The new apartment is finally rented, and moving day was on Saturday. I'm struggling here to keep my words optimistic... Some of our furnature was to be supplied by a man who is moving out and selling us his things. This was actually our only furniture. The apartment has a lot of potential - it currently looks very spacious, and it's on the fourth floor, so the rats won't climb up the toilets. I think there's not a lot of work to be done before we get water, and even mention of a water heater getting hooked up, insha'allah.
But there's a lot to do. For example, the deadbolt on the door has been punched through, so there's a small hole in the outside door, and no dead bolt. We are actually not even staying there yet; we went back to our old apartments for another day or two. Please keep me in your thoughts. It looks to be a busy week.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Layer and Stink
When I met the other teachers over the summer, a teacher who had worked at my school for several years came to speak with us. He told us that, in country, we should do as the locals do: layer and stink. It gets cold in the winter, and the modesty codes require layers of clothing. And nobody showers much.
The local public bath houses are called hamaams, and for many, this is their only way of cleaning. I think I see why people don't have showers.
My shower broke today. I have only had cold water, which has only been a problem at 6am when everything is cold. Today, I turned on the water and the hose attached to the shower head snapped. Water went everywhere. Except on me.
Thankfully, Candace and Suzanne just had their shower fixed from a similar condition last week, so I was able to beg a shower from their place.
It was the first warm water I've had in over a month. Hamdullah.
The local public bath houses are called hamaams, and for many, this is their only way of cleaning. I think I see why people don't have showers.
My shower broke today. I have only had cold water, which has only been a problem at 6am when everything is cold. Today, I turned on the water and the hose attached to the shower head snapped. Water went everywhere. Except on me.
Thankfully, Candace and Suzanne just had their shower fixed from a similar condition last week, so I was able to beg a shower from their place.
It was the first warm water I've had in over a month. Hamdullah.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Eid al-F'tour Long Weekend!
Huzzah for getting both American and Islamic holidays!
The month of Ramadan ended Sunday, with the traditional huge feast and family visitation, so both Monday and Tuesday are given off from school, because none of our students would have shown up anyway. With the four-day weekend, we Americans decided to have some adventures!
Friday evening, I ended up venturing out by myself (before the F'tour) to wander the Mellah between the new city and the Medina. It's close enough to be a fast walk, but has fun winding streets and bustling markets. I had some of my first positive experiences with strangers (particularly males, because almost ALL experiences with local men are negative.) in talking with the shopkeepers, and it was great language practice.
I walked home down Hassan Tanni, the big boulevard in my city, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The following morning, I set out with Suzanne, Candace, and Ethan, and Hassan Tanni had a funny smell of lacquer. All of a sudden, there was a lion! Surrounded by gawkers, a bronze lion on a rectangular base covered in bronzed grass had been plunked down in the center of the boulevard! We stopped to take our pictures with him, and to speculate on his purpose. Of course, we had to poke various parts to find out what was still wet, and Suzanne came away with some of the gravel that was embedded in the bronze-coloured goo stuck to her palms.
-- We had a nice walk around the Medina, traveling Bab (door) to Bab. The Medina in my city is apparently the oldest walled city that has been inhabited since its establishment in the 8th century. It was interesting being there with the four of us after walking in smaller groups. We got a lot of hassle by kids wanting to be our tour guides. Ethan told them he was our tour guide, and they mostly believed him. He knows the Medina well enough to be a guide. I bought a kilo of fresh figs from the fruit-souk for the US equivalent of $1.50. Sooo tasty.
The plan was to meet at my place for F'tour before the salsa party, but the message didn't get out to all involved. I hosted my first semi-official F'tour, with milk and dates, figs, khobz and cous-cous, and Ethan brought malawi from the F'tour stand near his house. Candace had already eaten, and rested up for the salsa, and Abdul was running late, so Ethan and I stood around outside, unable to enter the apartment above suspicion with just the two of us! Oh dear! Suzanne came over, and we all figured three people was close enough to the culturally appropriate gender requirements... plus we were hungry.
