School

Hey everyone!

So school is finally underway and things are starting to settle down a bit.  The schedule was made for the 6 six classes (by me) so things are running a little more smoothly now.  There are still occasional days when teachers fail to show up or just teach a double-period so then their next class misses a period but such is life here in Salone. haha I have discovered that I actually really enjoy teaching. I like being in front of a class and I enjoy helping them learn math (which is no easy feat especially here) I have also discovered that teaching is incredibly difficult work so to all my teacher friends out there keep up the good work! I have a lot of respect for you and the profession you have chosen.  So I ended up getting 20 periods a week to teach which seems like it will be an okay amount despite peace corps recommending we teach no more than 15. I think I would be very very bored if I only taught 15 periods in a week since when I am not teaching I am just hanging out outside of the school. So I am pleased with the workload. Also, the one perk of having made the schedule myself is that I didnt schedule any periods on Friday. So while I am planning on being there most Fridays anyways, I have told them that once a month I will probably want to travel just to keep my own sanity (I love my town but sometimes it is just good to get away and relax for awhile)

So besides school life is going pretty well. I think I have integrated into the community pretty well and really like all my neighbors and everything. Sometimes the kids get a little annoying especially when they constantly ask me to study with them in the evening time after I have already taught for 5 hours but for the most part I dont mind it and am happy to study/play with them.  For the most part though I like hanging out with the kids and the parents appreciate me keeping them busy every now and then.  Keba (my puppy) is doing well and is growing quickly. I think he will be a very big dog and unfortunately for him all the neighbors are expecting him to be security for our compound which means he may have to sleep outside once he is bigger.. Sorry Keba.

Okay so here are a few new pics:

I have some video I wanted to upload but it was taking forever so I guess just enjoy the pictures for now!!

Love and miss you all!!

First Day of School!!!

Okay so some information for your students about school here since the first week was officially last week.  Well unlike in the U.S. where the first day is looked forward to and everyone is excited and plans what they will wear and which cool new pencil they will use, the  first day here is a ghost town at school.  Students typically dont go to school for a week or two until after it starts, both just due to cultural norms that have developed but also in large part due to the lack of funds families have to send their kids to school or to buy new uniforms/supplies. 

So on my first day of school last Monday we had a total of maybe 5 students show up throughout the morning while the teachers just hung out and talked. Which was actually kind of nice for me because it gave me a chance to get to know my colleagues.  On Tuesday we  had about 30 students come to school but rather than start classes  the students were put to work cleaning the building we will be using this term.  So students moved all the tables and benches out of the building, swept, and then moved everything back in and organized it.  On Wednesday we finally started actually teaching some.  However, the timetable or schedule of classes has not been set yet so I was placed in the JSS 3 classroom and just told to teach. Which I did, for 2 1/2 hours.  haha Good thing I teach math so I just have to do random problems with them for that time period. I can't imagine  having to come up with a random lesson for science or English for more than 2 hours.  Thursday was pretty much the same but they stuck me in the JSS 2 class this time.  But it is good practice and gives the students a  chance to get used to me a little.  Friday we had a teachers meeting for  about 3 1/2 hours so the students just came and did some yard work around the school for about 30 minutes before we started the meeting.  On Monday the time table should be complete for JSS 1 and 2 so they will have regularly scheduled classes (hopefully) but we will see what happens for JSS 3. 

Currently we still only have 50 students that have officially enrolled for the year and paid their school  fees.  Last year they ended the school year with  over 300 students. The principal has guessed that some students might just wait to start until October at this point and continue helping with the families work for the rest of September. 

So as I have said many students struggle paying the school fees. How much are those fees you may ask?? Well at my school the fees are 75,000 Le a term (I think its per term and not yearly) which is just under $20.  So that should give you an idea about the types of communities we are working in here.  $20 is a lot of money to the people here.  I can easily live for 2 weeks on  75,000 Le. And I mean live pretty well not even easily just get by.  What astonished me most recently is that teachers at my school are only paid 40,000 Le a month if that.  That is less than $10 for an entire month of work.   This is because my school is a community school so they have only the school fees as an income.  Once the school becomes government assisted the teachers will probably make about 200,000 Le a month which is about $50.  This is still not too much though considering most have very large families to take care of too.  And I thought I didnt make much but I make an impressive 1,000,000 Le a month or about $250 .  It seems unfair sometimes that I make so much for just myself to live on but at the same time compared to US standards I make next to nothing..

