anybody got a good title?

At site:

As I write this, I am 26 years old. That, in and of itself, is ridiculous.
I am 26 years old, sitting in a hostel in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa; planning on talking with my program director tomorrow about my official job description at my debt-ridden school; considering graduate school – that is, wondering what the heck I would do with grad school, but it seems to be a popular idea; flea bitten and back twisted, and surprised at how chilly my room feels (usually Kigali is pretty darn warm); in love with a man I didn’t expect and resisted at every possible turn of our providentially accelerated relationship; looking for reasons to stay and fighting the reasons to go; listening to a beautiful mix of music (currently New York State of Mind by Billy Joel).

School officially started across the nation at the beginning of February. Many of my PC abagense (co-workers) carefully negotiated lesson schedules accepting classes that they have no training in (economics, math, biology, etc) or English across all 6 grades (6-12). We all experienced the first week of registration and scheduling chaos. One of my friends suggested that teachers return to school early to settle the paperwork and details before the school year actually started and the Rwandan educator balked at the idea of giving up time in their vacation. Home time was home time. School time was school time.
Most of them also work at boarding schools or full-fledged Secondary schools. My school was a primary school that has added the secondary classes as part of the new national education plan. Naturally, they had to add an extra building to accommodate the extra classes. The established schools charge the same school fees they have for years because it’s part of the institution, even though first 3 years are supposed to be free now. Our school can’t charge the fees – because it’s supposed to be free now. Many places also have PTAs that kick in extra funds to supplement the teacher’s salary (which is, to be very American about it, peanuts). Our parents insist that these years of secondary school are Supposed To Be Free, so they don’t want to chip in. I don’t really blame them, they can’t really afford it anyway. However, the government is not supplementing these new schools either. So my school has a new building to pay for, and extra teachers to hire. My head teacher reasonably held some meetings during January and tried to pre-create a class schedule with hypothetical teachers, hoping they would be hired by the time school started. He suggested that it might be more beneficial to have me free to work with all the language classes and all the teachers than pinned down to one class – especially because the English level of the students is so low that they wouldn’t understand me enough to try and teach them anyway. This sounded very progressive and very suited to our situation, so I agreed.
When school started in February, I went to school bright and early (leave the house at 6:00, 45 minute walk there) to be there when classes started at 7. Even though I anticipated some sorting out of plans, I was emotionally and mentally misled by this wonderful sounding proposition from head teacher. Everyone at my school is really excited to have me there, but they’re not really sure what to do with me, and they’re definitely not prepared for me. We have looked for ways I can insert myself into the classroom, but for team teaching to really work there needs to be a plan both teachers can work from. So for the last few weeks, I have made a detailed syllabus (or “Scheme of Work” they call it here) for the S2 English class and an outline of a syllabus for S1. Most every day I walk to school in the morning and sit in the teacher’s room and work on this for a few hours. Some days I have stayed until the end of school at 2, but it’s rare that the other teachers talk to / utilize me that long and I usually leave around 12:30-1:00.

We just had our first teachers meeting and the head teacher addressed issues of discipline and finances and highly urged all the teachers to use me as a methodology and language resource. We are also looking for a way to get the teachers language classes, but scheduling is a HUGE issue. Primary schools run on half day schedules, so there is no structure for feeding the staff or students on a full day schedule. The Secondary teachers work from 7 am until 2 pm with a 15 minute break in the middle of the day. Even if we changed the schedule to allow time for lunch, there isn’t really such a thing as portable food here, and we don’t have the facilities or finances to hire someone to cook. How can I ask them to stay for any extra time for either methodology training or language classes when they haven’t eaten all day and some of them have to walk just as far as I do if not farther to get home after school?
My program director has discussed with me the importance of identifying a solid schedule so we can create a job description. I explained that we are working on creating a schedule as soon as possible, but this term is probably lost, and this year will be me helping the school get all their ducks in a row. I don’t really want to leave because I think they need me, and I know they want me there. And if I stick it out, I can teach the S2s that pass into S3 next year.

