Computer Lab Firsts

I think I can claim to be the first instructor in a computer lab to ever have sat down on a bird during class.  At the beginning of class while everyone was coming in and logging on to the computers.  I saw a small bird not quite big enough to fly on the ground.  It wasn't the first time small animals made it into the classroom so I didnt think anything of it.  It was gone a little later so I assumed one of the students put it back outside.  Then later a student asked for help and I sat down in the seat next to her.  She immediately gave me a very concerned look and sqeaked out, "my bird!?".  I jumped up and sure enough there was the little bird flopping around on the chair.  I'm pretty sure it will survive the incident but it, myself, and computer lab may never be the same again.

Lent

For Lent the daily mass at the Parish has been moved to 4:30 pm from the normal 6 am mass.  Many of the students walk to mass after classes.  They usually take advantage of the temporary freedom making a quick trip to the market to buy some snacks from the street vendors.  Fried dough or potatoes usually.  Every Friday they have Stations of the Cross usually outside since they have the Stations on the outer wall.  A group from 50 to 100 people come and as usually it is in Chichewa so I understand about 1 out of 5 words.  I am starting to pick up the songs even though I don't understand them yet.  At the end everyone sits down in the shade for a short talk by the priest.  Other than that it is business as usual.

Security Breach

"hmmm...that shadow looks a lot like the shape of a cockroach...it's just about right above my head...it even seems like it is on the inside of my mosquito net...and now it appears to be moving"  I tuck the mosquito net under my mattress now.

Feast of Bakhita

For the Feast of St. Bakhita we took a day off from regular classes.  We had mass in the School hall and afterwards the girls gave performances. A few girls recited poems in Chichewa or English and other groups sang songs or performed dances.  Both the secondary and college performed short plays and plays based on the life of Bakhita.  One group dance group did a line dance routine and another danced to hip hop.  The plays about Bakhita's life were very well done especially considering they were put together in about a day.  After lunch we played a volleyball game of teachers versus students and the students ended up winning.  The blame for the loss goes to the teachers lack of organization, two injuries, a student was keeping score, and the rest of the students were taunting us with cheers in Chichewa from the sidelines.  Anyway, it was a good time and the students were really excited when they won.

Quote #2

"I think that we'll leave the broken English in, it gives the play some character" - Mr. Ndebele to Gary during the rehearsal of the College play for the Feast of Bakhita

Printer Geccos

Before (or maybe after) school started, I went to the office to print of my Scheme of Work (some teacher thing that I'm still figuring out) and just before I printed I saw a small gecco run into the computer.  I tried to shake it out but it wouldn't budge so I had to settle with streaks of blood running down the page...okay, so I just waited until the next day and he had apparently moved on.

Words of Wisdom

Mosquito nets are as good at keeping mosquitos in as they are at keeping them out.

Heavy Generosity

Never underestimate the generosity of sports fans and those who listen to heavy metal.  Many of the people in the villages and in the town of Balaka get clothes from charity organizations who in turn received them from donations.  So far the most common type of donated clothing is sports apparel ranging from American basketball, football, baseball, and hockey teams.  There are also soccer shirts, but since it is the national sport those are usually made here or bought new.  Heavy Metal T-shirts are surprisingly popular.  Pantera, Megadeth, Korn, Slipknot, and ACDC fans are very good about donating clothes to charity unless of course these bands have a much broader appeal than I ever thought possible.

Volunteering Terms

Container - A large freight container filled with donated beds, clothes, desks, chairs, food, motorscooters, computers, medical supplies, and even small cars sent out to the missions as needed.

LawnMower Man

The Bakhita Complex has a few locals working as groundskeepers.  Their job is to watch the front gate, trim bushes, and mow the lawn.  The standard technique for mowing grass in Malawi is to wait for it to be about a foot high and then chop it down with a weed wacker swipe by swipe.  It usually takes the workers several days just to cut small patches of grass around the buildings.  Before we arrived, a gas powered lawnmower arrived in a container.  Last week, we fired it up for the first time and showed one of the workers how to use it and he was totally amazed.  It was probably the coolest thing he has seen in his entire life.  What would normally take him five hours, he could now finish in five minutes.  He's been using almost non-stop for the past week.

Watch Dogs

We have a big wall around the school, but we are still out in the middle of nowhere so we have a few watch dogs that we let out at night.  They aren't very mean or anything and they do a lot of barking at nothing in the middle of the night, but I guess they might deter an intruder.  Sometimes, we'll be sitting in our living room after dark working or playing cards.  We'll hear the dogs start barking and immediately hear a group of students run away screaming.  It never stops being funny.

Fireflies, Stars, and Drums

So we were waiting for dinner to finish cooking one night and the electricity went out. There was enough heat to finish the job and we found the candles so it wasn't much of an inconvenience. Just as we finished dinner, Sr. Evelyn called to say that we should go outside and see the Fireflies. The exterior lights were off because of the power outage so you could see hundreds of fireflies flying around everywhere. After a little while, we looked up to see that most of the sky was clear and there were more stars than I could ever remember seeing. So much so, that Orion was obscured and I actually had to look for it. In the sky somewhat off in the distance there was a storm and lightning was flashing up in the clouds. While we were taking everything in someone said "Hey guys, listen. Do you hear that?" Then I concentrated on listening and there was the faint sound singing and drums being played. I looked in the direction of the drums and could see a slight glow of a bonfire on the horizon.

