Week 80: Writing Week

Last week was a writing week in the library, where I asked all of my students to write summaries of the books we have been reading. Each class has its own book and we read 5-10 pages during their weekly library session. At the beginning of term I promised myself I would take advantage of the fact that I am not required to teach to a test or even to stick to a curriculum. As most of my co-workers see it, if I am speaking English, I am doing my job, regardless of the validity in that it gives me an immense amount of freedom. This allows me to focus on the areas that students are struggling with as well as go at their pace. Last week we were roughly half way through the classes respective books and the term,  so I thought it would be a good time to gauge how much the kids were retaining.  As I graded the papers, I was disheartened to see that the retention was lower then I anticipated and felt defensive of my lesson plans, feeling at a loss for how I could do things differently.

This week, as we went back to reading as a class, discussing, and acting out each page my energy and motivation has been renewed. I realized that last week I was looking for a gold star from my students. I wanted their paper’s to tell me that my hard work was paying off and that I wasn’t the only one learning in the library every day. However, I was looking for validation in the wrong place. As much as it made me frustrated and sad last week, the lesson I had for the kids was too challenging and that was my fault not theirs. When the kids eagerly raised their hands to read the next page this week, I got my validation and reassurance that even if I can’t measure what I am doing every day in the library, I am doing something and I will keep trying and retrying.

Week 79: Shout Out to GRS

 This week I want to give a little shout out to the organization Grass Roots Soccer. In their own words, “Grassroot soccer is an HIV prevention organization that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.” GRS is present in 25 countries and based in Cape Town, South Africa.  I was trained to be a GRS coach last January and it was not until this week that I finished my first program. A program consists of eleven interactive lessons and a graduation ceremony. Previously I never got past lesson four before the practices were derailed for one reason or another. However, all of those failed attempts made this victory all the sweeter. I am grateful to the organization for making such a great teaching tool and to my kids and co-coach for showing up and listening.  As always I am fairly certain that I learned more than anyone else and once I was able to let go of my control, it went considerably better. The most powerful moment for me involved the debrief with my co-coach and finding out what she learned from the program, a good reminder how necessary open and honest conversations about HIV and its spread can be.

Week 78: Frustrations

Over a year in and I still have some of the same frustrations. I thought many of these would be solved or melt away however, many of the things still bother me in the same way they did a year ago.  Today I went for a meeting only to have the person who I scheduled the meeting with say that she couldn’t meet (this is not the first time this meting has been rescheduled). Moments after walking out of her office a man started harassing me, and its only 9am on a Tuesday. I thought the more time I spent here the less I would have to deal with these situations. However, the difference is that when I went to the meeting I knew that there was only a fifty-fifty percent chance it would take place today. I am confident that it will take place before the month is over and I am confident that the event we are planning will also take place before I leave in eight months but I am not so sure that it will happen before the month is out as we planned. As for the man, there was another man after him that chastised the first, the second man does not make up for the first’s behavior but it was a good reminder of the usually silent majority. Although I do not think I will ever adjust to the local perception of time or the insensitive treatment I receive from the loud minority of men. Despite this I know that I want to be here not because of the novelty of being in a new place but because this place is my home and I am happy here.

Week 77: Gratitude Journal

I had to go into the capital again this week for a meeting of the Peer Support Diversity Network that I am a part of. At first I was frustrated that I was missing my library classes, however, it only took one hot shower to remember why I love being in the capital. During this time I also had the privilege of chatting with some fellow PCVs who had been bitten by a spider that was causing them to be fatigued and possibly in need of further medical attention. Despite the bites the PCVs were upbeat and claimed there was really nothing in their lives they could complain about. At that moment I thought of some of my most recent complaints, which included getting put up in a hotel for free as well as getting free food and Internet for two days. Needless to say I think its time I bring back my gratitude journal and a rephrase. This week I had the privilege of going into the capital.

While in the capital I ate at the new Lebanese restaurant and noticed that since I arrived a year ago there are now three new dinning options including Mexican. Thai, and the Lebanese place. As far as I know these three are the first of their kind in the capital and it made me think just how many more changes I will witness before I leave as well as what the country will look like in five or ten years when I come back to visit.

Week 76: Isolation, Diversity, and Acting Class

Peace Corps is a two-year commitment with 2-3 additional months of training before one’s service officially begins. I arrived in August 2013 had pre-service training until October. For the next three months I was not allowed to leave the village which would be my home for the next two years, this period is called community integration or lovingly referred to by PCVs as “lockdown.” Lockdown ends with a two-week training called In-Service Training (IST). This week I facilitated a session at the IST for the PCV group who came a year after me. The session I was co-facilitating was on diversity and led to some quality conversations amongst the training group on their respective identities. Many PCVs feel a common bond with each other that may not have been present had we met stateside due to the nature of our shared experiences. However, unfortunately American prejudices and narrow mindedness also travel with individuals no matter what continent they are on and consequently some people may feel isolated in their newfound communities whether they are amongst host country nationals or fellow Americans.

In the library the standard six and seven classes are reading Finding Nemo. I thought the story was on par with the classes’ English level and would make for a good time in class. However one of the classes this week was trying to act “too cool for school” and thus I turned the lesson into an acting class and instead of simply looking up the challenging words (ie accused) in a dictionary. I had the students practice accusing each other. Other fun words included gasped and exclaimed. By the end of the lesson my irritation and the student’s attitudes had all melted into laughter.

Week 75: Donkey Carts

More often than not my life does not fit the stereotypes of what people think I am doing here in “Africa” but some days I believe it does.  Monday on my way home from school I ran into my friend Ishmael who I frequently see as he rolls through the village on his donkey cart to fill up his jugs of water before going back out into the bush. On this particular day he offered to give me a ride home, which was a welcome offer due to the heat. Now despite many people’s offers I have never actually ridden in a donkey cart before and was a little stymied by how to get on the cart itself. This proved even more difficult as I was wearing a pencil skirt. My first attempt involved using the wheel as a step and when that failed I was reminded of the rollie logs that I used to play with at parks growing up and come to think of it that I was never very skilled at. Little did I know that those logs would have a practical application later in my life. Eventually I made it on the cart and truly felt like my nickname was accurate as I waived to the kids like a true Moshana Princess.

Week 74: The Start of Term 1 and the Trials and Tribulations of Cheese Buying

This week marked the start of Term one for primary school students in Botswana. The school year is divided into three terms, beginning in January and ending in November. It is a gentle start to term as the students begin by cleaning out the dust that inevitable invades their classrooms, then are issued their books for the year and by the end of the first day the standard seven classes are in full swing however the standard ones are still battling the dust. As the leaders of the school the standard sevens will take exams at the end of the year which allow them to move onto junior school. Pass or fail the students will move up for three more years (form 1-3). However form 3 and a above a student will only proceed if they pass. If a student completes form 5 then they are eligible to proceed to university.

I enjoy cheese much more here then I did at home because it has become a precious commodity. The village I do my grocery shopping in did not carry cheese until six months after I arrived. I am now making up for lost time and I make a point of purchasing cheese if it is available. Inevitably the days that cheese is available I wait hours to get a combi home to put the cheese in the safety of my fridge. I used to worry about this but since I have yet to get sick I just assume this is how cheese buying days go. Which is why I was surprised and grateful when this week the combi was waiting when I finished doing my shopping and I was home within 30minutes of acquiring the cheese. I arrived home only to find that the electricity was out and I simply laughed to myself knowing that that should be expected on a cheese day.