The Past Three Months...

Wow, has it really been almost 3 months since my last post? Sorry, fellas. As we say here when expressing sympathy but can’t really think of anything specific to say, “Osh ya.”

I’m not even sure where to begin with describing my life over the past three months. Every day warrents a “wtf” blog post, but I often can’t find the time, electricity, or money- a trifecta for any attempt at internet connection.

Time is the least of those concerns. In America, time is money, but here, time is an abstract concept with no definitive system of measurement. On a quantum or relativisitic level, Sierra Leoneans probably are closer to having the right of it, but saying that you’ll show up at my house at 5:30pm does not suggest to me that you will actually show up at 8:45 the following morning with nary an explanation or apology.

Electricity can be a problem sometimes. My school has solar power, but for the last 3 months it’s been out. Apparently lightning struck the school at the end of the rainy season in October. This blew out the inverter on the solar battery… The replacement, of course, had to be sent from the States, so it just arrived around xmas. It’s nice to be able to charge things again. I’m trying to get electricity in the Science Lab soon. It should cost very much. I think it’ll just be the cost of splitting the wire that runs along the ceiling and branching it down the wall into an outlet. My principal is under the impression that we need to get the people who installed the solar power system to do it, but I think any electrician should be able to do that.

Money actually isn’t that much of a problem. I have plenty when I’m in Kamakwie. It’s only when I go to big towns and eat a lot of western food that I start running low on funds. Thanks to mama, papa, brother, and grandmother for wiring money to my account for xmas. I’m pigging out in freetown currently.

If I were to write a conclusion, then this paragraph, along with the preceding four, would qualify as a well-organized TAKS essay. So I don’t want to hear anyone talk bad about standardized testing. Everything I know, I learned from quality TAKS-driven lesson planning in one of Texas’s many fine public schools. And I can talk pretty good.

Anyway, I’m done with excuses for not posting more.

In the last few months, I’ve started the school’s first Science Club. So far, I’ve had two successful meetings with JSS1 (think 6^th graders, but a much lower level. Also, some are between 16 and 19) and 3 successful meetings with JSS2. I haven’t had any with JSS3 yet, but I’ll start with them this term. In JSS 1, we did a lab where students matched like-items that were labeled with ions of various elements. This was to show that atoms could combine to form compounds and molecules. For example, among many things, I’d have two fruits on a table, one marked with sodium (Na⁺) and one marked with Chlorine (Cl^-). They’d combine them and we’d talk about how when atoms combine they make new things. A few of the brighter kids took to it, but I’m afraid that some of the less academically-inclined students now believe that Orange + Banana = Salt. This lab is a work-in-progress.

I also did a lab with them on types of energy, which simply involved putting items that used respective energies on each table and helped them figure out which one’s used which energies and transformations. I also did a similar lab with solids, liquids, and gases (which they have a remarkably difficult time with). I’ll do a repeat of the latter this coming week.

In JSS two, we did an experiment to test if oxygen was needed for combustion. This just involved putting a jar over a lit candle, but I was pleased with this experiment for couple of reasons. I had them write their hypotheses, observations, and conclusions at their appropriate stages of experimentation, so the students really got a good idea of part of the scientific method. They also had some interesting ideas about what would happen. Most of them thought that the jar would get very hot and crack or possibly violently explode… so it was really fun to watch them kind of duck behind a desk as the candle slowly died out. When I do this again next year, I’m going to alter it a little. If the candle can be made to float on water, it will rise about a fifth of the height inside the bottle (because oxygen is approximately 20% of air on Earth).

