Working?

...watch the two boys in the front get closer and closer... sometimes I think they just have to get up and out of their seats!!

:)

Shule la lugha

Over the summer I went to language school in Iringa to learn/relearn/improve Swahili. The school has partnered with Riverside Campsite: students live and eat at the campsite and the teachers come Monday-Friday mornings for classes. It’s a good system na sasa ninajua vitu vyote kuhusu kiswahili! (and now I know everything about Swahili) ;)

…if only I had to use it in Dar all the time, I’d be fluent in no time!

Me, Christie Harrison (I know!) and Kate at our ‘graduation’. Kate and I did a month of language school; Christie and her husband Brett did the full four months. Some kids of other language students made us laurel wreaths!

We climbed to the hop of a small mountain/large hill one afternoon. It was beautiful!

Fellow language schoolers: Christian and Jen (Denmark), Kate, Christie and myself. There were several ‘groups’ at Riverside: the Baptists, the Danes, the Geita people and ‘Kate and Carley’

Brett looking down at us from the highest point.

:)

Happy 'New' Year!

It's August and that means...school starts!

I am back in grade 1 with 22 students (24 on the roster but some will come later in the year), 16 boys and 8 girls. That's a lot of 6 year old boys in a confined space, let me tell you!

In the first three days, I've determined that

1. Six years olds can project their voices better than many public speakers.

2. I don't know any Korean. (I knew this before but it's not obvious every day until you have Korean/non-English speakers in your classroom!)

3. Children make me laugh.

4. I need to be at least in the process of going to bed by 9:00 to be rested and ready for a new day!

5. Kid's prayers are much more heartfelt than many adult's prayers.

6. Non sequiturs make up the bulk of most conversations in grade 1.

:)

Masai Day!

Friday, April 24 was a great day!  We’ve been studying the Masai (or Maasai – I’ve seen it both ways) for the past few weeks and so that Friday we had “Masai Day!”.

We had a special Masai guest, Jeremiah. (Not exactly a Masai name but…)  The students wrote questions to ask – everything from “how do your huts stay up when it rains?” to “what’s your favorite color?” to “how do you kill a lion?” (They surround it and sing to it.)

He showed the kids how to jump and we had a jumping ‘contest’ outside.

We ate ugali (a stiff porridge, a starch) with beans and vegetables and drank milk. (Well the kids did. As you know, I’m not a fan of milk here.)

We then watched a short video about the Masai produced by TearFund and divided into groups to spend a few minutes praying for the Masai people.

It was such a fun day! Pictures will come when I have time to wait on the Internet…

:) 

Cops and Robbers!!

Grade 1 voted to be Cops and Robbers for free dress today!

Don't they look great!!

Robber Martha

Cop Ben

Robber Mia

Detective Celia

Robber Bo
(who was sneaking around the classroom hoarding his loot all morning!)

Ingrid as a cop

Cops Ethan, Mohamed and Johannah

Cop Mateo

Traffic woman Vanessa
(She looks exactly like the Traffic police!)

Robber Kristine
(I almost didn't recognize her when she came in this morning!)