AISA Conference: Kampala

In this, one of two posts I’ll do about our Uganda trip, I’m just going to focus on the first half of our time there, which we spent in the capital city of Kampala. 

We arrived in Uganda on Saturday, October 18, after an all-night series of flights from Yaoundé via Nairobi.  We had a few hours to regroup, shower, and grab a bite to eat before we walked over to the hotel for the opening events of the conference.  AISA, the Association of International Schools in Africa, hosts a professional development conference in a different African city each year, and I knew from talking with teachers who have been here for a while, that it’s always an entertaining and rewarding few days.  After confirming that we were signed up for the correct institutes, everyone gathered in the ballroom for the opening remarks.  The speakers were good, but the highlight was the Ugandan Children’s Choir’s performance. 

They were so energetic and woke everyone up after our long travels.  It also made me think back fondly to all the International Children’s Choir Festivals Des Moines hosted when we were growing up.  I hadn’t thought about them in a long time, and the memories of the various girls who stayed with us made me smile.  The night wrapped up with a welcome dinner and meet-and-greet, which was nice, but we ducked out early and went to sleep.

The next few days were filled with sessions on teaching writing, structuring unit plans, developing students’ “emotional intelligence,” integrating global issues into every subject, and many other topics.  By in large, the presenters were engaging and provided concrete ways to implement what we learned in our classrooms.  It’s always nice to have a chance to step back and evaluate what we’re doing since that time for reflection often gets lost in the day-to-day rush of school.

In the evenings, we had a chance to explore Kampala a bit on our own.  We had two excellent dinners: one at an outdoor Indian restaurant with incredible curry and the other at a Mexican restaurant.  (This is one of the things I miss most living in Yaoundé—while you can find most types of cuisine, Mexican food just isn’t on their radar.)  We savored the margaritas and guacamole, and ate more than we should have because we knew it would be a while before we’d have it again.

We also explored some local craft markets and went to a jazz club on the top floor of the National Theater.  I’ve noticed that they call all concert venues here jazz clubs, even though much of the music isn’t jazz.  This one was no exception, and we were treated to local artists performing mostly reggae, with a little hip-hop, as well.  We’re used to not knowing what’s being said in Cameroon, since our French still has a LONG way to go, so it was exciting to suddenly be able to understand the lyrics of the songs and read the billboards in town.

A bunch of us had piled into a taxi on the way to the club, but we left at different times and decided to save money by taking boda-bodas back to the hotel.  These motorcycle taxis are everywhere in Uganda and get their name because they take people from “border to border” around the country.  We couldn’t help making comparisons with Cameroon during our stay in Uganda, and while we liked certain things about both, we all agreed that the roads are much better in Kampala, and we just generally felt safer on them.  (I’m sure this is due in large part to the absence of the careening yellow taxis with which Yaoundé’s streets teem.)  I really wish I’d had my camera with me, so I could have gotten a picture of us on the back of the bodas, but you can imagine your own amusing version, and I’m sure it won’t be too far off.  The nighttime streets were calm, and we enjoyed the cool breeze, as well as the different vantage point.

One aspect of Kampala that I will forever associate with the place is the marabou storks.  They are everywhere—perched on trees and light poles, resting in green spaces, and walking throughout the city.  I’d never seen storks up close before—they’re enormous!  The way they walked reminded Brian and I of little old men because they bend forward with their necks slightly out; take slow, cautious steps; and hold their wings in a way that looks like their hands are behind their backs.  In the four days we were in the city, we never quite got used to seeing them, and blatantly gawked like tourists every time.  Here are two photos we took on our way to the conference hotel.  The huge birds looked so out of place on the tree-lined streets—like a St. Bernard that thinks it’s a lapdog. 

Since the hosting school, the International School of Uganda, is located outside of the city, it would have been too costly and time-consuming to bus everyone back and forth each day—hence the conference site at the central-Kampala hotel.  However, we did get to visit the school’s campus for one afternoon session of workshops, and it was really a treat. 
While its isolated setting makes it less convenient in some ways, it has the advantage of wide-open spaces, lots of trees, and much fresher air than you find downtown. 
Here’s Lara, Anjana, and Jennifer taking a break between sessions… 
…and Brian checking out one of the school’s little ponds. 
It’s not even fair to compare this school with ASOY because we have about a quarter of their enrollment, and, consequently, they have a much larger budget than we do.  That being said, it was a beautiful campus and felt incredibly peaceful with all the plants and red stone arches.  (It may have also had something to do with the fact that school wasn’t in session while we were there!) J 



(I’m realizing that I haven’t really posted any photos of ASOY yet.  This isn’t on purpose—I just don’t usually bring my camera to work with me.  I’ll try to put some up soon, though—it’s nothing like these Uganda pictures, but it has its own charm.)

Tuesday night was the farewell gala to honor all the speakers and unwind after a busy few days.  Normally, this is not my favorite type of event, but it was fun to be there with all the other teachers…and the food was great.  This picture is across our table of Francoise (a French teacher from Cameroon), Andre (economics teacher from Belgium), Richard (5th-grade teacher from Cameroon), and Brent (IT teacher/coordinator from Minnesota).

On the other side of the table were Dusty, Maurice (math and French teacher from Cameroon), and Annette (ELL teacher from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts). 
Here are the usual suspects of Brian, Anjana, and Lara. 
This was the other ASOY table of Ruth (2nd-grade teacher from England), Elaine and Harry (chiropractor and ASOY’s assistant director—both from Canada), Jennifer (social studies teacher from Washington), Kevin (counselor from Oklahoma), and Kristie (4th-grade teacher from Vermont). 
And here’s Brian and I. 
Everyone had a wonderful time and danced the night away, although Francoise and Andre put everyone else to shame! 
Overall, I was very impressed with AISA and am looking forward to next year’s conference—I’ve heard rumors that it’ll either be in Senegal or Zambia, both of which would be fascinating!