MY AWESOME EXPERIENCE WITH CONNECTING CLASSROOM!

Sharing this amazing experience is absolutely the most beautiful thing ever. Whatever thoughts and memories I have about this visit matters a lot to the children, teachers and people who established the twinning project.

Bravo! To QEPP, Bravo! To the British Ccouncil for initiating this awesome global education program for both Uganda and UK schools. You should feel proud, special for starting up and fully funding this educational program that has put a huge smile to many people and children a round the world.

First, it was the plane experience!! My first time to board a plane. I was nervous, scared but again glad😀because this has always been on the list of things I ask God to do for me. The difference is traveling in air but almost the same as traveling in a bus. I’ve been to some airports but not as big as Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi and the biggest Heathrow in London.

Thank God!!🙏We landed safely and being picked by Adam Stanley and his partner Heather Green. Everything was different, the environment, roads, houses, cars, people and weather. What a different world London is!! In 1 and half hours, we were at home, Waterlooville. A warm welcome from the Peach family, these people are amazing!!! Coffee, food, a bath and later to my beautiful room.

Morning Monday 2nd March ready to visit the park! Queen Elizabeth Country Park! My colleague Mr Thembo and I were received by the rangers Ashley and Jan. My first HOT CHOCOLATE and bread was served,very tasty! Later proceeded to the park, I was scared, I thought we were going to see deadly animals like the lions, leopards and snakes as those in QE National park in Uganda, but all in vain. Ashley kept driving us in the park. At some point we couldn’t move outside the car not because we feared the animals in the park like Uganda, but due to too much coldness and mud. We toured different places in the park including the Butser Hill National Nature Reserve. Tourists and their dogs were in as well!. We later went to Petersfield….interesting!!!

Another glamorous day! Hambledon Primary School, a place I knew even before being there! Adorable, brilliant pupils and teachers I imagined! And yes it was an admirable, colourful, charming, and beautiful place than I imagined. I was extremely happy when I was welcomed in the school. Hambledon is heaven!! Imagine going through a day with amazing people, lots of smiles, food, hugs, fascinating compliments, appreciations and even people holding the door to open for you, wow!!!!!! Everything at Hambledon Primary School is unique, the headteacher Paul has a unique friendly personality as well. Friends hold a special place in one’s heart. Thank you Mr Davies for being a friend,mentor and more!! Through the twinning project we met, I’ve learn a lot from you and this whole amazing experience will create a positive impact to me as a head teacher and the entire family of Rihamu Junior School. Lots of thanks to Adrienne, the deputy head teacher at Hambledon Primary School who led the fundraising exercise to rise money for renovating our primary one wooden class.. You don’t know the change you have made to beautify our school and the children who suffered during the rainy season.

For sure, this whole experience is worth sharing. The different places I’ve visited while in the UK are amazing. London city, Buckingham Palace and many more interesting places in London. Bournemouth at the seaside, thanks Paul this place was the best. Chichester University where we shared different experiences on global citizenship, Portsmouth in different shopping arcades and getting to understand how the UK money is used when shopping!! Liss village and Liss Junior, different pubs, the cricket pitch, Winchester and many other places I’ve not mentioned maybe because I can’t remember their spellings😀😀😀. All these places were hilarious!

The twinning project will contribute a lot to Rihamu Junior school in many ways: Through communication and letter exchange, it will improve English speaking at school. Enhancement of global learning , exposure to different learning and teaching contexts, change of perception and attitudes, cultural awareness and exchange through sharing experiences. Increased quality and effectiveness of games like cricket, tag rugby, football, dominoes, darts which Rihamu got to know through the project. Support towards the school projects like the water tank, supporting the orphanage etc. The list is endless.

I don’t have the right words to express my gratitude and thankfulness to the Peach family. They’re my parents,they treated me like their own. I felt at home and more!!!!

Again, special thanks goes to the following people who made my visit and stay in the UK so fabulous. Adam Stanley, Steve Peach, Paul Davies, Jan, Karen Peach,Heather Green, Teresa and the entire family, Jess and the lovely family, Jo Heath , Mary at Chichester university, the brownies, Ashlea, The entire staff and pupils of Hambledon and the education students I met in Chichester.

That’s part one of my UK experience,more still coming. Take care everyone,stay home and stay safe.

Shakilah Huda , Rihamu Junior School.

My initial impressions of the UK

The trip was first impressing when I was on the plane. It was my first flight ever. It took long hours on the plane. It was interesting to view many things below the clouds.among which was the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean Sea and many other features across. Another big impression was picked from the airport which is very beautiful where Mr Adam and Heather had come to receive me and my colleague. I had some hot coffee at home after driving through a cold environment. Dinner was served and then after I rested in my bedroom.

