(2nd) Best Day of My Life!!! Field Good Fun Day

Pictures and videos speak louder than words, but you can expect to be overwhelmed by all three in this post!

First, the words.

The best day of my life was back in the Fall of 2005. It was a Badger game day, with the game at night, and from start (8am banana chocolate chip pancakes, two kegs of Natty Ice, and tunes) to middle (grub on the grill, four more kegs of Natty Ice, seeing old friends and making new ones, and the Madison drumline performing at our house) to finish (endless dance parties lasting til post bar time and equally endless grins across everyone's faces), I was on Cloud Nine. It will be exceptionally difficult/impossible to top the ecstasy that was that entire day...  but this day came close.

A brainchild between Alice I occurred after the dancing experience we had with the students the week prior. I had been stalking different clubs and organizations to join them and after weeks of finding out the clubs were "inactive", I finally stayed late enough (7pm) to see the dance club practice. Alice and I joined in and the seven members quickly became 15. The audience started as a few of the dormitory girls and within the blink of eye became over 50 primary and secondary students. Where they came from, I haven't a clue. What I did know, is that we were having a BLAST laughing and dancing together.

Alice noticed how much the students enjoyed the teachers participating with them in extracurricular activities, and it was after all, the entire focus of our presentation at the Teacher Exchange Program. We decided to stop waiting until students eventually partook in extracurricular events and organize a day and time to do them together. We sat down and starting spitballing ideas off each other with Jane jumping in the convo as well. We made a list of possible activities we could/wanted to do with students from dancing, to singing, to running, to soccer, to organized games. It was all very vague with a TON of variables at the beginning from whether or not any students would actually be at school after the exams to how long we would keep them to how many teachers would be there to support us. Finally on Monday, we learned that students were going to be required to come and so we planned out a full out day of events with a schedule and decided to rent speakers for the event, to guarantee success. We had NO idea how successful it really would be.

Wednesday came and the schedule for the day was far from followed to a T, but there was no doubt the expectation of FUN was met in a safe and organized way. Announcements were made, Gilbert quickly and flawlessly stepped into the MC role, the teachers embraced their roles and participation the entire day from hip hop dancing and rapping to signing up for organized games and sports to hamming it up with foot races and as performers. As Lindsay noted when looking at pictures from the event, there were teachers smiling and laughing that she (and I) had never seen do either before. 

We were fortunate enough to have some other TeX teachers come and support us as well, which made the day run even smoother. Students were smiling (and grinding-whoops!) the whole day through. I got to talk to students about their musical interests, dance traditional dances with them, run a three legged race with students and teachers, play in an intense students verse staff football game, teach some teachers the Cha Cha Slide and Cupid Shuffle while all students learned to Limbo. It was a ridiculously jovial day that I believe everyone thoroughly enjoyed so much that some teachers were already making plans for next term’s “Field Good Fun Day”. The next day, although most students didn’t want to be at school (as they were finished with exams), they seemed happy to see me and all the students I got to talk to said they really enjoyed it!

 

And here are the million (or so) pictures!

To the left, to the left, to the left,to the left...

Alice, a student, and our head teacher (principal) doing some traditional dancing

I got roped in, as well as Amanda Stevie, a Peace Corps volunteer that taught full time at St. Mary's

Taking it all in

LIMBO!

The school's best rappers, Silva Fox, and their 'dancers'

Too cool for school kids

Video clip of the boys in the dance and drumming club doin' their thang

Impromptu male teachers rap lip sync

Jane and I attempting to explain brackets to the students

Relay Races led by Jane: insane!

Three legged races led by Komakech and I

Tug of War led by Alice

Everybody in the community was interested in what was goin down, especially the cute 'lil primary kids!

Time for staff relay races!

My favorite, Sam the Man, is dressed for success

 

Our head teacher consoling Jane after she took a digger whilst racing her... what you need to know is that Jane got beat by a 60-something year old woman in dress and flip flops.

Everyone's good and comfortable now - let's get our groove on!

 

Gilbert was our unofficial and self nominated MC for day - fantastic job!

Two of my favorite colleagues, Alfred and Albert

Staff vs. Student football game. Everyone not wearing yellow or green are community members that just stopped to watch. Insane.

Alice nominated herself as line judge and this student was quick to get us a team mascot.

