tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34998044108537801872024-03-13T10:06:52.831-07:00Navigating Namibia: Julie's Journey"In the end, the simple act of opening your mind and engaging abroad, whether it’s in the heart of campus or in the most remote villages, can change your definition of what’s possible." -Michelle Obama, GWU Commencement Speech, 2010Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-48035650866836435352012-06-25T01:37:00.002-07:002012-06-25T01:37:35.860-07:00The Burglar Baboon...and Other Adventures<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Life in Namibia continues to be random and exciting and adventurous accompanied by a roller coaster of other emotions and adjectives. Example: recently I went to my friend Ryan's village Oshekasheka, which literally means very very far away in Oshiwambo. He had invited friends because his (host) family was throwing a birthday party for him at their traditional homestead which is similar to where I'm living but they have electricity! <i>Omagongo</i>, traditional marula liquor, <i>ondjuhwa yoshiwambo</i>, traditionally prepared DELICIOUS chicken, <i>onyama</i>, meat!, and <i>oshithima</i>, porridge, abounded. We all, Namibians and Americans alike, sat around eating with our hands and drinking from traditional gourds that have been hollowed out to use as cups, chatting and laughing. What's striking about this to me is that I don't even think to tell family and friends about stuff like this anymore because it has become pretty standard. I'm now somewhat used to traditional food, used to the setting that I used to think only came from a national geographic magazine, used to hearing and speaking Oshiwambo and generally accustomed to other little nuances of everyday life here. Sometimes it's hard to remember what life in America was like and even harder to remember that the normalcies of daily life here - hitch hiking, getting stared at because I'm white, "Africa time", African hospitality, ETC. - are not the normalcies of the life I grew up with. Yet at the same time, the birthday celebration, the abundance of food and drinks, the laughing and talking and later...dancing with loved ones..isn't so different from a typical party in the US. <b>So different yet so much the same! </b>Perhaps this is the biggest lesson I’ve learned in Peace Corps thus far.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week, I’m at a conference in Windhoek for librarians from around the whole country, which has been very interesting and enjoyable for a lot of different reasons. One of those reasons is that I get a full week in a fancy hotel room with hot showers as many times a day as I want and free wireless Internet. Most exciting, though, is the THREE ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET MEALS A DAY! Ice cream at every meal is most people’s idea of heaven, right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The content of the conference has also re-lit my fire for continuing to improve Omuthiya Community Library. It’s inspiring to be with so many intelligent Namibians who feel palpably passionate about bringing a reading and library culture to this country. I’ve got renewed spirit and ideas to bring back to Omuthiya along with a new librarian, Katrina, who was hired last week. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I think we’ll work very well together. Additionally, Namibia Library and Archives Service (NLAS) announced at this workshop that they’ve hired two new IT technicians, one of which will be based in my area of the country and will be responsible for the kind of ICT work I’ve been doing including teaching computer classes. Though I still have a few more months to go, I do feel like I’ll be leaving the library in good hands. Knock on wood this feeling is correct!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It kind of does feel like things are coming full circle in a way at the library for other reasons, too. I was glad to witness and help plan the library’s official opening ceremony which took place June 14 & 15. Although we’ve been open for about a year and a half now, this made it OFFICIAL. We got a fancy plaque and the Governor of the region came to unveil it. We had a whole official ceremony, attended by the Director of NLAS and other “VIPs.” We also held a library showcase where people could come in, walk around and we showed off all our resources. Different staff members ran computer game competitions, reading competitions, showed movies, demonstrated the educational software we have and ran library quiz competitions. I was happy the opening happened while I’m still in the country. It was truly a learning experience to help plan an official Namibian government/Ministry of Education event!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The library's official opening event...and the Governor of Oshikoto region checking out our computer lab. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last time I wrote, I was getting ready to embark on a trip to Swaziland but since then, I actually have taken another trip as well...three weeks traveling to Zanzibar! Four friends and I traveled by bus, boat and train all the way across the continent to the little island off the coast of Tanzania. We spent the majority of time traveling and we dubbed the theme of the trip “the journey is the destination!” Every stop we made, every place we stayed, every bus ride we took was a new and exciting adventure.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Allie painting nails out the window as our train made stops on the way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Livingstone, Zambia, we stopped to visit Victoria Falls, the largest waterfalls in the world and an impromptu dance party underneath the waterfalls took place. We “shook our bum bums” (that’s the song we joined in singing with our new Zambian friends), and got soaking wet as the spray from the incredibly powerful waterfalls poured on top of us. It was way better than singing in the rain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The area around the falls is jungle-like, beautiful with lots of exotic plants, trees and BABOONS!! On the hike back up from the falls, we found ourself surrounded by these eerily human-like creatures. As we hiked up single-file, I heard Jeannine say, “Julie...he...she...it is behind you...” but I kept walking, unsure of what else to do. Suddenly, I felt a violent tug on the backpack I was carrying. I didn’t have to feel it again before I slipped the straps off my arms and turned around in time to watch a particularly hideous baboon running up the hill next to us, backpack in hand.<br />
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“My camera!” Jeannine cried, as she watched in horror as a baboon unzipped her camera case with his human-like hands, presumably looking for food, and tossed her expensive electronic down the hill. We still question how he knew how to use a zipper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We watched as the baboons opened our bread bag with nimble thumbs, chomped each piece of bread individually and ate our apples like people, holding them in their hands (claws?) and chomping the apple bite by bite.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“My blackberry!” I heard Pissy say as we remained frozen to the hiking trail, staring helplessly at what was happening above us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That’s when I realized everyone in our group had put all of their money and other valuables in the bag in an attempt to control what would and wouldn’t get wet under the waterfalls. Without that stuff, the trip was over. We would be stuck in Livingstone without money, IDs, credit cards. There would be no journey. And no destination.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Luckily for us, as we stood there dumbfounded, a few Zambian superheroes (a.k.a. regular guys who are used to the baboons), started throwing rocks at the animals and climbed up to get our things back. When we asked them why they weren’t afraid of being attacked, they replied that baboons can smell the difference between men and women. While they will never attempt to dominate, steal from or attack a man, they have no fear when it comes to women. Stupid us were walking around in a group of 5 girls with apples, peanut butter AND bread in our bag. Apparently we were a moving target. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So yes, we learned a lesson, got our things back and the vacation was saved but...that’s how I got mugged by a baboon.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A terrifying, horrible thief </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The trip had many other adventures and Zanzibar was an absolute paradise. We met and spent time with so many interesting and different people along the way. Crossing the continent, watching the landscape change and buying local food from the people who approached the train everytime we stopped, was incredible. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Enjoying the wonders of Zanzibar on a tour of the island's spices</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite that, I think we were all very relieved when we crossed the border from Zambia back into Namibia. In Namibia, we can (sort of) speak the language, (sort of) understand what’s going on around us, (sort of) know where we are and how to get where we need to be...in short, it has become home and the place where we are most comfortable. The warm welcome I received from friends, from my colleagues at the library and most of all from Yoleni and my host family was bittersweet. How am I going to be able to leave this home in just a few months and return to my original home?! Although part of me is ready to go and ready to start the next chapter...another part of me already tears up as I think about leaving.</span></span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-72601206336112406832011-12-26T22:52:00.000-08:002012-01-13T03:32:14.091-08:00The Family Visits...and on to another vacation!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAq7L1RufSQ/TxAI_bQUlfI/AAAAAAAAALk/6Bg8OP689hE/s1600/IMG_2481.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div>I realized I desperately need to update this blog when I thought about how I am leaving for another vacation tomorrow and I still haven’t even written about my vacation several months ago when my family came to visit! So here I go....<br /><br />THE TRIP WITH SCOTT AND MY PARENTS WAS AWESOME! It went too fast, of course, in hindsight, but each day was truly memorable and unique.<br /><br />I think the most interesting part of the trip was that my family all completely went out of their comfort zones and stayed on my homestead for TWO nights. They met my Nam family, ate traditional food with their hands and slept underneath mosquito nets for the first time in their lives. I guess I forgot how different living on my homestead is from living in a house in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and am not sure I prepared them properly. Although thinking back now, I don’t even know what I could have told them to better prepare them.</div><div><br />My brother, Scott, literally did not speak for the first 24 hours he was here. My dad took videos of me walking around the homestead explaining things and my mom and my brother look so uncomfortable and confused and lost and unsure of what to do with themselves in the background, it's actually pretty funny. For me, my homestead is a magical place where I truly feel at home and which represents how I’ve adapted and adjusted to life here but to them...scary bugs, oppressive heat, chickens and goats running all around, no running water, no electricity, not understanding any Oshiwambo so really not knowing what was going on nor having any control over things. They were really quite the troopers and I am happy they agreed to stay here!<br /><br />Scott told me this story later which he said was a big deal for him:<br /><br />I was showing the family around the homestead and explaining something to them when Scott interrupted me.<br /><br />"Jul...the biggest spider I've ever seen is crawling on the wall right above you."<br /><br />"Oh yeah, those are really big but they don't hurt you. They only bite holes in your clothes...” Then I continued non-chalantly with whatever else I was explaining.<br /><br />Scott, who is not a fan of anything creepy-crawly, said he looked at me in that moment and realized his jappy sister was long gone. HAHA!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0kQqwfzgko0/TxACPkyNsTI/AAAAAAAAAKI/FzwmfL3__oc/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0kQqwfzgko0/TxACPkyNsTI/AAAAAAAAAKI/FzwmfL3__oc/s320/IMG_0362.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697055995219259698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Nam fam and Am fam in traditional Owambo garb</u></span></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IXir8iHQ2os/TxACPFYlUdI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/8ZH2_Q5Xd7A/s1600/IMG_1493.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IXir8iHQ2os/TxACPFYlUdI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/8ZH2_Q5Xd7A/s320/IMG_1493.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697055986790257106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Forcing my family to do my least favorite homestead chore - washing dishes!</u></span></div></div><br />Aside from staying at my homestead, which was very memorable and amazing in its own way, the rest of the trip was awesome as well. We experienced so many amazing things together. We saw a leopard try to stalk and kill warthogs (unsuccessfully unfortunately), saw 4 of the big 5 of Africa’s hardest animals to hunt, spent an afternoon at a traditional Himba homestead, saw all kinds of snakes and lizards buried underneath the sand dunes in the desert outside of Swakopmund, met up with a group of my fellow volunteers for lunch, hiked ON rock engravings that are tens of thousands of years old...THE LIST GOES ON.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyday was a new adventure for all of us and it was also very interesting for me to see Namibia as a tourist, which is completely different than how I have been experiencing it for the past year plus. It was so fun to be with my family too. As soon as we reunited and after the hugs and tears, it was like nothing had changed and it was completely normal being around one another. That might have been the craziest part. Even writing this now, I can't believe after all that planning and anticipation, the trip came and went and I'm talking about it in the past tense. WOO! WHAT A WHIRLWIND!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ay3IoEIj-A/TxACSE26CII/AAAAAAAAAKs/75mzj38Qzu0/s1600/IMG_0883.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ay3IoEIj-A/TxACSE26CII/AAAAAAAAAKs/75mzj38Qzu0/s320/IMG_0883.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697056038188615810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>My family and I on top of Table Mountain in Cape Town</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HN0akHsU81o/TxACRv78yhI/AAAAAAAAAKg/wleL9qw5PYw/s1600/IMG_0559.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HN0akHsU81o/TxACRv78yhI/AAAAAAAAAKg/wleL9qw5PYw/s320/IMG_0559.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697056032572623378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>A snake emerging from the sand in the dunes outside Swakopmund</u></span></div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9YlPxjiSv0/TxACQU1xaqI/AAAAAAAAAKU/D5B_pLidWFY/s1600/IMG_0381.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9YlPxjiSv0/TxACQU1xaqI/AAAAAAAAAKU/D5B_pLidWFY/s320/IMG_0381.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697056008119085730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Scott and his new Himba friend outside of Opuwo</u></span></div></div><br />During one of the more stressful nights at my homestead while my family was here, my little (host) brother, Kabila, decided to add to the chaos. He came to me while I was in the middle of explaining something to my parents and handed me a TINY, ADORABLE and very scared puppy.<br /><br />“This is for you, Miss Julie,” he said, beaming.<br /><br />So...I unexpectedly acquired a new pet and carried him around with me for the rest of the night while trying to explain “T.I.A.” to my family amongst many other things. When I returned from holiday a few weeks later, the puppy was BIG! The kids had taken great care of him for me while I was gone. We named him <i>TUYOLENI</i> which means “Let’s Laugh” in Oshiwambo but we mostly call him <i>YOLENI</i> for short. He is a wonderful and very happy new addition to my life. And with the way I worry about him, there is no doubt that I'm going to be a neurotic Jewish parent (Thanks, Mom). After a long day at work, there’s nothing like coming home to a cute little pup, whose tail is wagging so hard it looks like it will fall off because of how excited he is to see me!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnqjbiJNbrE/TxAI9Xh9tUI/AAAAAAAAALA/xk7Gm6F9z2c/s1600/IMG_2014.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnqjbiJNbrE/TxAI9Xh9tUI/AAAAAAAAALA/xk7Gm6F9z2c/s320/IMG_2014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697063379005191490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Yoleni, my pup!</u></span></div></div><br />Another incredibly memorable event that has happened since I last wrote was a multi-cultural Thanksgiving celebration. I traveled to a beautiful town in Northwest Namibia called Opuwo with several volunteers and Namibian friends to cook an epic meal and show our non-American friends what Thanksgiving is all about. Brian, another volunteer, lives there, and his friend offered us his BEAUTIFUL huge house in Opuwo with a nice kitchen, plenty of space inside and a balcony with an amazing view. The meal worked out great and was delicious. FOUR different continents were represented with the guests who were there. We had lots of fun but one of the nicest parts was all going around as a group and saying what we were thankful for. Not so different than my usual Jersey Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ywftbPlKCQ/TxAI9gIuNfI/AAAAAAAAALM/NAA94tNt4MI/s1600/IMG_2310.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ywftbPlKCQ/TxAI9gIuNfI/AAAAAAAAALM/NAA94tNt4MI/s320/IMG_2310.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697063381315237362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Thanksgiving feast in Opuwo</u></span></div></div><br />Things at the library are still going pretty well. We are making a lot of small improvements, including developing a more practical version of the library orientation program that was started in June and doing a huge (INCREDIBLY TEDIOUS) stocktaking of all of our materials so that we are better organized and better able to assist our users. We are also planning an official opening ceremony for the library which will tentatively happen in March. I REALLY hope this happens before I leave Namibia. With how far we’ve come, it’s crazy to think that a year ago, the library was not even open yet to the public.<br /><br />At the beginning of November, I started teaching a 10-week basic computer class in addition to the two-day Internet and e-mail classes. The basic classes take place with the same group of learners for about three hours a day, three days a week and will go until January. Because it’s the first time I’m teaching it, planning for the class and working out the syllabus has been keeping me pretty busy. I've been working on getting this class together for awhile so I’m excited about it and think it’s going pretty well so far. I like being a (computer) teacher. It's fun to see my learners (students) enjoying the activities I come up with for them and it's rewarding to see them actually get excited about what they're learning. I’m looking forward to the second batch of learners who will begin when this class is over in February - there is a huge waitlist for people who want to take the class! I think by then I will be more confident and more prepared which can only mean good things for the class.<br /><br />Some other things I have been working on outside of the library:</div><div><br />• The second Oshikoto Ministry of Education regional newsletter. For this newsletter, I taught another member of the publicity committee, Helena, some basic design and journalistic skills and she has been putting together this issue while I’m playing more of a supervisory/editor role with the content. She’s doing awesome and the newsletter looks great so far which makes me feel good about it continuing on after I’ve left Namibia.</div><div><br />• I have been working with another volunteer, Shawn, to acquire a large quantity of books to distribute to school libraries where there are Peace Corps volunteer teachers throughout Owamboland. Many volunteers have inquired with me about getting books for their school libraries since I work at a library and went through the whole process with Neil’s donation last year. Shawn originally had the idea of getting a large shipment of books to be split amongst any interested volunteer in our region, but I ended up assisting because of my prior experience. We got a small donation of culturally relevant books and magazines from UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, based in Windhoek. We were also informed recently that in March, we will be receiving a 700-book donation from an organization called Book Aid International which we applied for several months ago! It will be a lot of work to work out the logistics and sort through all of the books when they finally do arrive but Book Aid donates really wonderful quality books that people here can relate to with African authors, themes and characters. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’ll provide us with when that comes through in a few months.</div><div><br />• I was also recently asked to coach part of the regional girls’ soccer team before a tournament which took place last weekend. I’ve been trying to do something with girls’ soccer since last year when one girl who lives in my village expressed interest but starting a team always seemed to fail...Even though I am incredibly unathletic, everything about this was REALLY fun from scheduling the practices to going to the tournament. I’m not sure that there is enough interest for an Omuthiya girls’ soccer team to continue in the future but we did win a soccer ball at the tournament. I’m hoping to start weekly community games with that new acquisition once I return from vacation. We’ll see what happens with that!</div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O4A49IYby8Y/TxAI-K9tkgI/AAAAAAAAALY/g8yOLQiiC6A/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O4A49IYby8Y/TxAI-K9tkgI/AAAAAAAAALY/g8yOLQiiC6A/s320/IMG_2444.