Chicken is hard to come by here. I mean, they're everywhere but it's pricey for that kind of protein. Getting chicken is such a treat here. Chicken is so underrated in America.
Dear Chicken,
I apologize for all the times I ordered other proteins over you at restaurants. I am also sorry for complaining as a child and saying: "Aw man, chicken again?!?!". You are truly delicious and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
Love,
Kristin
I have turned into a part-time vegetarian where the only time I eat meat is when chicken is offered. The rest of the time we get a protein medley of fish parts, goat, and bush meat mixed into a stew......I'll pass, no meat please. Getting chicken for lunch every now and then has been such a luxury. It's gotten to a point where some of the PCTs will go around and ask for other people's half chewed bones. Apparently, I'm not a pro when it comes to chicken bone chewing. Yes, we have all gotten so close where people are comfortable with eating half-eaten foods. Hey, tasty chicken is hard to come by so we have to take advantage when an opportunity presents itself.
I'm obsessed with chicken to a point where I stare at the fat fluffy chickens in the village and imagine how tasty they would be on my dinner table. My cousin, Joe, next door gets chicken every night.....that bastard!
Michael, mi site wef (my site wife), has the finest fol (chicken) in all of New York. I have to pass by his house everyday and see that fayn fayn fol. Auntie Janet, always greets me everyday and everyday I always tell her how fayn her fol looks and that I want her to invite me over for dinner "we i don kuk di fol fo chop" (when she cooks the chicken).
Michael named the chicken Yema Fol, b/c his sister, Yema, mended the chicken and made it into the fine chicken that it is today. Me and my cousin Joe always talk about "tiffing" (stealing) Yema Fol. Yema Fol is fucking ridiculous. Even it knows it's a badass chicken, it bluffs itself (bluffing is a Salone term for showing off like a badass). Yema Fol knows everyone in the village wants it. Whenever people pass by it starts fluffing its feathers and grooms itself. Like,
"Hey bitches, look at me, I'm so fucking fat and delicious. Look at my damn tasty legs. You know you want me......."
Yema Fol i don bluff insef bikos i sabi dat in na fayn fayn fol.
I love chicken.........
Friday, August 10, 2012
08/06/12-Quick Adaptation Of Life Without Caviar
I'm in month 2 of 26 here in Salone. I'm a measly 2 weeks away from swearing in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. I think I've adjusted to life here in Africa.....depends on the day you ask me, I suppose.
We spent the weekend back in Freetown to see Peace Corps Headquarters and to perform an exercise of taking public transportation from PC HQ to our respective sites.
I've noticed my standards for things going towards a downward spiral over the weeks. Don't know if it's good or bad, if anything it makes me accept my new living standards for the next 2 years.
We came full circle and stayed at the Freetown Stadium Hostel; my first home here in Salone. Funny how my perspective on the place has gone a complete 180 degrees! I remember Day 1 and walking into that room thinking how I'd rather sleep on the bathroom floor of an Easy8 Motel in East Oakland. Ok fine, I wouldn't really do that either, but I'm basically saying that it was kinda shit-hole-ie. Not like I complained, it's Peace Corps, not a vacation. This time around, I opened the door to our room, and I felt like I was being spoiled out to a weekend treat! Electricity for a few evening hours, a flushing toilet, running water, a working shower!!! I even did some stretches this morning to conjure up a poo just so I could have an opportunity to actually sit on a toilet that flushes in a spacious well lit bathroom. The shower wasn't in some dark moldy cave where I have to avoid contact with everything. Well ok, it was still moldy and I still had to avoid touching things, but the bathroom was big enough which made it easy to do so.
We had dinner last night on Lumley Beach. I've been saving up my Leones for this dinner so I could splurge and treat myself. I spent Le35,000 ($8 USD) for a burger, fries, and Star beer. Trust me, that was a splurge......."Mi na Pisko Ticha nomo, a no get moni" (I'm only a PC Teacher, I don't have any money) lol! You better believe I enjoyed every bit of that cold burger with the super thin charred patti with a tomato & cucumber slice the size of a quarter. Definitely, the best burger I've had in Salone. Actually, the only burger I've had in Salone, for now. Who cares! It's not freaking plasas! It was fucking delicious!
Last week, some of the Salone2 Resources made us pepperoni pizza. Can you imagine sharing two 10inch pizzas with 50 people. Well, it happened and my 1sq. inch piece was so effing delicious, I savored every moment with it.