Okay so after that downer here is the funny Salone moment of the day:  In my car on the way to Makeni this morning I was sitting in the front waiting for the back to be loaded. First,  a few bags of rice were loaded into the  trunk which also causes the back of the car to sink a bit.  But one time after loading something into the car the back dipped a lot so I turned to see them loading a huge cow into the back. Yip transport in Salone

Pictures!!

Ok so this is the view of Makeni from the top of Wusum hill

Some of us girls at the swearing-in ceremony. We are about to become official Peace Corps Volunteers!

My Limba classmates and teachers

Me and some members of my host family/neighbors

A view from a nature walk in Fadugu

My puppy Keba :)

My house and all the neighbors I share a compound with in Fadugu

Alright those are all the pics I will upload here for now. Check my facebook for more. And see below for the answers to some frequently asked questions..

Umm so market. It is outside and in stalls. Everyone pretty much sells the same stuff though so its not super interesting and yes trying to bargain after being used to fixed prices is difficult but i am slowly getting the hang of it.

Finding people without yellow pages- You're right.. I just ask around town and eventually someone will just take me where I need to be. haha

Still have my puppy and I am very glad for that. I love him and without him I would be super lonely because yes I do live in a pretty large house by myself so I am very glad to have him around. Except when he bites me at 6 am trying to play or pees in the house 10 times a day but otherwise he is super adorable and I love him. lol

Yess 14 people in a minivan.. no it wasnt a large minivan it was your standard size minivan. haha but yes lots of people.  On my way to Freetown yesterday I was in a small-size car with 4 people in front, 4 in back, and one in the trunk with 4 goats and a chicken. So yeah thats how we travel here. Oh and in the next car we had some sheep in the trunk and one guy commented "oh sheep. Now thats trouble. Goats are no problem, but sheep, they arent good to travel with."  Haha oh man life in Salone.

When does actual teaching start?!
I start teaching next monday. However, school gets off to a slow start here so the majority of students probably wont come for a week or two.. yeah.

What does the house look like?! I'm imagining like straw roof and adobe-ish walls
My house is actually very nice. It is brand new and is made completely out of cement. It is really big with 3 rooms and a large parlor area. So plenty of space for my bestie to come and crash for a month while you figure out plans for your life ;)

How is the food?! Tasty?! Anything you miss especially?! In spain, I missed Wendy's fries haha.
The food here is an acquired taste. It took me about a month to get used to it but now I love it for the most part.  The only problem is they literally eat rice and sauce every meal so although i have learned to like the sauces I still miss the variety that we have in America.

Is africa really just like unbearably hot 24/7?!
It is pretty hot most of the time but not as bad as I was expecting. And my town is in a hilly region in the north so we actually get a pretty cool breeze there and during the dry season there are a couple of months when I will actually probably wear a jacket and pants all the time.  However, currently it is pretty hot and I have to wonder about how cold it will actually get because people pull out their winter parkas and snow hats when the temp gets down to a frigid 65. haha So we'll see

August 22, 2011

Hey Everyone! Okay so here is an old email from last week that never quite made it to you, followed by a recent email.. Alight what is new and exciting in my life?? Well first of all I am an official Peace Corps volunteer now!! Yay! So my two years of service starte yesterday and I move to my village tomorrow which is super exciting but also a bit nerve-racking. I am in the mist of packing and am feeling a bit overwhelmed. We are moving all the stuff I came here with plus the things I have accumulated over the last 10 weeks and everything to furnish my house.  But shopping for things has been fun overall and I am slowly learning to be a master of bargaining. haha The U.S. will definitely be a bit of a shock when I go back to fixed prices. Not sure the people at Meijers would appreciate it too much if I tried to talk the price of my groceries down.

