The students will begin school on Tuesday and I eagerly await their arrival. With over 40 nationalities attending the school, I am nervous about remembering their names as well as pronouncing them correctly! I will have students in a library class as well as in inquiry units where I spend time in the classroom with them and the tech integrator. I am looking forward to learning the curriculum.
One of the things I have been trying to learn is the flora and fauna that live near my house. I finally saw a monkey when I visited the horse farm just down the road. Sadly, the phone was not on hand to snap a pic. There are numerous birds that are stunning but don't stay long enough to me to get a good photo. Many species are very similar to the birds in NH. There is a little bright green bird that reminds me of the goldfinch back home. Another stunning bird, I have tried to photograph, has a brilliant blue strip on the wing and a long flowing tail.
Isaac, this picture is for you. I haven't gotten the flattie yet but thought you might find interest in this unique character. It is a bug that is shaped like the letter "y." It stays in my carport on the wall. I haven't seen it move or fly but thought you might think it neat.
The elevation in Lusaka is 4.190' whereas Plainfield is 522', quite a difference for me. I find myself gulping water all day long to avoid headaches. All the water we consume or cook with is bottled. At this elevation, cooking becomes interesting. I am learning how to add more liquids to baking and less time in the oven. The cooking of rice has escaped me, but I will try again. We do have nshima, the local staple, which is akin to grits, but I have not made it yet. We stick to a lot of stir fried veggies.
I walk to and from school everyday and also try to walk a bit after school. I meet and greet a lot of people during these journeys and everyone is unbelievably friendly. Occasionally we catch the sunset during our walks and they truly are gorgeous. I tried to catch one but it isn't as spectacular as some I have seen. Another curiosity are the stars. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, I have not seen anything that I can identify. It is another goal of mine to learn some of the constellations on this part of the earth.
Be well,
Jill (Noisy Librarian)
Isaac says the spider "is very interesting, I have never seen anything like it". He asks, do they have tv in Zambia?
ReplyDeleteHi Isaac,
ReplyDeleteYes, there is TV in Zambia. However, I did not have one in NH so I don't have one here either. An interesting fact is that we lose power quite a bit and as the dry season continues, there will likely be long power cuts since electricity comes from water here. It won't rain here until November-December.