So you thought I’d say “Spring is here!”…..Well no, down
here, we are just starting the cooler weather. Amen! I’ve been in hot weather
since June of last year!! The hottest months here are December, January,
February and then winter kicks in May. I’m still wearing my shorts and T-shirts
and its usually in the comfortable 80s. They say it will get ‘real’ cold! We
shall see….!
The first school term ends next week and we have been busy
marking, moderating and invigilating exams. The school photocopier and printers
have gone on strike and our Principal has had to appeal to the local village
council to make copies of exams. My last exam is Monday and I’ll be spending
next week correcting and calculating the final marks for my classes. It’s all a
lot of work and number crunching and the test results REALLY matter over here.
And naturally, if the results are bad, it’s the teacher’s fault and she’s not
doing her job!
I am on the newspaper committee too and we have had to put
together an issue before the end of this term. I’m the official
photographer…Hah! Okay…stop laughing! I seem to be the only one with a camera
on those occasions we need to document some event or news story. We created an
interview section where we inserted pictures of the kids along their comments.
Oh boy! Do they LOVE to have their photo taken! They squeal with delight and
want to do it again and again! The issue is still in the making as we speak. We
will have a ‘soft’ copy to present to the Principal but we can’t print yet.
Hopefully, next term there won’t be so many other projects to get in the way
and we’ll be able to get the paper out mid-term.
I had requested some books for our library from a US
organization back in Dec and they have arrived! About 35 graded readers and story
books to put on the shelves! We will have to guard them like gold as new things
tend to go missing around here…..hmm. We have elected Library Prefects and they
are being trained to run the library. (I have included a photo of them here...adorable and hard-working!) The idea is to have the library
completely in the learners’ hands. It’s not easy to make them understand the
importance of library policies and following procedures but many of the older
students are keen to take on responsibility.
I want to post some photos of the school kids to give you an
idea of the features of the Nama and mixed or‘coloured’ people here. They look very
different from Namibians in the North. Nama people have defined, sharp facial
features and eyes. They are not dark black. They are lean, strong, stoic people who don't always smile...but when they do...ooh boy! What charmers!! They originate from the
San people and their languages are similar. As I’ve been taking many pictures
of students, I have become fascinated with the ‘look’ of the true Nama. You
will see many more photos of these people as my blog continues. I have added some pictures of my dear colleagues from the language department. What a great bunch of dedicated, hard-working young teachers!
Next month, travels in Namibia…stick around!!
