Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Christmas break was great, but now it is back to reality and responsibilities, hmmph. We have just started our fourth week of school, so that means that now the kids are finally showing up consistently. Which is frustrating because I've been teaching some difficult stuff, especially in SS and the kids that are just now coming are completely lost. I've debated with just doing blow off stuff the first few weeks, but I can't bring myself to do it. Our class time is so limited as it is, and there is so much information to cover for the external exams that I have to teach material, there really isn't any time to waste. Talking about what I'm teaching, I'm currently trying to teach cellular respiration to my SS students. Struggle. I love them though because even though they think I am crazy and talking some weird science language, they are right there with me concentrating so hard and really trying to understand. I might have to explain it a million times, and it will definitely take awhile, but I am confident that they can get it. Regardless, prayers are always appreciated :)

With my JSS kids I'm trying to wrap up ecology with food chains/webs and we are coming into the different cycles (nitrogen, water, calcium etc.). I get a little frustrated sometimes because the JSS are the kids that have to do the work around the school which lately has meant making cement blocks for a stage that they are building. Because of this work they are often pulled out of class when I am teaching, especially one of my classes which is now so far behind. I don't have that many free periods so I haven't been able to make up the lost time. Today they made kids leave school if they had not paid their school fees, effectively ending school for the day because there were only about 5 kids in each class that had actually paid. Instead of getting frustrated with how far behind we were getting, I took all of the JSS 2 kids left (only 12 out of 150) and we went to the library. We actually have some really good lower level science books with lots of pictures and simple explanations of the things that they are learning, so we spent an hour and half just having them read the books and go through the pictures. They would ask me to help whenever they didn't know a word or didn't know what a picture was. It was really fun to try and explain to them how diverse life on Earth is and how even I had never heard of some of the plants and animals that they were asking about. I was really happy because these kids chose to stay and learn when they could have gone home. And it was really great because there were so few of them that we could laugh, be more informal and get to know each other better, all around making a positive experience out of a sucky situation.

I'm planning on meeting up with Cat to go visit Kim up in Rokupur this weekend, which I am really excited about. The Congotown Crew will be reunited! (We all lived next to each other in training in the part of Makeni called Congotown) I've been to Kim's site once, but only for one night, so it will be fun to really see the place. All of our sites and schools are so different, and I love going and visiting friends because then you get to see what they are experiencing everyday, who they talk to and where they go, which is really fun.

Overall today was a good day. After school I was going for a walk with my lapa tied (finally I have mastered how to tie the 2 yards of fabric called a lapa as a skirt without it falling down all the time), my hair braided, sucking an orange (they don't eat the whole thing here, only suck the juice) and greeting everyone in Krio and Limba. I realized that I'm finally starting to fit in here. Yeah I have a long ways to go, but you have to give credit to the good days, and today was definitely one of those.

Belated Christmas Post

I wrote this on December 27^th when I went to the mission to update this blog but then realized that everyone had gone to Freetown and there was no internet. So it’s a little late, but better late than never I guess.

Happy Christmas!

A belated Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that this holiday season has been filled with fellowship, festivities and of course delicious food. What I would give for some cabbage rolls, Grandma Ellie’s corn and of course those chocolate covered peanut butter bits of heaven called buckeyes. Earlier this week my friends and I listed all of the holiday foods that we were craving, which I realize now in retrospect was slightly masochistic since none of those things are available here. Oh well, there will be plenty of Christmases when I get back to indulge in all of those holiday treats. Christmas in Salone was different, but still a lot of fun. We are currently in the throes of ‘festive season’ as they call it here, the time right before Christmas until New Years. This means that almost every day there are football matches, dances or ‘outings’ which is like a picnic with a DJ. On Christmas Eve, one of my PCV friends came to Kamabai and we went out clubbing in Makeni, ya know because that’s a normal thing to do to get a person in the holiday spirit J

