Feb 7th

I feel like life at site is finally getting back to normal. At least getting back to what I feel comfortable with. I’m teaching on a regular basis, lesson planning almost constantly, drawing with the neighbour kids, cooking at least one meal a day, feeling like I actually have time to sit if that’s all I want to do... My classes are getting a little more comfortable; I’m starting to figure out about how fast each class can move so I’m able to pace myself.
On Friday I decided that not only my students but I also needed a bit of a break. I taught them the lyrics to “Hello, Goodbye” by The Beatles. It was fantastic!! They got so into it. We’ve been learning greetings in class, so when they heard them used in a song they got so excited. “Again Teacher, again!” When I would leave and start teaching another class, students would come stand at the windows and sing while the other kids were learning. It was refreshing to have to much classroom participation and enthusiasm for once this year. Also, today, when I came to school I heard students singing the song, without any prompting from me. It sounded like not only they’d remembered the lyrics but had actually practiced! Now, my mission is to come up with an entire year’s curriculum teaching solely through song. Genius! So, your homework as good blog readers, think of songs that have basic vocabulary and are relatively easy to understand, and email me!!!
This weekend was a pretty great weekend. Even though I missed a few volunteer birthday parties, the superbowl get together, and a REDES exchange up in Inhanbane, I relaxed, played, talked, planned, and got creative. I bought a bed (FINALLY!!). It’s not actually that great but it beats sleeping on a straw mat stretched over metal springs. I got a few neighbor boys together and collected sticks to make a shoe rack. They were more than confused on what was going on, sticks being held together with dental floss (no, they have no idea what dental floss actually is), but in the end they saw the whole picture. A heard a few of them say they were going to try and recreate it at their house. I planned three weeks worth of English lessons, which for me, Miss Procrastination, is a HUGE help. I met some amazing Zimbabweans who I look forward to seeing again in the future.
And I talked to one of my counterparts, Prof Silvino, about how Peace Corps has impacted his life. We were talking about what he was suppose to be teaching; Idols. He said “you mean singers?” I explained what an Idol was, and asked him who his was. His answer was Dillon, from Boston. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer at a teaching school in Xai Xai a few years back. Silvino said the way he taught, how he connected to his students, how confident he was, and how generous he was really made an impression. I spoke to another one of my students, Moises, about how Peace Corps has affected his life. He had a teacher Emily, also in Xai Xai, who helped him apply for the American Leadership Academy. He was one of the 100 finalists in all of Africa. He was so proud; it showed him that if he really tried he could accomplish a lot. I don’t know Dillon or Emily, but if I did, I’d tell them even though you may not have noticed the impact you had on a community, I can see it, and you have changed lives. Thank you. Hopefully I’m making a difference for at least a few people also.