Moving Clouds
Alright. Today, let’s talk about things that will never happen! I came here to serve as a Teacher’s Assistant this Summer. Since we setup the internship with someone who oversees the activities of the school, we didn’t really have the most current happenings of the school in hand. That is why I ended up here, and there is literally no class in which I can assist the teacher, except maybe for French class, which is offered twice a month or so… Dioula is the instruction language, because that is what most students here speak anyways, and it receives more consideration than all the rest. English used to be taught here at some point, then they run into some issues and stopped offering it. And since I gave the students a taste of the language, they are fighting to get it back. The only problem with that is that I can start teaching English here, the students will be really hooked, and two months later, I will be leaving for the US, and they will all be heartbroken. In other words, that's not going to happen!
Reaching for the trees
Like I said yesterday, I started teaching two pastors outside of my duty hours. These evening classes will help them improve their spoken English, and hopefully equip them better to make their own research when I am gone in order to keep improving. One of the pastors is actually the Agriculture teacher for the school, and the other one is his friend, and also his superior at the church they serve. This is not my first time working with adults, but since the pastors asked me for my time, I am certain that they will be fully dedicated to the cause, which will enable us to make a lot of progress in a short period of time.
We will be working three times a week for two hours each. This will be intense enough for all of us, and I always enjoyed the challenge of taking someone from point A to B. The idea is that although I won’t make miracles, I want them to be able to start a normal conversation in English with anyone they just met, with no shame, and the full intention to learn something new every day. If we can accomplish that before August, then my evening times will have been put to great use!
I got to meet new people today. When I learned that the age discrepancy between the students here was so large, I was suspecting that there would be students here who do not really know why they are here. At the end of the day, I feel like I was either sounding too American, or that there are people who need a reality check. Djeneba is like the diva of the school, and everyone seems to follow what she does or says. She causes so much distraction in class, that I feel bad for the teachers. So, she and her friends came to talk to me, and the first thing I could tell her is, “do you know why you’re here?” Of course, she wouldn’t answer me so I started my usual preaching. I am certain all the students who were present at that time hated me instantly. Man, what a great start, Teacher’s Assistant!
A group of students came by my house this evening, including the people I talked to in the morning. I continued to ask questions about the school, the field work, and all.
In turn, they asked me to teach them many things, which I promised to figure something out, and then the pastors came along. So far, I devoted my free time to cooking, research, and writing reflections. I was also going to include preparing lessons, but that too, is not going to happen. My idea was that I was going to organize an after school activity for the students who want help in English, computers, or simply writing in Dioula or French. Then, I was going to meet each group at various times of the week. I was surely going to end up with the same people in each group, but at least, it would have been more organized… These are some of the great ideas I have, but it will take a while to figure things out, and time is the only thing that is working against us.
I also have a friend from Ouaga, who decided that from now on, she will only chat with me in English. I wish I had more friends like her. She understands that I am going to be busy this summer, so she is willing to wait until I am back in the US.
And as far as Agroforestry is concerned, all I see is moving clouds, and it makes me wonder, "when will it rain so I can finally plant some trees?" Our hands are tied: unless it rains, I will not really have the possibility to do anything related to agroforestry!
