Hi everyone!
So today we opened our doors to our
kindergarten class! It began with a bright, early wake-up call by
Mary at 6:30 a.m. - and since I am still struggling with jet lag, my
eyes finally closed last night around two, so it was a short, short
sleep indeed. We made our way to the school about ten to eight, and
as school starts at eight, my Canadian expectations were that the
students would be waiting for us. Indeed, I was quite wrong, as
students trickled in for the first hour we were at the school! That
will take some getting used to I'm quite sure.
For the most part, I observed Lesley
teaching. Our Ghanian teacher, Rosamund (who will eventually take
over when I leave as the primary teacher) also taught some lessons.
It was a lot of fun – much more laidback than when I volunteered in
a kindergarten class back home. I think it was really a trial day for
all of us to see how the schedule went and what needed adjusting.
It's quite a long day for our students – from 8 am until 3 pm –
but that is the way the Ghanaians school their children, from what
Mary has explained to us. Mary said that even in kindergarten there
is more lecturing than interacting and far less play than we use in
our Canadian schools. Even after one day of observing, Mary noted
that Rosamund taught in a much more interactive way than she would
have had she not seen us Canadians. It's exciting, because Mary's
hope is that we can blend both the Ghanaian and Canadian way of
teaching, equipping their teachers here to be able to teach in
similar ways and styles to what we do in Canada.
It was a lot of fun to spend time with
the kids! It took some time for them to warm up to us, and the
language barrier is really hard to overcome as most of them don't
speak very much English (it's basically the equivalent to an ESL
class that we are teaching). But they eventually did and it was
amazing to see their personalities start to emerge as they became
more comfortable. The kids were enamoured with my long brown hair,
and loved petting it and playing with it and even rolling it between
their fingers.
Today (although I suppose I see this
everyday!) I saw a lot of cultural differences between North America
and Africa. For one, Ghanians seem to be much more comfortable with
their bodies – Rosamund has an eight month old, and she regularly
breastfed in open public with all of the students and parents around.
And this was another thing – in North America, no woman would ever
take her child to work with her! But Rosamund does, and it was
amazing how she blended both taking care of her own child and the
children around her. Her little baby laid snuggly wrapped in a
blanket around her back, and when he needed nursing, she nursed, but
for the most part he was quiet and allowed her to teach to the
students before her. It was amazing to see her teach a lesson with a
baby on her back! I was reminded of how different our cultures are as
well when parents brought their kids late to school and were late to
pick them up, and how it seems that we are always so concerned about
teachers' touching students, and about their safety (like not sharing
juice boxes or water) but that doesn't seem to really be of concern
here at all.
And a funny story regarding cultural differences - you know how you wave and push your fingers down (not waving your hand side to side)? Well, here that means "come here." I had noticed kids running to me when I did that, but not understanding why, and then today I waved this way to a mom and her child, who followed me into the bathroom! Needless to say I was a bit confused just as she was!! Thankfully Mary had a good laugh and explained my mistake :)
It's definitely been an interesting
day. I've been feeling a bit better as I get adjusted and settled in,
but am still struggling with homesickness. Please keep me lifted up
in prayer! This weekend Lesley and I are leaving bright and early (6
am!) for Cape Coast to see some of the castles which housed slaves
during the slave trade, and spend some time along the beach. We also
hope to go to Kakum rainforest (she wants to walk along the top – I
am terrified of heights, so we'll see how that goes!) and we hope to
do a Batik printing workshop at the Global Mama's location in Cape
Coast. We will most likely return Sunday night if all goes according
to plan!
Anyways, I am hoping to get some good
rest tonight as we have an early start in the morning! Love and miss
you all.
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