Seb and School

Ever since school started, I feel like I haven't had much time to breathe, not that that's a bad thing. I started with three difference classes and coincidentally three different subjects: 6e earth/life science, 5e math, and 4e physics/chemistry. Those 12 hours a week were plenty to keep me occupied, especially since I, unlike most Burkinabe teachers, give more than two tests per trimester; I like to give at least three and I often grade a minimum of two homework assignements. With 130 in 6e, 105ish in 5e, and 61 in 4e, I've got my work cut out for me. No worries though. Teaching is coming along much more smoothly this year; it's already a habit, almost natural. And thankfully, my discipline has improved, including my ability to think on my feet when a student misbehaves in class. My students are still a handful; however, so we'll have to wait and see what this year has in store for me. I'm not losing control without a fight, I can tell you that much!

Our English teacher was a trainee who missed the first week of classes (not abnormal here), then the second (still, not out of the ordinary), then around the third it was brought to our attention that he failed is instructional classes and would have to retake them this year. Translation: no English teacher. So, to make along story short, I took on 4e English, adding three hours to my schedule because there was no way I wanted five additonal hours with 6e, the youngest group who literally start talking 2 seconds after I've asked them to stop, we got a teacher from a neighboring town to teach 3e and 6e, and my neighbor who works at the mayor's office in town took 5e (He taught English at a neighboring village last year, but they found a teacher for this year.) He's really quite good with the language. He understands some meanings and uses better than I do! I'll have to work on that.

Last week I made a trek to Ouaga, yes a trek, and it started out badly. Last Tuesday I taught for 5 hours in the morning and was planning on leaving that afternoon for our neighboring town, to spend the night with a Burkinabe friend/second or third mom and to continue on to Ouaga the following morning. Well, all that did happen as planned, but the entire mood was changed. I got a call from our directrice during my final hour and final class of the day. Not ordinary, not good in this case. Our secondary education Area Placement Country Director-I think that's what it stands for-(APCD), Sebraogo Kiedrabago, aka Seb, who had been battling colon cancer and just came back to work two weeks before hit a fall for the worse again and passed away Monday evening, the 25th of October, 2 days before his 40th birthday, leaving behind his wife and 2 young kids. I can't express how sad and gutwrenchingly awful this is. This man was amazing: he treated everyone with genuine respect, love, and care. He followed up. He smiled a lot. He was low-key and honest and kind. He didn't fit the Burkinabe male stereotype at all. He was a great person. No, he was an exceptional person. He will be greatly missed and I'm sorry the new volunteers never got the chance to know him. I'm sorry a lot of people never got the chance to know him.

Thankfully, I had the chance to visit and pay respects to Seb's wife (sorry, I don't know her name) with my fellow Peer Support and Diversity Network volunteers on Saturday morning. I spoke on behalf of everyone after we arrived and shared words and thoughts from my heart. The driver who went with us also shared some extremely kind words. So sad.

My trip to Ouaga went okay overall. I did get a cold probably from the weather changes and Ouaga dust/pollution that I'm getting over now. I also had some fun GI issues again and I'm not sure exactly why, but such is life here, at least for me. But not to worry, I'm tough, I'm used to it, I can handle it.

Until next time.