The other day, I was thinking this rainy season hasn’t been that rainy and that a spot of rain might cool things off a bit. Of course I woke up Thursday morning to buckets of rain pouring down.
When we first arrived in Rwanda someone told us (quite judgmentally) that teachers don’t come to school in the rain. Well, DUH. The rain here is not little drizzles that you can block with an umbrella. It is sheets of rain that comes at you from all angles. And there are no subways, taxis etc so you must walk. No other options. In fact, motos are illegal in the rain, even though it wouldn't keep anyone dry. Plus, the school roofs are metal with no insulation, so the sound of the hail-sized rain drops echo off the bare brick walls and makes it sound like a battlefield in the classroom. So yes, teachers don’t come to school in the rain. They do show up if the rain stops. It isn’t like everyone goes to pub or takes a vacation day.
Except me. Thursday was my last day of teaching before exams and I had 3 of my 6 English sections. I needed to review the exam content with them and just felt too guilty staying home. So I dragged myself out of bed and pulled one my fastest drying pants. Armed with my baseball cap, my rain jacket and an umbrella and with my pants rolled to my knees to avoid the mud… I started my trek to school.
Not only was I the only teacher in school, my headmaster came in when he heard I was there. In front of all the students he laughed and said “Ah Jane, why are you here?” I said that I had to review before exams and everyone laughed. Then I curtsied to the class and they roared with laughter. My S4MCB doesn’t think I am tough like my S5 and S6’s, but seem to think I am crazy and weird enough that they behave well just to see what I will do next. The students loved that I showed up and after review we listened to Rwandan music on my ipod. They sang to every word and even translated one of the songs on the board for me.
But, next time it rains I am staying in bed.
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