The following morning, we had a gentle tour around Queen Elizabeth Country Park guided by Ashlea and Jan. The weather was generally cool. Everything here looks unique and generally good. Their environment especially buildings are smart. Classrooms are well arranged and manageable numbers of learners not exceeding 25 children.

People are very welcoming,and hospitable. They look good because everybody is committed to their work. Life can change in Africa if we adopt to the working style like in UK. So far, everything that I look at now looks a wonder, the exposure is looking very different ranging from the type of soil, trees, grass, and the general vegetation. Some trees have shaded off their leaves due to winter and they all look in a uniform structure.

I took some hours out to look at horse riding. Farm animals like sheep and horses look good in their fields and feel nothing about the cold weather.

I still have many more days round which I believe will expose me to many more beautiful things that I will share with you soon

Mr Thembo & Madam Shakilah in the car after being picked up from Heathrow

Uganda Day 11: 2019

Unlike the CM sports gang, Paul and I had a later than normal start. We headed to the Conservation Cup tournament which kicked off just as we got there – perfect timing! Whilst supporting Kafuro during their football and rugby games from the sidelines, I had time to chat to Ashley who leaves tomorrow! I can’t wait to catch up with her when we are both back in the UK. I also chatted to some children on the side of the pitches who had lots of intriguing questions about England. 

A few games completed, it was time for lunch. Children were served first and then the adults ate in a classroom which felt like being back at school during wet play! 

I was also able to meet lots of people whilst I was there. I met Stephen’s wife who was very kind, and Stephen Biru who is Director of Education and Conservation. 

The finals took place in the afternoon and it went very quickly. Kafuro didn’t win either of the tournaments but they showed fantastic sportsmanship and team work. I’m sure they will come back stronger next year! The winning teams were awarded the prizes and all teams were given a football from the kit used for training. Once all teams had been celebrated, it was time to say some sad farewells. It was hard to get away from the school as no one wanted to leave. As we were driving away, we passed Stephen who had very kindly been to buy me a present – a lovely wall hanging in the shape of Uganda! A wonderful reminder of my fantastic time in Africa. 

Driving home we passed some small shops selling souvenirs. I purchased an elephant carving, a keyring with the uganda flag and a small drum to show the children at school for music lessons. 

At Tembo in the evening, we had our usual meals, followed by more farewells. This time we had to say bye to Steve, Karen, Jan and Ashley. I’m sure I will be making visits to QECP when I am home for a catch up!  

When we went to the Lodge in the evening, a huge storm came over, which we’ve had a few of whilst being here. The lightning here is brighter than England, it completely lights up the sky for longer than usual. Strangely there is no thunder to accompany it and it is still unusually warm during the storms. Joffrey explained that this storm was a farewell to Steve and his group, just as the rain on our first day had been a greeting. If this is the case, England must be saying hello and goodbye to lots of people all the time!  

Uganda Day 10: 2019

Resorting back to my usual French toast at Tembo for breakfast this morning, I was ready for a busy day ahead at Kafuro. 

Ronnie drove Paul and I (very smoothly, the complete opposite to Joffrey) to Kafuro. Shakilah met us at the school, her first visit there, but upon meeting Stephen she realised he was her old teacher from P6/7 for English! It’s a small world, even here in Uganda. Shakilah was shown around the school with Paul whilst I taught my final lesson to P7. We tackled sanitation which most children believed to be keeping the environment clean but, with discussion, they were able to connect to the disposal of waste, including that of humans. I explained about the challenges girls face in education due to having to collect water and carry out other chores which the children understood well, collecting water for their families themselves. Having a tap with drinking water at school has enabled them to focus more on learning. This is as a result of previous fundraising by Liss pupils.  

Lesson finished, it was straight to the kitchen to cook pizza for all of the school! Assistant chef, Paul, was very handy to have around today! He really knows his stuff about pizza. The children all partook in the making of the dough, mixing it all together and getting very sticky in the process which was hilarious. Whilst the dough rose, we made the sauce. Children chopped tomatoes and small onions grown just across the road and mixed with some water which they reduced down over the fire. It was a lot cooler today outside but when I went into the kitchen it was too hot to handle! 

As the pizzas cooked, Paul and I joined the other teachers for lunch which was delicious as ever. The children were fantastic at minding the pizzas while we ate to make sure they didn’t burn! 

