Like I mentioned in my last post, I'm writing this to keep you up on all of the fun and excitement happening here at IST. It's actually really not that exciting, but it's been an absolute joy getting to see a bunch of my PST friends again and having the chance to catch up on what they've been up to. I'm very proud that, after nearly 4 months at site, we haven't had any ETs yet! Everyone seems to be in good spirits and, while I've heard some pretty awful stories about a few of the schools and some interesting cultural experiences, everybody appears to love their placements.
The first part of our In-Service Training consisted of an Education training session that lasted 4 days. We spent some time reflecting on our time at site, and then had lectures on various topics, from project design and management to ways to make wine and beef jerky with local materials. Overall, the education sessions were very helpful and motivating; many of us are eager to get back to site to implement some of the things we've learned!
We just started the PEPFAR sessions two days ago. Now that we've already completed our day on Permagardening (yesterday), I get the feeling it's all downhill from here. Downhill in the sense that things are going to start sucking pretty hard, especially if the first day was any indication. On the first day of PEPFAR, it was like PST deja vu; we took a pre-test and sat through three of the same slideshows we saw 6 months ago. What made it even worse was the fact that it was the hottest day in Dodoma since we'd gotten to VETA, and some of us didn't get much sleep the night before.
We had a very good reason for not getting sleep though. When some of us went out to dinner the night before, we met two members of Parliament (since it's currently in session in Dodoma), who took us out to a club to "celebrate" our completion of the Education IST. Much dancing and loud (LOUD) music ensued, as well as drinking and encounters with prostitutes. Some people (the smart ones) left around 12:30am, while the rest of us stayed out until 2:00 or 2:30. I should've left at 12:30. Not that I didn't have a wonderful time, because I did. It's just that the wonderful time was out the door after 12:30. After that, the music seemed to be rattling my brain and people were no longer the fun kind of drunk. Plus, the dance floor was jam packed by that time, so I had no room to bust out my dance moves. And perhaps if I had left earlier, my temporary hearing loss would be gone by now.
So while I'm a bit discouraged about the next week of PEPFAR, I feel pretty good about going back to site. I have a renewed sense of urgency to get my house back to an inhabitable state, and perhaps even start cooking stuff again! Or at least make some wine. I also have plans to finally get a garden going, either in my backyard, in my second master's shamba (farm), or near the Form V dorm as a side project for them to maintain.
I'll see what I can do about getting another update in before I step foot in my village again, but when sessions don't end until 5 or 5:30 in the evening every day and it's nearly a 20-minute walk into town, it's hard to fit things in. I'm also still working on getting the comic up, and I'm considering putting up a video about IST, though it will depend on how much video I get in the next few days. Until next time!
Hey, David! I spent some time this a.m. catching up on your blog. It's amazing how you're using your trials to become closer to God. It's an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIn several notes you've mentioned you feel like you're not as accomplished as a teacher as some other folks you're with. I think teaching comes from the heart. It's about making a connection. Other teachers may seem to have all the right moves, so to speak, but that doesn't mean they're better teachers. Right now I'm thinking of 2 teachers at the middle school Emma will go to in the fall. They both teach 6th grade US History. Mrs. Carter has her room decked out with iconic pictures from all different eras. She plays music from the different eras, has outfits from the different eras and often does "re-enactments" as part of her teaching. Mr. Kissler, on the other hand, has just a few maps on his wall, does most of his teaching with "fill in the blank" notes and shows newsreels and cartoons as part of his lessons. VERY different styles, but when you ask kids who've had Mrs. Carter they say, "She's the best teacher ever!" And when you ask kids who have Mr. Kissler they say, "He's the best teacher ever!" You have to find your own style and your own rhythm. If you like games, play games to teach. If you like music, use music to teach. If you're a stand at the board and have kids copy down the notes kind of guy, do that. Classes on how to teach are great 'cause they give us all kinds of ideas. Some of them you just have to try on to see how they work for you. If they don't work, it's o.k. When I was teaching 8th grade math a few months ago, I had my students do a web quest on Pythagorus and the Pythagorean Theorm. Teacher friends had told me now much their students LOVE doing webquests. I thought it sounded great. My students, however, HATED it. So... I abandoned it... THAT day... and we did something else. You'll find something that fits you, and long after you've forgotten the names of your students, they'll still remember David from America who came to teach them.
On another note, I've been wondering about your dropfoot. From the blog updates, it appears that things must be going o.k. as I see several notes about walking and hiking up hills. Hope your dropfoot continues to improve.
Peace,
Pam