By Michelle
After such an emotionally draining day yesterday, we were back to coaching today. Yesterday had reminded us of why we were here and the importance of helping to spread the awareness of HIV/AIDS through our cricket coaching and spurred us on with our work. Plan A consisted of going to Inganga Boys Boarding School, Yusef’s school during his primary years. This is not where we were going to be coaching, so it was a quick stop here before travelling onto the next school. Plan B….. Joseph parked up the bus and we unloaded the kit onto a surprisingly flat field just outside the school. Plan C…we were asked to use another field around the back of the school, so not to distract the classes from their work. We loaded the bus back up and moved onto the next field, which was slightly less flat!
After Joseph skilfully manoeuvring through a very narrow, some might consider un-driveable path due to the dangerous looking pot holes, we parked up and unloaded the kit, again. We were expecting to be coaching the teachers today, followed by two days of coaching the children…here Plan D was needed as we were told that the teachers had turned up yesterday for their coaching and children were expected today! The teachers were also coming back today for their session…nothing runs smoothly here in Uganda but it keeps us on our toes!
Veronika and I volunteered to do the lunch run, so we went off with Joseph on the bus to find a supermarket to buy food and water for the day. After passing at least 3 supermarkets, Veronika having shouted to Joseph that they were there, she was told to be quiet and he carried on driving! Slightly concerned that we were being kidnapped, we finally stopped at a supermarket and got the lunch and water for the day. We were ready in time for 40(ish) boys from Inganga Boys Boarding School to turn up for the morning session, along with 12 teachers.
After having to put our first four plans into action, the morning went well. Considering how terrified I was about coming on this adventure…particularly due to my complete lack of cricketing skills, I seem to be doing ok. Today I was able to coach/demonstrate the high catch to the children and took a third of the group to support them with their front foot drives and pull shots! The boys demonstrated some brilliant cricket skills and seemed to enjoy the morning. I am still fighting against admitting that I like cricket but am sure that day will come very soon!
The afternoon consisted of a tournament the boys were as competitive as the children in Tororo and displayed some fine cricket skills…clearly thanks to their amazing coaches! The boys ended the day by singing us their school song, which always pulls at the heart strings of our group!
As far as safeguarding is concerned, here in Uganda communities run on trust and care for each other and each other’s children. Children as young as 1 or 2 can be seen wandering around the streets and green areas without adult supervision, they are perfectly happy playing with stones and other such objects, with the other children around them. The children here in Uganda have so little but they are happy, I have yet to see an unhappy child.
We travelled back to the hotel, had 25 minutes to shower, change and be ready to visit the Bujagali Falls. The views were amazing, well worth the wait, with the powerful water lashing through the falls, whilst African men played music and danced on the edge of the water. Yusef impressed us by busting some moves along to the music!
Straight onto dinner, from the falls we went to Mezzanine, tapas restaurant and pizzeria, located on the edge of the Nile. The food was amazing, all enjoyed their mains…followed by another, due to the size of the first! I did not enjoy using the toilet along with two Geckos running around the enclosed space…small screams could be heard by those within a 5 mile radius! After dinner, we went to the water’s edge…it was beautiful; so many different animal sounds could be heard (James slightly nervous by the sound of frogs)! Along with the magical sight of the fire flies moving around everywhere you looked. Veronika discovered by walking out onto a small ledge and crouching down, the sound changed and was intensified, so Veronique and I joined her, the three of us crouching down listening to the sounds of exotic animals and watching the fire flies right by our feet, out of this world (Isabel and Lucy would’ve thought they were surrounded by fairies)! James, Mike and Alan went next…when a splash in the water was heard; James and Alan could be seen sprinting back up the ledge in fear of a crocodile, to the hysteria of the rest of us, who had seen Rich throw a stone into the water!! It was another good day enjoyed by all.