To continue:

The campus was a ghost town when I first came back and mainly I did some homework, went to the mall, drank some tea and finished Dracula and started 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ( I had no idea Jules Verne was French…strange). On Monday school hit me with surprising force. Wednesday I had a huge and unpleasant economics assignment due. Disconcertingly Todd (the program director and guy who teaches this econ class) in class kept saying, “Oh, this is such an easy assignment, blahdiblah, the Penn World Tables are so simple, blahdidah, just take a simple ratio, blahdiblah” and then I found myself staring at the assignment wondering if labor’s share of income meant y or k and whether Total Factor Productivity and technology were the same or slightly different and what he meant by such boggling verbs as “express,” “describe,” “compare,” and “show” (mathematically? With an example? With words? With a graph…?) But I think I mostly got the assignment figured out now.

In addition my proposal for my independent research is also due Wednesday. Unfortunately, there is a surprising dearth of information on orphanages in Southern Africa. There is plenty of info on AIDS that has brief mentions of orphans as one impact of the disease, but not much research has been done specifically on orphans and the cultural responses to them/institutions in charge of them. I wouldn’t mind this, as I’m sure I will be able to write the full 25 pages anyway, but in our assignment it expressly states that we need 20 sources or more…hm. I am, however, very interested in my topic. I think I will address a brief history of AIDS and then go into possible responses to orphans (extended family taking them, foster care, orphanages etc), how orphanhood affects these children, and then delve in depth with my research at the SOS Children’s Village to give real life examples of how an orphanage runs.

I also have an essay due on Friday on “the role of education as an important tool in the spreading of Christianity and how it contributes to building a moral and tolerant nation.” This concerns me a little. This class is a history class, but is taught through the theology department and at UB theology really means Christian-leaning scholarship. I’m supposed to “give my opinion” in this paper, but as you can see the question cleverly disallows the opinion that education is not a viable medium for the spread of Christianity. I think I will try to share what educators have said and give historical examples and keep my opinion to minimum, otherwise the paper might turn into a tirade, which might turn into an F.

Sorry for the in depth description of my homework, I know that’s probably not at all interesting to anyone, but that’s really what I’m thinking about right now.

Next Sunday my study abroad group leaves for the Okavango Delta, Chobe, the Kalahari and the salt pans. I am really excited! It kind of sucks though, because originally it was supposed to be during spring break, but spring break got cancelled due to the strike and so now we are missing a whole week of school in order to go. It is really most annoying, I had to schedule my interview with the national director of the SOS Villages for 2 weeks from now. And we will miss 4 class sessions (6 hours total) of Setswana. I hate make up work.

Other than that I am looking forward to more baby time tomorrow at SOS. They are adorable and very interested in me, even though they must think I’m stupid because I cannot understand them or respond to them when they ask questions. It is so frustrating because when they do something wrong I can only say, “NO” and pull them away from whatever they’re doing/physically stop them, whereas the other teachers simply say something from across the room and the kids stop doing it. In addition I can’t even ask their names and if I could I probably couldn’t pronounce them. It makes me feel woefully incompetent. Luckily the kids don’t seem to mind. And the principal is a great lady, I interviewed her on Monday and she was very enthusiastic about teaching and developing motor skills and cultivating manners in the children, and very cheerful about the whole interviewing process.

Other than homework, SOS, and shopping in order to prepare for the safari trip, I’m not doing much.

Go Siame! (“goodbye” in Setswana, and Dad, I expect to have that memorized when you come here)