On Sunday night, Rose and Johannes arrived from Germany and I am very happy that they are here! Finally someone to speak German with and to experience this cultural difference firsthand. On Monday afternoon, we talked a bit about my exact tasks in school. In addition to teaching German to some classes, I will also teach German to 5 adults, partially repaint the school wall, and learn Ga myself. Finally, a more detailed plan! Additionally, Rose, Johannes, and I will probably take a trip to Cape Coast and Ada Foah together. With Rose and Johannes being here, I hope that family life will blossom a bit. Because so far, that hasn't really been the case here. We don't eat together, the children are sent around to do household chores, and warm hugs or even a kiss are hard to come by. But maybe that's just the African culture?
Unfortunately, we have had no water in our well since yesterday... that means I have to make do with my water bucket until Wednesday, when we are supposed to get new water. So now we have to be even more frugal with water than we already are. My plan to do laundry today is also off.
For Aida, a girl from Auntie Maureen's class, that was a daily reality. Aida is new in 5th grade and comes from a typical Ghanaian village. There is no electricity, no wells, and no water pipes there. The people there also don't have cell phones, laptops, or any other electronic devices because there is no mobile network in the village. That means they use lanterns and have to walk to the nearest river to fetch water, which is far away. Additionally, Aida has worked hard every day in order to cultivate her own plot of land where she planted bananas and other things. She, like the other children in the village, hardly ever attended the small school there because work was more important in order to finance her life. After she told this story in class today, I could understand why her behavior is so poor compared to the other children and why she sometimes acts disrespectfully towards others. Additionally, she only speaks broken English, which of course doesn't make things easier. Now, after school, I always have to prepare and review lessons. But I am looking forward to the challenge and curious to see how it goes!
Overall, there probably won't be many teaching hours, as each class will have one German lesson per week. But we will manage to cover some basics.