We also did an activity where the students used textbooks (that I found in the school library) to research the planets. I could only find 9 that were acceptable textbooks. There were about 30 books that were Creationist pseudo-science. I apologize to my creationist friends and family, but a creationist “science” textbook is, in my opinion, worse than having no textbook at all… Using colored pencils that were sent from some good people back stateside, they drew pictures of the planets that they had memorized, but never seen. They also looked up and wrote 3 facts about their planet. I punched holes in the top and strung them up along the wall (don’t have a bulletin board). It was great to see how proud the students were of their work, and they would bring their friends to the Science Lab during lunch to show off their drawings. One kid spent about an hour drawing this beautiful close-up picture of Saturn’s rings. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had actually labeled his paper “Uranus,” so it’s hanging up on the wall and looking fantastically incorrect. I figure that it’s probably ok if he can’t tell the difference between Saturn and Uranus. If he ever gets lost in that neighborhood, he may look back and curse me for allowing his ignorance, but he’ll be really far away by then.

In class, we did a balloon rocket lab for JSS2. It was really just a filler lesson for the 10 kids who came to school the first week, but they learned that air has mass, dammit.

For JSS3, I’m going to do a competition for building simple machines. Once they’re ready for complex machines, I really want to have them build a trebuchet. Our school is on top of a hill, and our rival school (where the other Volunteer in my town teaches) is on the hill across the valley. We could probably build a trebuchet powerful enough to send some things their way. I discussed this with the other volunteer, and he is in favor of building trebuchets at both schools. We agreed that a Pumpkin Toss could also double as a nutrition project. I assume pumpkins are good for you.

So that’s what’s been going on with the Science Lab. I painted a huge periodic table and also painted another area with white, high-gloss paint. I’m hoping that this will serve as a dry-erase board. Now I just need some dry-erase markers… *hint hint* :)

I also put a long board along the back wall and nailed some of those paper clamps to it so I could hang posters. I actually got students to put it up, because I wasn’t strong enough to do it. Those kids are beasts. They were hammering these steel nails into the wall so hard that sparks were literally flying with every blow. “Wow, thanks guys… That was terrifying. You all get As.” I also found these floor mats (also used as blinds) that are made out of this spongy wood from palm trees. They’re pretty much perfect for an Africa corkboard. That’s on the to-do list when I get back.

Before we adjourned for the holidays, two volunteers from Britain arrived to teach at my school. The Baxtons (or Buxtons, I’m not sure), Patrick and Kat. Patrick is a retired math teacher from a private school- in Cornwall, I believe. Kat is new to teaching English, but she got her University degree in English literature. They’re both great people and are very passionate. They’re here for six months, so they’re not afraid to make waves and confront faculty on issues that I’ve been forced to tolerate. It’s refreshing to have some really driven people to partner with. Hopefully faculty will rise to meet the challenges ahead of them.

In December the Peace Corps demanded out presence in Bo for In-Service Training (IST). We had some language classes, some conferences on practices and issues, and then had meeting with local counterparts that we selected from our schools. I did learn some useful things, but I won’t lie- I really hate training. Haha. Something about being treated like a naughty child when I’m sacrificing two years of my life to help people feels a little… no, not a little, but *quite* insulting. But the good news is that the only training I have left is Mid-Service Training (MST), and that only lasts 2 days.

So, I’m still here. Some days I’m productive, and some days I just try to get by. It’s really hard, but it’s worth it. Since Pre-Service Training (that’s PST, 10 weeks of agony) we’ve had four people go home. One was due to medical, and the others were for various personal reasons. Unfortunately, they were all four people that I really liked, and I was sad to see them go. I totally understand, however. Sometimes this can feel like a fruitless endeavor, and grad school or a well-paying job are certainly not alternatives to be looked-down upon. I’ll miss them, and if any of you read my blog for some reason, I wish you guys the best, and I still intend to crash at your houses when I do my hobo travels across America. You’re not getting out of it that easy!

Well, that, in a nutshell, is my life. Crazy things happen every day. I should probably just carry a notebook around and write them as they happen. I’ll try to update more frequently… but I wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you. :)

Love you guys, and I hope everything is fantastic in your lives.

Peace and carrots.

Sam

If you can volley a wrench, you can volley a ball...

