My job continues to go well and I am getting a hang of teaching the little ones.. I managed to only make one of my nursery school kids cry yesterday, so things are moving in the right direction… My kids are the ones giving me ideas for lesson plans for them, so it pays to have so many kids.. today is pay day at the school.. This means the finance officer goes to the bank, withdrawals millions and millions of Kwacha, separates it for each worker,, then we go to the office to collect.. I left the office with a giant wad of cash bulging out of my pocket. 1$= 410 Kwacha..
michelle and i had a bit of a frustrating day…. her with work and things of the medical nature.. me with people trying to make meetings on time and sell me a lemon of a car.. I went to pick up Michelle from work and as we are venting, we acknowledge that our frustrations stem from somewhat trivial things and that we should count our blessings…..As I picked up micelle from work in our 1 vehicle , there was a 60+ year old man with no shoes carrying a giant stack of firewood on his head to make dinner.. So , we’ll be ok.
Kate played in her first soccer game here and is a bit of a leader on her team.. unfortunately, her team isn’t very good and lost 9-0…. in soccer.
Michelle and I took took the kids to a dinner function for UNC research physicians this evening and had a nice time.. There was a good mix of homemade ethnic foods and Frances ended up playing chess with someone for an hour or so..
My students... i am really enjoying teaching the high school classes here.. Students are extremely bright and eager to learn and try new things.. It is a very small group of students , as most people send their children off to boarding school around 8th-9th grade. Many people here send their children to a school in Kenya.. the diversity is great amongst the high school student body.. and all of them can speak at least 2 languages... They haven't had art in 6 or 7 years, so anything I throw at them seems to be a a new experience for them. One of the big differences between the students here and back home is the element of respect.. they greet the teacher when they walk in the door and they are sure to say thank you when the lesson is finished.. It's a nice finish to a class and it happens every day and every class.
This weekend we plan to take the kids to a small little wildlife reserve about an hour outside of the city... Kuti Wildlife Reserve.. It will be pretty simple and the kids can take a walking safari.. they have zebra, kudu, bushbuck, giraffe , etc.. no predators, so it will be a very simple day out.. We reserved a "bush villa" which puts you out in the "bush" .. they have a deck that everyone apparently goes to view the sunset.. I'm hoping the night is clear so the kids can see the beautiful african night sky... Ok, that's it... the photos include Jude and Franny, black and white "selfies" of my high schoolers, 2 nursery school students and an awesome still life prop I received yesterday morning from a father at the school... He said he picked it up from a farmer friend of his.. I hope to get more..
All for now and Happy birthday to my little brother matt!!!
