As I've mentioned before I teach at a boarding school so all the students live at school and go home only for breaks or the occasional weekend. There are 4 dormitories, 2 for boys and 2 for girls. Each is a large (actually not that large) room that is filled with bunk beds each about 2-3 feet apart. The students each came with a mattress pad and a small bag or trunk with all of their things and there really isn't room for anything more. They use latrines and shower rooms outside the dorms and wash their clothes on the field in front of the school then lay them all out on the grass to dry in the sun.
The students wake up each morning somewhere around 5am-6am, get themselves ready for the day then eat breakfast which is always the same, porridge. If they choose to purchase it themselves they also have sugar. Classes begin at 7:30 so the kids head into their classroom to begin the school day. The teachers move from room to room and the kids stay in the same classroom with the same students. There are eight, fifty minute classes each day. The students have English, Biology, Chemistry, History, Geography, Kinyarwanda, Swahili, French, Computer Science, and Physics, Math and Entrepreneurship, but obviously not all in the same day. They have each class a certain number of times each week, for example I teach Biology 3 class periods per week and English 5 times per week. Resources of course are scarce. The classrooms are bare with only desks and a chalkboard. We have a library but is really used just to store the textbooks that are provided by the government for each subject. For some classes there aren't enough for each of the kids so they aren't allowed to keep them for more than a day or 2 so most often they aren't used because it's time consuming getting them in and out each day. There is only one computer at the school which is used by the secretary so the students learn all about computers for 3 hours each week without even touching one. There is no copy machine so when I give assignments or quizzes I write them on the board then the students copy their answers on a piece of paper. There is some lab equipment but like the books it mostly just sits in storage in the library. I'm hoping to find a way to incorporate what we do have into my teaching and hopefully encourage other teachers to do so as well.
I'm so used to not having anything to work with I can't imagine having an endless supply of construction paper or an overhead projector. It's a good challenge though to get creative, I've used a Tupperware container to represent the heart, a water bottle to show how the heart pumps blood and have discovered my inner artist by drawing models of the digestive system and heart on rice sacks.
While there are clear disadvantages, the students here have the one thing that is worth more than any book or computer, which is motivation. These kids know the importance of education and understand that if they want a better life they must go to school. Last week we had exams for the end of the trimester and I went to give some make-up quizzes at night and all the kids were studying, not talking and goofing off but really studying. Education here is considered free for 9 years but in reality each school has fees the student must pay to attend whixh are unaffordable for many families. It's a real privileged for those that can go and their families have to make big sacrifices for their education.
So anyway...after school it's always a mad rush to the water tap where they line up with their buckets to get water to bathe or wash clothes. They also have chores they must do around school either cleaning the classrooms, dorms or the school grounds. There are some clubs that gather to sing or pray as well. Every night at 6 the students go back into their classrooms and study for 2 hours. After that they eat dinner, which is always rice and beans (the same as lunch), then they go to bed. On the weekends they fill their time doing chores, playing volleyball or soccer or just hanging out. Even without T.V. and video games they seem find plenty to keep themselves busy and out of trouble.
Exams have finished and I'm left correcting them and entering grades. So far most of my students did alright and nobody has failed the class which seems like a success to me. All of next week is allotted for us to finish reporting grades and then the students will leave school on Friday when break officially starts. I have a list going of things I want to accomplish during the break which most importantly includes working on lesson plans for next term. I have also committed to giving English lessons to the employees at the health center and made plans to spend a day with one of the community health workers making visits. For fun, a large group of volunteers including myself are going on a camping trip/safari in Akagera National Park. After, we have almost a week of Peace Corps training. I'm looking forward to this and dreading it at the same time. After being on my own for about 3 months now I think it will be quite overwhelming to suddenly be back with 64 other Americans. It will, however, be good to see everyone again and to get some fresh ideas and inspiration for next term.
In general things have been going well the past few weeks. I've been spending a lot of time at my site, for a while it seemed like I was going somewhere every weekend even if it was just for the day. So the past few weekends I haven't gone anywhere and it's been a nice change. I remember when I went to college my freshman year my mom told me that I couldn't come home on the weekends for the first few months. This seemed a little harsh at the time when I was homesick and just wanted to see my family. She had her reasons though and it was not just because she finally wanted an empty house. She said the weekends would be the time when I would really make my friends which proved to be true. I feel like it's sort of the same here, I don't want everyone to think that I head to the city or to other Americans the second I get the chance and I want them to know that I'm here to really live here. So this weekend instead of running off to Kigali to eat good food I made my own at home. Last night I had fajitas with homemade tortillas and today chicken noodle soup (minus the chicken) with homemade egg noodles and focaccia. It was the first time I've tried to bake bread here and it turned out surprisingly well so I look forward to experimenting more in the future.
So while things have been going well here things haven't been so great back home. I found out on Tuesday that my uncle Joe, my dad's brother, had passed away. He was diagnosed back in February with lung cancer that had spread to his brain. He underwent some radiation but only palliatively. Thankfully he spent the past 2 months at home surrounded by his children and grandchildren who brought him some much joy on a daily basis. My uncle was a kind person who spread his love generously. When I think of Joe I picture him with his grandchildren with a look of sincere happiness. The love he had for his family was so evident. While it has been difficult to be away from family now I think his loss will really hit me when I go back home and he isn't at holiday celebrations or at breakfast after church every Sunday. He will surely be missed by many.
As always, all my love!
Annie
p.s. I've included some of the pictures I sent to Henry
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| This is Lake Muhazi near my house where many people get water, these kids were at the lake filling geri cans to take back home |
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| These are my Senior 1 English students and the classroom where I teach |
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| Some of the students (with Flat Stanley) in the courtyard at school |
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| The kids carrying their water back home |
