At the fridayevening the electricity disappeared and therefore it forced us to end the lesson one hour early again. Unfortunally it was the same class as the last time, luckily it is a class that has pretty many pupils that already can speak a little English. At the morningclasses it is more children that attend. On one hand it makes everything a little bit more complicated because it is a big gap between the levels but on the other hand it becomes a bit easier because the children are always happy and appreciate and enjoy every exercise. Especially the songs and the games and as goes for me that is what I like best too! We have now reached the material of lesson three and it contains the bodyparts and the family and that includes songs as “give me that old time religion”, “head, schoulder, knees and toes” and “father Abraham”.

When me and Yapeco went home from the morninglesson this Friday I met some female footballplayers that were going home from a training or a game. It was nice too see that there isn´t only men and boys that are playing. Ofcourse I would like to join them for a game or two some day! Here and there I see children play football. They play with halfdecent footballs, barefoot and with rocks as goalposts but you can´t mistake the joy and their technics are really good too!

At Saturday I woke up with a cold. I really hoped that I would be better as soon as possible. I really don´t want to come down and become sick the first thing I do. Lucky me I have the day off on Saturdays and I had plenty of time for recreation. Because of another power outage the porridge was cooked outside on a fire. After the breakfast I helped the ladies making saka saka. It´s a plant that they plant here in their garden. First you pick it, then pile it, then cook it and at last you mash it. It is much work to make the food compared to how things works at home but the result is delicious!

Luckily my cold turned better on Sunday and that also made it possible for me to sing a song in the church. This time I performed ”Kumbaya my lord” and I also played at the church little synth.

Now I have been here in Congo for two weeks and my career as a Englishteacher is nearly one week long. The lessons is actually going pretty well and it’s getting less and less for every time. I guess it is because I learn more and more for every lesson and I’m starting to get the hang of it.

The pupils are now divided into four classes. In the beginning of every lesson it is around about five pupils but when the lesson is finished they have increased to ten. To be in time here in Congo maybe isn´t the highest of priorities. Because it is four classes and two lessons each day I have this week had two lessons for each class. Today in about an hour I’m going to have the lesson number three. At the lesson two I taught the numbers, days, months and seasons and that included exercises as singing the Swedish songs ten little Indians and Monday I do nothing translated to English lyrics by myself. I have experienced that singing is a very good tool in teaching and It is also highly appreciated by the pupils. Another good exercise is to write an easy dialogue at the blackboard and let each pupil have a conversation with me. In that way it is good repetition for everyone and I get a chance to listen to and help each and every pupil at the level they are.

The lesson this Wednesday afternoon was really something. The power was gone in Matadi, which happens occasionally, and that caused not such a problem in the beginning of the lesson but after six o´clock it started to get very dark in the classroom and we had to continue the lesson outside. But even that became to dark after a while and we had to finish the lesson early. Shortly after that the electricity went back on but then the decision was already made.

The most spectacular event outside the classroom considering myself was that I attended a chickenslaughter at home. It started Thursday morning when I followed Augustine to watch her kill a bunch of chickens. When she asked me if I wanted to try I didn´t doubt in saying yes. I want to take every chance I get to learn something new, after all you never know when it can be useful to know how to kill a chicken. Later in the afternoon I also helped a little bit to take out the increase of the chickens. Even how interesting it is to see and learn new things in a different culture I can tell you that it will take a while before I´ll ever do that again!

Now i have finally had my first lesson!
There were eight students and I in a small classroom in comparison with those I’m used to back home in Sweden. But it was a very clean and tidy room and no clutter that can often manifest themselves in the classroom at home. Yapeco and the pastor were two of the students and above them there were three men, a woman and two children, a girl and a boy. Lesson one included areas as presentations of ourselves, both in English and French, and general expressions like please, goodday, how are you? etc. I had four different exercises where I think the most appriciated was playing memory. The fact that I can´t speak French was not such a big problem and the lesson mostly went well but there are some details that I’ll think about next time. Something my dad tried to teach me before i went here, was the technology of the whiteboard but unfortunately I´m not always so good at listening when my parents give advice so that’s something I’ll have to think about the next time, for example, write English with yellow chalk and French with blue and always start to the left. Another difficulty is that everyone isn´t at the same level, but I think that’s something that exist more now in the beginning when it comes to general terms such as “hello”, it isn´t surprising that some of them, and others do not. The next lesson that will be about family and animals, I think it will be more equal. Another difficulty is that if one takes a little more time to answer or read the rest of the class are quickly there and will fill out, ofcourse with the best of intentions, but I’ll look up the French call for wait when I get back to my dictionary at home in the house so it’ll probably work out as well. Otherwise, as I said everything went well and I believe and hope that everyone appreciated the lesson. At five, I will have group 2 with the same lesson materials we may hope that it goes well.

This Friday I was at a Congolese funeral. It was one of Yapecos friends’ mother who had died at the age of 85. I did not understand at first that it was a funeral. It was outdoors outside a hospital and they carried out the dead (in coffins) from the hospital to a plateau outside and there was a chorus and relatives out there that were placed around the coffin and sang. All around everything was other people and watched. A big difference from Sweden was that the songs were pretty excited and it was dance aswell, and the clothes were also colorful.

