This text was written in 2007 by Noah Liberi. He was 20 at the time, his only formal education being a rural secondary school in Bukinda, Kabale. But he would read and observe a lot and condense his wisdom of life into the story about Teach Inn Uganda that we will publish in weekly instalments. You can learn more about Teach Inn and Noah in Miha’s Blog.
It is imperative to note that today and now we are waiting for the first group of volunteers at the Teach Inn Uganda project. It is 1st Monday May 2007, 1:16 afternoon, and we are receiving the trailblazers. They are dressed smart in American style.
Three ladies and one gentleman Steve, Angela, Rachel, Lorna and Katie, all study childhood studies at Leeds Metropolitan University and will graduate in July 2008. They are surely nice people as they dared to be our guinea pigs, surely they deserve a credit for this.
So… The next day after arrival they are meeting with the children at school for their first time, they are sharing much with with them (kids) who are very much enthusiastic to meet the “Muzungu” (white person) teaching and playing with them.
On the very first day, the turn-up seems not very satisfying but the next day it is overwhelmingly a large number of children; compare 75 children on the first day to over 200 children the next day! This implies that the kids were impressed and had to spread the good news to the rest of the children.
Throughout the whole teaching and playing times the volunteers had with the children, we are able to see that they are helped by the caretaker at Teach Inn Uganda, Noah Liberi, who does some translation because nor could the children understand the accent neither could they understand some of the English words the volunteers use, maybe because it is the first best of its kind to meet a “Muzungu” talking and playing with them. But with time, day by day, week after another, months by months, the kids will be able to do a lot quite freely with the volunteers without Noah to translate.
So who are the Trailblazers?
Rachel
Rachel Gilby is a 22 years old lady from Nottingham. She is someone who seems to know everything beforehand. She is so much interesting that when talking to her, you feel you should not stop the conversation. She is the centre of the conversation and all fun.
She loves her phone, she phones whenever there is thin and thick moments. Any challenge she meets, she phones home and tells it to dad and mum. Her absence at Teach inn Uganda is felt by whoever is present.
She makes friends every time with kids, and everywhere she goes she hears “Hullo Rachael, how are you? You’re my friend.” Every kid is her friend to the extent that when she is bidding farewell to them, every kid is seen in tears “We are missing Rachael, she has been kind to the kids, she used to play with them and they loved her,” one of the teachers laments on the Sports Day, their last day at Teach inn Uganda.
Rachael is a lady who spends her leisure time in a positive manner. She likes reading novels and poems and one of her favourite novels at Teach Inn Uganda is “What one must risk to make his/her dream a reality”. She likes reading it while taking some tea but she concentrates much on reading and tea just goes cold and she can no longer take it so she pours it away.
Angela
Angela MC Arthur, 22 years old and from Preston, is a lady whose everything is attractive to whoever has gotten sight, her flow of words and accent is lovely and nice. She is a medium sized girl who leaves men in the river of lust. Her physical appearance really impresses everyone’s eye.
She is such a lady who thinks twice before she acts and is good at consulting people who know better than her doing what she does not have a good idea about. She is someone you can say is not self-centred.
“Noah, but what do you think about the charges the man is asking to fix the plywood on the chair….. I mean what is your mind?” Angela asks when the carpenter has come to negotiate the price for his labour on the sofa chair.
She likes her hair for she washes it every day, she leans her feminine back on the bench and alerts her face in the sky and allows her hair to be attended to.
She likes taking some evening walk with the rest of the members and is physically fit. She loves her Travelling Ted and she makes the kids write letters to him (improve their skills of letter writing).
Angela is a lady who is so appreciating and loves to say “thank you” for anything positive and negative but mostly positives “Thank you Noah for the hooks in the bathroom and the living room,” Angela says when she is setting to go back home on 22nd May 2007.
Steve
Steve is a young man of 22 years from Manchester. He is a man who when seen from a distance is more of “Zienjacilapus”, the the first man to introduce fire. His physical appearance makes one think that he is so brave and can face a war with a lion. But Steve is a such fearful man who can fear a grasshopper, a man who goes for a hammer to kill a mosquito, a man who fears the noise of a frog, a man who quits the room at night because the others are groaning!!!
