Today we woke up around 7:30 and ate breakfast as a team. We then got ready and the girls departed for Zenith where we spent the morning observing classrooms. I had the opportunity to observe a Kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd class today. From the short amount of time I spent in each of the classrooms there were many things that were similar to how schools are ran in the States and there were many things that were very different as well.
The kindergarten class was talking about nouns. I know for a fact that we don’t even mention nouns till first or second grade in the United States. They are learning on a different level than students in America.
We then left the day school and went to the upper elementary Zenith school where 4th through 12th attend school. There I had the opportunity to observe a 9th grade class who was learning about pig reproduction… very interesting. Definitely didn’t think I would come here to learn about pig reproduction, but I did. I had a very difficult time understating what the teacher was saying even though he was speaking English. I understood the primary teachers very well but in the upper grades I found myself having a very difficult time understanding what they were saying.
Around 12:00 we came back to the CRC for a delicious lunch. Before we came down here I was told by many people how great the popcorn was. I was so happy when I heard we were going to have popcorn with lunch today. I will confirm it was the BEST popcorn I have ever had!
For the rest of the afternoon Laura, Mary, Scott, and myself started to tackle the VERY unorganized library. This is a task that we will not complete this week. They children have so many great books but it lacks any kind of organization.
Right before dinner we had a heavy rain storm. I decided to take advantage of the rain and go outside in my clothes and take a “shower.” It cooled me off and felt amazing! For dinner we had rice and some sort of green stuff and pineapple for a side. We then went next door for Vespers. The children got their pen pal letters tonight. I really enjoyed reading the letters to them. I loved seeing all the smiles on the children’s faces.
Another day has come to an end here in Bo. Today has been the hottest day yet. Hopefully it will “cool” down a little tonight. The good thing is the generator came on around 4:00 today so we will at least have some fans blowing as we fall asleep! The team had never seen someone so happy when I saw lights come on in the bathroom this afternoon. They thought I ran into someone I knew in Africa. I wish! The electricity made me happy though.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day #2
Sunday
This morning we woke up and split our group up so we could attend the two different churches that the CRC children attend and sing in the choir. I went to Centenary United Methodist Church where the older children sing in the choir. The service lasted 2.5 hours long. Being a horrible person I dozed off for about 3 minutes during a very looooong prayer. Oops.
After church we walked back to the CRC. I wasn’t thrilled about that idea but it did give me the opportunity to see some of Bo. Bo is a very poor town. I was more taken back by how poor Bo was compared to my reaction to Freetown. There are a lot more people living in manmade “huts” then in Freetown.
When we got back to the CRC we ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and then went next door to spend a few hour with the children. We made paper airplanes, sang several songs with the kids while the boys played the guitar, played a little basketball (I was horrible), gave many piggy back rides, and last but not least got my hair braided SEVERAL times!
We spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking and organizing all of the stuff we brought for the CRC. For dinner we had some sort of delicious spicy pasta and GREAT grapefruit, I think I hate about 2 whole grape fruits.
After dinner we went to VESPERS and then were invited to the girls rooms to read them “High School Musical 2.” Before we said goodnight the girls all sang the most beautiful songs. It was the most amazing thing I have ever heard.
All in all, day #2 went pretty well. Still missing home but I will get through the rest of the week. This is definitely a step outside my comfort zone.
This morning we woke up and split our group up so we could attend the two different churches that the CRC children attend and sing in the choir. I went to Centenary United Methodist Church where the older children sing in the choir. The service lasted 2.5 hours long. Being a horrible person I dozed off for about 3 minutes during a very looooong prayer. Oops.
After church we walked back to the CRC. I wasn’t thrilled about that idea but it did give me the opportunity to see some of Bo. Bo is a very poor town. I was more taken back by how poor Bo was compared to my reaction to Freetown. There are a lot more people living in manmade “huts” then in Freetown.
When we got back to the CRC we ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and then went next door to spend a few hour with the children. We made paper airplanes, sang several songs with the kids while the boys played the guitar, played a little basketball (I was horrible), gave many piggy back rides, and last but not least got my hair braided SEVERAL times!
We spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking and organizing all of the stuff we brought for the CRC. For dinner we had some sort of delicious spicy pasta and GREAT grapefruit, I think I hate about 2 whole grape fruits.
After dinner we went to VESPERS and then were invited to the girls rooms to read them “High School Musical 2.” Before we said goodnight the girls all sang the most beautiful songs. It was the most amazing thing I have ever heard.
All in all, day #2 went pretty well. Still missing home but I will get through the rest of the week. This is definitely a step outside my comfort zone.
