Rush Hour Traffic

as i walked through the village this evening, my timing was perfect. i
hit rush hour traffic. that's right. time for the cows to return to
their corrals. in the morning, they are chased out by their owners and
wander down the streets and out of the village to graze the day away.
each has a bell around its neck so you can tell when they are on the
go. in the evening, the shepherd rounds them up and slowly parades
them through the village, bells clanking, taking up the whole road. i
am not a big fan of sharing the road with a bunch of smelly cows so i
try to avoid rush hour. as the cows reach their yards, they enter the
gate and the rest mosey on. its quite the sight when you are not
caught in the middle.

Internet Phones

have you ever tried to do anything online from your phone? well, i
have. i've become quite good at using my phone. i can now type in the
dark without looking at the number pad. i am able to email people that
are half way around the world to keep in touch or find out what
friends are doing via facebook. i keep my blog going from my cell
phone too. i may live 8 hours ahead but i am only a click away. when i
do not know an answer, i can google it and instantly know something
new. i can no longer imagine my life without a cell phone or internet.
however, searching the internet is difficult on a cell phone as is
reading or typing long messages. i get so frustrated when i know there
is information at my fingertips yet i cannot access it due to my tiny
phone screen, file size limits, and formatting. and then i am left to
ponder some of the discrepancies here and they sometimes strike me
funny. i live in a village without electricity, yet everyone has a
cell phone. people dont always have food to eat but many have fancy,
expensive, bluetooth, internet phones they use just to make or recieve
a quick call. They do not know the first thing about how to use the
internet or have any bluetooth device to connect it to, let alone know
what that is. in this fast changing thechnological world, i sometimes
wonder how one can keep up. are we really better off with all of this?

Twinkling Twilight

it was another hot day, so as the sun went down, i had my windows and
door open to cool my room off. i sat outside for a bit, but then
headed in like usual and locked my burgler bars, leaving the solid
door open for a breeze if one stirs. a little while later, i peered
outside and noticed the stars were out. they twinkled to life as the
sky darkened. i couldn't pass up the opportunity to star gaze a while.
there is so little light pollution here that the stars are amazing! my
host grandma must have heard my squeeky bars open back up because she
came out as well. i sat on the veranda and gazed up into the moonless
star filled sky. i was enjoying myself and finding my own
constellations. i found bart simpson, a giant fish about to bite a
hook, a unicorn galloping along a stream. the crickets were singing
and the earth was peaceful. well my host grandma, true to form, came
out to keep me company and since it was so dark brought a candle.
then, since she was outside the kids came too. this doesnt happen much
as there is such a fear of the night here. valid or not, when the sun
goes down, the people go inside. the sky is not watched here like it
was at home when i was growing up and as i sat in the not as dark yard
with my company, it reminded me of the summer nights when i was
little. the warm nights when i would run around in the dark and have
so much fun with a flashlight or the fireflies or the neighbor kids
and the adults would sit and...well i didnt care what they were doing.
so tonight the kids stayed on the porch, but played around and giggled
at who knows what. they found ways to entertain themselves. i wish the
girls could be free to catch fireflies and play night games in the
yard and learn how a camera records light and see the constellations
as they gaze up in wonder and discover all the magnificence of the
night sky. i am lucky to have had that. as for the stars here tonight,
they were magnificent but will soon be covered with clouds. hopefully
that means it will rain tonight. we definitely need it.

