SWEET VICTORY!!!

i can't believe that i just got a picture up! amazing!

these are some girls from class 6. sarah (back row, third from left) is one of the girls who asked me to talk about my country. she invited me over to her house last week and i'm due back this week (as she reminds me) because she didn't have a soda for me last time. having a visitor in Africa is a grace; you have to offer them something. she wanted to walk with me and buy me a soda on the way home, but i suggested just paying another visit for my soda. and, like africans, i do love soda.

but, unlike africans, i cannot play netball barefoot. netball is similar to basketball, but you don't dribble the ball. you can only take a step or two before you have to pass the ball to a teammate. you pass back and forth across the court and then shoot to score. i don't think i've made a basket yet, but it's fun playing. the first time i played, i wasn't wearing proper shoes. all the girls were shedding theirs so i did the same. BIG MISTAKE. it was about 3:00 p.m. and the ground was toasty. i didn't really 'feel' it until after playing for a while when i suddenly realized i couldn't walk. i wobbled home. i still have a mark on one of my feet; it looks like a deep bruise and while i do have a picture of it, i will spare you from looking at my feet...for now.

what else...last sunday was my safari into the serengeti. we saw lots of animals and even saw 5 female lions up close and personal. the male lions were in hiding, but we managed to see many elephants, giraffe, zebra and gazelle. the wildebeests had, for the most part, already migrated north, so we only saw a few. my favorite parts were watching the giraffes eat. they look so funny when they chew. they made me laugh.

so, this is my last week of teaching. it has been going well. it is very interesting comparing the teaching styles of Tanzania with the teaching styles of the US, particularly in NYC. the students are so scared to talk in class, answering or asking questions. i know they're smart enough to answer my questions...if only they would try! sarah (the girl i mentioned above) has a brother named Andrew. he asked me the other day, "Do students in class laugh at each other in America?" it made me sad because i know that students are hassled by their classmates for 'incorrect' answers. what they don't know is that every mistake in math class is useful, not shameful. i hope my short three weeks of teaching can communicate this to some extent.

later this week i'll be giving tests to see how students have learned what i've been teaching. i'm eager to see how they do. also, class 6 is having a surprise party for me tomorrow, though they told me about it last week. SURPRISE!!