On Christmas morning we went to church and it was so awesome to see everyone all decked out in their Africana dress and fancy hairstyles. Even the little kids were bluffing (showing off) with their twenty five hair clips covering their entire head and painted finger nails. After church I showed Cat around Kamabai, we got some food and then took a nap before we went to the football game. For Christmas dinner we had acheke which is a delicious medley of gari (ground cassava root), macaroni, gravy, onion, egg, potato, meat, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Acheke is different every time you get it. It can also include beans, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, spam, or if you want the expensive kind, even chicken. The acheke lady in my town has a habit of not ever being at the table to sell the acheke so I’ve gotten used to just making it for myself and leaving the money for her. So if the whole going to grad school thing after PC doesn’t work out, there is always the option of opening up an acheke business. Also I realize that acheke might sound like a ridiculous combination of ingredients, but take my word for it, whoever created this culinary phenomenon is a genius, the stuff is really good. Anyways, the rest of the day was pretty chill, we hung out, read some People magazines (thanks Mrs. Cormier!) and just talked. A lot of our PC experience is pretty individual so when we do get the chance to meet up with other PCVs it is nice to just hash out some of the things that we’re all going through, and of course to share funny stories about cultural misunderstandings. There was a really big Christmas dance that night, but we didn’t make it because we were tired and both having some stomach problems. We had just gotten back from Bo, and it’s pretty normal that anytime we travel and eat food at a different place, there are going to be some digestive issues. That has gotten a lot better since we first arrived, but I don’t think we’ll ever be fully adjusted to the food here.

So, on the whole Christmas was great. I am happy I chose to spend it in my community because Kamabai is my home in Salone and the place where I feel the closest connection to people. Yes, I admit it wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but it was still fun, shared with people that I love and at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter about the specifics of how you spend Christmas. What really matters is the presence of the Christmas spirit, rejoicing in the coming of Christ, being thankful for all of the opportunities and gifts He has bestowed on you, and wanting to share those opportunities and gifts with others. As long as that underlying spirit is there, it doesn’t matter your geographic location, because Christ is everywhere and in everyone. I love and miss you all and wish you a happy holiday season!

Christmas Break!

Oh exams week. I have been so crazy busy these last few days, giving exams, marking papers, and calculating final grades. It's so nice to be done! Now that I'm done I have to do some small work on a presentation for our upcoming PC training in Bo, try to finish the World Map mural that I've been working on (pictures soon, I promise) and get my house ready for being gone for over a week. I can't believe that the term is done. I feel like we were just getting on a role and now the time is up. It's a bit of a milestone though, six months in country and one teaching term under my belt and I feel a little bit accomplished :) I have learned so much these last six months and I am so excited to continuing learning and developing as an educator, positive female role model, and community member.

My birthday is coming up on Monday, and I think I may have been talked into throwing a party, which means food, dancing and a ton of people. Not ideal for my last day before I leave on a trip, but I will make it work. It's a birthday present enough to be seeing all of my PCV friends that I haven't seen in ages. It will be so nice to catch up with everyone and compare notes, talk teaching, and just take a break from teaching and community integration. I love living in Kamabai, but a little break will be nice.

I hope that everyone's holiday season is going well. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas in case I don't update this before then. It doesn't even feel like December here. The weather is currently 80 degrees and sunny. It's funny though because at night it has been getting cold (let's say 55 degrees) and everyone has been complaining about it. They all think it's so funny when I say that I like the cold and the place that I come from is much colder than this. They can't really fathom how it could get any colder and you could not be sick all the time. So that's a fun thing to try and explain.

Oh! Earlier I posted a picture on facebook of me toting a bucket of water on my head and I joked about being able to tote the big bucket one day. Well I actually did tote that big bucket this week and we had to walk a lot farther to get water this time so I felt very African. I caused quite the uproar as I was passing and a few people even took my picture on their phone. So now their background is some white girl with a bucket of water on her head. Awesome. Anyways, I was proud of myself and wanted to share that little success story with you.

Finally, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has sent me birthday or Christmas cards. Especially everyone from St. Joseph's (thank you Mrs. Snyder!!). It was so nice to receive those and know that people are praying for me and my students.

Alright, I don't really have anything else to say. I will try to put up pictures soon, after I the holidays I'm sure I will have more pictures to put up, since Kamabai is supposed to be hopping during the season. Love and miss you all!

