Insights

So its been a week just like any other. Sinead and I are staying at home this weekend relaxing, planning lessons, and enjoying each others company. Teaching has become routine, even if it isn't really that much easier. I've discovered how tiring grading can be, and I'm lucky that this weekend I don't have much to do, though next week I'm giving two tests, so my time off will be short.

This week I asked my 9th and 10th grade English classes to write and perform role plays about HIV and AIDS. Overall the role plays were all pretty similar and my students are for the most part terrible at public speaking (they like to stand facing the chalk board, with their hands in their mouths, making it impossible to hear them), but there were some interesting moments. In my ninth grade class most students chose to write about a scenario where two friends are trying to convince another friend to stop having unprotected sex. The explanations for why they were having sex were pretty humourous, including "I like sex because in sex you learn more information" and "I will never stop having sex because it is my only hobby in my life". I took these kinds of lines as an indication that many students are unfamiliar with sex, which I hope is true, but it could just be difficulties with English. I was encouraged to see that in every role play the friend decides at the end to stop having sex, though that is probably just because that is what they think I want to hear.

In my tenth grade classes most learners chose to write about a son or daughter telling his or her parents that he or she is HIV positive. In most of these role plays the parents were angry at first, but then calmed down and told their son or daughter that they would support them. Buying nutritional food for people with HIV seemed to be a big deal. In one role play the mother said she would slaughter 3 goats and one dog in order to buy good food for her daughter, which supports a rumour we had heard that dog is a delicacy here. That is probably one I won't try.

On another note, it is beginning to be mopane worm season. Mopane worms are little catepillars that feed on trees around here, and they are another delicacy- I'm a little more inclined to try this, but I can't imagine it will taste very good. I am excited, though, for May, when the mahangu (millet) is harvested, and I'm hoping that there will be some big parties that we could be invited to. Sinead told one of her teachers who lives near me that we could help to harvest, so we'll see.