life according to a schedule...

Wow, my body isn't sure what is happening.  I'm living life according to a schedule again.

 

Meals are served impeccably on time, and I do my best to make sure that class hours are kept.  One of the most ironic things is that I, Steve, am in charge of keeping everything on schedule!!!!  Class is from 8:30 till 12:30 (including coffee break) and then 2:30 till 4:30.  I invented a "generousity box" which late- comers are asked to contribute  25 cents to if they are late, or if their cell phone beeps during class.  Of course everyone claps for the "generousity" of the late comer and the embarrassment is a very good deterrent.  If they only knew that I didn't make it to a single class on time during 4 years of undergrad education!

 

After dinner, I have time for a walk with Gideon, my Cameroonian colleague.  We start out talking-over our lesson plans but  somehow get sidetracked to African politics every time.  I really appreciate my time with him because he has some excellent insights into culture.  (He is the literacy coordinator in a part of Cameroon that is VERY different than one he grew up in, and is now experiencing other African countries (like Burkina) and the cultures of our participants at the same time that I am). 

 

When we get back from our exploration of the neighborhood , I go check on the group projects that the participants work on in their evenings.  It is always fun to listen-in while they discuss the day's lessons and how they apply to particular situations.  I would love to stay and eavesdrop longer, but I need to get back to my room and make sure that I have everything ready for next-week's lessons.  I'm so glad that we have internet access here so that I can do a little more research.  After writing down some thoughts for a Blog, it is time to head to bed already.  6am comes early when the sun peeks in my room and calls me for a run before the temps get too hot. 

 

What kind of adventure is this anyways?  Not much of one when your day is all planned out for you...

 

Ah, but that is where you are wrong.  Life here is always an adventure.  Just when you think that things are going according to schedule, the photocopier breaks down and you need to run out and scour the neighborhood for a store or office that can make 300 copies right away, which tends to be a difficult thing in the middle of a thundershower!! 

 

Then, there is the surprise staff-meeting which everyone votes to have in your room.  (That's what I get for having the best snacks around!).   Then, while walking in the evening, you discover a lady selling some form of food that you have never seen before... Hmmmm.... gotta try it.

 

Sometimes the adventure is in the little unexpected events of the day.  The best part, though, is interrogating the participants during breaks and meal-times about the road-conditions between different towns, cities and countries.  Planning my next great adventure!!

 

ps - I got my bike back today (had left it with a friend after the course finished last year) and I'm super excited.  This little-old ten speed (second hand from the Ouagadougou market) has no idea what it is in for!!