Monday, December 26, 2011

Week Four Begins

Tomorrow I begin my fourth week of teaching. Classes run right through Christmas and New Years, with the exception that this Monday was a day off from classes. As I noted in an earlier post, this is a transition year for the academic calendar in Rwanda. They are moving from starting in January to starting in September. This year is a one-time-only calendar that starts in December and ends in June. The term is shorter than usual, and goes through the Christmas season.

Doreen and I spent the weekend in Gisenyi, which was very nice and relaxing. There were no big adventures. We stayed by Lake Kivu, relaxed, did some work, and explored the town a little. It was a nice mini Christmas break. But now I am right back in the thick of the term. In addition to my three classes, this week I begin meeting with three students who will do their senior research project with me. I will also begin a weekly review session for students who are preparing for the physics GRE.

I am more or less prepared for tomorrow's class---the 195-person mega class of general physics. I generally have a plan for the rest of the week, but I have a lot of notes to prepare to give to students. I also have my first batch of grading to do.

As usual, I am working on my balcony. It is almost 11pm and the hills of Kigali twinkle. It is relatively quiet. I can hear an occasional car drive by, and a radio is playing somewhere. It sounds like a country song, but I can't make out the language. The radio has faded and now crickets mix in with the distant sounds of cars and motos.

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