Blocked Extra Point in Overtime!

16 Sept - I will not deny that I am a homebody. As nice as it was to be around Windhoek for the better part of a month, I am glad to be back in Coblenz. The main trouble with being in Windhoek is that there isn't that much to do, and even if the city had more to offer I couldn't afford to partake in much. Peace Corps did help some since I was there so long on account of a medical problem, but frugality is still essential. The best entertainment value is unquestionably found at the miniature golf course. Half-price movie night is also a winner, but not when the current showings are undesirable or previously viewed thanks to bootleg copies from Malta. Windhoek's Chinatown got raided last month so the only new DVDs came from Europe. Anyway, after my triumph in the 100 hole marathon I returned to the same site and rolled a blistering 37. Out in 16, In in 21. Lots of twos, three aces, two 3s and a 4 on 17, the water hole that I have never done so poorly on. I remember one phenomenal round in Tulsa a couple years back but I believe that this is the best round of putt-putt in my entire life. The key is that the felt on this course is old, so you controlling the speed of the ball is of utmost importance. I recommend putting cross-hand, I gave up on my typical left-handed approach to putt-putt and was paid off well. Truly the best part of being in Windhoek is being able to go out for nice meals. I can't afford to eat out every meal but I did enjoy a delicious Ethiopian meal, all-you-can eat pizza night, fish and chips and ice cream from a little Italian restaurant. Another perk is that the hotel that I stayed at has a washing machine and satellite TV in each room. Now packing involves consideration of the weather, and which clothes are most in need of a machine wash. And I got to watch Monday Night Football on Tuesday evening.

 

After travelling all day Friday I turned in early so that this evening (Saturday) I could supervise Joaquin Phoenix night. I showed the kids Ladder 49 and The Village; no fighting but hopefully they'll get scared during The Village. Next week will be busy preparing the grade 10s for their exams and completing official paperwork for the ministry on their grades for the year. Oral exams for languages start Monday, their farewell party is Friday evening and Saturday they'll go to Waterberg Plateau Park to hike and swim. The following week we'll have an awards assembly for the school and the beginning of November we'll have the 50th  anniversary celebration that was scheduled, but not planned, for June.

 

 

28 September – Another month has slipped away. And this weekend is one for the kids to go home, visit their parents and come back late with pocket money. Most days now the focus of peoples' attention around the school is on how the grade 10 kids are not particularly serious about their upcoming exams. I wonder how useful it is to berate them every day, but hopefully it will pay back a nice dividend. This week I had them write out the school they attended from grade 5 – 10 also noting when they spent two years in a grade. I haven't produced a full analysis yet but its interesting to see the variety of backgrounds that these kids come from. My hypothesis is that within this small sample of kids there won't be any significant difference between kids that spent 1 year at Coblenz or every year from grade 1. When the results of their exams come in December then we'll see if there are any interesting trends. Since many of our kids won't pass grade 10 they have a Farewell Party in place of a graduation party. With the now expected last minute flair, the evening came off pretty well. I wasn't feeling well (ear) the days prior so I wasn't involved much with the planning but I was on duty the whole evening as the resident photographer. I number of the kids were barely recognizable dressed up in black and white as I took their photos coming in the door. There were too many speeches, a lot of down time waiting for things to happen and the teachers dashed for the door as soon as they got their food, but it was a good night. At least at the beginning there was that energy, the magic in the air that you associate with a special occasion. After the formalities were over I fulfilled my promise to take photos of the kids for my usual fee and by the end of the night I had grossed over N$300. Together with the other photos I have taken for kids these weeks I will be printing over 100 pictures next time I get to town. At the latest I plan to upload some new pictures at the end of October when I am back at the doctor for a check-up on my ear.

 

My project right now is reorganizing the library. I have wanted to move things around for a long time because the focus of the whole room is the television, which doesn't make sense when the books should be pre-eminent. Redecorating seemed like a waste of energy though so I left it alone. Then through a fortuitous family connection the school was given more two computers. The current arrangement for the computers is very rigid, so there is no simple way to integrate the new machines into the existing scheme. Now I've got a reason to start the project, but I refuse to do it by myself. It would be too easy to make it happen with on my own and I see this as a possible bridge toward another teacher taking over some duties in the library. Over a week after announcing the situation to the faculty during a morning meeting I have yet to have a serious offer to help with the project. My next move is to explain in more depth to the principal including the notion of sustainability that is unapparent in anyone's plans for the library. A simple project to rearrange some furniture could be the link I have been looking for to get out of the role of the school librarian. I like working in the library, but during the two weeks I was gone from school this term the library remained closed the entire time. I doubt anyone even thought about letting the kids in to read and that is the biggest issue. Everyone knows and talks about how reading is a huge problem for our kids but no one seems willing to do anything about the greatest hindrance to improving the educational standard of the school. Fundamentally, this school needs a lot of fresh blood on the teaching staff. We will have a new principal within the next couple years, but still the vast majority of the teachers have been here for more than a decade and are stuck in a rut too deep to climb out of.