Hi, sorry the last one ws late but I had trouble posting and Steve had to do it eventually. Well today is Monday and I have been to two very different church services. Last week I went to an evangelical service held in the school. Lots of swaying and singing and a rousing sermon on the lamb turning into a lion. I followed most of it but sometimes he really got carried away and shouted. they were a friendly lot.
Yesterday I went to Mass in the seminary about five miles away. A very nice situation on the top of one of the hills that makes up Freetown. It was a special service to raise money for the choir and they went to town. A big set of drums and a shaker accompanied all the responses. It was quite exciting to start with but then I found myself wishing for a bit of peace. The service was a lot about collecting money for various causes. The name of each family was read out and they came and put in money. The Catholic community here are the rich ones but they have no concept of raising money for the poor, of which there are many. All the money goes to buy vestments and costumes for the choir etc.
Anyway, it went on for two and a half hours. I told the priest that I thought he should preach on the parable of the widow's mite next week. It took him a while to understand the implication of what I was saying but it really isn't part of their culture to give quietly, its all about showing how rich you are. Unfortunately, most of the rich here have got their money from corruption and foreign aid being siphoned off.
I probably won't get another chance to go to Mass as Miriam is going up country and then away for Christmas but I didn't find it a satisfying experience anyway.
Bye for now,
Pat
Monday, 30 November 2009
Other Schools
hi everyone,
ON Friday we did the trip round the other three schools to deliver supplies of food and books. We left at 5:30 am becasue it is safer to do the first bit in the dark than the last bit over the mountains and it is a 12hour trip in total.The first bit was on fairly good roads but the last bits to the schools were tracks. The first one is a junior secondary school because there is a state primary in the village. It was next to a river and rather picturesque but probably full of bilharzia. I played a game with the little children who crept up behind meand I turned and roared like a lion and they ran off laughing. They would have kept it up all day. No one ws at school because of the holiday but quite a few children live in. There was one boy with a hole in his ankle and the tendon was sticking out and it was open to the dirt and flies. The monk from Korea is also a doctor and gave advice and the drugs were bought for him. The chief gave us a meal of newly harvested rice and stewed cassava leaves. They are like spinach but heavily spiced.
In the next village, one of the pupils had malaria and he ws treated and we finally got to the primary school in the lst village. Miriam had brought back lots of lovely resources from England and the chief's (adult) brother had a great time doing a big floor jigsaw with the children. No-one had ever seen a jigsaw and had to be shown how to match the picture. The chief fed us with the same as before but spicier and we had oranges afterwards.
On the way back we collected firewood, rice, cassava leaves and other supplies. Luckily there is a roofrack but people were still sharing the back with sacks and baskets. We got back at 5:30, very tired, hot and sweaty. Today I went to Mass but that is another blog.
Pat
ON Friday we did the trip round the other three schools to deliver supplies of food and books. We left at 5:30 am becasue it is safer to do the first bit in the dark than the last bit over the mountains and it is a 12hour trip in total.The first bit was on fairly good roads but the last bits to the schools were tracks. The first one is a junior secondary school because there is a state primary in the village. It was next to a river and rather picturesque but probably full of bilharzia. I played a game with the little children who crept up behind meand I turned and roared like a lion and they ran off laughing. They would have kept it up all day. No one ws at school because of the holiday but quite a few children live in. There was one boy with a hole in his ankle and the tendon was sticking out and it was open to the dirt and flies. The monk from Korea is also a doctor and gave advice and the drugs were bought for him. The chief gave us a meal of newly harvested rice and stewed cassava leaves. They are like spinach but heavily spiced.
In the next village, one of the pupils had malaria and he ws treated and we finally got to the primary school in the lst village. Miriam had brought back lots of lovely resources from England and the chief's (adult) brother had a great time doing a big floor jigsaw with the children. No-one had ever seen a jigsaw and had to be shown how to match the picture. The chief fed us with the same as before but spicier and we had oranges afterwards.
On the way back we collected firewood, rice, cassava leaves and other supplies. Luckily there is a roofrack but people were still sharing the back with sacks and baskets. We got back at 5:30, very tired, hot and sweaty. Today I went to Mass but that is another blog.
