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Hello again
I thought this time I would tell you about my week, which may or may not be very interesting to you. Up to you to decide. But I have to work backwards, as I've just realised I've forgotten most of it already. So ...
Today is Sunday and I still woke depressingly early, at 5.30, when it's still dark but dawn is coming, so off to the little room at the end of the garden. No more details, you'll be pleased about that. Back to bed. It wasn't even 6am and it is Sunday. An outrageous time to be awake. I heard Joyce (housekeeper) come in about 7 and start drawing water and sweeping. She's usually off on Sunday but took yesterday instead: something to do with collecting money owed to her shop. Breakfast was spread over about an hour: first an orange, then I decided to boil an egg on the pot over the charcoal fire in the yard. Not overly successful but never mind. Toast is good done like that though. Then I went to the library (a stone's throw from the house) to do lesson prep for tomorrow. I'll be teaching standard 8 from end of assembly for max of 2 hours or until I get fed up with them, then a short break and the most able 4 will benefit from my expertise. It'll be good as I actually have one book for each of them! Amazing. I do hope we'll make some progress. Talking of stone's throws, I took a class outside last week and had them throwing stones, to illustrate the meaning of the expression. I don't think I'd be allowed to do that at home.
Yesterday was a planned trip to Nkharta Bay, which is on the shores of Lake Malawi. Luckness, Anna, Mrs Banda (Headteacher's wife) and I went. We had planned to start at 10am. No chance. At 11 I went for a walk and met a Rasta called James who showed me his garden, with the pineapple plants, lemon tree ('just send a boy over to get some whenever you want' he said. Can you imagine trying that at home? Not since Dickens' day, I suspect) and also so huge things like giant pea pods or runner beans that keep snakes away. I hope they work. So off to Nkharta Bay at 11.30. We went to the beach, I sat on the sand and discussed politics with a beach trader, my friends sat demurely at a table and waited. Then we went to find some lunch and I am trying to be polite about this bit. It transpired that 2 of the party had brought no money at all with them. Not a bean. I wonder who they thought would be paying for them? Hmm. Then we went shopping for food - we have a small trading centre outside the school gates, but it's not much cop - and headed home. It's about 50 minutes, half of it on an ok tarmac road and the rest on 7km of dirt road leading to the school. I drive very carefully over that and won't do it at all when it's been raining as it becomes a skid pan.
The week was spent in lesson prep, teaching, sleeping, making a few bizarre local trips (the locals are always trying to treat me as a taxi service) and on Tuesday I went again to Mzuzu to extend my visa and to do some shopping. That's it really, my life in the bush. Some more people are coming next week, so it'll be interesting to see some new faces around here. The time is flying and I'll be back home before I know it.
Hello again
I thought this time I would tell you about my week, which may or may not be very interesting to you. Up to you to decide. But I have to work backwards, as I've just realised I've forgotten most of it already. So ...
Today is Sunday and I still woke depressingly early, at 5.30, when it's still dark but dawn is coming, so off to the little room at the end of the garden. No more details, you'll be pleased about that. Back to bed. It wasn't even 6am and it is Sunday. An outrageous time to be awake. I heard Joyce (housekeeper) come in about 7 and start drawing water and sweeping. She's usually off on Sunday but took yesterday instead: something to do with collecting money owed to her shop. Breakfast was spread over about an hour: first an orange, then I decided to boil an egg on the pot over the charcoal fire in the yard. Not overly successful but never mind. Toast is good done like that though. Then I went to the library (a stone's throw from the house) to do lesson prep for tomorrow. I'll be teaching standard 8 from end of assembly for max of 2 hours or until I get fed up with them, then a short break and the most able 4 will benefit from my expertise. It'll be good as I actually have one book for each of them! Amazing. I do hope we'll make some progress. Talking of stone's throws, I took a class outside last week and had them throwing stones, to illustrate the meaning of the expression. I don't think I'd be allowed to do that at home.
Yesterday was a planned trip to Nkharta Bay, which is on the shores of Lake Malawi. Luckness, Anna, Mrs Banda (Headteacher's wife) and I went. We had planned to start at 10am. No chance. At 11 I went for a walk and met a Rasta called James who showed me his garden, with the pineapple plants, lemon tree ('just send a boy over to get some whenever you want' he said. Can you imagine trying that at home? Not since Dickens' day, I suspect) and also so huge things like giant pea pods or runner beans that keep snakes away. I hope they work. So off to Nkharta Bay at 11.30. We went to the beach, I sat on the sand and discussed politics with a beach trader, my friends sat demurely at a table and waited. Then we went to find some lunch and I am trying to be polite about this bit. It transpired that 2 of the party had brought no money at all with them. Not a bean. I wonder who they thought would be paying for them? Hmm. Then we went shopping for food - we have a small trading centre outside the school gates, but it's not much cop - and headed home. It's about 50 minutes, half of it on an ok tarmac road and the rest on 7km of dirt road leading to the school. I drive very carefully over that and won't do it at all when it's been raining as it becomes a skid pan.
The week was spent in lesson prep, teaching, sleeping, making a few bizarre local trips (the locals are always trying to treat me as a taxi service) and on Tuesday I went again to Mzuzu to extend my visa and to do some shopping. That's it really, my life in the bush. Some more people are coming next week, so it'll be interesting to see some new faces around here. The time is flying and I'll be back home before I know it.
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