Afterwards we went and picked up Augustine who had been in Kinshasa for a week. She is very nice and kind and it’s great that she has returned. She had even brought a gift to me from the capital, a very nice silver ring. Her sister and two children were visiting in the afternoon and we spoke a little English and French with eachother and I discovered that I actually have learned a lot since i arrived and that’s fun. In the evening I tought Stig and Signe the cardgame: finns i sjön and another card game and then the evening was saved.

There were two church services this Sunday too, but both were in the Baobao Church this time. The first in French and the other in Kikongo. I understood more of the sermon in French this time than I did the previous Sunday which is positive. I think it would have been very interesting to learn more of Congolese indigenous language Kikongo and not only the French that became the official language with the colonization, but because it is French that I can have benefit out outside Congo I’m focusing on that and it is difficult enough. But I’ve learned “m’bote” and “tutondele” in kikongo, which means good day and thank you. At the cermon in kikongo the priest introduced me and greeted me welcome in front of everyone and then I said “tutondele” to general delight and appreciation. Afterwards, we had a short meeting with the students from the church that will learn English. They were a little concerned about me not speaking French, and so am I but I hope I will convince both myself and them about that it is going to go well anyway at my first lesson today.

After dinner this Wednesday which consisted of spinach stew and rice, I asked to go out for a walk, Signe and Stig came with me and I got the chance to take many good photos! All calls Moundele after me and almost everyone are very happy to see me! I always ask before I take pictures, and most of them want to be in the picture but some are shy and say no. When the walk was over, we went to a neighbor who gave us lemonade outside her house, it was the same woman I bought bread from my first morning in Matadi. She was very happy to have me as a guest and we talked a bit, with the emphasis on a bit, French with each other. It gets a little better with the french and I’m learning more and more each day. But I have also discovered that sometimes it can be nice to not always understand what they say or be able to talk, otherwise I fear that I would be talking spirit whole day long.

The evening was with watching football and I prepared my teaching for next week. Tonight I made the game memory of the weekdays, numbers, greetings and etc. I’ve also cut out exercise pieces to the students where they will get to draw lines between numbers and the English spelling of the numbers. It´s actually pretty entertaining to figure out different kind of exercises! Because there is nothing wrong with my imagination it will be a lot of games and songs to lighten up the whole thing and hopefully create a joy about learning English.

I have had three major problems the last few days as I am now find some solutions to. The first problem has been the mosquitobites during the night, but now I have learned to tap the mosquito net so tightly under the mattress that they don´t have a chance to enter. Today I also managed to get a good technique on how to take a shower by pouring water from buckets over myself, it’s only taken me almost a week. The third problem has been the cocks and hens that awake me at five thirty every morning and it has been impossible to go back to sleep but the solution here has been to listen to music from my ipod.

I have come to learn under the last couple of days that this thing with time doesn´t work exactly the same way here that it does back home in Sweden. I was hoping that I could start my teaching this week but the planningmeeting with the reverend did dragged on and not until yesterday we came out with the solution that I´m going to start on Monday and have two classes every day from Monday to Friday. One in the morning and one at the afternoon. I have divided the 48 pupils into 5 classes and every class is going to have two lessons every week. That makes about 20 lessons per class. Under that time we will hopefully go through such things as numbers, colors, animals, bodyparts, food, social expressions, traveling etc. On one hand I was hoping to get started a bit earlier but on the other hand I´m pretty grateful to have some time to acclimate me and especially learn some more french.

About the French I´m very happy to have Stig and Signe, they are more then willing to help! They are also very eager to learn english and that´s so nice to see! Yesterday we spent the afternoon with teaching each other our language. I also teached Signe to play some piano. I´m so very lucky to have been placed in Yapecos family. They are very hospitable and kind to me, I´m very grateful to them!

I´m also very grateful to Matadi support group who gave me this opportunity to see the real Africa and Congo and so far I´m loving every second of it! Matadi is a very nice and beautiful town and the people are so friendly. I also get to see and learn so much stuff that i never would otherwise and it´s so very interesting!

Now i´m going to keep on planning my teaching for the next week. Right now I´m trying to find some good songs in English and translate them to French. to be continued…

At ten to six the sound from awakening hens wakes me up, I hope I get used to their sound soon. Later in the morning me and Yapeco ate breakfast with porridge, the, peanuts and bread. I followed Yapecos son Stig to buy the bread in the morning. On the walk I got some beautiful pictures but the woman that was selling the bread thought I was a strange Moundele that wanted to take a picture of someone who “only is selling bread”.

Just before nine we arrived to the Baobaochurch. I got to presentate myself in bad French to the community and when I said that I liked to sing and play they invited me up to the stage. Unfortunely I don´t got the talent to play without chord or sheets so instead I sang Amazing grace accapella. I sang both in english and Swedish and a girl from the community started to sing along with me in harmony so it turned out pretty good!

