10 Amazing Things That Happened This Week
After a long week of missing home I decided to focus on the amazing things that happen around me/to me everyday. Living far away from your family is never going to be easy and this week was hard. Whether it was missing food from home, wanted to be able to call my friends to do anything, missing a hug from my parents, or wanting to share an amazing moment with a loved one, I was particularly homesick this past week. Despite this longing for home, nothing terrible happened this past week, there wasn’t one particular moment that caused me to miss home. After, a fellow volunteer returned home this week due to the severe homesickness one can face here I wanted to focus on the amazing things that happen to me everyday while I’m here. I think its important to remember everyday that this experience, no matter how hard, is what I signed up for and the small things that happen everyday are the reward for taking the jump to be here.
10 Amazing Things That Happened This Week:
Seeing your co-teacher teach something I just taught and making it even better. Truthfully, this first one is pure pride. Since I am here training teachers in English and teaching techniques. I was shocked when I walked into a class this week that I normally don’t teach and my co-teacher was in their adapting my lesson about instructions to a lower grade. I was shocked and so happy to see that something I taught inspired her to create a different lesson. This was a wonderful sign that what I do each day matters, every lesson can make a difference and that teachers are learning from me like I am learning from them even if I don’t give teacher trainings every week or instruct the teachers on what to do.
My students yelling in excitement over being able to read. Reading is not part of Rwandan culture. Books are very hard to find and very expensive for the average person. I was so excited to find some beginner reader books in the teachers room that I brought them into class for the students just to look at. The kids screamed and yelled and could not contain their excitement. I quickly realized that most of my students have never read a book for fun. This was topped with one my troublesome students being truly engaged for the first time all year. Then when my co-teacher told them they could take the books home for the night they screamed again.
This reading seemed to be contagious because after school everyday this week students came to my house asking to read instead of play and would sit in front of my house enthralled in the pictures and words for hours. I would like to say I had something to do with this sudden love of readings. That I caused it by reading everyday at school and outside my house, but I know that’s not true. Maybe it made one student interested in what I was doing but the really magic is that this love was in all the children the entire time it just needed to be fueled with some books.
More teachers are asking for help. In an effort to not impose myself on my school I have been waiting for teachers to ask me for help before offering. I have been trying to very extremely considerate of the fact that everyone (the Rwandan government, Peace Corps and my headmistress) has asked me to be here except the teachers themselves. I couldn’t imagine having a foreigner given to me and being told I need to work and learn from her. That being said this past week more and more teachers have asked for my help teaching in their classes, help with content material they don’t know, and help making teachers aids. This enthusiasm to work with me shows me the teachers are open to my ideas and learning from me which gives me hope that I can make a true difference in my community.
The views around my village. We are headed into rainy season again and the fog covers the hills around mine almost all day and it’s one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I can only express this beauty with a picture and still it’s doesn’t get close to actually being surrounded by it.
We finally have a math teacher! My school has not had a math teacher for P3, P4, or P5 so far this school year. On Wednesday, the new teacher came and immediately started teaching. I am so glad my students have math teacher and are able to fill their entire day with learning now.
I’m headed to South Africa! This week my friend Cara and I were approved to travel to Cape Town for our first school break. I am beyond excited to see another beautiful African country.
Megan found a hotel with American food. While this may seem ridiculous to most people, having a spot to get terrible American food close by changes a lot about my site. It not only means we have a place to eat, but it also means my community has almost everything I need and want, now we just need a place to buy peanut butter and I would never have to leave!
I have the best parents in the entire world! I finally received my packages from my mom and dad and they were packed full of everything I love, needed and wanted. After my students jumped on the side of the road to ensure the bus stopped for me I made the trek to my regional town to get 2 packages my family has sent me. This was especially exciting since one of the packages was sent back in December and was lost somewhere in Denver for a bit. After coming home late a night weighted down by heavy boxes I got to open them, feeling like it was Christmas morning or my birthday. I began to cry and the amazing things my family sent to me and the love I felt from so far away. Of course, chocolate is always good, getting protein bars and protein powder when living as an unchosen vegetarian is amazing and getting dachshund slippers and jeans is priceless!
I finished my paint by numbers. Knowing that I would have many nights in a rural village alone I brought a large complicated paint-by-numbers with me and this week I finished it. It always feels great to finish something and I have had an amazing thing to occupy my last couple of weeks. I also have a new thing to hang on my walls.
