Teaching Here is...Different
After teaching for a month now, all I have to say is God Bless high school teachers! Its so much busy work, preperation, and stress over whether the message is getting across.
I'm teaching Forms 5 and 6 Math, which I love. The students are 18 - 23 hrs old, bright, speak english well, and since they have worked hard to pass this far, very motivated to learn. Our classes are more like small seminars and very easy to run. Physics is a different story. There are 30-50 students per class ranging from 14 to 26 yrs, and a wide variety of levels of motivation. The first day of class a bunch of students not even studying physics came to class just to see what the white teacher would say, which was frustrating when they, of course, didn't show up the next time. I spent a good period trying to figure our what had happened. The students also have some attitude, so I brandish the usual fascade of confidence that teachers usually wear as armor. It can be frustrating...not to mention the fact that the first two periods of the semester, unbeknownst to me, were to be spent cleaning and not learning for the students. I was so frustrated, thinking "I'm never going to finish the syllabus if this keeps up!" But some of the students are really great, and I overall enjoy the work.
Cultural Confusion
The other day I had some serious cultural confusion when these Watalii (tourists) came to Lomwe to hike the beautiful mountains (see pics below). The "lonely planet" book says to come to Lomwe Secondary for a guide, so we occassionaly get visitors, but this was a whole group! They were camped out (tents, fire, jeep) on our soccer field of all places just hanging out, watching everyone. They looked so out of place, and at once I could see both sides of the cultural divide; the "what are the crazy white people up to now, and why are they camped on the soccer field, and why would they come all they way here just to walk in circles?" and the "wow, look at all these native people, I'm too afraid to say hi to bother them so I'm just going to sit here and try to stay out of the way". I have no idea where I lie in the mix....
Anyway, the point is that, having insight on both sides of this situation, I can tell you that neither party has any ill will towards the other, yet the misconceptions and misunderstandings borne from different cultural and economic backgrounds breed distrust and cautious curiousity. Overall, the perception of hostility is intrinsic in interaction. This must be instinctual, and probably the cause of a great deal of the world's conflict, and there it was happening on my soccer field.
Passing the wazungu (white people) on one occassion, a local Mama commented to me "Many wazungu have come" and I said "yeah, this place is pouring white people" and she said "kweli"(really!) and laughed...
PICTURES:
Welcome Party in Moshi:
Some of the volunteers from the Kili region welcomed us to site, it was so fun! There was even a tutu......
HIKING AROUND SITE:
Here I am in somewhat traditional garb (a headwrap and kitenge) which I usually wear when out of class. There are many paths and many directions to go in the mountains I live in, and as I mentioned before, many people come to hike around. It even says in 'Lonely Planet' to come to Lomwe Secondary!
And here I give you the view from an hour's hike away from my doorstep! It's the planes (called tambarare in kiswahili), and the mountains of Kenya in the distance.
Two of my closest pcv's, cynthia and leiha, came to visit for a little, and we hiked around. Cute pick!
So that's all for now. If you are unsatisfied with just pictures and want to come see the real deal, Karibu (welcome)! I have a guest room, bed, and net, and am only 5 hrs from an airport (KIA).