SO, lots of things happening since my last update! It’s been a while since I’ve written, for a variety of reasons. At first, my computer stopped working for a while, the error message reading that there was a USB overcurrent in one of my ports… I guess that my computer got better, because not only does it now turn on, but that particular USB port works fine now. I didn’t do anything to fix it, so I’m assuming it was some sort of miracle. Also, my internet modem wasn’t working for a little while there, but it has also miraculously healed itself. I’m not going to ask any questions here, I’m just happy that they’re working :)

So far, I’ve taught two levels of class, Junior Secondary One and Two. I’ve taught about The Scientific Method, Bodies in the Universe, Forces, and we’re just now starting on energy. That’s level one. In level two, we’ve talked about planets, the moon (and its various effects on the Earth), and we’re about to start on transformations of energy. It’s been difficult to do any experiments the students are involved in, but I’ve gotten a room cleared out for me, and I’m going to make it the Science Lab. I still won’t be able to get a whole class into this room to do experiments, but I’m forming a “science club,” so interested students can get hands-on experience with laboratory equipment and experimentation. I’m pretty excited about it. I *would* be working on my lab right now, but let me tell you a story that will explain why I’m going to have to take a little more time to work on it…

My principal called a meeting, during which I was drifting away, thinking of other things: you, erebos, milkshakes. My principal suddenly brings me up and talked about how much hope they were putting in me and how much I was helping the school. I thought he was referring to my numerous projects and innovative teaching curriculum, but, alas, I was mistaken. He was referring to, as yet unannounced to me, my new position as head volleyball and basketball coach for this year. He went on to tell the staff that volleyball and basketball are America’s national sports, so I was, of course, gifted in these areas. I quickly interjected and said, “I know how to PLAY volleyball… I don’t even know the rules for basketball.” Unfortunately, this was good enough to be an acceptance speech for the position of head volleyball coach. I realize now that I was haggled into the position. I was offered not one, but TWO positions I was not qualified for, so I was doing well to pardon myself from even one… This was a devilishly clever move on my principal’s part, one that I’m not likely to forgive him for, but it paled in comparison to his next play. He asked me to come with him after the meeting, and I followed, thinking that I could talk him out of this madness one-on-one in his office. We stopped amongst the students, near the stage in the middle of the courtyard. “I need to make an announcement,” he told me as we stood upon the podium. “STUDENTS!” he yelled. “THIS WEEK, WE BEGIN OUR SPORTS EDUCATION.” The students cheered, showing much more enthusiasm for kicking a ball than they ever did for studying the forces behind kicking a ball. “THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A NEW COACH…”

“Oh, sweet Jesus, no,” I thought.

“HIS NAME IS MR. CROSSLEY, AND HE IS FROM AMERICA!! HE WILL BE COACHING VOLLEYBALL, WHICH IS AMERICA’S NATIONAL SPORT!! THEREFORE, WE WILL WIN EVERY GAME WE PLAY!! LET US CHEER FOR HIM! CROSSLEY! CROSSLEY!”

The students joined in the chant. “CROSSLEY! CROSSLEY!”

“Noooo!” I thought, as I pumped my fist in the hair and bellowed, “YYYEEAAAAHHH!!!!!” but it was too late. The damage was done. And now, I am the head volleyball coach for Kamakwie Wesleyan Secondary School…

Sometimes, life is kind of like a Ben Stiller movie.

Some pictures! :)

From Freetown

Hey guys!
Today, I'm writing from the Peace Corps hostel in Freetown. It's pretty swanky. Electricity, running water, satellite internet, and the computer room even has AIR CONDITIONING! :O
I'm actually downloading some old video games onto my netbook right now. Crazy! It's great to have these facilities here. The hostel is up on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean... It's kind of like having a free resort in Freetown. Just went to the "supermarket" down the street, and bought some Diet Coke (can you believe I've only had 3 since coming here??), some mustard, some honey bbq sauce, and an ice cream cone. It cost me a fortune (relative to what I make), but hey- I'm in Freetown! :) I also just found Michael Crichton's "Sphere" on audiotape, so I'm borrowing that :D
School still hasn't started. I was told that it *might* start on Monday, but I still haven't heard that the teachers have been paid, so I'm skeptical.
Heading back to Kamakwie tomorrow morning. The trip is long and a little painful on the tucus, but it's worth hanging out in the hostel for a couple of days. I'll be coming back again next month.
As far as other projects are concerned, my community map is done for now. Excited about taking it to the next level, but I'll be glad to work on something else for a bit. I've been putting together some teaching materials for my classes, so I'll be well equipped for my first few weeks to start off. I made some cool cards that together make up 104 elements of the period table. Plan on assigning each student an element and then having an element-of-the-day. Nicole came up with a great idea do play some games by making students "react" and "bond" with each other- relating valence electrons and such...
My mother has told me to put some pictures on here... I'll do my best :)
Thanks for reading!