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697063392811782658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>At the soccer tournament with two players from </u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><u>Oshikoto region</u></span></div></div></div><div><br />• Last year I assisted with Camp GLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World), a leadership camp for exceptional learners from throughout Namibia. This year, I think I’ll have a bit of a bigger role with organizing it. Currently, we’re trying to woo potential Namibian partners (i.e. an NGO, a government ministry, a Namibian business) to help plan, fund and run the camp since we must have a significant amount of Namibian participation in an effort to achieve sustainability and from there, there are A LOT of other details that must be worked out. This year’s camp will take place during the kids’ April school holiday and I really hope everything works out for it.<br /><br />December in Namibia is very exciting. It’s when the majority of traditional weddings take place here in Owamboland, everyone is in a good mood as they look forward to vacations and prepare for the New Year, and a huge amount of the country’s population comes to Owamboland to visit family. The place is buzzing and I’ve really been enjoying it.<br /><br />I was at home this year to celebrate Christmas with my host family and it was a WONDERFUL experience. Several of my host parents’ grown children traveled here from the capital of Windhoek and they were truly DELIGHTFUL to talk to and get to know. They are all very well-educated, interesting people with great jobs and perfect English. While the rest of the family went to church on Christmas morning, two of the daughters and I cooked and baked up a storm for an amazing Christmas dinner, which was really memorable - lots of laughing, hapiness and FOOD. In fact, I think I’m still full from the incredible assortment of western and traditional food we ate.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAq7L1RufSQ/TxAI_bQUlfI/AAAAAAAAALk/6Bg8OP689hE/s1600/IMG_2481.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAq7L1RufSQ/TxAI_bQUlfI/AAAAAAAAALk/6Bg8OP689hE/s320/IMG_2481.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697063414364673522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Christmas dinner on my homestead</u></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div>Now, I’ll leave Omuthiya for a bit to travel and experience other parts of the continent! First, I’m headed down to Cape Town to celebrate New Year’s Eve with lots of other volunteers who will also be there. Then, I will start the trek to visit Swaziland with Rachel, a friend from GWU who now lives in Cape Town, and one of her friends who attended high school there. Swaziland is a tiny country surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique. It has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world (Namibia is #7)! It was only briefly colonized and it is also the only monarchy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Apparently these two things really make a huge difference when you are visiting there vs. other Southern African countries. It is supposed to be very naturally beautiful and culturally rich. We haven’t planned too much and will let her friend guide us but I know we’ve already discussed going on at least one overnight hike which I’m looking forward to. It should be a really unique trip and I'm really excited not only to experience Swaziland but also to travel with Rach! It's always so awesome when we spend time together.<br /><br />That about sums up what has been happening with me since I last wrote! The next update will include details about the Cape Town/Swaziland trip and the beginning of 2012! When I arrived to Namibia in 2010, 2012 seemed a long ways away. Now it’s here. This is the year I will LEAVE Namibia and that is something that is crazy to think about.</div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-81099968793035006982011-09-19T03:07:00.000-07:002011-09-26T00:35:30.059-07:00This blog entry is long overdue!<div><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KllHoQRjcs/TncYsvkNCAI/AAAAAAAAAHw/BsTWGjn0iW8/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KllHoQRjcs/TncYsvkNCAI/AAAAAAAAAHw/BsTWGjn0iW8/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654015014148573186" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Giving a computer class at the library</u></span></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nGqU8JvcLYA/TncYsb-0RAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/MK8hWwlcKqs/s1600/IMG_0818.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nGqU8JvcLYA/TncYsb-0RAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/MK8hWwlcKqs/s320/IMG_0818.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654015008891487234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pretending to be startled in the bathtub in an abandoned house in Kolmanskop</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0c8OucH40SA/TncYsHI4k6I/AAAAAAAAAHg/qR1WgMghhoA/s1600/IMG_0604.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0c8OucH40SA/TncYsHI4k6I/AAAAAAAAAHg/qR1WgMghhoA/s320/IMG_0604.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654015003296568226" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>My co-worker, Laila, assisting with storytelling at the library</u></span></div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wd-8PZ2r2hA/TncYr6nwGvI/AAAAAAAAAHY/yj0Znlo8_QQ/s1600/IMG_0439.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wd-8PZ2r2hA/TncYr6nwGvI/AAAAAAAAAHY/yj0Znlo8_QQ/s320/IMG_0439.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654014999936375538" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>Hanging out braaiing a goat head on the homestead at night with Fillimon and Lynette, two of my host siblings</u></span></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JjOi-rrxx2o/TncYrg8Lu-I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0Y6fzSFxo9A/s1600/IMG_0436.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JjOi-rrxx2o/TncYrg8Lu-I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0Y6fzSFxo9A/s320/IMG_0436.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654014993042750434" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><u>So although I'm pretty comfortable now living on the homestead, I still can't successfully carry a basket on my head!</u></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And here is the <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17084865/Newsletter%20Layout_August_Final%20PDF%20Version.pdf">link</a> to the first newsletter put out by the Oshikoto Publicity Committee!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>So...four months have gone by and I am MUCH overdue for a blog entry. But so much has happened, I’m not even sure where to begin.<br /><br />I’ll start with the reason I am here...the library. It continues to operate daily and although there are still many kinks to be worked out, I do think we’re providing some pretty cool services to a lot of different people in and around Omuthiya. In August, we had over 2,000 visitors! That’s a pretty significant increase from the 1,100 that came to use it in July. Most people are coming in to use the computers and the free public Internet, but through a library orientation program that I began at the end of June, I hope more and more people will use the books and reference materials that we also offer.<br /><br />The orientation program is something that will hopefully continue to improve and grow with the start of the new school term. I’ve been told by many Namibians and have realized through observation that because there is not really a library/reading culture here, it doesn't seem like people who come in really know how to use everything that the library offers. Most users make a b-line for the computers with free Internet and we don't have too many people coming in to study or do their homework or use the books and other resources. So, at the end of June, I decided to get the orientation program which I’d been working on since February off the ground. I made a presentation at a local school’s staff meeting directed at the teachers who are responsible for teaching BIS (Basic Information Science) classes. They were incredibly cooperative, and together we agreed on the details of the library orientation program. During the BIS period, I came to their classes to teach their learners all about the library (Dewey Decimal system, card catalogue, library benefits/resources, etc.). Then, during the school study hours at the end of the day, the teachers brought the kids in to the library for a tour and a scavenger hunt to practice what they had learned and how to find materials in the library...complete with prizes! My supervisor, Ingrid, told me that since I started giving these presentations she noticed that the learners (students) who come in are better behaved and less intimidated by the library so I hope they really are learning something. The classes were put on hold due to end of term exams in August, but after a meeting on Monday with my new colleague, Martha, we discussed how to expand the orientation program not only to the local school but to people throughout the region. We brainstormed a lot of really good ideas and with her help and the backing of the regional office, hopefully we can continue to build a really good program.<br /><br />Speaking of my new colleagues, five staff that were previously working in Ondangwa started at Omuthiya Community Library on July 4th! Since I came to Omuthiya, the only library staff were me and a library assistant, Maria, which was pretty overwhelming at times. Since I last wrote, Maria took a new job but having all these new people with fresh ideas come has been great for the library. Things are more organized, users are being assisted better, and I have more time to focus on the computer lab and on community programs, like the library orientation program and several other things that we have been working on. I also REALLY like all of my new colleagues. Not only do we work together, but they have also become new friends.<br /><br />Some of the programs we’ve been able to implement in the past few months include a budgeting class at the library which I worked on with a Peace Corps business volunteer, Dan, and an NGO that focuses on teaching business skills to youth; a weekly storytelling program where we read to little kids; and a weekly movie program. The weekly programs are still struggling to get off the ground but I know they will be wonderful additions to the library once we finally get the hang of them. Additionally, I have been teaching advanced computer classes (about Internet and e-mail) in the downstairs computer lab and more basic computer classes will begin soon upstairs in the new computer lab that I helped to set up. Things are not running completely smoothly yet, but they are improving all the time. If and when I get frustrated with what I consider slow progress or silly roadblocks, I always remind myself that a year ago, none of this stuff was here!<br /><br />Going to the local school for the BIS classes has been really fun. Since I’m just teaching one class period, I’m definitely not sick of it and don’t experience the frustrations (or all the marking!) that other teachers have to deal with, and the kids all get really excited. I told my mom that I feel like Britney Spears walking into that school. Everyone says hello to me by name with huge smiles on their faces. I’ve gotten to know some of the teachers there and as a result, have been invited to take part in some school activities that have gone on after school hours. I was a judge at the school’s Ms. POP beauty pageant and also at a circuit-wide art exhibition. The winners got to display their art at the library so the library now has paintings, drawings and even a statue displayed from young artists throughout the region.<br /><br />Other things that have been going on at the library and with work in the past few months:<br /><br /><ul><li>We held the first meeting of the regional publicity committee for the Ministry of Education, which I am on with 5 other employees from different divisions and from throughout the region. It’s cool to get to know people outside of Omuthiya and outside of the library and we all work pretty well together. We put out the first edition of our quarterly newsletter at the end of August, which was kind of a fun use of my journalism skills, and we will start working on the next one at the end of this month for publication in December.</li><li>UNESCO conducted a survey throughout Oshikoto region, where Omuthiya is located, to gauge how well the information centers here (including the library) are operating. In July, they called together representatives from the various centers around the region (including me!) to discuss the results and come up with a plan to improve all of the centers’ operations. This was a really good way to brainstorm improvements with other people who have simliar interests and to network with one another. The results still remain to be seen but a skills development center based in Tsumeb (a pretty large and developed town about 170 km south of Omuthiya), listened to our idea about bringing their trainings to the more rural areas i.e. Omuthiya and the surrounding villages. They came last week to meet with some stakeholders in Omuthiya (Ministry of Youth, NGO’s, the library and CLDC, etc.) about how to expand their trainings to our communities. Hopefully something good will happen with that!</li><li>Last week, the Director of Libraries for Namibia came in with the Director of Libraries for Tanzania on an official visit to check out the library and learn about the services we offer. It gave us all an excuse to clean and reorganize the library and it’s looking better than ever. The visit went really well as I think all of the bigwigs were impressed and gave us a lot of accolades to continue to do what we’ve been doing!</li></ul> The entire donation from Neil has now made it to Omuthiya including six Leap Frog Learning Pads, which are a community favorite. Throngs of kids come in to use them everyday. They are so popular that we’ve designated a corner upstairs specifically for their use. In case you don’t know, the Leap Frogs are an educational toy that helps kids learn how to read and is a good tool for learners here to practice their English. They come with a pretty big box full of books which, to my chagrin, we had been storing in a closet. On a particularly frustrating day, I decided it was time for the Leap Frogs to come out of the closet and made it known to the entire staff that I wasn’t happy that we had been hoarding them. One of my colleagues said there wasn’t really room for them anywhere else, and I very angrily grabbed them to show everyone where I thought they should go. I walked the box over to their new home, and plopped it down, perhaps a bit too hard. As I bent over, I heard a giant rip and realized my pants had literally split from the waistband to the top of one of my knees. My entire butt was exposed to my colleagues (who I had just been yelling at not so nicely) and all of the library users, including a full computer lab. I immediately started laughing, unsure of what else to do, and when my co-workers realized what happened and saw my entire bare white behind, they started laughing too. Despite how bitchy I had been, my co-worker insisted on driving me home to get new clothes. This was definitely a good reminder that I wasn’t handling my frustration well nor was I being very nice and that I was taking myself a little too seriously. It was also a reminder that I could benefit from getting back into an exercise routine :-)<br /><br />Outside of the library, things are still going really well and I’m enjoying living on the homestead with my family more and more as I become more comfortable there. One interesting thing has been watching the seasons change. Obviously, I’ve always been able to do this in the U.S. too but I feel like in the U.S., we’re pretty climate controlled. We get in our cars with AC or heat in the garage, drive to work, park in the parking lot and then sit in our ACed or heated offices all day. Here, I’m walking about 45 minutes to and from work everyday, I’m living on a working farm where the growing seasons completely affect how everyone spends their days and what work is being done, and I think people here just generally spend more time outside.<br /><br />In addition to the fact that I’m walking to and from work everyday, the village I live in is pretty bush-y and I’m always finding little creatures in my house. A few months ago, I was doing a serious cleaning job when a giant lizard jumped out of a box I was going through. I screamed and my host sister, Lynette, came running with a stick. In her attempt to chase the lizard out of my house with the stick (because I told her NOT to kill it!), she whacked it several times and knocked its tail off. The blows must have been too much for the little guy because it died right in front of us and the tail kept wriggling for a good 15 minutes several feet away from its body. It creeped me out a LOT which my sister thought was HILARIOUS. She said she could tell I didn’t grow up in a village. I guess there are certain things which I’ll never get used to, no matter how long I stay here!<br /><br />I’ve been able to continue to enjoy lots of cultural stuff including two weddings. The weddings were both lovely, and I feel like I’m a pro now with at least sort of knowing what’s going on at traditional Owambo weddings. One of the couples was a former Peace Corps volunteer, Patrick, who stayed in Omuthiya about 10 years ago and was living in my village and teaching at the school in town. He married an Owambo woman he met during his service which of course meant I got lots of questions about when I was going to settle down with my future Owambo husband. Additionally, about 15 of Patrick’s family and friends came from the states to witness the nuptials. I think his family was a little understandably overwhelmed that they couldn’t communicate with their in-laws and that their son was marrying into a culture that they didn’t understand but it was very interesting talking to them. I imagined how my own family would react in the same situation. It was cool having Americans in my village. I felt proud of it and of myself and was reminded in little ways of what life in America would be like if I had never come here.<br /><br />Pension day or opezela is another cultural phenomenon that I’ve gotten to experience. This happens once a month when all of the area’s pensioners line up to get photographed and fingerprinted by this crazy high-tech machine that then spits out money at them. Keep in mind that this high-tech machine is brought to a field in the middle of nowhere and used by very traditionally dressed <i>Kukus</i> and <i>Tatekulus</i> (Grandmothers and Grandfathers - the pensioners!). All around these machines, people set up tents to sell lots of good stuff and everyone hangs out and drinks lots of beer and <i>omalovu</i> (traditional beer) and it just becomes a huge party. On the day that I accompanied my host parents to the pension party, they were there to sell lots of good stuff that we produce at home on our farm. This included <i>ondunga</i> (a fruit from the palm tree that’s very tasty but kind of hurts your teeth), <i>enyangwa</i> or pumpkins, potatoes and live doves, which my Meme keeps on our homestead to sell. Before heading back to the library, I made sure to greet all of the people who showed up for the party and fill my belly with <i>iikuki</i> (fatcakes, pretty much just fried balls of dough) and <i>efukwa</i> (these starch-y bean things that are my new obsession. Openzela is so much fun!<br /><br />A few months ago, some of the girls in my village expressed to me how much they would like to learn how to play soccer, which is a sport mostly played by boys here as there are no girls’ soccer teams in the schools. Even though I am incredibly unathletic, I thought this might be a cool opportunity to get a soccer club started and I approached the principal and the sports teacher at a local school to ask if I could borrow a soccer ball from them for the weekend. Because I have a good relationship with them and they trust me, they agreed. I was SO EXCITED and told the girls that we’d play a pick-up game on Sunday so I could gauge their interest. I noticed the ball was a little bit flat so on my way home, I took it to the local tire shop or Tyre Shop, as its spelled on the sign out front. In hindsight, I should have taken this spelling error as a huge red flag. I asked the man inside if he would blow up the soccer ball for me using a tire air pump and he agreed even though I noticed that the pump looked much larger than the hole on the ball. Sure enough, in attempting to pump more air into it, he made a huge hole in the ball, making it completely unusable! I angrily asked him what I was supposed to do now and he shrugged and grinned at me helplessly. I walked home pretty bummed out until I showed the ball to my little brother, Fillimon. An ever resourceful village kid, he asked me for some newspaper and duct tape and proceeded to crumple up the newspaper, put it in his mouth, and stuff it in the hole which he covered with duct tape. The ball was once again usable! Unfortunately, I still felt like I had to replace the school’s soccer ball and ended up buying them a new, rather expensive one with my meager volunteer stipend. And once Sunday rolled around, none of the village girls even showed up to play. I ended up playing one-on-one soccer for about two hours with my sister, who later told me that the girls in our village said soccer was a boys’ sport and they’d changed their minds. Another lesson in not sweating the small stuff...At least my host siblings now have a soccer ball of their own to play with.<br /><br />Peace Corps has afforded me the opportunity to do some traveling for work-related stuff lately including a midservice (we’re halfway through!) and all-volunteer conference in Windhoek, a conference for IT volunteers all the way down in Luderitz and Camp GLOW, a leadership camp that I helped with for smart learners from all over Namibia.<br /><br />The IT conference in Luderitz was definitely the most memorable because of how cool of a place Luderitz is. Luderitz is a VERY remote town on the southwestern coast of Namibia. It’s beautiful with a cool mix of desert, mountain and ocean landscapes and is quirky and charming with lots of character including a small bohemian community and lots of European-esque architecture. As we were driving, there was literally NOTHING around and then all of a sudden this beautiful little modern town emerged from the desert after more than two days of travelling. During one of the days in Luderitz, my friend Matt and I did some sightseeing including to visit an abandoned diamond mining town that the desert is literally taking over called Kolmanskop. These huge mansions were left there and are now filled with sand! It was a very eerie but cool excursion.