Mid-September

As I write this the date is Sept. 13, and we've had 2 full weeks of school. We're beginning to get into a kind of routine, which is a good thing. Life in general can be a bit hectic, so it's nice to have some things happening on a regular, predictable schedule. At the same time Kris and I are figuring out about how much time we need each day and on the weekends to prepare for classes.

One thing that hasn't changed much is the heat. It gets hot each and every day, with temps in the mid-80's; that hea is accompanied by high humidity. Sometine in October, the thermometer should begin to slowly head south just a bit. There are air conditioning units in each room, but they are located in the front. There are also ceiling fans to help circulate the cooler air, but the students in the back of the room are always warmer, while the ones sitting next to the AC are freezing. I have begun to shut it off for periods of time each day to give the "Eskimos" time to thaw out just a bit.

This week will mark the halfway point in the month-long Ramadan period. Each evening during Ramadan when the sun goes down, the people mark the occasion by having "iftar", the evening meal. This is a special occasion and special, traditional foods are prepared. This past week on Tuesday we had our own iftar in the cafeteria. Members of the school board were invited along with other teachers from the staff who live off-campus, so we had a full-house rather than the 15-25 people who usually eat at night.