The waiting is the hardest part...

[I actually wrote this on... Tuesday, I think? Sorry for the delay. Airtel (phone company) has been updating its data system, so it's been offline for a while.]

I’ve been a bad, bad blogger… and I’m sorry.

Things have been going well for me in Kamakwie. I’ve been here for exactly one month today. It feels simultaneously longer and shorter than that… The community map project I’ve been working on for the last month has just completed phase one! All the roads (that I could find) in Kamakwie have now been mapped. As soon as my principal gets back into town, I’ll go with him to present the map to the chiefdom authority. He’s under the impression that they’ll be very excited about it. I’ve got the map set to a 1:2500 scale, so every unit of measurement on the map is equal to 2500 of those units on the ground. In all, we’ve covered over 10 km of road so far. Kamakwie is a big town. There are still a lot of smaller paths that I think I would like to record at some point, but I’m going to wait and hopefully push that off onto some oh-so-eager geography students. Thanks to my wonderful grandmother (and the cooperation and assistance from my also wonderful mother), I’m being supplies with a classroom set of compasses. I’m excited to teach locals and students and students how to do relative-point surveying (can’t remember the actual name for it), as this will really expand my project into a truly sustainable one. Once I’m gone, Kamakwie will have the equipment (and more importantly, the know-how) to continue to add features to the map. Steve Rosscoe (PhD, BAMF) is sending me a GPS unit and digital map-making software to use for the next two years as well. I plan on using these in collaboration with a French NGO, Interaide, to map out water wells, record elevation, and get some really valuable data for development projects. I am so lucky to have family and friends back home to support me in trying to help people in need. All of the aid you give me here makes truly tangible differences in this community. Before I left, people told me that, “You’re going there for all of us, Sam.” If I had only known how true that would be. Your love and support is visible on the faces of people here who are grateful for everything you do. Thank you. It also feels great to be able to apply what I’ve learned in my studies so soon after completing them- and doing so effectively. Feeling pretty good about life today, despite the horrible stomach cramps from eating too much hot pepper.

Thanks also to the people who have been sending me letters and packages. It’s always lovely to hear from people back home, and of course always lovely to get packages. Haha. Special thanks to ma & pa, Aunt Cindy & Uncle Hogue, and Nicole Martinez. I’ve loved getting the packages from you guys. There are 2 currently with my mail warden (I’ll pick them up at the end of the month) and I’m SURE the rest are on their way. :) I’ve found a special use for candies like caramels and peppermints—making flavored coffee. Good stuff.

School was supposed to start yesterday, the twelfth, but the teachers here are refusing to teach, because they haven’t been paid in a year. The Ministry of Education (not affiliated with Ministry of Magic) has told schools that teachers will be paid, but I have not heard of a delivery system for that payment as of yet. So, we wait. Tentatively, the starting date was moved back to the nineteenth, but now I’m hearing rumors of starting on the twenty-sixth. Ee-bo. Hopefully things will be resolved soon. I’m ready to talk about some science!

