1st day of break

Obviously it went to my head. 6 or 5 or 4 weeks of break…(I haven’t heard for sure when school starts again…it ended Aug 6 and I’ve heard Sept 6, 13, 15 and 16 for starting dates) It makes it a little difficult to plan my traveling but then I don’t really plan much anyway (as you’ve all known or noticed). Of course, I do like to procrastinate so it could be that travel will be too late by the time I get my act together…no worries you’ll get stories…starting now:

We hiked the mountain on Sunday and had jokingly mentioned climbing up again on Friday and staying the mountain hut. We’ve been meaning to do it for quite a while it just never happens as by the time it is Friday we’re exhausted and want to sleep or are headed out of town for the weekend. So Friday afternoon I asked if anyone wanted to go…Rhona and Chris were game so up we went. It was chris’s last night so we had the plan to be up for sunrise and then come down to get him to the airport. Dinner of pasta and veggies was ok—we’d brought angelhair pasta which we over cooked so we had something like dumplings and veggies. Roasted marshmallows and had some chocolate (not quite smores but really good). Outside and at a little distance (we couldn’t tell how far) we could hear what sounded like angry shouting…of course being in the dark on a lonely mountain we decided it might be an exorcism. Not close enough to keep us awake (you could only hear it if you went outside) we knocked off. I awoke a couple times in the night and could hear singing—it sounded happy so I assumed they were successful with whatever they had been doing. (really I think it was different people and was nothing to be worried about)

Up at 430 to hike in the dark to the top of the very windy and dark mountain. 30 seconds after starting our hike we returned to get our sleeping bags for the top…and a good thing we did. Beautiful view of sunrise but so cold…then down the mountain. Once home I made bread (my 4th attempt and 3rd successful attempt) and then met everyone (6 in our 5 person car) to go to town. Taking chris to the airport by way of getting lunch at a restaurant, and then shopping—rhona and I had no food in the house (effectively). Finally left town at 330 and headed back to Nkhoma for Maralise’s birthday party. We were late but as all the missionary community was invited we were sure that it was still going on when we arrived at 5. and we did have quite an audience to our arrival. Maralise thinks there were 50 people there throughout the afternoon. The doctors were called to the hospital—there had been a mini-bus that went off the road and they were being brought into the hospital with broken legs and knocked out teeth…I think that it must have been right behind us as we didn’t see it on our way but it happened very soon after we arrived. So Rhona went to the hospital. I was helping Maralise clean up some and someone came to tell us that some people had been nipped at by dogs while walking home. Went to check on that crew who seemed quite collected and calm (as they had all the help needed already there—really, what did I think I could do). Finally rhona and I made it home at 7…long day and we were hyped up so it was a while before we went to bed…(I don’t know that this write up portrays quite the exhaustion of the day was but that’s ok)

coming

Thanks for all the comments and emails I get from my blogs. Thanks for the offers/apologies for not coming to dinner…it is ok. It will happen again and the best is to know that everyone is welcome to dinner—anytime, anywhere and even without notice. (though the fare might be better if there is warning, might is a key word).

The opposite or the effect (neither word is what I’m looking for) of leaving is coming. For anyone to come to a place they first must leave another. It is always hard to do on some level. (granted some times it is easier to leave than others but that doesn’t mean it is easy—as I learned while skiing above my level—the sign pointing to easiest way doesn’t mean easy way down). but then you come to a new place, to new people and to new experiences. And they don’t take the place of the old ones by any means but they give the opportunity to grow and share and change...besides things are going to change even if you don’t leave. Embrace it and make the best of it. it is all good—just different. And above all share it.

end of the year

Friday was the last day. We were to finish at 10 with the parents coming in to see the class, talk to the teacher, get their child’s (children’s) work, and take the kid(s) home. At 10 we are on our break. As much as I would have liked to have the parents see our center time or group time singing and/or story it would have been absolute chaos to have the kids stay in the classroom and not give them their break. So when parents arrived the kindergarten class was on the playground. They came in to get the work and talk to the teacher…or her assistant as he speaks Chichewa. When I gave them the workbooks that we’d done during the year they sat down at a table and started going through page by page (oh dear). The workbook was an exercise…and sometimes we followed directions on the page, sometimes I made them up, and most often the child “decided” whether he or she would listen to me or do whatever she or he felt like doing on that day/on that page, etc. Parents were getting explanations from Lawrence but still looking at me like I don’t know what I’m doing. Why did I let their kid draw their 2 backwards…that their eye would develop but hadn’t yet didn’t seem to make a difference to them…or they didn’t understand, or it got lost in translation…I don’t know but I have to admit I was glad when it was over. It felt like deep scrutiny and I don’t know what the outcome was. I think that maybe I’ll get more feedback before school starts again but I don’t know what it will be or if it will be helpful…

power cuts

I’m sure I’ve written of these before but this week they have come back to their regular frequency. The past couple of weeks we have had power cuts but not the scheduled ones and usually not for too long. The supposed schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 6 to 8 in the evening…not conducive for cooking for dinner but it was possible to be ready for it and to know that it was coming. Well except for the fact that we never did get used to it and always seemed to plan a meal that involved baking in the oven for those days but that was our fault so ok. And then when we would prepare ahead of time and either get it done early or plan the stirfry meal that can be done on the gas burner the power wouldn’t go out. Murphy’s law at it finest. Last week the power went out maybe once (that I recall being annoying)…of course we’d invited all the guesthouse people to ours for dinner and then our gas tank ran out of gas…but we had a charcoal brazier that we could finish up on…just took a little longer to finish. This week went back to the scheduled days but turned out to be from 530 to close to 9…once you’ve cooked and eaten it is fine but sitting in the dark just makes you tired so we often head to bed pretty soon after the power comes on…but I’m pretty sure we need our sleep so I’m not too worried about it.

more guests

More American helpers have arrived for varying lengths of time. The McCally kids are still here and great help to have around. The Provost family was here for Monday and Tuesday and they brought loads of supplies for the school which have already started coming in handy. Leapfrog reading books to help us with our reading. Balls and dolls for recreation and classroom learning and much more (I haven’t been through all of the boxes yet). They helped in the classes and asked lots of questions. It’s great to see and have people interested and inquisitive as to how they can help and what is going on.

end of the year assessment challenge

For the end of the year I had to come up with an assessment sheet to show what my kindergarteners know and what they should know by the end of kindergarten. As I don’t have any experience in any of these aspects of life or teaching I found it quite challenging. I have resources that I can look at but as Ebenezer is a new school and in Malawi and not America or Canada or Europe (where most of our resources come from) the standards are going to be different even if we are striving to raise them to that level of accomplishment. The basics are easy (to know that they belong on the list)—alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. however, is it that they recognize the letter (number, whatever) or that they can write it or they know the sound it makes or what it represents…and then how do you actually check that? Asking them in group time gets communal answers, asking one on one gets answers sometimes but they are often distracted as all the rest are cavorting around the room. Depending on which way you ask or when can also change whether the student answers correctly or just gives you a blank look and waits for you to tell them what they should repeat. Makes me feel a bit incompetent but we’re working through it.

leaving

I seem to find myself jobs where people don’t stay. In other words working with volunteers or short time workers. Of course I often find myself in the same position (the one leaving) but still. Last year I worked for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance as Volunteer Camp Manager and dealt with volunteers coming for a week or 2 at a time to help rebuild on the Gulf coast. This year the people I’m meeting are here for anything from 4 weeks to 6 months. And while you get used to the turnover and people coming and going it is still hard to see friends leave. Of course for a while after they leave you still expect them to show up for dinner—just a little late.