First week of school!

Wa hula po (good afternoon)

I have officially finished my first week of teaching in Ogongo! It was a crazy, amazing, frustrating, and interesting week. I arrived on Saturday night to a 2 room flat with absolutely nothing in it - no bed, table, chairs, nothing! The owner brought me a mattress to sleep on until my things arrived. Luckily they delivered my things on Sunday. I now have a bed, fridge, stove, desk and 2 chairs! I am still living out of a suitcase though, because I have no storage for clothes or anything. I have a roommate. Her name is Magano. She is living in Ogongo for 2-3 months because she is doing computer training for the teachers at my school. The school just received 20 new computers! This is very exciting, considering the school does not have a phone or enough classrooms for all of the students! I am teaching more classes than expected. I teach Grade 6 and 7 Math, Grade 5-7 Art, Grade 5-9 Life Skills and Grade 10 Basic information Systems (computers/library).

The schools here are so drastically different from the states, I don't even know where to begin! The conditions of the school are unbelievable. I will post pictures soon so you can really see what I am talking about. The classrooms are rundown with very old desks and chairs that are almost all broken. Learners often share desks and even chairs. One of my classrooms has 45 learners and 30 some desks! One big difference is that the learners stay in one classroom the entire day and the teachers rotate. This means that I don't really have classroom space of my own! I have to carry all of my supplies and resources from class to class. There is also no time inbetween periods, therefore class doesn't usually start on time. On a good day, I get about 30 minutes of teaching time. It is also common for teachers to not go to the classes they are teaching - especially if they are non-promotional (art, PE, computers, etc). My principal is amazing! She is new to the school as well and has alot of great ideas and high expectations for the teachers and learners. She is getting her Masters in Special Education, which is very rare here! I am going to be working with her to start a remedial tutoring program for struggling students. THat is very exciting!

I am living next to 2 flats of Grade 11 learners. The are incredible girls and my saviors! They have been teaching me how to cook traditional food, do my laundry and I even learned how to make a broom from grass! They love learning about the States and using their English with me. They have also been a great help in learning Oshindonga!

Ok I have been on the internet for way too long! I have so much more to share, but no time! I am considering getting internet in my home and then I can send more updates. I hope everyone is doing well - especially in the cold!!