The Hexagon has Started

Sept 28, 2010 – The six school Hexagon exam has started today.  It’s a 2 – 1/2 day exam taken by 6 schools in the area.  Sort of a competition to see which of the schools can do the best and give the kids practice for real exams. 

This started a few years ago, when 6 of the better schools in the area got together to have such a competition to be able to evaluate themselves against the better schools in the area.  CGA use to rule supreme I heard, but now they are sliding to 2nd or 3rd.  Part of that relates to the fact that CAG doesn’t have as much school time as the others.  Most the schools in the area have required prep time – a couple hours, even up to 3 or 4, in the evening, Sat and / or Sun too.  CGA has an hour after school and 2 or so hours on Sat.  Hard to compete when they other kids get so much more time with teachers and being able to focus on studying.

Then later in the term the schools come together to announce the results, with ranks by school and by student, both overall and by subject.  Prizes are given to the best students, such as 1 piece of candy or maybe a pencil if you did really really well. 

I got the experience the Hexagon release for last term shortly after we arrived.  CGA was hosting and it’s an all day deal, even with a special meal, for the teacher only.  We don’t even feed the kids from the other schools.  Suppose to only be about a half day deal, but everyone needs to get up and say encouraging words, go into lengthy explanations of topics concerning, or marginally related, to the exam.

I was fortunate in that I work at this place, so I could get up an leave for extended periods of time so my mind wouldn’t go numb.  Poor students.  Four or Five hundred students - three grade from 6 schools –  who had to be crammed into the dining hall for several hours.  With no food.  With no water.  And boring speeches.

Got reprimanded the other day for opening other peoples mail.  I figure I’m the manage of the school and if mail arrives and nobody knows who the addressee is that I’m allowed to open it.  Even if it is marked personal and confidential.  That’s a no-no.  Got about 20 minutes from a local who volunteers here.  It raises suspicion on you.  Why are you opening others mail.  People don’t like that.  Hey. they sent it to the school I’m managing and I don’t know who they are, nobody knows who they are, and they didn’t tell us it was coming.  I can open it if I want.  No so, at least in the socially correct spectrum.  We should just keep it around for a while and see if anyone shows up for it.  I guess people just use the PO Box of the nearest school since they don’t have their own.  Not such thing as to the door step mail delivery here.  Probably do to no street numbers, or street names, or streets even where some of them live.

After keeping it around for a while, we should just return to the Posta.  They will just tack it to the wall for awhile to see if anyone comes by for it.  Eventually it’ll be returned to sender.

That local volunteer just got some mail here at school.  Maybe I’ll open it just for funzies, see how long I get lectured the second time around.

Joyce isn’t back from Uganda yet.  I guess they were having to much fun (and nice showers) and extended the stay a couple of times.  She should be back before dark tonight.  I have talked to her briefly.  Seems that she and Morgan had a great time and very glad they went.  Morgan got to play interpreter even.  I guess the locals had a hard time understand the coordinator from the US so Morgan stepped in to help.  Translating from English to English.  That is US English to East African accented English. 

Time to go see if the ugi is ready, didn’t have breakfast this morning.  But yesterday I had a great breakfast – toasted toast with Blueband, some pretty good scrambled eggs piled on top and topped with salsa.  Might have to try that again.

Paul, from Mbita.

PS – don’t forget about the picture pages – just posted a toddler with a machete.