hey just so everyone knows i feel fine now!!! no worries. I want to tell you about our teachers' day celebration. So, school was cancelled of course. They make special clothing material for the holidays here so all of the teachers buy the teachers' day pagne and get an outfit made. We were supposed to meet at the place des fetes at 8 am. Of course, it was raining at 8 so I knew no one would be there. I headed out around 8:50 when it stopped. I was the second teacher from my school to arrive. It was a little chilly (and by chilly I mean upper 70s) so the teacher was wearing a coat, long sleeves and shivering. I was in short sleeves and his teeth were chattering. Another one of my male coworkers came draped in a shawl. The celebration did not start until 10:15. There were teachers from many schools from the neighboring towns. We all lined up and listened to a few speeches. Then we marched to music, in a parade across the field and in front of the “grands.” These are the important people. There were also about 5 photographers, i have no idea where they came from. This ended at 12.Then at 1 we went to the women's center for a luncheon. I was with 2 other volunteers. First we sat down by the other teachers. Then some random guy came and told us to sit in the room with the grands. Then they set up a buffet and served us warm sodas. As we were about to serve ourselves at the buffet, someone told us we needed to go to the other buffet with the commoners. So we were demoted. After we went through the buffet line there, in which numerous arguments took place of course, we went to get our belongings from the grands room. On our way in, someone asks where do you think you're going? ugh it was so confusing. we were like wtf is going on. So then we sit with the other teachers. First one comes up to us and keeps asking questions like “how long are you people here for.” Then it got weird when we said we weren't married and he asked is that why we became teachers, to attract a husband. So then he left. Another guy came over and was nice and chatted for a while. He parted with the tried and true saying they love to say here “we are together.” Yes, they say it in french and english and probably fulfude and mandara too. We are together.
I left this fete around 3 to rest up for the next one at 4. I was mislead into believing this was another fete. Really it was a meeting of our social club. Social may imply fun but this meeting certainly wasn't. Oh mon dieu. First of all the meeting started at 4:40 not 4. Then they argued for 45 minutes about whether we should buy track suits or pagne for our uniform. Yes, apparently this teachers social club wants a uniform to wear to each meeting. They were embarrassed last year when they had a joint meeting with a neighboring school and they all had uniforms but our school did not. So they were determined to get uniforms this year. For those of you thinking a track suit is a bizarre choice, just think about the traditional african clothes they get made here for very cheap prices. The “western” style clothes are much more expensive and are high class. So here even jeans are considered nice dress because not everyone can afford them. So track suits are also coveted. Anyway, so we finally decided after a vote that since we were pretty evenly split, those who wanted pagne would get pagne and those who wanted track suits would get track suits. I voted for track suits because this is going to involve not only sewing our logo on the front, but yes, our last names on the back. This is going to be a keeper. Then three out of the four women teachers, me included, were told to go prepare the sandwiches. So we missed most of the meeting to fill 100 pieces of bread with ground beef and sauce. I'm not sure what the rest of the meeting was about because by that time I was so tired I could not listen to anymore, especially in french. Also, the power kept going out. So we sent someone out for candles and continued the meeting by candlelight. Finally it ended at 7 and we ate and drank and then someone drove me home on their moto because it was pitch black with the moon behind a cloud and the power out. I would have never made it home. I think my first teachers day was a success.
We are together.