So moving to the village is the main thing in my life right now. And part of that include taking my new puppy with me :) Yes I got a puppy but no I do not know if I am going to keep him. I got him as a gift so it was a bit unexpected and I was planning on waiting until I had settled into my new home and community before getting a pet so I am thinking about giving him to the other volunteer in my village.  Although at this point I have gotten somewhat attached to the little guy but he is quite a handful since he is only a year old and definitely not potty trained. I named him Keba which means friend in Limba and he is currently sitting on my lap in the internet cafe as I type this email. haha But the poor little guy misses his mom and has worms and was covered in fleas when I got him but he is doing better now and seems to be a healthy young puppy.  I figure I can give him to the other volunteer to take care of and I can just visit whenever I want to play with him. 

And now on to the new info.. Soo life is going well. I have been at my house in Fadugu for approximately a week now and things have been good overall.  Obviously, I have to deal with the usual readjustment period but it hasnt been too bad. Mostly involving a lot of sitting and chilling with people on their porches and making sure I have met and talked with all the important people in town (aka chiefs, elders, and the woman that sells acheke). My house is nice but I desperately need some furniture. Hopefully when I return to my house this evening the carpenter will be done with the shelves I hired him to make so I can move my clothes from the floor to some sort of storage unit.  Keba (my puppy) is doing well although the sooner I can get him potty-trained the better.  He has had one too many accidents on my bed and I think my house is kinda starting to smell like pee.   Hmm there is just so much I could say I don't know where to start. Well, first of all, Fadugu (my site) is gorgeous. Hopefully pictures will be uploaded today but at the rate the internet is currently going don't expect too many.  Chelsea (my site mate) and I found this awesome hike to little villages and rice farms from Fadgugu that is just amazing. Palm trees and forest everywhere. I am seriously talking about jungle of Africa type stuff here. haha So that was cool to see. I am actually very glad to have a site mate now too. It is nice to know that when life here starts getting a little overwhelming there is someone you can talk to that is just a 5-minute walk away.  We have hungout at least once pretty much everyday, mostly just chilling, and we have actually started cooking some. Cooking over a coal pot is definitely an experience. haha But we have made some pretty delicious pasta and eggplant dishes so it is all good.  My supervisors wife has been sending me food everyday though so I havent had much of a need to cook for myself which is nice sometimes but I would really enjoy experimenting a little.     My neighbors and the community have been really nice so far, everyone here is definitely very hospitable and excited to have us here as volunteers.  The kids are definitely excited and frequently swarm my front porch to just sit and spend some time with the white woman in the community and her dog. haha People here love that me and Chelsea treat our dogs like our children.  They think it is hilarious/ ridiculous and weird but now everytime I leave my house without Keba they always ask where he is at.  My  supervisor has had me check out the summer school and I actually taught the other day which was nice because it was just me and 6 kids so it was pretty relaxed and a good way for me to ease my way into teaching in Fadugu.  He also would like me to continue working with some students after summer school officially ends this week which is really nice because I think I would have far too much time on my hands if I don't have at least one activity to occupy a couple hours of each day.  

Okay so gross Africa story of the week.  Although I have had several large scary spiders in my house the bug situation overall hasnt been too bad until one morning when I wandered to latrine to discover approximately 25-30 dead cockroaches on the floor and probably another 15-20 live ones crawling around. I was absolutely petrified. I had no idea what to do but I did know I could not go in there under those conditions.  So after about 5 minutes of just standing there, peering in absolutly disgusted, a boy finally walked by so I recruited him sweep out my latrine and kill the rest of the cockroaches. haha It was one of the worst experiences of my life.  Bugs are probably the one thing about Africa that I will neveret used to but I think I am slowly getting better. But I suppose if having to live with some large insects sometimes is the worst part of my life here than everything else is going pretty well.  And overall things are going well. I am very glad to be here and have enjoyed my time thus far and am excited to see what the future holds for me.  Alright I think that is about all I have for now. And I dont know about the pictures at this point.. I don't have the patience for the internet connection here. lol But as per usual, love and miss you all!   Sara

This is Africa (TIA)

