At the insistence of my mom (this may be her 10th time asking me, at least) I’m updating my blog. I’m sorry for anyone that follows my random thoughts, but I’ve enjoyed checking out of technology for the time being.
I’m halfway through teaching Term 2, which so far has been better than the first term. Better in the sense that only about half of the students returned after the holiday break, mostly due to unpaid school fees, so all my classes are smaller, with maybe 40 kids instead of 60. That may seem like a step back, but I actually prefer it. I’m able to do more group work and one-on-one student tutoring during classwork time. I’ve been feeling like a stronger, better teacher and I like that. Funny that I’m discussing teaching though, I haven’t actually taught in about 2 weeks. We just finished up sport, which is essentially the same as afterschool sporting things, except schools here cancel school altogether and devote entire days to training, preparing the field, baking cakes to give to players, and playing the games. They don’t mess around. My school was divided into 4 houses: blue, white, yellow and pink (I was yellow house, woot woot) and we competed against each other in girls and boys volleyball and football-aka soccer. The entire duration of sport depends on your school. I have some friends whose sport last year went for almost half the term, with about 2 to 3 weeks of training, followed by 2 to 3 weeks of games. Luckily, my school is one of the more well-structured schools so ours only lasted 2 weeks. 2 weeks of my days filled with binch eating, poyo drinking, yellow team cheering, and sun tanning; I’d be lying if I said didn’t enjoy every minute of it. I am looking forward to getting back to teaching though. A friend of mine lent me some Planet Earth DVDs so I’m gonna try and rent a generator and tv so my kids can watch some awesome programs about caves, oceans, and deserts. I’m excited, I think they’ll really like it.
In other news, Harmattan ended a few weeks ago and its been getting progressively hotter as the days go by. The cool day breezes and the really cold nights (I slept in long pants, long shirts, and socks!) lulled me into a false sense of chilliness. Silly me, forgot how just the simple act of putting clothes on in the morning would leave me a ball of sweat over the summer. All my friends love telling me that this is just the beginning too, that dry season is yet to really come. Wish me luck, I might melt away.
I’m drafting this on my veranda right now, that way I can type it out quick next time I get internet, and my daughter Fatu is amazed with how fast I can write. “Yu sabi write quik-o!” Let me backtrack for a second, no, I didn’t actually have a baby. Not that much has changed, don’t worry. There is a 6 year old girl that lives in my compound though, whose mother lives in a neighboring village, which I’ve more or less informally adopted. I tell everyone I get 2 pikin, my dog Snoop, and Fatu. She’s the most precious little biscuit ever. Aside from my 13 year old neighbor Mohamed, she’s my best friend. Yup, I came to Africa and made a bunch of friends who are children. So it goes.
Alright, I haven’t typed this much in a long time, my fingers are tired and it took me much longer than I’d care to admit. I miss and love you all.
