Letter No. 9, January 29, 2003

Dear Fam,

Another couple of weeks pass, and it's time to write another group letter. Lots has been going on here - the most important of which being that school opened three week ago, and I'm finally beginning to teach. My Form 2 classes are big, 45 students each, with another 10-12 students on the way for each class. Form 1 is still really small though 26, and it probably won't even be broken up into two streams until close to the end of the term. It's going to be hard work getting everyone on the same page, especially in Form 2. Over half the syllabus for Form 1 was not taught last year.

I am finding that I {really} really like teaching so far though. It probably helps that these students are all so well behaved compared to American students. It makes sense though, so many of their fates are decided by how well you do on these tests/exams. If you don't pass, you pack your bags and go home, no passing onto the next level. What's sad is that so many of them don't pass as well. Personally, I think most of this has to do with being taught in a foreign language. Back to my enjoyment of teaching though, I had to admit that I was a bit nervous about teaching. This is a hell of a way to get my feet wet as well with three weeks training last fall, that's it. NOW though, I'm not even certain as to what I was all that nervous about. It's so exciting to spend a lot of time explaining something, waiting to see if they get the concept, and seeing if a light bulb goes off when it clicks all of a sudden. I surprised myself the first time I heard myself yell out loud "YES!" When after three days of teaching something one of my students finally gives me the answer I'm looking for - For me it means two things - they're learning and I also I didn't do too bad of a job teaching it.

I have to smile when I think back to the outbursts MR SIMPSON (My MATH teacher at Dunsmuir High School) would make, jumping up, throwing down his pencil, and putting his hands to his head. - I think I now have a glimpse at the excitment and sense of accomplishment he might have been feeling........A personal thank you!

I have to laugh and tell myself to take it slow though, it's only been three weeks!

The other thing that's been going on at my school is, well politics. It seems that some disgruntled workers/teachers decided to write a letter to the PRESIDENT MKAPA, accusing our Mkuu(HEAD MISTRESS) of all types of things, including embezzlement, unfair treatment, etc. What's more is that the person signed the letter " Workers of the NDWIKA secondary school", not even having the guts to their own name on it. Well, I'm not certain what the mystery writer wanted to achieve by writing the President of the country - I don't think our Mr. Bush would have much time to think about any of our high schools individually, but apparently someone did this last year as well. We just got finished with an audit last June or July and, apparently they didn't find anything. This was also how some people here {did} manage to get rid of the previous Mkuu(Headmistress) three years ago, but this time around, they're likely to just shift some teachers around, trying to move whoever is upset. Well, it's all politics, and I'm just glad I haven't been here long enough to know anything for certain one way or another. There's a meeting on Friday at which, I'll probably find out more info.

I made the bike trek to Newala again last weekend to bring Fred some PC Biology books the volunteer before had left. Turns out that it's a good 35 kilometers each way, not 25 like I had thought. I broke it up into two days though this time, so I wasn't so sore. Nice to hang out with a veteran teacher/American that speaks English to compare notes with(he taught for 4 years in Indiana before coming here). It was also nice to get treated to chocolate cake and French toast! Eggs are nonexistent right now at my site as we just got through the dry season, where all the chickens die eating too much dust. So yeah!. protein in the form of eggs is something special now. I have to laugh at that!

I'll be in Mtwara the 14 -16th of February, where I can get a lot of those "treat" types of things, and there is email/cellphone coverage!.

Love Jessica.

P.S. A note from Mum here in Dunsmuir CA, we did manage to get thru briefly to Jessica today, she's happy and excited about her teaching and life in general, and feeling better after a little virus, that's now gone away..... her new wish list if anyone would like to send her something...AA Batteries for her graphing calculator. Protein Powder, Dried Eggs. Dried Jerky Meat/fish....She seems to need Protein, she gets lots of beans/cashews/nuts! Of course! you all know that she's just happy as a clam, to get word from anyone that would just like to write a note or send her a magazine/newspaper/ postcard/letter/ tape.... On talking to her, no stress, worries on evac...if war happens, they take little notice of her being American, only that she's a teacher, which is held in very high regard. Message and feelings to me is she's very safe...safer maybe than we are..... I also have a friend/contact who works for the UN who is now in Arusha Tanzania....knows and has met Jessica......reassured they will pull the PC out if anything gets too overheated. So to all her family and friends, keep writing and sending her care packages she loves and thinks about you all often. She has an amazing spirit in these times of uncertain unrest. God bless and safe keeping to you all....................

Love Jayne and Jessica Bruck.x