After a good night's sleep and filling breakfast, I was ready to "hit it" again. The first order of business was to locate the solar panels on one section of roof, and have Justin explain this system. There are two more panels waiting to be installed, but the metal frames that will attach them to the roof are still on order. Nothing much happens quickly around here. The batteries are still in their shipping boxes until a safe place can be constructed or determined for them to be set up and made operational. This process is taking a lot longer than I had hoped, but we have made a start. The photo below shows the solar panels and the Abukloi car - arabia - that was supplied by a generous donor.
Instead of student interviews, this morning I observed two new teachers, and boy! was I impressed. Yolanda and Daniel - pictured below - did an excellent job with their classes. They were animated, energetic, had good class control, good interaction with students, were well prepared - and they didn't know this was happening today, so it's not like they specially prepared a lesson for the visiting board member. Yolanda, 23, and Daniel, 35, replaced two veteran teachers who we hated to lose, but they are fine teachers, themselves, and I hope we can hold on to them.
There is a photo below of three girls wearing Abukloi t-shirts in three different colors. The students still wear uniforms three days of the week, but Thursdays and Fridays they can dress down - sort of like "casual Friday, when my husband doesn't have to wear a tie. The students love the shirts!
After lunch, Justin and I drove to Rumbek University, where we had an appointment with representatives of the Education Department, to discuss the possibility of a partnership between our two schools in providing a science lab. The thought is that the lab would be located Rumbek U., which has the space, and made available to all the secondary schools in the area on a scheduled rotation. The discussion was going well, and we were about to tour some available space, when the Dean of the Education Department was called to the President's office to welcome a delegation from Unicef. The meeting came to an abrupt halt and is rescheduled for Monday afternoon. (sigh...)
The food here at Hill View is not necessarily better than Pan Dor - just different. Mary, at Pan Dor, serves mostly local food - beans, rice, posho, beef chunks in gravy, cabbage, chapati, etc. The chef at Hill View, who is called "Diamond," serves a variety of different dishes. He has soup every day at lunch and dinner - thin "brothy" soup, which I really like. Tonight we had pizza, fried tilapia for lunch with cole slaw. There are omelets for breakfast, sausage, and pancakes with syrup. The syrup is a big deal! And he has served a terrific type of greens twice called sumawicki. The origin is Kenya but it is grown here. Some of the best greens I have ever had! So I am eating well!
Tomorrow I visit the Leper Colony - one of my favorite things to do - with the Sisters of Charity next door to Pan Dor. Justin will deliver me by the scheduled 8:30 departure time.
Thanks to those of you who have responded to the e-mails. I appreciate your company!
Blessings!
Ellen