So
it's been over a month since my last update. Ah, such is life in Tatum. It's a
struggle between the power going out and the network not working and the bad
roads (which make it hard to travel to Kumbo). Nothing much exciting has
happened during the past month, just the usual beginning of school routines but
that was enough to make September fly by.
And
school is definitely back in full swing. TTC & ENIET started 2 weeks ago
and this past week we had the first set of exams for the secondary. I think I
made the Form 2 English exam too easy. I'm teaching the same classes as last
year (English in Form 2 and Computers in Forms 1, 2, & 3 and Music in the
TTC) but it's still new, since the students are different. There are many new
students even in Forms 2 & 3. I'm trying to learn the names of the new
students, but I still don't know the names of all the old ones. Plus there are
about 100 students in the TTC only about 12 of which were here last year.
There
have been some administrative changes and with those changes, I've ended up
helping in the school offices more than I was last year (when I was basically
just tech support). The rest of this paragraph will probably be boring since
you don't know the people involved. Along with the new principal (Br. Isaac),
the old discipline master was made into the Dean of Studies for the TTC and the
old Dean of Studies became a teacher while one of the other teachers was made
discipline master. Br. Evaristus (another Marist who was teaching here) was
transferred to Mbengwe (near Bamenda) and was replaced with Br. Brendan who has
been assigned as assistant discipline master. Br. Isaac also re-arranged the
offices so the old discipline master's office became the Deans' office (both
deans) and the Deans' office became the secretary's office so the chaplain (Fr.
Joe) could move into the old secretary's office. The new discipline master and
his assistant got a new office made out of one of the other rooms on campus.
The chaplain's office was new this year because in the past the chaplain used
the parish office (and last year the school didn't even have a chaplain), which
is next to the campus.
Friday
was "World Teachers' Day" so the teachers got out of school early.
Last year we just celebrated at school, but this year events were organized at
the divisional level -- so there was a "march past" in Tatum (at the
newly completed grandstand) and speeches and what not before everyone broke
into smaller parties. I got a dress made with the Teachers' Day fabric. I only
managed to get the fabric on Wednesday afternoon, so I was really impressed
that the tailor was able to have it finished on Friday morning (for only
2500frs = $5). I think I mentioned before that it's a big thing in Cameroon to
have fabrics printed for special events, both one-time events (there's one for
the centenary celebrations - 100 years since the first Christian missionaries
came to what is now the Kumbo Diocese) and for annual celebrations (like
Teachers' Day and Women's Day).
The
corn is about ready to be harvested. I've already had some roasted fresh off
the stalk. And I've been eating my own cabbages and beans instead of buying
from the market. James sent me some seeds (unlabeled) and I now know that some
of them are radishes... and big radishes at that. Did you know that if you boil
radishes they lose their heat and taste like any other tuber?
So
life goes on. It's easy to lose oneself in the everyday busy-ness.