Oh and onto the issue with alcohol. Back in America I won't even fucking touch Sky Vodka.....it was always the top shelf stuff for me. Ever been to a gas station in the hood and see those plastic pouches of alcohol? Ya, that's the good stuff here in Salone. Double Punch, Tyson, Fruit Wine, etc.....they're all about 5block (Le500) a pouch. You can get really fucked up on 4pouches of Tyson Whiskey and it'll only cost you 50cents, lol. That's my drink of choice, Tyson & Coke for Le2500.
Star Beer.....the national beer of Salone, lol. For Le4000 you can get a bottle of Star which kinda sorta more or less tastes like a watered down Heineken depending on which bottle you get. Could be good, could be bad, you never know until you open it and take a sip. It's kinda like when you were a kid and got those candies with "mystery" flavor. Ya, it's kinda like that, every bottle of Star is always slightly different. If anything, you should consider it a treat when beer is cold, it's usually served ever so slightly above room temperature. We are turning into Star Beer connoisseurs, lol.
I've adjusted to transportation as well. On our way back from Freetown to Bo, they shoved 11 people into a minivan. This is fancy travel, mind you, it's not a poda-poda. So as 4 of us squeezed into the back and half my ass was on Justin's thigh, I asked him if that was his cellphone or if he was just happy to see me. Since I was sitting sideways at a 45degree angle, I was directly facing Sarah so I could whisper sweet nothings in her ear for the next 4hrs back to Bo.
Our minivan broke down in Waterloo where we spent the next 2hrs at some mechanic waiting to replace the fanbelt and god knows whatever else, lol. Transport always breaks down here.......TIA (This Is Africa). Did I mention it was raining and practically flooding all over the place? Thankfully, we were able to seek refuge under the veranda of a shack next to the mechanic, things could be worse.
While we waited, we were lucky enough to see some ladies pass by selling cham-cham (snacks) like binch-ball sandwiches (onion, pepe, fried bean balls) and fry-fry (giant fried cake balls). I think it's safe to say that no one in our group contracted cholera. Oh ya, I forgot to mention, there's a cholera breakout here. I guess it always peaks around rainy season, sanitation issues, and food handling. Basically poo to hand to mouth.....boom cholera!
So the van was fixed and we were back on our way to Bo. We did some rearranging. This time, half of me was sitting on the wheel-well with my back pressed up against the window and my right boob resting on Michael's shoulder. My left leg fell asleep and to make things more comfortable I was using my waterbottle as a neck pillow of sorts. Did I mention that we're all soaking wet and the furniture is damp? Just imagine a clown car full of moist musty people intertwined like some Chinese contortionist act, lol.
I love Africa, I really do :)
We spent the weekend back in Freetown to see Peace Corps Headquarters and to perform an exercise of taking public transportation from PC HQ to our respective sites.
I've noticed my standards for things going towards a downward spiral over the weeks. Don't know if it's good or bad, if anything it makes me accept my new living standards for the next 2 years.
We came full circle and stayed at the Freetown Stadium Hostel; my first home here in Salone. Funny how my perspective on the place has gone a complete 180 degrees! I remember Day 1 and walking into that room thinking how I'd rather sleep on the bathroom floor of an Easy8 Motel in East Oakland. Ok fine, I wouldn't really do that either, but I'm basically saying that it was kinda shit-hole-ie. Not like I complained, it's Peace Corps, not a vacation. This time around, I opened the door to our room, and I felt like I was being spoiled out to a weekend treat! Electricity for a few evening hours, a flushing toilet, running water, a working shower!!! I even did some stretches this morning to conjure up a poo just so I could have an opportunity to actually sit on a toilet that flushes in a spacious well lit bathroom. The shower wasn't in some dark moldy cave where I have to avoid contact with everything. Well ok, it was still moldy and I still had to avoid touching things, but the bathroom was big enough which made it easy to do so.
We had dinner last night on Lumley Beach. I've been saving up my Leones for this dinner so I could splurge and treat myself. I spent Le35,000 ($8 USD) for a burger, fries, and Star beer. Trust me, that was a splurge......."Mi na Pisko Ticha nomo, a no get moni" (I'm only a PC Teacher, I don't have any money) lol! You better believe I enjoyed every bit of that cold burger with the super thin charred patti with a tomato & cucumber slice the size of a quarter. Definitely, the best burger I've had in Salone. Actually, the only burger I've had in Salone, for now. Who cares! It's not freaking plasas! It was fucking delicious!
Last week, some of the Salone2 Resources made us pepperoni pizza. Can you imagine sharing two 10inch pizzas with 50 people. Well, it happened and my 1sq. inch piece was so effing delicious, I savored every moment with it.