<br /><br />On my way back to Windhoek from Luderitz, I stayed at another volunteers’ house overnight since I couldn’t make the journey to Windhoek in one day! There were a few other volunteers also staying there (which often happens at volunteer houses in towns) including a couple who I have met before and am friendly with. We all fell asleep on mattresses in the living room that night and I was awoken at about 3 AM by a poke on my arm. “I’m cold,” said the person who poked me, who I couldn’t see because I didn’t have my glasses on. So, grumpy and confused, I handed this person my blanket and rolled over to go back to sleep. Suddenly, the person got into bed with me and started cuddling me and even went to kiss the back of my neck. Well, now I was certainly awake! I sat straight up and got close enough to the person to realize that it was the male half of the couple who was also staying there. He was HORRIFIED to see that it was me and not his girlfriend, who also happens to have long brown hair, and we both sat there for a moment in the dark looking at each other, equally shocked and appalled. “I’m going to find my girlfriend,” he said. (It turns out she had gone into one of the empty bedrooms to sleep.) And he got up and ran out of the room. HILARIOUS!<br /><br />It was really nice to get home from those two weeks of traveling, especially to talk to my brother, Sakeus, who had gone on a Peace Corps managed program called Diversity Tour while I was away. On Diversity Tour, orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) from all over Namibia are taken to visit places all around the country, in this case Windhoek, Etosha and Swakopmund (the beach). This is something Sakeus would definitely not have had the opportunity to do otherwise and hearing how excited he was when we got home was really cool. He was raving about swimming in the ocean, how amazed he was by the waves and how scared he was to walk out onto the boardwalk. He also seemed excited to have met new friends from tribes all over Namibia since where we live is very homogenous with the same tribe, Owambos. I got him a disposable camera for the trip and am excited to get those photos developed when I go to Windhoek this week to see the trip through his eyes.<br /><br />SO this is probably the longest blog I’ve ever written but I think that’s a good sum-up of the events that have happened over the past FOUR months!<br /><br />I have been in Namibia now for over one year :-) which is very exciting.<br /><br />Also, Mom, Dad and Scott will be coming to visit in THREE WEEKS! I can’t wait to see them and share my world here with them. It will be so amazing for me to have them see and learn about all of this stuff first-hand!</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-70945054758998167372011-06-01T04:28:00.001-07:002011-06-01T04:43:53.158-07:00Great story...from a former Peace Corps Namibia Volunteer!<div>This short work of fiction was written by a former Peace Corps Namibia volunteer who lived in Owamboland. The descriptions of homestead living and situations he finds himself in are so similar to what my life is like here, I thought I'd post it. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/425/dog_days">http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/425/dog_days</a>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-15673575151536885452011-05-17T23:56:00.000-07:002011-05-18T00:44:19.309-07:00Vacation and Post-Evacuation<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8R0no092tyc/TdN2mz9qOrI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/Pj2vh4U5UjM/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8R0no092tyc/TdN2mz9qOrI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/Pj2vh4U5UjM/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607956370162334386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">A birthday surprise</span></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wf0s4tLQoMU/TdN2nHp9UvI/AAAAAAAAAGY/FrPOrxEWajg/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wf0s4tLQoMU/TdN2nHp9UvI/AAAAAAAAAGY/FrPOrxEWajg/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wf0s4tLQoMU/TdN2nHp9UvI/AAAAAAAAAGY/FrPOrxEWajg/s320/IMG_1405.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607956375448408818" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rachel appreciating some of the art at AfrikaBurn</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOFwbfjrnqA/TdNvrsIZpRI/AAAAAAAAAGI/osxIn37ALmI/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EOFwbfjrnqA/TdNvrsIZpRI/AAAAAAAAAGI/osxIn37ALmI/s320/IMG_0145.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607948757377852690" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Serendipi-TEA at AfrikaBurn</span></span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hB2zRn5P0o/TdN2ngMzzUI/AAAAAAAAAGg/pUIeHFzr7HA/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hB2zRn5P0o/TdN2ngMzzUI/AAAAAAAAAGg/pUIeHFzr7HA/s320/IMG_1867.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607956382037036354" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"></p></div><div><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Lynette and Sakeus helping out in my garden</span></span></p><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sN1lmIZn2k/TdN2n592NII/AAAAAAAAAGo/faQu2HOEFE4/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sN1lmIZn2k/TdN2n592NII/AAAAAAAAAGo/faQu2HOEFE4/s320/IMG_1876.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607956388953601154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">A library user enjoying a LeapFrog learning pad, one of many things in Neil's donation.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">5/17/11</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After spending almost two months away from my homestead, I finally came home last week. Although I really missed Omuthiya, evacuation wasn’t all bad - I got to see and live in a southern Namibian town, Mariental, for a few weeks and got to do a bit of traveling. I took trips to Keetmanshoop, Swakopmund and Okahandja where I got to visit with my host family from training and attend the swearing in of Group 33. It’s so hard to believe that there is already a new group of volunteers beginning their service in Namibia. Didn’t I JUST get here?! Time is definitely a weird concept here, sometimes it goes WAY too slow but other times it seems like it flies by (9 months in Namibia already?!).</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of the evacuation weeks was spent in Windhoek at a two-part workshop for us put on by Peace Corps. The first part was Project, Design & Management (PDM) where we learned about implementing community projects. The second part was Male Engagement (ME), a workshop to discuss gender inequality in Namibia. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For me, the best part of the week was that I got to celebrate my birthday with a lot of my fellow American volunteers. They all made me feel SO special - singing happy birthday to me various times, writing and performing a rap for me and giving me incredibly thoughtful cards and gifts (Jeannine and Allie!), organizing me an AWESOME party, and even arranging for me to have SEVEN birthday cakes (Thanks, Lance!) of which not a CRUMB remained, of course. During the day while we were in one of the training sessions, I wasn’t really paying attention (shocker). Suddenly, I looked up, and the entire conference center was staring at me. Another volunteer, Dorothy, had taken a photo of my during the day and arranged to have it put up on the big screen in front of everyone attending the session. From there, Allie ran over to me with a princess crown and everyone started singing happy birthday. Once I realized what was going on and stopped freaking out as to why everyone was staring, I had a huge smile on my face. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also on my birthday, I booked a bus for a very impromptu trip to Cape Town four days later. I decided since I had to be evacuated anyway and didn’t yet have permission to return to Omuthiya, I would visit my friend Rachel from GWU. Rachel is getting her Masters’ Degree at the University of Cape Town. Scott refers to her degree as “becoming a superhero” but it’s actually in “Political Studies & Political Science with a focus on international conflict resolution and transitional justice.” Superhero is a bit less of a mouthful yet just as accurate. The trip to visit Rachel was LONG - 18 hours on an overnight bus but when I got there, I could not have been more excited. When Rachel and I get together, regardless of how much time has gone by, we are so comfortable with each other and we pick up right where we left off.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The first week I was in Cape Town, we spent five days camping at Afrika Burn, a festival that’s South Africa’s version of Burning Man. At Afrika Burn, 4,000+ people from all over the world (although mostly South Africa) gathered together and created a temporary community of campsites filled with love, art, music and creativity. There is no money exchanged at Afrika Burn. You bring what you need - A LOT OF WATER...and beer! - and trade for things or gift things to other people and get things gifted to you. Our crew (Rachel, myself and her two friends Chris & Caroline) brought lollipops as our gift to hand out and other burners were incredibly generous with their gifts. One favorite was “Serendipi-TEA,” a tent where you could relax and have tea (hot or cold) and cookies any time of day. Other gifts included crepes, hammocks, alcohol, hugs and music. At Afrika Burn, you are surrounded by other people’s unbelievably creative art installations and the incredible scenery of the Tankwa Karoo desert (middle of nowhere even by Namibian standards). The people you are surrounded by are wearing costumes, face paint, fake eyelashes, or nothing at all and the friendliness and openness is something I’ve never found anywhere else. Afrika Burn was amazing. Both Rachel and I, and I can pretty confidently say everyone else who attended, had a blast.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After Afrika Burn, we returned to Cape Town and I had the week to explore the city before returning to Nam. And what a beautiful, bustling and fantastic city it is! Being in a city and living with a student reminded me a lot of being back in DC at GWU which no longer felt 100% normal. That was a weird revelation but I enjoyed my time in Cape Town regardless. Some highlights: </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <ul> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Walking around and exploring</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Especially the Long Street/downtown area and the waterfront</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">INCREDIBLE views from everywhere</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Mountains, beaches, forest...you name it, Cape Town has it. Cape Town is built along the bases of three mountains - Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, and Devil’s Peak - and is also surrounded by beautiful beaches. Makes for breathtaking views from everywhere at every time of day!</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A sunset hike up Lion’s Head with Rachel</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - It’s hard to say whether I enjoyed the exercise, the views or the company and conversation the most.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A coastal drive</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> with two of Rachel’s friends, Caroline & Carilee - BEAUTIFUL!</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SUSHI!</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Ate myself sick and it was glorious (although it was no Nagoya...). The abundance of salads, fresh vegetables and bacon egg & cheese on croissant sandwiches was also quite a highlight.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wandering around Kirstenbosch</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - This is Cape Town’s national botanical gardens which showcases Southern Africa’s flora and fauna and is built on a slope of Table Mountain - quite a place.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Live jazz</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - For a moment, I regretted quitting the saxophone in 8th grade</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Seeing a movie</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Although the movie itself, Rabbit Hole, was kind of depressing, sitting in a movie theater and eating candy ROCKED!</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Robben Island tour</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Beautiful views, interesting history, perhaps a bit overpriced...</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Stellenbosch and wine</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Our neighboring campsite at Afrika Burn consisted of several wine enthusiasts/winemakers from Stellenbosch (an area outside of Cape Town with lots of vineyards and wineries) who agreed to show me around and set up a wine tasting and tour for me the week after Afrika Burn. This was probably one of the highlights of my trip.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Biscuit Mill Market </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">- This weekend market in the Woodstock neighborhood was AWESOME. There was every type of fresh food and drink you could imagine, live entertainment, jewelry, flowers, etc. and the atmosphere was incredible. Very, very cool although doesn’t exactly compare to the traditional open market located in Omuthiya (I’m biased).</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bo-Kaap </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">- Bo-Kaap is an area of Cape Town built on Signal Hill (more awesome views of the city) where a majority of the city’s Muslim population lives. It is known for its cobblestone streets, colorful houses and delicious Cape Malay food all of which I enjoyed very much when I explored the area with Rachel’s friends Carilee and Laura. </span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Nightlife</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - Going out and being a “normal” 23-year-old was thrilling...and really nice.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The trip home took two and a half days (I left Cape Town Sunday morning and arrived to the homestead Tuesday afternoon) but it felt GOOD to be back when I finally did arrive. I got incredibly warm greetings from my entire family, my garden had actual vegetables in it (tomatoes, spinach, peppers, beetroot) and things at the library seemed to have gone really well while I was gone. For one of the first times in this country, I actually felt like I was coming HOME. My house was filthy when I arrived (2 months of no one living inside except spiders, ants and lizards) but my host sister, Lynette, immediately started helping me clean it when I got home, and it was back to normal just a few hours later.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Since arriving back to the library, we’ve had several new additions including a flat screen TV with surround sound speaker system and DVD player, a digital camera and video camera, chairs (we previously had a ton of tables...and very few chairs), furniture for the “Kids’ Korner,” water coolers, a desk for an upstairs reception area, a huge bulletin board for community notices and lockers for people to put their bags in while using the library. There is also now a literacy class taking place several times a week in our group study room upstairs to help Omuthiya residents become literate.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In addition to all this great stuff provided by the regional Ministry of Education, about half of the materials that were donated with Neil’s shipment have arrived. During evacuation, I spent a day in Windhoek helping to organize the other half which are still at the Community Library office in Windhoek being processed. In the meantime, though, the half of the donation that has already made it to Omuthiya is being put to good use. This includes construction paper, pens (which are comparable to crack in Owamboland), scissors, a set of puppets, several videos and several instructional tapes (i.e. a tape set instructing about financial management). Also included in the shipment are a set of LeapFrog Learning Pads, which are an educational toy that helps kids learn how to read interactively. I’ve taken them out to show them to a few kids and they are a HIT. Helena and I will meet sometime this week to discuss how best to utilize the LeapFrogs and other items that were donated. I’m happy that I’ve returned to a place where there is lots for me to do (Let’s hope that continues!). Things at the library continue to improve.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today, I spoke with my Peace Corps supervisor, who is an Owambo women and has lots of friends who are from the Omuthiya area. She told me that during holiday, she returned to Owamboland from Windhoek, where she lives and got together with her friends. She sat quietly as her friends all raved about the new library that was in Omuthiya, unaware that my supervisor had any involvement with it. She said there’s lots of buzz in the community about everything we offer, especially the computers and free public Internet, and that her friends all spoke about the library very excitedly. This was really awesome to hear, especially because we still haven’t done any official promotion. People in the community are finding out about us solely by word of mouth which means they like what they see when they pay us a visit!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This past weekend was very eventful. After a presentation on Friday to regional Ministry of Education employees about the library’s progress (which went VERY well!), I found out that one of my very good friends and fellow volunteers, Lance, was going back home to America. This was really sad news and a bunch of my fellow Owamboland volunteers and I decided that we’d have a farewell get together for him. We ended up going to a concert (Gazza, one of two of Namibia’s most famous rappers) and all really enjoyed ourselves...except for the fact that three of us were robbed during the show. No one was hurt but I got my digital camera and wallet stolen, Lisa got her cell phone stolen and Jeannine got her cell phone and wallet stolen. These must have been some seriously professional thieves because not one of us realized what had happened until well after the fact. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The next day, we decided to head back to the concert venue, Bennie’s Entertainment Park, to check if anything had been recovered. There, we met the owner of the place, Bennie, who felt horrible that we’d been robbed. It turns out both my wallet and Jeannine’s were recovered, without the money of course but with all of the documents inside, but Bennie still insisted on buying all eight of us breakfast as an apology. At breakfast, we got to talking to him and realized that he is one of Namibia’s most successful businessmen and he has quite an interesting success story. We really hit it off and he ended up offering to take all of us to Etosha game reserve (about 3 hours south...) that day with him and his friends. We saw oryx, wildebeest, giraffe, zebras, springbok, kudu...all out of the window of his iced-out Hummer truck. We were treated not only to park entrance but to an amazing picnic lunch and money for taxi rides home. What a day! Since Etosha, we’ve heard from Bennie several times. He is insisting on paying for what was stolen at the concert including my camera and Lisa and Jeannine’s cell phones. He is an incredible guy. This COULD be the only time in history that anything positive came from a robbery!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, after two months away, life continues on for me in Omuthiya. The break, although a bit long, was nice. I feel like I’m refreshed and remotivated and ready to get back to work!</span></span></p></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-76720026121211659302011-04-01T03:36:00.003-07:002011-04-01T05:51:21.720-07:00Evacuated from site!<div><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpB9lOZImXg/TZWzY8ibnTI/AAAAAAAAAGA/cKtePfaYv00/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpB9lOZImXg/TZWzY8ibnTI/AAAAAAAAAGA/cKtePfaYv00/s320/IMG_0939.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590571753599114546" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;">Post goat slaughter to celebrate Namibian Independence Day!</div><div><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvlQ_r41oxw/TZWzYqzNWFI/AAAAAAAAAF4/_rpfIZeAQ-0/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvlQ_r41oxw/TZWzYqzNWFI/AAAAAAAAAF4/_rpfIZeAQ-0/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvlQ_r41oxw/TZWzYqzNWFI/AAAAAAAAAF4/_rpfIZeAQ-0/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590571748837644370" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the many gorgeous views at Ruacana Falls</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></span></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A lot of unexpected things have happened since I last wrote so I figured I’d update again!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Independence Day Weekend was a blast. A bunch of my friends and I traveled up to Ruacana Falls, which are waterfalls right on the border of Angola at the Kunene River. We camped there for the three day weekend and celebrated two of my friends’ birthdays. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On the first night, we camped in the backyard of Lance’s principal who really took care of us for the whole weekend and made it all possible - so so nice of him! Well, it rained over night and we all woke up soaking wet and with 2 inches of water in the bottom of our tents - definitely made me think about investing in a better tent! Once we got to the waterfalls, however, the grouchiness of the morning disappeared. This rainy season is one of the rainiest Namibia has ever seen and the falls were flowing in all of their glory. It was truly breathtaking.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">That night, we set up our tents again at a campsite right next to the river (despite being repeatedly warned of potential crocodile attacks) and the rest of the weekend was awesome. We somehow avoided another major rainfall although the sky looked threatening at times and explored the area. We got to walk all the way to the bottom of the waterfalls down 300 soaking wet and slippery steps where it felt like it was pouring rain. We commented how if it really WERE pouring rain, we’d complain but because we were at the bottom of these huge and majestic waterfalls, we loved it!