Testing Testing 1-2-3 Just a quick post to check that everyone still has access and can find my blog! Kate (and Eireann)... read more

It was SO hard to get up and get motivated for teaching today. Even Jim, the most perky and keen of all of us, was on a go slow. Today is our last day of teaching and we are all starting to feel ready to come home. The last couple of days have felt like we are here just for the sake of it rather than here to really get something out of it. I’m not sure if that’s because we are starting to feel a little home sick for things like hot showers and real food or if it’s because we’ve had so little freedom to do what we what to do whilst we are here that we are just craving normality. It’s not the fault of the school or anyone else for that matter ... read more

I’ve had an awesome day today. I think Mr Jerry was quite bemused by how excited I got doing things that to him, are normal everyday occurrences. We were told to meet at the principals lodge to set off at one for the market at Ilesa. We set of at Nigerian one (two thirty) and picked up two security guards at the gate. The road to Ilesa was full of the joys of a usual Nigerian road trip. We beeped at children, people with baskets on their heads, goats, chickens, other cars and occasionally the driver just beeped! I’m not sure what the rush is to get everywhere but our driver only had three driving speeds, foot flat to the floor, top speed, foot slammed on the brake. I’m will never bitch about Sunday drivers again! ... read more

Thankfully last night was infestation free and I had a good night’s sleep! I had to get up early to go to school and teach a couple of lessons. The kids here work so hard. They don’t really have any time off on a normal week. I was the first to arrive at 8:10, lessons started at 8:15 but there were no members of the maths department there until 8:30 – Nigerian time keeping at its best. I had to leave my second lesson early too as today was the day we met, Kabiyesi; the Nigerian King of Kings. Kabiyesi was in his office, in his compound across the road from the school. We were shown down a long corridor into a room with the biggest desk I have ever seen. He was wearing a huge ... read more

Thursday! Today has been long! One of the teachers is a very early morning person he is in the lounge/kitchen area before 6:45 every morning and he tries his best to be as unstealthy as possible. I had my first lesson at 8am so I had to be up but the Malarone and the heat are really making me spaced out. Maths is not a fun subject to teach… especially as the maths over here is pretty old school. The stuff they teach at GCSE is stuff that I never saw at A level and as they don’t have calculators they have loads of crazy rules for working things out in their heads. To be honest, with the older kids I look like a bit of a moron. The staff are really keen to know my ... read more