Oh and onto the issue with alcohol. Back in America I won't even fucking touch Sky Vodka.....it was always the top shelf stuff for me. Ever been to a gas station in the hood and see those plastic pouches of alcohol? Ya, that's the good stuff here in Salone. Double Punch, Tyson, Fruit Wine, etc.....they're all about 5block (Le500) a pouch. You can get really fucked up on 4pouches of Tyson Whiskey and it'll only cost you 50cents, lol. That's my drink of choice, Tyson & Coke for Le2500.
Star Beer.....the national beer of Salone, lol. For Le4000 you can get a bottle of Star which kinda sorta more or less tastes like a watered down Heineken depending on which bottle you get. Could be good, could be bad, you never know until you open it and take a sip. It's kinda like when you were a kid and got those candies with "mystery" flavor. Ya, it's kinda like that, every bottle of Star is always slightly different. If anything, you should consider it a treat when beer is cold, it's usually served ever so slightly above room temperature. We are turning into Star Beer connoisseurs, lol.
I've adjusted to transportation as well. On our way back from Freetown to Bo, they shoved 11 people into a minivan. This is fancy travel, mind you, it's not a poda-poda. So as 4 of us squeezed into the back and half my ass was on Justin's thigh, I asked him if that was his cellphone or if he was just happy to see me. Since I was sitting sideways at a 45degree angle, I was directly facing Sarah so I could whisper sweet nothings in her ear for the next 4hrs back to Bo.
Our minivan broke down in Waterloo where we spent the next 2hrs at some mechanic waiting to replace the fanbelt and god knows whatever else, lol. Transport always breaks down here.......TIA (This Is Africa). Did I mention it was raining and practically flooding all over the place? Thankfully, we were able to seek refuge under the veranda of a shack next to the mechanic, things could be worse.
While we waited, we were lucky enough to see some ladies pass by selling cham-cham (snacks) like binch-ball sandwiches (onion, pepe, fried bean balls) and fry-fry (giant fried cake balls). I think it's safe to say that no one in our group contracted cholera. Oh ya, I forgot to mention, there's a cholera breakout here. I guess it always peaks around rainy season, sanitation issues, and food handling. Basically poo to hand to mouth.....boom cholera!
So the van was fixed and we were back on our way to Bo. We did some rearranging. This time, half of me was sitting on the wheel-well with my back pressed up against the window and my right boob resting on Michael's shoulder. My left leg fell asleep and to make things more comfortable I was using my waterbottle as a neck pillow of sorts. Did I mention that we're all soaking wet and the furniture is damp? Just imagine a clown car full of moist musty people intertwined like some Chinese contortionist act, lol.
I love Africa, I really do :)
08/03/12-Jaded Already?!?
Interesting how 2 weeks can change a person. Summer school is in full swing and it's interesting to hear the tone of the staff room from jaded teachers, as in, we Peace Corps teachers.
Summer school is a great experience for a sneak peek of what you'll be dealing with in the next two years. I had a mini breakdown on Thursday and cried in front of a Salone2 Resource after he had given me some constructive criticism in my class. He said that he could tell that I was still trying to meet a schedule and that I needed to slow down. I got a little frustrated b/c I had been covering the same content for 2 weeks and only introduced very few concepts but they still weren't getting it. I already put my standards to the very bottom of the barrel, going at a snail's pace and I'm still hitting brick walls. I want them to come out of summer school learning at least one new thing! It's hard, logically I understand the situation, but it's when I get up in that classroom and teach and teach and teach and they're still spying and/or failing my tests, the perfectionist in me takes it personally.
Today was Exam2 day. I gave out TestA & TestB to prevent spying. And some still spied from their neighbor. Really?!?! Seriously?!?! They're different tests!!!! I hate how I took it way too personally and was paranoid about how these kids were out to get me thinking that I was some fool. What the fuck happened here?!?! I guess I just feel like the spying kinda robs me of that gratifying feeling of teaching children. "A de try......A de try, smol smol." I am trying to understand a little at a time.
I originally felt a bit guilty about making Hassan kneel during class the other day, but I started hearing other stories. Everything from wall-sits, to press-ups (push-ups), to dusting the eraser on the kids head. My one friend told his kids about baseball and the "three strikes you're out" rule where he marks their heads with chalk and on the 3rd one they get kicked out of class, lol. The class next to me got out of control. They had 70kids and they tried every trick in the book to discipline them. My friend even made a kid in all white Africana roll on the ground b/c he was blatantly spying.
Today was crazy, we were exhausted and all had this need to drink heavily......the kids seriously suck the life force out of you. Note to self: write thank you letters to all my teachers.
