Ruaha

I spent much of the last week trying to figure out what I would be teaching, and preparing for my lessons. St. Benedicts was taking examinations, so no classes were going on. I will be teaching form IV biology students, who are preparing to take their national exams starting October 4th. At the seminary I will be helping with the form III biology class. I taught my first lesson on Thursday. It was on excretion. I think things went well, but it is difficult to tell what the students understand. There are about 40 of them in the class, and they copy everything I write on the board. But when I try to explain things verbally I feel most do not understand what I am saying.
We left for Ruaha National Park with the St. Benedicts form III students on Saturday morning. We were told the bus would be leaving at 4 or 5 and to meet at the meeting spot. Instead we got a call at 3:30AM saying we should show up as soon as possible at St. Benedicts to leave. The bus ride was pretty packed. The seats were smaller than what you would normally find in America. After a two hour stop to buy food, and another hour trying to figure out payment for the 3 white people to enter we arrived in the park at 6pm. We saw some pretty amazing animals. During the night Al and I were woken by and Elephant outside our window. The next morning we went and found the droppings, which were huge (still working on including pictures). We also saw two lions, many more elephants, giraffes, gazelle, buffalo, baboons, crocodiles, hippos, and many different bird species. Then we started our journey home. Starting at 3pm, we had to stop twice to fix problems with the wheels. After a long, cramped ride we made it back to Hanga at 3am.

Books finished in Tanzania:
Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
The Shadow of the Sun – Ryszard Kapuscinski
The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
The Golden Compass – Phillip Pullman
Slow Learner – Thomas Pynchon

Currently reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac. (thanks Paul Conroy for leaving it Hanga)