Chocolate Chip Cookies and Final Exams

It's been a busy week, but I haven't had much time at the computer. Final exams begin tonight for the Social Development and Counseling Program and I'm giving tonight's exam. I tend to think my exams are too easy, but the students' scores tend to follow a normal curve, so I suspect it's about right. These guys write way more on essays than do my students at CSU.

This week I've been correcting papers and assignments. Unlike their essays, students tend to write way shorter papers than I assigned. Oh well, they lose points. When I ask for a five page paper, I mean five, not two and a half.

On a brighter note, I baked chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Well, chocolate chunk cookies--I haven't found chocolate chips anywhere in the country. I should say, I haven't found chocolate chips anywhere in Kampala. If chips are to be had, they're in Kampala. While there are other towns--and nice, decent size ones--Kampala is the only real city in Uganda. Kampala does not have chocolate chips but Cadbury makes a semi-sweet cooking chocolate bar that when chopped up substitutes nicely for chocolate chips.

I made the cookies yesterday and they are a big hit. I haven't had a real chocolate chip cookie since we arrived. The one, small, outrageously expensive box of Chips Ahoy that I bought shortly after we arrived doesn't count. They do not compare to real homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Fr. Henry was over for one of his twice-weekly math tutoring sessions with Bry'Chell. The first batch of cookies came out of the oven shortly after he arrived. I passed cookies all around--Fr. Henry, Bry'Chell, Henry and me--we all ate warm chocolate chip cookies. They were great.

Somehow our house has become a popular place to hang out for the high school set. I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden, it seems like there are always kids over at the house.

It started last Friday when the kids got out of school for the end of the first term (the school year starts in January). I had ten people over for lunch--most of them boys. Bry'Chell has developed a real following. At 5:30 PM I told her they had to be gone by 6. They were.

We've had a house guest since Friday. Musisi Henry, one of Bry'Chell's school mates has been staying with us. Henry is more my friend than Bry'Chell's. He's a bit older than Bry'Chell--too old (18)--and too serious of a student to be of any real interest to her. He's interested in math--he wants to be a math professor and a priest. I'd like to see him study in the US. He's good at math. He scored the highest in the school on the "O" Level exams at the end of fourth year. For a kid who's into math, his language skills are also really good. His English is probably the best or second best of any of the students at St. Mary's (Bry'Chell excluded, of course).

Henry rode the bus with me today to Rubaga and caught a taxi (mini-bus) home. He has offered to show me the slums of Kampala, so I will probably see him again before their month-long break is over.

Today we had another visitor. Maria, who sells bananas, has been coming over during the break so Bry'Chell can tutor her in math and English. Her grades were not the best the past term, so Bry'Chell is tutoring her. Bry'Chell can speak Ugandan English. She has the accent down cold. The kids understand her much better than they understand me. I think Maria is intimidated by me, but she likes Bry'Chell. Bry'Chell gets into the tutoring. She gives homework and everything. She's good.

There are a couple of other boys--Joseph and Andrew--who like to come over. I'm not sure who/which they like better, Bry'Chell or her computer. They spend a lot of time with both.