The salsa party was lots of fun, if pretty tame. I had about 10 people come, and taught a short routine, and then we just put on music and danced - well, a few of us danced. We've already decided on having another one, just so more people come and feel comfortable with it. It was great to get in some dancing, and everybody did so well, but I missed all my Schenectady dancers! We ended up partying until about 4am, although the last several hours comprised significantly less movement and more chatting from the couches. An eventful and exciting day, and church seemed very early the next morning...
The month of Ramadan ended Sunday, with the traditional huge feast and family visitation, so both Monday and Tuesday are given off from school, because none of our students would have shown up anyway. With the four-day weekend, we Americans decided to have some adventures!
Friday evening, I ended up venturing out by myself (before the F'tour) to wander the Mellah between the new city and the Medina. It's close enough to be a fast walk, but has fun winding streets and bustling markets. I had some of my first positive experiences with strangers (particularly males, because almost ALL experiences with local men are negative.) in talking with the shopkeepers, and it was great language practice.
I walked home down Hassan Tanni, the big boulevard in my city, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The following morning, I set out with Suzanne, Candace, and Ethan, and Hassan Tanni had a funny smell of lacquer. All of a sudden, there was a lion! Surrounded by gawkers, a bronze lion on a rectangular base covered in bronzed grass had been plunked down in the center of the boulevard! We stopped to take our pictures with him, and to speculate on his purpose. Of course, we had to poke various parts to find out what was still wet, and Suzanne came away with some of the gravel that was embedded in the bronze-coloured goo stuck to her palms.
-- We had a nice walk around the Medina, traveling Bab (door) to Bab. The Medina in my city is apparently the oldest walled city that has been inhabited since its establishment in the 8th century. It was interesting being there with the four of us after walking in smaller groups. We got a lot of hassle by kids wanting to be our tour guides. Ethan told them he was our tour guide, and they mostly believed him. He knows the Medina well enough to be a guide. I bought a kilo of fresh figs from the fruit-souk for the US equivalent of $1.50. Sooo tasty.
The plan was to meet at my place for F'tour before the salsa party, but the message didn't get out to all involved. I hosted my first semi-official F'tour, with milk and dates, figs, khobz and cous-cous, and Ethan brought malawi from the F'tour stand near his house. Candace had already eaten, and rested up for the salsa, and Abdul was running late, so Ethan and I stood around outside, unable to enter the apartment above suspicion with just the two of us! Oh dear! Suzanne came over, and we all figured three people was close enough to the culturally appropriate gender requirements... plus we were hungry.
The salsa party was lots of fun, if pretty tame. I had about 10 people come, and taught a short routine, and then we just put on music and danced - well, a few of us danced. We've already decided on having another one, just so more people come and feel comfortable with it. It was great to get in some dancing, and everybody did so well, but I missed all my Schenectady dancers! We ended up partying until about 4am, although the last several hours comprised significantly less movement and more chatting from the couches. An eventful and exciting day, and church seemed very early the next morning...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Ana ferhenna, andi henna!
Thursday night marked Leila al'Qaddem, the night of power in which Muslims celebrate the night of the imparting of the Qa'ran to Muhamed.
Tony and I went to the family in Sidi Bujita for f'tour with them, and they were lovely and welcoming as always. Visiting homes feels more regular now, sitting on froshes to chat, watching Ramadan TV, playing with the kids as they run around. The meal was delicious, with hirara soup, four kinds of bread, and a communal dish of something like pea soup with spices and oil that we dipped the bread into to eat. We had apple milk, a thick drink like a milkshake; and, of course, dates and shebekia.
After dinner, their neighbor Wafie stopped by, who is a henna artist. She mixed powders and water and some liquid from a small bottle, and stirred the henna up like a big bowl of cookie dough - but it was green. She used a medical syringe with a
fixture attached like a ball pump to swirl the henna around in beautiful patterns that she improvised as she went. She began learning henna when she was very young; she's always gone to school for it.
Tony and I and Khadija and the little daughter all had henna painted, and then had to sit for the next hour with our hands up in the air and fingers stretched! One of the men put us in the taxi home, so we wouldn't have to open the doors. Even after the wet paste dried, it them began to crack off our hands. We had a time of it trying to open our multi-keyed door when we got home.
