Stuff

I taught full classes this week. Each of my four classes has about 50 students each and it is using a computer lab (the new one). So I taught them basic algorithm development and design..hoping to start teaching them C next week. One of the students printed out Obama's speech and gave it to me..lots of them asked me if I had seen the inauguration. The reason for the late arrival of students last week was due to them having to pay school fees, getting back from Xmas break, and orientations. But schedules here never seem to work.

A case in point: One mama asked me to come over because she was going to teach me to make pumpkin leaves (the various greens here are awesome..luckily I love to eat greens) with peanut sauce..it is real yummy. So I came by her house at time she told me to come and her husband told me that she attends church and won't come home for another hour. So I talked to him about various things, he had taped Obama's inauguration on the VCR because he was at work late (he's one of the school's accountants)so he was watching that. When I told him I did not have a TV he was so surprised. Most TZ peeps here think news is very important and they place a high importance on TV and radio. So he told me that I must get one. Also, he told me that "Africans don't always come when they say they are going to come." Luckily I expected that but some of the people in my apt complex actually are on time so I did not want to assume. She did come eventually and we made the dish..it was wonderful..and we watched the inauguration (I watched it again). I wonder what you all did as I got to watch it live since it was morning in the US when it was night here. Did you all get time off work to watch it or did you all watch it when you got home from work?

Also that same mama saw me in pants and she smiled and complimented me by telling me I am fat. :) See if one heard that in America one would be taken aback but here in TZ it means you have some curves.

On another note today is the first day I saw a lawnmower here in TZ (I saw it at the institute I teach at). They do most of their grass cutting by hand with a machete..it is alot of work and requires alot of people to get it done. It is good to smell the scent of freshly mowed grass. :)