This should probably be the theme song for my stay here in Nigeria! I've just completed a 3-day training session in Azare with instructors who will serve as Mentor Teachers for the Nigeria Northern Education Program(NEI). The 27 trainees are all members of the faculty of the College of Education in Azare and will, along with 20 other MTs, be responsible for providing training and support for teachers in 100 public and Islamiyya schools and non formal learning centers throughout the state. Student-centered instructional modules on Literacy for Primary 4 pupils were featured in these first training sessions. After being field-tested and revised the modules are now ready to be place in the hands of teachers to help guide them away from the 'chalk and talk' approach to learning in the majority of classrooms in both Bauchi and Sokoto states. The Ministry of Education, local government officials and community groups are disturbed about the 70+% rate of illiteracy in the northern states and want to make changes in the system-in teacher training, placement and in instruction.
My training partner and I were expected to travel to and from Azare each of the three days. Five hours on the road plus seven hours of intense sessions wasn't appealing, so we negotiated to stay in Azare, but where? It's not as if there are Holiday Inns, or Days Inns, or even Motel 6 along the road. A call was made to one of the contact people who recommended a hotel, but when we arrived on Tuesday morning, another contact told us about a less expensive alternative "where people from the medical school stayed". The short of the story is that this off the road, down the path and around the corner place was the kind where you sleep with your eyes open! We stayed just one night. In our haste to secure a place while on lunch break, we had paid for two nights without looking at the only other hotel in town. Fortunately, the second nights payment was refunded.
Again during lunch, we checked out the Jimroose International Hotel (not quite) and asked key questions: What time is the generator turned on? (6pm) What time is it turned off? (midnight) Is there central hot water or individual tanks(individual which means take your shower at night while the power is on if you want hot water!) Are there rats (they always say 'no, of course not!') And most importantly, is hot water available for coffee? (Yes, it will be brought from the restaurant at 7am). We forgot to ask what time the gen went on in the morning. At the previous place power was provided from 5-6am so that residents could prepare for work. At Jimroose, there was no early morning schedule, so when I woke up at 6, I pulled out my trusty flashlight to get to the 4'x4' bathroom to take a cool shower.
One of the MT's loaned us a car for the duration of our stay-a manual shift Honda Civic. I was thrilled by the chance to drive, even if it was just for a short time. Negotiating motor bike, pedestrian and livestock traffic along with potholes, round-abouts and free-flowing traffic was a little more than I thought I could handle. After getting us safely back to campus, I turned the keys over to my training partner. He got us everywhere safely, but in my opinion did not handle the car as well as I did :-)
A flat tire greeted us the last morning of our stay. Again the great sense of hospitality of the Nigerian people emerged. There is always someone willing to help. A man who was washing cars in the parking lot, changed the tire and we were on our way. After giving participants their assignments and paying them for their participation (Yes, people get paid for attending workshops)
Rules about not being on the road at night had to be revised. It was after five when we left Azare. This meant arriving in Bauchi around 8pm. The nighttime drive was beautiful, but somewhat frightening. People returning home from daily routines were barely visible along the unlit roads. Some motorbikes carrying passengers to their destinations. had either dim or no headlights at all. One huge cargo truck had lights only on the left side.
Thanks to our excellent driver, we arrived safely. Personally I was looking forward to a hot shower and a good nights sleep.
Whew! What a life! You are still alive and well, very active :) Congratulations to you and your training partner for mastering the road and most of all the training. Blessings and continued success. You go Girl! Mama Grace is so excited about your activities and your caring nature to help those less fortunate. I talked with her from my car and she had so much excitement about your work. She is very pleased with your taking this opportunity to serve. I wish I had a recorder. It would make you smile, for sure. Love you! Miss you!
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