At half past ten we went to the second church, the baptistchurch. When we got there it was crowded with people. It was very beautiful with all the colorful clothes! The ceremony didn´t end until four o´clock but it neverless felt boring because the mainpart existed of music and singing from a number of choirs. They were incredibly talented and it sounded very good and it was also a lot of dance and joy! I got to stand up in the front of this church to and say hello to the community but the mainfocus wasn´t on me this time but on the new priest that was introduced today.

After the ceremony I got to met Julienne for the first time, she´s the one that usually do the translating for Matadi support group so I got to speak Swedish today to!
The dinner was waiting for us today again when we got back and today chicken and rise was served, my favourite plate! At the evening I drink tea with Signe and Stig, Yapeco and Augustine’s children and then I prepare for the English teaching I hopefully will start with this week. Tomorrow we are going to plan the whole thing with the priest, I hope it will go well and that I can help them a little english even though I neither a educated teacher or speak French. But I think and hope that with the good will from the Congoleses it all will work out just fine.

The day began with breakfast at the reverends place who lived next door to our motel. Edi have lived in Sweden before so we could therefore have a conversation in Swedish and I almost felt as home. After that we started our 365 kilometre long drive to Matadi.

We changed cars twice and under that time I got too see a beautiful country with lot of colour. Not just the amazing nature with green trees, blue sky and red ground but also the houses and the clothes of the men and especially the women makes the view from the car very colourful and spectacular. Every time we slow down the car, for example when there´s a roadgump, at least five childrenfaces are coming in through the window and wanting us too buy something from them. So without even leave the car we got both mandarins, peanuts and water to give us energy on the long drive to Matadi. One time though we went out from the car to a market in a village we were trespassing and bought carrots and tomatoes.

Along the way to Matadi there were several little villages with huts made of brick with people outside them waiting for trespassing that they can sell there products too. Almost everywhere people are shouting when they see me and welcomes and greats me with “bienvenue”, “bonjour”, “ca va?”, “Bon voyages” and so on. Always with a smile on their face that´s getting even bigger when I wave back and at some places they´re following us a little bit.

Finally we arrived to the house of Yapeco! The house is placed pretty high up in the town and have a fantastic view. AT the table a tasty dinner with fish, Kasawabread, boiled bananas and vegetables are waiting for us. Afterwards when we are on the livingroom
the electricity breaks and we enjoy ourselves listening too the livemusic outside. Lateron Yapeco brings me on a walk through the city in the dark from the electricitybreak. We say hello to some of his friends. Before going to bed I´m served some delicious homemade chips from the potata and roasted peanuts.

Now it´s time for my first contribution to this blog. This Friday after months of waiting and preparing the time had finally come for me to take the flight too the republic democratic of Congo. I was a bit nervous, especially since I´ve just recently started to learn French, how am I supposed to be able too teach anyone English? But when my plane put down its wheels on N´djilis Airport in Kinshasa and everyone were cheering loudly and happily and I saw the red sun in the African sunset I could only feel expectation and curiosity to spend my summer in Matadi.

Despite the fact that it´s also summer in Sweden it was a big change of climate for me from a cold and rainy Gothenburg too the 29-degrees heat in Kinshasa. One of Yapecos friends greeted me just outside the plane and guided me trough the airport and to Yapeco that was waiting at the parkinglot outside. A chauffeur drove us in to the city through a traffic that´s slightly different from Sweden to Yapecos friend’s house where also Augustine, Yapecos wife were and there I got the chance to try my French a little bit. Luckily for me you can come far with just bodylanguage and a good will! After a glass of soda me, Yapeco and Augustine went to our motel and after a good meal of chicken and chips the three of us went to sleep in the single dubblebed the room got.

Gabriella Knutsson from Ulricehamn and Stockholm will travel to DR Congo on June 14 as our first volunteer. Gabriella is 23 and is studying social work at the University of Stockholm. She is going to stay in Matadi for two and a half months, where she will teach English. There are 48 students who have expressed an interest in learning English. Most of them are members of the Baobab Church and several of them are also entrepreneurs who have taken part in MSG entrepreneurial courses.

Gabriella has already proven skills to manage many different tasks in addition to her studies. She has worked as a personal assistant, a nursing assistant and a telemarketer. She has worked on a therapy department for the elderly and as an au pair for seven months in Melbourne, Australia. She has also been a youth leader at confirmation camps, a scout leader at home in the Mission Church and she is as well an active and talented football player, currently in Aspudden women’s team in Stockholm. Other sports and activities that interest Gabriella is cross country skiing, downhill skiing, running, biking and camping.

Gabriella also likes singing and music. Her instruments are guitar and piano. She sings and plays in various churches when the opportunity arises.

The Baobab Church with its 1,500 members is a friend church to Hökerum´s and Blidsberg´s Mission Church congregations. For this relationship to develop, we must have a common language. English is the natural choice. Gabriella will now initiate the English classes that we hope will continue with the help of more voluntary work in the future.

Now we want to welcome Gabriella as co-worker of Matadi Support Group. In Matadi, they are waiting for her.

Gabriella will be writing about her experiences in Matadi in this blog, so stay tuned.