The net connection has been bad recently – no contact for a few days.
The power was off for an hour and a half last night.
The water has been ok.
The sun is currently reaching 77° altitude in the sky at its highest at the moment. In
Due to the hot temperatures, I have seen quite a few dust devils recently. Yesterday I went for a walk and managed to get a small one on video – very difficult to do as they mostly only last a few seconds.
Everywhere is blackened after the recent fires. I’m still not sure how many are man-made. I think most are, so that the dead grass and crop stubble is removed ready for new grass in the rainy season.
No-one showed for two of the three English Improvement courses in college and I had to postpone the third (see below).
Training on using number fans and counting sticks continues with some good sessions. I have three more schools to go. It will be interesting when we visit again in a couple of weeks, who – if anyone – is actually using them. I have been trying a new technique right after the training saying “OK, who is going to use these tomorrow in your class” and getting a volunteer. I hope it works.
I went to Chagni (the town about one hours drive away) on Friday to collect some large packets from post office, that didn’t make it to Gilgel. There was lots of food and sweets and stuff in them which was nice (including JIF lemons – I have had pancakes two days in a row now!!!) The most interesting one was a packet of chocolate buttons that had melted into one large flat square of chocolate!!!
On the way, the driver stopped and picked up ten people in the back of the truck (quite a squash) and charged them 10 birr a piece to go to Chagni – another example of a bit of cash in hand on the side. (You know, I wonder when I write about this low-level corruption and other problems whether I should be doing it, but I believe in telling it how it is – the good and the slightly questionable. Oh, and also this website is blocked by the government so no-one in country can read it!!!
While in Chagni, we also collected an order for my next lot of training – “Every Classroom should be a model classroom”. Last year, one of the only things the CCU (College Cluster Unit) did was have a few teachers to the college for training on model classrooms, then gave them some materials to make their model classrooms back at the schools. The idea was, they would share their knowledge with the other teachers who would then put up active displays in their rooms. What I actually saw in most schools in the cluster this year were a few displays set up in one model classroom and the rest of the classrooms bare.
My plan, as with the current training is to go to each of the schools (so all teachers receive the training, rather than one teacher per school coming to the college, who will never have time to pass on the information to the other teachers). We will take materials and college student helpers and give the teachers a quick 30mins training on active displays, then spend the rest of the time with them actually making and putting up displays there and then.
Tomorrow I’m supposed to be representing the Dean in a meeting with UNICEF (Is it because I is white?). He’s asked me to ask for books for the library, a new car, a medical centre for the students…
Last week I got an offer to work in Bahir Dar next year. It would be good re: accommodation (hot shower), having easy access to Addis by plane, being able to get Ferengi food and go out for meals in hotels, buy supplies etc but the downside is being in a tourist area and having all the hassles that brings. Also, the work would be more along the English Language Improvement side at the university, working with instructors and lecturers, another step away from the classroom. My favourite parts of the job at the moment are teaching in a primary school once per week, and actually training the teachers in primary schools. I’m still a primary school teacher at heart and don’t know if I could be away from it for a year. I have a bit of time to decide.
I’m loving being on my own in the house. Being busy at work, training and being able to come home to a sanctuary (inc. a clean toilet) at night and at the weekends is great. I’m not sure how I will feel when the family return in (an unspecified number of days – as most things here). I am going to ask them to follow a few house rules re: toilet (I have bought some buckets to use to flush when there is no water) and not spitting in the sink where I prepare my food etc.
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