Taxi Tetris

i was in need of a little american company, so i decided to have lunch
with my closest volunteer, tom. he's an interesting guy who's in his
second peace corps service. he is an older volunteer whose experience
is so different from mine. he lives in a trailer with running water,
flush toilet, fully equiped mini kitchen, and satelite tv. this makes
his spare bedroom a good getaway for me every now and then. he has an
office job at an ngo in my shopping town. it took me 3 hours to get to
jane furse, but i made it and was glad to be out of the village for
the day. As we finished our lunch, tom had to get back to his office
and i had to get my groceries for next week. i got my bag of groceries
and a few other things at the strip mall and headed for the taxi rank.
my first taxi ride, i got lucky and had control of a window. it stayed
cracked the whole way. the taxi was full the entire trip too.
everytime someone got off, someone else got on. it was a comfortable
full. when i got off at my rank, they finally had an open seat and the
window was closed. the next taxi for me is always interesting. these
are the falling apart, old, not fully functional, smaller taxis that
run on the dirt roads. although they are smaller, the driver of the 12
passenger van insists on carrying 14 people and all their stuff. this
means it will go when every row has 4 people in it. 4 average peoples
shoulder width is wider than the taxi. today, i was in the way back
seat, so i got to watch the game of human tetris. i felt bad for the
ladies in the next seat up. there was a very heavy woman in first,
then a lady with her 3 year old, then a fat lady. so the seat is full.
but, the taxi wont go till there are 4 people in that row, 4 adults.
so another lady had to squeeze in. then their bags must fit in around
them, on laps, under feet. just like tetris pieces fitting into place,
with 1 way being the best. then the next row had to fill with 4 people
and their bags and boxes and one lady had laundry baskets-hamper size.
then the driver has to force the door closed and it must be latched on
the inside with a welded on latch. we bump down the pothole infested
road until the first person wants to get off. then half the people
must pile out and the seats folded up or moved so that 1 person can
get out. the tetris game starts all over again fitting everyone and
their stuff back in again with a little more breathing room this time.
the game continues as people get on and off. i think i prefer the
video game to the real life taxi game.

The Impromptu Sepedi Lesson

after finishing another book this afternoon, i decided to go for a walk. the sun was low and it had cooled off enough so i wouldn't die trying to walk at a good pace. i powerwalked my usual route and found it quite enjoyable, so i kept going. i walked down past the soccer field to the motor gate and then along the front edge of the village. the new route drew lots of attention, but it didnt bother me tonight. i was in my own world daydreaming as i automatically greated people with a wave or by saying dumelang. all of a sudden, i snapped out of it as i heard a noise and glanced behind me. it was a cow, charging at me! ok, when i looked again, it was a group of kids, the human kind, not a cow. thank goodness! i actually laughed out loud at myself as the kids ran up next to me. the first one said: mam bri, what is your name? i replied with a laugh: you know my name, you just said it. her response: what is your surname. when i replied, all the kids giggled and tried it out. then each one had to ask: what is your surname. now i know this is the only english they know and someone probably told them to practice. the rest of the conversation happened in sepedi. kid 2: where are you coming from? me: i was walking. kid 3: where are you going? me: home, where are you going? kid 2: home kid 1: you speak english, we speak sepedi. kid 3: that cow is ----. me: i dont understand. all the kids imitate the cow that is walking toward us and limping. me: ah. kid 1: you great in sepedi. you speak sepedi. you say hi, how are you. we dont speak english. me: you greet in english very well. kid 1 in english: how are you. me in english: im fine how are you? all the kids giggle. our conversation continued with small talk using simple language and i picked up on a few new words that i hope i wont forget. when i reached home, i wanted to keep walking, but it was getting dark so i came in the gate and bid my tag-alongs goodbye. it turned out to be a pleasant evening.

A Perfect Moment in This Imperfect World

today i survived another day and even came out smiling for a change.
its the second week of my new schedule. i'm working with the 5
teachers at the high school, each 3 30 minute one-on-one computer
lessons scheduled during their planning times throughout the week.
then i planned the rest of my schedule around that and as you can
imagine i'm moving around a lot more and like not being stuck at one
school all day. i came home today with a smile on my face, the first
real smile in way too long. i sat down to reflect on my day and my
perfect moment. i find myself in an imperfect world full of frustrations.
i live in a place that has no water because
someone stole the pump for the village borehole. i am working in a
school that has 1 computer and not enough classrooms- the
computer is in the staff room along with 3 of
the teachers desks, all the kitchen supplies, the copy machine, the
sports equipment, and is also used as a classroom. i work with
teachers who use corporal punishment daily in their classrooms. i live
in a place that is only lit by candles after sunset. i live in a place
that is not safe to use the toilet at night because it is outside.
dispite all the imperfections, there are some magical moments too. the
last teacher i have on tuesdays is learning how to turn the computer
on and off. she was beaming with pride when
she did it all by herself, with no prompts. that moment, that smile,
that is why i am still here. it was the perfect moment. when the day
was done, the 2 teachers in the staff room were gushing to each other
about their new computer skills as they closed the windows and locked
up. another rewarding moment. it left me smiling a genuine smile all
the way home. moments like that make the imperfect world manageable.
they are the reasons im still here.