Tony and I went to the family in Sidi Bujita for f'tour with them, and they were lovely and welcoming as always. Visiting homes feels more regular now, sitting on froshes to chat, watching Ramadan TV, playing with the kids as they run around. The meal was delicious, with hirara soup, four kinds of bread, and a communal dish of something like pea soup with spices and oil that we dipped the bread into to eat. We had apple milk, a thick drink like a milkshake; and, of course, dates and shebekia.
After dinner, their neighbor Wafie stopped by, who is a henna artist. She mixed powders and water and some liquid from a small bottle, and stirred the henna up like a big bowl of cookie dough - but it was green. She used a medical syringe with a
fixture attached like a ball pump to swirl the henna around in beautiful patterns that she improvised as she went. She began learning henna when she was very young; she's always gone to school for it.
Tony and I and Khadija and the little daughter all had henna painted, and then had to sit for the next hour with our hands up in the air and fingers stretched! One of the men put us in the taxi home, so we wouldn't have to open the doors. Even after the wet paste dried, it them began to crack off our hands. We had a time of it trying to open our multi-keyed door when we got home.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Jabel Zalagh
The hamaam did not happen, but I did meet up with some of the other teachers for a girly movie.
Saturday, Ethan, the other math teacher, and I hiked Mt. Zalagh, just north of the Medina. It was great to have a mountain (or at least an exciting hill) within walking distance of the city. We walked down through the medina and out over farm fields and empty land. The summer has not been kind to the ground; the top layer of mud dried and cracked, so walking on it was like being on a thin layer of ice that continually cracked under every step. We saw the coolest selection of vicious plants - tall mean white plants that looked like paper barbed wire, and bright purple thistles, whose flowers lived despite the rest of the plant having shriveled and browned in the heat, and large fan ferns that looked like they could be functional fans, but had tiny thorns along the stalks.
Also saw tons of cool lizards, a cave with some big white grubs, and largish songbirds with distinctive white flags on the underside of their wings, which I have still not managed to key out.
We ran into a little boy on a donkey while we were crossing the only thing that resembled a stream. Ethan was attempting to jump rocks that had been spaced a bit too far apart, and the boy jumped off the donkey, into the stream, and pulled a few more rocks into place. He offered us donkey rides and followed us, chatting in Arabic, until Ethan told him that we lived in the city and were actually not tourists. The boy pointed out his home, and rode off.
We saw several houses that looked like well-packed haystacks, with a hole hollowed out of one end. The king enacted a program to get electricity to all houses, but many of the people are too poor to afford it, so the silent lines come right to their houses, but no power goes through that part of the grid.
Several groups of children were out in the open dry fields, playing soccer or just clustering in the shade. They all wanted to talk to us, to tell us not to go up the mountain because the Djin that live in the wilderness would get us.
We decided to risk the Djin.
The last bit of the hike got much steeper, to the point of using hands to scramble, at one point along a ridge that was left when a sort of quarry was carved away on either side. We scrambled over rocks, and saw lots more cool lizards and big beetles. After only two false summits, we were rewarded - not by a summit plate - but by a big metal structure with four legs, maybe 20 feet tall, which is apparently what marks the summit here. We climbed it. Ethan's taller than me. I got stuck on top.
The view was amazing: we could see about 30-40 miles before the sun-kissed land disappeared into a haze of sand and clouds. Our city looked so ancient and secretive, and the golden hills were dotted with organized grids of olive trees.
And both of our cameras were dead.
We sat to rest on the summit. Ethan did some kakuro, which is awesome because his book has puzzles he's finished from all the interesting places he's been, and I did some tai chi on the mountaintop, simply because I could. (I felt pretty cool.)
We were thirsty on the way down, and went much faster despite trying a new route. We got back to the medina just in time to buy food and get home for F'tour. I F'toured with Candace and Suzanne, who have said that we'll have to take a trip up Zalagh another weekend. I'm holding you to that, girls!
