Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
There's joy still ahead ...
I wrote a blog post before I went to bed about frustrations with a dose of hope sprinkled in. I awoke in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to read some of a book, The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd. (A fictional book by the same author who wrote A Snicker of Magic). She has such a way with words!
Here are a few sentences that seemed to jump off the page at me, especially in relation to my experiences this week in Uganda:
"Just a pinch of wishing stardust in someones's drink fills them with hope no matter how sad their days have been"
"Because people need hope. You'd be amazed at what a person can do with just a pinch of it."
"I wanted permanent reminders that it's possible to bloom, even when you feel defeated."
"It took many years for me to see that hope doesn't take the sadness away, ... but hope reminds you there's something good in spite of the sadness. There's joy still ahead, still yours for the taking."
Tugging at my heart
I keep having to remind myself that I can't fix everything ...
And for someone who likes to put the pieces together to make things work even if it is sometimes an odd way to do it, that can be frustrating,
But it is frustrating with a dose of hope sprinkled in ...
Seeing students hungry that first day at a school tugged on my heart. I know how it is for me to focus on and learn anything when I am hungry (I can always tell when my daughter is hungry too ... her personality seems to change). I see this to a degree in the students I teach each day ... although there is really no comparison.
The sprinkle of hope is that there is already the beginning of a plan to meet that need! Solving problems like this can't be done by one person or group working in isolation. I have a feeling the cooperation, creativity, communication, and critical thinking will all come in to play in addressing this need.
I was already thinking of ways that I could continue doing art parties like I did to raise money for my trip to a little.
But it can't be done alone ...
Then on days 2 and 3, I found another issue that tugged at my heart ...
(That seems to be a theme for me this week ...)
On day 2, we met and talked with a groups of girls about the things that could prevent them from coming to school. The thought of not being able to afford school fees was repeated a number of times. On day 3, we heard the same thing from the parents.
The sprinkle of hope for me was that these students and parents saw the importance of education and wanted to be able to come to school. Beth Gianopolus shared with us that her group on day 2 talked not only about the difficulties students have but also about the joys they have. We got to hear about the joys both students and parents have on day 3. Education, friends at school, reading, and Fields of Dreams were just a few of the joys that stood out to me. That made my heart smile!
Although I know I can't tackle solving the problem of school fees myself, I do know that there is something I can do! I can make a monthly contribution to the Fields of Dreams scholarship program.
And you know it may not be much, but it could make the difference for one student!
I may not be able to fix everything, but for me this trip has reinforced how important it is for me to be a Woman of Substance and do my part in helping others!
And for someone who likes to put the pieces together to make things work even if it is sometimes an odd way to do it, that can be frustrating,
But it is frustrating with a dose of hope sprinkled in ...
Seeing students hungry that first day at a school tugged on my heart. I know how it is for me to focus on and learn anything when I am hungry (I can always tell when my daughter is hungry too ... her personality seems to change). I see this to a degree in the students I teach each day ... although there is really no comparison.
The sprinkle of hope is that there is already the beginning of a plan to meet that need! Solving problems like this can't be done by one person or group working in isolation. I have a feeling the cooperation, creativity, communication, and critical thinking will all come in to play in addressing this need.
I was already thinking of ways that I could continue doing art parties like I did to raise money for my trip to a little.
But it can't be done alone ...
Then on days 2 and 3, I found another issue that tugged at my heart ...
(That seems to be a theme for me this week ...)
On day 2, we met and talked with a groups of girls about the things that could prevent them from coming to school. The thought of not being able to afford school fees was repeated a number of times. On day 3, we heard the same thing from the parents.
The sprinkle of hope for me was that these students and parents saw the importance of education and wanted to be able to come to school. Beth Gianopolus shared with us that her group on day 2 talked not only about the difficulties students have but also about the joys they have. We got to hear about the joys both students and parents have on day 3. Education, friends at school, reading, and Fields of Dreams were just a few of the joys that stood out to me. That made my heart smile!
Although I know I can't tackle solving the problem of school fees myself, I do know that there is something I can do! I can make a monthly contribution to the Fields of Dreams scholarship program.
And you know it may not be much, but it could make the difference for one student!
I may not be able to fix everything, but for me this trip has reinforced how important it is for me to be a Woman of Substance and do my part in helping others!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Fingernail Polish and a Point and Click Camera
A note from Uganda (I have pictures to add later!):
While visiting New Kabaale Busega, I saw a student sitting at a table with her composition notebook. Curiosity was sparked in the teacher in me, so I sat down beside her. She began showing me her work and very neat hand writing. By this time 4 or 5 other girls joined us at the small bench table. I asked if I could take a picture of the girl and her notebook. She smiled and shook her head to indicate that I could.