FRUSTRATION!

Somebody stole the pump for the borehole. AGAIN! The village is, yet again, without water and must resort to the river for water. Why would someone do that? It's a big problem! As if the people here don't have enough to deal with, why not add one more challenge. But to be fair to the thief, the pump has been stolen before. Why is it not more secure? And if what they are saying is true, there is another borehole that is hooked up to electricity and it has been tested and works. Why does the government not allow us to use that one. And while I am on that issue, if the borehole and the schools have electricity, why do they not hook up the houses and the rest of the village?

Nighttime Reading

When the sun goes down, reading in my village gets a bit more
complicated, yet it still remains my passtime of choice. Reading by
candlelight is difficult because it's too dim even with 2 candles
burning. Reading by flashlight is difficult because you must hold the
light and book just so. Now when you put them together, for some
reason it works. The candlelight provides enough of a background light
that the flashlight does not have to be aimed very well. Ah the joys
of no lightbulbs.

a day for the store

i went to the grocery store today. unfortunately, this is an all day task that requires patients and perseverance. it frustrates me how things work here and i'm sure in many other rural areas as well. i arrived at the corner shop at 715. The bus begins it's route here 6 days a week - when it isn't raining or hasn't rained after sunset the night before. i have been there at 720 before and missed the bus. so i sat this morning, not entirely sure if it had already come or was even coming at all. i was not alone so i stayed put. i have learned to always carry a book. around 830, the bus came. besides walking to the road 45 min away on a questionably safe and deserted road, this unreliable transportation is the only way out for most of the villagers. this makes me so mad and frustrates me to no end. its probably safer than the dilapitated taxi that used to come in the mornings and is a fraction of the price - 5 rand to get to the store as opposed to taking several taxis totaling 18.50-22.50 rand depending on the route. the price drop is nice as one can take a round trip for less than the previous 1 way. by the 4th or 5th stop however, the bus is full. that doesnt stop it from picking up more people. it continues to pick people up for an hour so every seat has its capacity of seated and then people standing over them, the isle so crammed that i could imagine the bus rolling over and not a person moves from their tightly wedged position. sometimes i wonder how the bus can carry so much weight without breaking down. the ride back usually is much less crowded but you must worry about the person next to you having rapidly melting frozen stuff that leaks onto yours on the hot trip - one benefit of no fridge is no spoiling or melting frozen food to worry about. once arriving at the shopping center, one must calculate the stops and plan accordingly. its not uncommon to wait in an atm line or checkout line for 45 min to an hour. credit card machines are often down rendering the store cash only. certain times of the day and month are worse than others, as are some cashires slower and or more sit-and-chat-first than others. you also cannot bring bags into the store. so if you get groceries and then need something from another store, or vice versa, you must check your bags at the parcel counter. here can be a long line as well seeing as there are only so many slots so you may have to wait for someone else to claim their bags before you can leave yours. when finished, the bus back to the village leaves sometime between 1 and 2. people wait in line and when the bus driver is ready, he opens the door and leaves when the line is on the bus. the route seems to be one way too, people are all getting on and going to the shopping center or they are all coming from the shopping center going to their house in one of the villages along the route. all in all, it proves to be a long tiring day. i cannot wait to get back to the quick trip to the store, easy transport, short lines, and good customer service.