Saturday, Ethan, the other math teacher, and I hiked Mt. Zalagh, just north of the Medina. It was great to have a mountain (or at least an exciting hill) within walking distance of the city. We walked down through the medina and out over farm fields and empty land. The summer has not been kind to the ground; the top layer of mud dried and cracked, so walking on it was like being on a thin layer of ice that continually cracked under every step. We saw the coolest selection of vicious plants - tall mean white plants that looked like paper barbed wire, and bright purple thistles, whose flowers lived despite the rest of the plant having shriveled and browned in the heat, and large fan ferns that looked like they could be functional fans, but had tiny thorns along the stalks.
Also saw tons of cool lizards, a cave with some big white grubs, and largish songbirds with distinctive white flags on the underside of their wings, which I have still not managed to key out.
We ran into a little boy on a donkey while we were crossing the only thing that resembled a stream. Ethan was attempting to jump rocks that had been spaced a bit too far apart, and the boy jumped off the donkey, into the stream, and pulled a few more rocks into place. He offered us donkey rides and followed us, chatting in Arabic, until Ethan told him that we lived in the city and were actually not tourists. The boy pointed out his home, and rode off.
We saw several houses that looked like well-packed haystacks, with a hole hollowed out of one end. The king enacted a program to get electricity to all houses, but many of the people are too poor to afford it, so the silent lines come right to their houses, but no power goes through that part of the grid.
Several groups of children were out in the open dry fields, playing soccer or just clustering in the shade. They all wanted to talk to us, to tell us not to go up the mountain because the Djin that live in the wilderness would get us.
We decided to risk the Djin.
The last bit of the hike got much steeper, to the point of using hands to scramble, at one point along a ridge that was left when a sort of quarry was carved away on either side. We scrambled over rocks, and saw lots more cool lizards and big beetles. After only two false summits, we were rewarded - not by a summit plate - but by a big metal structure with four legs, maybe 20 feet tall, which is apparently what marks the summit here. We climbed it. Ethan's taller than me. I got stuck on top.
The view was amazing: we could see about 30-40 miles before the sun-kissed land disappeared into a haze of sand and clouds. Our city looked so ancient and secretive, and the golden hills were dotted with organized grids of olive trees.
And both of our cameras were dead.
We sat to rest on the summit. Ethan did some kakuro, which is awesome because his book has puzzles he's finished from all the interesting places he's been, and I did some tai chi on the mountaintop, simply because I could. (I felt pretty cool.)
We were thirsty on the way down, and went much faster despite trying a new route. We got back to the medina just in time to buy food and get home for F'tour. I F'toured with Candace and Suzanne, who have said that we'll have to take a trip up Zalagh another weekend. I'm holding you to that, girls!
First Week of School
Hmmm it's the weekend. (Ok, it was when I started this post on Friday, when the internet punked out on me.)
There may be a trip to the hamaam tonight, and a mountain walk tomorrow, and lots of planning Sunday.
The week at school went well, and improved as it progressed. The students have gotten accustomed to my routine... and warning system... I haven't managed to give out any detentions in the first four days, but a handful of students expired their last warning. Apparently I've acquired a reputation for being strict, which is just fine with me for the first week. I realized this week a strange quirk of teaching: it may be the only job where you don't want to have a good first impression. Better to appear strict at first so you're taken seriously (especially at my age), then prove yourself cool and fun in a few more weeks.
Many of my students are extremely bright and very hard workers, and they're all quirky and lovable in that unique student-y kinda way. Hamdullah. It's going to be a good year.
The school's only printer has been out of ink since Wednesday, and will be fixed tonight (Friday) insha'allah. That will be good to have again. Science classes remain a challenge without it.
Candace and Suzanne have also had adjustment weeks. They were surprised (as was I) at the level of English-skills some students possess or don't possess; this presents a more dire problem in the elementary school. They are spending lots of time planning English activities like songs and picture books, and I love to listen to them plan together. They are really gifted teachers and I'm lucky to be 'living' with them.
Our housing situation may change in two weeks, insha'allah. We are waiting on the director's carte du sejour, so he can rent the apartment in his name as our contract stipulates. I enjoy staying with Tony, so I am in no rush.