After taking the picture, I saw back down with the girls and asked if anyone would like to have one fingernail painted since I had some colorful polish with me. My 9 year old daughter enjoyed having me paint her nails, so I thought these 8, 9, and 10 year olds might too, after all kids are kids!
The pink and purple polish came out of the bag first. And one nail quickly became one hand and eventually both hands! The reason I said one nail in the beginning was because I was not sure how much longer we were staying, but I quickly realized that painting 10 fingernails is a task that can be done in a short amount of time. By this time, the sparkly teal polish and the silver polish had also emerged from my small bag.
Some wanted all their nails the same color, while others opted for more variety.
When I first started painting nails, one of the little girls asked me if she could use my camera, a small point and click camera, to take a picture of me. I smiled and said yes. After taking one picture, she asked if she could take more. I laughed and nodded in agreement. As I was painting nails of the girls who were at the table originally and the others who came over, my camera was used to take all sorts of wonderful shots! Every once in a while, I would ask where my camera was and the children always knew. I was able to look at the pictures taken while on the bus leaving and was quite impressed to see the special moments captured from the point of view of a child.
After painting nails for those originally at the table, we stopped to take pictures of our fingernails all freshly painted! After that we took some group shots and I think the ones that were the most fun were when we were all shouting. One girl looked at me and asked to have her picture taken with just me. I happily obliged! Another girl wanted us to pose back to back for a picture.
One girl said she would miss me. I smiled and replied that since I now had pictures of her and her friends, I would remember them and our time together!
Making a connection with people, any age, is such an important process. That process does not have to be a complicated one. I was able to make a connection with these children and show them that they matter simply using fingernail polish and a point and click camera!
*Names are not an easy thing for me to remember, which is not a good quality for a teacher! I did ask each child her name. If I get this chance again, I will ask each one to write it down for me in my notebook to help me better remember. But I do remember their faces, their smiles, their hugs, and the joy they caused for me! Plus I have lots of pictures too!
While visiting New Kabaale Busega, I saw a student sitting at a table with her composition notebook. Curiosity was sparked in the teacher in me, so I sat down beside her. She began showing me her work and very neat hand writing. By this time 4 or 5 other girls joined us at the small bench table. I asked if I could take a picture of the girl and her notebook. She smiled and shook her head to indicate that I could.
After taking the picture, I saw back down with the girls and asked if anyone would like to have one fingernail painted since I had some colorful polish with me. My 9 year old daughter enjoyed having me paint her nails, so I thought these 8, 9, and 10 year olds might too, after all kids are kids!
The pink and purple polish came out of the bag first. And one nail quickly became one hand and eventually both hands! The reason I said one nail in the beginning was because I was not sure how much longer we were staying, but I quickly realized that painting 10 fingernails is a task that can be done in a short amount of time. By this time, the sparkly teal polish and the silver polish had also emerged from my small bag.
Some wanted all their nails the same color, while others opted for more variety.
When I first started painting nails, one of the little girls asked me if she could use my camera, a small point and click camera, to take a picture of me. I smiled and said yes. After taking one picture, she asked if she could take more. I laughed and nodded in agreement. As I was painting nails of the girls who were at the table originally and the others who came over, my camera was used to take all sorts of wonderful shots! Every once in a while, I would ask where my camera was and the children always knew. I was able to look at the pictures taken while on the bus leaving and was quite impressed to see the special moments captured from the point of view of a child.
After painting nails for those originally at the table, we stopped to take pictures of our fingernails all freshly painted! After that we took some group shots and I think the ones that were the most fun were when we were all shouting. One girl looked at me and asked to have her picture taken with just me. I happily obliged! Another girl wanted us to pose back to back for a picture.
One girl said she would miss me. I smiled and replied that since I now had pictures of her and her friends, I would remember them and our time together!
Making a connection with people, any age, is such an important process. That process does not have to be a complicated one. I was able to make a connection with these children and show them that they matter simply using fingernail polish and a point and click camera!
*Names are not an easy thing for me to remember, which is not a good quality for a teacher! I did ask each child her name. If I get this chance again, I will ask each one to write it down for me in my notebook to help me better remember. But I do remember their faces, their smiles, their hugs, and the joy they caused for me! Plus I have lots of pictures too!
Friday, February 26, 2016
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