Eenzaam Circuit Track Meet

today was the track meet for the primary schools in the area. for some
reason, well it's because he wants to show me off i am sure, the
principal insisted i attend. i had no reason to give that would allow
me to stay in the village, so i caved and went to the track meet.
getting there was just as expected. 38 students were participating and
9 teachers would accompany them. 1 teacher would stay with the rest of
the kids at school, probably only until 1030 would be my guess. we
were to be transported by 1 taxi. they would take 2 trips. i made sure
to be on the second taxi, for i would not make that mistake twice of
being the first ones there at 830 for the hopefull 1000 start time
like last year. i piled into the 15-seat van with 18 kids, 4 other
teachers, and the driver. the music was turned up to deafening and the
whole taxi bounced as the kids jumped to the beat-the whole way there.
we arrived to the hot and sunny, shadeless field around 930. i applied
another layer of sun screen as the kids all watched in curious
fascination and waited for event announcements.

the hosts of the event walked along the rocky, red dirt, unmarked
soccer field with a tape measure and a wheelbarrow of what looked like
black dirt. they sprinkled lines with the black stuff to form lanes
along 1 edge of the field and then as a guide around the corners of
the field for the longer races. when they finished, they started
calling groups. all the kids shed their shoes, traded their shirts for
school jerseys, grabbed their birth certificates from the teacher, and
set out for the start line. they must show their birth certificate and
a passport photo to be eligable to compete. i sat on the side line,
umbrella
in hand, guarding the school lunch and shoes. i was probably watched
just as much as the athletes. the kids ran hard and some of them did
very well. it still amazes me that they run barefoot and a lot of the
girls run in what look like cheerleading skirts. placememts are
recorded at the record table. at the finish line, 3 women wait. they
each grab a kid as the first 3 cross the line and run them over to the
record stand in order, so they can give their name to the recorder.

around 1230, i applied my third layer of sunscreen as the crowd around
me watched again. this time i tried to explain why i was putting on
lotion again, that the sun burns my skin and it hurts very much but
the sunscseen helps protect me. i went for a walk to get away from my
captive audience. around 2, it was lunch time. i imagine this was hard
to wait for since lunch at school is at 10. the kids got 4 slices of
bread, an apple, and some guava juice. then the winners from the first
races competed in the finals to determine who will compete next week
at the district meet. there was also long jump and triple jump, but i
must have missed those when i was walking. i stuck around for another
round of sunscreen then finally gave up and took a public taxi home
around 5. i have never really cared much for the running part of track
meets and do not know the inner workings well, but i found today quite
different from what i have experienced in the states. part of me is
curious how these kids would do at the field events, although i would
not be the one to introduce them here. and i can not even imagine them
running hurdles on this rocky ground. i am glad it is over and i am
working on my excuse to pass on next weeks meet. what a long day.

Priceless Education

today was one of those days that really makes me appreciate my college education. my GOOD college education. the one that taught me how to be an effective educator. i met with the hod -head of department aka assistant principal- today to discuss the computer curriculum that he requested my help to create. i can already tell he is going to give me a run for the money.

rewind: last week, we met so he could let me know the schedule for the school and request my help formally with the computer classes. we talked about what he envisions. i thought he has great ideas and i would be more than happy to help. thinking back to my days in class at uwec, i started to imagine the possibilities at hand and got quite excited. all in all, it started to look like a ton of work to keep me busy until september, while still working on other projects that i have going like working at the high school and running a girls club. he wants kindergarten through seventh grade classes. so that would mean a skeleton of what each grade should cover broken into units, a complete book of ready to use lesson plans for each grade, teaching materials, handouts, worksheets, activities, assessments. this i can do. i had 4.5 years of training for this. i understand it and all the effort and work that goes into it. i know how important it is to make the lessons relavent to the lives of the learners, meaningful, and engaging. as a teacher, hours upon hours are spent in the planning process. with luck and practice, the planning often becomes easier and once the work is done initially it can often be modified and reused. then, he tells me we should have it done by next friday, 1.5 weeks away.

fast forward: at our meeting today, i continued to explain why it will not be done on friday this week. i also brought up some suggestions and concerns. the teacher in me is starting to come out again and i am trying to make sure this curriculum as practical and user friendly as possible for when i am no longer here to help with its implementation. i know some things are destined for disaster, like 60 kindergarteners for 1 computer and am trying to avoid this. i have learned many things from just growing up with a well functioning educational system as well as being trained on how to make education effective. i have taken so much for granted and am seeing how many of the teachers here struggle so much with everything. i wish i could show them what an effective classroom can look and feel like, what possibilities are out there, what teaching can be like. i want to transplant them into a well functioning classroom from my reality so they can see, experience, absorb. but since i cannot, i guess i will just have to be thankful for what i have and keep sharing what i can.