Day 8

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TGIF! It's the same in Africa as it is at home--totally happy it's the weekend! I arrive at school and there are 0 teachers in the classroom instead of 3. Interesting...I point to the board and tell the kids to do their work--they're not interested. But they are in their seats and there don't seem to be any fires anywhere, so I go in search of someone. I find the headmaster and he explains that there's a problem in the kitchen. Okey dokey then. Tea and scones are essential after all. I find Teacher R and go to the chalkboard to teach my lesson. "Good morning," I say as I do before every lesson. The general response is a polite stare with a smile. About a third of the kids don't seem to notice. But today they respond with a resounding "Good morning, teacha!" I was beaming! Obviously Teacher R had been working with them--AWESOME!! Today is D is for dolphin and dog. The practice writing their capital and small D's. Wwe go through all the alphabet sounds, then I ask them to draw a dog. This proves quite difficult and the results are hilarious. R brings me the caterpillar poem and asks if it's a song. I tell her it's like a song, but with no melody.

There is one more lesson, then tea and scones. At which time, Teacher A is very excited to ask me some questions. She first wants my email, then she asks if I have any children, what my job is at home, what I like most about Tanzania, and if I will come back. She's clearly very excited to have made a new friend and that warms my heart. Her questions about Tanzania are a little bit difficult for me since today I really feel like I just want to go home. I miss my hubby, my boys, my puppy, our bed, air conditioning, chocolate and milk. And let's not get started on red wine! I answer her truthfully that I really enjoy how welcoming the people are. On the way to school, I probably have no less than 10 people greet me. "Mambo!" (How's it going?) "Poa." (cool). If I got that many hellos at home, I'd think I was Cindy Crawford. It's just not part of U.S. culture to walk down the street saying hello to random people. And if you do, people find you a bit odd--at least in the area I live in. All the Tanzanians at the hotel welcome me "Karibu". "Asante sana" (thank you very much) I say. I enjoyed the mishtaki (which I struggle to find the word, but she helps, giggling). There are no more lessons for the rest of the day, which is a bit odd since there was another hour until I left.

Adult English brings adjective vs. adverbs and another would-be suitor emerges. His sentence for adjective is "Our teacher is very beautiful." The class laughs while I quickly say thank you and focus on the technical use of the adjective in his sentence. I really enjoy this class and their desire to learn. I already know I will miss doing this. I talk to my hubby before dinner. We talk about how much we love and miss eachother, but he also tells me about his rough day at work. It feels so good to talk about something normal in a land that feels anything but. We talk about our offer on the house and where else we can look once I get home. He tells me he's been looking online (that's my boy) and I get excited about getting back to my normal life. It is an amazing life that God has given me! After dinner I enjoy "The Hangover" on my Ipod. At least I can take the portable joys of home with me.

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