February 24, 2010

24 February 2010

It’s always hard going back to work after an enjoyable weekend, and this week was no exception. Somehow I missed the fact that Shoprite closes at 1pm on Sundays, so when I got there at 1:30, I had to find another place to shop. Unfortunately, this meant that I would not have my precious kilogram of popcorn kernels for the week… Big time bad news. It also meant I had to compromise on the raisins I bought, and that I wouldn’t get the Gala apples that I recently found (and like so much more than the other kinds). I make it seem like a big deal, but I managed just fine.
On Sunday evening, I remembered that this week is when we give the first set of monthly exams, which means I had three different exams to write, two physics and one math. It also meant that if I wanted to discourage cheating (and I do), I would have to write multiple versions of each, and be sneaky about how I give them to students. I’ve already given the Form B physics exam (and am not looking forward to marking them for fear of what I may find), and will give one of the Form A math and one physics tomorrow, the other two on Friday. Lucky me! My weekend will be grading, grading and more grading.
Grading will definitely be interesting though, because when the Form B students finished their exams, many were writing me stories or letters, or drawing pictures. Some looked pretty interesting, so I have that to look forward to. I will definitely post some of what they write me if it’s noteworthy!
It is nice though, because whenever a teacher needs an exam typed or printed or copied, the generator goes on. I’ve been bringing my laptop with me to the staffroom each day and as soon as I hear the engine start up, I dash over to plug it in. I managed to type (both variations of) two of my three exams, as well as add and sort music, photos and movies to my computer… and here I am now!
Monday was the day we had no water. The taps in my home were not running, which is (unfortunately) fairly common, but we also had none at any of the school taps. In the evening on Monday, the teachers turned the generator on several times to try to draw water from the borehole, and finally around 8pm there was a little. It’s really a scary feeling to not have any water in the house. I had some in my water filter that I could drink, but to think that after that was gone, I would have none? It’s really a feeling of complete helplessness that we don’t know in America. In the States, with the flush of one toilet, we use more than most of these Basotho see in the course of an entire day, let alone what they drink in a week. In a nice long shower, we use probably more than they’ll see in a week. It’s amazing. (On the bright side, it’s a great excuse not to bathe or wash my dishes!)
Some of my students have been rather difficult lately; I’m teaching things they’ve already seen, so, in their minds, there’s no reason for them to pay attention. So they don’t. Monday was frustrating. After a dinner that did not involve popcorn, Mercy and Henry (the Kenyans from the clinic) stopped by to walk ‘M’e Mamosala home from a visit, and greeted me warmly with hugs and fresh peaches! Mercy’s tree, untouched by students’ hungry paws, has been producing fruit like there is no tomorrow, so she brought me a shopping bag full to the brim of peaches and apricots. As we were talking, she invited Mamosala and me to come over the following day (Tuesday) to help her and Henry try to preserve some of these peaches.
It’s amazing how much more I enjoy life when I know I have something to look forward to. All of Tuesday was so much easier knowing that I would go for a visit in the afternoon, drink tea (with lots of cream and sugar), and talk about life with them. The fact that we would also be up to our elbows in fruit made it all the sweeter. I was reminded of all the times I’ve picked berries and made strawberry jam with my wonderful grandmother, or the times my mom, sisters and I have braved raspberry jam using our own crop. I was having a blast getting all the little bits off the peach pit with nicely geometric shapes. Unfortunately, appearance seems to matter when you are canning sliced peaches, so my artistic cutting methods weren’t appreciated.
Tuesday definitely made up for what Monday lacked. Not only did I get to help jar peaches, some of the older students (Form C) approached me for help with their math homework. I was happy to help, especially since their teacher had been at home for lunch. To my relief, it didn’t require much reading on my part; I could just help them right away. After I explained several concepts to them, they were so happy, they asked if I would come to their class. I said I couldn’t, that they already had a teacher, but that I’m always happy to help if I’m around. One of the other teachers in the staff room later told me that those students had been saying (in Sesotho) that I should be their teacher. What an honor! After school, they came to my desk to ask if I would meet them in the library and explain these concepts once again, this time to a bigger group. I agreed and this time there was a group of maybe ten girls, working on the same problems. They seemed incredibly appreciative and like they really did understand what I was showing them.
I went for a run feeling very pleased with myself, and as I was taking a bath (finally!) afterwards, there were several knocks on my door… once I had clothes on, I found several more students outside who had also come to ask for help. Hopefully it won’t become an every day sort of thing (I’m going to be busy with all sorts of activities as they start up), but I’m happy to help explain concepts to them whenever I can. It made me feel productive as a teacher, and was really nice to be explaining things other than adding and subtracting decimals, or multiplying by ten. They were also very thankful, which is always nice to hear as a teacher; not that my students aren’t, they just have a different way of showing it.
During one of my classes this week, I mentioned that I had a friend who teaches in Quting. In Sesotho, the “Q” is a click, and is pretty challenging to say (you try it!). I guess I pronounced it incorrectly, or at least differently from the way they would say it. Most of my class busted up laughing. I was a little confused, since I had pronounced it pretty well, in my opinion. Maybe it was the way I raised my eyebrows, bugged my eyes out, or stuck my head forward like a chicken when I pronounced it, but whenever I said it, trying to convince them I knew how to click, they just laughed harder. One girl who is usually pretty quiet said, “Madam, say qomoqomo!” I still have no idea what qomoqomo is, but she said I pronounced that correctly. The best part of all this was that every student was laughing, not just those who were in on the joke. This meant that even the quiet guys in the back who always appear to not give a flying hoot about my teaching were in hysterics, practically crying because I couldn’t say a word correctly. It was heart-warming to see, and really lifted my spirits that day.
The rest of the week looks pretty tame, but I need a relaxing weekend to catch up on my life and maybe start planning for our Spring Break (even though technically, I guess Easter happens here in the fall season?) … Tomorrow (Thursday), one of the other teachers at school has agreed to start braiding my hair. I’m not sure what this will entail, or how long it will take, but I do have some dark reddish tinted fake hair for her to braid in, otherwise I guess the braids aren’t very thick (even though I have a ton of hair). She’ll finish hopefully on Friday morning so I can have the weekend with a completed head of braided hair instead of only half-done.
On Thursday, I’ll also go again to the clinic to visit Mercy and Henry. ‘M’e Mamosala and I will each contribute a dish to a sort of international potluck… I’m especially looking forward to the Kenyan food. I’ve agreed to make a sort of peach crisp with some of the other peaches from their trees. If it turns out anything like my apple crisps, it’ll be delicious, and I know they’ll appreciate it, no matter what.
Well, my time to run today is dwindling. School is almost out and the weather looks pretty threatening; hopefully the rain will wait until I’ve returned. Know that I am content here, and feeling good mentally, emotionally and physically. Knock on wood, I haven’t gotten sick since I’ve been here. I miss the States terribly, but really feel that I am in the right place for now…
All my love from Africa
-Katie