Hey everyone! Library sessions, exam preparation courses, laundry wash and discovering Djangoa part II are part of today's post. Have fun reading it!
L'équipe fort:
As 'always', we went running at 5.45 a.m., and today (Friday, June 15), Domi joined us again after his break from exercising. He meant it serious and kept level with Alexia and Francisca, who are really fast runners! Well done Domi!
Reading a story to the 4th and 5th graders for the first time:
We - Domi and Sarah - told passages of the story "Haz Obe Farany" ("The Last Tree") in French, and Storya translated in Malagasy. Supported with the books' illustrations, we explained freely about the story's content and message and asked the students comprehension questions. They liked the story and the way we told it - and they agreed that seeding grains should be preferred over cutting the last tree in a village... After the story, they could read individually, which they really appreciated.
Sarah, the tourist - discovering Djangoa part II:
Sarah wanted me - Domi - to take a "typical tourist photo" of her in the beautiful nature close to the school, as she is promoting her career as an influencerin on social media (she just learnt that this kind of profession exists). 'Unfortunately' for her, Azaly and Storya accompanied us to the river and Sarah didn't dare to pose for the camera. However, we walked along the river and got to know lots of new, undiscovered parts of Djangoa, such as the old building of École Mamiko.
It's laundry time:
As we have most spare time on Thursdays, we decided that it's time to wash our laundry for the first time. Everyday life has caught up with us! Doing the laundry manually was somehow new for us, but we thought we organized ourselves quite well with lots of buckets, water and laundry wash soap. We were proven wrong when we recognized that our clothes were still dirty and smelly... Yep, we will do our laundry again soon. Congrats!
Exam preparation session:
Yesterday (Tuesday, June 14), we - Domi, Storya, and Sarah - struggled with the additional course for the 4th and 1st graders. We started on a level that is too high for them. However, today (Friday, June 15), we tried something new, which worked out really well...
Opening up the library to Djangoa's chilren and adults:
Today (Friday, June 15), around 65 children (apart from around 5 children, they were all École Mamiko students) and one of the kindergarten teachers - Angela - came to the library. Crazy! They renounced their free Friday afternoon, which shows that they're really interested in reading! Since the library turned out to be crowded, we split up according to the children's ages. Storya, Lisa and Ernéstine stayed in the library with the younger children and read them stories in groups. We - Domi and Sarah - went to a classroom with the 4th and 5th graders, providing individual or small group reading support. We were glad that Jean De Dieu - the 4th grade teacher - and Azaly were there to translate bits and pieces. With the teachers' approval and the students' continual attention, we went on with the reading support during the previewed exam preparation session. This turned out to be a big hit with them and we're convinced that this was more useful than conjugating verbs or talking in an abstract way about the French language!
The teacher's meeting:
We - Domi and Sarah - explained that we aren't French grammar teachers, but are librarians and we agreed that the exam preparation session will equal reading support, and not French grammar classes. Particularly after our succesful first try, we were relieved about that agreement!
That's it for today! We hope you enjoyed reading our blog! We end this post with great news: tomorrow morning we'll be on our way to Nosy Be, as Marine is arriving on Saturday! She'll be supporting us in the library and the exam preparation courses for the next 5 weeks. Excited!
June 15, Sarah and Domi
