Welcome Back Exams

Typically, when we return after the June break for the second term of the school year, we have "Welcome Back" exams.  The idea is that students might study a bit during the break or at least try to remember things a little bit if they know they'll have exams right away when they get back.  Also, some students tend to be slow returning after a break, wandering in a few days into the term.  If there are exams right away, it encourages parents to make sure their kids return to school on the day they are supposed to.  However, since this year we are coming back from a three-month break instead of a one-month break due to corona, Gerald (the academic master) decided to be nice and have our first set of exams at the end of July, so the students had nearly a month back at school to get back into the groove of things first.  

I took a couple of photos of form one as they took their English exam today.  I had always used the word "to proctor" an exam in the US, but the commonly used word here in English is "to invigilate".  It sounds impressive, anyhow.  

 

Bowling in Bible Class!

Another fun day in Bible class!  As we continue our study of the kings of Israel and Judah, we had a little bowling game today as we talked about knocking down idols to other gods.  

 

Feels Like October in July Today

It's cloudy today, which is a bit unusual for this time of year, but we're unlikely to get much rain.  The dry season is well underway now, despite today's clouds.  The cornfield across from my house is drying in the field.  Here, corn is mostly used to grind into meal for making ugali, so it's usually left to dry in the field for as long as possible before harvesting.  

Below: the road in front of my house.

The cloudy weather today and the drying corn stalks and sunflowers gave the day an autumnal feel, which I enjoyed since we don't really have the four seasons here.  This is our winter, the coldest time of year, but it's in the 70s most days. 

Above: we have a lot of sunflowers around here, too; there were some planted along the edge of the corn field that I enjoyed seeing this year.  Below: even the sticker weeds can be beautiful sometimes! 

I took these photos while I was out in front of my house, because the mobile signal is a bit better outside than in my house.  I was talking over whatsapp with my mom and grandmother; Nanny was in the hospital after heart surgery and Mom was staying with her.  It was three in the morning there, but Nanny's internal clock was off kilter after so many days in the hospital.  It was her 83rd birthday.  We've celebrated her birthday on July 19th all her life, but when she turned 70 and started looking into Medicaid and such, her original birth record was pulled and it turns out that the date on it was actually July 16th, so since then she's sort of had two birthdays.  

As it turned out, it was the last time I ever talked to her, as she passed the next week.  She was my last living grandparent, and she and I had always been very close.  Losing her is hard.

 

Peer Pressure Skits in Life Skills Class

 

This year, in addition to teaching English, I am teaching the form 1 Life Skills class.  We've talked about various topics, starting with study skills and learning styles as they started their time in secondary school, and then on to some general topics such as handling stress and peer pressure.  Last week, we had a class discussion about peer pressure, and then the students split into groups.  Each group had a prompt I'd written out.  For example, one was about a student discovering the key to the upcoming math exam on the teacher's desk.  Several students want to copy it...  Another was a group of students laughing about how funny a new student looks, but one student wants to make the effort to get to know the newcomer.  There were several more along those lines.  

This week in class (Life Skills is just once a week), the groups acted out skits about their peer pressure situations.  They had a good time imagining the scenarios and how they would act in that situation!  For the one about the math exam, one of the students impersonated Mr. Mbesere, our math teacher.  The teachers smacked all of their hands with a ruler for even thinking about cheating.  (Such punishments are common here.)  I told Mr Mbesere later about some of the lines they came up with for him, and we had a good laugh.  

We had a good time with the skits, and I hope that thinking out the situation got them to think at least a little about how they are affected by peer pressure, both good and bad.  

This photos also give you a good look at our classrooms! I go through a lot of chalk around here!

Birthday Shenanigans

My birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so it was mostly spent at the school.  After the morning worship with the students and my Sunday school class after, I usually stay in the library until the students have lunch around 1 pm.  Today, I was getting ready to leave as they were going to lunch, when some of the form 3 boys came and coaxed me out of the library and pulled me up to the dining hall.  

I hung out with the students in the dining hall for a few minutes; today's lunch was ugali and greens, a very typical meal here, with watermelon for dessert.  Nelson-John kept offering to share his with me; I managed to get away with only one big bite.  Here are a few photos of the students at lunch, so you can see a bit what our dining hall is like.  They all are assigned to a lunch table.  The table leader gets the big serving bowls of food from the kitchen through the windows you can see in the background of the photo above, and then scoops it out into everyone's plates. 

As you can see below, ugali and be eaten with spoon or fork, but usually it's scooped up in a ball with the fingers and dipped in whatever sauce/vegetable/meat it's served with. Hamadi, Juma and Isack are hamming it up for the camera, of course.  

Speaking of hams, of course Gabriel and Salum (below) had to be in a photo.  I swear those two can hear a camera coming out from a mile away.  I have no shortage of photos of those two!  

