Full of Frustrations

Hey everyone (by everyone I mean the 2 people who read this blog – so hello you 2 lovely people.)

Sorry it has been so long, but I haven’t been very motivated to do a blog… for that matter I haven’t been very motivated to do much of anything. Some mornings I wake up and say “if I don’t go to school today it wont matter…same difference.” Now this isn’t true but many days it feels that way. My form 2 students just took an end of term test with a whopping average of 41%. I had one student with a 94, three with 80s and then it goes straigt to 64. the worst paper was an 8. The thing is that the exam wasn’t even that difficult. It was Vastly easier than the test they will take to pass form 2. It is very difficult here sometimes.

One of my favorite things about teaching in the states is when the students have an epiphany experience and are able to go beyond the material. That doesn’t happen here at all because my students (who are great people by the way) have so much trouble with the language very few of them have a chance to understand something as complicated as chemistry or physics.

Dr. Erfan – part of the amazing medical staff we have in country – told me that I am exhibiting some depression symptoms. He said that a big part of my frustration here is my expectations. I thought that I came with some high but reasonable expectations, but I am realizing that they were too high. Dr. Erfan told me that I need to adjust my expectations about my time here and then like where they are at. I am working at that but it is not easy.

I don’t want it to sound like everything is negative here. I am really excited about a blood drive that I am starting in my village. I am also taking 15 students to a workshop for the blood drive in a nearby town. It should be a lot of fun.

Either way, I am glad that the term is over and I get to travel around Malawi for a bit again with my good friends and the love of my life. It will be a good break although I am bummed that Sarah will be leaving at the end of August. I have loved having her here as we get to know each other better and I have to constantly pay her money to act like she is really in love with me. It seems like a great investment.

Well, I don’t have much time for much more, but I wanted to throw out an update for anyone who is interested. Please keep me in mind and pray for me if u are the praying kind of person. Please keep in touch, whether by phone, letter or electricity. (for the first two look at previous blogs and for the latter mrmartinteacherman@hotmail.com or facebook me). I will be in Lubbock almost the entire month of December and would love to see anyone who is around. thanks yall!

Sarah and I are heading to visit an AIDS clinic close by to see what it is about and about helping out so I will let u go. Tiwonana Anzanga (see u later friends!)