I was sitting under a shack in the rain the other night, eating a goat meat sandwich and talking to a wandering Frenchman on vacation from his NGO job in Conakry, Guinea, when I realized that my life is pretty cool. There are so many things that I could talk about that are just part of life now, but are things that I would never get the chance to do back home. I apologize in advance for how many times I’m going to say, “You know, when I lived in Sierra Leone…” but you’ll just have to deal with it. :D

I’m going to *try* to unlock my blog so that anyone can read it from now on. My internet is expensive, so I may not be able to accomplish the task yet… but I shall do my best.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask my questions and what-not. If you want to get involved with anything (even just a correspondence) let me know. Hope everything is awesome back state-side!

Sam

Good afternoon, everyone! Yes, it’s afternoon here right now. I just got back from the market, where I bought a few things that I’ll need for my house is Kamakwie. I got a bucket, bowl, spoon, wooden spoon, cup, plate, and amazing thermos that can keep water hot for like 3 days. I don’t know how it works, but everyone has one here, and it’s amazing… not as amazing as simply turning a knob and getting hot water, but that seems like something from another planet at this point. I also got a universal power strip to plug into the wall at my host family’s house, so I can charge all my electronics. It doesn’t convert the voltage (or whatever), but it fits an American-style prong. Apparently, most modern electronics are rated to withstand the 250 volts. Who knew? I’ve charged my stuff at the town hall a few times, but I haven’t been able to charge it at home until now. My house in Kamakwie does not have electricity, BUT the school has solar panels, and about 15 computers with only a couple of outlets, so I’m going to give it to them when I move there. I also checked the prices of several things (coal stove=30,000 Le; mattress=280,000 Le). Everywhere I go, I get the Oporto (white man) price, and have to haggle the hell out of them. Consequently, going to the market can be quite tiring. Also, you have to carry everything back home, unless you pay someone to carry it for you. I haven’t gotten that desperate yet, but those coal pots are awfully heavy…

For a mere 5,000 Le (strangely, the same price as a meat sandwich…), I bought a little puppy friend. His name is Bob Marley. He’s a purebred African Shepherd, or mutt, and I think he’s about 7 or 8 weeks old. He was a pain in the butt for the first week, as was to be expected, but he’s settled down a bit. He loves playing my pant cuffs and eating fish bones. He also likes peeing on my bed, but I only let him do that sparingly—you have to set boundaries with children.

Speaking of children, Summer School is going well. I’ve only got one more week left… Na so di taym de flay (Krio for “time flies”). I’ve been having a blast, and all my evaluations have come back with excellent marks. It’s been great practice experience for me—I get to learn how to most effectively teach the students, and they get to learn things from the magical white man, who sometimes brings lollipops when they do particularly well on review days. I’m still trying to figure out how to best test the students. In my youngest class, they sit about 3 or 4 to a desk (about 80 students in all), so cheating, or “spying”, is a big problem.

The other volunteers have been quite envious of my internet accessibility, but some were just able to get the modems today. Many have tried, few have succeeded. Someone needs to give Airtel a lesson in business management.

I just finished eating a papaya (they call it popo). They are AMAZING here. Tastes just like ice cream. I could eat them til I get sick. Sitting here staring at some fresh bananas and a pear… Seeing how long I can manage to avoid devouring them. The fruit here is pretty damn good. Pineapple, mango, oranges (you suck oranges here, you don’t eat them), and a bunch of fruits I’ve never heard of. One of the coolest kind of tastes like an apple—Star fruit. When you slice it, it looks like a star! Cute. Oh, also, the avocados here are fantastic.

For all the delicious fruit, the meals here leave something to be desired. Rice and “plasas,” which basically means “sauce you put on rice.” Some plasas is good: granat (groundnut), binch (beans), and cassada lif (cassava leaf) is ok. If someone ever offers you kren-kren, though, you throw it in their face. I will starve before I eat that crap again. Haha.

We are finding ourselves eating street food more and more often. My personal favorite is the binch ball sandwich. They make these little balls out of mashed up beans, fry ‘em (everything is fried), and serve them on bread with onions, pepper, and oil. We call binch balls “African chicken nuggets.” They’re the bomb. I saw a man with an ice cream machine in town today. I didn’t have a free hand, but I fully intend to find him again tomorrow. Ice cream sounds like a good idea when it’s ridiculously hot outside.

