September 17th : Happy Birthday to me

September 17th : Happy Birthday to me

Thank you
So many people wrote to me to wish me happy birthday. Thanks so much! It felt great to hear from you guys. I only got the messages when I got back to Maroua (later on in the week), but it still felt nice to see that people hadn’t forgotten me at home. I wish I could have been with you on my birthday, but instead I was alone in my hut. I won’t lie; it was somewhat depressing when, at 6:30, there was no light and nothing to do. Not because it was my birthday, but just because.

Homologue
Met my partner in crime. His name is Matseme. I’m not sure about the spelling. He is pretty gangster. He is a “go against the grain” type of guy. He is a bit of an agitator. I figure this could both help and hinder the education project we are undertaking together. We’ll see. He is from Soulédé originally. His father is a religious leader (a “lawane”), and has six wives. This means my partner has over 30 brothers and sisters. Crazy. He is well known in the village, which has helped make some good connections. I look forward to working with him. I think I am in good hands, but who knows for sure at this point.

Football-Soccer
I played soccer for the first time here. I brought a ball, so it was not complicated to set up a game. Many kids showed up to watch, but only about 10 people ended up playing. It was fun, and I think I held my own. However, I am really out of shape! If I can play a couple of times a week, I think I will be fine.

First meeting
My inspector (head of school board) is on the ball. Very organized. Accordingly, we already have had our initial meeting with all the directors of the Soulédé-Roua region. Over thirty of them showed up. We did some very interesting activities. First, we reviewed enrolment rates for all the schools in the region. If they were lower than last years, people were in trouble. The inspector was not afraid to tell them. He said something along the line of “those who do not want to do the work will see us do the work without them”. This meant that they would be fired. Open threats flew throughout the meeting. Sometimes, the directors would finish the sentences of the inspector, as if they had heard his instructions a thousand times before. I was impressed about how strong his leadership style was. I’m sure it was effective in some ways. However, ruling this way did not help him be a good listener. He turned a deaf hear to those who offered reasons why their enrolment rates had dipped. At one point he said to someone, “I see you have your hand up, but clearly I am not done talking.” That gives you a small idea of what the inspector is like when it comes to work. I am happy to be on his good side though. He has been very good to both Christine and I…