Showing posts with label sex ed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex ed. Show all posts

Monday, May 4, 2009

A Day in the Life...

Want to know what it is like to live in an African village? Here's a glimpse into my life.
5h30 Wake-up. Go to the well twice to collect water for the day.
6h Morning routine; brush teeth, sweep the house, feed my cat, etc.
6h30 Laundry time. I am now an expert at hand-washing clothes.
7h30 Make breakfast.
8h15 Go out into the village to salute people. Go to the school.
9h Relax for a few minutes!
9h30 Visitors! Some women come by my house to discuss what kind of work we can do together. We have a date to build some improved cook stoves next week! Also on the agenda; soap and lotion making.
10h Go back to the school to address all the classes (there are 4). I am going to start a club for the girls. Last week I was discussing with the principal about a 5eme (roughly 7th grade) girl who is pregnant. I told him that I want, or better yet, need to talk to these girls about sex. He then informed me that 'condoms are not for kids, they are for men who want to sleep with a woman besides his wife.'
Since then I have been determined to challenge this Palin-esque mentality. So instead of TM (travail manuel) Tuesday afternoons, about forty 12-16 year old girls are going to come to my house where we'll have class, my way. A class I'm calling 'Parlons du Sexe, bebe.' The teacher who accompanied me to the classes is very supportive of the idea. He said ' these girls, they do not know anything about sex. But they like it very much.'
11h Home again. Bake a cake (just because I can) 12h Make lunch.
Repose. Nap/reading/crossword time.
15h Go to the boutique in village to pick-up some things for dinner.
15h30 Lesson prep/work time
16h30 Bike ride, 12km
17h15 Shower. I bet you're wondering what my showers are like here without running water. Basically I have a bucket of water and I pour water over my body with a cup.
17h30 Make dinner, mangeons!
18h30 Go to my homologue's house to visit his family.
19h30 Time to roll out my mat for another night of sleep under the amazing African night sky.
Do you think you could survive?