Five Months In

I apologize for not writing for such a long time. To be honest, this last month has been a little rough and I didn’t really feel like reiterating my struggles to you all. But, don’t worry I am doing fine, it is just starting to sink in that this job is not going to be easy. Not that I expected it to be easy, but now the specific challenges are arising and the problems of gender inequality and a struggling education system are no longer abstract concepts, they are my everyday life.  I am still figuring out how best to tackle these challenges, and right now I am just doing a lot of observing , which can be frustrating when I just want to jump right in and start making things happen. But I understand the importance of knowing the culture in order to make any change relevant and sustainable, so for now I am just taking it all in.

School is going, slowly. SSS I started coming last week, so now I am teaching two classes of SSS I and two classes of SSS II Biologyin addition to the three classes of JSS II Integrated Science. With four periods per class, I’m one busy lady.I really enjoy teaching the SS kids. The classes are smaller, they are better behaved and I really like teaching Bio. Most of my students at the SS level are boys, so they all try to impress me, like their 15 year old selves have a chance, but hey if it gets them to study, I will continue to keep making a big deal out every right answer. I have some really bright students and I’m excited to be their teacher for two years. I think it is getting easier for them to understand me too which is a bonus. Now that SS I has come I have to remind myself to speak extra slowly again. I forgot to do that at first and they looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. Speaking of SSI, I am happy that they are here, because now I have all of my students, but at the same time, I now have eighty more names to remember, and they are hard names too. It is really difficult to remember a name that I can barely say, but I try and they appreciate that. Plus, learning their names is necessary for classroom management; I need to be able to call people out when necessary.

JSS is a different story. They are let’s say, energetic. The classes are larger, they have a much harder time understanding me and they are less interested in school. It is a little crazy how the school system here slowly cuts down the number of students from year to year. JSS I currently has over 400 students, but SSI only has 80. I try not to think about where those other 320 students went and just focus on teaching the kids that want to learn, but it definitely is something to get used to. I do have one JSS class that I really have come to like. They do all of the silly comprehension checks I ask them to do. We laugh together when I make them say big words like commensalism and ampere and they can’t get it the first few times. And there are a few kids who I think really like science and are excited to learn. At least I hope it is that and not just them trying to impress the white person.

Community life has had a few ups and down recently. On Friday, one of my neighbor kids died. It was a real shock to me. When I got home after school on Friday I was told that Lamin had fallen down with convulsions and they had taken him to the Catholic mission. Later that night I was woken up at 1:30 in the morning by wailing of multiple people. I could make out some of what they were saying and from what I had heard from other PCVs I knew that this meant that Lamin had died. I had no idea what to do. I decided to stay inside and wait until morning. On Saturday morning I woke up and it was confirmed that Lamin had died. I went over to their house and sat outside with a congregation of women while the burial arrangements were being made. They were just finishing washing the body when I went over there. When they carried him out of the house covered in a lapa, I almost lost it. Lamin was only four years old and one of the kids that was always on my porch, break dancing, laughing and eating all of the weird American food I cook. I still can’t really believe that he is gone. And his parents, I can’t imagine what they are going through. His dad is a teacher at my school and his mom is one of the women that I talk with every day, one of the most kind and sweet people I have met here. She is currently about seven months pregnant and has a one and a half year old to take care of, so there isn’t much opportunity for her to grieve. Lamin was their first born son, so that, compounded with his age and the suddenness of his death makes his dying even more of a big deal here. The part that really breaks my heart is that my next door neighbor boy Arnold, who is four also, has no idea what happened to his best friend. He talks about how they ‘don put Laminna di gron’ but I don’t think it has really sunk in because he has been so happy these last few days. It’s going to be so hard for us all when he finally realizes that Lamin isn’t coming back.

The same day that everything was going on with Lamin’s burial, there was a wedding in my town, which is a huge deal because not many people can afford to have a big wedding ceremony. I accidently joined the church choir, so I had to go, which ended up being a good thing for me, to get out of the house and be surrounded by people that were happy and celebrating. The marriage took place in the Catholic church, so it followed the format that I was used to, but apparently the actual, traditional part took place a few nights before in the village of the woman. One of the teachers at my school was explaining to me that there is this process of the man giving the woman’s father money and cola nuts, very old school dowry business. But the mass in the church was the same as any Catholic marriage in the U.S. I loved seeing everyone done up in their fancy Africana and all the women with their hair all done and decked out in jewelry. After the church part there was a reception, that I missed most of, but when I showed up around 10:30 they were bringing out the food, so it was perfect JAfter the food, there was dancing of course. It was fun, but a bit strange because a lot of my students were there and more than one of them tried to dance with me. I’m still getting used to the fact that my SS III students are mostly my age or older. At least I don’t actually teach them, I’m just their form master, so I’m in charge of taking attendance and doing their report cards. But still, it was weird seeing them drinking and dancing and everything else that happens at jams. I left early, around 1, so I think it was a good compromise between having fun and still being a respectable teacher.

