
There was a full schedule for me with the dairy project and all the changes with the scholarship program. We had to be very careful to stabilize the ten pregnant heifers we bought that were transported from Western Uganda. And in addition we totally reorganized the living arrangements for our scholarship students and their internships and schedule working at the dairy.
The cows were healthy but we had to acclimate them to the new warmer climate and make sure they didn’t bring any disease into the existing herd or that the herd did infect them. All went well and within a few days they were adjusting to their new surroundings. Ken Mollo, the Rock Uganda Project Coordinator along with all of us on the dairy team learned a lot about the scientific side of running a dairy.
Meanwhile John Mugowa, Rock Scholarship Coordinator negotiated a lease for us on two apartments in the same building; one for the ladies downstairs and one for the guys upstairs. When I arrived John and the other students had done a great job coordinating the purchase and delivery of the furniture, beds, mattresses and appliances so at the beginning of the term the students’ accommodations were organized. In the picture the students are having a "family meeting" to discuss the food budget and how to handle lunch expenses for the students unable to come home for lunch. We wanted them to have a budget and learn how to discuss, come to consensus and consider all options. John did a great job moderating the discussion and bringing things to a conclusion that worked for all the students. As I sat quietly in the background, one of the guys said "I trust John to help us sort this out". It made me smile because this is what good leadership is all about...having trust that the leader will consider your perspective along with the rest and make a good decision. I have to say they were happy with the final decision and said it worked.
It was a first for me to stay with the students other than when we had "sleepovers" with the gals at a cottage I used to rent sometimes. The gals were so cordial and helpful. By the end of the trip we were sharing lotions, soap, shampoo and it was just like any other roommates. Part of what I did was discuss the importance of learning how to budget, keep receipts, plan weekly menus and working as a team to cook for the scholars each evening and clean up afterwards. Living there for almost a month I was able to show them how to do things and discuss the whys behind what we were doing. This way we were able to collaborate and come up with some joint solutions especially with the power outages. I was so thankful we had an all gas (propane) cooker! Praise the Lord or we wouldn't have been able to eat! I remember cooking with a flashlight several nights.
Several of the guys had great ideas for organizing the kitchen using a storage rack that stacked so washing the dishes in a small area would be more functional. They were so creative with their problem-solving skills.
Before I went to Uganda one of the ladies told us that several students had been sick and no one knew it or even called and she thought that wasn't right. "We need to know these things and be sensitive to our spiritual brothers and sisters."
As a result of her comment our goal was to foster more of a spiritual family, cut expenses and train all the students in household management, meal planning, relating to different work styles and teamwork. As usual God was multi-processing big time!
Each week one lady and one guy would plan the menus, shop for the food, cook and clean up after dinner each night. Then the following week they would rotate and another guy and gal would plan and implement. This gave all the students an opportunity to communicate with the opposite sex on routine household decisions, good communication, budgeting and learning about navigating planning and considering others likes and dislikes. One week a student announced, “We won’t be having fish this week if she is doing the planning because she hates fish!” (Claire doesn't like fish) Quickly they learned to work around class schedules, staying within the weekly food budget and considering each others’ food preferences.
Planning like this was a new experience. Also learning how to cook on a regular gas range or "cooker" as they call them in Uganda was new. Many people still cook outside on charcoal stoves. Having a refrigerator and cooking to save time with their busy class schedules was another adjustment. Imagine if you never had used a refrigerator or cooked only on charcoal. Gorret one day said, "Mum did you used to cook on charcoal outside when you were a little girl." I responded, "No I never have except when we barbecue and even my mother and grandmother had inside gas cookers." She was really surprised and you could tell by the look on her face.
After a week they were settling into a routine and the evening fellowship was full of teasing and laughter as everyone sat down each night for dinner. One of Gorret's friends had been over for a visit and we were teasing one of the guys that she was so cute.
One day I told them I would make zucchini muffins and they looked at me like I was crazy. I told them they tasted great but they were skeptical. Needless to say after one batch they were hooked and wanted them every week after that...especially Clarie and Gorret. We also made homemade sweet bread and it was so good except that the oven was a bit of a challenge and didn't cook evenly but we adjusted.
By the time I left in June to return to the U.S., the students were managing the two apartments very efficiently, working as a team and having fun experimenting and cooking in the kitchen. With bacterial infections so prevalent in Africa I also trained them how to wash the fruits and vegetables so they can avoid infections. It was a great time with many spontaneous conversations, early morning “boda boda” (little motorcycles) rides to milk the cows and dinner conversations about relationships, family, what honors God and other cultural and social issues. After almost a month of hanging out with the students it was tough to say goodbye as everyone hugged and said the time was over too soon.
