The New Air Brothers

     It has officially been two weeks since Mike and I first arrived in the beautiful land called South Sudan.  However to me it feels like we have been here for much longer than that.  I already feel very at home here in Gumbo and have gotten used to the schedule here for the most part.  Three days after arriving at Don Bosco – Juba Mike and I started working at the secondary school here ran by the Salesians: Don Bosco Senior Secondary School.  We were told to go in the morning on our first Monday here and meet with Fr. Patrick, the Salesian who serves as the principal of DBSSS.  Within five minutes of arriving he handed me an old English workbook and told me that I would be teaching S2 English (high school sophomore level) in twenty minutes.  As if the idea of teaching high school with no training or experience whatsoever was scary enough I found out that I would be teaching my first class within half an hour of my first day at the school.  I came in expecting to shadow some classes for a few days (or weeks!) at least before jumping right in.  If I have learned anything on mission so far it is that when God throws you challenges you have to step up to the plate and pray that He will grant you the graces to make it through.  He has definitely walked very closely with me through these first two weeks of mission and I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Him.

          I made it through that first class without totally humiliating myself and I think I might actually be getting the hang of this whole teaching thing after only two weeks.  I have taught a dozen or so English lessons and two geography lessons so far and I am really enjoying it.  Though my students are sophomores in high school for the most part they are my age or older (22-28 or so) because most of them were not in school for many years due to the war and some of them even fought in it.  I feel very blessed to be teaching them and pray everyday that I will be able to serve them well in and outside of the classroom because they deserve so much. 

           My other job at DBSSS is assisting Fr. Patrick with administrative duties around the school, which mostly consists of typing up old records and making scheduling charts and such.  Currently I am working on designing a report card for the school, which has been really fun. 

        One of my favorite parts of the day is the hour or two after school and before Oratory time (from 5pm to 7pm when we play with the youth).  Tom, Mike, and I have coined this time Refectory Time since the room we have it in is known as the refectory (smart!).  During Refectory Time we relax and listen to music and do work on our computers…I use the term “work” here loosely.  When Oratory time comes around we gather up some basketballs and soccer balls and head out to play.  I love soccer so I have really enjoyed being able to play everyday and it a great way to bond with the people here.  Afterwards we meet outside of the parish church and say a rosary which is one of my favorite parts of the day as well.  We get to sit with all the little kids and pray to Our Lady with them and it is such beautiful thing to be a part of.  The little kids always get a kick out of us white folk which is really funny.  They do not see white people very often and so they will turn their seat towards you during rosary and just stare the whole time we are praying.  Last night I made some buddies before rosary and they wouldn't stop rubbing my forearm hair...it amazes them because Africans don't have any.  

        After Oratory we shower, say Evening Prayer with the Salesian community, and then eat dinner before heading back to the volunteer house.  Once we go back we usually hang out in the refectory for an hour or two before heading to bed.  Last night we started planning for our debut rock album with our band “The New Air Brothers” (based off of the South Sudanese tribe of Nuer) so keep your eyes and ears open…as you can see our refectory discussions can get pretty deep.  I also enjoyed my first Nile Special last weekend, the official beer of the New Air Brothers!  Anyways that’s all for now, stay tuned and God Bless!