Allo!I didn't blog yesterday, so I need to catch you up on a few things.School has been going well.Yesterday, Peter came in because he has all of his students on Wednesdays and he wanted to speak with them.We quickly learned that it is very difficult for two math teachers to be in the same room.One of us taught and the other just sat being bored.We ended up confusing kids and ourselves if we both tried to talk.The school day went well and I again got to leave early so I went back to the café I sat in on Tuesday.They are supposed to have internet and I wanted to upload my pictures, but apparently you can only use their computers.However, while I tried to connect I found that the craft center next door had wireless internet.When I asked them about it, they told me that I could sit in one of their offices and get on the internet for free.J There is no free wi-fi here so I was very lucky.The connection was very slow, but I was able to upload most of my pictures so far.I still have to get pictures of my classroom.

When Hopson picked me up I called Marie-Jeanne or MJ to see when I could start working at PAY or Physically Active Youth in the afternoon.MJ is one of the programmers and since Patrick (who is also a programmer and lives below me) is still out of town she was my contact.So I went out to meet her at 2 when PAY starts.It was a lot of fun!I am really having difficulty remembering names now…not only do I have my students and the teachers at Combretum, but I just added all of the volunteers and kids at PAY.Everyone is extremely friendly at PAY and the normal greeting between co-worker or student is a hug.Even when they see you walking through the door for the first time…it kindof shocked me at first until I got used to it.People just want to meet anyone new so they'll come up and hug you out of nowhere. hahaOh and if you remember, I said I really wanted to help the students in Katutura in some way.Little did I know that PAY is in Katutura.It is on the edge inside the Katutura Multipurpose Youth Center.So I was very happy!

The students are split into 8 teams with mixed age, gender, and ability (sport and academic).From 2-3:30 or 3:45pm, the students sit with their teams and do their homework.If they need help, they simply raise their hand and one of the volunteers comes to help them.Everyone was very happy to have someone with a math and science background volunteering because some of the volunteers were struggling with the work.They are supposed to stay seated and unless they are borrowing materials from one of their friends, they do.However, it's not quiet or somber.The entire time they are doing their homework they joke around with each other and ask the volunteers all kinds of questions.Wednesday I was working with algebraic equations and another student asked me to help them with their stoichiometry.It took me awhile and I still couldn't remember everything about stoichiometry…it was too long ago!

The volunteers are from different parts of Africa and Canada for the most part.I don't know why there are so many Canadians working at PAY, but they have some sort of connection.A few of them are interning from John Morris University in Livingston, England as well.Again, everyone is very friendly and I might be going to see Harry Potter with them next weekend.Harry Potter comes out next weekend in Namibia.A group of them immediately asked me to go on a 6 day trip with them north to Etosha Pan and then west along the coast down to Swakupmond and then back.Unfortunately, with my job at Combretum, I can only leave on the weekends.

At 3:45pm, they go outside to a type of arena with a basketball court in the center to play sports.On Wednesday, they did relays with their times tables.Again they are in their 8 teams.4 teams had a basketball relay where they had to get a basket (or try three times) and then run up to their team volunteer who asked them a multiplication question.Once they answered, the next person could go.If they got it right then we went on to the next question, if not the next person had to try that same question.The first team to answer 10 questions correctly won.My team won once and lost once, but the time we lost we were trying to play basketball with a flat volleyball.And then we went to a relay race where they had to hop forward and backward, walk toe to heel forward and backward, crawl on all fours, or run to us at the other end.Again we ask them a multiplication question and then they had to go back the same way.My team won this both times.The teams get points based on their sports each day.

That night we didn't do much, so on to today!

School today was very cold and felt very long.I only had a double period and then a single period (where they took a quiz) this morning and then I had to wait until period 9 at the end of the day to teach for a final 35 minutes.I sat in the teacher's lounge for most of it playing calcu-doku or reading and talking with the other teachers.We did have a meeting during the first break where they told us that one of the secretaries was fired for stealing.Unfortunately, this has been happening to the school for almost a year and they couldn't prove it until they caught her red-handed.Also, there are two hostel students living with her and they now need to find somewhere else for them to stay.It created quite a mess.After school, I took a "normal" taxi to PAY.I say normal because it is normal for Namibia; the taxis that I have been riding in are called radio taxis, which are the same as at home.Normal taxis here take as many people as can fit in the car as long as you're all in the same general direction.I was in the car with 2 of my students and someone we picked up along the way.We went to 4 different locations.Also, taxis are a lot cheaper here.It only cost me N$7.50 which is about $1 US dollar to travel about 15 minutes.

At PAY today I was mainly helping two students.One was trying to complete a practice Form 1 test and was reviewing all kinds of math; the other was struggling with fractions.The students here go to primary school until grade 7 and then secondary school 8-12.Grades 8-12 they have to finish Form 1-4 tests, one per year.Then they usually go to a different school for Form 5 and 6 and then they are allowed to go to a university if they want.University here costs about as much or more as it does at home…it's very expensive.

We started sports late because on Thursday MiniPAY comes to do their sports in our arena.They are very cute.The youngest ones were playing this game sortof like duck duck goose, but they were singing a song.When they got to a particular part they had to stop and shake their hips in front of someone in the circle.That person also had to dance and then was the new person to run around the circle.While we were waiting, I was talking with two girls Angie and Trisha who were asking every possible question about America.They desperately want to meet/touch T.I.They were squealing and swearing that if they ever did they would never wash again.During sports the two interns from JMU were trying to lead a game of Capture the Flag with basketballs as the flags.Their teacher had flown in to observe them so there wasn't much for the volunteers to do.Although, the students really did not understand the concept!They were sitting down, walking in circles, and playing with the basketballs instead.The first game ended about 2 minutes in because they didn't know they were supposed to be tagging the other team or guarding their flag.The second game was more of a success.MJ drove me home again, but dropped me off at the back gate.I don't have a key to the back gate, but thought it would be easy to walk around the block.I did not realize how far that was!You cannot jump over the gates because they are lined with barbed wire and spikes.A lot of the people who live near us have dogs, but not nice friendly dogs….really mean guard dogs.They're kinda scary!

Hopson left to travel north this afternoon, so I have to figure out how to get to school tomorrow.Should be a new adventure!Cheers!