Daily Life Begins!

It’s a bit long, but this is my usual daily routine:

So, my day usually begins around 6, a little before. I get dressed—but I get to put on a maid outfit. J The first thing we do in the morning is clean the residence where we live. I get do clean the living room, study room, and the living room with one of the nursing students. I honestly love it. It’s a wonderful way to start the day, opening the windows and cleaning the rooms. I get to make sure the beautiful residence I’m staying in gets taken care of. It’s a little oasis in the middle of the poor rural-urban neighborhood it’s in. I have my own bathroom with potable running water! That truly shows you how majestic it is! It makes you feel at home knowing that every morning (except Sundays J) everyone you live with is cleaning some area in the residences to ensure its stays nice.

Ok, so at 7:30 we have breakfast together and then we are off at 8. It’s an early morning, but I’m beginning to get used to it.

I help Carolina with her French from 8-10 and then we head off to ISSI so we can prepare for our courses. I prepare for my classes until about 1ish and then have lunch with some of the doctors that work at Monkole and the director of ISSI.

Then from 2ish to 4ish I help with some of the development projects that the Monkole hospital initiative is working on. This hasn’t become quite concrete because I’m supposed to have had a meeting with the administrative director he hasn’t come. I have come to learn the African way of life. J Things march at their own rhythm here and you just have to have patience and wait. I will have another entry on this subject when I know more.

Then until 5ish I prepare the last minute details of my class for the day. From 5 to 7ish is the class—Tues and Thurs are English (about 35ish students for now, but divided into 2 levels, one level a day) and Wed and Fris are Spanish (much better size—about 10, so all can come both days). This week was chaotic because I had to give a placement exam and Monkele Hospital sent us a list yesterday of 70 other people that were interested in the classes. The Hospital is covering half the payment of the class if the person attends regularly—they are considering it part of their professional formation. Lets see how many I have next week!!!

Then 7:15ish is dinner with everyone. From there we normally help pick-up and then around 8:15 we all get to sit in the living room and chat about the day or watch the news or a movie. After that I finally have some free time, although by 10 I’m already out. J

Oh and Saturday mornings I teach the nursing students at ISSI from 8-12pm (2hrs of Spanish and 2hrs of English).

It’s pretty packed but there are a few free spaces here and there. I love it though, my students are hilarious and there is not one class that isn’t interesting! I only speak in the language I’m teaching and it was so funny to see all their worried faces this week—by the end of the first class they were relieved to find out that they could still understand my if they just relaxed and also took gestures into account. I have doctors, and technicians, pharmacists and receptionists, and even one of the maids that helps at the residence. J I have people from all walks of life walking into my classroom!