Here it is: strong evidence suggests that one of Hitler’s favorite things was to have women poop on him. Im shocked Im just finding this out. You would think something like this would have come out years ago. And by come out, I mean come out to the general public. Im sure lots of people knew. This interesting tidbit of information came from the September issue of Vanity Fair, from an article on how Germany owns Europe, do to their suave money management through the last few years. Anywho, a fact like that cannot stay buried. It’s too fascinating.
On to recent history though. School has started again here in MAD, and boy, is the administration of the CEG trying to give me a panic/heart attack. Every time I go, to teach or to check-in, my schedule has changed. It’s ridiculous. I will get to that story in a second, but first some groundwork leading up to my stress-filled days with the CEG. I am teaching 11 hours this year at the high school (4 hours for 2 classes and 3 hours for the third. I have no idea why one class is only getting 3 hours) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I have had this schedule set since the beginning of October. I come back to site from Diego and I go to the CEG to set a schedule with them. I stand through their first meeting, of which all I understand is that this year there are 4 6eme classes, not 3 like last year. Then we break up into groups according to grade, so I talk to the other 6eme teachers. Nothing is concluded by the time I have to leave to go teach at the high school so I tell them I will be back the next afternoon (in terms of time, this started on Monday, October 10). So back I come on Tuesday afternoon, right when I told them, and there are only like 8 other teachers there. The CEG has a teaching staff of like 30. My hopes were not high that this was going to go well. Well after dinking around for a good 20 minutes we finally get down to brass tacks. I put up a schedule on the big chalkboard and we move it around a little bit, and I end up with a CEG schedule of Monday and Tuesday afternoons, teaching 2 of the 4 6eme classes (what no one decided to tell me was that this year we are teaching 4 hours for each subject. That means I am teaching 19 hours this year, when I thought I would be teaching 17. Well really 15 if you include the high school. Its more than we are supposed to, but It’s not a big deal. I will deal).
So I leave, thinking everything is fine. Well silly me. I should have known that that wouldn’t be the case. I go back to the school on Monday afternoon and they have changed my schedule, without telling me, to Wednesday mornings and Friday mornings. I was not happy. I had specifically told them multiple times I could not teach in the morning since I was already teaching at the high school, which at this point had already had a week of school. And I couldn’t teach Friday since we are supposed to try and keep Friday or Monday open in case we need to go talk to the bank etc. So then we had to change my schedule again. Turns out the physical education teacher wasn’t there so they gave me her slot for that day (yes even in MAD there is still PE. At least 2 hours a week. And they have to walk EVERYWHERE. No wonder, and I include myself in this, Americans are so unhealthy). Then we changed my Tuesday afternoons to Thursday mornings (the reason I couldn’t teach Tuesday afternoons? Having students take the same subject 2 days in a row would make them too tired. OMG). So I went back on Thursday and what has happened? If you guessed that they change my schedule again you get a gold star. Im back to Friday mornings. Well that was not ok. So I had to talk to the vice-principal again and get it changed. Now I am teaching Wednesday afternoon, which will make my Wednesday hell, but that’s ok (I work 7-12 at the high school and now 1:30-5:30. Ya I know). The reason they didn’t want to give me Wednesday afternoons originally is they have this thing called Aps on Wednesday afternoons for all the grades but 3eme (the 9th graders). I have no idea what that means. I assume it’s some sort of admin thing. So they took the Aps away from 2 of the 6emes (only for 2 hours), but now they don’t have class on Friday, which I would prefer if I were them.
I hope my schedule is now worked out. I only taught on Monday at the CEG this last week, since I thought I was teaching on Thursday and I couldn’t do Friday this week (just for the week to keep it at 4 hours) because I had to come to Tana for our VAC meeting, which is where I am now. I have had a headache for like a week cause of this schedule crap. It just baffles me how no one seems to listen to me when I speak. I know my Malagasy is faaaaaaaaaaaaaar from perfect but I speak it well enough that if you pay attention and inference, you can understand what Im saying. I am speaking like 4-year-old level Malagasy. The vice-principal routinely looks at me like I’ve sprouted horns from my head.
This was kinda a long rant and I don’t want ya’ll to think that everything is messed up. Teaching at the high school has been really nice so far. My students are funny and everything has been going really well. I am giving my first exam next week. This first trimester is super short, especially since I have to miss a week for our MSC (mid-service conference) in November. I only have like 6 more teaching weeks for this trimester. I have to give a test in the third week or I will only have one grade. I hope my students don’t hate me! The schools are doing a new thing this year. They are giving everyone a 5 day weekend for the All Saints day holiday (which is Nov 1). It’s on a Tuesday this year, so I figured we would get Monday off, but Friday was a nice bonus. Not that it matters for me but it’s still nice.
So schools chugging along. I can’t believe I am already into my second year. The first year seemed to go so quickly, this summer especially, what with all the visitors and going to Diego. Man I wish I could have stayed up there and taught at the university. Those students cared (well more than my high school or CEG, but it’s a new year so maybe these students will care more) and it was so nice, weather-wise, up there. I have a lot of events happening though January, so these nest few months will fly. Once Second trimester starts though, I don’t really have anything to look forward to until my Easter Break. I have some big plans in the works but I wont divulge them until they are set in stone. They are very loosey-goosey at the moment and Im afraid if I write them down then they wont happen!
So the other big thing that has happened is my birthday! Thank you to everyone who sent me something: My parents, Joe, Brian; Dolores, Dick and Colleen; Chrissy, Rachel, Katie, Bebe, Corliss, and Brenna, and Hanna (H, as Im writing this I haven’t gotten your package yet, but I know I will! I will let you know when it gets here). I really appreciated those packages. And thank you to everyone who wrote on my FB wall. This year I went into Antsirabe for the day, because the PCV who lives in Antsirabe has my Bday too! She wasn’t in Antsirabe last year, which is why last year I stayed at site. We ate a lot of food, and drank some better than expected MAD-made wine. It was nice.
Well that’s it for now. I will post again before my MSC conference, which will be in November. Happy Halloween to everyone and post pictures of all your costumes! Can’t believe I am missing another Halloween. Only my second favorite holiday , behind Thanksgiving (I mean, who doesn’t love a holiday where all you do is eat, drink beer, and watch football? It’s the perfect holiday).
Also, real quick, here is a list of things I don't need people to send me anymore, since I have so much of it! baby wipes, hand sanitizer, kleenex, lotion, body wash, razors, basically any and all bath stuff. I have tons of bath stuff!
Book List (short this time cause I have been reading a lot of magazines)
The Reliable Wife
The Rooftops of Tehran
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