this week

another week gone and we're into a whole new month. we ended october here with a halloween party. do they celebrate halloween in africa you ask? well. no. but the irish, british, americans, canadians and mexicans in africa celebrate it. mostly it consisted of terrible costumes, tons of decorations, too much junk food and lots of visiting about our time here. the next day came november, and with november the rains. what a change in weather. the 45 minute walk to school in the pouring rain has been an adventure. i thought i stuck out before being a mzungu walking through the slums. but imagine a mzungu decked out in a long white poncho and big white rubber boots. hello sore thumb.
school has been good this week. i have such a mix of emotions when i think of teaching - extreme frustration and pure joy. i love my kids. absolutely love them. but this week i've taken on the task of teach them multiplication and how to read. trying to explain new concepts to them when they don't understand english is such a draining task. here's how our reading sessions went:
-ok everyone. what are some words that start with the letter 'a'?
- hut! green!
-no no. 'a'. think of the sound.
- red! hut!
-how about the word 'apple'?
- apple! apple!
-good. copy it down.
-now how about the letter 'b'?
- ball!
-yes! good job! (round of cheers and high fives)
-ok, what is another word that starts with 'b'?
- ball! ball!
-no, a different word.
- ball! ball!
-ok, we have that word already, think of a new word.
- ball! ball!

an so on and so on. thankfully a new group of volunteers has come and i've got a new roomate who is actually a teacher. she brought lots of material and has good advice on how to teach.
break time for the kids this week has been pretty random. when its pouring out they don't get to play. when the rain stops its nothing but puddles and mud and soggy trash. but they do play a fun game of kicking mud into the puddles.
again i'll end with some pics and try to update more often. have a good weekend everyone!
oh, one more thing. a huge thanks to all of you who have been leaving comments and sending emails and praying. your prayers and encouragement have been amazing. sorry i haven't had the time to send many personal messages but know that i appreciate you all and love you so much!