Kibaale

On Thursday, Alisha and I had the privilege of visiting Kibaale. This little town is home to the Kibaale Community Center which is run by the Pacific Academy Outreach Society. The school was established in 1993 and the Center has expanded to include education from nursery to high school (including a vocational school), a medical clinic, church, community projects and sponsorship. I attended Pacific Academy from grade 1 through 12. In my twelve years at school I have heard so much about Kibaale and walked many kilometres raising money for the project. It was quite an experience to finally see the real thing. Kibaale is about 1.5 hours from Masaka so we left early in the morning. Mark and Carina both had work to do there so we went with them and brought Maya along. When we first got there, we headed straight to the guesthouse to drop off our stuff and then Carina took us on a brief tour to see the bakery, medical center and sponsorship office. The tour ended up taking longer than expected as Carina ran into people she knew and of course in Ugandan style, spent time catching up. A few of them were students that she had taught when they used to live in Kibaale in the 90’s. There is an amazing sense of community at the Kibaale Center. Right after our tour it started to pour rain so we ran back to the guesthouse. Unfortunately, it was really stormy for most of the morning and part of the afternoon. We ended up playing games, doing schoolwork and reading while huddled under blankets. It was actually very cozy and relaxing. In the afternoon the rain finally let up and we went on a walk with Maya to see the school. I’d seen lots of pictures from Kibaale but it was different seeing it in person. In pictures you see buildings but in person you get to experience the atmosphere, the community and the people. In comparison to the Timothy Center, the guesthouses at Kibaale are right in the middle of the compound. Living there, I’m sure you can’t help but feel very involved in what is going on. The town is also within walking distance of the school. Here, we have to drive into Masaka. I am looking forward to visiting Kibaale often while we are here. Since we are teaching the kids here in Masaka, trips to Kibaale will be more for participating in special projects. When my Dad is here, he will most likely spend some time at Kibaale doing various maintenance and construction projects. I am also looking forward to meeting our family’s sponsor student. When my Dad arrives, we will get a chance to visit his home and bring a gift for his family.

view of the main building from the guesthouse

 Primary School building

Along with some inspirational signs were some duly noted warnings:

The guesthouse:

Outdoor "classrooms"

Inside the guesthouse

On another note, we survived our first full week of teaching! It has taken a bit for everyone to adjust to the busy schedule and a new environment. Home school is something new for all the kids, as well as for Alisha and I. We have set up our little classroom next door and had lots of fun decorating. We are still working out some kinks in regards to the curriculum but should have everything straightened out soon. We are hoping to leave here having planned out the kids schooling for the rest of the year so that someone else will be able to take over fairly easily in January. Alisha and I have also been asked to teach a computer class for the Timothy Center girls once a week. Since we missed last week, we are going to be there on both Tuesday and Thursday this coming week. I'm looking forward to connecting with the girls.

Maya's desk:

Little tables for the kids:

 Front of the class:

 Our classroom:

 Reading area: