Wednesday, January 23, 2013

January, 2013




Well it was great to see everyone over the holidays! I hope all of
your New Years are off to a phenomenal start!
        Things are going pretty well here.  School got up and running much
more quickly than expected.  We had a decent turnout the first week,
effective classes the second week, and by week three we a record
number of students showing up! haha So school is off to a pretty good
start.  I’ve gotten back into the groove of teaching.  I have decided
that for the rest of my time teaching I am going to try and focus more
on problem solving in math class and reading comprehension and writing
in language arts.  I feel like those are skills that will be useful
for a lifetime while what I try to teach from the syllabus is
forgotten within a week of learning it.  So more or less I am trying
to impart as much wisdom to my students as I possibly can before I
leave them.
        The more I think about it the sadder and more sentimental I get.  I
have even toyed with the idea of extending and staying a third year
but I think deep down I will be ready to go when the time reaches.  I
still have so much to do in life and what always seems like so little
time! ha  For those of you that don’t know, my current life plan is as
such: next year live at home with mom and dad, try and find any work
that pays while also giving me plenty of time to make up for lost time
with my friends, and applying to law school.  I am currently thinking
I would like to focus on International Human Rights Law which would
allow me to continue to help those in need while also providing me
with the opportunity to continue travelling.  Finally, after working
as a lawyer and making some money I want to open my own school here in
Sierra Leone supported by a non-profit organization I will start
before going. haha So well see which if any of those goals is
accomplished.
        My desk project is still chugging along.  Its really like the “Little
Engine that Could.”  We just keep chugging away and eventually, one
day, everything will be completed.  All the desk sets are completed
they just need to be polished and then we are still left with the
tables, chairs and cupboards.  Hopefully within a month it will all be
done.  I know I keep saying that but one of these months it has to be
true, right? Just like one of these days we have to move to the new
school, right? They’ve only been telling me that for the last year and
a half.
        Soo in addition to that I have been helping my principal with another
project to make a school library.  I have had to type and try and
email any documents or pictures they need.  Obviously here that is not
as easy at it sounds… Last night I spent about 2 hours online trying
to send 2 emails.  Friday night I spent another hour or so sending 1
email.  And now tonight I am back at trying to send one of the emails
from last night because the connection dropped after I had been trying
to send the 1 email for about 45 minutes.  So yes while I can access
internet from my house, now you can see why the emails and blog
updates are so infrequent… I literally want to through my computer
across the room every time I attempt to use the internet.
        Alright well on that happy note, I think that is all I have to say.
Things are well here, hope they are well there too!  Love and miss you.


Sara