Holiday-Making, Vac., and Everything Else Inbetween

Posted by kingdom on June 18, 2012

Hello my friend, greetings again from Talk of Entebbe.

This newspost was due yesterday, Sunday June 17. I got exhausted after schools got their vac, and thought "Oh, well, the beauty of having no advertising on the blog is you don't feel as much pressure..."  But in any case, apologies.

Holiday-making for the elementary to high school students in San Diego just started last Tuesday. More than 6,000 graduated from middle school to high school ("O" level-"A" level). At the time of writing, I have no information as to how many would go to college (university). Naturally, there was a sigh of relief for the students.

At my school, about 200 kids "promoted" from 5th grade (P7) to middle school, and a fitting ceremony was held, even Marine officers came marching and it was a nice addition.

For your information -- and hoping not to sound confused -- please take note that San Diego Unified School District has two modes of schooling: Traditional (students vac till first Monday in September) and Year-Round (these vac for one week only and are to be back to school on Wednesday the 20th). You go comprehend that!

On a side note, I heard that the leading university here, University of California San Diego, graduated 4000. I thought  about where all these would find work....

California Teacher of the Year

Do we have a "teacher of the year" award in Uganda? Well, here California has chosen Michelle Apperson for 2012. But to underscore how tight the economy is, she was served a notice of re-trenchment shortly after getting the award. Reason: Others have been teachers longer than Michelle, and although she is teaching better than them,  money is not there to keep her working.

Student Ordered Beaten in Class

In Texas, a teacher (I guess she got so angry) pulled an elementary school kid from the seat, lined up 24 of fellow classmates and they took turns hitting the student. Allegedly the student was "bullying" (teasing, harrassing) others. Obviously, teacher has been suspended and charges may be filed.

Football Coach Raping Students

One of the hottest stories going is out of Pennsylavania State University. A long-time coach, Jerry Sandusky, an older and (until now) respected gentleman, is accused of taking advantage of 10 boys he was helping out in American football. This, according to charges, happened for more than 15 years and with suspected knowledge of some authority, university and police. Sandusky  is alleged to have sodomized the boys in bathrooms, showers, hotel rooms. The coach is a married man, but this did not stop him from taking the boys to home and carrying out his act while his wife was inside the house. Sandusky is arrested, but he stands by his innocence.

Fires in San Diego

It is  summer in America, a time when some states expect wild fires that burn acres of brush and bush. Here is San Diego it can become worse, as it did just a few years ago, burning dozens of homes to the ground, displacing people, closing schools and highways for weeks. As I write, the fires are breaking randomly, the latest is threatening to close schools (that are back in session already) and the power-generating plant.

President Orders Work Permits

As you may be aware, in America parliament (Congress) is respected by the president. So, the big surprise came Friday when The President, without consulting Congress, ordered the immigration department (Department of Homeland Security) to issue work permits to anyone who has been here at least 5 years and is younger than 30 years. The public was taken unaware as well. President says these individuals were brought here without their permission by parents or relatives and should not be "punished" for that. The debate, as you may expect, is hot over this issue especially given that economy has not recovered since 2008 and more than 20 million Americans are unemployed through no choice of theirs. Making the employment puzzle bigger, millions have just graduated.

Petrol A Little Down

Some relief has come around just as holidaymakers get ready to enjoy the summer. A gallon (convert into litter) of petrol [called gas here] has reduced by about Shs.650; from Shs.10,3333 to Shs.9689 ($4.15 to $3.89). Kids here start driving at age 14 (with an adult in the front passenger seat), and by age 17 or thereabouts can drive by oneself,  Many own their own cars bought through savings by working during summer vacs or evenings after school and weekends (well, some get car gifts from parents or relatives). So, the price drop is a relief to the students and parents.

Have I talked too much today? Let me know.

I hope to keep the date next Sunday with more news.

Till next time, God Bless Uganda. God Bless America.

C. Kakeeto-Lwanga, Principal & Writer

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