I have created a separate post just for our visit to the school in Torpuot, because I really wanted to explain some things that I learned, and putting everything into one post about Torpuot would have been way too long!
Our third stop in Torpuot was at the primary school. On our walk from the clinic to the school, I met Simon, a third and fourth grade teacher at the school. He and I walked and talked together, which was a great pleasure for me to talk candidly to a school teacher in Sudan.
On our walk, we talked about teaching, students, culture, family life, and so on. We covered many topics, but when we were discussing family, Simon asked if I am married (yes), which led to how long (5.5 years), which led to how many children (0), which led to, “Are you sterile (stereel)?” What?!? Here, that would have been a really rude question, but not in Sudan. In their cultural context, it was a very relevant question…they get married and have kids (6 children is ideal). I explained that in America, we can choose when and how many children to have, and my husband and I just haven’t decided to have children yet.
By the way, that was not the only time I was asked about my fertility.
Anyway, once we reached the school, I got a tour of the classrooms and had the opportunity to ask many, many questions about teacher training, curriculum, classroom management, class sizes, etc. My teacher-nerdiness was oozing out of me!! Luckily, Simon is a teacher-nerd, too, so he was thrilled to answer my questions and show me around.
Here’s Simon…
Here’s Simon and I…
This is Simon’s classroom…
Here’s a shot I got of the crowd of children that were following me around…they thought this angle was funny…
Simon and I then taught each other about how children are named in our respective cultures. In the Nuer tribe, babies are given a Nuer name as their first (given) name. Their second name is their father’s first name. They don’t call it a last name, because technically their names do not end since the grandfather’s name, great-grandfather’s name, and so on could be tacked to the end of their name. Once the children are baptized, they are given a Christian name. Simon’s three names are Simon Yien Jal. Simon is his Christian name, Yien (which means ‘shephard’) is his given Nuer name, and Jal (which means ‘to travel’ or ‘visitor’) is his father’s first name. Girls are given a Nuer name with ‘Nya’ in front of it, which just means girl. I then taught him how children are named here (much less meaningfully than in Sudan)…he was confused by the fact that both Cassandra and my middle name were given to me, and that I took my husband’s last name instead of his first (according to Nuer tradition, I would be Cassandra Blaise)!
Mandy taught a group of kids a hand-clapping game…
These boys told me they are brothers, but I’m not sure if they meant actual family or just the common Sudanese brother. They’re cute, anyway…
This little guy was a big fan of Chris. He just hung around him, and at one point would shift his stance to copy Chris each time he shifted positions!
Bil and I (p.s. the braids turned out to be a bad idea…my scalp also received a very bad sunburn)…
Peter is actually inside this mass of children! He had his iPhone4 out to take pictures and video, and was showing the kids…and this was the result…
This was the driver of our boat. He approached me while at the school and asked if I would take his sora…so I did!
These next few shots were totally Simon’s idea! He asked me to come sit down for a picture, and then he suggested that we shake hands and talk. I was cracking up because it’s almost like a directive I would give at a photo shoot (well, minus the shaking hands part)…
What’s a trip to a school without a cattle horns shot? NyaMandy and I (NyaCassan-d-ra) posed with a group of kiddos…
Angie made a couple of sweet friends, too! This was precious…
Madu. On our way back into the village, these little boys caught my attention. How cute is this???
Fun facts about schools/education in Sudan:
-Most primary school teachers (including Simon) are secondary school students themselves. Few teachers have any formal training or college educations.
-They teach in English
-They follow a GOSS (Gov’t of Southern Sudan) curriculum, which includes English, arithmetic, science, geography, etc.
-They have a class on Christian religion
-Teachers earn approximately 1500 Sudanese pounds per year (about $100 USD per month)
-The children are very hungry for education. The ‘lost boys’ mantra is that education is their father and their mother. The children I met in Sudan are not lost, but they are just as eager to learn!
-In Torpuot, class sizes vary from 50-80 students per class (we never could nail down a consistent number)
-The cans in the classroom pictures above serve as the students’ seats
-There are no textbooks, just the blank, lined UNICEF books into which students take notes and complete school work
-There are no desks, chairs, or computers. There is no air conditioning, Internet, or electricity. The classrooms are quite warm on a sunny day like that one…I cannot even imagine what they feel like during the dry season when it is a seering 135 degrees outside! (To my students in America, you are very fortunate to attend an amazing school with so many resources…stop complaining!!)
The trip to the Torpuot Primary School (and a later visit to schools in Nasir) was really just a reinforcer of some thoughts/feelings I have been having for months and months now. Some of you might remember that back in January, I had initially applied to go to Sudan with a different organization (VAD Foundation) and teach/mentor for the summer. I am so glad that God had different plans for me to go with Aid Sudan, but on this trip I realized just how much I feel led to go back to Sudan and train and mentor teachers. I am very excited to find out just where God is leading me…and I cannot wait for the day that He asks us to sell our house and move overseas…no kidding!!