Term 2 and some random musings...



Some off the CAMS staff and friends celebrating the end of term break.

I am happy to say that I made it through the first week of the second term at CAMS.  This term brings about quite a few changes, both to me and to the school.  First of all, we welcomed three new staff members, two of whom will be at CAMS until Christmas.  It is really great to have the extra help, especially as two of them are taking some of the PE classes and we are starting our swimming unit.  This means that I no longer have to attempt to teach young children how to swim! 

Over the break, the parent society began a full remodel of the children’s bathrooms at the school.  The old ones were old and dirty, and the new bathrooms are a very welcome addition!  The remodel was completed early this week and the bathrooms are open for use!  They are fantastic!  Those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning know that I’m not shy about taking pictures of bathrooms, but I haven’t had a chance to do that yet for these.  Never fear, though!   Pictures are coming soon!!

The Standard 2 class and their teachers,
Mr. Beales and Mr. Joshua at the opening
 of the new classroom building at the
 beginning of the school year.

Also coming is a picture of my new classroom.  For various reasons, I have moved into the Standard 2 classroom (1^st grade in the states) and have really enjoyed my time there so far.  I did my student teaching in 1^st grade and have always had a special love for this age group, so when the principal asked if I wanted to transition into the full-time teacher for S2, it was an easy yes!  The current S2 teacher is preparing to take an extended furlough in a couple of weeks, and won’t be back until mid-way through the third term, so I will be taking over his class.  They are a great group of kids and I am excited to get to work with them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been keeping busy outside of school as well!  On Wednesday night, a group of CAMS teachers went to the pizzeria for dinner.  About once a month, they show a movie there on a Wednesday night, and this week they were showing Memoirs of a Geisha.  We enjoyed our dinner (I had a fantastic ham and mozzarella calzone, Pepsi, and ice cream for dessert) then settled in for the movie.  It was great to have a little break after the start to a new term.  We were all exhausted, but enjoyed the time there very much!  They serve the best pizza I have ever had, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the only pizza I’ve had in over 3 months.

On that note, it’s hard to believe that I have been away from home for 3 months now.  Where has the time gone?  On the one hand, it’s good that things are going by so fast.  Nothing you enjoy ever seems to go by slowly, and this is definitely the case with Tanzania!  On the other hand, I wish things would slow down a little bit.  I am already aware of how quickly my year here will be gone, and I want to make sure that I am taking the time to enjoy every minute of it fully! 

Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see as a blog post or if you have any questions for me.  I LOVE hearing from you!