Well, we expected this week to be random, and random it is! Today began with a bike ride to visit the LCCA school at Kaunda Square, or KSquare, as I like to call it. The bikes must have known we were in a hurry to get there and return and they must have plotted against us or something because I ended up having a bent wheel which we had to go back and fix and ripped leggings before I was even 2 minutes down the road. But we did get there. Phew. T and I spent the next two hours watching the teachers of grades 1, 3, 6, and 7. (Grades 2, 4, and 5 come in the afternoon.) We are holding a few teacher training sessions in the upcoming weeks, so we wanted to see the teachers in action, and I must say, I was much more impressed with the teaching today than I was last time. Nice work teachers!
A quick bike ride back was in order, as today was the last day we could renew our visas. Upon leaving at 11 am, we did not imagine that this journey would take 4 and a half hours, but it did. Sorry preschoolers, but we couldn’t make it to class today because otherwise the government might throw us out! Anyway, even after several phone calls and visits from Ch, the government did not want to be on our side today and yet again changed the rules. It took 2 visits to the immigration office, several turned down parking spots because we didn’t want a car wash, lots of yelling in the car park (parking lot) in Nyanja, a traffic jam, a visit to the Bank of China, a manager’s check, a stop at an Internet cafe for photocopies, 4 brand new passport photos, K2 000 000 (~$400), two brand new letters to replace the one old letter about our stay, and lots of waiting before we were told that T and I could pick up the visas on Friday! Hurray! Sad note: They can’t extend business visas (which we have to get for being volunteers) but they can give you permits in 3 month spurts. So, we were told we could only be here 90 days, which is why we’re leaving early May, two weeks before their graduation here. We found out today that the new rule (or at least the one they told us today) says we can stay an EXTRA three months, or four total. Shucky darns. That’s ok; there are many adventures to be had at home in the US too!
We got back at 15:30, the time preschool is supposed to end, and I felt really bad for missing it, but there was nothing we could do. I decided to rest/tan outside (because my arms are tan and my legs are white and my feet are tan and I look funny!) and read my book on the grass mat. Well, I got about a page into my book in the 45 minutes I was outside. Why, you ask? I was joined by 11 of the 13 preschoolers and 2 younger siblings in the meantime! How they knew I was there, I have no idea! They flocked to me! It was cute. J They were trying to teach my Nyanja and they were sad they didn’t have school today. A few girls kept asking me to open up the school and teach them. J So we did some fun songs. It’s amazing how the kids who don’t want to participate in class sing the loudest outside of class! And it was ADORABLE hearing the three year old sing the alphabet chant solo, when he doesn’t usually say much of it in class. He IS learning! J
A short run was in order before an early supper before church. And we had MASHED POTATOES (I heart mashed potatoes) for dinner. SOOOOOO good. We went to Bethel on campus for Ash Wednesday and were joined by most of the campus community, including the missionaries (they usually attend a different church) and some of the regular members. It’s so fun greeting so many by name after the service, too, in the reception line. After church, T and & met R and W, who were also trying to teach us Nyanja and were telling us the differences between Nyanja and Chewa. Chewa is the dialect, especially in the Eastern province and Lusaka, but Nyanja with the mixture of words from the dialects: Bemba, Tonga, Chewa, etc, and English. That’s what they speak here. Got it. Now I just need to learn some more words! After church—you guessed it!—lesson planning was in order before turning in. Good night!
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