4 more things to do in an emergency
on Notes from Quite Far (Cameroon), 07/Oct/2009 21:59, 34 days ago
Bandage wounds using your clothesSplint broken bones using branches from treesCall an ambulance - oh no, there isn't oneHope against hope that someone else was paying attention in First Aid class.It’s September 30th and I just came in soaking wet from the rain. It’s been oppressively hot this past week, and although rain means mozzies and power cuts, it also means fresh, cool winds and concrete that doesn’t melt the soles of your feet. So it’s swings and roundabouts really. The temperature is currently somewhere in the mid-20s and, touch wood, the electricity is back on too. So tonight is a good night.Nothing interesting happened in first aid. I watched while they showed us how to bandage and splint arms and legs, had a go at putting a sling on someone, got it wrong and went to sit down. Then later there was a free buffet.The real news of this month is that the new volunteers have arrived, and there are around 20 of them and they’re all great. I’ve spent a lot of time in Maroua having meetings with them all then going out for meals, and now I have no money. Luckily tomorrow is payday, so I’ll be in Maroua again spending my salary on chips and proper vegetables – the ones that come from the ground rather than a packet.Term has actually started and I have a timetable. Unfortunately that timetable is somewhat unrealistic, as it allows one hour per class, teaching practical IT skills to anywhere between 75 and 150 students at a time using 8 computers. So we’re in the middle of rearranging everything to allow for small group work. And when I say we, I mean I’m doing it myself and asking if it’s alright. There is now another IT teacher though, and he’s helping me to understand the system, so this year has started much more smoothly than the last. And when I say IT teacher, I mean a man who dictates pages of notes about computers (which I gave him), and whom I need to teach to use one so he can take over my job next year. So I’m learning to use the system properly and make things happen, and he’s learning about IT (and maybe later aboutinteractive teaching methods?). It’s a good swap in my opinion.I have also done another training with a group of teachers in Meskine, a little village outside Maroua. Similar format to last time only this time it was with more experienced, trained teachers, who were glad of the ideas I gave them and found it much easier to think of ways to incorporate them into their own lessons. I did the training alongside a new volunteer responsible for that particular area, and she was absolutely brilliant, so it seems Meskine no longer has need of my services. I think I’ll keep going though, just so I can watch her in action and take notes.And now I have to cut this entry short and pack my things because I need to be on the first bus to Maroua in the morning. There’s a big meeting tomorrow about something or other. And then on Friday there’s a small meeting about something else.(As you’ve no doubt gathered, it’s all very intense.)