I couldn't handle Temne class today, I needed beer. I begged Thullah in Temne to please let us out early so we could go into town and have a beer, lol. He humored us and let us out a bit early b/c I kept saying it in Temne.....how could he not, lol.
Summer school is a great experience for a sneak peek of what you'll be dealing with in the next two years. I had a mini breakdown on Thursday and cried in front of a Salone2 Resource after he had given me some constructive criticism in my class. He said that he could tell that I was still trying to meet a schedule and that I needed to slow down. I got a little frustrated b/c I had been covering the same content for 2 weeks and only introduced very few concepts but they still weren't getting it. I already put my standards to the very bottom of the barrel, going at a snail's pace and I'm still hitting brick walls. I want them to come out of summer school learning at least one new thing! It's hard, logically I understand the situation, but it's when I get up in that classroom and teach and teach and teach and they're still spying and/or failing my tests, the perfectionist in me takes it personally.
Today was Exam2 day. I gave out TestA & TestB to prevent spying. And some still spied from their neighbor. Really?!?! Seriously?!?! They're different tests!!!! I hate how I took it way too personally and was paranoid about how these kids were out to get me thinking that I was some fool. What the fuck happened here?!?! I guess I just feel like the spying kinda robs me of that gratifying feeling of teaching children. "A de try......A de try, smol smol." I am trying to understand a little at a time.
I originally felt a bit guilty about making Hassan kneel during class the other day, but I started hearing other stories. Everything from wall-sits, to press-ups (push-ups), to dusting the eraser on the kids head. My one friend told his kids about baseball and the "three strikes you're out" rule where he marks their heads with chalk and on the 3rd one they get kicked out of class, lol. The class next to me got out of control. They had 70kids and they tried every trick in the book to discipline them. My friend even made a kid in all white Africana roll on the ground b/c he was blatantly spying.
Today was crazy, we were exhausted and all had this need to drink heavily......the kids seriously suck the life force out of you. Note to self: write thank you letters to all my teachers.
I couldn't handle Temne class today, I needed beer. I begged Thullah in Temne to please let us out early so we could go into town and have a beer, lol. He humored us and let us out a bit early b/c I kept saying it in Temne.....how could he not, lol.
Friday, August 3, 2012
07/31/12-Ms. Tough-Love Hardass
So I'm at week 2 of summer school. I gave out my first exam last Friday. My JSS3 class had a good spread of grades for polygons and my JSS2 class had a more unsatisfactory grade spread on shapes (rectangle, square, triangle).
On Monday, I kinda went on a lecturing tirade of what my expectations were of them especially when it comes to "spying" (cheating). I even laid down the Catholic guilt and said God was watching and they should be ashamed to call themselves Muslim and Christian when all they do is spy their way through school. Lol, I know, I know, it's totally fucked up but shaming the children is a tactic here in Salone b/c it's a big deal for them. And I guess my hidden agenda was to point out the hypocrisies of devout religious practices. Let's just have morals people! Does there always have to be some fire & brimstone diety judging in order for you to behave?!?! Yes, cheating is not a new concept in schools but it is excessive in Salone, we were warned of this fact. I mean, it's summer school, we're just here to help. It's free for them to attend and it doesn't count towards anything so why in the hell are they cheating?!?!
I mean, I do have my good students. My JSS3, I have Mary, Haja, Osman, Abdul Rahim, and Hassan. In my JSS2, I have Mohammed, Sylvester, and Foday. We average about 40 students each class so the amount of bright students we have is pretty good. It's not all bad.
Week 2's content is more mathematical in a sense where they are not just memorizing shapes and definitions. We are starting to get into the meaty parts where we do some application and finally solve some problems. Week 2 is definitely going alot slower and I've had to readjust my content to do some refreshers. And in most cases with these children, it is not a refresher. Most of them do not know their multiplication table.......finger points to primary school.
My predicament is......how far do I go back? Well, definitely when I get to site where I'll be teaching SSS (high school) I'll be pre-testing them. If we have to go back to the foundation of add, subtract, multiply, and divide then so be it. For the summer school exercise, I'm doing like an in-between. I've already started on polygons with my JSS3 and I did an angles refresher where I just need them to recognize 0/90/180 degrees. There have been pros and cons. It's more like they just sorta understand the concept, I am having regrets.........I should've just done the Times Table.
