December 1st

Wow, December … It’s hard to believe that it’s December already.
Time is going really fast. In less than a month it will be Christmas,
four weeks. Anyway, today was pretty uneventful. I went to the
tailor this morning and got my new shirt. A brand new hand-made
shirt cost me 16000 Leones, four dollars. That includes buying the
material and paying the tailor. You just can’t beat that anywhere.
It’s very nice but I think next time rather than just drop of a shirt to
copy I think I’m going to have him take my measurements because
it came out a little bigger than I would like, it’s kind of billowy. I
know that’s an advantage here because it’s cooler to have loose
clothing but I don’t quite like it like that. Foday went with me and
we stopped by Pa Kanu’s and got a semi-cold coke. I like hanging
out with Foday. He’s a great kid and he is a Muslim so it’s good to
spend time with him. I spent some time reading because I didn’t
really have much to do today. School went pretty good today, I
gave a bio quiz to the SS1s, I don’t think some of them paid
attention to the fact that I changed some of the questions since
they answered some of the multiple choice questions the same
way they had the first time. After their class they waited around in
my room since they had physics but the teacher wasn’t around, he
almost never is. Saidu was trying to teach them physics from some
notes he had but they weren’t very good and I kept correcting him.
The SS1s asked why I don’t teach them physics and I explained that
not only am I not very good at physics I just wouldn’t have time. I
teach for over 15 hours a week and that doesn’t include any of the
time that I spend preparing for classes. I couldn’t handle another 6
hours of class to be teaching physics. I already feel stretched quite
thin at times. Anyway, by time classes were over I was pretty tired
but I went downtown with Rebecca and Emma who were going to
the tailors, mostly because I just wanted to walk a bit. I get quite
restless sitting at the house. We got there only to find that he was
closed. Surprise surprise… A lady died at the hospital today, she
gave birth to her baby in her village but she continued to bleed.
When they couldn’t get it stopped they called for the hospital
ambulance which took almost two hours to get there and get back.
By time she got back she was in such a poor state that she didn’t
make it very long. This was her 11th child, the 8th that is currently
alive. That’s so many, but also Emma and Rebecca said that likely
contributed to her complications with birthing, apparently each time
the woman has a baby the placenta scars the uterine wall leading to
increased chance of bleeding each time (I’m sure you all want to
know about that but this is part of my experience here). This
evening I helped Foday write a letter to Jon Prinsell, who came for
the hospital celebration. I think that about sums everything up for
today. Tomorrow I have to go to a CTA (community teachers
association) meeting tomorrow at 1pm because I agreed to be
Foday’s representative since all kids have to have someone come
for them or they will be in trouble (what kind I don’t know but better
to not find out considering their discipline system here). I’m going
for him because he doesn’t have a parent here in Kamakwie since
he isn’t really from Kamakwie but a village some distance away. He
just stays here for school with his father’s friend. I told him I’m way
to young to have a 16 year-old son but I’ll do it anyway. But yeah,
that’s about all, good night.

Blessings from Kamakwie
Ryan Brooks