Planning lessons over laundry

It is so amazing ( I know, I always start this way but it is true) to be back at Gulu High School and see all of my old students. I honestly thought I would never be back here again and I think my students did too. When I recognize my old students I get overwhelmed with joy and start to almost cry and we run towards each other and laugh hysterically as they say "Madam you are back!" I can't wait to begin classes.
My co-teacher Irene and I had are first lesson planning day. She lives right near the school where she taught me to cook cabbage over a stove the other day. She told me to meet her at the school at 10:00am, which Africa time means 10:30, but I was there at 10:00. Time passed and it was 10:50. I wondered where she was, so I just decided to walk to her house. I turned the corner, saw her house and saw her washing clothes. She said that she needed to catch up on washing and honestly I didn't mind. She invited me to sit and plan the next lesson while she washed clothes. I am going to be recording Twelth Night with one of my other co teachers for the blind students and we were discussing how I was going to get the recording device.
I think she could tell that I was feeling a little uncomfortable sitting there planning while she washed clothes. She turned to me and said, "Do you want to help with the washing?" I said, "Sure!" Then she asked, "Have you ever done this before?" To be quite honest, the way she was washing the clothes was in three basins, one to wash with the suds, second to wash some more, third to rinse and then put on the line. I really honestly had never washed clothes in this manner before. She was scrubbing away with only soap and her hands. I had scrubbed in the sink, but never bent over washing everything from my shirts to my blankets! It was amazing. So, she gave me a wrap and I was there planning our lesson and washing clothes with her. What amazed me were the looks from the other african women and men watching this white woman bending over washing with her Ugandan friend. A woman came over to me and said, "thank you for your work." I said, "I am just helping out a friend." This is truly what the teacher exchange is all about. She teaches me her lessons in the classroom and outside the classroom. The man I spoke to was very confused that I was washing clothes, but I waved and yelled out, Afoyo! Which means hello. The children gathered around and picked mangos from the tree that was near us. We took a mango break and decided to make lunch with beans, sweet potatoes and avocados. I loved it! Again she taught me how to cook it, and she claimed that I cooked it when in reality there was no way I did it solo. She totally helped me. We then sat in her home and ate and chatted about politics, her weekend, my job, how life had been the past year. It was so relaxing and satisfying. I then washed the dishes while she finished up with the laundry and then we parted ways. As I left her little village a man said to me, "next time you are going to dig!" meaning he wants me to dig in the garden. "you bet!" I said. "I want to learn all that I can." I hope that I can bring these lessons back home with me. It is amazing to me how much they conserve water. They save it in their homes in huge cans and gather it whenever it rains in buckets. I hope I can bring a little bit of their practice back with me in the states.
If you happen to notice the current headlines about peace in Uganda, please think of the people. The talks are still going on, but it is not looking so good. So please think of them and the people living there. I am off to go pick up my bike I just bought! Hooray! I am bike bound and hitting the Gulu streets! Until next time! :)