There may be a trip to the hamaam tonight, and a mountain walk tomorrow, and lots of planning Sunday.
The week at school went well, and improved as it progressed. The students have gotten accustomed to my routine... and warning system... I haven't managed to give out any detentions in the first four days, but a handful of students expired their last warning. Apparently I've acquired a reputation for being strict, which is just fine with me for the first week. I realized this week a strange quirk of teaching: it may be the only job where you don't want to have a good first impression. Better to appear strict at first so you're taken seriously (especially at my age), then prove yourself cool and fun in a few more weeks.
Many of my students are extremely bright and very hard workers, and they're all quirky and lovable in that unique student-y kinda way. Hamdullah. It's going to be a good year.
The school's only printer has been out of ink since Wednesday, and will be fixed tonight (Friday) insha'allah. That will be good to have again. Science classes remain a challenge without it.
Candace and Suzanne have also had adjustment weeks. They were surprised (as was I) at the level of English-skills some students possess or don't possess; this presents a more dire problem in the elementary school. They are spending lots of time planning English activities like songs and picture books, and I love to listen to them plan together. They are really gifted teachers and I'm lucky to be 'living' with them.
Our housing situation may change in two weeks, insha'allah. We are waiting on the director's carte du sejour, so he can rent the apartment in his name as our contract stipulates. I enjoy staying with Tony, so I am in no rush.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Well, somebody would've been fired by now!
First day down!
Little by little, the school year is coming together, which is crazy because it's already started. We made it through the day, as our director said, with nothing but the usual school-start incidents. We had several classes running on a slightly different schedule, at least two classrooms double-booked, half the computers not yet in the school, none of the textbooks in yet, and all of the teachers given different information about where and when to leave/meet students for various classes.
*sigh of relief*
In America, this would never be allowed. We'd all be fired. But that's just not the way it works here - and it really does work. Differently, but it does.
Keep my students and our communication in your thoughts. Today, I taught the words "policy" and "assignment." To teenagers. The language barrier may be more of a hindrance than I expected, and I want so much to be able to communicate with them freely.
Little by little, the school year is coming together, which is crazy because it's already started. We made it through the day, as our director said, with nothing but the usual school-start incidents. We had several classes running on a slightly different schedule, at least two classrooms double-booked, half the computers not yet in the school, none of the textbooks in yet, and all of the teachers given different information about where and when to leave/meet students for various classes.
*sigh of relief*
In America, this would never be allowed. We'd all be fired. But that's just not the way it works here - and it really does work. Differently, but it does.
Keep my students and our communication in your thoughts. Today, I taught the words "policy" and "assignment." To teenagers. The language barrier may be more of a hindrance than I expected, and I want so much to be able to communicate with them freely.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Medina Tours
School starts tomorrow. This weekend I began living up to the vow to learn my way around the city by walking the Medina with the other math teacher, who actually knows all the neighborhoods and districts. I was quizzed on the nine Babs (doors), 
and saw the one area of outside in the city that belongs to the women: the streetside on a big hill overlooking much of the Medina, where women line up in pretty djellabas to sit on the cardboard they bring (because there's no grass anywhere) to watch the sunset together.
There are many streets that dead-end in the Medina, but I did find one street, the 'secret passageway,' that appeared to dead-end, went into a building - where the foot traffic continued - up a set of spiral stairs, down a hallway, and suddenly turned the corner and was a street again. There is no such thing as an even set of stairs. All stairs are a bit varied in height, and most are really steep spirals. Walking on the inside of the spiral results in falling two stories. Walking on the outside results in not falling only if you're careful. I might see a reason for the shorter life expectancy. Or the causation may go the other way - since Morocco has fewer elderly, they see no reason NOT to turn their homes and streets into obstacle courses for the young.