 This is Africa moments

1.  Mayonaisse sandwiches are not only considered delicious but nutritious and are regularly eaten (bread and mayo = mayonaisse sandwich)
2.  Children yelling "opoto" (white person) every time I walk past is considered normal and okay.  Swarming me and asking fro money is also okay.
3.  You need to bargain for everything, especially if you are white. Immediately upon seeing that a white person is interested in their goods the price will be automatically doubled. So learn to talk price and learn to do it well.
4. Most students wont show up to school for the first 2 weeks just because.  It is common and expected for them not to be there.  Also, school will be canceled for sporting events or on Mondays after an eventful weekend so people have a chance to rest..
5.  People have monkeys as pets. People also eat monkeys.  My neighbors had a monkey but they sold it a few weeks ago. I strongly suspect it ended up in someones stew.
6. There are spiders the size of my hand here. I asked my neighbor to kill one for me and after she did I heard her telling my other neighbors that she had to kill a tiny spider for the white girl next door.  If that was a tiny spider I may be back in America sooner than expected.
7.  My favorite food here is called acheke. It consists of spaghettie, gari, pepper sauce, ketchup,fish, mayonnaise, a little lettuce and some cucumber.  Mmmm sounds delicious right?? Haha the first time I saw someone eat it I thought it was incredibly disgusting.  Now I am hooked.
8. We did superlatives for all the trainees. I won most likely to marry a Sierra Leoneon. In high school I won most likely to marry for money. My life is ironic.
9. Another my life is ronic moment.. As a child my one request while my family was camping was that we could spend one night in a hotel so I could take a bath. I am now living in a country without running water or electricity and I regularly pee in a bucket. I also need to sleep under a mosquite net, not because of mosquitos but as a protector from mice, rats and cockroaches.  What happened in my life that led me to this pioint?? haha

Hey everyone,

Life here is still good.  Hmm what is there to update you on... I get boku new things to say (boku = a lot)

Umm first of all, only 2 more weeks and training will be done. Which means I will have no more classes (honestly its like I'm back in high school but with an 11 pm curfew on the weekends) and I will officially be a Peace Corps volunteer!! Yess you read that correctly.  Although, I have been living and working in Sierra Leone for 2 months at this point I am still technically not a volunteer.  But that will soon change and I will move to my site and my two years of service will officially start!! 

Training has gotten much better, although much more tiring, with the addition of summer school.  So summer school is a way for all of us volunteers who have absolutely no teaching experience to learn to teach and manage a class of 50 students here in Salone.  It has gone pretty well and I have found that overall I do really enjoy teaching (lucky considering that will be my job for the next 2 years).  Learning to plan lessons, keep control of the classroom, and explain math to students that not only dislike but fear the subject has definitely had its challenging moments though.  Especially the classroom management. I have never really been able to instill fear into anyone and considering all my students are taller than me it probably wont start here.  So instead I'm just hoping they like and respect me enough to behave.. haha But to all my friends that are teachers I have new found respect for you and the work you do every day. If you have any tips please send them my way :) However, keep in mind that here we use chalkboards, class sizes are regularly around 50, and students' textbooks consist of the notes they take in class every day. 

Learning the local language (Limba) has definitely been challenging.  Yes I have moved on from learning Krio and am now learning another new language.  Krio was pretty easy since it is a blend of English with other languages but Limba is definitely a challenge. Oh well, everyone here speaks Krio anyways so I can always fall back on that when my Limba fails.  And Fadugu, the village I am going to, is pretty evenly split between 3 tribes (Fullah, Madingo, and Limba) so learning Limba is not essential to my integration. 

Umm what else is there to say.. umm well my internet time is running out so I guess that is it for now but check the blog because I posted some "This is Africa" moments on there.

Love and Miss you all!!  Keep the updates coming!
Sara

Site Visit :)

The  past four days I have been spent on site visit meaning I spent the last 4 days in my future home! It was a very exciting and nerve-racking trip to my village as I would be seeing the community, house and school I would be spending  the next two years of my life in.  This is probably the only time in my life I won't have a say in the town I will be working in or the house I will be living so as you can imagine I was a little nervous as the station wagon pulled to a stop in the center of town and my house was pointed out to me (oh and can I just mention that we fit 11 people into a station wagon for this journey..) Fortunately though I had nothing to be nervous about.  I absolutely love my village and my house.  My house is brand new ( i'm  pretty sure I am the first person living in it) and very spacious.  I have a bedroom, a  guestroom, a storage room, and a nice open parlor/dining room.  It is awesome.  It has big windows so it is very well lit during the day.  And as I said there is plenty of space so if anyone wants to visit I have room for you :) The house is almost like a duplex . I have one side of it and someone else lives on the other side but we have different front and back doors so although I am in the center of town and surrounded by people I can also  have plenty of privacy if I so choose.  The back opens up into a compound (shared yard type area) with the cooking area and the latrine. Chelsea's house is at the edge of the town but since it is a small town it is only like a 5 minute walk from mine.  After this visit I have decided that I am very grateful to have another Volunteer in town with me. Although I loved Fadugu, it was comforting to have someone else I was able to relate to and share the ups and downs with during this fairly overwhelming trip. 

