I survived. In spite of Steve's absence, I managed to get through this week. It has been arranged that I will be teaching on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. This Wednesday was a stat holiday so I had the day off. So I taught two days.
It was rather nerve-wracking on the first day. I had no idea what to expect, in spite of having visited before. I now have an idea of class sizes and what I am doing each day. It's interesting. The students sit on concrete benches facing the blackboard. I stand at the front and talk to them and write on the board. No overhead or power point presentations for us! Just my ingenuity and their brains for teaching aids.
I collect their books to mark what they have done at the end of the class. I have lots of time to mark and prepare, since I am not in every day. Rather nice. I could get used to this!
They seem fairly attentive so far. They seem to be eager to learn, which helps. I will just do my best. The biggest challenge physically is that there is sound from the other classes. There are just partitions between the rooms, and they don't go all the way to the ceiling, so sound carries a lot. All the other teachers are male, so my voice gets a lot of competition.
In other news, Steve is doing well. He had his follow up with the surgeon yesterday. The prognosis sounds good, for which we are thankful. But he has to stay in Johannesburg until the gas bubble in his eye is completely dissipated. So a few more days. He needs a letter from the doctor before the church will let him get to work, but that shouldn't be a problem. So I am hoping that he will be here within the week!
Meanwhile, we are having a visit from Joel Sherbino, from the PCC in Canada. He plans to visit the prison with me on Monday, to see how things are going. I feel as if the superintendent is visiting! But I am sure things will go well. He is here to support us. So that is nice.
Also in other news, I just visited a yarn store here in Blantyre. Well, technically in Limby, but that's just a part of the city as far as I could tell. I was so excited to be actually in a yarn store. It's not quite Len's Mill Store, but it had a big variety of colours, so that was good. I even found my favourite bright green! Nice! So now I can finish the shawl I am working on and start something new. Still not sure who I can give stuff to, but I will keep making things anyway.
I didn't take many pictures this week. Sorry! I have to get special permission for it at the prison, so I am not sure when I will be able to do that. But I got some pictures of the dogs here where I live. They like to hang around at my door, peering in hopefully. So I will share that with you.
More next week, I hope. Blessings to you all.
Tsiki lying on my mat.
Tsiki through my screen door.