Above, some of the boys try to look cool for the camera.  They seemed pleased with the result, but I just rolled my eyes at them.  They are, from left to right: Leon, Charles, Isack, Baton and Kelvin, all in form 3 this year. 

As lunch ended, they pulled me outside; I knew what was coming!  It's a tradition here on someone's birthday to pour water on them.  Last year, I managed to escape because there was a water shortage at the time, but this year I was not so lucky!  Actually, I didn't mind too much; it was a warm (which is not always the case here in mid-July; it's our winter), sunny day,  I was going home right after, and I didn't have any other plans for my birthday so it was nice to have at least a little recognition.  

Mostly on my blog I tend to tell about the good things happening, but life is not always perfect.  It turned out that while I was up by the dining hall celebrating, someone went into the library and stole some money from my purse.  I didn't realize it until I got home and needed to count out some money that I had received for student scholarships, and I knew it had to be during that time because all the money was still there during the collection at church, and that was the only time I wasn't in the room with my purse.  Normally I wouldn't leave it unattended, but I didn't carry it because I knew they were going to dump water on me, and it was sitting out in plain view instead of in the cabinet because I had been packing my bags to leave for the day when they called me out.  The next day, the headmaster and the other teachers questioned many students and the day turned into a whole inquisition (the teachers had been looking for a reason to come down hard on the students about something; they felt they were still way too rowdy after being off school for three months), but we never found out who took it. 

So, the day did not end well, but at least there were some fun moments for my birthday.  Above, you can see I'm soaking wet!  These guys, Nelson-John, Kelvin, Baton and Elisha, were the main instigators. :)  Below, a cheesy photo with Charles. 

Above, the boys are STILL trying to look cool.  Below, Baton is trying to feed me more ugali.  

And finally, here's the video!  The water was cold!!  

 

Driving Down the Highway

It was a beautiful evening to be driving along the highway between Duka Bovu and Kisongo, with Mt Meru ahead and the late afternoon light turning the dusty landscape golden.

 

What is Social Distancing, Again?

We're meant to be observing at least a bit of social distance.  It's clear my students do not understand the concept.  I think they missed me, though?  

Seriously, I can't breathe. ;) 

Ah, finally a bit of quiet and breathing room outside the gate of my house. :)  The corn is tassling and drying! 

 

Sunday at the School

Today was our first Sunday together at the school after our long Corona break.  The triplets and my student helpers were happy to have our Bible class together again.  After I finished Bible class, I went back to the library, which was busy today with many kids studying, reading and catching up with each other.  It's so good to see the library full of life again! 

(Above) Jackline and Edina, two of our form 3 students.  Below, Athuman, a form 2 student whose hobby is disturbing me and generally being underfoot in the library, is trying to look cool in a photo with me.  

(Below) Stephanie and Doreen, two of our form 2 students, took a quick selfie on my phone. 

In the evening, I went out to Kisongo to get some groceries.  It was a cloudy evening, a bit unusual for this time of year, and I got a photo of the strange light while driving back towards Monduli Mountain. 

 

July 4th!

Typically, living outside of the US, July 4th is just another day wherever I am.  But this year it fell on a Saturday, and the Allisons hosted us for some hamburgers and hotdogs in honor of Independence Day.  The Allisons (from Arkansas) and I were the only actual Americans, but we also included Ralph and Twyla Williams, who are Canadians, but lived in the US for thirty years, and Tizo, Beth's husband, who is married to an American and so we have accepted as one of us.  Besides, with Beth being in the US right now, Twyla wanted to invite him because she thought he might be lonely and would enjoy a meal he didn't have to prepare.  Happy Fourth of July to all of you in the US, and I hope you enjoyed your own hamburgers and hotdogs! 

 

Friday Afternoon at Alpha Omega

It was a busy Friday at the school today, as we finish our first week back and everyone's getting back into the school routine.  The library was busy all afternoon.  Above, some of the form 1 boys, Samson, Hussein, Benson and Meshack, asked me for help researching some information they needed for a class project, so I let them search on my laptop for a bit.  

Below, Pascal takes a selfie shot with many of classmates reading and studying behind him. 

There was a welcome-back school Baraza (special assembly) in the afternoon, to officially welcome students to the new term, make announcements, and to hand out awards for those who made top grades in the last term. 

Since I had my phone and I'm still happy to see them all and they haven't driven me nuts yet, I let the students get a few photos on my phone after the school baraza.  Below, Meleji (he's actually my height, but he's down a couple of steps), me, Hawa, and Gabriel. 

Monica and Stephanie from form 2 and Regarn from form 3...

Below, Salum and Gabriel.  I seem to have a lot of photos of these guys because they are hams.  Somehow they can sense a camera coming out and always seems to be in front of it.  

Regarn and Salum...

Lissa, me, and Gabriel 

The headmaster, Godfrey, talks with some of the students.

Further hamming by Salum...

Hawa, Jackline and Edina, three of the form 3 girls.