Everyone in Fadugu was very nice and hospitable.  I really enjoyed my time spent there and am looking forward to moving there in just over a month.  We met all the chiefs and elders and many other community members. They were al very receptive and thankful to have received two Peace Corps volunteers.  There is one main road in the town with little shops but I will definitely need to either go to Kabala or Makeni to buy some things (like laughing cow cheese and  ketchup haha) But it is a nice size and beautiful.  It is surrounded by hills and forest so the view is amazing.  My school is pretty far away from my house (it is literally in the bush aka African Wilderness) but I love it. I think it will be a relaxing place to work and a good study environment for the children.  They are still working on the school but are trying to get it ready in time for school to start in September.  It is basically done it just needs the floors and chalkboards and some other things to be finished up.  There are only 3 classrooms and an office though so I am still a bit confused about how the schedule is going to work since it sounds like there several classes of students and 12 teachers.. but i guess it will just work on a rotation of sorts??  haha

This leads me to talk about my potential teaching schedule.  While Peace Corps suggests we start small and work our way up, my supervisor seems pretty set on making the most of my two years there haha. Which I think I may actually prefer since I'm not one to enjoy idle time.  Peace Corps recommends we dont start with more than 15 periods a week but considering each period is only 40 minutes, I agree with my supervisor that I could probably do a bit more.  He also, wants me to branch out beyond math though which is what makes me a little nervous but I told him as long as he has the book for me I can probably handle teaching any subject at the middle school level.. So i went from being a math teacher volunteer to probably teaching math and something else like home economics or physical health and education haha.. I am actually very excited to start teaching though and am looking forward to the start of summer school.  Summer school starts next week and lasts 3 weeks during which time I will be teaching two class periods a day. 

Okay so getting away from site visit.. some people mentioned they wanted to know a bit more about life in Sierra Leone  (Salone as is is called here) in general.  Well where to start.. Life in Sierra Leone is about as far from life in the U.S. as you can get in the world. I went from living in the wealthiest country in the world to a country that has been hovering around the bottom 5 in terms of wealth for the last several years.  Needless to say I have had some adjusting to do.  First of all, a good portion of the country goes without electricity and running water (I have neither in my home in Makeni nor at site) Those that do have electricity get it from a generator meaning it is fairly inconsistent.  Also, it is crazy for me to think that just 10 years ago this country was still in one of the most brutal, devasting civil wars in history.  During site visit I was given a book about a man's experience during the war that took place in Fadugu (my village) and it was so odd reading about how the village was repeatedly destroyed and people were massacred in the place that I am currently living.  It is very difficult to wrap my mind around this and to think that everyone I meet was affected by the war and most of the people I know and become friends with or work with had family/friends die during the war.  It is  something that I am still struggling to grasp since  it is so different from my own life experience.  Despite the war though people are very hospitable and   warm.  There is no violence between tribes or ethnic groups nor is there violence between religions.  It is just a very interesting place and I look forward to learning more and sharing it with you.

Okay well my internet time is running out so that is all for now! Love and miss you all but don't worry I am enjoying my time here and am being well cared for!

