August has come and gone so I better fill you in, Once school got underway I felt much better because I was busy teaching again. In Form IV I had one more topic to cover before we could start review. Accounting. This is in no way an easy subject to teach. It doesn't relate to other topics and has some pretty difficult concepts dictating the 'rules'. But the kids did ok. This month we had the Form IV Mock Examinations which are designed to resemble the National Examinations in October. They did...less than good. Overall it was pretty depressing grading the tests. Luckily I got packages from my folks, future in-laws, and adopted parents filled with chocolate to console me. With Form II I had finished the syllabus so we started review. I was challenged as to how to keep the fast learners entertained while reviewing the basics of each topic with the slower learners. So I came up with the idea to make it optional to copy notes or do exercises due at the end of class. The appeal of re-writing the notes is I know write everything in English followed by its Kiswahili translation. The appeal of the exercises is they are very difficult and resemble National Exam questions so are good preparation for it. This adds lots of grading work for me but is well worth it. And an added bonus I hadn't anticipated: the faster students are occupied with their exercises so when I ask questions about the lesson the slower kids can answer. And I know this may sound silly but the first week only 2 students answered questions correctly but I was so proud of those 2 students because they were starting to understand the concepts. I'm really going to miss these kids. Also we started up Peer Education again and it's been going really well. This term is busy but we're scheduled to try and go to the Primary School to teach almost every week. So far only one disturbance in the schedule. At the end of the month I was whisked away to Arusha where it was COLD!!! Why? Our COS (Close of Service or, for Anna and I, Continuation of Service) conference. It was the last conference with the training group I came over with and the last time I'll see many of them. It was great getting together and sharing stories and future plans but also sad to realize our time is short. Yes, I still have another year but I'll be leaving Chidya and many of my close friends, Steph, Patrick, Jen, and Laura, will finish this year. Peace Corps is known to spoil volunteers at this, our last, conference. We stayed at a beautiful hotel inside Arusha National Park at the foot of Mt. Meru directly across from Mt. Kilimanjaro. It consisted of small log cabin rooms and huts. And there was a pool! Yeah, it was cold but I swam once in the morning and once with friends. The conference was relaxed and we mainly shared moments we remember from the past 2 years. The food was excellent and each night we got to sit around and enjoy time with friends. The last night Alex put together a slide show and we got to see pictures from all across Tanzania. The end came too quick and then Anna, Jen, and I were off to Lushoto to Jen's site. She lives in a town called Soni in a small apartment line with wood paneled walls. Straight out of the 70s. Very groovy. Anna and I were in awe of the lush green countryside tucked away in the beautiful Usambara Mountains. We climbed to Irente Viewpoint and enjoyed a lunch of Rye Bread, fresh jam, cheese, and veggies. Jen was a great host but again our time was too short. The end of the month saw Anna and I saying goodbye once again. But it's the last time before we see each other to head back to the States. Lots of work ahead. Until next month, Justin |