Ibitenge designs which my Senior two math class made as part of our chapter on symmetries. They're especially fond of reflections :)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Ibitenge Designs
Ibitenge designs which my Senior two math class made as part of our chapter on symmetries. They're especially fond of reflections :)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Moving on
I was reflecting with one of my fellow volunteers yesterday on the day when we flew into Rwanda. After more than 24 hours on a plane, we were on the last leg of the journey, about to land in Entebbe, Uganda for a quick stop and then on to Kigali. As the plane descended below the clouds, a view of green banana trees, rolling hills, and Lake Victoria greeted us. Joanna and I looked at each other and practically squealed. The anticipation and excitement was almost too much to contain. But looking back, those two girls looking out the plane window seem like people from a different era. Could that really have been me, that person who almost couldn’t believe that she was on a plane about to land in Africa?!
One of the main reasons why I have always felt a tugging towards Africa was that I wanted to see what it was like to live in a place with problems and customs and world-views that are different from those in America. I felt as though I couldn’t ever live at peace in the States without feeling as though I had a legitimate understanding of what goes on outside the bubble. For me, that took living abroad. And so, when I reflect over the whole year, the overcoming of the bean obstacles, the 5 hour meeting obstacles, and the lack-of-customer-service obstacles, I feel like they all add up to one overarching accomplishment: Africa feels like home.
When I performed the traditional Rwandan dances with my students a few weeks ago, it almost felt like an initiation. Afterwards, all the teachers and students told me with large grins: “Now you are umurwandakazi, a Rwandan.” And I definitely feel like one. I walk the streets with a grocery bag full of food for my dinner; food that I got at a good price because I bargained for it in Kinyarwanda. I get knocks on the door at 7 in the morning from someone who came to greet me, because they are my friend. When I try to run an errand and the shop is closed in the middle of the day on a weekday, and then I come back the next day and the computer system is down, and then I come back the next day and the man with the key is nowhere to be found, I roll my eyes. C’est la vie Afrique.
Flying back over Uganda in January, I will again be excited to look out the plane window and see the green landscape. But just like in a relationship, what is exciting at first because it is new, eventually turns into something deeper and more meaningful. A year later, my excitement will come from meeting up with something familiar.
One of the main reasons why I have always felt a tugging towards Africa was that I wanted to see what it was like to live in a place with problems and customs and world-views that are different from those in America. I felt as though I couldn’t ever live at peace in the States without feeling as though I had a legitimate understanding of what goes on outside the bubble. For me, that took living abroad. And so, when I reflect over the whole year, the overcoming of the bean obstacles, the 5 hour meeting obstacles, and the lack-of-customer-service obstacles, I feel like they all add up to one overarching accomplishment: Africa feels like home.
When I performed the traditional Rwandan dances with my students a few weeks ago, it almost felt like an initiation. Afterwards, all the teachers and students told me with large grins: “Now you are umurwandakazi, a Rwandan.” And I definitely feel like one. I walk the streets with a grocery bag full of food for my dinner; food that I got at a good price because I bargained for it in Kinyarwanda. I get knocks on the door at 7 in the morning from someone who came to greet me, because they are my friend. When I try to run an errand and the shop is closed in the middle of the day on a weekday, and then I come back the next day and the computer system is down, and then I come back the next day and the man with the key is nowhere to be found, I roll my eyes. C’est la vie Afrique.
Flying back over Uganda in January, I will again be excited to look out the plane window and see the green landscape. But just like in a relationship, what is exciting at first because it is new, eventually turns into something deeper and more meaningful. A year later, my excitement will come from meeting up with something familiar.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Its hard to believe, but we are coming to the end of our year with WorldTeach. This weekend we had our End of Service Conference and I think we all started to more fully realize how hard the end will hit us. We are all getting ready to head in different directions, some off to travel for a few weeks, some home to find jobs, some returning to Rwanda, and others to other foreign teaching jobs. For financial reasons, the WorldTeach Rwanda program will not be around next year, (although it should be up and running again in 2012), and so none of us will be staying on with the program. Despite this, close to half our group has decided to return to Rwanda next year. Some are moving to Kigali to work at a private school managed by Westerners which also teaches English to local businesses and organizations.
I will be returning to Michigan at the beginning of November to spend the holidays there and in January, will return to teach at INES Ruhengeri, a college in Musanze which focuses on Statistics and Economics and more specific fields such as Land Survey. I'm looking forward to teaching at the more advanced level, to living close to a market, and to visiting my students up at Rwaza. Two other members of our group may also work at INES with me.
But for now, I'm trying to not think too hard about what's ahead of me after the next few weeks and focus on enjoying the remaining time with my students and the WT group, and plugging away at the last stacks of ungraded exams.
