End of Phase 3!

March 31, 2010 (ALMOST APRIL! WHOA!)
Today is the last day of our Phase 3 training, meaning I’ve been in Maseru for the past 10 or so days, going through lots of sessions and workshops about corporal punishment, classroom management, language, culture and everything else under the sun. It’s been pretty good, some have been really helpful, others, well, not so much.
Within the first couple days, friends helped me to remove all the braids from my head. It was SO itchy and naturally, after taking my entire hair out of braids, it was pretty frizzy. I took a couple pictures and jumped into the shower… pretty sure I scrubbed my head so hard it bled a little. It was absolutely stunning how much hair also came out when I combed out my hair, and how little hair I felt like I had.
It was great to see the rest of my training group, though difficult sometimes, with 29 of us in the smallish training center. The training staff is all so wonderful, especially the cooks – never a sad face, and they always make amazing food for us. In fact, I’ve probably gained about five pounds since training started, thanks to their delicious macaroni and cheese, chaka-laka, cheesy vegetables and lentils. Incredible.
I guess there’s not too much else to say about training. It’s given me a lot of really great ideas for projects and classroom techniques. I enjoyed seeing everyone quite a bit, though being in Maseru is a little scary sometimes. There have been several incidents of attempted mugging on volunteers and so we’re really really discouraged from going out, and basically forbidden from going out alone. It seems extreme, but it’s definitely a rule I am happy to play by. It makes running a challenge, since I usually end up with the faster group. We’ve gone on some pretty fast runs, and its been cool to notice how much better I’m able to keep up with them.
Training also made me realize how much I miss my students! Before I left, many asked if they could come with me (absolutely ADORABLE) and I said of course, but they would have no place to sleep. To this they responded that they would sleep in a bed with me… all 100+ of them. Yeah, right. They’re cute.

So now, we’re going to South Africa. I can’t wait.
I’ll work on writing more soon, but for now its time to run, shower, pack up and move out!
All my love from Africa,
-Katie