After School Activities

I am happy to say that both my students and I survived Term 1 of this school year! I am proud of how well my students did and how well they were able to learn from me; what a blessing and a learning experience it was. As we move into Term 2, I thought I would take a minute and tell you what both my students and I do when we are not in the classroom teaching and learning.

After classes let out at 3:30 p.m., students who do not board at the school head home. Some walk, some ride bicycles if they live further away. Some day students travel for over an hour each way to attend school daily. The students who live here at the school have a short break after classes where they usually go back to the hostels and change out of their school uniforms. During the week they have a strict schedule that they follow.

At 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. the boarding students have an hour of study/prep time. During this time Lauren and I often return to the classrooms to tutor the students in whatever subject they are having trouble with. I have found this to be one of the most rewarding times of the day. The students love to learn, and they also love to just sit and talk with us. I will admit that we have occasionally been distracted by me showing them pictures of my family and friends, places I have traveled, and their favorite, snow! It is so encouraging to see the students working so hard at their studies to give themselves the best chance they can, and it is such a gift that I am able to help them in that. They also have dinner and evening devotions each night before they head to bed.

On the weekends the students have some free time. They usually spend this time playing soccer, singing in choirs, doing homework, or sitting with their friends chatting or playing games. Recently we convinced some students to learn a new skill/game. We spent a Saturday morning teaching students how to throw and catch a Frisbee, and then we taught them how to play ultimate Frisbee. I had so much fun playing with them and watching these students that work so hard relax and have fun playing.

When I am not teaching, grading work, or preparing for upcoming classes, I find ways to keep myself busy. Mulanje does not have a movie theater, or a mall, or an arena where the Penguins play, so I have had to find other forms of entertainment. Reading has been my go-to form of entertainment since I have arrived in Malawi. I love to read and will read just about anything, but I find that reading is something that I never seem to make time for when I am in Pittsburgh. I made it a goal to finish one book per week that I live in Malawi. Thankfully before I left I went to the local library and got a new library card and was told to download an app that allows me to rent digital copies of books from my library back home. So far I have been here 19 weeks and have read 30 books, it has been wonderful! I am always taking book suggestions so if you have any for me, please share them!

We do not have a TV or cable here, so watching television is another form of entertainment we do not have. Instead, we have movies and TV shows that we downloaded and brought with us that we project onto our living room wall to create our own home theater/TV room (when we have power). It is amazing how much more free time I have when I don’t spend hours in front of the TV.

The time that I spend out of the classroom here in Malawi has been just as fulfilling as that time that I spend in the classroom. It is such a blessing to be in this beautiful country. Please continue to pray for me and my students as we grow and learn both in the classroom and outside of it.