Vacation makes Jane a bad blogger

So the truth is that I have tons to say about the last week and a half, but everyday I am so tired when we get home that I can’t get it together to form coherent sentences. The main point of the last ten days is that it has been great having my mom in Africa. She is a crazy good trooper and has kept a firm smile in place as I dragged her all over Rwanda (in BUSES!) and now Uganda. I need to dedicate a long blog to our time in Nyanza (Hint- she was big hit) and now what we have done in Uganda (true motherly love- she went to Eclipse in the theater with me). Next week we will be in Zanzibar and I think I will have more time to get my thoughts together. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our trip to ‘The Source Of The Nile” in Jinja, Uganda.

Special post for Adam and Alex Pusey

Adam and Alex are my good friends in NYC and they have been appalled at the lack of animal photos in my Africa blog. I finally saw some at Akagera national park with my mom. Our guide was awesome and let us get out of the car all the time! We didn’t see any big cats but it was still amazing. My mother and I both fell into love with the slow-motion grace of the giraffes.

“Oh, maybe this is why French children love Sophie the giraffe so much”- Deborah Hickox

Giraffes!

Buffalo

Debbie Doo and a real hippo skull!

Baboons LOVED our hotel. They hung out on the lawn and even peeked in the windows!

 

funny looking bird

Inter-species mingling

Family of wet-back antelopes

Mummy and baby Zebra

Welcome Mom!

 

 

Imminent arrival of Deborah Hickox (debbie doo)

Nyanza is all a buzz about the arrival of Debbie Doo. We have social plans every day, perhaps a few per day.  One teacher at my school suggested that we all go to the airport (2 hours away) to collect her. I dissuaded them from that idea, but promised to parade her around Tuesday morning through Friday. Another teacher offered to bake her a cake, if I provided the ingredients. But, the best part of my moms imminent departure/arrival is skyping 3 times a day with her and my beloved cousin Miranda. That I will really miss!

Mini Yoga

Pink bubble time

This weekend was a mixed bag of emotions, and I starting thinking a lot about my “Pink Bubble.” The first time I had reiki, the “medium” said I tend to take on people’s energy, positive or negative and that I needed to build a bubble around myself to keep my positive energy in. Then, she goes “Oh, and it’s pink!”  I haven’t always been able to keep to it, but try to come back when I feel myself getting negative.

So today after exams I bought some colored pencils and drew with the gang on the porch. I made myself little inspirational signs to try and help me keep my bubble up and running….One is a picture of me inside the bubble, the other 2 are my favorite quotes.

“Hope is a decision” Pete the deacon at St. Michaels

“Happiness is not getting what you want, it is wanting what you already have” –Amanda Zapata Best Yoga teacher in the entire world.

No school

= Camp Jane

 

 

Picture this

School has been mayhem all week. I arrived Monday 8AM sharp to be told by a student at the gate there was no school. Okay. Then, it was supposed to be a review week before exams, but instead some exams, no exams, teachers stealing my hours, classes in the wrong rooms. Oh, and my exams aren’t on the real exam schedule.  By Wednesday, I was a tiny bit frazzled.

So, picture this, I am 3/5 of the way through a practical ICT exam (on the computer) and the power goes out. I did not swear, did not cry, did not collapse into a puddle of goo on the floor. I simply buried my head in my hands and wailed “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo”

When I resurfaced, there were kind faces looking all at me with concern. Students for whom advanced calculus is far easier than typing their name said “It’s okay teacher, we will wait and see if the power comes back on” and “Don’t worry, we will do it again” And they did. They started from scratch (not having saved per my directions) and although I left the room an hour and half later than planned, I was proud of my kids.

Genocide Memorial at Ecole Des Sciences

These are pictures from my school’s Genocide remembrance. I have included a small selection of pictures here and a link to the entire album at the bottom of the post.

 

Ecole Des Science Memorial July 3

Email

I figured out that I can sign people up to get direct emails of my blog posts(not sure if people can do themselves).  If you would like my posts sent directly to you, just leave your email in the comments section or email me at janebrokaw@gmail.com