The students killed the teachers - nice job, ladies and gents!

Sam and I still smiling in defeat and looking "smart" in our uniforms

Like any good program, this event went from 9 am (scheduled start time of 8am) until 6pm, when the music stopped and the sun began to set. Yes, this was the Second Best Day of My Life!!!

Saying 'goodbye' to Friends and a Phone

I never say, "Goodbye". Goodbyes are final. Goodbyes signal an end and until I'm six feet under (which I won't be because I'll be cremated), it's not the end. Even then, it's not really the end. So, at the conclusion of our four weeks in Uganda when our friends in Group One of the Teacher Exchange Program had been there six weeks and began to pack up and Goodbyes began to fly about as casually as paper airplanes, I knew I wasn't ready for them to leave.

 What would I do without Ariane's bubbly personality, Jessica's support and JET inquiries, KaCee's sweet southern belle personality and accent, Kristine's sense of humor, Becca's understanding and shared experiences, Josh's companionship during morning workouts, stellar eye for photography, and sweet dance moves, and everything about my namesake, Sarah? Although we had a lot in common in terms of mindset, goals, and life experiences, everybody brought something unique and valuable to the table. It was so incredibly interesting and inspiring to meet and know each of these people. I hope they each know how much I love and care about them. Thanks to Jessica's "love letter" initiative, I got to spend countless hours writing it all down.

Me, Jessica, and Sarah

Our last night together, dancing it out Cupid Shuffle style in the hut.

An unexpected event on the last night Group One and Two had together was my phone being stolen. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the most responsible person with my belongings. I lose ish... a lot. I have lost many a purse, wallet, phone, sunglasses, sandals, clothes, wigs, hats, scarves, cameras, flashlights and other personal belongings in the past. So many that I can't even keep track any more. I take ownership for that and my bank account feels it. SO, when within the first week my headlamp and camera were missing, I assumed I lost them. Must've fallen out of my bag at some point in time. Must've been my fault. Left a zipper undone. Left them on a table. Left them unattended. My bad.

On this particular occasion, however, my phone/camera/mini-boombox/clock/alarm/notebook was stolen. In my hand one minute, on a counter for ten minutes, gone for eternity.

The Samsung Galaxy and I having our last glorious moment together on the dance floor with Shockley

I became frantic, anxious, worried, sad, and eventually angry. The music stopped and a full search party began. It was gone. Not in the bushes, beams, behind the bar, in my purse, or in the house. We searched everywhere short of every single persons pockets. How could this be? We knew everyone, right? These were our friends, right? Did someone actually take it? Don't they know that this is my lifeline? That small piece of technology contains my memories from the past two years, essential notes and numbers, texts that I can look back and smile at fondly like love letters in middle school, music that just weeks ago had bonded me with coworkers and kids at the Children's Home? Don't they realize what an inconvenience this is going to be when I get back stateside??? How could this be happening to ME? Most importantly, how could they take away my trust in human beings?

But maybe it wasn't about me. Maybe it was about whomever took it. That little piece of technology would take a lifetime to afford for the majority of residents in Gulu. Selling that could pay for school fees for a year, meals for months, clothes for awhile. It was an immoral band-aid that could temporarily stop the bleeding of poverty.

While it was still difficult to be without my lifeline, I began to understand it. It's never okay to steal, and I hope whoever did it saw and felt some of the turmoil I was experiencing as it happened, but I do "get" it. What is a material possession for many of us in the first world and something we can get another one of relatively easily is a LIFE changer for many in third world countries. I understand and empathize with that temptation. I still hope that whomever it was can also understand and empathize with the pain I felt, not of the material possession, but of the memories and experiences I had had with it.

What Going to A "Program" Entails: The Priests' 25th Anniversary Jubilee

 If you are ever invited to a "program" in Uganda, plan on not getting anything accomplished the entire day, other than being in awe. Such was the case when we heard there was a Priests' 25th Anniversary Jubilee. I found out about it because my team teacher mentioned there was a "program" the students in our school's dance club would be practicing for. I had been stalking this club for-ev-er attempting to join them (more on this in a future blog), and Alice said they would be practicing in preparation for the "program". She said it was just down the road and our school was invited since it has had a positive relationship with the monastery for years. Hmmm, sounded interesting. I wondered who exactly from the school would be attending. She never mentioned that it was a jubilee mind you, just that there was a program on that day. I figured, we'd teach classes as normal, see the "program" of a few dances and perhaps a few speeches, and then come back to school to mark papers. I figured wrong.
 "Program" apparently means all day celebration and went from the invitational start time of 8am (I assume nobody was actually there at said time) until after 6pm.