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In honor of Namibian Independence Day, we slaughtered a goat which Lance’s principal bought for us. We let Nick, one of the birthday boys, do the slaughtering. I’ve never seen an animal being slaughtered before and it wasn’t too pretty although none of us had any problem eating it later (and it was fresh and delicious!). I think every meat eater should have to witness an animal slaughter like that because most Americans don’t even think about that when biting into a big juicy steak! </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">During the trip to the waterfalls, I got what I thought was pink eye from sand blowing into my eye. It turns out my cornea was inflamed and by the time I got back from the weekend, my vision was blurry. Peace Corps told me to come down to the eye doctor in the capital of Windhoek, which is about an 8 hour drive from my site in Omuthiya. In Windhoek, I was put up at a really nice hotel for a few days while my eye healed. It’s back to normal now and my vision is pretty much completely better too. When the doctor told me I was free to go back home to Omuthiya, Peace Corps told me I had to stay in Windhoek. Owamboland, which is the northern part of Namibia where I live, was experiencing serious flooding and the other volunteers in the area were all staying at hotels because the flooding had gotten so bad. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After a few days, Peace Corps decided that mostly all of the volunteers who stay up north in Owamboland needed to be evacuated from the area. My site isn’t too badly flooded so everyone in my family, on my homestead and at my library shouldn’t be too badly effected but Peace Corps is taking precautions in case the flooding gets worse. A lot of schools, where most of the northern volunteers work, are closed to keep kids who can’t swim from drowning while trying to get to school. Of course I’m a little bit disappointed to leave my home, my family and to have to put everything I’ve been doing and wanted to do at the library on hold but safety’s first and I trust Peace Corps’ judgement.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, for now, until further notice, I’ve moved down south, to a town which is a 13 hour drive from my site. I’m living at another volunteer, Debbie’s, house with 3 other volunteers. This house actually happens to be where my friend Megan lived during her Peace Corps service from 2004-2006 - weird coincidence! Debbie is also an IT volunteer so I’m hoping to shadow her and learn some things about maintaining the computer lab at the library while I’m down here. The other volunteers who are here are going to be helping process and organize a shipment of books that the local Teacher’s Resource Center received. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here but it’s also a good opportunity to travel around down here and see the south, which is an area of the country we probably wouldn’t normally get to see. It’s really different down here than it is up north - it seems like there’s a lot more racial tension and there are completely different cultures and languages than there are up north. The adventure continues!</span></span></p></div><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-24389395175296178452011-03-16T03:55:00.001-07:002011-03-16T04:09:05.774-07:00Settling into life in Namibia<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llxcp-r-Ka8/TYCYTUzswoI/AAAAAAAAAFw/AFbP01fsTxY/s1600/in%2Bthe%2Bgarden.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llxcp-r-Ka8/TYCYTUzswoI/AAAAAAAAAFw/AFbP01fsTxY/s320/in%2Bthe%2Bgarden.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584630995709903490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Working in the garden on my homestead!</span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nvRP0vuCq_E/TYCYTWFbHcI/AAAAAAAAAFo/OeFXPUCYLec/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nvRP0vuCq_E/TYCYTWFbHcI/AAAAAAAAAFo/OeFXPUCYLec/s320/IMG_0596.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584630996052680130" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Lynette and Ajax, two members of my Namibian family</span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oz-WYEbPXqo/TYCYTDvUGMI/AAAAAAAAAFg/grVa0QOGpuE/s1600/100_1666.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oz-WYEbPXqo/TYCYTDvUGMI/AAAAAAAAAFg/grVa0QOGpuE/s320/100_1666.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584630991128107202" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Helping some local politicians google themselves in the library computer lab</span></span></div><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of the most exciting things that happened since I last wrote was Jakob Muleka’s visit. Jakob, a librarian from the head office in Windhoek, came up for two of the most productive weeks of my time here to really get things moving at the library. We’re now operating at full capacity and so much was improved during his visit. This includes:</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <ul> <ul> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A display table. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Right now it has books about Namibian Independence Day which is in March but it will change to a different theme every month. (Thoughts for April? We’re thinking about Earth Day or Global Youth Service Day.)</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A notice board for community notices. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This huge board lets users know what’s going on around the community and also welcomes them to the library.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Two audiovisual rooms. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Library users can go in there to listen to CDs, the radio, or tapes which we have a small collection of or they can bring their own. The rooms are small and private but it took us a long time to clean all the stuff out that was in them.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A TV viewing room. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Right now we have the capacity for the local news channel and VHS tapes.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A group study room</span></b></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A "Kid's Corner."</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> This is a space in the library designated for kids with games, toys and books appropriate for their age.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lots of posters hanging all over the library</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A newspaper and magazine rack.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> It’s now organized and easy to use.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Computer lab rules, library rules and other forms. </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We re-wrote, re-translated and perfected all of these!</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Promotional fliers, brochures and an orientation presentation</span></b></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> huge donation of books and VHS tapes</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> were processed and placed on the shelves. This donation came from two American missionaries whose kids have now grown up and moved away. Thanks to them!</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We went and talked to local distributors about getting </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">newspapers delivered daily </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(we still need to finish dealing with that...). </span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We also met with a local politician to </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">promote the library</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> so he could talk about it amongst community members and he came in to check it out with a ton of other local politicians which was exciting. </span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cleaning!</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> A huge amount of time was spent going through everything we have here and organizing what could be thrown away or given away. We gave boxes of old newspapers and magazines to the literacy program in Omuthiya and to local schools.</span></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jakob also wrote a report that will be submitted to all of the library and regional head honchos with recommendations on how the library can continue to improve. I’m hoping this report will turn some heads and the people who are high up on the totem pole will implement some changes that would really benefit the library users (i.e. hiring more staff, changing our operating hours, making the library handicap accessible, etc.).</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now that the library has been open and running at full capacity, people are really starting to stream in. There was one day where we had 173 users in the library at the same time! That was a bit overwhelming since we’re pretty understaffed but at least people are interested in what we have to offer. After seeing all of these people come in to the library, I realized how important that orientation presentation really is. Public and school libraries aren’t readily available or part of the culture in Namibia like they are in the US, and many of the people coming in have never really used a library before. They don’t really know HOW to use everything we have to offer. After finishing translating the orientation presentation into Oshiwambo (we want to make sure EVERYONE who sees the presentation understands it!), we’ve been brainstorming ways to reach people with it most efficiently. Since the majority of people who are coming in are students, we decided we will send out a letter to school principals asking them to schedule a time for their classes to come in and learn about the library. Hopefully, there will be a good response to this. After training the learners (students) with the presentation, hopefully we’ll be able to reach other people in the community, too!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As a response to the fact that we’re pretty understaffed (the library only has one permanent staff member!), I’ve been waiting for permission to implement a community volunteer program. A program like this would definitely be a win-win situation for everyone since the library would get some extra staffing help and community members who may be out of work or school would be involved with a meaningful task and would have the opportunity to better their community while learning useful skills for their futures. I approached one guy who visits the library everyday to ask if he’d be interested. He smiled and said, "When can I start?"</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some other really exciting news is that Horizon Air Freight has agreed to ship all 47 boxes of books that Neil collected pro bono! They will actually be arriving at the airport sometime this week and will be sent via South African Airways to Windhoek. Once there, they will be classified and processed at the head library office and then sent up to Omuthiya. It has been AWESOME to see how many people got involved with the book collection and shipment. Sincere thanks goes out to everyone involved including Neil Klinedinst of course for collecting all of the books, Barb Whitehead at Give 2 the Troops Center in North Carolina, Jim Gerdes at Maersk & Steve Leondis at Horizon Air Freight. You guys all rock! Omuthiya Community Library will soon be much better equipped to serve the community here because of everything YOU did. The staff here and in Windhoek can’t wait until those books arrive!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Another highlight of the past few months was heading down to Windhoek with some other volunteers for the weekend to see UB40 in concert. It was a really good show and so much fun to spend time with my American friends since it’d been awhile since we all were together. It also was AWESOME to go to a concert - which is one of my favorite things to do and something I didn’t think I’d get to do for two years! </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the concert, I started talking to a woman who turned out to be a journalist at one of Namibia’s major newspapers. I told her why I was here and all about the library and she excitedly said that it would make for a great story! She’ll interview both my supervisor and me sometime this week and the library will be featured in the newspaper! Hopefully that national attention will be good promotion. I’m excited to read her article when it comes out and see if anything will happen as a result!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On the way home from the concert, we stopped in Okahandja where the next group of volunteers have arrived and started training. It is SO WEIRD to no longer be the newbie volunteers here and also feels like kind of an accomplishment. It’s kind of fun to think back on how I was feeling when we first arrived here seven months ago. So much has happened since then and it feels like a lifetime ago! While in Okahandja, I got to meet Neil which was pretty surreal. We’ve been corresponding via e-mail about Namibia and the book donation drive since I was in training back in October so our meeting has been a long time coming!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="font: 12.0px Arial; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A few weeks after the concert, I attended the Peace Corps gardening workshop. Here, we learned </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">all about different gardening methods to use for community garden projects. The idea of teaching people these gardening methods is to empower people living with HIV & AIDS to show them that they can have control over something. The output of the garden is food (and nutrition is really important for people who are ill) but also income generation. It was a cool workshop and pretty hands on so we were out in the garden everyday digging, making compost and getting dirty! It also didn’t hurt that we stayed in a hotel where all meals were provided and there were hot showers, electricity, a fridge, and a TV. In addition to being an informative and fun workshop, it was like a mini-vacation!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After the workshop, my fellow volunteers Nick, Dan, Lance & Joe travelled back with me to my site in Omuthiya where we wanted to practice what we’d learned and made a garden on my homestead. We got all of the necessary materials at the workshop and planted cabbage, swiss chard, beetroot, green peppers, carrots and tomatoes. I’m pretty psyched for when veggies actually start growing!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A few weeks ago, I came to the library on a Sunday with Lynette and taught her a little bit about the Internet. I’m usually too busy to sit down one-on-one with them while I’m working so it was really nice to sit together and listen to her questions and what she wanted to know. We used Google a little bit and then we set up an e-mail account for her. She started corresponding with Rachel down in South Africa and my mom back in America and was in awe at how far around the world her words could reach. It was cool. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My favorite part of day-to-day life here is spending time and continuing to get to know the kids who live on my homestead, including Lynette, who have become my sister and brothers. Sitting out with all of the kids at night under the stars and around the fire is really awesome. There is ALWAYS a lot of laughter. Recently, I started bringing books home from the library to read with them which I think they enjoy. When they don’t understand a word, they don’t hesitate to ask me what it means, and I think that shows that they’re getting more comfortable with me which makes me feel great!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So things have continued to go well since I last wrote. I’m getting more used to life here and have developed a daily routine which has become normal for me. It isn’t and hasn’t always been easy and I’m definitely not finished adjusting! I’m enjoying continuing to learn a little more about Namibian people, culture, society and my role here everyday.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some things coming up to look forward to: </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This upcoming weekend will be three days long to celebrate Namibian Independence. It also happens to be two volunteers’ birthdays. A bunch of us will head up to Ruacana Waterfalls (right on the border of Angola!) and spend a night camping there and another night on a Namibian friend’s homestead to experience how Namibians celebrate Independence Day (fairly certain a goat slaughter will be involved)! I’m pretty excited for that!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Also, my parents are in the process of planning a vacation to come here sometime in May or June! I CAN’T WAIT! I think all the time about how they would react to things I do everyday (especially Carol) and it’s going to be really fun to see how they ACTUALLY react. We will most likely travel a bit around Southern Africa while they’re here but I’m most excited for them to come, stay on my homestead and see my life here. Scott has also expressed interest in coming separately, maybe in September. I’m lucky to have so many potential visitors!</span></span></p></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-70936273812013511962011-02-08T04:58:00.000-08:002011-02-08T05:06:07.483-08:00Slideshow of Namibia pics<object id="vp1lnZhU" width="398" height="221" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1297165037&f=lnZhU4iJXGBF9NdkkpdGWA&d=267&m=a&r=240p&i=m&options="><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed id="vp1lnZhU" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1297165037&f=lnZhU4iJXGBF9NdkkpdGWA&d=267&m=a&r=240p&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="398" height="221"></embed></object><div>Thanks to Ryan's Mom!</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-35805229360266951932011-01-27T01:08:00.000-08:002011-01-27T01:44:49.523-08:00THE LIBRARY IS OPEN!!!!!!!!! (or sort of at least)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gXGRnRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/nQvtT-6VTGI/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gXGRnRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/nQvtT-6VTGI/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566797141060459794" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gXGRnRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/nQvtT-6VTGI/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gXGRnRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/nQvtT-6VTGI/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;">Me & Rach at Epupa Falls</a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gKuk5GI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Z5Iw2lK-6aE/s1600/IMG_0045.jpg"></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gKuk5GI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Z5Iw2lK-6aE/s1600/IMG_0045.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8gKuk5GI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Z5Iw2lK-6aE/s320/IMG_0045.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566797137739834466" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;">The library's youngest users</span></div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8f7agnhI/AAAAAAAAAFE/zr0SnnAIErA/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TUE8f7agnhI/AAAAAAAAAFE/zr0SnnAIErA/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566797133629136402" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;">A library user being helped by Helena at the front desk</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>1/27/11</div><div><br /></div>After setting up a system for library users to check their bags at the door and getting a very modern alarm system installed (not so different from the one in our house in Scotch Plains), we are FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY open! The alarm system was quite a triumph since I knew we couldn’t open until it was installed so I have been working towards that since I got here. To have it completely installed now is really exciting. We haven’t started promoting the library yet in the community mostly because we are not completely open. People can use the internet, the space, and the resources we have but we are not allowing anyone to check out books because we’re not yet completely organized. Despite not actually telling anyone that the library is open, people are streaming in! Most of the people who come want to use the internet but some are taking advantage of the tables and chairs to study and read, looking at all of our newspapers and magazines, and some little ones have even come in to read and play with our small amount of kid-friendly materials. I can’t wait until this place is open in full swing.<br /><br />I’ve encouraged the kids who are living on my homestead to come in and use the computers, and they’ve started to listen. On the first day, Sakeus came in with a friend after school and it was pretty clear that at 17, he’d never even placed his hand on a mouse before. I explained to him that he could basically find and do anything with the internet and after a few minutes of contemplation, he said, “I want to look at pictures of Michael Jackson.” So I quickly taught him the basics of Google and Google Images and he got to work. While I walked away to help someone else, he had figured out how to get back to the search page and found pictures of Gazza, a very popular Namibian rapper.<br /><br />There is also a woman who came in and expressed that she was really interested in starting her own business. We couldn’t find any entrepreneurship books in the library so I got to searching online myself after she had already left one day. When she returned the following day, I showed her the website of a Namibian bank that gives small business loans and explained how to search online for tips on starting a business. I also showed her a template for writing a business plan, which she would need if she wanted to apply for the loan. I explained to her that I would love to help her but she also needed to put in a lot of work herself, and she seemed really excited and motivated. I’m thinking if she finishes her business plan, I can find a Peace Corps SEED volunteer (who are here to help the country’s small businesses) to assist her further. I think she has awhile to go before that happens but she has been coming to the library searching and reading and learning more everyday. Through the opening of the library and computer lab, my amazement has been renewed for all of the things you can find on the internet. (Someone asked us to help him search for a meat bandsaw the other day - whatever that is! But sure enough we found information on it for him!)<br /><br />So before the library opens in full capacity, a librarian sent by the head office in Windhoek is going to come for two weeks in mid-February. He will help us set everything up properly, decorate and help us with a user-friendly layout, and explain to us all of the necessary procedures to make sure the library runs smoothly. A librarian from the regional office and my supervisor also said they’d come to help. I’m hoping this will be the last push we need before actually opening and then we can start hanging fliers around town, talking ourselves up to anyone and everyone, and sending an announcement into the local Oshiwambo radio station. From there I kind of feel like the possibilities are endless and I have lots of ideas for projects, etc.