School and Language, Liberia – Second day.

French version here

So, let’s rock now. The crazy thing is that nobody is trying to make me work and i do not know who is my referent… I decide to ask someone at the staff house to bring me to the school! (Remember? Goal of the NGO is to take out girls from the street into school)

This is not the school, just the entrance of my living place. kids in the background are running  to me to be photographed.
This is not the school, just the entrance of my living place. kids in the background are running to me to be photographed.

 

Let’s go to school!

We have 3 drivers for staff and else. We plunge into the depths of Monrovia and i feel lost after 3 minutes drive…We finally arrive. School, full colored, is situated in a fairly lively street. I knock on the door and i meet Iris. I explain that i am come in peace and that the goal for me is to introduce my person. Warm welcome, i ask if they can provide me a connection just to say to my family that i am alive with bright eye and silky hairs. Ok, connection and yay, mails, administrative tasks and all the shit. Fact number one: When you have learned the Shakespeare language, most of american, when they speak for a bit that they are young and speak a bit fast, look like constantly eating a pack of Hollywood chewing gum. For the Liberian case, you just add another pack of chewing gum and put some anesthesia into it. In fact, i agree 3/4 of time words i do not understand at all. Nice isn’t it? Staff is wonderful with a real kindness. “Welcome to Liberia!, really nice to meet you, if you need anything in the school just tell it to me”. a thirty people are hired by the NGO and i am introduced to each of them. I start taking pictures of the school life. Girls, are all wearing white shirt and deep blue skirt, like to stand in front of a camera and its difficult to isolate a subject. A girl from the school come and I understand (remember that i am French):

“- wanem?”

“- Sorry, again?”

“- wasnem?”

“- You want some nems?”

“- what is your NA-ME?!”

“- Haaaa, I am Thomas, what about you?!”

I hope that my ear will be accustomed. In fact, i really have trouble with English language (and you probably did not miss this fact while reading me). Even American is sometime a problem, too much word i never use and also…this accent from some american places do not help… Com’on! It will come! I go into a class during a test: Sending a mail… big concentration, I do some discrete shots. I do not have right to put pictures here so you have to go to the More Than Me facebook or flickr account to see them. Test finished, just before leaving school sit’s computer plus english lesson via Skype

What is rhyme with “close”? Yesss! Nose!! Great!

This is ludic and kids enjoy a lot. Evening, I drink a bit of wine (because wine is life) on the roof of the house while talking with a quality street artist. I let you judge by yourself!

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