A day in the life

I had a fantastic four day weekend over the 4th. Here in Zambia the 5th and 6th were Hero's Day and Unity Day. I spent quality time relaxing with friends whom I haven't seen in months. I also took my first hot shower since late April! At my house I just take bucket baths, so it was a treat.

We also met some Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served here in Zambia more than six years ago and were back on a road trip. Pretty cool!

Today has been a pretty typical day for me: I woke up at 5:45 to temperatures in the low 50s, ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and had two cups of fake instant coffee, dressed and was at school by 7:15. After our twice a week teacher's meeting and school-wide assembly I observed the infamous Mr. Simuntala (infamous, that is, if you read my Facebook status updates). He began the class with the greeting that is done in all Zambian schools: "Good morning class, how are you?" To which the pupils responded dryly and mechanically "We are fine thank you and how are you?" ...shoot me, haha.

Mr. Simuntala spent the next 35 minutes of the 40 minute Civics period writing notes on the board without once giving directions to the 30 or so 9th graders. Then he dedicated the last 5 minutes to reinforcing what he had "taught" in that lesson. And a couple students arrived late who subsequently received a pinch on the cheek mr hand from ours truly, Mr. S.

After class I told Mr Simuntala that the lesson was very teacher centered, to which he more or less responded that if he were to get creative then it could take him two weeks to complete of lesson. What a horrible excuse.

His typical excuse for abusing pupils as punishment for being late is that it's Zambian tradition and a hard habit to break. He knows it's against the law and I sincerely hope he gets arrested so as to be an example for other teachers of what not to do.

But as I tell everyone, the schools in my zone seem to have it together a bit more than others. Some of my PCV friends work with teachers who spread HIV to students...hmm, I wonder how? And with teachers who cipher money into their own pockets from school fees paid by impoverished children.

Switching topics now, this morning I'm supposed to be meeting with the housing committee who organized the building of my inganda (house, in Bemba). But it's been a struggle and I think I know partly why, in addition to the fact that this is corn harvesting season: we are in the land of the Lala people. In Bemba ukulala means to sleep, so I live, quite literally, in Lala-land. I wonder if that expression (Lala-land) came from the area in which I live?!

Anyway, I hope to meet with the housing committee so that they *might* put the finishing touches on my house...maybe within the next year!?

This weekend I'm also paying some villagers to put up a fence around my house to keep away the chickens and goats so I can safely grow a garden in the coming months.

Backing up two weeks from today, I attended an Appropriate Technologies workshop facilitated by an instructor from MIT. It was fantastic! I brought three people from my village with me to Serenje. We learned about fuel efficient stoves and braziers; a solar food dryer; making charcoal from corn cobs; making chlorine from salt and water; a washing machine powered by a bicycle; a solar water heater; two different irrigation systems so villagers can grow during the dry reason; a bicycle powered peanut butter maker, cell phone charger and corn sheller (which separates dry kernels from the cob); and, among other technologies, a device that shells peanuts! How cool!?

Well I have to go wait for the housing committee to show, and then work with Mr. Simuntala on making some lesson plans for English that are learner-centered.

Shalenipo mukwai!