Time Keeps On Slippin...

The weeks are just flying by. Now, just one week after the all-volunteer conference I feel like the December holiday is just around the corner.
It didn't take long to get back into the groove after being gone from school for three solid days, which was great. This past week was "Education For All" week in which the learners participated in a series of debates, essay contests and discussions all revolving around education in Namibia. The festivities culminated Friday with a big Education program that included dancing, speeches, singing and dramas.

As fragile as the education system is, it's somehow ironic how an entire week of studies is disturbed to celebrate education. The daily class schedule was adjusted to accommodate one extra period a day which was used for the debates and discussions. This had the effect of making teaching impossible by shortening already too-short periods and making the same periods unpredictable as the automatic bells system was turned off and we relied for the entire week on the memory and availability of the secretary to ring the bells.

But despite it's shortcomings, the week was a success and the learners enjoyed it.
My big triumph was getting headphones for all the computers. I agreed to produce a newsletter for FAWENA (Forum for African Woman Educationalists, Namibia) and also agreed to hold a five-day training workshop for the employees on desktop publishing in exchange for 20 sets of nice headsets. Now each computer has a headset complete with microphone that will enable teaching digital music compilation and editing, something I've been looking forward to.

I started with a few classes last week and they loved it. Just like kids anywhere, these guys love music, and love making music just as much. They had a blast making loop-based songs with software purchased by the school. I love my job.
This weekend is a quiet one. Yesterday (Saturday) Jon from group 24 popped by and made copies of my DVD's. My DVD collection has become something of a pariah among PeaceCorps, promising to provide much needed entertainment to those volunteers stuck in small villages. Yet few of them ever get the chance to spend a few hours here to copy them.

I also attended the school's first athletic meet for soccer and netball yesterday. The soccer was as you'd expect, and as big as soccer is here, it was quiet exciting. I was especially looking forward to watching the netball games though. Netball is a variation of basketball played by girls here. The baskets have no backboards (just a metal hoop) and the key looks a bit different, but much else is the same. There are seven players on each side. Each player is restricted to a specific part or parts of the court. There is no dribbling, once you have the ball you must stop and pass it to a teammate. The object is to continuously pass until the ball is close enough to the hoop to affect a shot. Here, everyone stops. You cannot take the ball from someone, only knock it out of the air, so the opposing team stands in front of the shooter with their hands up patiently. The shooter takes her time, aiming carefully then shoots. About half the time it goes it (shooting without a backboard is much more difficult).

This combination of fast-paced passing and running with the patient, deliberate shooting makes the game feel kind of weird. From my ignorant perspective there appears to be little strategy, but then I am just learning. Maybe it will grow on me. Despite that, I've decided we need to get some real basketball (for both girls and boys) going at my school. Another project...

Well, today is cleaning and laundry. Perhaps some mid day naps and reading: all in a long weeks work...