Resource constraints: no electricity, no textbooks, no supplies (children only bring a flimsy notebook and pen). So how do I get my kids to understand degrees in angles when none of them own a protractor and my very own is clear and is as small as a cassette? So I busted a McGuyver, minus the mullet, and took stick, string and taped some scratch paper to show 0 degrees, 180 degrees, and the pivot point. I tested it on my 13yr old JSS2 sister, Emilia. Math is her weakest so if she understood then I have faith that my JSS3 students will understand.
Aside from content challenges, I'm also dealing with the standard issues of misbehaving students. They're kids, flapping mouths during class is a universal thing. JSS3 were significantly misbehaving today. I even had to discipline one of my smartest JSS3 students today. I caught him throwing paper when my back was turned right after I specifically said that I would kick them out of my class if I saw paper being thrown around again. I had Hassan write his name on the board and he spent the rest of the class kneeling at the front and still required to take notes. Mind you, the floor is an uneven rocky dirt floor so it's definitely no picnic.
It's tough love and I tend to be more on the hardass side but I think it's easier to be strict and loosen the reigns over time. The kids are getting comfy at week 2 so they're starting to test us. Laying down the law.....it's gotta be done.
I'm not a super evil beeyatch all the time.......I swear! Lol!
On Monday, I kinda went on a lecturing tirade of what my expectations were of them especially when it comes to "spying" (cheating). I even laid down the Catholic guilt and said God was watching and they should be ashamed to call themselves Muslim and Christian when all they do is spy their way through school. Lol, I know, I know, it's totally fucked up but shaming the children is a tactic here in Salone b/c it's a big deal for them. And I guess my hidden agenda was to point out the hypocrisies of devout religious practices. Let's just have morals people! Does there always have to be some fire & brimstone diety judging in order for you to behave?!?! Yes, cheating is not a new concept in schools but it is excessive in Salone, we were warned of this fact. I mean, it's summer school, we're just here to help. It's free for them to attend and it doesn't count towards anything so why in the hell are they cheating?!?!
I mean, I do have my good students. My JSS3, I have Mary, Haja, Osman, Abdul Rahim, and Hassan. In my JSS2, I have Mohammed, Sylvester, and Foday. We average about 40 students each class so the amount of bright students we have is pretty good. It's not all bad.
Week 2's content is more mathematical in a sense where they are not just memorizing shapes and definitions. We are starting to get into the meaty parts where we do some application and finally solve some problems. Week 2 is definitely going alot slower and I've had to readjust my content to do some refreshers. And in most cases with these children, it is not a refresher. Most of them do not know their multiplication table.......finger points to primary school.
My predicament is......how far do I go back? Well, definitely when I get to site where I'll be teaching SSS (high school) I'll be pre-testing them. If we have to go back to the foundation of add, subtract, multiply, and divide then so be it. For the summer school exercise, I'm doing like an in-between. I've already started on polygons with my JSS3 and I did an angles refresher where I just need them to recognize 0/90/180 degrees. There have been pros and cons. It's more like they just sorta understand the concept, I am having regrets.........I should've just done the Times Table.
Resource constraints: no electricity, no textbooks, no supplies (children only bring a flimsy notebook and pen). So how do I get my kids to understand degrees in angles when none of them own a protractor and my very own is clear and is as small as a cassette? So I busted a McGuyver, minus the mullet, and took stick, string and taped some scratch paper to show 0 degrees, 180 degrees, and the pivot point. I tested it on my 13yr old JSS2 sister, Emilia. Math is her weakest so if she understood then I have faith that my JSS3 students will understand.
Aside from content challenges, I'm also dealing with the standard issues of misbehaving students. They're kids, flapping mouths during class is a universal thing. JSS3 were significantly misbehaving today. I even had to discipline one of my smartest JSS3 students today. I caught him throwing paper when my back was turned right after I specifically said that I would kick them out of my class if I saw paper being thrown around again. I had Hassan write his name on the board and he spent the rest of the class kneeling at the front and still required to take notes. Mind you, the floor is an uneven rocky dirt floor so it's definitely no picnic.
It's tough love and I tend to be more on the hardass side but I think it's easier to be strict and loosen the reigns over time. The kids are getting comfy at week 2 so they're starting to test us. Laying down the law.....it's gotta be done.
I'm not a super evil beeyatch all the time.......I swear! Lol!
07/25/12-Ramadanimonium
In Salone, one of the first questions that someone will ask you is, "Yu na kristen o muslim?"
So you're either Muslim or Christian, if you're neither, Sierra Leoneans expect you to at least believe in something. Being atheist or agnostic is just an unheard of concept here and they don't take it too well. My advice is if you don't want to go to any church then say you're Buddhist.
