Tuesday 7/1

Today was day two of our school visits. The children are getting accustomed to seeing us around but we are still applauded as we enter classrooms and can virtually engage anyone in conversation and get a positive response. As the novelty wears away, realism sets in, reinforcing our shared sentiment that there is a dichotomy at work here: poor teaching and learning conditions conflicting with a profound desire to learn on the part of the children and a deep commitment to save as many children as possible on the part of teachers and admins.

At night we were feted this time by Joshua Kagaba who had hired the obligatory dance troupe and percussion musicians. But there was one wrinkle this time - a tour through his plantation where we sampled sugar cane, cut free about ten ripe pineapples and some avocados that were so enormous as to arouse suspicion (was there a nuclear plant nearby?).