<br /><br />Aside from all of the logistics of opening the library, Neil, the future Peace Corps Namibia volunteer, and I are continuing to struggle to find a method to get the 1,341 books and other materials that he was worked tirelessly to collect shipped to Omuthiya library from the States. In addition to all of the atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, etc. that have been donated, Neil will send notebooks, craft supplies, games (thanks David for those Bananagrams!) and several LeapFrogs, which are an educational toy that helps young kids learn to read. We keep finding shipping methods that seem like they could really work, and then for whatever reason fall through. Of course it is a bit frustrating at times, but it’s been awesome working with Neil, who has truly made the process a pleasure. He is a ROCK STAR and is incredibly dedicated and I can’t wait to see what he gets accomplished once he actually comes to Namibia in February as a volunteer. In the meantime, we’re still looking for viable shipping options (affordable/subsidized/free?!).<br /><br />So while all of this has been going on at the library, I was lucky enough to get a non-volunteer VISTOR! Rachel, one of my closest friends from GWU, just moved to Cape Town in preparation of starting her Master’s Degree in February and before classes started, hopped on a 2-day bus to come visit me in Namibia! It was really amazing having her here, especially since I hadn’t seen her in 8 months basically since we graduated college. We had LOTS to catch up on and it was so nice having someone around who knows me from life before Peace Corps especially to see what my day-to-day life is like here. Having two worlds collide - college and Peace Corps - was also awesome and she met several of my volunteer friends.<br /><br />Having her as a visitor was also an excuse to do some traveling and we spent her last weekend here in Opuwo, which is a really beautiful town in NW Namibia. Opuwo is surrounded by lots of nothing (which is pretty common in Namibia, the 2nd most sparsely populated country in the world!) and you have to drive for miles on a dirt road to get there. Once you do, however, the scenery completely starts to change: trees, mountains, red sand, and the Himba. The Himba are a tribe who still follow a really traditional way of life. Their standards of beauty and dress are really visually stunning. The woman paint themselves and their babies with a red mixture of ochre and butter or fat and coat extensions in their hair with the same mixture. They wear animal skins, lots of ornamental traditional jewelry, and bare breasts. One of my favorite Himba looks is how the adolescent boys wear their hair very short except for one long chunk of hair braided towards the back of their heads. It makes for a cool ponytail and they usually wear something around the chunk of hair that covers it (it’s either cloth or animal skin, not sure). Opuwo is a pretty modern town by Namibian standards. There are gas stations, electricity, running water, and 2 grocery stores. The combination of the scenery, Himbas walking around next to people dressed in western clothing, and all of these modern amenities really gives the town a magical feel. It is a cool place.<br /><br />Rachel and I borrowed a tent from another volunteer who lives in Opuwo and set up shop at a campsite in town. There was one other guest there, a German guy, Hardy, who was in Namibia on business but was traveling before he had to get to work. The first night we were there, Rachel, Hardy, Brian (another volunteer who lives in Opuwo) and I sat around chatting with the campsite owner, Westin, a Himba man. Well, Westin had quite a story to tell. At around 13 years old (he’s unsure of his age because Himbas don’t keep track), he decided that he really wanted to ride in a car. He had seen kids from other tribes in the area get picked up and driven to town because they had to go to school and decided enrolling in school would be a good way to make his dream of riding in a car come true. So one day mid goat-herding, he left the goats and started walking. He walked the 100 km (about 62 miles) from his homestead into the town of Opuwo. He explained that because it was not long after Namibia became an independent country (in 1990), the new president had declared that all children should go to school and receive equal education, which they hadn’t been receiving under the recently abolished system of apartheid. Because of the president’s declaration, Westin was immediately enrolled in school and lived in the school’s hostel when he showed up there after his 100 km walk. At 13 years old, he started in grade 1 and quickly excelled in school. He mentioned that it was a bit awkward heading back to his Himba homestead on school holidays since his parents originally thought he had died, but explained that they eventually forgave him. Westin completed all 12 grades and even transferred to a school in Swakopmund that specialized in his favorite subject, science. After grade 12, he was asked to stay and teach because he was such a good student, and did so for a few years before getting his master’s degree. He now owns his own business (the campsite where we stayed) and told us that since he was the oldest boy in his family, he also became the village Chief after his father died. Although he lives a modern, westernized life in Opuwo, his village cannot make any big decisions without his approval. Every two weeks or so, in Western clothing, he travels that 100 km back home to decide which cattle to slaughter and make other important village decisions. He was beaming as he told us that he drives to get back to his village, and I thought it was pretty cool since riding in a car was the original reason he left. These days he owns a car, a motorcycle, and a 4-wheeler quad.<br /><br />Also that same evening, we got to chatting with Hardy, the other guest at the campsite, and he told us he was taking his 4 wheel drive car to check out Epupa Falls the next day on his own. Epupa Falls is a four hour VERY bumpy drive away from Opuwo on a gravel road. It is something that we’d discussed trying to do but just didn’t have the finances to afford renting or hiring a car to get there. When Hardy invited us along after we hinted heavily that we wanted to go, we jumped at the chance and couldn’t believe our luck. Early the next morning we bought some picnic ingredients & beers and hopped into the back of his covered truck to head to Epupa. Epupa Falls and the surrounding area is absolutely beautiful. We went at a great time because it’s currently rainy season and the falls were flowing in all of their glory. We hiked up a bit on a mountain next to the Kunene River and could see miles and miles of the river, tons of different waterfalls and into Angola which is the other side of the river. It was a great day with breathtaking views which we had a hard time believing were real. At one point Rachel mentioned that it looked like we were in the movie Avatar and I think that’s a perfect way to describe it.<br /><br />While Rachel was here, we had two noteworthy cultural DUH moments. As you can imagine, these happen OFTEN here but it was pretty nice having another American to share them with. Since returning from vacation, rainy season here has really picked up and is now in full swing. On the one hand, it’s really amazing how quickly everything became green and it’s really cool getting to witness and participate in the farm work that my entire family does in Tate’s fields now that the muhangu is growing. On the other hand, however, getting caught in the POURING rain is not uncommon (and seems to always happen when I have my laptop with me) and my normal route to walk to the library is now literally a lake. One of the kids on the homestead showed me a better route to take to get into town that’s much more bush-esque (think tiny walking path through grass up to the knees) with lots more jumping over fences, trudging through muddy fields of muhangu and absolutely no chance of a car coming by to offer a ride. At one point in my first walk on the new route, I noticed a huge thorny branch (and by branch think half of a thorny bush) blocking part of my path and moved it. The next day it was there again...and the next day...and the next day and I continued to move it and usually pricked or scratched myself somehow in the process. I was starting to get really fed up and assumed that someone was being spiteful and didn’t want me to walk through their property. I told this all to Rachel who saw it on our first day walking to the library together. Good friend that she is, she dragged the branch and hid it really far away from the spot in the path where it was being placed. We felt like that would send the message that we wanted to give and went on our merry way feeling pretty proud of ourselves. The next day the thorn branch was back in the exact same place except it was now tied to a tree with wire making it nearly impossible to move. We were besides ourselves. When we realized that the owners of the land were watching us struggle to move it again, we decided we’d need to confront them and ask them what the deal was. After a very broken conversation in Oshiwambo (and lots of help from a village kid who spoke decent English), we discovered that the landowners were not even being a little bit spiteful. They were equally as perplexed about the branch as we were and didn’t understand why we kept moving it. This is when we discovered the term “traditional door.” LIGHT BULB! It turns out the people who owned the land couldn’t afford/didn’t want to buy more modern gate materials and used the thorn branches to keep their goats and cattle in. We felt a little silly after that. Why was our first reaction to assume that someone was out to get us? Whoops. So now everyday on the way to and from work, my skin continues to get a little tougher as I move a half of a thorn bush out of my way and politely place it back where I found it.<br /><br />The second DUH moment we had was the morning that we were set to leave for Opuwo when we needed to get into town to start the journey early. Unfortunately, it was POURING rain and we didn’t want to walk there and get soaking wet. We decided to ask my Tate for a ride into town and assumed he’d be in his room hiding from the rain and trying to avoid getting wet which is what we were doing. With this assumption, we stood outside the door of his bedroom for about 25 minutes dressed in complete rain gear and with our backpacks on calling his name and knocking on the door. We were really confused when he didn’t answer and thought he might still be sleeping. Rachel then made a genius (DUH) suggestion. Rather than just standing there, why not call Tate and see what he was up to? He picked up the phone and agreed to bring us into town with a true Namlish (Namibian English) “I’m coming now.” About 10 minutes later, he appeared as a soaking wet figure ready to drive us. Why did we think just because WE wanted to avoid the rain he would be doing the same thing? As one of the hardest working 70-year-old men I know, he was true to form out in the fields hoeing in the pouring rain. Also as one of the nicest 70-year-old men I know, he stopped his work in the pouring rain to hop in his truck and drive us into town.<br /><br />After spending 12 days hanging with Rachel and doing lots of fun stuff and moving non-stop, it was kind of a bummer when she left. Having someone to share every funny/crazy/scary/sillly/thoughtful/(fill in the blank with adjective here) experience with was really nice and I was sad to see her go. On the day she left, however, I was walking home feeling kind of bummed out and suddenly 5 learners (schoolkids) appeared on the path next to me all in their matching school uniforms. This included Lynette, one of the kids who lives on my homestead. I swear it was cosmic and they were sent to keep me company and cheer me up! Well, thanks to Michele for sending me lots of current American pop music and to Apple for making the iPod Touch play out loud because we ROCKED out on the way home and my sad mood flew right out the window. The kids giggled, I sang a horrible rendition of “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry and the walk went by quickly. “Miss, can you dance?” “Miss, what does “S-O-L-O spell?” Giggles and hand-holding all around. I especially enjoyed translating “Ridin’ Solo” by Jason DeRulo since it obviously has a very deep, philosophical meaning. The walk was a reminder that life here is rarely dull unless you allow it to be and that moods can (and usually do) change in an instant.</div><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-62329552825619811172011-01-07T02:50:00.000-08:002011-01-07T03:38:00.575-08:00Traveling around Namibia!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb6DY2idjI/AAAAAAAAAE8/BCQagfsLnwM/s1600/midnight%2Bbonfire.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb6DY2idjI/AAAAAAAAAE8/BCQagfsLnwM/s320/midnight%2Bbonfire.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559405726153209394" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">New Year's Eve midnight bonfire on the beach in Swakopmund</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb6DQZFIwI/AAAAAAAAAE0/5yGO6otARLA/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb6DQZFIwI/AAAAAAAAAE0/5yGO6otARLA/s320/IMG_2127.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559405723882169090" /><br /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Me with my host sister & her new husband at their wedding</span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4dDVEjOI/AAAAAAAAAEs/LKv1PZg8Qs0/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4dDVEjOI/AAAAAAAAAEs/LKv1PZg8Qs0/s320/IMG_1823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559403968029035746" /></a><div><div><div style="text-align: center;">The wedding procession</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4cnIHioI/AAAAAAAAAEk/lr6ywuFj8zE/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4cnIHioI/AAAAAAAAAEk/lr6ywuFj8zE/s320/IMG_1300.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559403960458513026" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of many hikes during Reconnect</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4caUiZKI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ZyTy6SdPi0I/s1600/IMG_1193.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4caUiZKI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ZyTy6SdPi0I/s320/IMG_1193.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559403957020943522" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;">Me & my Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole (inspired by Aunt Janet!)</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4cEbuV8I/AAAAAAAAAEU/1VlxECJOhRw/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG"></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4cEbuV8I/AAAAAAAAAEU/1VlxECJOhRw/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: center;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4cEbuV8I/AAAAAAAAAEU/1VlxECJOhRw/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559403951145506754" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;">Me with my new Himba friend</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4byLWV_I/AAAAAAAAAEM/QySvN3RHBW4/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TSb4byLWV_I/AAAAAAAAAEM/QySvN3RHBW4/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559403946244986866" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Some of my co-workers and I (including baby Danke!) on a hike in Ruacana</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Wow...I have LOTS to catch up on. I just got back two days ago from the past 6 weeks traveling around the country. Since mid-November, I have been home in Omuthiya for only 3 days total and for 2 of those, I was at my site with other volunteers who were visiting me. You can imagine it's been a bit of a whirlwind but it feels great to be back and not living out of a backpack. It will be a bit of an adjustment not having Americans around all of the time, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine again.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Highlights of the past six weeks:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I learned to make oshikwila, a delicious traditional Owambo bread! Apparently my Meme is well known for being great at making it. It’s really easy: butter, sugar, hand-pounded muhangu (the traditional grain), and water all poured into one of the huge cast-iron pots they use to cook and left for about 40 minutes on the open fire. I took some liberties with it and cooked the batter in a pan on my gas stove like pancakes. I also added some strawberry yogurt. Although it wasn’t exactly traditional, my family loved it!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I've also been trying to run (or at least go on walks) a few times a week. It's nice getting some exercise and it's definitely mentally healthy to have some alone time to think and not struggle to communicate with anyone, etc. I also like exploring the village to see what's around (even though it's mostly just the bush). I also go at a certain time so that by the end of my run the sun is setting and I can watch it. Anyway, one day as I was running, I heard "Julie! Julie!" And a girl that I'd met earlier in the week saw me and wanted to run with me. We picked up another kid along the way, too, and pretty soon the homestead dog joined us as well. We must have looked like such a spectacle: me in my running gear - sports bra, nike shorts, running sneakers, ipod and the kids: wearing normal clothes and no shoes! At the end of the run, I was TIRED, really sweaty and out of breath and these kids hadn't even broken a sweat! I was amazed and I’m excited for my little running club to continue.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So at the beginning of the 6 weeks of travel, I went to a workshop for librarians in a beautiful town called Ruacana about 3.5 hours northwest of Omuthiya. Ruacana is way greener than Omuthiya, built into mountains, and filled with red sand. There were librarians there from all over the country which was very cool and I think the best part of being there was the cultural experience. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I roomed with 2 of my co-workers, including one who has a 4-month old baby, Danke. Little Danke was actually one of the highlights of the week - he is ADORABLE and was so much fun to room with. The ministry made arrangements so that my co-worker could bring him along with a babysitter since she is still breastfeeding (and in Namibia, breastfeeding happens anywhere, anytime...). It’s kind of cool that the Ministry provides for childcare. I don't think that'd be the case in the US. Anyway, one of the most interesting things about being in Ruacana is that my roommates prayed and sung (in Oshiwambo, the local language) in our room for 2 hours every night we were there. They are a lot more religious than I realized and trying to explain Judaism to them has been surprisingly difficult and made for some very interesting conversations during that week. Being a Jew in Namibia in general has actually given me a pretty interesting perspective on religion but being in Ruacana has really made me think about it. People here are very overwhelmingly Christian - I think 98% of the population. Most aren't anti-semitic. They just have no idea what Judaism is. I've tried to explain that Jews don't have the New Testament & don't believe that Jesus is the savior but I usually just get blank expressions. I think Namibians have a hard time understanding that someone could believe that Jesus isn't the savior since mostly EVERYONE thinks that here. This experience is definitely making me appreciate and embrace the religion more mostly because I have to think about and explain it more. I don't consider myself very religious but I now definitely see what is meant by "cultural Judaism."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Another interesting cultural thing I noticed during the workshop is the personal hygiene. Everyone here thinks it's weird that I don't shower twice a day and they scrub, scrub, scrub their bodies when they shower. There's obviously nothing wrong with that but they also think it's weird that I can shower in 10 minutes as they're scrubbing and pumicing every part of themselves for 25. Very interesting. Also interesting is the communal shower room (the accommodations are hostel-like). I have now seen all of my co-workers and supervisors naked. And they've seen me naked too! Another thing to love about Namibia haha.... </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">One of my favorite parts of being at the workshop was the amazing landscape that surrounded us. Each day, I rounded up some of the other librarians to get some exercise. Most Namibians (or at least the ones I was with) aren’t into exercising and healthy eating like some Americans are but they were all pretty good sports about it and watching them exercise made for some hilarious moments. On the first day, I was jogging with one of my co-workers and we were laughing and having a grand old time. Suddenly, I looked over and realized she was no longer next to me but was 20 feet behind me sprawled out on the ground and panting. That was her overly dramatic reaction to getting tired but I laid down on the road right next to her and we shared a good laugh about it. We also went on several hikes that week and some of the women were wearing high heels. Climbing back up from inside a beautiful valley was hilarious - the women were shrieking and struggling the whole way. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On one of our hikes, we ran into some Himbas who were traveling by foot back to Opuwo (an over 130 km walk). The Himba are a nomadic people that live mostly in NW Namibia and that live traditionally without too much modern influence. If anybody saw the movie "Babies,” the Namibian baby in it is a Himba. They're pretty recognizable because they paint themselves red. One of my co-workers spoke a dialect similar to their language and it was amazing to see and speak with them a little bit. This was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Namibia so far.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">One of the most valuable parts of the workshop was that I got to talk up the library in Omuthiya to all of my fellow librarians and the bigwigs who are in charge of the country’s libraries. I even convinced them to come see our progress so far and on their way back to Windhoek, several of the workers from the head office came to check it out. I think they were impressed and they told us to contact them if we needed help with anything in the future. I will definitely be taking them up on that offer!