Morogoro safari continued!
So it seems I didn't lose the blog after all - it was just the pc! So now I'm trying to move past the first week which was very much getting to grips with the teaching schedule and combining that with construction work in Kihonda.
Some of the teachers from Mlimani school offered to take us on a hike to Morningstone which is an old German hut in the Ulughuru mountains so that was our plan for Sunday morning July 27th. Because of some losses in translation we set off somewhat later than they planned. The Lonely Planet describes this point as being about 1000m high - I can tell you they left out a few 0s! It was an extremely tough climb and seemed never to level out! A couple of people turned back and as time went on I thought they were the wise ones. If I thought uphill was bad downhill never seemed to end and inevitably I lost yet another toenail as I don't think my steel capped boots were ideal but I reckoned I'd be safer in them than in the runners. It was actually very dry and surprisingly I didn't fall on the downhill which for me was a minor miracle without the benefit of my poles! I'm glad to say that "Big Mama" was no more pooped than the students who have the benefit of more agile limbs! I was not looking forward to the cycle home after this 6.5hr hike but it proved very pleasant cycling through the tree lined dirt roads with not too much traffic.
Did I mention bikes in my last blog? Well that has become our main mode of transport. We all bought second hand bikes on the first day - they have proven to be of questionable reliability but repairs are inexpensive and it does give us great freedom. Most people cycle to school in the morning and then the sisters in Bernhard Bendel school transport everyone to the site at Kihonda about 9km out of town in their lorry (bikes and people all loaded up together!). We then cycle back to CCT in the evenings. The biggest problem is ensuring that we get to the site without too much delay once class finishes so that we get a run at the building as we need to be leaving their by about 5.30pm to get back before dark. It doesn't give us a lot of time on site but we work very hard while we are there.
Monday 28th
Week 2 started the serious business of teaching as all computer labs are now up and running and although there are a few technical problems to sort there are sufficient PCs available for all the teachers to work on their skills. The UCD teachers are very diligent at preparing their classes and are already identifying the "high flyers" - teachers who have some computer skills already and so are finding it easier to absorb the syllabus. There is a computer skills syllabus in the schools but there is no emphasis on technical skills in this and so its wonderful for the schools to have an opportunity to combine theory with practice now that they have the computer lab.
This week also Mary and I went to SUA Primary school and Sumaye Secondary School, the other two schools along with Kihonda where UCDVO worked last year. Mary is going to work with one of the teachers in SUA to set up a library database which can be used as a template for other schools. We need to buy them some books both in English and Swahili to encourage reading. SUA has quite a few books but they are not categorised so students can't really identify suitable books for themselves.
I have also started going to the site each morning accompanied by one student - they take it in turns to come with "Big Mama" ! Its important to show that we are anxious to get this job done quickly so our presence there helps to reinforce that.
Surroundings
We wake up in the morning to an unbelievable scene of mist lifitng off the surrounding Ulughuri mountains. They are quite overwhelming as they are so close and have very strange peaks - quite rough looking. We breakfast each morning about 7.30am and then disperse to our various locations all meeting up on site later in the day. The school arrange to provide food for the students so that they have eaten before they start the construction work. We purchased enormus bottles of water on the first day and left them up to the site so we ensure that we are all well watered while we work - I have everyone converted to the benefits of Dioralyte when feeling a bit shaky and they are now convinced! I call it my First Aid and must be tried before anything else!