Overall, I’ve learned a lot this last month and I’m starting to get into the routine of teaching, integrating and trying not to make a complete fool of myself. My strategy is to keep smiling and working hard. Love and miss you all.

"Busy Ballay Biology Bangura"

Quadruple B. That is what one of my teachers called me the other day while we were joking about how busy I was with teaching, working in the library and everything else school related. While busy, life has been good. The library is coming along, last Saturday I was working in there with one other person and before I knew it about six kids were in there helping us to wipe the books, taking off their own shirts to wipe when I ran out of towels. I'm pretty sure it was just because they wanted to listen to K'naan blasting from my ipod speakers, but I regardless I was grateful and once again surprised by their willingness to help. When we finished wiping for the day I let them look through some of the books and it just reaffirmed why I was attempting what seems a very dubious project. They were so excited and asked me many questions about the things that were pictured in the books, like space ships and foods that they had never seen. I am very excited for when everything is cleaned and organized and the library will be ready for the kids to use.

Sorting books in the library has been kind of fun. There was a whole cupboard full of old books from the fifties and sixties that bore a stamp on the inside saying 'discard,' 'for donation,' or even 'obsolete.' I can't help but wonder about the places that these books came from, who has read them before and how they ended to be in my little school library in Kamabai. All I know is that I am glad that they are here and I am going to make sure that the good intentions of whoever did donate them are realized when the kids actually get to read them.

This week has been good, not all of the students are coming yet, which is crazy to me because I'm having my first test in Biology next week. But the students that have been coming I've been getting to know and it's been just another example of the overabundance of welcoming and friendliness in Salone. I've been getting into a rhythm of lesson planning, teaching, cooking and cleaning, it is a little bit like I'm a real adult now, weird. The only problem is that many of my students at the SS level (the equivalent of high school in the U.S.) are my age or older and don't have any qualms about professing their love for me or telling me that we should get married. Awkward. Just another challenge of being the only white person in town. Today at the football match between Red House and Blue House I was acutely aware of my skin color. There is no sense of anonymity here which was nice to retreat into sometimes in the U.S. Here, everyone knows me, shouts my name, the kids run up and hug me, and while the majority of the time I'm fine with it, find it comforting even, today I was struck by how odd it was. From the time I entered the field and walked to the other side to stand in the shade (I'm not trying to get more freckles than have already sprouted up on my arms and face) I was yelled at so many times it was overwhelming. I just wanted to come and support my house while watching the game, but I couldn't just fade into the buzz of activity, because I was creating a new buzz of activity. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the amount of attention that I draw here. But, I realize that this attention is just based in curiosity and that is one of the goals of the PC, to share American culture with host country nationals, so dealing with the increased attention is just another part, however challenging, of my job.

Anyways . . . today I am going to a jam and then tomorrow I'm going to Kabala to meet up with some other PCVs to celebrate my friend's 25th birthday. Should be fun! I love and miss you all!

Kamabai Adventures

Hello all! Sorry to not be better about updating this thing. I'm going to try to start coming up to the Catholic mission once every two weeks to access internet, so hopefully I will be able to keep you all updated more frequently. A few weeks ago I discovered the Catholic Mission here and it is seriously like a little oasis. It has internet, running water, cold drinks (like with ice) and delicious food. I am so lucky to have it so close to me, but I'm a little weary of coming here too often, so I am going to limit it to twice a month because I really do love being in the village.