and saw the one area of outside in the city that belongs to the women: the streetside on a big hill overlooking much of the Medina, where women line up in pretty djellabas to sit on the cardboard they bring (because there's no grass anywhere) to watch the sunset together.There are many streets that dead-end in the Medina, but I did find one street, the 'secret passageway,' that appeared to dead-end, went into a building - where the foot traffic continued - up a set of spiral stairs, down a hallway, and suddenly turned the corner and was a street again. There is no such thing as an even set of stairs. All stairs are a bit varied in height, and most are really steep spirals. Walking on the inside of the spiral results in falling two stories. Walking on the outside results in not falling only if you're careful. I might see a reason for the shorter life expectancy. Or the causation may go the other way - since Morocco has fewer elderly, they see no reason NOT to turn their homes and streets into obstacle courses for the young.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Missed the Boat, but Had a Party on the Raft
My computer is working again, hamdul-li'lah!
Our in-service days at this pink school were great. Got lots of good information, and everyone was really cooperative. Very little will be ready for the first day of school, but it will insha'allah be ready for next month-ish. I can get classroom plants, and maybe a nifty lizard or big bug.
Tonight was a meeting with the ex-pat church. I chose some songs to play on the guitar, and Candace and Suzanne and I were all going to leave straight from the school and head down to the medina together in a cab. When we left the school, Abdul, the high school science teacher, came with us; we thus had too many for a taxi seghera. The cab drivers flip out if you try for more than 3.
Candace and Suzanne headed out to the Acima to get foods, and Abdul and I walked down to a hanout, figuring we'd all meet up at the church-group. I gave our taxi driver the name of the parking lot nearby, and walked through the tunnels and narrow streets along the path I remembered... from my one trek there... I got us close, and Abdul got us closer by asking some men on the street where the Americans lived. We didn't realize how close. They rang the doorbell, but no one answered. We assumed it couldn't be the house, and stood at the nearest building waiting for someone we knew to walk by (the streets are only a few feet wide. We'd see anyone else coming for the meeting).
After 20 minutes of Abdul chatting with local video gamers, we realized no one else was coming. We sat on a step to nibble our Hanout food, and chatted with some more people. Two teenage boys stopped to talk with us, and after enough conversation on the step, invited us to their house for F'tour time.
The house was many more twists through the Medina - Abdul said the medina was built to confuse invaders and soldiers - through some streets I couldn't fit through with my guitar next to me, and up many steep crumbling stairs. The living room was small and lined with froshes, and two young women, probably also teens, were watching the special Ramadan programming on a small TV. We spent the evening talking and sharing F'tour food. One of the girls was working on an amazing knotted creation that would eventually be tied so tightly as to be almost a fabric that would make an ornate red and gold pillowcase. All the craftspeople are so talented! Zachariah used my guitar and played some Arabic songs, and sang in French. He also knew part of an American girl-pop song, which got laughs from his dad.
He walked/taxied us both back, dropping me off at my apartment first, and I went in to tell Candace and Suzanne I was alive. As it turned out, we were at the house! The meeting was not at the house! We were supposed to meet at some cool scenic ruins, somewhere near this hill. Candace and Suzanne said they were beautiful, and it was fun meeting outside, but the local beggar children harassed them the entire time. They said they'll take me back later.
Our in-service days at this pink school were great. Got lots of good information, and everyone was really cooperative. Very little will be ready for the first day of school, but it will insha'allah be ready for next month-ish. I can get classroom plants, and maybe a nifty lizard or big bug.Tonight was a meeting with the ex-pat church. I chose some songs to play on the guitar, and Candace and Suzanne and I were all going to leave straight from the school and head down to the medina together in a cab. When we left the school, Abdul, the high school science teacher, came with us; we thus had too many for a taxi seghera. The cab drivers flip out if you try for more than 3.
Candace and Suzanne headed out to the Acima to get foods, and Abdul and I walked down to a hanout, figuring we'd all meet up at the church-group. I gave our taxi driver the name of the parking lot nearby, and walked through the tunnels and narrow streets along the path I remembered... from my one trek there... I got us close, and Abdul got us closer by asking some men on the street where the Americans lived. We didn't realize how close. They rang the doorbell, but no one answered. We assumed it couldn't be the house, and stood at the nearest building waiting for someone we knew to walk by (the streets are only a few feet wide. We'd see anyone else coming for the meeting).