Pat
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Jabs all round
Miriam came back last night. For those of you that don't know, she is the lady who started this whole thing. She brought back lots of lovely things for the primary school. She also brought a Korean monk with her who is a member of an order that helps the poorest people and he has gone to see the Archbishop this morning.
The title of this piece is about the second unusual thing that happened today. A medical party arrived and innoculated everyone in the school against yellow fever. It is part of a big drive to try and mitigate its effects in West Africa. They did a lot about 20 years ago but the immunity has worn off and it is back with a vengance.
I spend most of my time in the science department. I have been introducing practical work, especially to the girls and finding apparatus in the cupboard that is still in its packing so there is a lot of work to do to get everyone doing some practical work.
Tomorrow, I hope to go out with Miriam and the monk on a tour of the other schools. They won't be teaching because it is a Muslim holiday but it will be nice to get out and see a bit more of the country.
It sounds a bit unkind to go on about the heat when I know the weather over there is rather nasty but when I got the thermometers out to do the experiment this morning they read 30 degrees C in the classroom and the sweat ran down my face but it has got a bit cooler now and there is a very slight breeze. My ankles swell up every day but less now than they did.
I shall try and post at the weekend to tell you about my day tomorrow but the net seems to go off at the weekends, so maybe Monday.
Keep warm!!
Pat
The title of this piece is about the second unusual thing that happened today. A medical party arrived and innoculated everyone in the school against yellow fever. It is part of a big drive to try and mitigate its effects in West Africa. They did a lot about 20 years ago but the immunity has worn off and it is back with a vengance.
I spend most of my time in the science department. I have been introducing practical work, especially to the girls and finding apparatus in the cupboard that is still in its packing so there is a lot of work to do to get everyone doing some practical work.
Tomorrow, I hope to go out with Miriam and the monk on a tour of the other schools. They won't be teaching because it is a Muslim holiday but it will be nice to get out and see a bit more of the country.
It sounds a bit unkind to go on about the heat when I know the weather over there is rather nasty but when I got the thermometers out to do the experiment this morning they read 30 degrees C in the classroom and the sweat ran down my face but it has got a bit cooler now and there is a very slight breeze. My ankles swell up every day but less now than they did.
I shall try and post at the weekend to tell you about my day tomorrow but the net seems to go off at the weekends, so maybe Monday.
Keep warm!!
Pat
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
the animal life
Today, I thought I would talk about the animal life around here. Forget the lions and elephants. this is West Africa and I'm in a city at the moment.
First there are the dogs. There do seem to be quite a lot of them and they lie around the streets looking rather scabby. At night, its more like a scene from a disney film, 'the bark' One starts and in a second there are loads of them barking, howling, yelping. Then it goes quieter until another one starts them all off.
The first night I was kept awake by a nearby goat, making goat noises half the night. I haven't heard it again so maybe it was someone's lunch.
The most irritating have to be the cockerals. They start their shift about 5.30 in the morning and carry on most ofthe day.
It's the little creatures that take more getting used to. I keep finding dead or dying cockroaches, so I dread to think how many living ones there are scurrying about. There is also an army of tiny ants that appear if you leave a crumb of food around. I haven't been bitten much at all as yet so I'm thankful for that.
I found a lizard tail outside my bedroom this morning, but no lizard, probably eaten by the cat, he wasn't hungry this morning.
Bye for now from me and my new 4 and 6 legged friends,
Pat
First there are the dogs. There do seem to be quite a lot of them and they lie around the streets looking rather scabby. At night, its more like a scene from a disney film, 'the bark' One starts and in a second there are loads of them barking, howling, yelping. Then it goes quieter until another one starts them all off.
The first night I was kept awake by a nearby goat, making goat noises half the night. I haven't heard it again so maybe it was someone's lunch.
The most irritating have to be the cockerals. They start their shift about 5.30 in the morning and carry on most ofthe day.
It's the little creatures that take more getting used to. I keep finding dead or dying cockroaches, so I dread to think how many living ones there are scurrying about. There is also an army of tiny ants that appear if you leave a crumb of food around. I haven't been bitten much at all as yet so I'm thankful for that.
