The weeks are too few remaining at the NTC—3—and I cannot even recognize how the days have gone by so quickly. It saddens when it feels like time has cheated you, and that it has gone by disregarding the feelings and emotions one holds and desires to hold on to longer. The Delorean is nearly complete and there is enough rubbish within a banana plantation for fuel, but converting that all to 1.21 gigawatts has escaped me thus far—would that solve the emotional struggle though? Going back isn’t so much the questioned desire, more or less the allowance to have control of time to be free to stop and/or accelerate it when oh-so-desired…
The past month and a half was spent training the most recent group of Peace Corps Trainees to Uganda and was an incredibly valuable experience. The trainees in country have had an incredibly packed training that I had been part of the planning of for the past few months and all did an amazing job keeping their spirits up. I truly appreciate all of their hard work and effort over the (5) weeks while us Peace Corps Volunteer Trainers were present and without their energy and enthusiasm the pre-service training would not have been nearly as memorable. This training involved its own series of curve-balls (ie, elections, new training site, new school-based training/language combination) that we had to work through, and patience was necessary throughout and they all showed it. I will admit that through the weeks I grew to feel an emotional attachment to the group as a whole, seeing them coming in new, eyes wide open and supporting them in their growth so that in so man weeks they will swear in as official volunteers. I look forward to following all of these guys through their service—its an exciting feeling to have been part of their training as I was.
Now being back at site has been a whirlwind. Because of the elections lectures did not begin until the end of February, and this is a relatively short term so the students will be going by April 16th. Coming back here towards the end of March has left me with nearly 4 weeks with my students—and that is sad to me. Having grown to be involved with not only the students in my biology classes; but the students in the Wild Life Club, the students in the AIDS Challenge Youth Club, all the athletes and sportsmen on the fields, my colleagues in the classrooms/fellow lecturers, it feels so strange to have time wrapping up the way it has. These next few weeks will go by just like they would any term 2 at the NTC. The end of the year parties for clubs/cultural associations will happen. The inter-hall competitions for football, netball, volleyball and track and field will occur and will send the students home hungry for more. The college will be preparing for school practice observations. I will be preparing myself for departure. Life goes on; just strange to be the one changing while all else remains the same.
Though preparations to depart will be going on, these next few months won’t be without their own sense of urgency and busyness. These next few weeks will be filled with lectures, practicals club meetings/end of year parties and training will once again begin for the inter-collegiate sports competition that will be occurring at the end of April. This event, which was held here at our NTC last year is a competition for all 5 of the NTCs and was supposed to have occurred the beginning of December 2010, but was delayed for financial reasons. The time is now, so once again my early mornings 5.30am and evenings will be spent out on the pitch, helping to get these guys ready and keeping their morale up to represent the NTC at the games.
The basketball court has been graced with funding to allow its completion, which will be incredibly exciting. It saddens me that this group of students here will not have an opportunity to take advantage of it as much as they were the major proponents to get it here at the college, but thankfully it is coming! Work had been done through the funding of many generous donors in the US but a few roadblocks had been hit. With this new grant on life of the court’s construction, the college will be gaining a new playing surface to be used by its students and surrounding community. The court will be used not only for recreational purposes but also for the use of the Sports Science Section for practical teaching of basketball as well as being used by clubs/groups supporting team-building activities and promoting sensitization of HIV/AIDS and other life skills activities.
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church has also been supported by St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Vancouver, Washington for the second year in a row and we are excited to announce that this year we will be laying the cemented foundation in the main section of the church. This will allow easier preservation of furniture/musical instruments/other wooden objects by preventing the ability of termites to enter in to these objects. By laying down the floor the members of the church will also recognize health benefits by being able to clean the church more easily so that jiggers and other infestations cannot be present as easily. This is exciting for the church and will surely update you all as things progress.
…I look back through all that and I can’t believe that is all going to be in 3 months…
Love you all. Stay safe…