I will be returning to Michigan at the beginning of November to spend the holidays there and in January, will return to teach at INES Ruhengeri, a college in Musanze which focuses on Statistics and Economics and more specific fields such as Land Survey. I'm looking forward to teaching at the more advanced level, to living close to a market, and to visiting my students up at Rwaza. Two other members of our group may also work at INES with me.
But for now, I'm trying to not think too hard about what's ahead of me after the next few weeks and focus on enjoying the remaining time with my students and the WT group, and plugging away at the last stacks of ungraded exams.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Projects
A few projects I'm working on:
Igitenge Designs
My senior 2 math class learned about transformations and rotational and reflective symmetry a few weeks ago. Since the fabric that they all wear here is full of symmetry, I had them bring their own in and find the symmetries in them. They were so excited about it that I decided to have them design their own. So I got some old cardboard boxes from a store in Kigali and cut them up and got fabric scraps from the tailor. The students drew their own designs and recorded all of the transformations in them. Now they are cutting out the shapes from the fabric and pasting them onto the cardboard. Some of them are really well done. Next week we're going to have a "show" and display them for the other teachers and students. I'll post pictures when they're finished.
Graphing Calculators
Much thanks to all of you who have donated old graphing calculators! I have been teaching the teachers how to use them with the ones that I have and thanks to a generous donor through a WWU connection, there is a classroom set on their way so that the teachers can use them in class. I'm working on a handbook on how to use the calculators and sample exercises involving them to put in the library.
Discussions
I've been helping out a little bit with the new English club at school and we've discussed the Maya Angelou poem "Africa" (see below). Also, my colleague Emma, who works at a school in Musanze has been having discussions groups with some of her students. I've been going down for them and helping run the discussion. Some of the papers and literature that we've discussed: The Milgram Experiments, the Stanford Experiments, e e cummings poetry, and a report on the science of love. It's been fun talking with the students about something besides just math. I've definitely gotten a better idea of some of the backgrounds and worldviews of the students.
Africa (Maya Angelou)
Thus she had lain
sugar cane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breasts
two Niles her tears
Thus she has lain
Black through the years.
Over the white seas
rime white and cold
brigands ungentled
icicle bold
took her young daughters
sold her strong sons
churched her with jesus
bled her with guns.
Thus she has lain.
Now she is rising
remember her pain
remember the losses
her screams loud and vain
remember her riches
her history slain
now she is striding
although she had lain.
Igitenge Designs
My senior 2 math class learned about transformations and rotational and reflective symmetry a few weeks ago. Since the fabric that they all wear here is full of symmetry, I had them bring their own in and find the symmetries in them. They were so excited about it that I decided to have them design their own. So I got some old cardboard boxes from a store in Kigali and cut them up and got fabric scraps from the tailor. The students drew their own designs and recorded all of the transformations in them. Now they are cutting out the shapes from the fabric and pasting them onto the cardboard. Some of them are really well done. Next week we're going to have a "show" and display them for the other teachers and students. I'll post pictures when they're finished.
Graphing Calculators
Much thanks to all of you who have donated old graphing calculators! I have been teaching the teachers how to use them with the ones that I have and thanks to a generous donor through a WWU connection, there is a classroom set on their way so that the teachers can use them in class. I'm working on a handbook on how to use the calculators and sample exercises involving them to put in the library.
Discussions
I've been helping out a little bit with the new English club at school and we've discussed the Maya Angelou poem "Africa" (see below). Also, my colleague Emma, who works at a school in Musanze has been having discussions groups with some of her students. I've been going down for them and helping run the discussion. Some of the papers and literature that we've discussed: The Milgram Experiments, the Stanford Experiments, e e cummings poetry, and a report on the science of love. It's been fun talking with the students about something besides just math. I've definitely gotten a better idea of some of the backgrounds and worldviews of the students.
Africa (Maya Angelou)
Thus she had lain
sugar cane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breasts
two Niles her tears
Thus she has lain
Black through the years.
Over the white seas
rime white and cold
brigands ungentled
icicle bold
took her young daughters
sold her strong sons
churched her with jesus
bled her with guns.
Thus she has lain.
Now she is rising
remember her pain
remember the losses
her screams loud and vain
remember her riches
her history slain
now she is striding
although she had lain.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Peace Day
A Day of "Solid"arityAfter our peace lesson on Tuesday was math. The lesson was on solids and I had them cut sectors out of paper and make them into cones. From the dimensions of the sector, they calculated the radius of the base and cut it out. But by the end of class, they were all wearing the cones on their heads. It was so funny to see 45 cone heads that I went and grabbed my camera for a picture. Note the peace signs.
