June 12, 2012
This is my last week as an employee of the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
I am wrapping up my work there and, at the same time, preparing for
the up-coming changes that will be necessary as I move to the Central African
Republic.
As I talk to various friends and colleagues, some of the
same questions keep coming up. So, this
entry will be an FAQ of sorts…
Where are you going??
I will be living in Baboua, Central African Republic (CAR). The country is right in the middle of the
continent at about 6-7° N latitude. It is south of Tchad, north of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Cameroon, and east of Sudan (North
and South). The town is
1 hour from the
Cameroonian border in the western part of the country.
What did it used to be
called???
The country has been called the CAR since its independence
in 1960 except for a brief period as the Central African Empire from 1976-79
(when Bokassa decided that being President-for-Life wasn’t enough and crowned
himself emperor…). Before that it was
part of French Equatorial Africa and before that part of Ubangui-Shari… So, if you haven’t heard of it, it is more
likely because it is a small, poor country that rarely is in the news in the
US.
What is the country
like?
The country is about the size of
Texas. The capital is Bangui, which is
in the southern part of the country across the river from DR Congo. Few people live in the eastern part of the
country. There are two seasons – rainy
and dry. It gets hot, but is mostly dry. There is a 5 hour time difference between
Baboua and Pittsburgh (at least now while we are on summer time. They don’t have summer time because there is
little difference in the length of day because it is so close to the equator –
maybe ½ hour during the course of the year.
That means there’s about 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness each
day.
What will you be
doing?
I will be an Education Advisor for the programs run by the
ELCA (national Lutheran Church in the USA).
So, I will not be working in the national schools or for the Central
African government. I will be based in
Baboua. For the first 6-12 months, I
will be helping the Central Africans running the existing programs to assess
them. Then, I will develop my job/role
to help them meet their goals using the skills I have. Design my own job! What a chance. Watch for future blog posts for details about
what the job will actually be like.
What language do they
speak there?
The national African language is Sango. I learned a little of this language when I
was in the CAR as a Peace Corps Volunteer 30 years ago. (I don’t remember much, but hope to learn
more soon. I can now say hello, give my
name, count to 10 and say I am going home!)
The country was colonized by the French, so that is also an official
language. I do speak French. The region where I will be living is the home
of the Gbaya (or Baya) people. Maybe I
will be learning Gbaya instead of Sango.
Don’t know that yet!
Will you have modern
conveniences?
Yes, but…
Baboua is a town of about 10,000, I am told. I don’t know what is available in the
town. I have been told that the house
where I will be living (provided by the ELCA) has electricity several hours a
day. I think there may be solar panels
on the roof, but don’t have details yet.
The ELCA has also recently installed a satellite dish so I will have
Internet access – probably when the electricity is available! I hope to have Skype access, but have not
details about that yet. I guess I will
have running water, but am not sure about that yet.
Are you excited or
apprehensive?
Yes. I am pleased to
be embarking on this adventure in which I can learn a lot personally and share
some of my knowledge with the people I meet there. So, I am excited. On the other hand, there are many unknowns,
so there is also some apprehension. I
hope excitement outweighs apprehension after the orientation I will have in
July (2 weeks in Toronto and 1 week in Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin).
Please send your comments and questions! I look forward to having “conversations” with
you through this blog.
Susan
Taking one step forward. My last day of work was Fri., June 15. Today, I went to PSERS and filled out all the paperwork. The PPS paperwork is also done. I attended the wonderful end-of-year/retirement parties for both Pgh. Phillips and Spring Hill K-5 schools. The former school made a donation in my honor to a charity of my choice and the latter game me a great Work Time Clock. It is currently set for Pittsburgh time as the base and Central African time on right. (I had to put the plane in Paris since there are no holes for places in Africa! Can't imagine why...)
