Animal strife...

Week 11

On Tuesday this week, during lessons in the morning, Sylvester interupted us to let us know that an Owl had been spotted behind someone's house, and would we like to look? We were both keen to see for ourselves so we followed him round. In the small pathway behind a house was the most beautiful and statue like owl. It was so still I thought it was dead until it winked very slowly...

Sly told us that it must be injured, because it would never usually be out in daylight. It was his second time ever of seeing an owl, but the masses of crows that were squawking and circling the roof just above it didn't bode well for the Owl. The only thing stopping them attacking it, was us being in the vicinity.

It was scary stuff. We decided to try and help, and me being animal lover extrordinaire wanted to have a go at saving it from a certain doom of pecking. Sly and I went round the other side of the alley and I crawled up behind it with a sheet. It didn't move at all as I covered it with the sheet and picked it up. Then after I walked two steps towards Caroline with a triumphunt 'I could be in the RSPCA' smile, it's magnificent wings opened up and it flew off in seconds.
I was gutted.

The crows and a hawk chased after it and I felt even more rubbish. I have since been comforted by Sly saying he heard an Owl in the night, but we never did find out the fate of that poor Owl. And to top it off, that night, Jeffrey's dog - Timmy decided to follow us all the way to the Centre, finding the shouts of 'shoo' to be a marvelous new game! Poor Caroline had to walk all the way back to the house with him and peg it at one point to leave him behind!

My teaching has taken a downer again as well. I can't seem to over-estimatimg them as if they were all 10 year olds with a wonderful grasp of English, rather than 4-7 year olds learning English as a second language. My lesson the other day (which involved trying to distinguish between what is alive and what is not) went badly to say the least! Maybe I was still worried about the owl? Blank looks and every answer wrong made it obvious that my tangent was lost on them. Back to 'C A T spells cat' it is!

Anyway, we are writing their exams now so I have been trying to find a happy medium for what they do and don't know. The topics will include the Alphabet, Numbers, Colours, Shapes and Grouping. Ben came over last night to help me colour in 20 exam papers with funny little boxes and pictures.

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The first half of the week we spent digging the big hole, and the second half of the week we were bending iron rods (Popeye rather than popidol!) And for one afternoon I got to be measurement lady and draw out a very accurate plan of the roof for the toilet block, and label all the measurements. My Dad has trained me well in this skill, (or I have seen a million of his drawings before at least) so I felt confident I was up to the task.

I think I may have overdone it with the pride in my picture as well, showing it to the mason, the carpenter and anoyne else who would look at it!! It's only become apparent this weekend when they laid the Iron rods to form a grid, that my numbers were not accurate every time. Oops!

Today was stress free as we went to Brenu Beach which is just down the coastline. It has a nicer feel and look to it than the beach at Oasis. We had help from Esther's Fiancee Charles, in a lift there and back (Taxi's can cost a fortune as they have to stay in the carpark til you are finished) and Esther's son Unkofi and Sly's children - Ruth, Pious and Afia came too.

They are all still getting used to the sea (although Afia refuses point blank to step anywhere near it!) so anytime a big wave comes in they all screech and giggle and run back in. I have been practicing cartwheels too (still laughable) as the sands nice and soft to land on!

(written by Lucie)