This Tuesday, Sept. 21st, was International Peace Day. The African Union declared that this year would be a “Year of Peace and Security in Africa.” It’s supposed to be a time of reviewing and strengthening peace initiatives on the continent. As part of this, most schools set aside time to have a lesson on Peace. At our school, we were given a lesson plan (I’m almost positive it was written in America), and each class was assigned a teacher to give them the lesson. I was given my Senior 1 class. Since the lesson was a bit too heavy with political and social development language for 12 and 13 year olds, I decided to just give them some questions to discuss in groups. Here are some of the questions we talked about:
What are some examples of times or places without peace? Do you believe that there will be a time when there is Peace all over the world? What would have to happen to bring about peace? Who are some famous people who have fought for peace? What do you think about the following statement: “Peace is not achieved through a few large acts, but through many, many small actions.”
One student raised her hand and said: “when there is peace, everyone will be rich.”
“Well, maybe not rich, but no one will be in need of money,” I responded.
“No Teacher, everyone will be rich in spirit.”
After the discussion, I wrote up some of the lyrics to “Imagine” and we listened to the song several times. By the end of the second repeat, they were all singing along or swaying in their seats. Here’s what they were singing:
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
No Religion too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world.
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one.
I started tearing up listening to them: Every single one of them had written down Rwanda 1994 as an example of a time without peace, but only two people said that they thought world peace was impossible.
Of Mice and Lizard
Monday evening, I was walking around my house barefoot, putting some things away in my “kitchen.” Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something scurrying from one corner of the room to the other. “Must be time to mop the floors,” I thought. Every once in awhile, if I go too long without cleaning the floors, a little mouse shows up to sneak crumbs. Sometimes he turns up in the bedroom, sometimes in the backroom where I cook. I don’t have a table to cook on, so my hot plate sits on the ground and sometimes I miss some of the splattered food when I clean up the floor around the hot plate. He’s just a tiny little thing, two and a half inches long and an inch and a half high. He always keeps near the walls and runs away if I make any movement. Since his visits are infrequent and only after 9 at night, I let him take what he wants, making sure to mop the floors the next day so they’re not as inviting the next night.
Even though he keeps to himself, I didn’t want to risk him running over my toes as I was walking around, so I decided to slip on my tennis shoes. Stepping on the heel, I just put them on part way and continued getting ready for bed. But a few minutes later I felt something on my toe. I thought maybe there was a leaf in the bottom of it, or possibly a cricket. So I pulled my foot out of the shoe to check it out. Immediately a big green lizard scrambled out. He ran right into the kitchen and straight into the mouse. I heard a squeak and some rustling under my pile of grocery bags then saw a small furry streak head towards one corner and a long green one into the opposite one. Not wanting to deal with it, I shut the door on them and went to bed knowing they’d find their way outside by morning.
When I woke up the next day, I opened the door and saw the lizard curled up in a corner of the room sleeping. The mouse, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. A few hours later, when I went to dump out my dirty dishwater, I noticed that the lizard had gone. But as I was emptying my water outside, I saw something dark floating at the bottom. At first I thought it was part of an onion peel, but as the water drained out, I realized that it was the mouse! I have no idea how he got into my dish water, as the lip is a good 7 inches off the ground and it wasn’t sitting against a wall. I think I’m going to miss the poor little guy. But at least he had a good last meal…I had made spaghetti that night.
Even though he keeps to himself, I didn’t want to risk him running over my toes as I was walking around, so I decided to slip on my tennis shoes. Stepping on the heel, I just put them on part way and continued getting ready for bed. But a few minutes later I felt something on my toe. I thought maybe there was a leaf in the bottom of it, or possibly a cricket. So I pulled my foot out of the shoe to check it out. Immediately a big green lizard scrambled out. He ran right into the kitchen and straight into the mouse. I heard a squeak and some rustling under my pile of grocery bags then saw a small furry streak head towards one corner and a long green one into the opposite one. Not wanting to deal with it, I shut the door on them and went to bed knowing they’d find their way outside by morning.
When I woke up the next day, I opened the door and saw the lizard curled up in a corner of the room sleeping. The mouse, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. A few hours later, when I went to dump out my dirty dishwater, I noticed that the lizard had gone. But as I was emptying my water outside, I saw something dark floating at the bottom. At first I thought it was part of an onion peel, but as the water drained out, I realized that it was the mouse! I have no idea how he got into my dish water, as the lip is a good 7 inches off the ground and it wasn’t sitting against a wall. I think I’m going to miss the poor little guy. But at least he had a good last meal…I had made spaghetti that night.
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