In certain aspects, the people of my town are remarkably consistent--even against all odds. I will always have new children to gawk at me as if I had two heads, each growing their own second head. Students, after five years of studying English, will always sweat and fumble for a response if asked "How are you?" And, certain things that need to get done and information I need to do my job will be perpetually out of my reach.
Case 1: I've now started my 3rd week of school, yet only have half of my schedule. After an influx of students this year beyond capacity, both grade levels (4eme and 2nde) will mitosis-ize themselves from two classes each to three. This means, potentially, that my workload will increase by 150%. Despite the importance of the change to my life, not a single school official will tell me if/when this might take place, and what the schedule might look like if the classes are created.
At present, I just have all the students that would move to the third class in the first two. Desks have 4 kids per bench/desk, and sometimes kids lay a piece of wood between two desks to sit on and go without a surface to write on. (This is a widely practiced tactic on taxi brousses, where seats are created between two rows with a piece of wood). This wouldn't necessarily be a problem--that I don't know about future schedules--mind you. However, because they don't know who is in what class, they won't create a class roster. Without a class roster, I can't give any sort of tests or assigned work. Without any grades, I can't fill out their report card that's already due in 2 weeks. (Not to mention, I'm positive that despite my asking 10 times if/when they do split the classes up, no one will inform me and I'll miss weeks of classes).
Case 2: My library project, almost a year in the making, needs one piece of information to get off the ground and started. I need a 6, possibly 7 digit number that represents the value of the abandoned house we'll potentially rebuild in Ariary, so it can be included in the "community contribution" to the project. With this last puzzle piece in place, a bevy of other information in the budget can be answered. However, because of the rules of hierarchy here, it would be inappropriate for me to go directly to the owner of the house (who lives in Fianarantsoa, not my town) and ask him. It's instead something that the mayor or another "lehibe" (town official) has to do. Well, they aren't, no matter how many times I ask them, ask to set up a meeting, ask them why they weren't at the meeting we set up. It's always an involved, complex matter to get everyone in the same place at the same time, considering there isn't a way to contact anyone while they're in my town. Why is it an insurmountable challenge to get this information? It's been 6 months! I'd be impressed at how consistent they are in their unhelpfulness if I weren't so frustrated to the point of self-inflicted hair loss.
