International Teachers' Day

Did you know that October 5 was International Teacher's Day?  I found out when they announced the celebration they were having in Tatum.  I guess that usually it is celebrated in town, but because the national elections were on October 9, the government requested that each school have their own celebration.

At St. Pius, the festivities were mostly sports - teachers versus students at handball, volleyball, and football (soccer). The weather was perfect for it - mostly sunny with some scattered clouds and a nice breeze. No rain because we're getting to the end of the rainy season. There was enough sun that I got a little pink, but I'm back to white again.

The week before that was CATs (continual assessment testing). Only about half of my students
passed the tests I gave.  I think they're still getting used to my accent, but one of the other teachers told me that the students usually do very poorly on the first test.  Because of the results, I spent some classes reviewing everything and am doing continuous reviews each week.

I haven't been able to get online much at all in the past several weeks.  Janice visited to check up on us (the LMHers & MDers in Cameroon) and I was able to give her my last blog post a few weeks late. It was a very short visit, but it was nice to see a face from home and she brought chocolate (which is always good).

Not much else happening here. The weather is getting dryer. I've been told that in the dry season it gets very cold in the mornings, but warmer during the day.  I might even get a little tan! We'll see.

Thank you to those who have sent me mail and thank you for your continued prayers and support. Quick update on my parents: They're both back in Santa Barbara now and I have been told that my mother is back at work at the Boy Scout office.

Settling In

First a bit of news from home, for those who haven't heard. My sister Becca gave birth to my newest nephew, Owen, on August 9 in Colorado. A few days later, my parents were driving from California to visit them when they were in a car crash. They were flown to a hospital in Denver. My mother was released from the hospital after a week or two and is staying at my sister's house. My father is still in the hospital, but he getting better and is making progress every day. Thank you to James and my family for keeping me updated and thanks to everyone for their prayers.

I'm still struggling with internet access, between the cost and the reliability. Along with everyone else at St. Pius X (SPX), I'm looking forward to when they get the new internet installed here. Unfortunately, that probably won't be until October.

A few days after my last post, I was finally able to move into my place (once they had finished installing the new front door). The place is spacious for me. There are 4 rooms: a parlor/living room, kitchen, and 2 bedrooms (one is currently for storage - but will be a guest room once I get spare bed), plus a spacious bathroom and a back patio area - to be shared with my neighbors. It took about three weeks to get the new back door finished and the kitchen sink installed.

School just started last week. The first week was hectic since the teaching schedule had to be changed a few times due to "clashes" (scheduling conflicts). I still don't have all the books I need for the classes I'll be teaching, but I'm managing without for now. I'm teaching Form 2 English (approx. 9th grade), computer studies for Forms 1, 2, & 3, and Music in the Teachers Training College (TTC).

Before classes began, I spent my days reading, going for walks, and cross-stitching. I hired a "house girl" who comes in on weekdays to cook lunch and clean. She always cooks enough for a two or three meals. I asked her to cook Cameroonian foods so I can get used to them - corn fufu with jamba-jamba is pretty good. I was mostly underfoot for her, but now that I have classes I'm not at home as much. She has also helped me practice my Pidgin and Lamnso.

I have a tutor who has been teaching me both languages. So far I have the greetings down pretty well. I still need lots of practice though, which I try to do by greeting people when I am out and about. Everyone is very friendly and, since they see very few white people in Tatum, I attract attention wherever I go. On Sundays, some parts of the Mass and the songs are often in Pidgin and/or Lamnso. I am able to understand most of the Pidgin and catch a few of the Lamnso words.

There is a family with 6 kids that lives nearby and before school started the kids would stop by regularly to visit, particularly two of the younger girls. They've taught me some card games and I taught them Go Fish and showed them a couple card tricks. They've also helped me practice my Lamnso and Pidgin.