The International Experience

Honestly, what the hell is a goat race? This is the question all of us teachers had when we were given free tickets to the goat races. Eager to find out what this event was all about we all got dressed up and headed 30 minutes out of town to the stunning Munyonyo resort to experience the goat races. When we arrived we found what seemed to be a parody of the Kentucky Derby, women in ridiculous hats, extravagant tents with lights and champagne, and a pathetic "race track" in the center of it all which apparently was for the goats. We all received a betting brochure with stats on all the goats and after a few glasses of champagne found ourselves betting on goats with names like "Goat with the wind". With the announcement of the first goat race we crowded around the track cheering for whichever goat we chose to bet on. Not surprisingly, the goats stubbornly refused to run when the starting gun was shot. But it wasn't much of a problem because a man approached behind them, pushing a mattress on wheels which then pushed the goats around the track. Occasionally they ran, but mostly, they spent their time around the track stopping to eat grass. It was absolutely hilarious and the more free champagne we drank, the more hysterical it got. All in all, it concluded as just another crazy experience in Uganda.

We successfully completed our first week of school. My students are bright, wonderful, and beautiful. Our classroom represents over fifteen different countries (Uganda, USA, South Africa, Sudan, Eritrea, Trinidad, Belgium, Wales, England, India, Denmark, Finland, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and more). It is truly an International classroom. I cannot even begin to express how excited I am to teach my myriad of students and all the while, learn so much from them. It is going to be extraordinary. That's all from Uganda for now!