Beach Bums

So we've managed to make it to the lake once or twice during breaks. Local kids are often around or at least walking. Some of them ask for money while some ask for Coca-Cola and others just want to enjoy the show.

Roads

In most countries, they might call them speed bumps, potholes, or maybe even hazards, but here in Malawi they just call it the road.

Backyard Cookouts

We thought the weekends needed to be a little more interesting than computer labs, grading, trips to the internet cafe, and watching videos so we decided to have a cookout over a fire in a backyard once a month. Ewa is able to buy some sausages at Shop-Rite on her trips to Blantyre with Sr. Salo, we occasionally get some drinks from the local market, and we listen to music on Kateri's iPod.

Computer Confussion

To the make things just a little more confusing, I let the students pick there own computers before I knew their names (I still don't know some of them).  Now I have a Tumalike and a Tiyamike sitting at the same computer.

Computer Class Progress

I was thinking that my computer class was beginning to make real progress, until today when I told one of my better students to open Microsoft Word which we have been working on for the past 3 weeks.  She gave me a confused look and said "What's that?".  I am hoping it was just a minor confusion .  They are doing a lot better though.  Some new students joined the class at the beginning of the term and they were starting right from the beginning so it was nice to compare them to the other students.  Plus, it helped that they could explain the things they've learned to the new ones.  I had some board games for the computer sent from home so they could get more practice using the mouse.  I installed them on one computer during a lab after school and showed the student how to use it.  Two minutes later the girl next to her raised her hand and when I came over she said "Sir, I want what that one has".  Now I have to fight to keep them off the games during class.  I can still manage to amaze them with simple things like changing the font size and color.  Again, I'll show a student who is finished with her work how to do something new, and two minutes later "Sir, I want to do what she's doing".  Now I've started making them explain things to each other though so its a little less running around for me.  The biggest obstacle is still 43 students and only 12 laptops.  After all the sharing they only get 40 actual minutes on the computer in class per week.  I have labs two times a week in the evening for the boarders and on Saturdays for the dayscholars to make up for it.  Luckily they like using the computer so they don't need encouragement, but they do complain if they think one group is getting more time than another.  Next week, I'm giving them a test with work they need to complete on the computer...yikes.

The Volunteers: Ewa (Eva)

Ewa Habel is the other elder of the community not only because she is the oldest at 28, but because this is her second tour of duty in voluntary service. Ewa was previously a volunteer for VOICA in the Togo mission where she stayed for a year working in a school there. After her year of service was complete she returned to her home in Poland and received a Master's Degree in Theology focusing, of course, on missions. In the process she has learned several languages of which we don't have an exact count(4 or 5), but she can usually translate when we meet someone from Europe that doesn't speak English. After finishing her degree, She returned to the VOICA program this time signing on for three years. Here at Bakhita, Ewa is the utility player of the complex because she does just about everything. Her main function in the school is running the library of which she has complete controll and has totally reorganized since she's been here. She also teaches the religion classes for Form 2 in the secondary school. Given her experience, maturity, and not to mention her international drivers license she has become the official driver as well. While Kateri does some driving, the Sisters usually ask Ewa if they need to make a last minute trip to anywhere whether it is Balaka, Lilongwe, or Blantyre. The driving reponsibilties also include trips to the market and to the Primary school for firewood. But Ewa's job isn't done yet because she is our "community leader" meaning she helps us keep track of dates, community meetings, and handles the tedious task of official communications between us and the Sister's. I'm not sure how she manages everything, but she just keeps going. She does posess a certain intensity that I have noticed in the other Polish people around here, along with their sense of humur, that might have something to do with it. Some of the same language/cultural/communication issues exist with Ewa as with Gaby, but we've been together longer now and I think things are getting better. For us interested in a little history and politics (just a little), Ewa was a teenager during the time when Poland was shifting from communism to democracy. Every once in awhile we get some percpective on it and what it was like living in a communist country

Quote #4

My free day is on Tuesdays...but it hasn't actually happened yet

Football (non-American)

Just like most countries outside of the United States, the popular sport here in Malawi is soccer.  There is a field in just about every spot in town big enough for one.  While they don't have a major team of their own, Balaka just had a stadium built in the last couple of years so they have teams coming from other areas of the country to play.  Last week we went with Mr. Gobede to see a game there.  Mr. Gobede is the geography and agriculture teacher in the Bakhita Secondary school.  He has a bad leg so he gets around with a huge walking stick.  He isn't able to move very fast but is still able to get to school and into town on his own.  He also has a younger cousin that does shopping for him.  The stadium isn't that big, but it is good enough for Balaka.  Mr. Gobede explained that like most projects in Malawi, some of the money was "misplaced" in between the money suppliers and the actually building of the stadium which is why there is dirt and grass in the stands instead of actually seats.  This was also the first game in a month or so because the money from ticket sales was not matching up with the attendance.  The game was entertaining as far as soccer goes, although it ended in a zero-zero score.  Towards the end the players were getting a little rough and the crowd was getting rowdy.  It would have been better if the stadium was full but it was still a good time.  We were invited to the Montfort Fathers' house to watch the champions league match between Liverpool and Chelsea.  That game also ended in a zero-zero tie, but everyone said it was a good game.  I guess the entertainment value of soccer is just lost on me.  If I see another "good" soccer game that ends without anyone scoring a goal, I just might have to throw inculturation out the window and give up on soccer altogether.