Ok, enough about my job. I think I’ve explained most of what you want / need to know. Mostly, I’m sick of talking about it. I would like to recognize the people who have been so supportive of me. (at least, the ones who packages came through…)
Thanks Tony Schwalm for the Economist and New Yorker magazines. Unfortunately, as you have noticed from the description of my work, they will not be particularly useful in My classes this year. However, Scott and Penny are doing economic classes, and Michele is working with higher level students and does not have adequate texts to challenge their language level. If Peace Corps has given me anything, it has given me a place where generosity and sharing are truly valued. I wrote my name on the magazines, so I will get them back and try and use them next year, but for now, I will make sure they will be appropriately appreciated. Personally, it was nice to have something new to read as well. =)
Thank you California Cousins for the 2 giant care packages. They are a pain to get home, but well worth the trouble. The peanut butter is my breakfast every day, and my lunch most days. On the other days, I make fancy Ramen by adding the spices I bought because I thought I might have to do real cooking… I can think of loads of lessons involving those maps – I’m just sad the world maps got a little wet coming across the continents. Only the oceans got messed up though, which is good.
Thank you Aunt April for keeping me updated with your life! I am still on the look out for your envelope, but none of us here have any idea why some mail comes through on time and some look like they routed through Mongolia.
Thanks Ross and Sandy (Sean’s parents)! I was beginning to miss all the beef jerky I had battled between saving and indulging in and have eventually polished off in fashion or the other. The Cliff bars will be great for traveling with as well. You never know when you’re going to get stuck somewhere… and even though it didn’t come in the care package, and I’ve mentioned it to sean to mention it to you (and I know he has) I would like to publicly say that the headlamp is by far my favorite piece of equipment I brought with me or bought here. That even beats out the ipod because on the occasions that the ipod is unavailable (ie. broken or out of battery) the lamp enables me to read in the evening hours between sunset and dinner time.
Thanks Stephanie for sharing all the college drama with me! You never bore me, and it feels like a lifeline to back home to be aware of the daily, dramatic, mundane details.
Thanks Charlynn, Genna, and the others who are planning packages for me. I love them even if they may be far from arriving. =)

I miss classics. I miss classic movies and classic music. I mean, I have most of the music I would be looking for, but it feels so out of place here. I guess I miss the environments that I feel comfortable in.

For my birthday celebration, I stayed with my friends in Kigali who lived in Colorado for a long time. They had to leave a little earlier than we expected, but I got to spend the whole day on a real couch watching movies and playing on the internet for as long as I could. I also roasted some corn over the gas flame and eat a mango. On Saturday night, a bunch of PCVs went out to the Indian restaurant in Kigali. Best present was that someone else handled looking over the bill.

Oh yeah! Michele and I have restructured the classic 3rd grade girly game of MASH. After we run the chances we construct people’s lives in elaborate stories. It’s great language practice for us, and we get some pretty awesome stories. I ended being a princess married to a rock star, and after our band was sabotaged by our drummer, we lived under a bridge in Paris and drove each other around in a rickshaw which was topped by our pet cat who doubled as the horn. I think the story of the Catshaw (as the native Parisians started to refer to it as) will definitely follow me home.

Most Saturdays I spend at either Jen’s site or Scott’s for American Saturday. Scott cooks us meat and I cook Kraft Mac&Cheese (again, CA cousins =D). Last weekend I went up early to see Michele at her site and we made some pretty awesome potatoes in peanut sauce, and potato soup with cabbage.

I’m also trying to journal more and read through this “releasing your creativity book” that I borrowed from Michele. It’s a little universally spiritual, but the concepts are legitimate. Who knows, when I get back, I may have finally reached my potential as a writer and be a truly effective communicator. And maybe I can draw more than hands.

Love you all!
Write me!

Song for the month – New Music, from Ragtime.
“just like that tune, simple and clear… I long to hear new music.
Breaking my heart, opening the door, changing the world – new music”
Find it! Listen to it! Love it!