Thursday 1st MayFirst day at SchoolI was so nervous especially because my first day was a wet one. A walk down in the rain, walking boots, plastic mack and walking stick. No lesson first thing, but we need to be in school from 8am to 2.35 (when lessons finish) of course the kids get in earlier and leave later so they can clean the classrooms. Difficult subjects - std III are at a unit 'It belongs to / They belong to', which will be 2 weeks work (they have 2 40 minutes lessons of english a day - Mon - Thurs). So how do you teach that? I ended up doing a rap (work with me) 'I have a shirt, It belongs to me .. You have a shirt, it belongs to you ... and so on' Oh she who can't sing won't sing - I'll give you a rendition when I get back if you pay me (well donate!). 2 of my classrooms have windows (bars & a grill - I don't mean glass silly!). One has just earth as a floor, another was concreted at one stage, but is now crumbling, I nearly disappear when I stand in a hole! No chance to reach the blackboard then! We have big blackboards in each classroom, but some are crumbling a bit and so it's difficult for the little ones to see all the letters sometimes. The chidren want to carry your things for you between classes which is only across the yard, but it's so sweet when a tiny 5 year old looks up and says "Please Madam (which sounds to me like 'mother') can I help you?". At break they play in the yard come rain or sun, barefoot mostly and no jackets, not many jumpers - but no real bickering that I have seen - balls made of a multitude of plastic bags cleverly wrapped together used to play football.