July 3, 2011

     I am currently in training in Makeni, Sierra Leone.  We have 10 weeks of training and then it is off to our villages to move in and begin teaching.  We just completed week 4 of training and found out where we will be going to teach.  I am going to a village called Fadugu which is right off the highway about 1 1/2 to 2 hours northeast of Makeni and 30 mins south of Kabala.  It is in northern Sierra Leone so it is mountainous and should be a bit cooler there (although the heat actually hasn't been a major issue surprisingly enough).  I am told that the villagers grow vegetables up there.  I am certainly looking forward to fresh vegetables.  It is a town of about 8,000 and another Volunteer will actually be in the town with me (although teaching in t he government run school) which is very exciting!  Three other volunteers will be in Kabala.  I am going to be teaching in a Muslim Junior secondary school so things will be pretty different.  The school was built by the community, has about 325 students and I might be the only female teacher.  There is no school on Friday as that is the Muslim day of worship.  Instead we start our week on Sunday.  I must wear dresses or skirts with hems below my knees to work everyday.  Pants are not allowed.  The local language is Limba (sp?) so I now have to start learning a new language (we had been learning Krio).

     On Friday and Saturday, July 8 & 9 the supervisor of our schools come to Makeni to meet the volunteers.  On Sunday, July 10 we travel to our villages to see our schools and new homes.  The following Wednesday we must find our own way back to Makeni! 

     I am very excited to start teaching.  So far I have really enjoyed the practice teaching sessions we have had and am looking forward to summer school to start!  During summer school we teach actual students for 3 weeks.  Teaching will be a huge challenge though especially as a math teacher.  Students here tend to be very behind in math and most volunteers seem to say they spend a majority of the time catching students up on old material rather than teaching new material.  Also, even though I will be teaching what would be middle school level, I will most likely have several students that are my age or older.

     A little about my host family.. I am actually living with the Homestay Coordinator for Peace Corps (i.e. the man who found all the families for people to stay with and is staff of Peace Corps) so I lucked into a pretty good family.  There are about 8 of us living in the house (6 rooms total) but I get a room to myself which is nice (and also a Peace Corps rule so no I am not spoiled or lucky in this regard haha).  But the 8 people include Benjamin (Homestay coordinator/ my dad), Mamusu (mom), Simeon aka Obama (my 3-yr old brother that everyone calls Obama), Mabintey (sister/aunt - technically my aunt since she is Benjamin's sister but she is 23 so more of a sister/friend figure), Mbalu (sister/aunt - same deal as Mabintey), Aminata (girl that works for the family, approximately 13 yrs old, it is fairly common for people to have someone living with them to help with the chores), and then two brothers of Benjamin named Abdul and Pastor that I think live in the same house but you never can be too sure here.. Families are big and confusing here so it sometimes hard to tell who is actually related and who is being called broda "brother" in more of a friendly way.  But  mi fambul dem (my family) is pretty cool overall so I've been happy living there so far. 

     Overall, things are going better. I feel like my last post may have been a bit of a downer but now that I am somewhat adjusted to life here I really am enjoying it. I honestly can't imagine doing anything else with my life right now and although being in a post-conflict African Country means I have to do without a lot of the amenities I am accustomed to, it really is exciting to be here as the country rebuilds and it will definitely be a learning/growing experience for me to do without so many things over the next 2 years.  In 2009, Sierra Leone was ranked the poorest country in the world.  Today, Sierra Leone ranks 2nd or 3rd from the bottom.  While I am getting used to things like not having an indoor toilet or lights after 7:30 p.m., it is definitely still crazy when I wake up in the morning and have to go out to the well and get water before I can bathe or look around the market and see dozens of women walking past with big containers of vegetables or bread on top of their head.  It is definitely a surreal experience but one that will last with me forever and one that I am very glad I have been able to take part in.  So to everyone considering doing something like this (I know a few of you are in the process of applying to the Peace Corps) I whole-heartedly recommend you give it a go if you are committed.  Despite the ups and downs I really am loving it and do think it is an incredible opportunity.

     I ran yesterday for the first time since I arrived.  It felt very good.  There are not many places to run to here so I ran to the soccer field.  People stopped and stared and yelled out as I ran by.  When I got to the soccer field I did some stretching exercises.  Little children copied my movements.  It was funny to watch.

    That being said I do miss you all tons and want to stay in touch.  It is difficult to get to an Internet cafe so keeping in touch via email is hard.  I would really appreciate hearing from you by letter - what you are doing, how you are doing, general news.  My address is: Sara Metzler, Peace Corps Volunteer; Peace Corps; Post Office Box 905; Freetown, Sierra Leone.  It takes a while for mail to reach me, but it does reach me.

Love, Sara