The other day, we learned how to make what I’ve called “Peace Corps Pizza.” It’s a recipe that uses local ingredients to make something that tastes enough like pizza to move a volunteer to tears. I can’t wait to start experimenting with cooking in Kamakwie…

Sorry for talking about food so much… I’d say about half of the conversations here end up talking about food at some point. “Remember hamburgers?” “Shit, don’t talk about hamburgers… Remember tacos? What about turkey sandwiches?” It’s pretty sad. I think that’s literally what we talk about every day right after summer school, before we go to lunch at the town hall and eat rice and plasas. If anyone has been considering opening a fast food franchise, I hear Kamakwie, Sierra Leone is lovely this time of year…

My computer is about to run out of battery, and electricity doesn’t come on for a couple of hours, SO I’m going to end this post, but I promise to update again later.

Love you guys!!

Sam

Hello from Africa!

Hey everyone! Sam here. Sorry I haven’t been able to update until now! As you can imagine, internet can be hard to find in a third world country… Unless you know where to look! Yesterday, I bought a mobile internet modem from one of the cell phone providers in Sierra Leone, called Airtel. For a mere 390,000 Le (that’s about $100 after exchanging money) I can connect to the internet anywhere that I have Airtel coverage. It’s pretty amazing. All the other trainees are jealous, and also quite eager to pay me so they can check their messages. Haha. I’ve decided not to make a profit, since they are all in the same boat as I am.

Anywho, I’ve been in Makeni, Sierra Leone for nearly two months now. It’s a pretty interesting town- the 5^th largest in Sierra Leone. Every day I walk about 20 minutes to get to the town hall, where we hold our 8-5 training sessions. Sessions tend to ere on the tedious side, but all-in-all I’m having a good time. We started Summer School for children in Makeni this last Monday. They were hesitant to participate in a class led by a strange “Oporto,” (Tribal slang for “white man”) but after the first couple of days, they were active and rowdy just like kids back in America. We did some fun exercises with planetary bodies and constellations, an awesome “basketball review” class on Thursday, then had a test covering that material on Friday. Moooost of the students bombed the test, which is unfortunate, because they were the EXACT questions from the review that they did so well on. I think next time I will make the test multiple choice, as I don’t think that many of them have the necessary English language skills to complete a fill-in-the-blank test. It’s a learning process for all of us, and every day we learn a lot about how to better convey information to our students. For example, where one might say that “Science” is the systematic study of the natural world (or something), my definition ran along the lines of “a process we use to get answers by asking questions that can be tested with facts that can be proven.” It’s kind of a mouthful, but we’re all trying to figure out ways to explain things to students who don’t have a vocabulary equivalent to the material being taught (always open to suggestions from all the teachers out there). A special challenge here is that students (and adults) don’t really understand the concept of communicating by analogy. This makes not only the language barrier significant, but also complicates teaching methods…

Sometimes it’s hard to adequately describe what Sierra Leone is like to people back home. I’ve been immersed in it so long now that it doesn’t seem so strange. In fact, the idea of driving down an interstate that’s not populated by daredevil motorcyclists or walking through a clean neighborhood with no one outside is what really seems weird. Haha. I’m staying with my host family (the Kabba family) in Makeni for the remainder of training. I’ve been getting along with them alright, but I think they don’t like how much I have to work. They seem to get annoyed when I come back late and go to my room to write lesson plans/grade papers. Oh well. Only 3 more quick weeks left of training! I get sworn-in on August 12^th, Nicole’s birthday! She graduated from HSU on mine, so it’s only fair ;).

Hmm, I think I’m probably stretching the patience of my lovely readers. In summary, I’m having a good time. Sometimes things are hard; sometimes they’re really hard, but I’m happy to be here. I love teaching Integrated Science so far, and I’m excited to move into my own house and stop being babied J. Thanks for making it to the end of this post! Feel free to ask questions or give input…

Love, Sam