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After spending a week in Ruacana, I was home for one evening before traveling down to Okahandja for a Thanksgiving celebration with a few of my fellow volunteers. I stayed with my host family from training while I was there and it was GREAT seeing them. I compare it to coming home for a weekend from college: just long enough to make you remember how much you love it there but not so long that you want to kill your parents. When I arrived at the house, I asked where I should put my bags and my host sisters looked at me like I was crazy. “That will always be your room,” they said and pointed to where I had stayed during training. I’ve never felt more at home in Namibia than I did in that moment.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Minus a few minor setbacks like losing power while the food was in the oven and on the stove, the Thanksgiving meal was unreal (and the power eventually came back on!). We had sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, roasted chicken (no turkey in this country!), corn, beets, rice, etc. etc. It was a feast and made up for the fact that it was the first Thanksgiving away from our loved ones. One of the best parts: I went to an agricultural project on my way home from Ruacana where I was able to pick the corn and sweet potatoes myself. It may have been some of the freshest veggies I’ve ever had on Thanksgiving!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After a few days in Okahandja, the traveling continued down to Windhoek where the 43 of us who came with Peace Corps in August had “Reconnect,” which were debriefing sessions to discuss our first six weeks at site. The best part of Reconnect was spending 2 weeks with all of the other American volunteers. We had a doppelganger party where we all dressed up as each other which was HILARIOUS and we took lots of hikes and watched lots of Glee. I think we were all kind of in disbelief that we were in Peace Corps. The conference center where we stayed was up in the mountains just outside of the capital and was absolutely breathtaking. Most of us are at sites where the landscape is very flat and that have no stairs at all so we were NOT used to the constant uphill walks. That was probably the only bad part, though. There were amazing sunsets daily, the food was almost as awesome as the views and one day a few of us took a hike to watch the sunrise. What an AWESOME two weeks!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Also while in Windhoek at Reconnect, I was able to see the new Harry Potter movie. I wasn’t terribly impressed but sitting in a movie theater eating popcorn was pretty exciting. I also went to a steakhouse there famous for their “meters” of beer and for serving tons of funky meats. I was able to try zebra, crocodile, oryx, kudu, and ostrich. I think my favorite was oryx but I’ll have to head back there again to confirm that...</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On one of the last days of Reconnect, I left at 5:30 in the morning to head up north to attend the wedding of my host sister from Okahandja. Traveling there was a bit of an ordeal but arriving on the homestead where they were preparing for the celebration was an experience! There were people, food and meat EVERYWHERE and everyone was buzzing with excitement. Traditionally, an Owambo wedding is two days long. The first day takes place at the bride’s father’s homestead and most of the guests (including me) set up tents there and stay overnight. The second day is a repeat of the first but at the groom’s father’s homestead. This wedding was a mix between traditional and modern customs and it was really interesting getting to witness it. After the church ceremony, all of the guests made a procession in front of the bride and groom waving horse tails, dancing around and shouting “lalalalalalala” back to their cars (which I attempted to participate in). Most were wearing traditional Owambo outfits. The whole process took about 30 minutes. The “lala’s” and the dancing and the procession continued back on the homestead where everyone lined up to give gifts after another short ceremony and eventually we all got to eat and drink. The food was homemade collectively by all of the guests and there was a TON of it: several types of meat, fried chicken, potato salad, macaroni and ketchup, sweet potatoes and more!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After the excitement of the day died down, my host sister asked me if I wanted to take a shower and I agreed without realizing exactly what I was getting myself into. On this homestead (which was pretty rural), there was no running water or electricity and that meant I’d be bucket bathing. A bucket shower is basically an outdoor enclosure with four walls and stones to stand on to bathe. It’s pretty open and you use a giant bucket filled with water to clean yourself. I didn’t think about how strange this would be to do while surrounded by several hundred people still partying and celebrating a wedding and walked into the shower with another older woman who I’d met before and didn’t think much of it. Aside from being surrounded by all of the wedding guests, it turns out washing my too-long hair in a bucket bath is NOT easy. The meme I was with saw me struggling and grabbed my bucket from me to help. I should also mention that Namibians use the shower area to urinate especially on a homestead like this one, which had no plumbing at all. To relieve yourself on a homestead without a pit latrine, you can either go to the shower or walk way out into the bush, and most people choose the shower. So this Meme and I were standing there completely naked and she was washing my hair as multiple wedding guests came in to pop a squat. I have a strange suspicion, though, that they may have just wanted to see a white girl naked...</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Once both days of the wedding were over (which was more than enough for me!) I spent a few days in the North traveling to visit other volunteer’s homesteads. It is REALLY interesting to see each other’s sites - even though they are all Owambo homesteads they are all really different. It’s also really nice having people see my site so they understand where I’m living. One of my favorite parts of that week was when two other volunteers, Ryan and Allie, came to visit and we decided to teach the learners on my homestead about Hanukkah. Mom sent me candles and a menorah and Grandma sent me gelt and a set of dreidels so we told them the story behind the holiday, lit the candles and taught them to play dreidel all underneath a thatched hut on my homestead. I think they probably enjoyed playing dreidel the most, especially when we revealed that the gelt was actually edible. It was really cool.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Spending 10 days camping on the beach in Swakopmund with other volunteers was awesome as our campsite was a 5 minute walk from the beach and a 5 minute walk from a bar. Swakopmund definitely highlights the HUGE income gap and crazy amount of inequality that exists in Namibia. It is a beautiful coastal town filled with boutiques, upscale restaurants (sushi!) and even two movie theaters with a consistent ocean view. Its charm kind of reminded me of Newport, Rhode Island. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On Christmas morning, we all woke up and exchanged gifts through our Secret Santa. One of the volunteers made everyone stockings and another made Christmas cookies with green icing! My gifts were awesome - a beautiful bracelet from the Kavango region and a shitenge which is basically a big, colorful multi-use piece of fabric. I also got little tags to tie onto my stuff since I guess I’m known for losing everything (funny how these people know me so well already...). It was the best first Christmas celebration I could have asked for!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">New Years was also pretty cool. We partied on the beach all day next to the local bar and a huge bonfire was lit at midnight. Shortly after the bonfire, however, I was attacked by a giant tidal wave which cut the evening short. (Continuing the party soaking wet wasn’t so appealing). But it was a blessing in disguise because I changed into sweats and roasted marshmallows at our campsite with some other volunteers.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">One of my favorite parts of the week was climbing Dune 7, one of the highest sand dunes in the world, with two of my friends. It was hard work but well worth it once we got to the top of the natural wonder. Although I’m still picking sand out of my ears, running and rolling down that dune was definitely a highlight of my time in Namibia so far.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So I’ve had an awesome time in the past few weeks. Now I’m back in the village waiting for things to pick up again after the holiday! Stay tuned!</span></p></div><br /></div></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-16529353609373419032010-12-19T06:50:00.000-08:002010-12-19T07:08:10.416-08:00Working in OmuthiyaSo...LOTS has happened since I last wrote. The first few weeks at site have been exciting and lots has happened with the new library. The 10 computers in the computer lab are all set up and the materials from the old library have been transferred over to this building. After LOTS of obnoxious phone calls on my part, an electrician and the internet technician came on the same day to work together to get us connected to the web. Now, community members will be able to use the internet for FREE when the library is finally open (although when that will be is unclear...and might not be for awhile). It also took FOREVER to shelve all the books that we already had even though the materials only fill three of our MANY shelves (our library is big - two floors!). The result is kind of a sad, lop-sided looking library.<br /><br />I’ve been corresponding with a volunteer who will arrive when the new group of health volunteers comes in February, Neil, and mentioned to him how pathetic looking all of the empty shelves were. He jumped at the chance to help and has been running a book drive out of North<br />Carolina, where he lives, to gather books and materials for the library in Omuthiya. SO many people have been coming to the library to check it out even though it’s a bit of a walk off the main road. They all seem really excited and can’t wait for it to be open. Due to security, we aren’t allowed to let anyone use the materials in the library, but as people have been coming, I’ve asked them to write down what types of books and materials they’d like to see here. (I’ve also been asking them to write down their information if they are interested in taking computer classes when the library opens and we already have a full page of people who have expressed interest!) I passed the materials list along to Neil in North Carolina and he has been working his<br />butt off. What started as a small supply drive for the holiday season with the goal of collecting 10 boxes of books has exploded. So far, over 40 boxes of books have been collected and the drive is still going strong. Neil estimates that there are about 1,000 books worth $4,000 US dollars including atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, teacher resources, college textbooks, and K-12 textbooks. So many different organizations and entities are involved: the local Gold’s Gym, ECU AmeriCorps, the local NBC affiliate, several local schools, the local library and the local college bookstore to name a few. It’s been amazing to see how Neil has rallied his community to help ours here in Omuthiya and I can’t wait to see the results.<br /><br />The one issue is getting all of the stuff that he’s collected shipped over here. It’s going to be VERY expensive and there’s also VAT tax that costs an additional 15% of the value of what is entering the country. I’ve been trying to figure out the logistics of shipping which has been (and probably will continue to be) a slow, frustrating process, but hopefully we can figure something out before Neil leaves to come to Namibia in February. Any ideas from anyone at home?<br /><br />I am really excited about the opening of the library. As I said before, people inquire all the time about when it will open and it’s really tough to have to turn them away (by instruction of my boss) when I know there are so many great resources available to them here. One day, I saw two of the learners (what Namibians call students) who live on my homestead in town and invited them to come check out the library. They were astounded when they walked in. They both immediately picked up books and magazines, plopped on the floor and started flipping through totally enthralled. It made me feel really good about what I've been doing and really excited about getting the place up and running.<br /><br />I’ve also been helping my supervisor work on a 5-year plan for all of the libraries in our region. I attended the meeting where the plan was presented and was pretty excited because I felt like the Ministry of Education employees were actually listening to me. It will be cool if/when the things that I helped to plan will actually be carried out.<br /><br />Additionally, I met a local teacher at the event that Meme and Tate took me to where Namibia's first lady was speaking. He teaches English and I think is also the HOD (Head of Department) for English at the school in my village. I get the feeling that he is a real go-getter and I was excited to meet him at the event. A few weeks later, he called me to say that he had acquired a donated set of Scrabble and asked if I would be able to come help teach his English class how to play the game. Teaching those kids Scrabble was REALLY fun. They were SO enthusiastic about it would 11th grade American students be enthusiastic about Scrabble? I don't think so...) and were also pretty excited about improving their English. The circuit inspector (the person who is in charge of all the local schools in our circuit, or district) heard about what we were doing and was so excited about the idea that he asked us to teach all of the local principals about Scrabble. So this local teacher and I presented what we did at the circuit principals' meeting to about 40 principals in the area. It was exciting. I also gave my contact information to the principals to tell them I'd love to come help at their schools. I already got a call from one who needs help with the computers at her school so hopefully I will be starting that project after everyone returns from the holidays in January.<br /><br />LOTS more has happened since I last wrote but I will stop here for now. This week I will be headed down to Swakopmund, which is a coastal town here in Namibia, for 10 days of camping on the beach and to celebrate Christmas and New Years with my fellow volunteers. I hope to get Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas because both of those things are available in Swakop! The entire area of Swakopmund is supposed to be beautiful: one of the few places in the world where the desert meets the ocean and home to the biggest sand dune in the world. We may also take a road trip up the coast for a few days and who knows what other adventures we’ll find while we’re there (skydiving, duneboarding, four-wheelin', bungee-jumping…)? I CAN’T WAIT!<br /><br />P.S. Sorry no photos on this blog. I'm not typing from my own computer! I'll upload some photos of the library and the kids playing Scrabble ASAP!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-36010638400919003122010-10-29T16:47:00.000-07:002010-10-29T16:57:53.541-07:00Hobnobbing with the Namibian Politicos (HA!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtfY6jfQPI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZnSJix5Wk-8/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtfY6jfQPI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZnSJix5Wk-8/s320/IMG_0787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533621448794390770" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Meme & Tate on stage with Madam Pohamba</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMteTmLTqHI/AAAAAAAAAD4/J1VEIIa-q-4/s1600/IMG_0807.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMteTmLTqHI/AAAAAAAAAD4/J1VEIIa-q-4/s320/IMG_0807.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533620257913284722" /><div style="text-align: center;">President Pohamba speaking in Omuthiya</div></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtdtyjUPMI/AAAAAAAAADw/pr7_SG5h5EY/s1600/IMG_0820.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtdtyjUPMI/AAAAAAAAADw/pr7_SG5h5EY/s320/IMG_0820.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533619608400182466" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Dinner after President Pohamba's speech</div><p class="Body">10/26/10<br /></p> <p class="Body">The past few days have been crazy. On Friday night I stayed late at the new library helping a technician set up the tables and computer lab. It was a VERY long day but it’s pretty exciting to see the library finally coming together with my help! Anyway, when I got home Meme & Tate told me I would be going with them to a school inauguration ceremony the next day. I politely explained that I was very tired and just wanted to stay home and organize and clean my new house but they insisted, so I couldn’t really say no. I begrudgingly got up and got dressed the next morning and the three of us climbed into the cab of Tate’s pick-up truck and were on our way.</p> <p class="Body">Well I’m glad they insisted I join them! When we got to the school, it turns out that the Namibian First Lady was there for the ceremony! Because Meme is Omuthiya’s Deputy Mayor and Tate is Ekulo Villages’ Head Man, I personally met and shook hands with the First Lady, Madam Pohamba, and was introduced to her as the new Peace Corps volunteer in Omuthiya. I also got to sit in a room with her as one of maybe 12 people while we waited for the ceremony to begin. During the ceremony, Meme & Tate were up on the stage sitting right next to Madam Pohamba and kept being introduced as “distinguished guests.” The ceremony was LONG, started late, and the microphone system kept losing power, but I enjoyed Madam Pohamba’s speech. When the whole thing was over, we proceeded to a local conference center.</p> <p class="Body">At the conference center, we got a catered lunch with lots of VIPs including the First Lady and the Japanese Ambassador to South Africa. I kept feeling like somebody was going to ask me what I was doing there and tell me to leave, but people could not have been more friendly. Although I didn’t get a chance to chat with Madam Pohamba or Ambassador Sakamoto, I introduced myself to lots of other important community members - teachers, principals, bankers, etc. and was really excited about the day. When I thanked Meme and Tate for bringing me with them their response was, “Of course. You need to get to know how things work around here.” I wanted to hug them - I feel like they truly GET it and I feel SO lucky to have been placed on their homestead.</p> <p class="Body">As if the First Lady wasn’t enough, on Monday, President Pohamba himself was in Omuthiya to inaugurate the new Town Council building. Since my Meme is on town council, she was asked to help cook the food for the post-speech meal, and I was allowed to skip work and go watch his speech. I think Namibia is going to make me a professional waiter. I arrived in town from the village around 11 and the ceremony didn’t start until 3. Although I wish I brought my book, it was pretty exciting just to observe all of the preparations. The crowd was buzzing and almost everyone was wearing the colors of the President’s political party, SWAPO. So I was surrounded by blue, green, and red as everyone speculated excitedly about when Mr. Pohamba would arrive. Unfortunately, since the president is from Owamboland, his speech was entirely in Oshiwambo but the woman next to me was nice enough to offer some translation. He spoke about Omuthiya’s development as a major town and all of the exciting new things that were coming (i.e. a big hospital). He also spoke about how Namibia itself is developing (how everyone has cell phones, how more roads are being built) but also about some of Namibia’s major problems (alcoholism, violent crimes). It was really exciting to see him speak and worth the wait, I’d say.</p> <p class="Body">After the speech, I noticed a man walking around that I had met during the 6-hour church service I attended during site visit. I was pretty proud of myself because I even remembered his name, Mr. Shavute (most definitely spelled wrong). I’m pretty sure he’s also on Town Council but am not completely positive about what he does. He remembered me too and we had a nice chat about my move to Omuthiya and the President’s visit. Well, when I told him it was very nice to see him and tried to say goodbye, he gave me a confused look, and told me to come with him to the post-speech VIP dinner (?!?!?). Well, I was NOT going to say no to that, and Meme & Tate were nowhere to be found, so I went with him. Everyone at the door was pushing trying to get in until Mr. Shavute came through, and they all cleared the way for him. I guess I picked the right guy to chat with. As soon as he was inside, though, the crowd started pushing and shoving to get in, but he called me through, and everyone made way yet again. I have no idea how I joined the Peace Corps and managed to rub shoulders with all of these Namibian politicos, but Mr. Shavute pointed out some of the people who were there: the Mayors of various towns, SWAPO bigwigs, even military hotshots decked out in their uniforms. I’d never even been to a ceremony like this in my four years in DC! One of the coolest parts was that a few people I’d met previously greeted me by name and remembered me. During the first few weeks at site, we’re supposed to be working on integration and introducing ourselves to community members, so it felt great to be in there!<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:windowtext;mso-ansi-language:#0400;mso-fareast-language: #0400;mso-bidi-language:X-NONE"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-81870070333234023592010-10-29T16:34:00.000-07:002010-10-29T16:46:26.225-07:00The ups & downs of the first week at site...10/22/10<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtchL-P6EI/AAAAAAAAADo/Y-PzBz13pUE/s1600/IMG_0879.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtchL-P6EI/AAAAAAAAADo/Y-PzBz13pUE/s320/IMG_0879.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533618292374104130" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Meme & Ajax hanging on the homestead</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtbnCSBsZI/AAAAAAAAADg/F1oJftCSOvc/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtbnCSBsZI/AAAAAAAAADg/F1oJftCSOvc/s320/IMG_0784.