Church seats and insect fighting talk

I'm not a religious person by a long shot, however I went to church on Sunday morning to show my face and as Jackson put it 'so that they know you are in their midst'.  I've haven't been to a church back in the UK recently, these days it's just for weddings and funerals,  but it is nothing like over here where the energy, dancing and enthusiasm is incredible.  No dull and mundane singing here, all lively and upbeat.  I didn't understand what they were preaching about as it was all in Ewe (the local language in this area), and day dreamed through most of the 2 hours, but I could dance and listen to the fab music and singing.  I was glad to get out mind, even just to be able to sit in a more comfy seat.  Why do churches have  the most uncomfortable wooden benches/pews?  Is it to stop people falling asleep?  Some sort of penance?

Apart from the school, I've found a little drinking spot I used to go to that has a good signal for mobile broadband.  As well as the benefit of being able to have a beer, it's quiet.  It may well turn into a regular haunt every few days to check emails and update this blog.

I popped to the school on Monday to see the teachers and final year students.  Only John and Emil are around at the moment until term officially starts in September.  They're covering a few classes each day to get a head start on the new academic year. 

I found out there are 59 pupils in the 3rd year class, around 59 in the 2nd year and about 40 in the 1st year!  
How they fit all these kids into the 3 classrooms I've yet to see, there was barely enough room when each class had only around 30 pupils.  Added to this there are not enough text books to go around (at least they now receive some books from the government), and how the hell can they teach ICT when they only have one computer?  It's the first year they'll be teaching it.  I can see it now, just imagine...trying to teach them how to go online, set up an email account, surf the internet etc. using the blackboard...I can show them the internet with this netbook but with nearly 60 kids in a class that's gonna be a long lesson.  I wonder how much a secondhand/cheap projector is over here?

A few of the kids that come to the house.

I've been going through the Brothers Grimm fairy tales with the younger kids in the evenings.  The internet really is a fabulous invention as I can't remember all the stories properly.  I think some are a bit long for them so starting to do abridged versions.  The kids tend to switch off after about 3 mins.  'Guess Who' is still keeping their interest however and some little ones seem happy enough to just stare at me.

From listening to the BBC World Service I've learned about some bloke renovating old radios and thinks the best made equipment was in the 1930's; another bloke has a pea plant growing in his lung; someone else had an x-ray only to find a toothbrush in his oesophagus (? you tell me!) and someone is trying to farm cod, apparently salmon has been the only successfully farmed fish.  Useful stuff then.

There must be a truce between the chicken and goat as there have been no further conflicts, either that or one/both have passed from this world as somebody's dinner.  There is however a coughing sheep that sounds like it's smoked 60 a day all it's life. Very disturbing late at night.

Nothing on the insect front apart from a wasps nest in the bathroom.  I'm going to be a coward and ask someone else to get rid of it, I'm keeping well away, especially with the size of them over here.  I do sometimes wonder why I enjoy travelling out of Europe where the insects are as big as your fist and look as if they're just waiting for you to be off your guard or saying in their insecty fighting talk..'come on then if you think you're 'ard enough!'. 

ttfn

Sam x