A day in Tanz

The last week has been focused on doing trainings for unqualified teachers in the refugee camps. I'm amazed at how much planning and time goes into putting together a training - particularly one that is interactive. It's expensive to give printed materials, so we write content on the blackboard or on poster-board - taking up way too much time. On the other hand, the teacher trainers here are great. They not only teach well, using animated gesture and real world examples, but they are continually switching back and forth from Kirundi to French! They also speak Kiswahili fluently, and most can function in English! In case you haven't counted, that's four languages. Most teachers use the first three (minus English) on a weekly basis. One of the youth center employees who translated for us speaks these four fluently and is learning Japanese now! It's beyond me.

The world is well otherwise. No more trips to the crazy-house hospital in Kabanga - sounds a little nutty, doesn't it. No more parties at the Right to Play house, everyone is resting after two very roudy members left a few days ago (which also means no drunken off-beat drumming keeping me awake at 2am, don't miss that ;)

There was rain here that briefly washed some of the dust away and greened up the plants... I took photos in the garden of a banana tree that I hope to use for a fund-raiser when I get back. There are several things I'd like to help with here - getting textbooks for the teachers of deaf students, and getting tape recorders and tapes of French to help the new teachers that don't have much exposure to the language. Any ideas out there?

Well, more later. Power and internet access here are feeble today (they are on holiday with everyone else I guess), so I'll sign off.

Ps. I'll be back around the first of September.