Anyways, school was supposed to start on Monday, but students haven't really started coming yet, so hopefully tomorrow they will come and we can start classes. Since there wasn't much teaching to do I decided to start the project of organizing our school library. I'm actually really lucky that my school has a lot of resources and support from the government. (The president's mother went to my school). The library has a ton of really great books but no one uses them. It's incredibly dirty, the first step of my work is taking all of the books off of the shelves, wiping the shelves and the books and then putting them back. Also sweeping and  general cleaning, which has uncovered a few creatures that had made their home in the abandoned space, awesome. This is 'big work' as all of the people who come in to see me tell me, but I think it will be so great when it is done. I'm looking forward to getting everything set up, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the largeness of the project. Any help with library organization would be much appreciated, I have no idea what I'm doing hehe.

It's really hard to articulate what I'm experiencing here when I write once a month, I will have to start doing rough drafts of blog posts so that you can get a better picture of what my every day life is.

I guess I can talk about all of the kids that I have kind of adopted. There are about eight kids that live around me and are constantly hanging out on my porch. They are awesome little humans. They work incredibly hard, the kids are the first ones called on for any type of domestic work like fetching water, cooking, cleaning etc. They have such great attitudes for the most part and any little luxury makes them so happy. I have loved sharing with them my kool aid, cookies, the strange food I cook and the abundance of food that people bring me. When I came back from the mission the first time, the priest sent me home with a water bottle that was frozen. I gave it to the kids, we hacked it up with knife and they ran to give it to their families. There was still some ice left and as it melted they patiently waited their turn to get some cold water and exclaimed at its coldness every time they took a drink. I tried to explain to them in my broken Krio about ice changing to water as the temperature increases, and I actually think they understood at least a little of it. Later on in the day the kids showed up with bananas, ground nuts (peanuts) and oranges for me as a way of saying thank you. I'm trying to teach them not to beg for things, to say thank you when I give them something and to share. They are getting it and always reminding each other to say 'tenki' and to not be greedy. Small small as they say here.

This last week my neighbour was in the hospital (she is better now and at home), but during the week I was the adult that the kids came to. It was interesting to be put in that position, but now after the motherly duties of holding Arnold after he fell down and breaking up a fight between Bassie and another kid,they all really feel like my family. Speaking of family, my host brother came to visit me in Kamabai. I haven't seen him for a month and it was so nice to see him and introduce him to my new family here. It was really funny how often he had to explain how he was my brother but black while I am white. He was the first person that I officially cooked African food for on my coal pot. It was a bit nerve wracking but I think I did okay, he ate it at least. I made 'stew' which is tomato paste, peanut oil, onions, eggplant, and other random things. Then you put that over rice, of course because this is Salone and everything has to have rice. It was good but lacking in some of the traditional Salone ingredients, mainly fish, msg, and hot peppers. But there has to be some compromise :)

Okay, I think that's all I have to say. If there are any questions that you have just face book me, I'm really going to try and be better about checking it now that I have free access to internet. Love and miss you all!

Livin the Village Life

I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer! The Swearing In Ceremony was a blast. Everyone dressed up in full Africana, I sported a crazy blue and gold shiny ensemble and it was great. When I arrived to the training center my Language teacher told me that I had been chosen to give the vote of thanks in Limba, the local language that I'm learning. So I quickly memorized four sentences in Limba and recited them to the entire audience. It was actually pretty cool to be greeted by the entire room in Limba. After swearing in we all went out and enjoyed our last night all together in Makeni. I left for Kamabai on Sunday and packing up and leaving my host family and friends was like leaving for the Peace Corps all over again. My mom was just sitting outside my room, looking at all of my bags and saying how much she was going to miss me. At least Kamabai is only an hour away from Makeni so I will be able to visit them often.

This week has just been a lot of hanging out at my house, unpacking, napping with my cat, reading and meeting people in town. Living in the village is kind of like being in a time warp. In order to get furniture made I talk with a carpenter, I visit the general store to buy everything from soap to eggs and everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's kind of fantastic.

Yesterday I was able to go to my first Catholic mass while in Sierra Leone. It was beautiful. For as many things that I struggle with in the Catholic church, one of the things that I love the most is its universality. Here I was in a completely different part of the world then where I normally worship and yet I was able to be in community with everyone in that parish . The music was great and I can't wait to  learn those songs and maybe bring some of them back to the states :)

Well  that's all that I can really think of, if you have any specific questions feel free to email  or facebook me, I will try my best to reply at least within a month. Sorry I can't be faster than that, such is life in Salone.  I love and miss you all!