I was just informed this morning that i’m going to a teacher’s workshop in Hlotse tomorrow. Thanks for the warning, guys! I had already asked for Friday off, and now my kids will be missing two days of classes as I won’t be available. I’m giving them work to do but it’s still more or less a couple of wasted days. Ugh. The workshop shouldn’t be a total waste of time, though. I really hope to learn some things while i’m there…plus the school provides transport and 30rand for lunch. Sweet.
I have a couple HS students that I have arranged to go to a Peace Corps Diversity Camp in Maseru this weekend. They approached me today and asked what time we are leaving tomorrow…I explained that they would be going without me and they froze up. Crap. It had never crossed my mind that this would be an issue, but they were not at all comfortable with the idea of traveling by themselves to Maseru. “You’ll be fine!” I told them, “It will be an adventure, you’ll get to travel all on your own, no supervision! Buy a doughnut or something on the way…go crazy!” As is the norm, they stared back at me blankly. My sense of humor is always lost in Lesotho. The real irony is that both of these students, at 22 and 24, are older than me, and here I was, trying to convince them that they are adults capable of going on this trip by themselves. Eventually, they admitted they would be okay. It’s hard to judge sometimes, but my hope is that it was mostly just that they had the expectation of traveling with me, and were a little caught off guard at the notion of traveling by themselves.
I’ve also been giving a particular student a list of English vocab to study up on. She asked me a few weeks ago if there was anything I could do to help her. I don’t have time to tutor her, so i’ve been making a list of 10 vocab words with sentences every week. She’s been really good about asking me for the list on mondays, but this week she didn’t ask until today, so I need to get that done on top of preparations for the workshop, making sure the camp kids are ready to go, and preparing for my hiking trip on Friday. Ugh.
It’s the little things in Lesotho that add up and make me stress. The big things can slide right off my shoulders, excused away, or sometimes welcomed by the idea that I’m in the Peace Corps, what else should I expect? Of course there will be challenges! The little things, though, I can’t will away so easily. They stick, and little by little, I can start to feel their weight on my shoulders.
I see this weekend’s hike as a sweet and welcome reward. I really can’t wait. I’ll have the sun, the mountains, the water and my friends. The fresh, cool Lesotho breeze will be tossing at my hair while my feet take just me to my destination. The little things of the last few weeks will lift off my shoulders…peeling away from my skin like the layers of an onion. I can forget all about the small stuff.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG, Ryan. I had the same thing happen to me! i was informed tuesday that there was a maths workshop in Hlotse today that I had to go to. I scrambled last night to get notes prepared for my classes to copy and woke up extra early this morning to get there in time.
Turns out the workshop was at 2 pm – not 9 am! so I basically spent about 10 hours total either traveling to, waiting for, or sitting in on this workshop (which I can safely say was a waste of time itself)… and unnecessarily missed all my classes for the day.
I should be mad and think its absolute crap, but TIPC! I should’ve expected it
Hope your workshop goes better tomorrow! and have fun with the hike! Don’t know what your hiking plans are exactly, but are you going to be able to make it to Adam’s saturday?
Ryan, you never seem to stress. What’s up with that? Make lists, and get organized to plan for the unexpected. Like me…LOL Have fun hiking. I am so jealous. The closest Noah and I get to a hike is waliking the dogs. Love you…
Ryan, I’m not at alll sure about this hiking stuff. How do you fend off the tigers, does the school provide you with beaters for the trip or do you try to look untasty. This worries me.
Uncle Bubba is a riot:) I laughed so hard when I read that. I could just hear the words coming out of his mouth. Hope you had fun.
wow..the wonders of the Internet…I just talked to the teacher at lunch and we discussed options….just got on to print up pictures for your pen pal class (we have a color printer) and you had updated your page…the world is only seconds away. ESP!! Ryan, you have not chosen the easy route: trying to make an impact is never easy…I am sure you are achieving a lot of things that you do not even comprehend a this time…..My very best regards
Your “OLD” (you mean past..not age right? ; }) school counselor, 4H leader and friend
Hope you’re having fun!! Today in school these people from an organization called invisible children. In Uganda there are children getting abducted and forced into an army, just letting you know, go to invisiblechildren.com it is sad, please, I donated and you may not be able to do anything but please watch. Thanks and stay strong.