Friday, July 4th

Happy Independence Day! 

Today was the last full day here in Rukungiri. We started the day off by going to Kosarosa Primary School, which was just a 10 minute drive from Jim’s house. The schedule at the school was very similar from our last visit. First, we played some games with the younger students. Tyler, Chris, Angus, and I played a game of Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids in the 4th grade.

It took a little time for them to fully understand it, but in the end, they were having a lot of fun. The other Groton students were also playing different games with the other students. Grace and Amani were playing Red Light, Green Light. Diva, Jessica, and Caitlyn were also teaching kids how to play Duck, Duck, Goose. And Marie and Sunny were playing Follow the Leader. After 45 minutes of games, it was reading time. Mr. Reed and Cristina had a bunch of picture books they brought from the United States and Canada to give to Kosarosa Primary School, and so today, we were supposed to read some of the books to the students. It was a little awkward for me to read a children’s book to 14 and 15 year olds. I thought listening to me read a story about a talking bear would bored them out of their minds. I know I would. But they seemed to be fascinated by the pictures and the stories from America. After an hour of this, it was time to head back to Jim’s house. Since today was the big, Independence Day party for the homestays and the teachers, as the hosts, we had some things to prepare. But the party did not start till 5:30, so we still had some time. After lunch, everyone went to the rooms and just relaxed until it was time for us to set up. When it was around 4, we started to set up the chairs and tables in the backyard. After an hour, the guests started to show up.

I sat with Monday, my homestay, and his family, and talked about how much fun we had in the past week. When all the guests arrived, the local dancers started to perform and showed us some unique Ugandan dancing. Then, it was the Groton students to perform. We sang Let Justice Roll, a Groton School favorite, and the girls sang Gold Digger by Kanye West. Soon after, the photographer showed up and the homestay families rushed all the Groton students so that they could get some pictures with us. When it came to about 8, it was finally time to eat. There was a lot of American food like guacamole, pasta, sausages, and many more. It was amazing, and a lot of this was done by Margaret, who spent most of the day cooking. The Ugandans seemed to be enjoying the food, even though they were at first skeptical about trying it. After everyone finished eating, it was time to say good-bye to the homestays. Monday’s parents gave me some gifts. They gave me a homemade basket for my mother and traditional Ugandan shirts for my father and me. I was very grateful for the hospitality they had given me during the past week and it was hard for me to say good-bye. I had a wonderful time in Rukungiri, and I’ll never forget the people I met here.

-Kei Nawa