Farewell Grade 10 (10-3)

Friday was the farewell party for grade 10. For the event, we each—teachers and learners—paid N$80/$5 to pay for the food. Grade 10 learners were allowed to wear their casual clothes (not uniforms) and have cell phones (which are prohibited in schools).

For the occasion I bought my Owambo traditional dress. Wilhelmina had been saying I need to have one before I leave, and I’d been looking at them. So this seemed to be the right time to make the purchase. Last Friday we went to the open market to do that. She insisted that she go with me, which I was happy about, to make sure that I buy a good one and get a good price, since the price would be higher for me than for her. She was correct about that. When we were there with Kate, I’d asked the price of a dress and was told N$300. Wilhelmina was told N$250 and arranged for it to be N$200/$14, and that included taking it in a bit so it wouldn’t be quite so huge on me. They are meant to be large and are one size fits all, but I’m not as large as many local women; so having it taken in a couple inches was perfect.

I wore my new dress for the first time on party day, and it was a big hit. Teachers shook my hand and had me stand up so they could see it all. Learners told me I looked smart and looked like an African woman. They were clearly pleased that I have a traditional dress. Wilhelmina and Bertha also wore their traditional dresses; so, of course, we had a photo session. It was fun.

Learners except grade 10 had classes Friday morning and then were sent home so preparations could begin. The girls cooked while the boys hung out in my classroom, the party venue. Wilhelmina designated me as salad maker, since I don’t eat beef. I’m not sure how that connects, but I was happy go do it. I found myself missing communal music, even if it’s not my favorite, while preparing food, since people had their personal music on their cell phones.

At 4:00 we gathered in my rearranged classroom for a brief program that included several learners and teachers speaking briefly, ala graduation speeches. 

Then it was time to eat. The meal: boiled beef (chicken for me), potato salad (almost mashed with lots of mayonnaise), rice with a few mixed vegetables, macaroni, and green salad. I was a little surprised—but not greatly— to see that beer was served to the learners. Different culture. 

Several of the learners had told me that they wanted me to be there with my camera to take photos. So I walked around and took photos of those who wanted them while they ate. It was fun to see them as teenagers, not just as learners in the classroom.

After eating, teachers left so the learners could listen to music and dance for a while. At about 6:00 I was told I could go lock my classroom. I had told the teachers in charge that the desks needed to be put back in order. They weren’t, but the room was clean. Fortunately, there were still some learners who hadn’t left the school; so I yelled at them to come back. Mrs. Reinhold heard me and told them to return to arrange the desks. It took the four boys three minutes to do that. I really don’t understand why the teacher didn’t make sure that happened or why learners don’t think that it is part of cleaning up. That’s a cultural frustration for me.

So, they have had their farewell party. Now only the national exams are left. These will take place throughout October.

The other interesting occurrence this month was that my living stipend deposit was N$1800/$120 more than usual. When I mentioned this to Mrs. Reinhold and asked her to check with the ministry, she said she would not ask about it; if they made a mistake, they made a mistake. On Thursday we got the printout about our pay, and the extra amount was listed as a service bonus. When I told Mrs. Reinhold about this, she asked if I had had a birthday this month. In your birth month, the government gives a bonus—usually equivalent to the salary, but mine was only a 70% increase. No complaints there.

The other event of note is that, as of Saturday, I now have 100% control over lights in my rooms. Kowmongwa’s son installed more switches so they can turn off more lights and the one in my rooms and their room is now separate. I noticed that half of the lights outside are no longer on all the time as well as the one in the room with the controls. In the long run, this will save electricity—and money for them. The next day I turned the lights on in the afternoon just for fun. Having control over the lights is still a thrill.

Other than that, it’s been a pretty uneventful month. I continue to enjoy the red sun at sunset most evenings. As the spring solstice has passed, I enjoy having longer daylight. It’s now light until about 7:15, which means I can shower with some natural light to supplement the flashlight. Since it’s hotter, I can sometimes wash without heating the water, as solar heat is adequate. Hot temperatures also mean the afternoons are hot—mid-to high-90s. Nights are now in the high 60s; so I no longer need a blanket. The times are a-changing.

                                              

Some of the grade 10 girls have taken to hanging out with me after classes, which has been fun.

The school is ordering new textbooks for next year. When I noticed that the number being ordered is the same as the number of learners in classes this year, I suggested ordering several more in case next year’s classes are larger. Wilhelmina explained that, if that’s the case, they will order more books for the following year, as the government’s policy is to order books based on the current class numbers. So, if the classes next year are larger than this year’s classes, some learners won’t have books.

A potential national teachers’ strike has been the news at school for a couple weeks. The government offered a 5% increase; the union wanted 8%. So the teachers union voted to strike. 75% of those eligible voted; of those, 95% voted to strike. This resulted in further negotiations between the union and the government. They were setting out the conditions of the strike—pay or no pay for strikers, what happens to classes during the strike among other things. As of Friday, the government has one more week to settle before there’s a strike. A couple of the teachers told me that they really don’t want a strike even though they voted for it; they want to government to agree to the higher salary increase without a strike. A neighbor girl who is in grade 11 at another school told me that teachers at her school are on strike. They are in school, but they go to classes only to greet the learners. Then they leave. The learners have been told to study on their own.

Most of the older chicks have been sold. There are new little ones, but they stay outside the wall. I miss seeing them running around.

My ballot for the election arrived by email this week. Saturday I went to the post office in town to mail it to Nebraska. There’s a website I can check to see when it arrives.