The cows were healthy but we had to acclimate them to the new warmer climate and make sure they didn’t bring any disease into the existing herd or that the herd did infect them. All went well and within a few days they were adjusting to their new surroundings. Ken Mollo, the Rock Uganda Project Coordinator along with all of us on the dairy team learned a lot about the scientific side of running a dairy.
Meanwhile John Mugowa, Rock Scholarship Coordinator negotiated a lease for us on two apartments in the same building; one for the ladies downstairs and one for the guys upstairs. When I arrived John and the other students had done a great job coordinating the purchase and delivery of the furniture, beds, mattresses and appliances so at the beginning of the term the students’ accommodations were organized. In the picture the students are having a "family meeting" to discuss the food budget and how to handle lunch expenses for the students unable to come home for lunch. We wanted them to have a budget and learn how to discuss, come to consensus and consider all options. John did a great job moderating the discussion and bringing things to a conclusion that worked for all the students. As I sat quietly in the background, one of the guys said "I trust John to help us sort this out". It made me smile because this is what good leadership is all about...having trust that the leader will consider your perspective along with the rest and make a good decision. I have to say they were happy with the final decision and said it worked.It was a first for me to stay with the students other than when we had "sleepovers" with the gals at a cottage I used to rent sometimes. The gals were so cordial and helpful. By the end of the trip we were sharing lotions, soap, shampoo and it was just like any other roommates. Part of what I did was discuss the importance of learning how to budget, keep receipts, plan weekly menus and working as a team to cook for the scholars each evening and clean up afterwards. Living there for almost a month I was able to show them how to do things and discuss the whys behind what we were doing. This way we were able to collaborate and come up with some joint solutions especially with the power outages. I was so thankful we had an all gas (propane) cooker! Praise the Lord or we wouldn't have been able to eat! I remember cooking with a flashlight several nights.
Several of the guys had great ideas for organizing the kitchen using a storage rack that stacked so washing the dishes in a small area would be more functional. They were so creative with their problem-solving skills.Before I went to Uganda one of the ladies told us that several students had been sick and no one knew it or even called and she thought that wasn't right. "We need to know these things and be sensitive to our spiritual brothers and sisters."
As a result of her comment our goal was to foster more of a spiritual family, cut expenses and train all the students in household management, meal planning, relating to different work styles and teamwork. As usual God was multi-processing big time!
Each week one lady and one guy would plan the menus, shop for the food, cook and clean up after dinner each night. Then the following week they would rotate and another guy and gal would plan and implement. This gave all the students an opportunity to communicate with the opposite sex on routine household decisions, good communication, budgeting and learning about navigating planning and considering others likes and dislikes. One week a student announced, “We won’t be having fish this week if she is doing the planning because she hates fish!” (Claire doesn't like fish) Quickly they learned to work around class schedules, staying within the weekly food budget and considering each others’ food preferences.Planning like this was a new experience. Also learning how to cook on a regular gas range or "cooker" as they call them in Uganda was new. Many people still cook outside on charcoal stoves. Having a refrigerator and cooking to save time with their busy class schedules was another adjustment. Imagine if you never had used a refrigerator or cooked only on charcoal. Gorret one day said, "Mum did you used to cook on charcoal outside when you were a little girl." I responded, "No I never have except when we barbecue and even my mother and grandmother had inside gas cookers." She was really surprised and you could tell by the look on her face.
After a week they were settling into a routine and the evening fellowship was full of teasing and laughter as everyone sat down each night for dinner. One of Gorret's friends had been over for a visit and we were teasing one of the guys that she was so cute.One day I told them I would make zucchini muffins and they looked at me like I was crazy. I told them they tasted great but they were skeptical. Needless to say after one batch they were hooked and wanted them every week after that...especially Clarie and Gorret. We also made homemade sweet bread and it was so good except that the oven was a bit of a challenge and didn't cook evenly but we adjusted.
By the time I left in June to return to the U.S., the students were managing the two apartments very efficiently, working as a team and having fun experimenting and cooking in the kitchen. With bacterial infections so prevalent in Africa I also trained them how to wash the fruits and vegetables so they can avoid infections. It was a great time with many spontaneous conversations, early morning “boda boda” (little motorcycles) rides to milk the cows and dinner conversations about relationships, family, what honors God and other cultural and social issues. After almost a month of hanging out with the students it was tough to say goodbye as everyone hugged and said the time was over too soon.