We arrived fashionably early at around 10am, when chairs were still being arranged, musical groups still practicing, and people jovially mingling and greeting other friends and notable guests. The 20-30 people I was expecting to check out our dance team and this program turned out to be 200-300 guests all there to celebrate 25 years of service by two priests at this monastery. Expectations FAR exceeded.

Me, mingling and dancing, with some of our students before the service.

 When the formal part started there were, of course, several long winded speeches. I thought speeches were an art form in Japan, and they are, but in Uganda speeches and introduction take on a whole new meaning! Then, one of the priests continued to give a service. It was almost two hours long and pretty powerful, I think. I may or may not have lost interest a fewwwww times.

Then, there was dancing. Group after group of dancing. The group pictured below was my favorite, though.

 I absolutely LOVE when the women get SO excited that they just can't hold in their joy anymore and make the "ayayayayayayay" cry of jubilation! Expect me to randomly attempt said joyful expressions of jubilation, for example at Badger games, weddings, and birthdays. Don't be alarmed, just join in.

Beautiful cakes were made, cut, and served to each guest.

There were some pretty notable guests there, including the guy in the black and white striped shirt. I forget exactly who he was, but some big government official person. Pretty big deal to come  to northern Uganda in Gulu. Everyone went nuts seeing him out there dancing. Awesome!

 Even the priests could cut a rug.

And where there is dancing, there shall be singing.

Lunch began to be served around 3pm. Everyone waited patiently for their turn to be served. We were chillin' for a good hour and half before grubbin'. I didn't mind.

Alice and I

Jane and Mark

Alice recommended I get some traditional celebration garb... next time I'm in Gulu Alice, next time:)

The ridiculously gorgeous church on the monastery grounds.

So, the "program" of the day was completely unexpected and I felt a little weird about leaving students at school while I went to a celebration of two men I've never met, but it was extremely enjoyable and I feel so fortunate to have experienced it.

Recreation Is My Middle Name

It's not really. Michelle is my middle name. But if there was a more apt name I was to be given, Recreation would probably be it. I LOVE being outdoors and doing recreational thangs, so I was stoked (did I really just use stoked as a verb? Thanks, Meagan!) when I found out we were having a team building day with our team teachers at the Recreation Project. I hadn't a clue what this entailed, so come along with me as I revisit the awesomeness that was that day...

First, a double boda ride with Andraya. The first is always the most memorable:)

When we first arrived and none of the Ugandan teachers were there (shocking? doubt it), we played a bunch of group games. Reminded me of all my Sports Camp Counselor Days at the Y and I loved it. The rest of the group loved how enthusiastic I was about group games (sense sarcasm here), but they were totally as into it as I was, clearly.

When most of our team teachers had arrived, we started to do some awesome activities together. Activities that made us think about teamwork, cooperation, perspectives, differentiation, all that good stuff that makes a standard classroom great once they are embraced!

Attempting to get everyone from one side of the 'spiderweb' to the other without touching the ropes.

Unsuccessful attempt here as Ashley makes a ridiculous comment that makes everyone crack up. I later clothes-lined a rope trying to be a show off jumping through an opening that was far too small for me to pirouette through. Whoops.

Way harder than it looks.

Seriously.

OBJECT:  get a ball in a tin can on an uneven log surface starting a good 30 meters away, while two teammates are blindfolded. Again, WAY harder than it sounds or looks. We rocked it, though.

Trust Falls: harder than they look (seeing a theme here at all?)

Almost everyone did these, including Sister Deena!

I was SO excited to see a rock wall! Jane and Rachel, being super cordial...

Ashley and I after an intense race (because all recreational activities are competitive, riiiiiight?)

Reppin' St. Mary's Lacor are me, Alice, and Jane, all ready for the final test of trust...

Makin' the climb

Zip Lining!

 

And this is why Recreation is my middle name!