Today we had to split up - Maria, Miles and myself took over the demos for the form 3s, 1s, and 4s while Erik, Leah and Andrew took on the solar workshop all morning long. It was kind of hard with the form 1s because they were so young and there were just so many of them. There were even more form 4s.
After the form 4s were gone, I set up to give my 'applying to colleges in the US' presentation for the form 5s, but some were in various classes so I hung out with some of the students I'd met a few times and talked about our cultures and traditions and lives. The girls were shocked to find out that I was 27 and unmarried. Apparently I am too old to be the king's next wife - the limit is 25. They laughed when I replied 'good! I was worried about that!' They were also in disbelief when I told them I lived hours from my parents. One girl said I must get married a few times, so I laughed and asked why, and she didn't have an answer for me. I told her I wasn't interested in that right now. She asked me why and I said that I was single and happy. Her face changed and she told me, 'I would like to live that life - single and happy.' I asked if she was single, she said yes, then if she was happy, yes again, 'then,' I said, 'you are living that life.'
Many students through the day asked me if I had met Barack Obama. I told them that while it would be an honor, I had not and they seemed surprised. I tried to explain what a large country the US is in comparison to Swaziland, and how well protected the president is kept.
The college talk with the older students seemed to go well. They were very attentive and took notes. I felt like I was missing more specific scholarship information, though. It was clear that in order to go, these students would need substantial funding, if not complete funding. Nevertheless, I think everything was well-received, and I continually encouraged the students to keep all their grades up in the process. I then finished the hot maize cob I had started just before, offered by the school, and cleaned up before joining the others in the solar workshop to have my sandwich and keep going.
Miles joined some of the gospel singers to teach them some American cowboy gospel hymns and sang, danced, and played the harmonica for them while the students kept a beat going. More came quickly to enjoy the scene, and everyone clapped along.
I walked around stations and supervised a soldering station for awhile, talking to some of the girls I spoke to yesterday while they waited their turn. We talked a lot about our customs. It was a busy time. The students became incredibly independent on all the tasks involved in making the solar cells, from cutting, to soldering, to testing in the sun and constructing and gluing. Even little ones were giving directions and getting tasks done quickly. By the end of the day, nearly 11 solar cells were finished, and we left materials for 4 more to be constructed.
I took time earlier to give the head of the science department and science club NASA meatball stickers for all the kids in the science club. After finishing up the workshop, we then took the time to show him the various other U of R and NASA goodies we'd brought for their classrooms and teachers. He was overwhelmed and said it was good we were coming back tomorrow because he did not yet know the words to express how he felt.
I took time earlier to give the head of the science department and science club NASA meatball stickers for all the kids in the science club. After finishing up the workshop, we then took the time to show him the various other U of R and NASA goodies we'd brought for their classrooms and teachers. He was overwhelmed and said it was good we were coming back tomorrow because he did not yet know the words to express how he felt.
All day, students had asked me if we were coming to their big celebration tomorrow, which they have been preparing for all week. 'We need to see your face again before you go,' insisted one of my new young friends. We were not sure yet if we were invited, but they described that they would be doing traditional Swazi dances and singing so we were interested. When Mr. S'bane insisted we should come, we quickly agreed that we would. The celebration starts at 9, but the principal would like to meet with us again at 8 AM, so it will be another early morning at Mahamba Lodge tomorrow morning, followed by a true cultural experience with young people we have gotten to know just a bit, enough to know we will feel welcome and will have a great time. As I was taught to say today - ee-so, eeeee-soo!
Another young girl came late in the day with questions about studying space and to copy down some of the information from my presentation. I did my best to answer her questions about what scientists study about space and the earth, and gave her some examples, and she took notes and seemed satisfied but kept talking to me about various things - school, various paths she might want to take, and how much she loved celebrating her Swazi culture. We talked about study habits that could help her, and she encouraged me vehemently to come to the celebration and see her dance the traditional Swazi female dance. Somewhere in the course of our discussion, she told me that she often got teased by other students for her body. She said when she saw someone bigger than the others (me), like her, standing in front of the school so confidently, she thought she could have confidence, too. I smiled and reminded her she should always walk with confidence and love herself for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment