Life lessons

8 February 2013
Things I’ve learned over the past week,

Toms are not good running shoes- at least to my spoiled, asics loving feet.

A good way to support my red team is by having a red face, so  it was actually good I forgot sunscreen.

Second graders really love the songs “head shoulders knees and toes” and “ten little monkeys jumping on the bed”.

I still am not a sprinter.

I can’t run long distances anymore (at least in the heat and with toms).

A bicycle should probably have two tires that are the same size or  else one may go flat every day.
I have absolutely no pool skills.

How Patriots fans felt when they lost the AFC championship when my team {Les Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire) lost in the quarter finals of the Africa Cup (soccer).

There are 3 major methods for natural family planning and I know now the brief overview of them all after attending my neighbor’s presentation after Sunday service in Sivara (She is in Peace Corps and extended for a third year to work on establishing a natural family planning program for Catholic Health Services in Namibia).

There appears to be two different types of wall spider, one flat and not menacing the other bent up a little from the wall and creepy.

“In Africa, we dance.” .

"Madame, I want to borrow a book."

1 February 2013

The Namibian school year has commenced! We have just ended our third week of school, second week of actual classes. As last year I was still at orientation during the bulk of the first week of school, I felt like a confused new person all over again. We had no rotating classes, and people were still registering and getting things organized, so I felt that I had to somehow entertain these kids for the 6ish hours they would be seated in the sixth grade room being their class teacher. It went all right. They seem like a really good bunch of kids. Some troublemakers of course, but all seem so wanting to learn and eager to show me their work! I am back to being “Madame! Madame! Madame!”

Today I felt like I was melting. It was so hot, and only rained a bit in the morning. Coming back from school was a struggle because for the 4^th time this week, I had a flat tire. I don’t know how so many thorns get into the tires. But it is not fun.

Starting the Friday of the first week of school I opened the library. Holding a library book has seemed to become some sort of status symbol at Sivara Primary. Kids between grades 4 and 7 have been coming to the library any time I seem to have a free minute and they are not in class, or anytime I am near the office. When I talk about the library, I am talking about the precious cupboard in the corner of the storeroom/office. J I have put most of the non fiction books I brought back and got last year on the shelves and they just do not stay on the shelves. The second day I opened the library, over 60 learners took out books. (And this is one at a time coming to the cupboard, because I still have my perfectionist ways, and want to keep my books in order) The next day another 20ish kids came. I have stacks of checked out cards I’m trying to go through to put the books back, but as soon as I get a couple done, the line forms again and I’m back to giving out more books! It is tiring but also rewarding. Even if they are not reading the books, at least they are being introduced to all of these topics in pictures- like dinosaurs, rocks, and weather. They love the snake books and crocodile books. I also try to give them a star with some question to answer about the books, and a lot of them have been getting the answers! I hope this helps them on their exams, and I hope all the books with pictures helps them to learn English better and maybe develop a love of reading. But that is the library. It seems to be running my life! I have a stack of stars to go through this weekend that have piled up through the week. J

Thus far, I feel like I have made a good decision in coming back. Between working on the library and getting into the swing of things with school, utilizing some things I did and learned from last year, I am glad to be back. It is also nice that I know a lot of the kids. Most of the new sixth graders were fifth graders that frequented the library so learning names was easy, but this year there are just soo many coming to the library, it is going to be difficult to learn them all!