When we had finished lunch, it was time for the school to try the pizza. Each pizza was cut into about 40 tiny slices so P3-7 all got a change to try. Their faces were a picture as it looked like chapati but certainly didn’t taste the same! It was heart warming to watch them try something so different to their normal cuisine. 

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Then the heavens opened and rain poured down, the storm had been in the air all morning. At a break in the downpour, there was a chance to watch the reigning champion tag rugby team practice. They were fantastic and showed great sportsmanship and team work just like the children of Liss. 

Finally, and sadly, it was time to say goodbye. I popped into P6 and P7 but the other classes were having lessons so I didn’t want to disrupt. The whole school then came to their windows as we drove off, beaming smiles on their faces and waving enthusiastically. I felt very special and privileged to have spent the last few days at such a fantastic school which I am proud Liss Junior School is twinned with. 

Uganda Day 9: 2019

This morning I was so excited for breakfast at Tembo, pancakes with golden syrup, but I had to settle for pancakes with lemon once we discovered an army of ants had got into the golden syrup. I needn’t have worried though, as when I got to Kafuro, Stephen had put on a morning spread of Tilapia, boiled eggs and tea. 

I wondered off as Stephen was organising lunch to watch the dancing. The children were practising for their afternoon performance during their break time and those not participating were watching, singing or clapping along. 

My lesson today was teaching P5. We discussed what a community is which they identified as a place and later came to understand that people are part of the community also. Their task was to draw their own community which was Kafuro and then begin to add more amenities they would like such as hospitals. I then asked the children to explain why they needed these places to make up the community. One group explained that they needed a school to gain knowledge and then get jobs – including being teachers which made myself and their class teacher very happy. Once they had drawn their communities, I showed them Liss on the board, drawing a rough map from memory. The map showed some similarities between the communities, such as the allotments and their farms to grow fruit and vegetables. Whilst I was drawing, it drew out some questions from the children about England, particularly about farming which I don’t have a vast amount of knowledge on, but I tried my best to answer! One girl asked me to sing which really threw me but the first song that came to mine was heads, shoulders, knees and toes which the children in Uganda (luckily) know already so it wasn’t a solo performance from myself!

At lunch time, the children return home for food as lunch is not provided at school like in England. However, some children remain at school if there is no food at home or if they have been able to bring sometime to eat at school. Some children were playing a game which looks similar in layout to King-Square but is actually a version of hopscotch. I had a few goes but I need to practice my balance if I want to improve. 

Stephen then took me for a walk around the farming fields behind the school. The primary crops are banana trees and coffee bean bush. I had never seen the process of a coffee plant before and what the pod looks like before it is dried which was very interesting. 

Lunch today was tilapia, rice, potatoes, chicken, cabbage and tomatoes which, as ever, was delicious. 

In the afternoon, the children gave a performance to the school, singing and dancing showing me their cultural dance. Yowasi was very encouraging and I joined in with the dance which I thought looked good until I saw the video back! Once the performance was over, it was time to head home for the day. 

CM Sp0orts were at another school so we drove to collect them. While the boys were showing the teachers how the gifted equipment could be used, some children performed songs for us – and some children even rapped!
In the car home, Joffrey’s playlist became 90s and 00s classics, which turned into karaoke singing in the car, even when we saw some elephants with a baby, the singing didn’t stop. I think the elephants enjoyed the Spice Girls 2 become 1! 

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For the first time since arriving, we ate dinner at Tembo in the light as we made it home early enough which was nice to be able to see our food. Then we moved onto the Lodge. For the first time, we took Ashlea along and there was a tribal dance performance which doesn’t normally happen! It was amazing, Ashlea and I joined in for a while which was entertaining. Later on, no one was watching so for 20 (excruciatingly hot) minutes, Ashley, Luke, Paul, Nick and I joined in which was a highlight of my whole trip. 

Tomorrow is my last day at Kafuro and a very busy one!  

Uganda Day 8: 2019

This morning we had to get up and go as CM Sports had quite a journey ahead of them after they dropped me off at Kafuro with Steve. When I arrived back at Kafuro I was warmly greeted and took the last few class photos of nursery, P1 and P2. 

Once I had finished the admin side of things, it was time for me to teach. I was welcomed into P6 and completed a lesson on wants and needs in which the children drew around one person to create a child, thought of 20 things they would need to be happy and healthy and then whittle it down to just 5. It was a tricky process but the children were phenomenal at their ideas and vocabulary. One group was very fast at deciding and chose to have money over water with the justification that they could buy water with money which was discussed at length. 

