African style

Monday 27-02-2012:

I taught my first lesson at Makululu, giving directions and mathematics. It's been a while since I did mathematics myself! And I hadn't prepared anything, because actually someone else would be teaching that day. Seeing the circumstances, it went well.

Tuesday 29-02-2012:

I went to Bwacha Highschool, had to be there at 07.30, I arrived at 07.35. That wasn't a problem, mr. Mwanza wasn't in yet. I waited until 09.30, mr. Mwanza still wasn't in. Let's call him again. 'Yes, I will be there soon'. Ok, and indeed, 5 minutes later, there he was. He had had an appointment at the bank, and it took longer than he thought it would. No problem, but now he also had an appointment with another girl and we both went with him to his office. We talked a bit, about that I already missed the first lesson that I would observe, (ow yes, it's already too late to see that lesson now) and then I waited until he would finish with the stuff he had to arrange for the girl. An hour later, just before the next lesson that he had to teach, he said to me: 'Ehh I'm not going to make it to teach that lesson, can't you come back tomorrow?' I asked him who was going to teach then? And he answered that the pupils wouldn't have class then. And then I made an appointment for 09.30 the next day, and I double-checked if he would be at school.

Wednesday 29-02-2012:

I walked to Bwacha Highschool, only 75 minutes :). I observed the class of mr. Mwanza. And then I had to wait until the P.E. lesson would start at 14.00, after two hours of waiting the teacher came to tell me that the sport was cancelled. So then I went back home again.

Thursday 01-02-2012:

Taught at Makululu, and then we went to play a football match against the kids from 'Sabels'. Sabels is an organization that also provides education for vulnerable children, my mentor Geoffrey does the counseling there. When the ground that Unisport uses is too wet (like now it is the rain season), we sometimes go to Sabels. Then all of the sudden we had an unexpected performance from a real Zambian band, real good music, in the sun, in the middle of nowhere. Fantastic, things like that can only happen here.

Friday 02-02-2012:

Sports day at Bwacha Highschool, 1,5 hour to late but then it started. Running in the burning sun, respect for the boys and girls who did the 5000 or 3000 meters. They had a lot of running events, also because the lack of materials for other events. They also did high jump and long jump, in a self digged sand pit (sometimes if they jumped wrong it was kind of scary to see if they would land safely) Then one of the guys took an running start for the high jump, and I was already amazed about how high they could jump that high and land on their feet, but it looked like he was going to do the fosbury-flop, I held my breath, and oooo he just did an somersault over 1 meter 45!! Quite amazing.

Weekend

Visiting possible guest families in Kabwe.

Why the title is 'African style'? Because life has its own rhythm over here. And nothing goes like you would expect. Sometimes really nice, and sometimes you have to wait and wait and....