My school has internet now!!

woot woot!

It's not fast, but it works, and on a laptop!  I'm excited to post more frequently!  I even got to take the laptop home this weekend! I’m so spoiled!

This week at the Primary School I've been getting things ready for next year.  I encouraged the Principal to install an automatic bell ringer to signal the end of classes.  We also installed a fingerprint reader so teachers can sign in quickly and easily using their fingerprint in the mornings.  Many of our teachers are nervous about this, a lot of it is superstition I think.  It's working now, but not required of the teachers until the school year starts in January.  I'm encouraging them to get in the habit of using it now.  We got this internet laptop, have almost entered all the grades from last term into the department software and are trying to plan out a new classroom schedule for next year.  I made plans with the math teachers to meet so I can show them the things my sister mailed me from her math teaching days in America.  I'm hoping I can inspire them to try harder, I had to help a high school kid today with homework, and he couldn't even mentally calculate 1+3.  It kinda broke my heart.  Math skills are important to me, and I want to improve the math education of this village. 

At the Middle School I've been spending most of my time with the AA.  I'm helping him enter grades into the software and figure out how to effectively use it.  We had to troubleshoot a little today and I think we were both proud to solve the problem ourselves.  Most of this week I've only seen 7 or 8 teachers at that school.  There are 19, but it's a GOOD DAY when 50% of the educators show up to work.  And then after school I stay to help the AA organize the office, organization is not a high priority here.  I definitely want to throw out the returned checks from 15 years ago, and I hope the Principal and AA allow me to go through files and cabinets to organize.  We talked about music and I gave him a hard time about the movies he hasn't seen.  Today I brought my hard drive today to get a copy of his favorite band's CD.  I totally missed out on the last 15 years of Westlife music, what happened there?

Peace Corps sent us the dates and location of our In-Service-Training in December, so I can start looking forward to that (showers!).  Immediately afterwards I'm going on holiday with 3 other girls, I think we're renting a car and traveling along the Garden Route.  Our plans now include the highest bungee jump in the world, riding ostriches, playing at the beach, a game reserve and scenic views.  I can't wait!! 

Since I can post more frequently now, I'll try to keep these shorter, but since this is basically my journal of probably the most important amazing collective experience of my life so far, I'm not making any promises.  :)