You may be wondering why I haven't said a thing about the reason we are actually here - volunteering as teachers' aids. That's because we haven't started yet! Our coordinator warned us about African Time, or BMT (black man's time) as they call it here, but starting a week and a half late into a 4 week stay is a little extreme. First there was Easter break, then there was Independence Day, and then we were delayed because we didn't have any suitable clothes, and then there was Thanksgiving.
Yesterday we took a walk to take a look at the outside of our schools even though they were closed. Although we had been prepared for how under resourced they would be, a peak through the windows was quite eyeopening. The main (and only) office, which was also a library, fit about four people uncomfortably, and some of the classrooms looked like they didn't have desks. The windows had boards instead of glass, and some classrooms hold up to 70 children. Electricity did not look to be in place either.
At Ide's school his class teacher and the headmistress were living on the premises and gave us a friendly welcome. The headmistress invited us to a Thanksgiving event taking place this Sunday. We haven't quite figured out what they are giving thanks for, but apparently it is quite an event. Every school has their own Thanksgiving at different times of the year. The ceremony consists of a two hour church sermon, followed by a long march around Goderich, followed by speeches.
Fawe school (Ide's):
Ide's head teacher then walked us to my headmistress's house where the reception was less than warm. It may have been because we barged into her home and she had no idea who we were, but I hope this doesn't bode poorly for the next few weeks.
Next post: Day to day life in SL
