CHILD WITH BUSH KNIFE

8th May 2009

The little dot in the photo started howling, the reason I know not, as there didn't seem to be anyone else in sight.Then she saw me, stopped howling, turned her back and started to walk away.She then picked up a bush knife which had been left lying on the ground and started hacking away at the grass.I couldn't look anymore, it was too scarey!

We are now in term2 week 3 and we are on timetable 13!Is it any wonder teachers don't know whether they're coming or going, never mind the poor students.Over a 5 week period, 8 periods a day, there have been a minimum of 475 lessons not attended to by teachers!However, one can have a certain sympathy with them (not much though).Some teachers haven't received their pay cheque.Why?The machine that prints the pay cheques had broken down.Once this was repaired and the cheques printed, they somehow all got lost!!Unbelievable!

Between the six of us, we have now visited every school in Simbu bar one, at least twice.Visits have been attempted to this school twice, but on both occasions, the road proved impassable(the hairpins are so acute that a car has to drive part way round it, reverse back a bit and then inch forward and round!)Our intention is to visit them all six more times each this year.We spend a day in the school, working with the management team, observing and giving feedback on lessons and finishing the day delivering a workshop.On some occasions the workshop gets cut short if it looks like rain, as if it started to rain, our return journey might be impossible and sleeping on a classroom floor is not my idea of fun!It has made us realise just how impoverished some of the rural schools are and what awful difficulties they have just attending a meeting in Kundiawa.

I went to one school recently (we always take plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits, because some schools literally can't afford to buy such luxuries.) where I was greeted by huge bear hugs by the staff, as visitors are very rare, and the biscuits were consumed at speed (they had to search to find a kettle).The head told me he had bought a toner in town, as they actually possess a photocopier but hadn't been able to use it until they could afford to buy the toner, and that had broken the bank.It really is dire, especially in rural schools. Our two new volunteers had a rough time of it on their attempt to visit a rural school.The road was so bad that they could only drive very slowly.On three separate occasions, they were stopped by the landowners and money demanded of them and at one stop, a fellow thretened them with a bow and arrow!The journey took them 5 hours.They did their work and the head teacher accompanied them back down to avoid the hold-ups, but it meant they were travelling on the highway after dark for some time, something totally not allowed by VSO.So what with that and being robbed, they've had a pretty rocky start, but they remain commendably undeterred.

The 'Snow Leopard' was thwarted on Monday, when he and Phil were all geared up to walk the 4 hour hike to the remote school they went to a fortnight ago, when they returned in a downpour.The head of the school sent a vehicle for them, I'm not quite sure just how disappointed John was, but he put on a good show!

We did a great workshop on Tuesday this week, trying to train the in-service co-ordinators in facilitation skills, so when we are gone, they will be able to deliver training to the staff in schools themselves.The down side was that we started about an hour late and only half the teachers attended.Though this was disappointing, it meant each participant got plenty of individual attention and as the day went on, they all became visibly more confident, it was great to witness.In fact, one teacher told us at the end that he was thinking of giving up teaching, but after the workshop, he had decided to think again - great outcome.

The standard of English in schools generally is pretty poor, both amongst students and many staff.John and I have offered to take English conversation classes in an attempt to help with this problem.We offered about 3 weeks ago and we are still waiting for it to be organised!Nothing happens quickly here.The staff have grave concerns about student behaviour.All we witness are students sitting in rows in the classrooms, not saying a word and doing as they're told, even if there's no teacher around!!Just like an English classroom eh?So when we enquire, what is the discipline problem, it transpires that the problem is that some students come late to school, (they've only had to walk over a mountain barefoot) could they be emulating their teachers? Some hooligans forget to bring their tools - they have to do work parade once a week, when they cut grass, dig out the ditches and generally tidy up, so they have to lug spades and bush knives across those mountains etc. and some of them even skip school (what would you do if no teacher turned up for class?)Sin of sins too, they have been caught smoking and chewing buai, (no bike sheds here behind which to lurk whilst lighting up the odd dog end) just as they see their teachers doing within the school grounds. I have some thoughts on this subject which I shall save and refine, to deliver at the next head teachers' conference that we're running at the end of term.It won't be pretty!

We thought we were entering the dry season at last, as it has been getting progressively hotter.However, last night it literally bucketed down, accompanied by terrific claps of thunder and streaks of lightening, so I'm not sure and no-one else seems to know either, which season we are in.However, this morning, the trees were glistening as though they were covered in jewels, as the sun hit the drops of water shimmering on the leaves.Beautiful.

Nothing much else to report of note.We haven't had a Bank Holiday like you, but we do get a day off for the Queen's birthday which, unless things have changed in our absence, you don't, which seems a bit bizarre.Neither has the swine 'flu reached us yet.I sincerely hope it doesn't, because with this culture of spittingand snorting all over the place, it would spread like wildfire and I doubt the hospitals would have the resources to cope.So far so good though and I hope things clear up as soon as possible in UK.I understand from today's paper, Mexico is lifting restrictions, so hopefully it's on the way out.We have been nurturing a lettuce in a pot for some time (they haven't been doing too well recently for some reason and there was only one which looked as though it might just provide us with a tasty salad).They occasionally appear in the market but we don't dare buy them, as I don't feel we can wash them well enough and as a general rule, we don't eat food which can't be peeled or cooked.Anyway, we were looking forward to a nice tasty salad on Saturday and bought an avocado in anticipation, only to arrive home from market to discover it had been nicked!!Can you believe it - I know you can!I think we ended up with beans on toast in the end.

Hope this finds you all well and anticipating the onset of summer.

Love from us both

PS I have two new names.During a staff workshop in one of the schools, I had explained something or other and a teacher replied, 'As Priscilla has just said ..........' John coughed, I spluttered and Philip choked!Where that came from I have no idea, but the team is under threat of death if they ever address me by that name!The other one is Mrs John, frequently used as I pass people in the street.I've been called worse!

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