Lungi Airport Hotel to Freetown to our FINAL destination, BO.... FINALLY!
Saturday
When we woke up at Lungi Airport Hotel we reloaded the bus and headed to the Ferry that took us to Freetown. I couldn’t believe all the people that were waiting to get on the Ferry with all of their “goods” to sell at the market. We saw everything from fresh vegetables to live chickens!
We were all exhausted and running on nothing but adrenalin at that point. The ferry ride was about an hour long. Sierra Leone is a beautiful country. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to take the ferry over because it allowed me to see some of the beautiful mounitans and beaches Sierra Leone has to offer.
Once we got to Freetown we got back on our bus and picked up a few of the CRC college students that just got out of school for break. They took us to the market where we did some shopping. I had a great time bargaining with the vendors—if it wasn’t for those college students I wouldn’t have had clue as to what to do. After getting some help at the first vendor I quickly became a pro at getting the vendor to agree to the price I was willing to pay.
After spending a good amount of time in the market we then had a DELIOUS lunch at the Crown. Laura and I shared a great cheese pizza. I am craving it again it was so good. When we finished lunch it was time to get on the bus to head to Bo.
It took FOREVER to just get out of Freetown. I felt as though I was back in Northern Virginia because of the traffic jam we were sitting in. Not fun, especially in a VERY jam packed van! We finally got moving and it took us about 3 hours to get to the CRC in Bo. Of course a road trip cannot be complete without some sort of excitement. When we were about an hour outside of Bo we saw a HUGE brush fire. I was scared to death because we were about to go through a thunderstorm and the winds were picking up so the wind kept pushing the fire across the street. I was sitting on the window side of the van and Laura grabbed me and I dunked on her lap. We could feel the heat the fire was so big!
On a good note we only went through one police check point. With all of my worries leading up to that part of the trip, it ended up being nothing. They said hello and waved us right through. During the last part of our trip we went through a pretty big rain storm. I didn’t think in rained in Africa, especially during the dry season, which is the season we are in now.
When we finally arrive at the CRC we unloaded the van and ran next door to see the kids. I couldn’t believe how nice of a place we were staying. When I use to go on mission trips to Sneedville Tennessee and the places we stayed there can’t even compare to this. It is clean, comfortable (minus the heat), and a safe place to stay. It amazed me how excited the kids were to see us even though they didn’t know some of the team members. They immediately ran up to us and hugged all of us like they have known us their entire lives.
We then came back to have dinner (rice and chick) and unpack. Every night at 7:00 the children have VESPERS where the children sing and read a bible verse/have a bible lesson and sing some worship songs and a “goodnight lullaby.”
Before it was time for bed after an exhausting day, Kate took me to the lab so I could touch base back home. I was feeling very homesick!
When we woke up at Lungi Airport Hotel we reloaded the bus and headed to the Ferry that took us to Freetown. I couldn’t believe all the people that were waiting to get on the Ferry with all of their “goods” to sell at the market. We saw everything from fresh vegetables to live chickens!
We were all exhausted and running on nothing but adrenalin at that point. The ferry ride was about an hour long. Sierra Leone is a beautiful country. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to take the ferry over because it allowed me to see some of the beautiful mounitans and beaches Sierra Leone has to offer.
Once we got to Freetown we got back on our bus and picked up a few of the CRC college students that just got out of school for break. They took us to the market where we did some shopping. I had a great time bargaining with the vendors—if it wasn’t for those college students I wouldn’t have had clue as to what to do. After getting some help at the first vendor I quickly became a pro at getting the vendor to agree to the price I was willing to pay.
After spending a good amount of time in the market we then had a DELIOUS lunch at the Crown. Laura and I shared a great cheese pizza. I am craving it again it was so good. When we finished lunch it was time to get on the bus to head to Bo.
It took FOREVER to just get out of Freetown. I felt as though I was back in Northern Virginia because of the traffic jam we were sitting in. Not fun, especially in a VERY jam packed van! We finally got moving and it took us about 3 hours to get to the CRC in Bo. Of course a road trip cannot be complete without some sort of excitement. When we were about an hour outside of Bo we saw a HUGE brush fire. I was scared to death because we were about to go through a thunderstorm and the winds were picking up so the wind kept pushing the fire across the street. I was sitting on the window side of the van and Laura grabbed me and I dunked on her lap. We could feel the heat the fire was so big!
On a good note we only went through one police check point. With all of my worries leading up to that part of the trip, it ended up being nothing. They said hello and waved us right through. During the last part of our trip we went through a pretty big rain storm. I didn’t think in rained in Africa, especially during the dry season, which is the season we are in now.