Muslim Sierra Leoneans are currently observing Ramadan. Sori, one of my LCFs (language teacher) had asked if I would be willing to fast one day for him, a padi to padi (friend) request. I love challenges so we shook on it and said I would follow the Ramadan fasting practice of no food or water from 5:00am to 7:20pm. Sori is my friend so I was doing it in honor of him, my mother's father who was Muslim, and of course, in honor of Ramadan itself.
Some Muslims are even so hardcore about the fasting practice that they won't even swallow their own saliva. There's alot of spitting during Ramadan. Not everyone does it, but some do. At Ahmadiyya JSS/SSS, I noticed kids going out of the classroom to spit or if they're by the window they just straight up turn their head and spit. I'm trying to ignore the spitting.......
So today, I fasted just to try it out for the heck of it. It's hard when you're trying to fast at a school where good snacks are sold by the students themselves. Anyone ever see that Kat Williams standup......"errrrday we hustlin, hustlin, hustlin, hustlin'", lol. Sorry, I digress, but ya this girl kept toting around this tub of granat kek on her head which is basically peanut brittle and it's really good......dammit.......I'm bringing my 5block (Le500 = 10cents) tomorrow.
I think the bigger challenge of the fast is that you can't even drink water. It kinda helps that it's rainy season so it's cooler. It was cold and misty all day today, that helped me out big time. I can't believe Sori played in that futbol match last Sunday, it was a hot humid day under the sun without water. I told him he was crazy and that I'm glad he didn't pass out from dehydration.
My mom found it hilarious when I told her to not prepare any food for me today b/c I was observing Ramadan for one day, lol. During lunchtime back at the training facility, I went over to the staff room and hung out with the other Muslim staff members. We high-fived each other and said "dis na 'No Eating Club' na ya" lol.
Fasting isn't so bad when you're busy all day but I definitely did alot of time checking once I got home.....waiting and waiting for 7:20pm. My book was not a good enough distraction.
Around 6:45pm, the Logistics Coordinator, Mohammed, came by my house and surprised me with dinner. Awww how thoughtful!!! He he called it "fast food", lol! That was super nice of him it's not like I'm even Muslim or observing the Ramadan fast for the entire duration. Such a nice gesture, now I feel like I have to bump up my Temne with him b/c we always greet each other everyday in Temne then he starts to talk really fast and then I revert back to Krio, lol.
The Peace Corps staff is really awesome, they take good care of us and we have all become so close.
So you're either Muslim or Christian, if you're neither, Sierra Leoneans expect you to at least believe in something. Being atheist or agnostic is just an unheard of concept here and they don't take it too well. My advice is if you don't want to go to any church then say you're Buddhist.
Muslim Sierra Leoneans are currently observing Ramadan. Sori, one of my LCFs (language teacher) had asked if I would be willing to fast one day for him, a padi to padi (friend) request. I love challenges so we shook on it and said I would follow the Ramadan fasting practice of no food or water from 5:00am to 7:20pm. Sori is my friend so I was doing it in honor of him, my mother's father who was Muslim, and of course, in honor of Ramadan itself.
Some Muslims are even so hardcore about the fasting practice that they won't even swallow their own saliva. There's alot of spitting during Ramadan. Not everyone does it, but some do. At Ahmadiyya JSS/SSS, I noticed kids going out of the classroom to spit or if they're by the window they just straight up turn their head and spit. I'm trying to ignore the spitting.......
So today, I fasted just to try it out for the heck of it. It's hard when you're trying to fast at a school where good snacks are sold by the students themselves. Anyone ever see that Kat Williams standup......"errrrday we hustlin, hustlin, hustlin, hustlin'", lol. Sorry, I digress, but ya this girl kept toting around this tub of granat kek on her head which is basically peanut brittle and it's really good......dammit.......I'm bringing my 5block (Le500 = 10cents) tomorrow.
I think the bigger challenge of the fast is that you can't even drink water. It kinda helps that it's rainy season so it's cooler. It was cold and misty all day today, that helped me out big time. I can't believe Sori played in that futbol match last Sunday, it was a hot humid day under the sun without water. I told him he was crazy and that I'm glad he didn't pass out from dehydration.
My mom found it hilarious when I told her to not prepare any food for me today b/c I was observing Ramadan for one day, lol. During lunchtime back at the training facility, I went over to the staff room and hung out with the other Muslim staff members. We high-fived each other and said "dis na 'No Eating Club' na ya" lol.
Fasting isn't so bad when you're busy all day but I definitely did alot of time checking once I got home.....waiting and waiting for 7:20pm. My book was not a good enough distraction.
