[mod_python] global variables are not made global?

Hi, I have been trying to fix this for a while, but I cant seem to do it:

essentially this is my code:

in my main .py file that handles requests:
from otherfile import othermethod
def handler():
global a
a=5
othermethod()

in otherfile:
def othermethod()
   #in this method, the value of a is not defined, even though i made it
global!

even though it says in the documentation that global data is normally
retained and handled. And all of the previous code runs within the same
request... am i doing something wrong? or not doing something?
thank you
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