After last night thinking a bit “What am I doing here!!!?”, today was totally different.
I popped along to the airport to meet the local organiser Anne and we ended up having a whirlwind tour of the islands, talks about development and meetings about this week with the local team.
Being part of the community with everyone makes such a huge difference. And the place here is just fantastic. Yes there are landrovers that look like they will fall to pieces, laptops perched precariously on an outrigger as we cross over the sea, dudes in traditional Masai dress and a whole new langauge – swahili! – to learn. But that’s what makes the job fun I guess!
It was also great hearing about the educational development side of things, and the things they are struggling with here are exactly the sort of things that I am facing too. Things like making sure lessons are sustainable when budgets run up, how to reach the kids directly without the bad teachers getting in the way, how to balance learning with exams, how to work with the government bureaucracy etc. etc. Plus the aims of what we really want to achieve by doing these interventions, i.e. helping the kids get better jobs & better lives.
All very cool.
Plus in the evening, under solar powered lights by the beach, they had the planning meetings which I sat in on.
I’ve been lucky enough to sit in on many of these in different countries and it’s amazing how all the same problems come up. We need a budget for this, so and so says we need to use this room, we have electricity problems here, this school we’ve asked but they haven’t responded etc. etc. If you ever sat in on one you’d be amazed that these training events ever get started! But with all the hard work, and lots of it, behind the scenes they invariably turn out a great success even just as you think it’s about to all fall apart. (That usually happens on training day 2, so stayed tuned!)
Cool, so that’s me shattered for the day and it was only talking!
Tomorrow I get to meet the teachers and we go to visit some of the schools!
today I loved hearing the mexican voices singing to Who is in the haunted house.
Hi Richard!
Your second day seems to be more like storing energie or coiling a spring. Keep it up!
I have been working in China for 6 months now and must thank you for your website games…. As someone who is new to teaching, this site has been my favourite resource. All the best.
Hi Richard!
Having just returned from the exact area you’re now visiting, I was very excited to read this blog! I know how tough it must be to instill any sort of reform in that part of the world, but also what an exciting challenge it is, as the children are so enthusiastic to meet, greet, and talk to Westerners. Congratulations on your new adventure and all the best! I know your visit will change their lives. My visit certainly changed mine!
Hi Richard,
I admire you doing such an amazing work almost all over the world.
In Ãfrica you must bring a lot of pacience along to face all kind of difficulties.Good luck!