Projects going well: Teaching literature for Form Threes this term, and I’m really enjoying it. We moved at a snail’s pace through the first story in “Looking for a Rain God,” a collection of African short stories, but the work has paid off; after establishing a routine and a literary vocabulary, we sailed through five more stories in four weeks.
Permaculture continues to move in fits and starts. Planting happened, but the rains have been sparse. At the primary school, the teachers have been motivated to keep moving, but at the secondary school, it’s two steps forward, three steps back. Last weekend, I visited a permaculture group in Lilongwe that was generous enough to donate seeds, so maybe things will pick up when we plant them. The problem seemed to be getting everyone together to sit down and plan. So we had an Action Plan meeting a few weeks ago, but the results were a little vague about responsibility. I’m concerned what will happen when the rains end in April.
Teacher development work at the cluster level is at a standstill because the Ministry of Education has tinkered with financial policies so that schools have ZERO access to their own tuition funds, and therefore no way to pay for workshop participant transport, allowances, Fantas, etc. While the situation is frustrating, it’s given me the chance to turn my attention elsewhere, and to work on areas of greater personal interest. I’m looking into putting together a workshop on natural medicine and gardening for the nearby secondary and primary teachers, who couldn’t get enough information about this topic during the Permaculture training in September (and thus won’t demand allowances that their schools can’t provide). Also, I’d like to take a few teachers to a training in Lilongwe on integrated pest management and seed saving. And I’m still assisting the Domasi distance learners, a group of 20 teachers who come to Salima every Friday to work on their assignments toward a diploma (like an Associate’s degree) in education. At the primary school, I’ve been helping set up email accounts for teachers, so they can exchange stories with colleagues at their sister school in Biggin Hill, England.
Last weekend, Ashley, Jamie, and I took the GRE in Lilongwe, along with a roomful of Malawians who had never encountered a Scantron test before, so you can imagine the kind of fun that ensued. Needless to say, the four-hour test scheduled for 8:30 didn’t even start until 10 in the morning, and we did a very thorough job of celebrating its completion. Yes, even with jello shots.
I have two new site mates! Terra, a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, who lives a half mile away. And, at Thavite, Annette, just reassigned to Malawi after Niger was evacuated.
Lots of things to look forward to: this weekend, a trip up to Kande Beach on the lake for my birthday party. A week-long holiday at the beginning of March, and then a trip to Tanzania in April. And somewhere in there, the end of term exams, which I am responsible for typing—again.
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