Uganda Team 2009 in Kampala. They leave in a day or so for the bush.


As promised, speaking to 40 three and four year olds was both challenging and entertaining! Some of them were with me the whole way. Others...I'm not sure they ever knew I was in the room with them.

I did learn a few things about speaking on 'world travel and culture' to young children.

If you are thinking about asking a group this size if there are any questions...resist temptation! They will all raise their hands, and not one of them will have a question. They just want to tell you that they "have been to Oklahoma City."

If you show them the flag of any nation, and ask what country they think it is...the answer is always, "Mexico!"

If you ask who among them has ever been to Mexico, the answer is...all of them...every single one will raise their hand. And if you ask one of them to tell you more, they will say, "I've been to Oklahoma City!"

If you walk into their classroom to speak, and you are carrying a hiking backpack filled with items from around the world, there will be two questions. 1) Why did you bring so much stuff? and 2) Did you bring any animals?

If you happen to be the father of one of the teachers, and the students find out about it, they tend to get preoccupied telling each other, "That's Ms. Lauren's daddy!" Then they will ask you over and over, "Are you Ms. Lauren's daddy?"

In every crowd, there is always at least one who is waaay to smart for their age. These children were three and four years old. About half way through our time, one little girl whose hand was always up, asked me..."have you been to Tibet?"

I fully expected a 2-part follow up question along the lines of, "what do you think of the political climate there and what have you done about freeing the people of Tibet?"

What four year old even knows about Tibet?

When speaking to this age group, expect a parade of potty-goers to file in and out throughout your time.

If you let your reading glasses hang around your neck, they will want to know why you are wearing sun glasses.

If you pass some of the objects around, just know that one child will not get to touch it, and they will cry. If you attempt to console them, they will tell you that they have been to Oklahoma City, and ask if you have any animals in your bag.

If you show them a slingshot from Peru that is used to 'herd' llamas, you can expect one little girl to be near tears, and she will ask "why do they 'hurt' llamas in Peru?"

If you try to explain it to her, she will stop paying attention, and go on a potty break.

If you ask where llamas are from, just know in advance that they come from Alaska...and don't try to tell them different...they have been there and seen them.

If you call small stuffed llamas, "llama puppies," they will believe you.

If you show them arrows made by the Karamojong and tell them they are used to hunt food, they will ask, "what do they do with the arrows?" If you tell them more specifically, that little girl who is now back from the potty, will want to know why they hurt llamas in Uganda?


In all reality, it was an incredible time. The children were great. They have all been to Oklahoma City and Mexico. Their comments are seldom on topic, but such is the mind of many three and four year olds. And remember, if you come back, bring animals...they want to see animals. Oh, and don't tell them that they eat guinea pigs in Peru...bad idea.


dad