After teaching my lesson, which went far too quickly, I was invited into the head teacher’s office for tea and bread which was a much needed snack. Refuelled, Steve and I played dominoes and darts with Stephen and Yowasi to practise the rules so that they can teach them and so that I could practise before hopefully teaching the children tomorrow. 

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Steve and I had some time to look out onto the landscape around the school before CM Sports arrived for lunch which was rice, cabbage and onions, and sliced potaoes (Joffrey certainly enjoyed his lunch). 

Temperatures were rising as we moved onto New Life Junior school and Kichwamba Primary School for football practice (which I was hoping to sit in the shade and watch.) We were greeted by the school in one of the classrooms and the choir singing a song to us as visitors. They pulled Andy up to dance first and then the rest of us one by one which was really fun. 

Although I was planning on relaxing and watching the sports training, the children had other ideas. I was surrounded by intrigued children who wanted to ask questions about me being a teacher which was really nice to discuss and share our similarities. I also became a mirror to a little girl in pink shoes. We compared shoe sizes and every movement she made, I imitated which kept a lot of children entertained, especially as she was so sassy. Later, CM sports were presenting their gifts so I sat among the children pretending to hide which they thought was funny. We spoke about the lessons they had for the rest of the day and I was nosey and had a look through one of their maths books which was eye opening. Whilst there was a darts demonstration, I saw a child bouncing a ball on her own. I invited her to start playing catch which turned into piggy in the middle surrounded by lots of other children. They were engrossed and very competitive! 

Then it was back to Mweya before a packed day at Kafuro again tomorrow. Joffrey let me drive home from the school which was lovely on the tarmac but not so pleasant for everyone else once we started to go onto the track, although highly amusing for Steve and I while sat in the front plus my driving made Nick’s top 3 moments of the day!

Uganda Day 7: 2019

After a quicker than normal visit to Tembo this morning for breakfast, myself, Steve, Ashlea and the CM sports coaches set off to Kafuro Primary School for my first visit. When we arrived, we were greeted by Stephen Thembo, the headteacher, and Yowasi. We chatted in Stephen’s office to introduce ourselves and were then invited to an assembly to introduce ourselves to the children. Once we had said ‘hello’, the CM Sports coaches were given the team to train ready for the Conservation Cup, and Megan took some children to dance whilst I was given a tour of the school with Ashley. We saw the classes which were quite large, with tables with benches, chalkboards at the front and in some rooms, lights so that the older children can revise in the morning and evening when it is dark. It reminded me of Mrs Myers’ assembly in which she showed a  photo of the boy doing his homework on the street using the streetlights, as these children don’t have access to electricity, and therefore light, at home to work. 

I was shown the results of the children at Liss Junior School’s fundraising, the latrines, which had been emptied and new plastic funnels put in place and concrete flooring. The children and teachers at Kafuro are very grateful to all the effort the children have put in over the year with their fundraising. 

Once CM Sports had left to go to their next school, Steve and I took the walk children used to take to collect drinking water from the lake, and that some still take to get water for washing. Since the new tap was installed at Kafuro, the community is now able to use the water for drinking and only go to the lake to collect water for cleaning. It was quite a walk down to the lake and when we arrived I was surprised at how beautiful it looked from a distance but up close it made me realise how valuable the tap at the school is. Yowasi wanted us to do the challenge and rock climbing up to the main road but I was wearing flip flops so I had to take the road less travelled. 

Back up in Kafuro village, I met some local people, most of whom were parents of children from the school. Some of the men use their motorbikes to take people into the nearby town, a replacement for taxis, and I was offered a lift but again, my attire wasn’t particularly suitable so I had to decline (don’t panic Mum!) 

Returning to school, we ate lunch in Stephen’s office – tilapia, Irish potatoes, and cabbage and tomato salad which was a bit like a stir fry. It was all delicious! 

In the afternoon I had a chance to talk through the planning with Posiano, who teaches maths and social sciences at the school. It is similar to secondary schools at Kafuro in that teachers don’t teach a class but a subject and move between the classrooms, apart from nursery and P1 who have the same teacher all day. With the planning all explained to Posiano, it was time to give out the letters from Liss which they all rushed off to read in class as soon as the class photos had been taken. 

CM Sports and Joffrey returned and it was time to get back to Mweya. We headed to Tembo for dinner and then the lodge. Joffrey was in a good mood so he let me drive home. Then I don’t think everyone else was in a good mood after the bumpy ride home. 

I felt very welcomed at the school today and thoroughly enjoyed my time. I can’t wait to get started with teaching tomorrow! 

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