Hi Everyone
Yes, I made it to the internet cafe two days in a row. Today is African Day, so there is no school, but yesterday was the first day that we went to the school. The school is about a 15-20 minute walk from my hotel. It is a good leg workout. When you first get to the school you can see the dorms. There are about 200 plus kids at the primary and middle school which is behind the dorm area. The buildings are mostly cement and two levels. We have had some challenges getting things set up the with the school administrators, but I am in the primary school now. They do not necessary have grades. Many Deaf children have a delay in their education because their parents do not realize they are Deaf and they stay in the hearing schools missing a lot of information. The different levels here are based on their individual competency level and not a 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade type of system. My class is called A3 and B3. There are 30 kids and their ages range from 11-16. There are two teachers in this class, but I have only had the opportunity to meet one so far...Ms. Ester. She has been teaching at the school for about 2 years and doesn't know much sign, but she tries. School goes from 7:30am (starting with group worship) until about 2pm. They cover 3 major areas a day (math, creative arts, language literature, sign language, etc.) and stop about 9am to have breakfast. They do not have a formal lunch break because school is over early and they eat as soon at they are done with their last lesson. For example, school was over around 1:15pm yesterday, so they ate early. I will head back to school on Thursday morning.
The children are wonderful.. full of smiles and questions. I must have answered a million questions about my tatoos, my camel water pack bookbag and how the water comes out, my nose piercing, and how to spell my name. They have wonderful memories and they quickly learn how to fingerspell your name and sign your sign name. They also think that it is interesting that white people change colors when you press into their skin, and they wanted me to know that I was not like that and I looked like them. They are very sweet, and I am quickly picking up Ghanaian signs from them. I taught my class division of two digit numbers... good grief... I have always respected teachers for the hard work they do, but I have a whole new appreciation and admiration for their profession. I know how to divide, but trying to explain the concept of division in a second language while trying to learn a third is more challenging than I ever could have imaged. Oh..yes..I told you there were 30 of them..right...I was trying to keep everyone's attention, stop them from hitting each other, wake one person up, acknowledge those that had questions, check in to make sure everyone understood, etc.. WOW!!! I was exhausted by the end of the day. I am hoping the two teachers give me one subject that I can focus on all summer and better plan for each class.
I think the highlight of my school day was meeting a woman the children call African Momma. She is a Deaf women who lives in the dorms with them. She is a wonderfully cheerful woman with a big smile and heart for people. When we first arrived at the school she saw me and signed "wow you look like me." She stood up and quickly walked over to me and hugged me. She said you are the first, the first black person and she signed "same" while rubbing her skin. She couldn't stop hugging me. This very warm greeting was unexpected, but I deeply appreciated and received her loving welcome. I think most people around the community, Deaf and hearing, are surprised to see me. Most don't know what to make of me...it creates interesting moments each day.
Oh.. I can't leave this blog without telling everyone about my laundry adventure. Everyone here washes their laundry in buckets outdoor and hangs their clothes to dry. It is a great way to conserve water, but I still had no clue on the proper techniques until last Monday. Our hotel manager Joyce graciously helped us fill out buckets and set up the three step process. One large black bowl to actually wash the clothes, a smaller clear bucket to complete the first rinse and a three to really get the soap out before hanging them. I sat on a small stool with Joyce coping her technique. She sweetly looked over at me as I was washing my bath towel and said you take this one and handed me a sock. Apparently, my laundry washing skill is lacking and I am only at a sock level. She washed most of my clothes in about thirty minutes and I was still struggling to finish small items such as socks and underwear. I have much to learn!!
What's coming up....
I have a half a day African drum lesson this weekend
I'll go back to school on Thursday
We have a Saturday weekend trip to Boti Waterfalls with the group from Kibi
Hope to talk to everyone soon!!
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