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533617293340291474" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u>Fillemon...milking one of the homestead's many cows<br /><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtbnCSBsZI/AAAAAAAAADg/F1oJftCSOvc/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtaqB-Do8I/AAAAAAAAADY/u_DkKJO-qDM/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtaqB-Do8I/AAAAAAAAADY/u_DkKJO-qDM/s320/IMG_0736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533616245284512706" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Group 32 at Swearing-In<br /></span></div></a> <p class="BodyA">So we’ve been at our sites for almost a week now and so far, so good. I was SO pleasantly surprised when I got to the homestead this past Saturday. When I was here three weeks ago for site visit, the house was FILTHY. I was prepared to come and clean the place for days. But when I actually arrived, it was relatively clean! No more bird poo on the walls and the bugs’ nests in the rafters had been removed! On top of that, much of the furniture was new (or at least clean!). My supervisor had apparently dispatched a cleaning crew before my arrival. I couldn’t believe it and it was certainly a nice and completely unexpected welcome to my new home.</p> <p class="BodyA">Unfortunately, one thing that wasn’t working when I arrived was my (gas) refrigerator so I survived on macaroni and potatoes for a few days. WELL, the repairmen who came to fix it decided to come when I was at work, and since I didn’t know they’d be coming, the door was locked and I didn’t leave a key. SO they decided that the best course of action would be to...break into my house!!! Very logical, I know. As a result, the front door to my house wouldn’t close (or lock). When I thanked the repairmen for fixing my refrigerator and inquired about fixing my lock, he told me he was only responsible for the fridge and the door wasn’t his issue. I thought that was a rather interesting perspective. Eventually, someone came (they remain a mystery) and my door now functions normally, but there were a few days there where I was convinced a chicken was going to wander in and I’d get a new roommate...</p> <p class="Body"></p> <p class="Body">Our swearing-in ceremony seems like it was forever ago already even though it was actually less than a week! It was awesome though. The best part was getting to sing the songs that we’d been singing every morning at PST as a group although it was bittersweet since it was the last time we’d be singing them all together. After the ceremony, a bunch of us went hiking with lots of celebratory drinks. It was so much fun, and nobody got overly dehydrated or accidentally danced their way off the mountain. It did make the 7-hour ride to site the next day a little rough but we all managed.</p> <p class="Body">Living on the homestead is definitely full of new, constant challenges, and I’m finding that I’m dealing with all of these challenges by laughing at myself A LOT. I have constant visions of being stampeded or head-butted by all of the animals that roam the homestead (goats, cows, donkeys) and everyone who lives there thinks my fears are hilarious. This morning, I woke up early to help Fillemon, a learner on my homestead, milk the cows. By help I mean stand 300 feet away and try not to make eye contact with any of the giant beasts but my reluctance provided an early morning comedy show for everyone. More comic relief: my skin is not reacting too well to constantly sweating (because it is HOT here), and I get questions about “the mosquito bites on my forehead” at least once a day. Everyone wants to know “WHAT HAPPENED?!” to my face (with genuine concern). I guess acne does not exist in Namibia? One of my favorite hilarious moments so far was when I was changing my shirt in front of my 23 year old host sister in Okahandja. She looked at my bare stomach, gasped, and immediately grabbed my love handles. “THIS IS SO NICE!!!!!” she exclaimed as she proceeded to tug on my fat. “YOU WILL LOOK SO NICE IN A SKIRT!!!” That’s not usually the first thing I think when I notice my love handles, but what else can you really do in a situation like that except laugh? No matter how hot it is, or how long it takes for something to get done, or even how badly things are going, the Namibians that I’ve come into contact with seem to all have the “everything will be OK” attitude. As I discovered with my host family in Okahandja, Namibians love to laugh and do it as often as possible at everything they can. That’s one lesson I’m really hoping to take from this whole experience, and so far it’s serving me well!</p> <p class="Body">My walk to work at the CLDC is not going to be easy but I’m thinking (and hoping) that it might become one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s about 4 km (2.5 miles) through thick sand in the blazing sun and as I’ve clocked it so far, takes me about an hour. I did the trek for the second time this morning and it actually wasn’t so bad. I popped on my headphones, blasted some Dr. Dog, and enjoyed the scenery. And since I am surrounded by nothing but muhangu fields, you better believe I will be (and have been) singing, whistling, snapping, and clapping out loud along to my music. It’s kind of nice to have some built in exercise/”me” time in my day where I don’t have to try to figure out something new or struggle to communicate with anyone. I’d love to see myself walking, though. I probably look ridiculous.</p> <p class="Body">I experienced unbelievable Namibian kindness yet again yesterday. I spent the day traveling with a man who works for the Ministry of Education (which is the Ministry that brought me here). I got the chance to check out several different libraries, which was nice since I will be a librarian, and also see some of the fixes he applied to the library computers which is another part of my job description. One of the most exciting parts was that I got to travel further North than I have so far and see a different part of the country. At the end of the day, we realized we were running really late and my ride back to Omuthiya wouldn’t wait so he agreed to bring me ALL THE WAY HOME even though it was about 260 km out of his way (which is 160 miles or so). I had mentioned at some point during the day how I still needed to buy some things for my house that weren’t available in Omuthiya or even Ondangwa so he offered to stop in Oshakati and we went shopping there for AN HOUR. Not only did he wait for me while I got stuff for my house, but he also drove me all the way home, and when I continuously thanked him profusely, his responses were simply, “It’s not a problem” or “My pleasure.” Would that happen if he were American? I’m thinking no....</p> <p class="Body">So after about a week at site, there have been lots of ups and lots of downs, and it’s a little bit overwhelming just because there are so many new things to get used to. Despite the frustrations, I am enjoying learning and laughing at myself. I’m really looking forward to feeling more settled here in Omuthiya and starting some meaningful work.</p></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-77618040393165832292010-10-29T16:18:00.000-07:002010-10-29T16:32:30.139-07:00Wrapping things up in Okahandja...10/9/10<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtZTeplzfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/wT1CsDH51kY/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtZTeplzfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/wT1CsDH51kY/s320/IMG_0650.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533614758334680562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Ester & Emily at Host Family Appreciation Day<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtYL8ydvTI/AAAAAAAAADA/62WyN-VflZM/s1600/IMG_0631.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtYL8ydvTI/AAAAAAAAADA/62WyN-VflZM/s320/IMG_0631.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533613529474383154" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Stephanie cutting up some veggies for our pizza.</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtXMntntKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/V4DrqrFf_UE/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TMtXMntntKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/V4DrqrFf_UE/s320/IMG_0623.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533612441485161634" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Caitlin dancing as we were serenaded and surrounded by learners.<br /><br /></div><p class="BodyA">Since most of the other volunteers will be teachers at schools (I am actually one of only two in our group of 44 who will not be), we have been assigned to different schools around Okahandja this week to observe and practice co-teaching classes. It’s actually pretty interesting being at the schools and while there are definitely a lot of differences between American and Namibian schools, the kids are the same. A 13-year-old Namibian is really very similar to a 13-year-old American. As far as I could tell, the main difference in the schools are the teaching and discipline methods. While I was in school, I have memories of kind, supportive teachers oozing with positive reinforcement for their students, and that’s not really the case here. It seems like kids rarely get praised for their work and that the teachers tend to be very strict and serious in order to maintain control of their classes. They take no crap and I think their learners are kind of scared of them. This also means that corporal punishment is a reality here. I’ve definitely been trying to see it as a cultural difference and not impose my American opinions because it’s just so far removed from anything we’d do in the US, but it’s a pretty difficult thing to get used to. In the staff room one day this week, I was having a conversation with a teacher and another volunteer who grew up in Korea. The other volunteer’s opinion on corporal punishment was very different since she was hit in schools as a child, and we all agreed that this is an interesting time to be in Namibia since corporal punishment was made illegal recently so the country is kind of in a transition phase. One teacher explained how she really does not want to hit her learners, but she doesn’t feel like she has any alternatives to keep control of her classroom. That conversation definitely got me thinking about ways to help educate teachers about alternatives to corporal punishment.</p> <p class="BodyA">One highlight of the week was when I helped another volunteer, Caitlin, teach a science class about ecosystems. The learners finished their group work pretty quickly and before we knew it, we were surrounded by 8th graders touching our hair and asking us questions about ourselves. “Did you know Michael Jackson?” “Are you friends with Rihanna?” “Have you ever been to a Chris Brown concert?” All very important questions. The circle of kids decided they’d like to show their singing talents off to us and pretty soon we were all dancing and singing “Stand By Me” together. This was definitely one of my more amusing moments in Namibia so far.</p> <p class="BodyA">It hit me how sad I was to be leaving Okahandja when I got home on Wednesday of this week. On Tuesday night, I had showed Emily (my little host sister) all of the stains in my clothes which my handwashing skills are not yet quite adept enough to handle, and she agreed to help me with them the next day. Well, when I got home the following day, I looked everywhere for the dirty laundry to get started on it, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Emily was laughing as I looked around in every room of the house and sorted through all of the closets and hampers and claimed she had no idea where it went. And then she brought me outside. All of my clothes were clean, stain-free, and drying on the line because she had decided to surprise me by washing them. I was amazed. It is literally one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I can’t believe I have to leave this amazing family in one week! Not to mention the 43 other American trainees who I have spent every day with for the past two months!</p> <p class="BodyA">There are a few things going on as we approach our final week of training. We have our final language exam - I’m excited for that one to be over. We had a host family appreciation day today where we recited speeches in the Namibian languages we’ve been learning to thank the families and cooked American foods for them. We weren’t sure the Namibians would like the food we made but it was a definite hit - there was NONE leftover. My family found it hard to believe that the chocolate chip banana pancakes were actually a breakfast food and LOVED pumpkin pie. Chili, fajitas, pizza (which is what I made!), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, baked beans, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, onion rings, and fried chicken were all also on the menu. It was pretty nice to eat American food and I think we were all kind of food coma-esque when the day was over. At the end of the week, before we actually go to our sites next Saturday, we’ll have a swearing-in ceremony. It’s weird because it really feels like something huge is coming to an end, and in a way I guess it is, but really <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">everything</b> is just beginning!</p>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-51879098972911991082010-10-02T16:12:00.000-07:002010-10-02T16:26:50.546-07:00So THIS is Africa!<div align="center"> </div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe_ARlPoDI/AAAAAAAAACw/Pf-fSroNR1A/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523593479433723954" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe_ARlPoDI/AAAAAAAAACw/Pf-fSroNR1A/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" /> <p align="center"></a>Inside the CLDC where I'll be working<br /></p><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe-_3q8GnI/AAAAAAAAACo/akOfeeWDiQg/s1600/IMG_0466.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523593472478288498" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe-_3q8GnI/AAAAAAAAACo/akOfeeWDiQg/s320/IMG_0466.jpg" /></a> Meme & Lynette sorting some beans on the homestead<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe-_B6oWhI/AAAAAAAAACg/rjPMFrJRs9g/s1600/IMG00033-20100927-1824.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523593458048588306" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe-_B6oWhI/AAAAAAAAACg/rjPMFrJRs9g/s320/IMG00033-20100927-1824.jpg" /></a> My future little house on the homestead<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe--j9fP2I/AAAAAAAAACY/VSkAwbiNT0I/s1600/IMG00030-20100927-1822+-+Copy.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523593450007510882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TKe--j9fP2I/AAAAAAAAACY/VSkAwbiNT0I/s320/IMG00030-20100927-1822+-+Copy.jpg" /></a><br />One of the homestead's many huts<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br />Yesterday we got back from site visit and I got to spend a few days in Omuthiya, where I’ll be living and working for the next two years starting October 16. The experience started with the bus ride there. We stopped several times so the driver could do errands, listened to the same scratched reggaeton CD the whole ride on repeat, busted and changed a tire, and also picked up a few random people along the way. After about 7 hours of traveling, we finally arrived at Omuthiya Community Learning and Development Center (CLDC) where I was met by my new supervisor, Elizabeth, who could not have been more enthusiastic. She greeted me with a huge hug and kept calling me darling and proceeded to introduce me to the library staff. They thought it was HILARIOUS when I greeted them and introduced myself in Oshindonga but hopefully that means I made a good first impression!<br /><br />The CLDC, where I’ll be based, is relatively small but seems to be pretty popular and widely used among the community members. At one point during my days there, a few girls were hanging out and playing Scrabble and there was always at least one person there reading or working on the computers (which unfortunately DON’T have internet). As far as I understand it, my primary job responsibility will be to help transfer materials and set up a new library that they’re hoping to open nearby. I think I will also be able to start my own projects, too, after doing a community needs assessment. I’m excited to get there, find out and get started!<br /><br />The town of Omuthiya itself is a pretty interesting place and kind of an anomaly. It is the capital of Oshikoto region and has several pretty key amenities - bank, gas station, medical clinic, post office, and a hospital that’s being built. Its classification was upgraded from village to town by the government in 2008, but it’s still definitely in the process of developing and is not fully developed yet. The developed part of town is surrounded by villages like the one I’ll be living in, Ekulo, and there are still goats roaming all over the place and an open market in the center of town.<br /><br />After spending some time at the library, Tate Nakaziko, my host dad, met us to take us to his homestead. As soon as we turned off the main road, a bumpy sand road began and pretty soon we were in the bush surrounded by muhangu (spelling?) fields and termite mounds. It’s hard to believe that a decent sized town is just a few kilometers away. I was amazed when we got to the homestead - it is HUGE and filled with round wooden huts! People were everywhere speaking Oshindonga a mile a minute and working - sorting beans, pounding muhangu (a traditional grain) and tending to the animals. We walked through the soft sand with chickens squawking at our feet until we got to my section of the compound. My little house has four rooms - two bedrooms, a common room, and a kitchen. It needs some serious cleaning and the current bug residents need to vacate but it has lots of potential. I’m PSYCHED to move in and get settled (even if it’s not a hut!).<br /><br />Nights on the homestead were the most interesting. I definitely have never given a second thought to walking into a room and turning on the lights but wow! It’s definitely an adjustment to not have electricity. What is most amazing is that the work never stops on the homestead, even when the sun goes down. My meme and the rest of the women kept working, even in the dark, until they finished what they needed to for the evening. Although it was a little bit frustrating not having lights, there was also definitely a certain romance to having dinner on the sand by starlight and eating with my hands and then reading by candlelight after dinner. I think I will slowly get used to not having electricity...and will get a lot of reading done!<br /><br />On Saturday, I hung at the homestead all day and helped sort some beans and pull the seeds out of these little nuts for one of the ingredients for traditional bread, oshikwila (which is delicious!). Sunday was a different story. It was decided that I would go to church with Meme & Tate. Going to church here is a good way to get to know people and make them aware that I’m here and will be working in the community so I was all for going. Well, I should have known this wouldn’t be any normal church service when Tate kept asking me if I had enough water and Meme insisted that I take some oshikwila in my purse. Nobody really explained this to me beforehand, but it turns out we went to a different church than the family normally goes to. There was a collection competition between two towns to see which could raise more money to build a new church. So aside from the normal service, there were several rounds of people dancing up to the front of the church to put money in a basket or give food or promise to give goats, chickens, or cows as part of their donation. This process took SIX hours and the whole thing was in Oshindonga so I really had no idea what was going on. Of course, I did my dancing up to the front to participate too, which was pretty fun. All in all, the whole experience was pretty amusing. At one point during the service, the pastor pointed to me and said something in Oshindonga (as if the whole church wasn’t already staring at me curiously), and I’m still not quite sure what he said. So I survived my first time at African church and it was quite the experience. It paid off, too. On Monday, as my supervisor took me around town, a few people came up to me, introduced themselves, and exclaimed that they had seen me in church on Sunday!<br /><br />The trip to Omuthiya made it all real for me. I was on my own (without the 44 other Americans) for the first time in the country, and as you go north, the landscape definitely changes and becomes more like stereotypical Africa. After a few days in Omuthiya, I was exhausted and definitely ready to come back to Okahandja. The greeting I got from Ester and Emily made me a little sad because I realized how soon I’ll be moving out of here and leaving them. Of course I’m excited to get started with what will come next but it’s definitely bittersweet to leave my Okahandja family and the rest of the Americans and start all over as I’m just starting to get comfortable here... </div><br /></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-46257821383071579032010-09-09T16:24:00.000-07:002010-09-09T16:39:43.223-07:00Settling into training...<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIluB_5FJ8I/AAAAAAAAACQ/g5VdeBeAQ90/s1600/IMG_0270.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515060199301654466" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIluB_5FJ8I/AAAAAAAAACQ/g5VdeBeAQ90/s320/IMG_0270.jpg" /></a>After being here for almost a month, this is the first time I saw clouds! This picture was taken from my front yard. </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIltwdkO2fI/AAAAAAAAACI/Gyto1QJ64PY/s1600/IMG_0165.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 210px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515059898029627890" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIltwdkO2fI/AAAAAAAAACI/Gyto1QJ64PY/s320/IMG_0165.JPG" /></a>Mapone worms cooking...yum?<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIltcje1rvI/AAAAAAAAACA/1LZfehdXroI/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515059556020236018" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIltcje1rvI/AAAAAAAAACA/1LZfehdXroI/s320/IMG_0176.JPG" /></a>The only proof that I have that I helped pluck feathers off of the chicken -- notice my hand in the lower left corner!</div>9/8/10<br /><br />So I’m starting to settle in more and more to life here during preservice training (PST). Training sessions or other Peace Corps events are 6 days a week and the sessions are from 7:30 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. On some days we have four hours of language which can be a bit much but hopefully it will be worth it when I get to site and - fingers crossed - at least have very, very basic proficiency in Oshindonga. We have all types of other sessions as well. Namibian social workers came in to talk to us about the problems young people are facing. We’ve had sessions about religion in Namibia, male-female relationships here, safety procedures, malaria, and the list goes on and on.