Everyone Has Something To Give

During formation, we were told to remember that there is no country so poor that it has nothing to give and no country so rich it does not need to receive.  In the wake of the Tsunami disaster, the students of Bakhita are making an effort to sport the victims in any way they can.  The secondary organized a prayer service in which they also discussed what happened and how many people were affected.  They are also discussing a fundraising effort.  The college students will be going into town and out to the neighbouring villages to ask for donations.  They are also planning a prayer service of their own to be held in the near future.

HouseGuests: Welcome and Otherwise

Well, the volunteer house is only a few years old so it is still in pretty good shape, but it still has its fair share of uninvited guests.  First on the unwelcome list is the cockroaches.  We keep everything as clean as we can be there seem to be plenty of these guys hanging around.  The ones we find in the house come in sizes Big to Really Big.  I did, however, see some on the screen outside my window that could do some serious damage if given the chance.  I was talking to one of them the other night, though, and he said the house has too much of a "foreigner" smell so they were happy staying outside.  I am keeping a tally of cockroaches that I eliminate in my room and will post a running total after a few months.  Other unwelcomed guests are these brown spiders with long legs.  They are everywhere but aren't poisonous (I hope) so we don't really worry about them.  They don't spin webs and like to move around so I have taken to hunting them for sport.  Of course there are a few mosquitoes.  We have screens so they help keep the numbers lower.  We also use mosquito nets for our beds.  Surprisingly, I have yet to wake up in a massive tangle of blue netting.  The sole welcome uninvited guests are the geccos, of which we have plenty.  They range from 2 to 6 inches and we see them crawling up the walls and in the corners.  They keep to themselves and like to eat mosquitoes so we are happy to have them around.  They have been become our official house mascot.

The Bakhita Education Complex

The Bakhita Education Complex includes a Secondary school and Technical College just outside of Balaka and a primary school which is within the city limits. The goal of the school is to educate young women of Malawi so that they can grow as individuals, better care for their families, and contribute to the improvement of the Malawi as a country. I am working at the Secondary and College so I know a little more about them than the primary school.
After primary school, students take a government test and those who pass qualify for governmant schools. Private schools in Malawi are typically a lower quality education since many of them are in it only for profit; they don't have funding; and they can't get the best teachers. The Bakhita Education Center is an exception because it is run by The Canossians. They raised money in order to build first rate facilities, the teachers are well educated, and while they are unable to provide a free education they are not looking to make a profit so they have opportunities to support those unable to pay. They also are able to use donations to provide scholarships for those who are unable to afford school fees and provide the diversity of having instructors from other countries (the volunteers).

The Secondary and College schools opened in 2002. By 2004 the Secondary will have Forms 1 through 4. They have two classrooms for each Form with a capacity of 50 students per room. Current enrollment at the secondary is about 150 students. They also have a Science Lab, Biology Lab, and a Demonstration Room. The College has a Secretarial and an Accounting program. We are currently able to accomodate first and second year secretarial and first year accounting. There are 40 secretarial students and 9 accounting students. The complex also includes a Multi-Purpose Hall w/stage, Dinning hall, Library, Volunteer House, Sister's House, and Boarding for up to 150 students. For teachers, they hire as many qualified local teachers as possible which right now is five. They also have living space for 5 volunteers and up to 10 Sisters.

A Little Bit About Malawi

Malawi is considered to be East Africa.  It has three distinct weather seasons.  The Rainy Season starts around November and lasts until March.  Typically during the day it will be about 80 degrees, but it ranges between the 70s and 90s.  It rains just about everyday but is usually short.  So while it rains frequently it is still usually sunny most of the day.  There are bigger storms but mostly in the Evening or at Night.  A major side effect of the rainy season is frequent power outages.  The power will go out a few times a week.  Sometimes due to problems and sometimes the power company will switch off the grid if a big storm is approaching to avoid additional problems from lightning.  After the Rainy season is the Cold season which I dont know much about yet, but it is supposed to get down into the 50s and 60s which is pretty cold for the people around here.  The hot season is very dry and most of the vegetation dies.  If there aren't enough crops from the rainy season, the end of the dry season is the most difficult time for those with little money.  The temperatures for the hot season are usually in the 90s.

 

Malawi's defining feature is the Lake Malawi.  It is one of the deepest freshwater lakes and has the most species of fish.  It also plays a big role in the nation's economy along with the growing tea and tobacco.  The main food crop is a white corn called chimanga.  Other than corn, beans and rice are important and they have a lot of different fruits including bananas, mangos, papayas, avocados, pineapples, and coconuts.  The Balaka region is in the plains so it is very flat, but there are a lot of mountains on the horizon and other parts of the country.  The cities and the bigger towns have access to electricity, but most people live in rural areas and the grid only goes as far as people can pay.  Our school is the end of the grid on this side of town.