Bad Weather and Good News
June 14, 2006
What a crazy week!
My new students are way behind everyone else in my class. Instead of two math groups, I now have four, same with reading. I have been working my tail off this week trying to restructure and reassess; all of this and only three weeks to go until I’m home.
To compound things, we have our end of the year variety show coming up. It was made clear to us several months ago that the village expected an end of the year program. Last year they did this elaborate play with killer costumes and sets. This year we are doing “Rock Around The Clock: A Fifties Variety Show.” We have several musical numbers complete with dancing. There are also some short skits taken from “Free To Be You and Me.” It should be entertaining, but right now it’s a lot of work.
We went to a great party last weekend. Reg had a big braai at his place. After dinner we were sitting around sweating when the wind picked up. Within minutes, the wind was howling and the rain was pouring out of the sky. In the midst of it, Steve’s phone rang and he rushed off to the airstrip.
It turns out that one truck had rear-ended another. These were big semis filled with gravel. One of the drivers suffered some injuries so they called a plane to medevac him out. Unfortunately, the plane tried to land during the storm and got blown off the runway. No one was hurt, but the plane was totaled; crushed landing gear, bent props, the whole nine yards. I am hoping to get some pictures.
We have since had a few more of those storms. The Baobab camp had some of their roofs blow off. The wind is amazing. It picks up quickly and just tears through everything. The rain falls in great buckets accompanied by thunder and lightning. Within an hour it goes away, leaving downed trees, broken windows, and puddles the size of Lake Michigan.
We have been going up to the club during the last two hours of school everyday this week to practice our show. Today our trip was thwarted by the rain. To walk outside is to become instantly soaked through.
The good news is that we have managed to find a new internet provider. While we have to pay a subscriber fee every month, we are now able to use Skype. This is a service that allows us to use the internet as a telephone. We can even call landlines and cell phones through the system and save major cash. The reduction in our cell phone bill will definitely offset the price of the service, and we can talk to folks we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. It rocks!
The best news is that our friend Anna has been hired as the new teacher here. Carrie and she have been friends forever. Now she is moving here, to the mine, to be our colleague. It should make next year even better than this one.
MJR
What a crazy week!
My new students are way behind everyone else in my class. Instead of two math groups, I now have four, same with reading. I have been working my tail off this week trying to restructure and reassess; all of this and only three weeks to go until I’m home.
To compound things, we have our end of the year variety show coming up. It was made clear to us several months ago that the village expected an end of the year program. Last year they did this elaborate play with killer costumes and sets. This year we are doing “Rock Around The Clock: A Fifties Variety Show.” We have several musical numbers complete with dancing. There are also some short skits taken from “Free To Be You and Me.” It should be entertaining, but right now it’s a lot of work.
We went to a great party last weekend. Reg had a big braai at his place. After dinner we were sitting around sweating when the wind picked up. Within minutes, the wind was howling and the rain was pouring out of the sky. In the midst of it, Steve’s phone rang and he rushed off to the airstrip.
It turns out that one truck had rear-ended another. These were big semis filled with gravel. One of the drivers suffered some injuries so they called a plane to medevac him out. Unfortunately, the plane tried to land during the storm and got blown off the runway. No one was hurt, but the plane was totaled; crushed landing gear, bent props, the whole nine yards. I am hoping to get some pictures.
We have since had a few more of those storms. The Baobab camp had some of their roofs blow off. The wind is amazing. It picks up quickly and just tears through everything. The rain falls in great buckets accompanied by thunder and lightning. Within an hour it goes away, leaving downed trees, broken windows, and puddles the size of Lake Michigan.
We have been going up to the club during the last two hours of school everyday this week to practice our show. Today our trip was thwarted by the rain. To walk outside is to become instantly soaked through.
The good news is that we have managed to find a new internet provider. While we have to pay a subscriber fee every month, we are now able to use Skype. This is a service that allows us to use the internet as a telephone. We can even call landlines and cell phones through the system and save major cash. The reduction in our cell phone bill will definitely offset the price of the service, and we can talk to folks we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. It rocks!
The best news is that our friend Anna has been hired as the new teacher here. Carrie and she have been friends forever. Now she is moving here, to the mine, to be our colleague. It should make next year even better than this one.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 3:04 PM
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