When we finally arrive at the CRC we unloaded the van and ran next door to see the kids. I couldn’t believe how nice of a place we were staying. When I use to go on mission trips to Sneedville Tennessee and the places we stayed there can’t even compare to this. It is clean, comfortable (minus the heat), and a safe place to stay. It amazed me how excited the kids were to see us even though they didn’t know some of the team members. They immediately ran up to us and hugged all of us like they have known us their entire lives.
We then came back to have dinner (rice and chick) and unpack. Every night at 7:00 the children have VESPERS where the children sing and read a bible verse/have a bible lesson and sing some worship songs and a “goodnight lullaby.”
Before it was time for bed after an exhausting day, Kate took me to the lab so I could touch base back home. I was feeling very homesick!
London to Lungi (Africa)
After a three hour delay and two airplanes with problems, we finally arrived in Freetown around 1:00am. We stopped in Spain to re-fuel because our plane was very heavy (probably due to all the stuff our team brought). The flight was pretty bumpy but we all survived. The BMI crew was interesting. Very different from the nice, pleasant, and happy crew we had on British Airways. For example, I asked one of the crew members on BMI for an ice water. The flight attendant says, "really?" I said "yes, really," he says "you mean water with ice." That was just one of the many things that were said on that leg of the flight.
All of our luggage made it to Africa! :) It was a little chaotic at the airport trying to explain why we were there and to get through customs but we did.
When we finally arrived at the Lungi Airport Hotel (definitely not the Ritz) we had a very late dinner around 1:30am. All we wanted to do is sleep because we were so exhausted but we had to be polite and eat the meal they had prepared for us. Of course, I had to be the one to see the lizard run up the wall of my hotel room, definitely unsettling. We finally got to "bed" around 2:30 and woke up at 6:00am, it was a nice little nap.
All of our luggage made it to Africa! :) It was a little chaotic at the airport trying to explain why we were there and to get through customs but we did.
When we finally arrived at the Lungi Airport Hotel (definitely not the Ritz) we had a very late dinner around 1:30am. All we wanted to do is sleep because we were so exhausted but we had to be polite and eat the meal they had prepared for us. Of course, I had to be the one to see the lizard run up the wall of my hotel room, definitely unsettling. We finally got to "bed" around 2:30 and woke up at 6:00am, it was a nice little nap.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 1: Dulles to London
Well after a few tears, many panic sessions, and a push on the plane... I am sitting in London waiting to depart to Freetown. The fight to London was uneventful. I watched The Blindside and slept the rest of the way. Our flight is already two hours delayed to Freetown so we are just waiting to hear when we are going to board and take off. Hopefully it will be soon because if I don't get on I might find a flight back to Washington.
The people on my team are great. We have really been enjoying our time together and getting to know each other even more. It is going to be a great week. I am just ready to get there. :)
Until next time... Cheers!! (Everyone says that in London) :)
The people on my team are great. We have really been enjoying our time together and getting to know each other even more. It is going to be a great week. I am just ready to get there. :)
Until next time... Cheers!! (Everyone says that in London) :)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Preparation
As I am in the final days (9) preparing to embark on this trip of a lifetime I am struggling to find time to sit down and think about what I am truly going to get out of this trip. I was not planning on writing a blog today, however, I felt as though I needed to.
After attending several team meetings and sending countless amounts of emails to team members who have been on this trip before, I still find myself not knowing what to expect. I find myself taking the information I have absorbed over the past few months and only being able to imagine what Africa will be like, what I will truly be doing there, how I will react to being in a place where people have so little, what are the people like, will I be safe, and the thoughts go on and on.
As I was treating my clothes that I will be taking to Africa with me today, I was listening to music off of my Ipod, a song came on that I haven't heard in a while called "I Can Only Imagine." I paused for a second and listened to the words and thought to myself how perfect these lyrics were. It was a song that expressed exactly what I was thinking and feeling. No matter how much "preparing" you do and how much other team members tell me about their previous trips to Sierra Leone, I can truly only imagine what it will be like and what I "think" I will get out of this experience. One thing I am sure of is that that I am going there to learn, to grow, and to expand my horizons. In what ways will that happen? I will find out over the course of the next several weeks.
After attending several team meetings and sending countless amounts of emails to team members who have been on this trip before, I still find myself not knowing what to expect. I find myself taking the information I have absorbed over the past few months and only being able to imagine what Africa will be like, what I will truly be doing there, how I will react to being in a place where people have so little, what are the people like, will I be safe, and the thoughts go on and on.
