After three weeks away, CSB students returned Monday, resplendent in their new “casual wears”, a kind of uniform for when they’re not in uniform. By popular student demand and the decision of the student council, casual wear uniforms will replace the normal “anything goes” attire for students in their off hours. Students, with staff supervision, picked the uniform; blue shirts/black trousers for boys and red shirts/black skirts for girls – brought from home by students. They sure do look good in their matching colors trooping in en masse through the gates and flowing into our side street in twos and threes on boda, bike and foot. It lends a smartness, an air of discipline to the chaos that is the return to school.

David’s week started with staff and leadership team meetings to address the various issues of opening the term; missing staff members, students under disciplines, exams, cleanliness. Yesterday we walked as a family all around “our” school compound; we feel a sense of ownership for this land and these buildings and a strong sense of responsibility for all the people who live here. We checked pit latrines for cleanliness, trash pits for fullness, and dorms for graffiti. We saw the staff who have returned for the start of the new semester settling into their homes again. Even shutters are opening on the buildings as all readies for the students.

Now arriving students will slash their compounds (boys and girls) to remove the tall grasses that have grown up in the last few weeks. They will pick up their rubbish thrown on the ground instead of into pits (garbage receptacles aren’t a common concept here). They will wash their shower rooms and latrines, unpack their three sets of clothing, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc Tomorrow beginning of term exams begin – school has started again.