I think I'm Alone Now

Hey there, I'm in Ouaga, land of free internet (at the Bureau) and cell phone service!! Weee!! Communication is goooooood. So I'll be here until Tuesday I think, doing odds and ends as this will be my last chance to come here before Spring Break.

So it's official, I've finished my first semester here in the incredibly frustrating Burkina system of schools. But I'm still going. I finished my grades and went over them with the kids individually. And yet again, I did something very rote in this system differently and all my kids looked at me like I was an alien. And honestly, I don't even know how the other teachers "calculate the grades" with the kids so I just did it like my old middle school teachers did and I think it turned out okay, despite having to fail over half my math class (I don't want to talk about that, a sore spot). But my English and Science classes did very well, I'd say.

And now the true science nerd is showing her stuff as I start my Chemistry section in class. Wooooo!! Atoms and electrons and molecules, OH MY! My English class is quite amusing. My mother suggested teaching them "If You're Happy and You Know It" and I took that suggestion following the class on contractions with "to be" and they loved it. I also started having the kids pick a word of the day that they want to learn in English. Interestingly, they picked "God" and "peace" as the first two words. In America, we always want to learn the dirty words first (always), so I think that says something poignant about the culture here.

That's about it. It's kinda lonely here as I'm the only volunteer in the hostel. Kinda reminds me of being at Ag during vacations. So if you're in the mood to say you've called Africa, give me a ring on my cell and I'll be delighted.