Not SportCenter's Top 10

There are only 10 days left of my Student Teaching journey. Can you believe it?! I can’t! In honor of the final 10 days, I am going to do a countdown of the Top 10 Things I Have Enjoyed About Student Teaching in Uganda. There are DEFINITELY more than 10 things I have enjoyed, but I am going to try my best to narrow it down to 10.

10 – Ugandan Hospitality

Starting off our countdown is Ugandan Hospitality. From the day we arrived, anyone we have met or spoken to has been so incredibly welcoming. Each time we entered someone’s home or shop, we were always met with a “most welcome” from the host. Coming from a region of the United States that prides itself on its hospitality, receiving that same hospitality from the locals here in Uganda was so comforting.

9 – Craft Markets

I regularly hate shopping, but the craft markets here in Uganda were so cool! Each of the items were handmade by either the seller or someone he/she knows personally, so I loved hearing the stories of how things were made or just the stories of the people’s lives. I probably spent too much money at the markets, but I just want to be sure that friends and family back home know I was thinking of them while I was gone.

8 – Ugandan food

Rolexes will forever be one of my favorite foods. Incredibly cheap to buy, probably a little too greasy, and oh so filling, a rolex is a staple of every Ugandan’s diet, and Rolex Factories can be found on almost every street. We have been so fortunate to live RIGHT next to one! The man who works there is so nice to me (probably because he sees me ALL the time!), and I enjoy talking to him each time I go to by a rolex.

7 – Boda Bodas

I talked a bit about boda bodas in a previous blog post, but I did not convey my thankfulness for this method of transportation. I have saved so much time by riding boda bodas rather than walking, and I have met several really great drivers.

6 – Skype/FaceTime

Prior to this trip, I greatly underestimated the comfort and joy of seeing a loved one’s face and being able to talk to them. Something I took for granted before, I have been so incredibly blessed by the many people I have been able to see and talk to while abroad. From co-workers who persevered through an hour of an awful wifi connection to see and hear me, to my family, who took time out of their Sundays each week to catch me up on life, and all others in between, I have thoroughly enjoyed each moment and cannot wait to reunite with each of you.

5 – KISU Staff

The top 5 would not be complete without the people who have made this adjustment and experience so much better. From the security staff I see entering and exiting the school, to the teachers I spend much of my time with, each one has been so incredibly welcoming and understanding. Most of the teachers are from countries other than Uganda, so they understand what we went through when first arriving in the country. Also, they were Student Teachers once as well, so they were sympathetic towards our situation. From offering tips to counting down the days with us to graduation, they were such a valuable asset to this experience. To the local staff – the security and kitchen staff, although my time with them was not extensive, it was very nice. I was always met with a smile…it was also nice when the staff that served me lunch always gave me more food than others J

4 – Fellow Interns

The four people with whom I have lived this experience. First, my roommates – I do not know if it is possible to find three people who are more opposite than the 3 of us, but somehow, we have managed to live together for 3 months without killing each other. From spending hours watching American Horror Story, Modern Family, and Revenge, to stressing out over EdTPA and the other things we had to complete, I am thankful that I had those two to share this journey with. The two ISU girls – two people who have always been ready for adventure (and planned all of our excursions), there was never a dull moment when we were all together.

3 – Nature

Y’all, Uganda is BEAUTIFUL. If you do not believe me, just check out the pictures in my Facebook album or search #CAMpala2014 on Instagram. You will not be disappointed. Exploring the country, both in the city and out of it, I was never let down by the views. From the beauty of hiking around Fort Portal, to the sights of the city, one thing I will surely miss about Uganda is the sights it provides.

2 – My Mentor Teacher

I would not have survived this experience without the help of my mentor teacher. He has been teaching for several years, so he is super intelligent when it comes to both teaching methods and content. Constantly offering suggestions on how to better meet the needs of our students, I am so thankful for his guidance and direction, and I know I am a better teacher because of him.

