June 3rd is a public holiday: Uganda Martyr’s Day.  Check out Wikipedia’s info for the story behind it.  In the late 1800’s several Christians were martyred, and they are honored each year.  Many people take a pilgrimage of sorts, and walk from all over the country over the course of several days in order to pay tribute to the martyrdom that has led to their own faith.

As ABIDE we took the day off of classes, just like all of the schools do.  Some extra money was donated so that both ABIDE houses could enjoy some time at a local pool.  It was certainly a special treat for all of us!

The morning weather was perfect for a day in the water.  Swimming is not a very common thing for most people to do in Uganda, so it was a new experience for almost everyone involved.  Some basic lessons in the water were given from the age of 17 months to 20+ years.  Everyone had a great time, and of course I wen home with a little sunburn.

Afterwards, I went to town, and ended up sitting on a balcony when all of a sudden a parade was passing through the street below.  Since I happened to have my camera with me, I whipped it out really quickly (just like several Ugandans whipped out their smart phones), and started snapping pictures and recording a little video.

All in all, it was a good day, and a nice break from the routine.

Now, back to lesson planning…

Beach Ready

The baby was LOVING the water, but most ABIDE students had never been swimming before & this was an exciting new experience.

The group shot.

Taking a break from lessons in the big pool, and enjoying the shallow one.

Splashing around

All smiles

The spectators

Excitement!

Proof I was there.

Dancing in the the streets!