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on Sarah's Blog (Rwanda), 01/Oct/2009 14:01, 34 days ago
'the views expressed in this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of VSO'.Wednesday 30th September 2009Today I am going to visit another school, just to get an idea of things. I was up early I as for once in my life, I didn’t want to be late. I was to meet the Head teacher, Joseline at the district office before walking to her school, Cyamakuza School. As I set off, the market was setting up in the usual place, outside the house, and I arrived at the district office in good time. Joseline was supposed to be on one of the buses...but she was nowhere to be seen! Ruairi was about to phone when a woman came up to me and said she had been sent to walk to the school with me...and so we set off...like a lot of Rwandans, she had little confidence in her spoken English, but we got on just fine...all the way there it was dusty dirt tracks, much like all of Gisagara... I tripped several times and was nearly stampeded by a lone cow and its rather incompetent owner...they may be been on the way to market...who knows...but the cow was really not very happy! Finally we reached the school...I was greeted by Joseline, and taken into her office...we sat there for a couple of minutes...in silence...I don’t speak any French, and she has implied (to Ruairi) that she doesn’t speak any English...I started a conversation in English (it was that interesting I forget what it was about!) only to be answer in ENGLISH!!! Ha ha ha...she had been pretending!!! Probably again due to confidence...I asked if it would be possible to see some classes...and off we went...a quick tour of all the classes...I was introduced to children a teachers...the first class was Elementary Science and Technology (EST) where the children were learning how to separate and wash clothes...they stopped to sing me a song...and I went to the next class...the children again sang me a song...this seemed to be the standard the whole time...one class even sang what I thought was Frere Jacques...only to find that the words had been changed to...’Baby Jesus, baby Jesus, we love you, we love you, you are our saviour, you are our saviour...and then I couldn’t make out the last line!’. I visited all the classes in the primary school before heading into the classes in the ‘secondary’ school. With the new nine years basic education being brought in, primary schools are now also taking on the first 3 years of secondary school, although they are taught by secondary school teachers. In these classes the head teacher invited the children to ask me questions...they were all pretty similar...Where are you from, How old are you? (whichseemed to bring with it a lot of giggling) What is your job?...and then there were some random ones...What are you? I think he meant what is your job...but suddenly stood in front of 30 students (some who are not much younger than me!) I didn’t know what to say...and then they asked...Do you speak Kinyarwanda...I meant to replay ‘no’ (which is oya...) only...I got a little confused and accidentally said...’yego’...which is ‘yes’...I soon realised what I had done and tried to change my answer...by which point the students were rolling around laughing...serves me right I guess!!!Ha ha ha...then I had a tour of the school grounds...toilets...um...think I might cross my legs until I get home...but by no means the worst I will see here I am sure! Then the rabbit hutches...this time not mistaken for the head teachers office...the foundations of the new classrooms to be built toaccommodate the children for the 9 years basic education (as this is the only secondary school taking all children in this sector of the district) An then it was back to the office...where more pauses were had...in between limited conversation...some of the teachers came in and out and were interested in my family, parent, brothers and sisters ages etc...but then I had to try and explain that although they are the same age...Tom and Alice are not twins...this caused much confusion...and resulted in the response...’oh...so in England...it is ok for a man to have more than one wife?’ Sorryguys!!!! Ha ha ha...I tried to explain as best I could...still not convinced that they don’t think MR.WRAGG IS A VERY BAD MAN!!!! Oooooops! Anyway...I then saw the rest of the EST lesson, where the children actually had to wash the clothes themselves...they just got on with it! The head and I weretalking about the funding of the school...the school is government funded and like schools in the uk, funding depends on the number of children attending the school...but I had never imagined just how little they get...5,300 Rwandan Francs...this amounts to about £5.30 a year! At 11ish, I decidedthat it was time to head back to the office, and face the long walk back...I really had no idea...seriously...who thought that putting one of the most mountainous countries in the world, just 2% south of the equator was a good idea...I mean...COME ON!!! Joseline wanted to walk all the way back withme, but I told her that it was a long way and I would be able to make it on my own! So off I went...on my way to the school, I hadn’t allowed for the fact that everything which I had thought had been flat, was in fact...downhill...and that means...yes yes yes...I know...it was uphill all the way back to the district office...And the hill...oh the hill...well I say hill...It was huge!!!! I was walking up with a shadow of 4 children and a woman, who told anyone who passed us that I was English! I made it back to the office in one piece, but almost dying of thirst...I had been so thirsty beforeI had even left the school, that my lips kept sticking to my teeth!!! But by the time I got back I truly thought I was going to die!!!...did I also mention that it was now the middle of the day and the sun was blazing without a cloud in the sky...killer. Back in the office I found Amy...who had come to visit for a couple of hours...what I nice surprise...Ruairi headed over to the education office to see if the last of the exam papers had arrived...of course not...but they are promised for tomorrow! He came back with a flask of squash...which I managed to finish by myself! Woo hoo...finally mylips were free from my teeth...Back at the house...after hours of listening to Harry Potter story tapes, I had a shower...