I found a lizard tail outside my bedroom this morning, but no lizard, probably eaten by the cat, he wasn't hungry this morning.
Bye for now from me and my new 4 and 6 legged friends,
Pat
Monday, 23 November 2009
First week over
Hi to everyone.
I spent most of the weekend in school as the senior students did exams on Saturday and Sunday so I helped with the invigilation.
I did find time to go the the supermarket where they sell western food at silly prices but did get coffee and milk. It was an adventure in itself. The taxis do not go all the way to where you are going, they ply the main routes, backwards and forwards so you squash in five or six to a taxi and off it lurches down the bumpy potholed roads. Actually potholes indicates some semblance of a flat surface somewhere so bumpy will do. Pedestrians jump out of the way and the horns beep at everyone and everything. One of the pupils went with me, I could never have done it by myself. Had an ice cream, something sweet.
It is still very hot, about 30 degrees and it doesn't cool down much at night but I am getting used to it. To be honest, I don't go out in the full sun much but the terrace upstairs with the flat is nice to sit in the shade. There is a bit of a breeze at the moment so it is a bit cooler. During the day, all the rooms are open to the air with the shutters wide open.
I haven't felt bored at all. On Saturday evening, I played cards with some of the younger boys. I taugt them old maid and they showed me a new game which we played most of the evening. I hope to go to the beach next weekend, I hope there is some shade.
The rice here is quite different from the long grained rice we eat at home. It is round and sticky but is fine with a spicy bean sauce and a sardine or two. I bought three packs of laughing cow cheese spread and a couple of loaves of bread so I have that for breakfast with my coffee. There really is not much to snack on but I am finishing off the chocolate chip cookies I brought with me so I am hoping I will lose weight. With any luck I will be brown and slim when I get back.
Thye older students are doing mock exams to see if they should be entered for the School Leaving Certificate so I sitting with the last few who will finish in an hour. The exam is nearly four hours long. After that I shall go and have some tea and a rest before coming down to help the pupils who live in, with their work.
Miriam has a kitten who lives in the flat and he has become quite friendly, probably because I buy him tinned sardines. The other teachers think I am mad to feed him such good food, they expect him to go and catch his own but he makes a big noise and tries to scratch my foot if I don't come up with the goods.
I can pick up my e mail so anyone who wants to write, please do.
I will post agian in a few days,
Pat
I spent most of the weekend in school as the senior students did exams on Saturday and Sunday so I helped with the invigilation.
I did find time to go the the supermarket where they sell western food at silly prices but did get coffee and milk. It was an adventure in itself. The taxis do not go all the way to where you are going, they ply the main routes, backwards and forwards so you squash in five or six to a taxi and off it lurches down the bumpy potholed roads. Actually potholes indicates some semblance of a flat surface somewhere so bumpy will do. Pedestrians jump out of the way and the horns beep at everyone and everything. One of the pupils went with me, I could never have done it by myself. Had an ice cream, something sweet.
It is still very hot, about 30 degrees and it doesn't cool down much at night but I am getting used to it. To be honest, I don't go out in the full sun much but the terrace upstairs with the flat is nice to sit in the shade. There is a bit of a breeze at the moment so it is a bit cooler. During the day, all the rooms are open to the air with the shutters wide open.
I haven't felt bored at all. On Saturday evening, I played cards with some of the younger boys. I taugt them old maid and they showed me a new game which we played most of the evening. I hope to go to the beach next weekend, I hope there is some shade.
The rice here is quite different from the long grained rice we eat at home. It is round and sticky but is fine with a spicy bean sauce and a sardine or two. I bought three packs of laughing cow cheese spread and a couple of loaves of bread so I have that for breakfast with my coffee. There really is not much to snack on but I am finishing off the chocolate chip cookies I brought with me so I am hoping I will lose weight. With any luck I will be brown and slim when I get back.
Thye older students are doing mock exams to see if they should be entered for the School Leaving Certificate so I sitting with the last few who will finish in an hour. The exam is nearly four hours long. After that I shall go and have some tea and a rest before coming down to help the pupils who live in, with their work.
