One Month Left

Today I realized that being the last day of June, I only have one month left here. I can hardly believe how fast the time is going. This weekend was fun and relaxing for the most part. We got to go to the market and pick some cloth to make our Nigerian outfits (I promise to post a picture!). The whole experience of being in the middle of this crowded place with people either staring blantantly at the Bature (white person) or greeting us to come into their stores were overstimulating. It was funny to me to see one booth selling live chickens and the next selling shoes. I am learning that the number one way to offend a Nigerian is to either not greet them at all or not greet them properly. I am in such a habit of either minding my own business or simply saying hello-not so here. You greet initially with 'Sanu' which means hello, followed by a slew of Hausa phrases asking how you slept, how work is, how your mother is, how your father is, how you feel, and on and on. Its funny because people are still saying sanu, lafia, sanu, etc as they are walking away, even if the other person has moved on. The number two way to offend someone here is to not accept something they offer you, especially in their home. For instance, if you are sitting on the couch and they offer you a drink-accept even if you aren't thirsty. You don't even really have to drink it (or eat it if it's food) just the simple act of accepting their offer will make them 'very happy'.

This morning was our first official day at the school and my morning was spent grading papers and checking off the students work. At one point I felt like I should be getting a paycheck! The teacher of my classroom is fairly harsh with the kids and you can tell they are all terrified of her. When we walked up to the school she had a group of them outside and was using ruler to slap their hands-my blood started to boil and I had to calmly walk away. As soon as you enter the classroom they all stand up and say, "Good morning Aunte!". It is so cute and sweet. They all introduced themselves to me and I think its going to take me longer to learn their names than the time I will be there. Some of them are starting to look me in the eye as they turn in their paper and all I have to do is smile or wink and they giggle all the way back to their seat. I'm hoping that during the next couple weeks they will learn that they don't need to be afraid of me unlike their teacher. School starts at 8am and goes until 1pm with a long break and a short break-thats literally what they are called. The long break is at 9:30 and the short break is around 11:15 or so. Most of my kids used the breaks to study because there were two tests today-science and social studies. The teacher wrote all the questions on the board and they were to answer on their own paper, unfortunately a lot of the words she wrote on the board were spelled incorrectly and it made me think long and hard about how blessed I was as a child to receive the education I did. The saddest part for me of being at the school is that these children do not know any better, they don't realize the teacher is spelling words wrong and teaching them incorrect grammar. They all think that it is completely normal to essentially teach yourself everything with little accountability for achieving the right answer. I'm not saying that they aren't learning anything but it's at such a slow pace that it aggravates me.

Please pray for patience as I enter the classroom for the next couple weeks. Pray that I am able help where it is needed and not where I want to 'fix the problem'. Thank you for taking time to check my updates and I love and miss you! Grace and peace :)