After 20 minutes of Abdul chatting with local video gamers, we realized no one else was coming. We sat on a step to nibble our Hanout food, and chatted with some more people. Two teenage boys stopped to talk with us, and after enough conversation on the step, invited us to their house for F'tour time.
The house was many more twists through the Medina - Abdul said the medina was built to confuse invaders and soldiers - through some streets I couldn't fit through with my guitar next to me, and up many steep crumbling stairs. The living room was small and lined with froshes, and two young women, probably also teens, were watching the special Ramadan programming on a small TV. We spent the evening talking and sharing F'tour food. One of the girls was working on an amazing knotted creation that would eventually be tied so tightly as to be almost a fabric that would make an ornate red and gold pillowcase. All the craftspeople are so talented! Zachariah used my guitar and played some Arabic songs, and sang in French. He also knew part of an American girl-pop song, which got laughs from his dad.
He walked/taxied us both back, dropping me off at my apartment first, and I went in to tell Candace and Suzanne I was alive. As it turned out, we were at the house! The meeting was not at the house! We were supposed to meet at some cool scenic ruins, somewhere near this hill. Candace and Suzanne said they were beautiful, and it was fun meeting outside, but the local beggar children harassed them the entire time. They said they'll take me back later.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Lappy EKG
Candace and Suzanne hosted F'tour last night. We made some pretty impressive food, and by 'we,' I mean Candace and Suzanne made some pretty impressive food. I made spiced cous-cous, and they cooked up chicken with vegetables. We had heavy loaves of khobz broken on plates (how American, plates!) to eat with, and a big bowl of fruit salad! Amy and Emily came over with some friends, and we ate and talked and played games. It was a good time. And we could all speak English, which was a nice change.
Before the cannon-call, I put my computer in the corner on the floor, where I figured it would be out of the way. Here's the fun part: today, Candace discovered it in a pool of water.
It's a two-minute mystery. What happened? Go.
Well, actually I can't answer any questions, except that it has yet to precipitate, and the curtains weren't wet. The current most plausible theory is that a pipe broke in that corner of the room. There's been a puddle there since. My poor lappy is hanging in there, making all kinds of angry noises. I'll let you know if it makes it through to recovery.
...
We had our first faculty meeting for the elementary school today. The secondary school folk are supposed to be arriving tomorrow, insha'allah. I got two classrooms set up that I think will be mine - they were the science and math rooms last year. The math room is really pretty, but absolutely bare. The science room has about 20 posters of human eyes and the planets, and I think all of them are about a decade old at least. I brought a few with me, and I'm going to assign some projects in the first few weeks of school that involve making posters we can hang up. I've done a lot of independent work in the last week or two,
with the complete knowledge and dread that, when the appropriate authority figure arrives, I may have to throw it all out. On the plus side, I found an awesome kids' book of science experiments I can use, provided I can find some basic chemicals at the Acima...
Before the cannon-call, I put my computer in the corner on the floor, where I figured it would be out of the way. Here's the fun part: today, Candace discovered it in a pool of water.
It's a two-minute mystery. What happened? Go.
Well, actually I can't answer any questions, except that it has yet to precipitate, and the curtains weren't wet. The current most plausible theory is that a pipe broke in that corner of the room. There's been a puddle there since. My poor lappy is hanging in there, making all kinds of angry noises. I'll let you know if it makes it through to recovery.
...
We had our first faculty meeting for the elementary school today. The secondary school folk are supposed to be arriving tomorrow, insha'allah. I got two classrooms set up that I think will be mine - they were the science and math rooms last year. The math room is really pretty, but absolutely bare. The science room has about 20 posters of human eyes and the planets, and I think all of them are about a decade old at least. I brought a few with me, and I'm going to assign some projects in the first few weeks of school that involve making posters we can hang up. I've done a lot of independent work in the last week or two,
with the complete knowledge and dread that, when the appropriate authority figure arrives, I may have to throw it all out. On the plus side, I found an awesome kids' book of science experiments I can use, provided I can find some basic chemicals at the Acima...
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