Well, that’s one week of school finished.  Actually, three days only this week.  Monday was the celebration of Zanzibar Revolution which is actually held on the 12^th of January every year but this year the celebration was moved over to Monday, and so that was a public holiday.  And then Tuesday was Maulid, the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed, so we had another public holiday.  At least that gave some more time for students to arrive and get settled in before the new school year actually got underway.

Wednesday we met a new group of teachers.  Some of the teachers from last year had finished their contracts which weren’t renewed, while others moved to be with family in another part of the country, etc.  They seem like a good group (lots more men than women, unfortunately) so I hope we will be able to work together well and have a good school year.

The classes so far have gone well and most students are eager.  Those I teach, 1^st years, were at school during November for an intensive English course and most of them are back.  A few are missing and a few new faces have appeared as well.  We will need to do something about the uneven distribution in the classes, however.  One group has only 30 while the other group has more than 45.  I can certainly notice the difference in the ease of teaching with those fewer students.  45 is really a lot for one class during the class periods, and also when time comes to mark exercise books, quizes and exams!

And so may this year be a good one for all of us.  I hope and pray for patience and creativity for me, for dedication and doing the best for students from all of the teachers, for joy and peace and love of learning for the students, for them to respect and love one another, for their continued growth in becoming adults.  Not TOO much to ask for!