It's that time of year again...and Africa Time

When I first received my invitation packet to join the Peace Corps I imagined teaching school to a group of kids that would somehow be more motivated, more insightful, or more something than students in the US. Just different at least. But world I've got news because the kids I teach in Burkina are just like the kids in the United States. Last week I even had to tell one of my girls to stop staring at the boys from the upperlevel class out the window...that is why we have a morning break after all...but on a more serious note...people (myself included) always assume that just because there's rampant poverty in Burkina the kids will all be angels or something like that anyway. Not true. They do everything that we did when we were in school. There are really motivated kids who ask for more homework, but also the kid who sits in the back and doodles until I call on him in the middle of the lesson (yes I am that teacher). In the end though I'm kind of relieved because it makes it easier to relate to them. For my youngest class (biology) I had them play Simon Says (I translated as Simon Dit) to learn the names of bones for our skeleton lesson. The reaction of the kid who didn't know what was going on was the same in Burkina! His or her neighbors who look over and start laughing and then we'd all laugh together...and then they'd learn the vocab :)

I say this because it's getting to that time of year again, even here, when the staff is just a little bit tired, the kids are antsy to leave early, and the end of the year looks just a bit too far away. But anyone who ever stepped into a classroom in their life as a student remembers a day like that, staring at the clock, feeling the anticipation of the bell as the minute hand creaked forward one more tick. I like teaching in Burkina a lot, but I wish that once, just once, I could tell my students that it's hard for us as teachers sometimes too. They have these ideas that you're some sort of super hero robot person, and then they see you at the market on Saturday buying tomatoes and look with an amazed expression on their faces. Gotta eat right?

Peace Corps seemed like a way for me to leave my old life behind, but everything is still the same, even in Burkina Faso of all places. But at the end of the day it's kind of nice to know that we're not crazy in the US, that in a village in Burkina Faso there is also a teenage girl staring out the window at the boy she has a crush on.

On an unrelated note, I had a funny experience in village about a month ago. I was early, as usual for an event at school that didn't start until an hour after it was supposed to. When one of my colleagues showed up he teased me for always being early, and the conversation went something like this:

ah Lara...we were all talking about how you were going to show up early again when this dinner will start late.

I hate Africa time, I never know when things are actually going to start on time or when they're going to be late. How do you guys know when to show up anyway?

What do you mean?

I mean, you always all show up at the same time, early or late. It's like everybody gets a memo and I'm not on the mailing list.

Ahh...yes...well that's just Africa you know? We just know.

But how?

I don't know. I just do.

But how?

(smiles) Lara, look: you are American. You show up ten minutes before anything is supposed to start. It is just your nature.

Wait a second...why were you guys talking about me...I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable...

So in my quest for cultural integration I will stop at understanding Africa time and bring a book. Like my friend said, it's just my nature. It's funny to think that when you show up can be a part of your personality, even your cultural traditions, but it is. At least I'll never have to worry about being late...