We had class again today and these students are just delightful. The communication issue is always going to be there. For one, when I ask them a direct questions often they reply by raising their eyebrows, sometimes not by all that much. If I had not seen this over the past month I would just assume I am spitting in the wind, or not getting through. I usually ask, is that yes? no? or maybe? ........ the students? Let me tell you a few things I have learned here. There have never been quieter students in any classroom I have ever seen. These kids come almost to attention as a Lecturer walks in the room, I observed other classes today and they sit there......waiting. I have attempted to make my lectures have a bit of humour in them but fear that it might somehow get lost. Some of the kids are trying to smile back at me now but for the most part they are just sitting there. Now at the end of the lecture I start a ten minute question and answer period and without exception they can repeat back to me all that I was saying. If not? I would assume that I was wasting there time and mine. They are a great bunch, don't get me wrong. They are just amazingly serious and quiet. They speak in the softest tones which always requires me to move forward and ask them to repeat. American Professor's ........read and weep. There are teachers in Viet Nam who would die for such a classroom. They are engaged but they are quiet. It is refreshing but at times almost a bit scary.
Hotter than Hell in Lira and the Mosquito's are out in full force. We have not had any power at all for almost 36 hours. I am online because of a local woman smart enough to put in solar power that charged my mac in about 3 hours ....... the internet is fast but not always here. I was sailing on high street all of last week and thought I had fallen into the garden of eden but this lack of power, the fact that my hair must look like something from a freak show (thankfully no mirror) and the fact that I haven't felt actually clean in days is a bit of a damper on the spirits. It is humid and hot, not a scorching hot but a all encompassing I have no way to escape this hot. Last night with no power I managed to get a dim light from my PC issued solar lamp and found the PC issued mosquito net, I've been using the fan but this wasn't going to make it with no power. The mosquito net was reminiscent of Calcutta in the 70's, by the 80's are mosquito nets felt less like brillo pads and more like something that could let air move. I laid there counting mosquitos and sheep thinking that if I could make it though last night I could probably make it through anything. Half way through my painfully long night I realised that most of the population of Lira is not waiting for the power to come on at all, they are not waiting for the fan to cool them off, they aren't waiting for hot water, or gas to make it to town. Even in my homestay we did not have such luxuries. I realised that I was being a spoiled American longing for an ice cube in the middle of the desert. If I have found myself all the way to Arica might as well adjust to the pulsating ever present heat, or call Dr. Sekenoy to see if electricity and the power supply is number 21 on his list in that he fails to list anything.
Class today and then a bit of an escape. They actually had a generator at the university today. It sounds like the old diesel one that we had in Cal. I sat in on the other lecturer's presentation, it was on pharmacology and he did a very good presentation and also used a power point. He also is very nice but soft spoken and I took a seat back with the students. If ANYONE could hear him I wonder where they were sitting. Meanwhile they participated as softly and with the same deference to him that I have received. Just nice, respectful kids. Every now and then someone just breaks out and smiles and I know that I am getting through. I asked them today if I can take their picture in class, I passed around a paper giving me permission and told them they are free to opt out if they so desire but they all seemed very eager to be photographed. Lovely bunch of kids, I mean, come on what's a few mosquito's and stifling heat?