Miriam has a kitten who lives in the flat and he has become quite friendly, probably because I buy him tinned sardines. The other teachers think I am mad to feed him such good food, they expect him to go and catch his own but he makes a big noise and tries to scratch my foot if I don't come up with the goods.
I can pick up my e mail so anyone who wants to write, please do.
I will post agian in a few days,
Pat
Friday, 20 November 2009
The school day
Today, I thought I would describe the school day, especially for all the pupils at Mark.
The school has three floors made up of a large open room. The boarders sleep in these rooms on or under the tables and get up about 6 o clock. The food is all made in a tin hut outside the school so they have food made up in big metal dishes which they mix up and make into cakes in their hands. There are 4 or 5 pupils to each dish. The meals are rice and beans or cassava (like semolina) and beans. Not as bad as it sounds, the beans are cooked in palm oil and spicy.
Lessons start at 8.40 and the first one lasts 2 hours. There are four classes in each room which makes over 120 in each room and they are very crowded together, 3 to each side of a bench. Then they move to the second lesson which takes quite a time, moving so many people around between floors. The next lesson is another 2 hours and then half an hour lunch which comes in the big dishes for those who want it. The afternoon is another two hour lesson and then the day pupils go home and the 'home' students get a bit of time off.
The home students do prep for three and a half hours, yes, I did say that then make their beds back up again for another night.
They work so hard to succeed, and I have been taking some of the younger girls to interest them in taking science for the equivalent of A levels and invigilating exams, one of them 4 hours long. I will keep in touch, so log on every few days.
The school has three floors made up of a large open room. The boarders sleep in these rooms on or under the tables and get up about 6 o clock. The food is all made in a tin hut outside the school so they have food made up in big metal dishes which they mix up and make into cakes in their hands. There are 4 or 5 pupils to each dish. The meals are rice and beans or cassava (like semolina) and beans. Not as bad as it sounds, the beans are cooked in palm oil and spicy.
Lessons start at 8.40 and the first one lasts 2 hours. There are four classes in each room which makes over 120 in each room and they are very crowded together, 3 to each side of a bench. Then they move to the second lesson which takes quite a time, moving so many people around between floors. The next lesson is another 2 hours and then half an hour lunch which comes in the big dishes for those who want it. The afternoon is another two hour lesson and then the day pupils go home and the 'home' students get a bit of time off.
The home students do prep for three and a half hours, yes, I did say that then make their beds back up again for another night.
They work so hard to succeed, and I have been taking some of the younger girls to interest them in taking science for the equivalent of A levels and invigilating exams, one of them 4 hours long. I will keep in touch, so log on every few days.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
I'm here
Had a fairly unevenful journey here. the plane was boring but it got a lot more interesting when I arrived. It was hot even late in the evening, the temperature doesn't change much night or day.
Someone met me at the airport and I got my helicopter trip out of the seeming chaos. too bad it was too dark to see much but it only takes a few minutes to cross the river. The taxi ride to the school told of things to come. the road from the helipad was big lumps of dry mud but the coast road was better but crowded with local boys and girls cruising with their old cars.
Everyone here is very friendly and helpful and I am in a nice flat at the top of the school. The shower is cold but that doesn't seem to matter in this heat.
I am currently invigilating an exam in the science lab and someone has brought me a big bowl of rice and beans. You can buy a bean roll for 15p so the living is cheap. Will post again soon to talk about the school. All of you who were worried about me can stop. It is very different here but I like it.
Pat
Someone met me at the airport and I got my helicopter trip out of the seeming chaos. too bad it was too dark to see much but it only takes a few minutes to cross the river. The taxi ride to the school told of things to come. the road from the helipad was big lumps of dry mud but the coast road was better but crowded with local boys and girls cruising with their old cars.
Everyone here is very friendly and helpful and I am in a nice flat at the top of the school. The shower is cold but that doesn't seem to matter in this heat.
I am currently invigilating an exam in the science lab and someone has brought me a big bowl of rice and beans. You can buy a bean roll for 15p so the living is cheap. Will post again soon to talk about the school. All of you who were worried about me can stop. It is very different here but I like it.
Pat
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