Ok, so these are a outdated a bit and written when I was having a rough week.... whatevs!
Blog June 7th 2012
The schools here suck. Testing time has
begun, which means it is like pulling teeth to get anything done, then, there
is a three week break- then a new term. It is week one of testing and the
school is already off the timetable, and no one really knows what is going on.
The grade 8 and 9 classes didn’t get the tests on time, so they aren’t going to
school- because why on earth would a teacher teach? Why would they want to make
use of valuable class time? My org supervisor hasn’t been in the office all
week, and it only takes so much time to argue with the cooks and explain how to
divide the food to make it last 13 days instead of 6… I know the bottom line
with that is when they cook too much food they get to take it home, then we run
out at the end of the month, then no one has to come to work. In the words of
the coordinator “It’s no problem, we’ll just close and not feed kids” yeaa…
actually it is a problem… Our funder is pulling out at the end of the month
anyway, so I don’t know why I continue to try and “build capacity”… capacity
shmacity.
But, that is why I work with the schools.
Department of Education is not exactly ideal, they are pretty horribly corrupt
and the system is broken, but at least at the schools there is some resemblance
of structure. I have also met a couple teachers who seem to be fairly motivated
and want to expand the clubs/after school program so that is a plus… but it has
to wait until mid July…
The only productive thing I will do today
is go to another organization and continue a nutrition/HIV lesson. It is funny
how projects start, I was leaving the school when three women (the org is next
to the school) came up to me and asked me to teach them. “Sure!” I said, then
looked at the “homework” they had to do (I think from a class the Dept of
Health is giving). The questions were pretty specific about nutrition and how
to treat different kinds of patients, so I asked if they had a book. Nope.
Notes? Nope. “Did the department give you anything? Any notes, or a manual, any
book?” I asked, but nope, the department told them to research it. I suggested
going to the library, but that would involve transport money… After a couple
minutes I finally got the message across that I would not do it FOR them, but I
would gladly prepare some lessons for them. They got excited and said they
could open a classroom so I could teach… now… WHOAAA… I need to prepare! I knew
most of what I needed to know, but I need more than five minutes to become a
nutrition and diabetes expert. At least an hour… so anyway, I prepared a lesson
and went to the org the next day and got through about one third of it before I
knew it was time to stop. So today I will go back and hopefully the connection
between carbohydrates, sugar, and diabetes is still clear. Then, apparently, I
will be preparing a new lesson for next week (topics TBA-next week).
So I have about three weeks until my mom
gets here (YAY!!!), three long weeks. I will push through with going to the
school and hoping some girls want to meet, being a food nazi and rationing the
food so the kids can eat, and explaining the food pyramid (and too much pap
does not make you strong, it makes you fat and diabetic) to the other drop in
centre. What can I say, Peace Corps, saving the world since 1961.
June 13, 2012
Two weeks until my mom gets here, thank
god! This week has been pretty crappy, thank goodness Wed in almost over. Peace
Corps would make lives for the volunteers a lot easier if they would explain to
our organizations that we are community volunteers, not pets of these
non-functioning organizations. PCSA sure is providing a lot of very
overqualified chair warmers and clerical worker. We are treated like children
while simultaneously expected to work miracles.
Today was particular frustrating, actually,
it was the first time “maybe I should just leave” came through my mind as my
first instinct, which considering the last year you’d think I would have
thought that much earlier. As quickly as the idea of quitting came through my
head it left. I don’t want to leave, I am just annoyed. I think because I had
such excitement coming into this new site that when people do dumb stuff, lie,
or are just lazy I am even more disappointed. At least at my last site I knew
people were stealing money and they sucked, but now I have to go through all
the disappointments all over again.
Thank god for my girls. I am in love with
the two little girls that live near me and I think when the new term starts my
girls clubs will be great. My garden project is on hold until next season, but
that’s ok- it will be better then- until then I am just hoping the Gogos don’t
burn my compost pile…again. So after a rather frustrating day I got back to my
house, snuck in the gate without my little girls seeing me, got in my house and
shut the door hoping for some peace and quiet. As soon as I got my hair in a
ponytail I hear shrieks of excitement and confusion at my door, the first thing
I usually do is greet the girls and give big hugs- this shut door was new to
them, and I felt way too guilty ignoring them. Five seconds after I opened the
door I was giving big hugs and smiling, what can I say- I’m so PC.
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