jan feb blogs

14 Jan 2009
So the blog is back…Here’s my excuse why its been a while since the last update…Somehow last semester became incredibly busy. It was one thing after another. Form 4 mock exams, form 2 mock exams, mid terms, mid-term break, graduation, form 4 exams, form 2 exams, and terminal exams, not to mention other random interruptions. All of these things lasting about a week each. Last semester seems like a blur but I guess a lot was actually going on and the rest of the time was spent trying to catch up/still find time to do other non-school related things. Things go by so quickly. Now I say that I feel so busy all the time like a chicken with my head cut off (which I have actually not seen happen yet, as we eat more dried fish for animal protein than chicken around here, though I did see a turkey get its head chopped off for xmas but he was held down and rigged w/ some kind of fancy pully system). About me running around, that is probably just me- but everywhere you go there you are right?
So some people have asked me about my regular days here, and after about 5 weeks of summer vacation (its summer here, though I know you guys are freezing at home) I will try and remember what its like (I might as well, school technically starts on Monday). There is probably some misunderstanding that because im in a foreighn country life is way more exciting than usual. But you will see for yourself. Sorry for all of the parentheses, (analyze that however you like).


So usually I wake up around 545 or 6:00. On MWF its 545 because my students run by my house for morning mchakamchaka (morning run which consists of a lap or two around the football field). I wake up because I think they put way more effort into screaming/singing their exercise chants than the actual run. On the other days I wake up to my cat crying and the chickens invading my house (more on that later, I haTE CHICkens), kick out the chickens, let the cat in the mosquito net and on the bed so she stops crying. I really don’t know why I actually set my alarm. Then around 6 40 I decide I shouldn’t be late for school, drag myself out of bed, make myself some oatmeal mixed with ulezi (millet). Then I eat my oatmeal, give the cat some dagaa (small fish) w/ ugali (corn flour mixed w/ water), do the normal bathroom routine, and get dressed. Getting dressed here is way easier. First of all most of my outfits are tanzanian style these days, which means the top matches the bottem as in its all one pattern, also its usual to wear an outfit 2 days in a row so on at least 2 days of the week I don’t even have to chose an outfit. The tanzanian made clothes don’t seem to get as dirty as my thin cotton t-shirts I sometimes wear so the 2 day thing is not a smelly issue. Also with short hair I don’t have to do a THING, not that I really did before anyway,,,,minus finding a hair thingi. Its great. Im not gonna get another hair cut until I leave. So this next couple monthes will probably be full of bad hair days.


Back to the schedule…I listen for the school bell to ring which can be anytime betwenn 7 am to 720 am. I think it just depends on whatever teacher is Teacher on Duty for the week. Then I realize im late and look around the house for whatever item im missing find a pen and im off, up the gravel road about 300 yards to the morning assembly which is incredibly painful. Sometimes the students pass out if there are a lot of announcements, Im scared that’s gonna be me some day. After announcements there is signing in, greeting everyone to see how they slept, awoke, etc, check the schedule scramble to get notes written/finish grading (ugh)/deal w/ students/bull shit with the other teachers/return home to grab something I forgot/go to class. About class…. I have 26 forty minute periods a week. Which is not a whole lot. All of them are double periods. My students cant handle 80 minutes of class. Neither can I. Its long. My arms get tired. Usually class goes really well for the first 55 minutes, and then the remaining minutes are usually when the girls start acting up. I don’t blame them. I couldn’t handle the 80 minute classes in college. I try to give them breaks stand up, stretch, jump up and down. Usually there is some kind of interruption or class starts late, which solves the double period length issue, but then we are so far behind on the syllabus so I feel bad either way. Then at 1050 there is chai break. Students eat their breakfast (uji, cornflour mixed w/ water as a soup, w/ sugar and maandazi or chapati, if they buy them) and the teachers may or may not have a meeting depending on whether the mkuu (head mistress) is around or not. Then its back to teaching/notes until school ends at 240 and then usually lunch is ready, ugali and beans or rice and beans, and then I run home chill out, prep for club or do whatever random thing I have to do that day, go on my evening run or play netball, then its bath and dinner at a friends house or even mine if I actually cook. And bed by 10. Weekends are way more exciting, I ll save that for another day. Im tired of writing. My tolerance of using a computer or even the internet is very low these days….. Happy Birthday AMY O, MELissaa McG and Jennyyyy!!!

26 FEB 2008.
“DON’T Be ashamed try and speak ENGLISHI!!!!!!!!!”
This month flew by and im super busy! I think I finally actually know whats going on completely these days and so im actually given some more responsibility even if it includes watching students slash grass for an hour which is boring. I did get some of my students out of punishment 2 days ago. They were being punished for not speaking English. THE WHOLE SCHOOL SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR NOT SPEAKING ENGLISH including the teachers and myself. Usually I stay out of all the long conversations during meetings but I knew it was going to end up pulling some of our health club kids out of health club which only meets for like 2 hours a week anyway. So I spoke up and said that if the health club kids had to be punished they would do it another day. This did not go over so well at first. And im like why do you think punishment for something like speaking english is more important than a health club? (it’s not just health club. Students are pulled out of class alll the time for random punishment and its hard enough to keep 73 kids learning well in the classroom and its even harder when they are not allowed to show up and half the time its not punishment if the studnets don’t wanna be in class anyway) So it further went into a conversation about what did I really think of the english situation and the punishment situation, which like I said, I usually stay out of considering I don’t really see how forcing the students to speak english will help when we teachers don’t even use english and actually use kiswahili to tell them to speak english. And im not the biggest on punishment anyway mostly bc its so much extra work. And this particular punishment was a waste of time and I actually said that. Well turns out my neighbor was right along with me. So the kids got out of punishment and we all agreed that we really cant only speak english here so we might as well just reward the ones who can. ok. things are actually going well miss you guys.