For Grandma

I would like to take a moment to remember my grandmother, Billie R. Buccigrossi. She passed away October 14, 2009. I know that she is happy with the life she was given. She lived happily with my grandfather, Frank, and her children, grand children, and great grand children. She lived a good life and always wanted the best for everyone. She loves her family unconditionally and put their health and happiness first.

I have a lot of good memories with my grandma, she'd always make the best apple crisp and no-bake cookies (and not just for anyone...sorry Val, lol), she drove on so many of my class field trips in school. During summer vacations, she'd have to deal with me and Samantha and all the trouble we'd get into, but she was never mad for long (even if we did throw rocks at cars or spray strangers with the water hose and run). She'd give us a dollar to spend at Ritzman's pharmacy, looking back it seems like that dollar bought us a months worth of candy. I think I'll always remember her as my redheaded grandma who we loved to visit.

I can't help but feel that she's gone too soon, too suddenly, and with that the world seems emptier. She'll be missed and will remain in our thoughts everyday. We love you grandma!

The Streets Don't Change, but Maybe the Name

A long time has passed since I've written a post, almost 4 months. For the first month of this break I was back in the first world. I had a good time there, I didn't have a big culture shock or readjustment trouble. In fact, I fit right back in like I never left. I had built up America so much in my year away that when I finally got there I remembered, "oh ya, this is the way I lived before." then I simply got on with my vacation and had a many good times. Then I came back to Cameroon and it wasn't too difficult to readjust here either.

I think it would be best to just call the other months I didn't post "the mysterious summer of 09'". I say that because, truly, it was an uneventful period of time and I would like you to think something important was accompolished. Now, I have one week before school starts back up. I'll be teaching some classes at the high school and then some others at the school that trains future primary school teachers (L'eniege in French, there's no easy word that translates directly to English...or I'm just not aware of it).

I'm looking forward to starting back to work. I think the Eniege is going to be a better place to work (even though it still puts on an air of a one way street admin). I'll still have to put up with the kids this year too, but I feel better equipped to handle them. I'll be working this week to prepare for the school year. Preparing is a priority this year, let's hope it stays that way.

The dog is doing well, although he misses his friend Honey. He's grown a lot, I don't think he's full grown yet, but pretty close. I think he weighs somewhere between 35 to 40lbs, could be more though. He was so excited to see me after a month that he couldn't help but pee on my leg a little when I got back.

I know that this isn't the most informative or well written post, but it was just hard to figure out where to start. I shouldn't have taken such a long hiatus. With 9 months left to go, I don't think I'll be taking too much time off the blog work. Also, if there is anyone with thoughts to come to Cameroon and hang out with me, I'd recommend getting in contact with me asap. However, I'll understand if you had thoughts about coming and then didn't act on them, this is not the ideal vaca spot.

All the best!

All the Disorder

Last week was it, I gave my last test, graded them, filled out report cards, and gave the tests back to the students today. As always, I was bombarded with students saying "Sir, please sir..". Most of the time it is because they do not understand how they got their grade or they have changed their answer and expect me to change their grade. I imagine that some of them are being truthful about the answer and I look at the test, but after so many I get annoyed and ask them if they would prefer to have a zero instead of the 15/20 they recieved. For the most part, that doesn't clear them out until I get out my grade book and start acting like I'm changing grades. It seems cruel I know, but I think cruelty is allowed on my part. My cruelty is minor compared to what I went through the entire year.

As I think about the past year, I can only seem to remember the classes where I never got anything accomplished. Most of the year was trying to keep order in the classroom, I'm not sure that was ever accomplished. When I had site visits from Peace Corps Admin there was order, mainly because I told the students that if they misbehave I will be sent to another town and they will have no English teacher. Ha ha...little two faced punks. I call them two faced because, well, they are. In larges groups they don't listen, don't understand, talk to each other, hit each other, who knows what else. In smaller groups or when another teacher/admin enters their presence, halos are visible over their heads and you can hear a pin drop in the silence of the overcroweded classroom. As the new teacher, I was subject to more of their uhm...let's say unangelic side.

From January until the end of March, the library was in use daily. It was somewhat organized and made sense, students were borrowing books and bringing them back. However, with the advice of the vice principal I stopped loaning books before spring break. Why you ask? Mainly because it is too close to the end of the year and students would keep the books for themselves and they would never be seen again. At least that was the VP's reasoning. Now, the library is still somewhat organized, there are now a couple of computers that the admin was hiding somewhere. I suppose it's a good starting point for next year. I am trying to write a Peace Corps Partnership to get some money to buy books, chairs, tables, shelves, paint, more light fixtures, and computer desks.

The one thing I don't want to be is a babysitter for the library or a discipline agent for the classroom. I think that is one reason why this proposal writing has been delayed so much (by me). The other reason is probably as simple as I wanted to do something else. It's a lame reason, but it's the truth. I had 4 jobs in the states before I came here, and I feel like I do more here than I was doing then (and I don't do much here, lol. I'm not sure what that says about those jobs or this one, but I'm just keepin it real).

I plan on working less teaching hours at the lycee next year because I would like to teach at the teachers training school and perhaps work with some other NGO's teaching an English class. It's possible that I could have the same results this time next year or I could be successful. It all falls on my shoulders really. I think the one thing I need to start doing more of is planning, I've pretty much flown by the seat of my pants since I started teaching (sorry Dylanna, lol). I think maybe I've lived a little too long with the "whatever happens, happens" attitude and maybe it's time to change that. Should I set goals and try to reach them? It seemed to have worked out the other times I've done that, making the Dean's list every semester for two and half years, finishing my last semester in college with a 3.9gpa, and raising my cumulative gpa out of the gutter.

I've practically started my summer vacation already. It will be a fun time I'm sure. I honestly feel like my time here is almost up, even though I still have a year to go. I suppose I have some time to figure things out now that all the disorder is over.

(Check the photo page for some pics of the library and lycee)

Just a Little More

Now that spring break is over, I am on the last leg of teaching. The school system here is seperated into trimesters and those are then seperated into sequences that are 6 weeks long. But, in reality, they are not 6 weeks long. The vacations and holidays take away most of the time and let's not forget the inefficency of the system itself. The sixth sequence for me is actually only 3 weeks long, 2 weeks of review and then a test the following week.

However, for me, 3 weeks is too long. I'm looking forward to the U.S., I can't believe it's almost been a year already.

I really don't have too much to write about...I think the dog is pretty much house trained now (at least at my house he is) and I've been able to make my house look like someone lives here and is comfortable. Recently we've discovered a restraunt that makes pizza (and it's good but expensive).

The rainy season finally started, which was great for a day when all the dust changed to mud. Now, when it rains you are pretty much trapped where ever you may be when it starts. That's mostly been at my own home, but i'm sure it there will be other places. When a big storm comes in they usually cut the power, and that happens just about everyday. I can travel now and my skin won't turn orange, but the road can be treacherous at points and you think you are going to die. They stack things so high on the bush taxi's you think you're going to tip over. They already have a high center of gravity, but all you can do is laugh about it, otherwise you probably shouldn't be here.

I'll write again soon, maybe with something a little less boring.