As I was treating my clothes that I will be taking to Africa with me today, I was listening to music off of my Ipod, a song came on that I haven't heard in a while called "I Can Only Imagine." I paused for a second and listened to the words and thought to myself how perfect these lyrics were. It was a song that expressed exactly what I was thinking and feeling. No matter how much "preparing" you do and how much other team members tell me about their previous trips to Sierra Leone, I can truly only imagine what it will be like and what I "think" I will get out of this experience. One thing I am sure of is that that I am going there to learn, to grow, and to expand my horizons. In what ways will that happen? I will find out over the course of the next several weeks.
Monday, February 15, 2010
17 days and counting...
In 17 days I will be on the plane headed to Sierra Leone. It has been easy for me to get wrapped up in my nerves leading up to this trip and forget about what I am looking forward to experiencing and getting out of this trip. I already know that this trip is going to be a life changing experience, one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
There are many things as a future teacher I hope to get out of this trip. Each day I will have the opportunity to observe classrooms at Zenith, the school where the CRC children attend. I have spent a lot of time over the years developing my philosophy of teaching. I am looking forward to comparing the philosophy of teaching in which I have created through classroom observation, field experience, and internships to the philosophies in which teachers in Africa use. Classroom management is something that I heavily focus on in my philosophy of teaching. One of my focuses will be comparing teaching techniques that teachers at Zenith have in place in order to manage behavior compared to the behavior management techniques I believe should be applied in a classroom.
Being able to show students that learning is fun and exciting is essential to how a child applies him or herself to learning and education. As a teacher however, this can not be the easiest of things to do. I am looking forward to observing how teachers in Africa engage their students in learning and how they not just motivate them to do well in school but how they encourage their students to love learning.
Something that I am looking forward to the most is possibly having the opportunity to talk to the teachers at Zenith. It is going to be such a eye-opening opportunity to be able to get insight from a teacher in Africa on how they feel about being a teacher and their experiences. Being able to talk to the students at Zenith is going to be very inspirational as well.
Throughout my college career I have spent hundreds of hours in American classrooms and have grown to understand that developing a teaching philosophy is an ongoing process and experience. Education is always changing around the world, which means educators must look at teaching as a continuing learning process. As a future teacher, every day I spend in a classroom is allowing me another opportunity to learn something new, just as the students are. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to observe a classroom not just in another state, but in Sierra Leone, Africa. I know at the conclusion of this trip that I will have learned something from the teachers I observe at Zenith and the children I interact with, all of which will have a profound impact on me as a future educator.
It is bittersweet knowing that the final three credits I need in order to complete my degree for graduation in May, will be coming from making a difference in the lives of children half way around the world. There aren't too many college students that get to experience such a thing.
There are many things as a future teacher I hope to get out of this trip. Each day I will have the opportunity to observe classrooms at Zenith, the school where the CRC children attend. I have spent a lot of time over the years developing my philosophy of teaching. I am looking forward to comparing the philosophy of teaching in which I have created through classroom observation, field experience, and internships to the philosophies in which teachers in Africa use. Classroom management is something that I heavily focus on in my philosophy of teaching. One of my focuses will be comparing teaching techniques that teachers at Zenith have in place in order to manage behavior compared to the behavior management techniques I believe should be applied in a classroom.
Being able to show students that learning is fun and exciting is essential to how a child applies him or herself to learning and education. As a teacher however, this can not be the easiest of things to do. I am looking forward to observing how teachers in Africa engage their students in learning and how they not just motivate them to do well in school but how they encourage their students to love learning.
Something that I am looking forward to the most is possibly having the opportunity to talk to the teachers at Zenith. It is going to be such a eye-opening opportunity to be able to get insight from a teacher in Africa on how they feel about being a teacher and their experiences. Being able to talk to the students at Zenith is going to be very inspirational as well.
Throughout my college career I have spent hundreds of hours in American classrooms and have grown to understand that developing a teaching philosophy is an ongoing process and experience. Education is always changing around the world, which means educators must look at teaching as a continuing learning process. As a future teacher, every day I spend in a classroom is allowing me another opportunity to learn something new, just as the students are. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to observe a classroom not just in another state, but in Sierra Leone, Africa. I know at the conclusion of this trip that I will have learned something from the teachers I observe at Zenith and the children I interact with, all of which will have a profound impact on me as a future educator.
It is bittersweet knowing that the final three credits I need in order to complete my degree for graduation in May, will be coming from making a difference in the lives of children half way around the world. There aren't too many college students that get to experience such a thing.
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