It is the end of the second week back at school and I am tired. But when I fall into bed at night, exhausted at the end of the day, I dream about my students and teaching! In addition to getting back into the daily rhythm of teaching, I am struggling to cope with the summer temperatures that reach 37C during the day. It is hard to muster up the energy to go teach that last class of the day. But it's not just me, I can see that the other teachers and also the students are feeling the heat too. It is as though we have all been struck with sleeping sickness and are now lethargic versions of our former selves (actually, I don't really know if that's what happens when you have sleeping sickness, that's just how I imagine it). The mosquitoes are also out in full force and stupidly I am still sleeping without a mosquito net. It just doesn't ever stick to the ceiling and I always get an awful shock when it falls down on me during the night.
But I am happy to see my colleagues and students again. One of my colleagues has just had a baby and I like to go and visit her. On Sunday I am going to bring pizza around to her house and have a little party for her with some other colleagues. She is all by herself with her newborn baby. Her boyfriend works in a town in the south of the country (like nearly all of the men from the rural areas), so she just stays at home all day by herself looking after her child. She says she will ask a girl from her village to come and help her in a couple of weeks.
I am going to a dance class this morning run by a South African woman in her home. I miss dancing.
That's about it. Here are some photos of the past week:
My roommate Nele with some of the Cheshire Home children who came over for a visit.
I think that Davitos, the boy on the left, is calling me a loser in this photo. His name derives from Danny DeVito. My roommate gave him a pair of luminous green socks that he likes to wear to school.
Maria, the girl with the big smile, is fabulous. A very sweet and astute person. She is in grade 6 and she has cerebral palsy. The other day she came to visit and I asked her about her day at school. She told me that her principal took her class teacher to the hospital because her teacher "was sleeping". Eventually I worked out that the children had actually witnessed their teacher having a heart attack.
Lolly, one of the dogs on the mission, and one of her new pups. I say her name is Lolly, but actually it could be Lorry since Ovambo people mix up 'l' and 'r'.
Just another one of the daily beautiful sunsets over here.