Around 6:45pm, the Logistics Coordinator, Mohammed, came by my house and surprised me with dinner. Awww how thoughtful!!! He he called it "fast food", lol! That was super nice of him it's not like I'm even Muslim or observing the Ramadan fast for the entire duration. Such a nice gesture, now I feel like I have to bump up my Temne with him b/c we always greet each other everyday in Temne then he starts to talk really fast and then I revert back to Krio, lol.
The Peace Corps staff is really awesome, they take good care of us and we have all become so close.
07/23/12-Rejuvinated
Going through 10 weeks of PST (Pre Service Training) can be long and grueling. We are counting down the days to when we get sworn in as official PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers)......four more weeks to go. We, PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees), are getting restless.
Some afternoons I just want to rip my eyeballs out after a long day of lectures. The group activities were fun at first, but now there is a sea of eye rolling and groaning whenever we do another activity.......someone shoot me already! I totally get that Peace Corps has to stick to protocol but I am entitled to my feelings of boredom every now and then.
Today, we started summer school session at Amadiyya JSS/SSS in Bo Town. For the next three weeks, we will spend the first half of the day teaching and the second half back at the training compound. After Amadiyya, the day was already halfway done. I feel rejuvinated!
It felt great to get in a real classroom setting. We still dealt with the standard problems here in Africa like: no electricity, shitty chalkboards, sound insulation, etc, etc (reference my 06/29 entry). It was even pouring rain this morning so the kids showed up at 9:30 instead of 8:00.......this is common in Sierra Leone, people just don't wake up when it rains. This time I was more prepared for both my lesson plans and what situation I would be walking into (students & facilities). I was fine with it all, I was in control of my classroom. For summer school, I will be teaching Math for JSS2 & JSS3 (7th & 8th grade).
As mind numbing as PST can get sometimes, I do have to admit that Peace Corps does a great job in preparing you to teach. When I first signed up to become a teacher in Sierra Leone, I was so scared about my abilities in the classroom. Today, I felt confident and it was fuckin' awesome! I am so ready......bring it!
I've decided to keep my topics small but in depth. The kids here love to memorize so the last thing I want to do is breeze through a bunch of concepts and have them memorize but not actually comprehend.
For example, in JSS2 I will be teaching the area of a rectangle, square, and triangle. Week 1 will be spent entirely just on shapes. Yes, it is like that here! I blame it on the poor academic foundation, under qualified teachers, and political pressure to pass students in the primary school setting. If I give the definition of a triangle and draw a triangle and call it a triangle then draw an upside down triangle next to it, they will not be able to identify it as a triangle. So like we say in Salone, "smol smol", essentially meaning "baby steps". How can they calculate area if they don't know their shapes or if they've never used or even seen a ruler before. Yes, I have an 16yr old in my JSS2 class that doesn't know what a centimeter is.
"Smol smol" it is......I'm ready.
Some afternoons I just want to rip my eyeballs out after a long day of lectures. The group activities were fun at first, but now there is a sea of eye rolling and groaning whenever we do another activity.......someone shoot me already! I totally get that Peace Corps has to stick to protocol but I am entitled to my feelings of boredom every now and then.
Today, we started summer school session at Amadiyya JSS/SSS in Bo Town. For the next three weeks, we will spend the first half of the day teaching and the second half back at the training compound. After Amadiyya, the day was already halfway done. I feel rejuvinated!
It felt great to get in a real classroom setting. We still dealt with the standard problems here in Africa like: no electricity, shitty chalkboards, sound insulation, etc, etc (reference my 06/29 entry). It was even pouring rain this morning so the kids showed up at 9:30 instead of 8:00.......this is common in Sierra Leone, people just don't wake up when it rains. This time I was more prepared for both my lesson plans and what situation I would be walking into (students & facilities). I was fine with it all, I was in control of my classroom. For summer school, I will be teaching Math for JSS2 & JSS3 (7th & 8th grade).
As mind numbing as PST can get sometimes, I do have to admit that Peace Corps does a great job in preparing you to teach. When I first signed up to become a teacher in Sierra Leone, I was so scared about my abilities in the classroom. Today, I felt confident and it was fuckin' awesome! I am so ready......bring it!
I've decided to keep my topics small but in depth. The kids here love to memorize so the last thing I want to do is breeze through a bunch of concepts and have them memorize but not actually comprehend.