It’s from this that Noah and Hannington had to call him RWATANGABO, an African name which means “shield breaker”, someone who can break the shield. Remember, in African culture a shield is a super tool used for defence mechanism against weapons the enemy may use to throw at you so Steve is more of these weapons.
He is a man who likes campfires and loves seeing the stars at night. He is someone one may say is a friend to a cigarette and wine. He drinks his Castle Lager and sips it as a real millionaire.
He likes to spend his leisure time reading novels and pamphlets. His favourite novel at Teach Inn Uganda is “The lost art of keeping secrets” by Eva Rice and “Digital Fortress” by Dan Brown.
He likes doing this “reading” on open sunshine and he enjoys it. He smears himself with the Soltan care “moisturing sun care cream” all the time.
Lorna
Lorna is 23 years old and from Birstall West Yorkshire. Lorna is such a lady who organises everything well. The way she organises and puts everything in order in the living room leaves everybody wondering “when did she graduate in Bachelor of Home Management?!”
She seems to love her dog “Simba” because in her album/diary, it is forested by the photos of her dog. “Yes I love my dog! It gives me company and I play with it,” says Lorna when asked by Noah Liberi why she feels she should love just a mere dog.
Despite of Lorna’s size, she still likes playing some games with the kids. She likes playing “Hokey-pokey us/Hokey –cokey UK” which involves turning around. Before she finishes the part of turning around, the rest of the members have already done the next remaining parts and the game is over! But she continues to sing alone and the kids just laugh at her funny “in-out in-out” actions.
When it is one week before her going back home, Noah and Hannington have to also call her a suitable African name. She is called KEMBABAZI which means that every thing she does, she does it passionately, kindly, gracefully and she has love for everybody especially the kids. She is often seen holding different kids during the game time.
Katie
When we talk of Katie, we mean Katie Mosman from England and who is a student at Leeds as earlier brought to you.
She is such a lady who respects and expects no exceptional respect. She oftenly likes to play with kids and the game she likes most is “Sleeping Lions”. She plays and enjoys it with the kids at break time.
Katie seems to like her hair very much because she cannot spend a day with out washing it. She lets her back vertically on the bench and allows Rachael Gilby to help her wash the hair with shampoo.
She feels great when she phones or texts home and talks to the dad. She loves her boyfriend, for whatsoever she says she refers it to her boyfriend and she is enthusiastic to meet him at the airport when back home “My dad, stepmum and my boyfriend will be at the airport to welcome me,” Katie says, “My boyfriend loves football, he can not miss to watch…”
She is someone one would say is not fit for an African man if it meant marriage. Her body changes with weather and climate. She is the only unlucky so far who has suffered some African rare diseases like Typhoid fever. It’s here when she exercises and makes use of her phone calling and texting home after the medical check from one of the clinics in Kabale town.
She likes advising, cautioning and warning different kids of people in different spheres of life. She wrote this in our book: “Hello to the next generation!! Especially the people arriving on the first June 2007. You will probably arrive to an empty hotel. But do not fear!! Here is a comprehensive guide to surviving Teach Inn Uganda! Hopefully you will have found the keys to this place by now!! If not, as you enter the front door on the left there is a row of hooks with colour coded keys (Hannington has a spare set) along with the laundry information. Noah (the caretaker) does the washing and all odd jobs. He is here every day from dusk to dawn and has extremely good English. Take the time to get to know Hannington, Noah and Justus (the security guard) they are great people, they will go out of their way for you and believe us, you will be glad to have them around. … The electricity box can be found in the Deirdre room, there is a switch and it will not work unless this is on. It makes funny buzzing noise and a smell but it’s safe. Please switch off when not in use and switch pings off at the switch also. The electricity is provided by solar so when it’s gone it’s gone!”
Noah and Hannington are able to name these volunteers African names and Katie is called KAIRUNGI, someone who has the beauty not only the face but also the heart.
The Trailblazers clear the way/path for the future generation which is not an easy thing to most of people. To sacrifice themselves like this, leaving their comfort, and their loved ones and friends home and coming to this unknown! They are great. But they are lucky they are finding it just a little bit of a home away from home as clearly seen and evidenced in their evaluations when they are leaving the Teach inn Uganda on their last day of teaching and staying at Teach inn. They really managed and manoeuvred every kind of life through a different land.
Thank you, volunteers!
text: Noah Liberi