Just wanted to post some pictures for you all. School officially started on Monday, but apparently in reality it starts NEXT monday...this week most of the students do not come to school. The people who have been staying at the school during vacation -- Headmaster Ben's family, and the boys who were hostelling there -- have gotten pretty used to me now, which is nice. It's most apparent during mealtimes: during my first week or two, upon receiving my food, everyone would embark on a frantic search for a utensil (spoon, fork, something). At first, I tried to deter them by saying "No, really, I can eat with my hands too!" but that didn't work so eventually I just started chowing down before they could find a spoon, which was much more effective. Now, no one even bothers anymore, which is just as well because the one spoon they own is usually buried somewhere completely unexpected, like across the schoolyard where the kids were using it to dig in the mud.
The boys eat separately from the girls, and when I first arrived, they would not go near the kitchen if I was in there. Sometimes one of the boys would be calling for one of the girls, and upon arriving at the kitchen window and spotting me, he would utter a quiet "Oh, Sorry Madam Shawna" and quickly shrink away to one side or the other. I always tried to get them to come in, but nothing changed for awhile. Well, my novelty has worn off now, no one cares anymore. The boys come in, fight with the girls, tease them, and have full-on mock court cases over who took a piece of bread ("Madam Shawna, objection overruled or sustained?!"). Yesterday at lunch, I and the three boys had finished eating but one of the girls, Amelia, had not, so we ended up spending the rest of the meal in an intense game of keep-away...Me with my arms out, blocking for Amelia who was shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could behind me while the boys tried to dodge around me to grab food off her plate. We were all laughing so hard! And thankfully, girls won and Amelia got to eat her food (though not in peace). By the way, it's amazing how everyone is so good at eating soups and stews with their hands, very fast, and they all stay so clean. I end up looking like a three year old with birthday cake. Not pretty.
It's nice to not be in the spotlight as much anymore, atleast where the family is concerned - arguments and daily life go on with or without me now, instead of the "Welcome, Madam Shawna, everything is splendid!" act I used to draw. Unfortunately, just as these boys finally got used to me, they're all heading off to school and a new batch arrives!! Here we go again...
Enjoy the pictures (I think you can click on them to make them bigger)!
Otoo, one of the graduates, voluntarily teaching an after school math class for some students during vacation.
Elmina Town -- See why everyone eats so much fish?
Me and Ben, making Fufu
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