For example, in JSS2 I will be teaching the area of a rectangle, square, and triangle. Week 1 will be spent entirely just on shapes. Yes, it is like that here! I blame it on the poor academic foundation, under qualified teachers, and political pressure to pass students in the primary school setting. If I give the definition of a triangle and draw a triangle and call it a triangle then draw an upside down triangle next to it, they will not be able to identify it as a triangle. So like we say in Salone, "smol smol", essentially meaning "baby steps". How can they calculate area if they don't know their shapes or if they've never used or even seen a ruler before. Yes, I have an 16yr old in my JSS2 class that doesn't know what a centimeter is.
"Smol smol" it is......I'm ready.
07/21/12- First Rule About Fight Club......
First rule about Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club......
Just like in Sierra Leone, the first rule about Sierra Leone is that you don't don't talk about the war in Sierra Leone......
The Salone way of dealing with things is in roundabout way of never truly facing things directly. We've had sessions regarding the war: before, during, and after. I don't even know why we have these sessions, the Sierra Leoneans don't want to talk about it. I'm fine with not talking about the war, I don't want to force them to talk about it. It ends up being a 1hr session of them talking about how awful it was and how they just want to move forward with their lives b/c they have forgiven their Sierra Leonean brothers. But when they say that, their voice gets louder and angrier. I see the pain in their eyes and know that their form of dealing with the war is by shoving it in a deep dark place hoping they forget about it. It's really sad, there are no resources for support groups and such to help mend the heart.
So I leave the issue as is and maybe on a one on one situation a Sierra Leonean may be open to talking about it.
Instead of hitting up the bar with my friends on a Saturday night, I decided to spend time with my family since I was in Lunsar this past week. Thankfully, the generator wasn't running and my family wasn't glued to the TV with those horrible Nigerian films. I had a nice conversation with my mom and I brought up the fact that my 13yr old sister, Emelia, must've been born during the war. I just wanted to spark a question and see what she would tell me. She was very open about the whole war. My mom told me that when the rebels invaded Bo, she was 9 months pregnant and ran off into the bush and trekked 26 miles while my papa stayed behind to protect his property. A few days later, after the rebels had left, she made the 26 mile trek back through the bush and gave birth right after. Amazing.....fucking amazing......
Through the media, we've all heard about the war in Sierra Leone in some form or another, but it just makes it different when you hear the personal stories of survival from someone you're close to.
I know that Sierra Leone is going through its healing process and I hope one day they can address the pain they hold within themselves. The Sierra Leoneans are friendly people, they are so warm and inviting. I get offered to come eat with over a dozen (slight exaggeration) homes to on my way home from school everyday. Ok fine maybe like 4-5 offers, but still! It's alot!
If you're interested, watch "War Don Don". It's a documentary regarding the end of the war in Sierra Leone.
Just like in Sierra Leone, the first rule about Sierra Leone is that you don't don't talk about the war in Sierra Leone......
The Salone way of dealing with things is in roundabout way of never truly facing things directly. We've had sessions regarding the war: before, during, and after. I don't even know why we have these sessions, the Sierra Leoneans don't want to talk about it. I'm fine with not talking about the war, I don't want to force them to talk about it. It ends up being a 1hr session of them talking about how awful it was and how they just want to move forward with their lives b/c they have forgiven their Sierra Leonean brothers. But when they say that, their voice gets louder and angrier. I see the pain in their eyes and know that their form of dealing with the war is by shoving it in a deep dark place hoping they forget about it. It's really sad, there are no resources for support groups and such to help mend the heart.
So I leave the issue as is and maybe on a one on one situation a Sierra Leonean may be open to talking about it.
Instead of hitting up the bar with my friends on a Saturday night, I decided to spend time with my family since I was in Lunsar this past week. Thankfully, the generator wasn't running and my family wasn't glued to the TV with those horrible Nigerian films. I had a nice conversation with my mom and I brought up the fact that my 13yr old sister, Emelia, must've been born during the war. I just wanted to spark a question and see what she would tell me. She was very open about the whole war. My mom told me that when the rebels invaded Bo, she was 9 months pregnant and ran off into the bush and trekked 26 miles while my papa stayed behind to protect his property. A few days later, after the rebels had left, she made the 26 mile trek back through the bush and gave birth right after. Amazing.....fucking amazing......
Through the media, we've all heard about the war in Sierra Leone in some form or another, but it just makes it different when you hear the personal stories of survival from someone you're close to.
I know that Sierra Leone is going through its healing process and I hope one day they can address the pain they hold within themselves. The Sierra Leoneans are friendly people, they are so warm and inviting. I get offered to come eat with over a dozen (slight exaggeration) homes to on my way home from school everyday. Ok fine maybe like 4-5 offers, but still! It's alot!
If you're interested, watch "War Don Don". It's a documentary regarding the end of the war in Sierra Leone.
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