1 – The Students

Such a teacher response, but the thing I have enjoyed most about this experience has been the students. Always full of life and energy, especially when I was not, the students always kept me on my toes. From the ones I saw only a few times to the ones I taught multiple times a week, I was always respected and obeyed, which is something I know I will not get in the States. The students at KISU are just really great students overall, and it has been such a joy getting to know and teach them. And although I was the teacher, I learned so much about myself and teaching from them (another “teacher line”).

From here, I would go into a list of the top 10 things I miss from back home, but after listing “family” and “friends,” the other 8 would be “Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle”.

Cam

Connect with me through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Links provided!
- Facebook is more for general updates on how things are going (Cameron Yarbrough)
- Twitter is more thoughts about things I am experiencing (@TheGrandCameron)
- Instagram is for cool pictures and things! I am using the hashtag #CAMpala2014 on all of my pictures during this experience, so you can find my pictures that way as well! (@TheGrandCameron)

I Must Be Hilarious

You have heard of the saying “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.” (If you haven't before now, you just did.) This quote is attributed to Woody Allen, but the idea of God disagreeing with our plans is not an original thought by Allen. Proverbs 16:9 says “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (NKJV)

Today, I attended a college fair as a chaperone. The Guidance Counselor thought it would be a good idea for us interns to chaperone since we are still in university (for one more month!) and could provide some insight to the students as they spoke to representatives from the various schools. I teach/observe one senior class, and there is one student in that class. Because there is only 1 student, I have been able to talk with and get to know him more than other students. This particular student was on the trip, so I mostly walked around with him and his girlfriend. Knowing what they both were interested in, I helped them find schools that offered their majors. My student has had his heart set on two schools for some time now, but neither of them was at the college fair, and he was unwilling to consider any of these new schools. I urged him to talk with representatives and get information about their schools because he needed to have options, just in case. Reluctantly, he agreed.

As I was talking to him, I was taken back to my senior year, when I told my guidance counselor that “I don’t need backups; I’m going to UGA.” As I have done so many times since starting at Kennesaw, I laughed at my ridiculousness, just the way my counselor did when I told her, and just how God did when I told Him. I believe, however, that I can only laugh at myself now because hindsight is 20/20. When you are 17 or 18 and getting ready to graduate and turn the page on the next chapter of your life, you want to have everything planned out, down to the last detail. My student does, and I definitely did. Deciding what college to attend and what to major in are important decisions, so it is too common for us to want to take matters into our own hands.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of “those” versus: the ones everyone knows and the repetition of said verses can often cause us to overlook the importance of them. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.” I could just stop right there. Our plans are KNOWN by the Lord. The Creator of the universe KNOWS the plans He has for you. Really grasping the weight of that sentence should overwhelm us with incredible peace about our futures. Also, the use of the word “declare” is something to note. While some translations use “said,” the word translates the same. From the Greek “nĕ'um,” the word means “utterance; declaration.” To me, those words are backed by confidence and strength. Not only does the Lord KNOW our plans, but He can confidently say that; there is not wavering back and forth on whether or not He knows them. The rest of the verse goes on to say just what kind of plans He has in store for us. “…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV) This is further assurance that we are in good hands.

You would think that after seeing how God has worked in my life the past 4 years, proving time and time again that He knew best, that I would be able to say with confidence that my future is not something I want to plan on my own. Wrong. I had my own plans regarding how I was going to finish school, but God showed up BIG in the way that He directed my steps, and you can read about that here.

As my time in Uganda is coming to an end (19 more days!), I am coming up on another milestone: graduating college. Again, I am laughing at myself. Before I even boarded the plane in Atlanta, I had plans about what I was going to do when I got back. I was so planned out, in fact, that I was so close to passing up a great opportunity because it was not what I wanted for myself. However, I have wiped my drawing board clean and am giving God the pen, something He should have had the whole time.

I say all of this to say that, while I have no idea what the future holds, I know that since God planned it, just as He has planned out every other detail of my life, I will not be led in the wrong direction.