Thursday, February 17, 2011

Finding my nitch....

Laziness will destroy you and your life...Sometimes I think about how lazy I can be especially when I have to wake up extra early and the sleep is so good lol. Yesterday on my way back to the hospital from the school, I was thinking about how lazy I was feeling that morning and how I had even tried to think of ways that I could get out of the early sessions that I am doing with the students at school. Yea I know, how could I come that far to Africa and think that lol....but thankfully my good inner little voice made me snap out of it.

I have been keeping pretty busy here and I am loving it. I am trying to find my nitch and I feel like I am able to create a schedule that I can keep.
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Monday I was able to do a presentation for 200 girls about the menstruation cycle. Thanks to a former teacher Peace Corps Volunteer, Lori and her organization
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Empower-Women-in-Africa/182591221781269, we were able to distribute 600 re-usable pads from http://www.gladrags.com to the girls at the school :)...After we passed them out and told them all to raise the pads in the air to take a picture they alll said ALLELUIA...it was really funny but so good to see them happy like that :).

The main thing that is keeping me busy everyday are the Life skills/HIV prevention program that we are doing at the local school in the village (Andara Combined School). Along with the HIV prevention officer from the hospital, we are facilitating sessions on HIV prevention methods and behavior change (<= mostly grades 9 &10). Along with the teachers however, I am doing primarily life skills sessions with grades 7&8. I enjoy teaching. I think mostly because I get to be around the kids everyday and because I get do it my way lol. There are def guidelines that I need to follow but because life skills is a "non-promotional subject" (kids do not need to pass it to go on to the next grade) then nobody has taken it seriously in the past. It is usually not taught much or at all. So this gives me the room to create a curriculum and lesson plan that will benefit each specific class. This first week went well. Grade 7 students had a harder time understanding me. Language is definitely a barrier and one of my challenges. I really have to speak extra slow and use a combination of words that I would probably not use in the states. We call it "Namlish". It is not right and I try not to use often especially things like "Madame, borrow me a pencil". Some of the students from grade 7 were trying really hard to keep up with me, and they did a good job. My main goal for this week was to establish an environment where they can become comfortable enough to ask me questions so we can elevate the dialogue, I am not a teacher by trade so I am not trying to spend hours a day just in front of the classroom talking. That can def become boring for them. So my lessons will include activities and games and more :). Hopefully, I wont look to silly lol.

You know what though, that other day when I was feeling lazy because I had to wake up extra early, the grade 8 learners surprised me a lot. It is wrong of me in the first place not to have expected that they would know the information. I was very satisfied with the lesson that day. That class was everything I had hoped for. They were asking questions, they were defining the vocab terms before I explained it to them and they even gave me examples and stories about different things. That really re-assured me that things will get better, like always. That's life right? even when things seem one way one day and even when things seem like they are not going to change, someway...somehow something reminds us that things will get better. The grade 8 students did that for me :). They helped me realize to be more patient, to just go with the flow and really let the wind take me away :). Even with the language barrier, even with the fact that some of them are not at a level that they should be for their age, there is HOPE "Once you choose hope, anything’s possible" -Christopher Reeve. So I am choosing to stay hopeful always.

The other hours of my days are spent at the VCT, the Volunteer Counseling & Testing center. Doing outreach, working with the different support group who will start being a bit more busy after the rainy season, so now planning and organizing is at the utmost importance, will write more about
"Twayapa Shotuyowe...I am not afraid"support group soon. So stay on the look out for more news.

until next time...

Oshi iwete...
(that is def not the language from this village but the village that I was at before, still trying to get down with Thimbukushu..sigh one day...one day.... hopefully :)

ps.Pics will come soon as well but the net is just so slow, its hard to upload :(. but one day :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Thiwana?...are you well?

allo you the Obama people...ha the americas, yes sister how are you? can you help me $2 so that I can buy some sweets?

I really shouldnt but it is funny to hear. If only I could remember everything I hear every day when I walk lol.

week 1 down, very good 1st week indeed, much better then my 1st week at site back in 2009. It almost feels like I should be doing wayyy more but I have to keep reminding myself that it is only the first week.

Potential projectst that are already in place and that just need a little push from me, that is my job. giving people a little push, helping them accomplish there vision so that when I leave, they will not need me anymore.
So as I was saying...potential projects:
-Support groups...helping them coordinate the group, develop marketing strategies for there vegetable garden and soup kitchen. Assist in creating programs and activitiies that will give them other things to do besides drinking (for exemple)
-Health prevention education classes at schools
-Outreach into smaller villages
-Youth empoweremnt health clubs...

Definitely a lot to keep me busy with. A lot of work because of lack of funds and resources but it is possible. Baby steps, if that is what we can manage to do then that is what we will do.

So I have been helping them put down goals and give themselves deadlines to accomplish them.

lets see what the first month will bring... :) I am hopeful....all will be thiwana :) yes that has to one of the only words i know lol...

unitl next time
Stay well and warm :)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

www.livelikeapcv.org ...go ahead I DARE YOU :)...

Finally in my village, and I am loving it. Things are somehow slow, i am just trying to assimilate, evaluate and see where I can fit in and what I can do. Everybody is soooo nice and welcoming. I heard nothing but good things about this village before I came and I can see why. People are also sooooooooo motivated. I can definitely see that I will be busy, there is potential for sooo many projects.

In other news, I do have to learn another language but thats cool, its a challenge and I like it...Thiwana ?

until next time my little butterflies,
stay out of trouble, dont talk to strangers and wear your seatbelts
love you :)