<br /><br />A lot of the sessions are based on the education system or being a teacher here since the majority of our group will be teaching in schools (English, Science & Math). Although these sessions don’t directly relate to what I’ll be doing as an ICT (Information & Communication Technology) volunteer, they are still usually interesting to sit through. Apparently in past PSTs, there wasn’t much specific ICT training, but they’ve really made more of an effort during this training to fix that. Today, for example, me and the other three ICT volunteers visited a school and talked with the teachers responsible for computer classes. Tomorrow we will travel to the capital, Windhoek, to visit the Ministry of Education and talk to a few people there about ICT in schools. Next week, we find out our permanent sites (FINALLY!) so I will have a ton more specific information about my job and my living situtation for the next two years. I CAN’T WAIT!<br /><br />Aside from all of the lecture sessions, we also get to do some fun cultural stuff, too. Last Saturday, the vans picked us all up bright and early and we went to the local municipal hall (where we’ve been having our sessions) to start cooking. Our language trainers were in charge and each language/tribe had open fire pits set up. My language, Oshiwambo, was the biggest group because the majority of the trainees are learning either Oshindonga or Oshinkwanyama (the two main Oshiwambo languages). We had chicken, traditional porridge, a traditional drink with the same grain used to make the porridge, mopane worms (which I tried and did NOT like), and lots of other dishes. Because I live with an Oshiwambo family, I’ve already been eating a lot of these dishes at home so the coolest part for me was that we got to sample dishes from lots of different tribes within the country (there are a TON, I think we had 6 represented). It is amazing how much diversity there is within Namibia and it was really cool to see our trainers in their element cooking dishes that are so new to us but that they’ve been eating and preparing since childhood. The craziest part of the whole day was killing the chickens we cooked. I helped pluck out the feathers on one - whoa! Some of the other trainees actually killed them (slit their throat, waited for them to die, then cut off their heads! AH!). I don't think I was at that level quite yet and when it came time to eat, I skipped the chicken (even though it was probably way fresher and healthier and less processed than chicken I've eaten in the US!). At some point, we (the American trainees) get to cook AMERICAN food for the trainers. That should be equally as fun, but I doubt we’ll be killing any chickens.<br /><br />I’m still also really enjoying living with the host family and I think we’re all getting more and more comfortable with each other. I feel pretty comfortable in their house, at least. I hope they feel the same about having me here. One thing that really strikes me is how much I HAVE even though I thought that when packing up for 2+ years, I didn’t bring that much with me. I took my contact lenses out in front of Emily and Isak, for example, without thinking much of it, and they were floored. They’d never seen anything like it before and erupted in hysterical laughter. “PLASTIC IN YOUR EYES!?” Even my pens amazed them. When Emily saw the pack of pens I bought at Target before I left, she was astounded. “These pens are SO NICE! How do you have so many of them!?!” Even all of my colored sharpies were treasure to her. And forget about my laptop, my iPod, my digital camera. It is really hitting me how much STUFF I have and have taken for granted. Despite what they do or don’t have, these kids laugh and smile so easily. They find entertainment in the most minor things and I don’t think ever complain about being bored. Even though I’m often the source of their laughter (especially when I speak Oshindonga -- or at least attempt to), I love how happy they sound. If I could, I would bottle Emily’s laughter with me and take it wherever I go. I’ve never heard anything so genuine.<br /><br />The area I'm living in is pretty up to date, definitely not the bush, but its probably close to what you might think of when considering an African suburb. The “city” we are living close to, Okahandja, is about as urban as it gets in Namibia, but isn’t really what we might consider a city – it’s really different than New York or DC. The houses in my suburb are modest (although I have a running shower & flushing toilet – YES!) and there are always tons of people and tons of stray dogs walking around the neighborhood. One difference about dogs here and in the US is that Namibians usually own them as guard dogs rather than as pets so we were warned that they may not be the friendliest. I didn’t take that too seriously (I LOVE DOGS!) until I was jogging one morning and suddenly realized I had a teeth-baring, growling dog chasing me. I guess he felt that I was running too close to his yard’s fence and that I seemed like a suspicious character. At that time, we’d had only two of our three necessary rabies shots so my brisk jog turned into a quick sprint all the way to my front door.<br /><br />When I walk around, people are very curious as there aren’t really many white people in my neighborhood (and definitely no white people with big North Face backpacks and nalgenes). I definitely stick out and people tend to stare. Despite that, greetings are really big here. We spent what I thought was a ridiculous amount of time on greetings and extended greetings in language class but it definitely paid off. When I say hello, it seems to make people very happy – especially if I am using one of the 10 (I think?) languages spoken in Namibia. As long as I smile first, I pretty much always get a huge smile back. It’s a nice feeling.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-66967196640824171432010-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:002010-09-09T16:40:41.003-07:00Living with a host family...8/27/10 <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlrhrXSngI/AAAAAAAAABw/_Mfuq62LoV4/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515057445012151810" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlrhrXSngI/AAAAAAAAABw/_Mfuq62LoV4/s320/IMG_0124.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="center">My language trainer, Maria, & me at Heroes Acre<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlrBqwV_XI/AAAAAAAAABo/yNGcPsT9LqA/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515056895092981106" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlrBqwV_XI/AAAAAAAAABo/yNGcPsT9LqA/s320/IMG_0133.JPG" /></a>Handwashing my laundry...with Sara's help!<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlqQOaXYLI/AAAAAAAAABg/njL0t_yVs5Y/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515056045671014578" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TIlqQOaXYLI/AAAAAAAAABg/njL0t_yVs5Y/s320/IMG_0152.JPG" /></a>Me, Sara, & Tuwilika enjoying the "pizza" I made<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left">The host family experience has been great so far - mine is AMAZING. I actually don’t have a host mom (meme), but I do have 4 incredibly gracious sisters: Ester (33 - it’s her house), Sara (23), Emily (14), and Tuwilika (14). Honestly, the actual relations between them all is really confusing to me. It’s been explained and what I got from the explanation is that none of them are really related very closely. The whole family is of the Oshiwambo tribe which is located in northern Namibia (which is also eventually where I’ll be living for my two years of service). They speak Oshindonga which is what I’m learning at training but also all speak English pretty perfectly which has definitely made the experience more comfortable for me. We will live with these families until October 15, which is the end of training, when we will go to our sites.<br /><br />Ester, the oldest sister, is busy planning and preparing for her wedding which will take place in December. On my first night here, I went into my room to go to bed, and there was a beautiful handmade invitation to the event on my pillow. I am so flattered and really hope I will be able to go. It will be SO cool to see what an Oshiwambo wedding is like. Since I’ve been at homestay, Ester has been up north visiting family and friends and preparing for her wedding so I haven’t gotten to spend much time with her, but I’m excited to get to know her more when she comes back.<br /><br />Judging by my family and the other Peace Corps Trainees’ families, it seems like families here aren’t necessarily the nuclear mother, father, and children living together like we have in America. Extended families seem to be much more important here and it also seems like people tend to live with whatever relative is located most conveniently to their job or education. I’m living in the “location” of Okahandja, which as far as I can tell is the same thing as the suburbs. Ester’s home is really nice. We have a fridge, a flushing toilet, and running water including a shower with hot water some of the time. It seems to me that her home is set up basically to hold as many visitors (extended and adopted family) as possible and the whole house revolves around the common room, which is where everyone congregates. Right now, Sara’s boyfriend, Jaydee and a cousin, Isak, are staying at the house in addition to the normal 4 that live here. There are 4 pretty large bedrooms. Sara, Emily & Tuwilika sleep in one bed and sharing doesn’t really seem to bother them. I am lucky enough to have my own room with a double bed. I unpacked and settled in a little bit and even hung some stuff up on the walls, including the sheet that everyone signed at my going away BBQ in DC - the host sisters LOVED seeing that!<br /><br />Each night, everyone eats a family style dinner together around the TV, and it seems to always be a meat and a carb. Before and after the meal, a dish of warm soapy water is passed around so that everyone can wash their hands. The most interesting thing I’ve eaten so far is a traditional Owambo dinner porridge (oshithima, probably spelled wrong). It’s served on a big communal plate and each person takes what they want with their hands, rolls the cream-of-wheat-like substance up in a ball and then dips it into the sauce of the accompanying meat. The first time we had it, my family made extra food for me for dinner in case I didn’t like it, and were really pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic I was about it - but it is GOOD. One thing that strikes me is that the whole family POURS ketchup, which they call “tomato sauce” on the carb of the night (whether that be macaroni, rice, etc.) - AH! My oldest sister Ester asked me what I liked to eat on my first night and when I replied “fruits and vegetables,” she seemed rather confused. Meat, meat, and meat is the staple of the diet and I, the former vegetarian, find myself picking up the bones with my hands and biting the meat off like the rest of the family.<br /><br />In an effort to make an “American” meal, I offered to make dinner one night and the enthusiasm I got when I mentioned pizza convinced me to try it. The dough came out pretty good, but tomato sauce like we have at home was hard to find so I had to make it from a powder in a packet - eh, not quite the same. On top of that, the girls went to the supermarket before I came home and I didn’t specify cheese type...so they bought gouda. Jaydee also INSISTED on putting ground meat on top of his pizza (what a shocker, they wanted meat), and they weren’t thrilled about my veggie suggestions for toppings. So although it didn’t really taste anything like the good old Gennaro’s or jumbo slice pizza I’m used to, it wasn’t all bad.<br /><br />I also decided to make guacamole since their reaction to the word itself was hilarious (they’d never even heard of it). Not to mention it’s delicious. That came out AWESOME but something about the texture and the color or both must have freaked them out. It wasn’t a huge hit until the next day when I brought it for lunch and the other Americans attacked it. At least someone enjoyed it. I’m hoping to try to cook them another American meal soon. Suggestions?<br /><br />The whole family hangs out a lot - literally all day - and life kind of seems to revolve around TV, which is almost always on, in the common room. We’ve watched some American movies (Little Man) and I introduced Glee which Tuwilika seems to like, but mostly we switch back and forth between watching “soapies” and the news. It seems like “soapies,” which are Brazilian telenovelas dubbed into English, are their favorite. The shows are REALLY dramatic (they kick our soap operas’ asses) and are actually pretty entertaining. A good majority of the other Peace Corps trainees say their families also tune into the same soapies so it’s fun to come back to training during the day (which goes from 7:30 AM until 5 PM) & talk about what’s been happening on “Shades of Sin” or “The Storm.”<br /><br />Of course, other things do go on at home besides TV watching. We played volleyball the other day outside, I handwashed all of my laundry with Sara’s help, we had a dance party which I DJed from my computer, and we did a mini beauty parlor and painted all the girls nails and even one of Isak’s hands. It can get a little tiring communicating and trying to be conscientious of everything, but it’s honestly really fun living here. There is a lot of love, laughter, and a HUGE amount of hospitality. Example: I highly doubt any of my family members at home would help me scrub my dirty underwear by hand.<br /><br />Each day, I walk to a bus stop and am driven to “school” where we have hours of training sessions on subjects that range from information about malaria to information about the history of Namibia. As for the language instruction, there are only four of us in the class which is awesome and I LOVE the teacher, who is 26!<br /><br />In addition to the sessions at NIED (National Institute for Educational Development), we were taken on a trip to Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, where we did some shopping but also learned a little bit about the country’s history. We were given a tour of the neighborhoods that were forced into being separated by race during Apartheid and visited Heroes’ Acre, which is a truly breathtaking monument to those who were killed during the fight for independence. The monument was beautiful, built into a mountain, and really meaningful since the country won its independence only 20 years ago.<br /><br />For the first few days of training, the younger girls in my family walked me to the bus even though it was 6:30 in the morning and they’re on vacation from school. They also waited for me at the bus stop when I came home. They are very eager to help me with anything, whether it be assisting with my Oshindonga homework or answering my probably very ignorant questions about their lives here. They are so sweet and considerate, and always have a smile on their faces. I really think I lucked out!</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-13229755821800797032010-08-23T08:07:00.000-07:002010-08-23T08:24:45.446-07:00Training Begins!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/THKSnEmujiI/AAAAAAAAABQ/LxuIGqOhZPc/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508626494176267810" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/THKSnEmujiI/AAAAAAAAABQ/LxuIGqOhZPc/s320/IMG_0027.JPG" /></a><br /><p>So....things are going really well so far! We’ve been here for two days now but it feels like we’ve been here forever. We arrived in Okahandja, our site for preservice training, after an over 30 hour travel day. We checked out of the hotel at 2:30 AM in Philly, drove to JFK, waited 6 hours for our flight to Johannesburg which was about 16 hours, waited another few hours for our flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek (which is the capital of Namibia) and then drove an hour and a half on a bus to get to Okahandja. On the way to Okahandja, we saw wild babboons and giraffes along the side of the road which was AWESOME. The scenery was also very beautiful - lots of mountains.<br /><br />As soon we arrived at the training site, all of our trainers greeted us with traditional Namibian songs. I’ll try to get video of that up here if I can. Over the next two months, these trainers will be teaching us everything from language to cultural sensitivity to safety and security to technical things about our jobs. The living situation here is also really nice. We’re staying at the Namibian National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) compound in hostel-style living. I am sharing a room with another trainee, Jeannine, and there are flushing toilets and showers with hot water and better water pressure than my bathroom at home. The food here is good too and there’s always plenty of it. On Tuesday, we’ll move in with host families for the remainder of the two-month training period but will be coming back to NIED everyday for classes. Living with a host family will be another transition, and we’ll also hopefully be able to practice whatever language we are learning at the same time in training.<br /><br />The other trainees are all great. There are 45 of us total, a few more women than men, and of all ages (many that just graduated college recently like me but also a few older people who have grown kids my age and people of every age in between). We will all mostly be education volunteers - teaching computers like I will be, English, Science, or Math - but there is another group of business volunteers that are starting the Small Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Development program. This year is the program’s first year so I am REALLY excited to see what they will be doing. It’s so cool that they get to pilot a program. The other trainees are from all over the United States. I’m the only one from New Jersey and the only one who graduated from GWU. It’s really cool to meet so many people from all over the US (Montana, Wisconsin, Alaska, New Mexico to name a few). The one thing that everyone does share, though, is that they are all so so nice. Everyone is so positive, down-to-earth, friendly and just so equally excited about what we’re doing and that makes it incredibly motivational and fun to be around them. I kind of feel like I’m back at Camp Lohikan...but then I look up and see the brightest moon and stars I’ve ever seen, hear the random peacocks walking around the grounds of where we’re staying squawk (they make the weirdest noises!), and remember that the mosquito net I’m sleeping under is there for a reason and not a princess canopy.<br /><br />Today, we discussed with one of the staff members our potential site placements which will be made definite tomorrow morning, but we won’t find out the actual location until later. I’m not really sure why Peace Corps does this but I have another meeting tomorrow at 8 AM so I’ll ask. Because there are only four ICT (Information and Communications Technology) volunteers total, they told us the four sites we’d be placed at and that if we could decide amongst ourselves, we could have the site we choose. So now, I know a few details about where I’ll be working for my service! The site was actually my second choice since we compromised as a group, but as I’m thinking about it more, I think it should have been my first!!!!<br /><br />I am going to be living in a homestead! which means I’ll be leaving in a compound with a family. I am THRILLED about the family part. Hopefully, I will truly be exposed and eventually integrated into the culture and will also make some amazing Namibian family members. Dad, I know your dream is to have another foreign family so hopefully you’ll get it! I really hope I get to experience the amazing African hospitality I’ve heard about through the family that I’ll be living with. I am pretty sure that the bathing room and kitchen will be shared but within the compound, I’ll have my own room. I will also have running water and POSSIBLY even electricity. So I’ll at least have water to drink - and apparently the water in Namibia is pretty clean. We had a medical briefing today and the nurse told us that Namibia’s water purification system is one of the best in Africa and that Namibia is generally also one of the healthiest countries in Africa. I figured that could be another birthday present for you, Mom. Anyway, running water doesn’t necessarily mean a flushing toilet or a running shower (here I come bucket showers!) but I feel great about adjusting to that and am SO excited about my living situation.<br /><br />Also, I’ll be living in a semi-urban area in the North of the country which we were told would be between the size of a village and a town. That means I get the benefits of the hospitality and sense of community I’ve heard about that comes from living in a small village and the benefits (hopefully) of living in a town - like a close-by grocery store. I have a feeling the term “town” isn’t defined like we would define it back in the US.<br /><br />For my work, I’ll be working at some type of community center (not many details yet) and will be providing computer classes to learners (what students are called in Namibia) and community members. I guess I’ll find out what my students want to learn about and then decide what to teach but the staff made it seem like it’s REALLY basic computer stuff - even how to turn on a computer or use a mouse. I am a bit worried that since the classes won’t be within a school curriculum and mandatory, no one will want to come to them, but the PC staff assured me that there is massive demand for computer classes and I may even have to turn people away. Aside from teaching these classes, I will also be setting up and maintaining libraries and computer labs in schools. I should have more details soon. We will also start learning a language soon and that will give me a hint as to what region I’m in. I wonder if the language will be one with clicks....<br /></p>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499804410853780187.post-6457641907553119962010-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:002010-08-15T10:14:49.727-07:00And so it begins...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TGggBpTm2VI/AAAAAAAAABI/FUbSoUmSelM/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gewEkvxiQoE/TGggBpTm2VI/AAAAAAAAABI/FUbSoUmSelM/s320/IMG_0023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505685757100480850" /></a><div><br /></div>Wow....so the day is finally here. After years of wanting to join the Peace Corps and an 11-month application process, today is the day that I finally embark on my 27-month journey! At 3:27, I'll board a train to Philadelphia where the lovely and gracious Michele Style will pick me up from the train station and bring me to the hotel where my pre-departure orientation, or staging, will be held. After lots of shots (not the alcoholic kind) and icebreakers with my fellow volunteers, I'll fly to Windhoek, Namibia by way of Johannesburg on Tuesday morning. I CAN'T WAIT! Of course, I'm so so sad to be leaving all the love and support I have at home (and thanks to everyone for all the well wishes!). I'm also nervous about all of the unknowns that lie ahead but more than anything I am INCREDIBLY excited.<br /><br />Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08121504690332937762noreply@blogger.com2