#16
So power is out again. This time instead of being just out for the school area, it's for the whole place, which includes the cell phone tower. Hello isolation! And the last teacher just left 10 min. ago to go back to Tsumeb (where his non-school home and wife are, also where I shop for things). Nothing says welcome back like a 10 hour rain storm and power outage.
It's Wednesday and I got back home Sunday. I was in Windhoek for two weeks for our "Reconnect" (more training). I did a fair amount of preparation for it but feel I could have done a lot more and have some guilt laying around about it. Hopefully that guit can become motivation and I can whip out a bunch of lesson plans (assuming the power comes back on) before I leave for holiday! Sorry if any of you tried to contacr me while I was in Windhoek, I had some phone issues the last few days but should be good to go now (when the tower is up and running again).
Reconnect was fun. It was great to see everyone again. Though while two weeks was not enough for some, it was plenty for others haha. I was able to learn some of the language I should have learned so that was a huge gain. My vocabulary is still incredibly minimal but I can understand grammar fairly well and recognize parts of speech. Got lots of tips for projects, how to start them, grants, etc. and was abe to mix in some fun like hikes and a toga party.
So Monday I cleaned up the house a bit and got resettled. Tuesday I went into town to do a fair amount of shopping and price-checking for things. I found a bike for N$800 that I'm contemplating getting. It's a little expensive and I am hoping for a road bike but it looks decent enough. I want to try and make the bike ride into town in the future to help get me in shape and probably save money in the long run :) Double play! I also have been trying some yoga (rarely but now that I have a mat hoping to do a lot more) and some exrcises I wrote up before leaving. So far I think I'm averaging once a week haha but things have been a little hectic so that'll be my excuse for now. I read in my new book that you have a great opportunity to get in shape while doing the peace corps so I'm hoping to take advantage of it.
I'm trying to get a packing system down so I can easily and quickly pack my bag for trips in the future. My bulky sleeping pad that offers little comfort(so far...) is the big out of place piece. That and I just don't know what to bring in some circumstances. For example, totally spaced bringing lots of water when we went hiking during reconnect. That made things interesting (was able to work things out in a couple ways, thank God I'm overly prepared many a time). I am very excited though to start seeing other parts of Namibia. This will be my first time out sight seeing with friends. Slightly nervous though as I'm told everyone in Namibia heads to where we'll be for the holidays, things might get a little crazy! Tent and sleeping bag are finally going to get some solid use! Ahhh! I'm so pumped. Plenty to do before hand and want to save some of the battery on this thing just in case so I'll sign off for now. Oh, maybe I'll try and put some pictures up later, I've taken a few since last time I put some up.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Cheeseburger in Paradise.
My cheeseburger made my afternoon. I made one for lunch yesterday and ate it along with my pitiful attempt to make mashed potatoes and carrots. The carrots didn't mash and the potatoes were too runny because I accidently put in too much milk. Oh well, a generous helping of BBQ/Braai sauce fixes that (I really miss A1 steak sauce....). Also didn't have any butter but that was because I made our super-awesome family cookies. They were a big hit and I'm a little sad I blew threw the batch in a week. Julie (another PCV) and I baked peanut butter cookies a weekend or two ago and they too were amazing! Leave it to me to come back from Africa significantly heavier than I left.
I'm very happy I am able to cook what I can. Probably helps with not being that homesick. Many of the volunteers don't have a fridge or stove (even though we're "supposed to/required" to have both). I've offered my place to others as a getaway. It's not exactly en route to...anywhere but it's not too far off the main path. Really I'd just love the company :) But I've been making friends with some of the teachers here so it's okay. And next year, I'll be super busy teaching and doing whatever else I'm involved in so my mind will definitely be occupied.
One of the teachers, Mr. Narubeb, took me to this marriage proposal thing. Very different and at the same time, strangely similar to customs back in the States. In the States, the guy usually buys a ring, does some cool romantic thing (generally involving dinner somewhere nice and more expensive than needed) and drops down on one knee and asks. Ideally he's also cleared all this with the bride-to-be's father/parents before hand and everyone's already considered each other family.
Here, they didn't do it in one/two shots like that, just one drawn out stretch. We went to the bride's house to ask for her hand in marriage in the groom's place. Kind of like sending out a search party. They banter back and forth, asking where she is, they say "she's off at the farm," "ran the 60k to the next town," etc. (all the while she's just hanging out in the house). Then, when they've established she's near (I think), they start asking what the other family has to offer. Like "why should your son/daughter marry my daughter/son?" I hear he's lazy, she can't clean or cook, no he's a hard worker, etc. This went on for a few nights, multiple hours each night. We even had to reset the whole thing because things were getting personal, how this actually happened I have no idea. When we finally started making progress again we got to the point where the groom finally comes in and starts his part or the pleading. They do the same thing then he has to go into the house and find his bride, amongst imposters. This is made a little hard because it's done in the dark. During our "discussions" we had a small light hung up or a candle burning (also the reason I did't take pictures) which also made thigns interesting. Finally he found his bride and asked her. Then he gives her gifts, that's right plural. A watch so she can be on time, earrings to look beautiful for him, same with the ring, and a necklace. Okay, one of those last three has another meaning but I can't remember (Note to my future wife: as it stands now, you can probably just expect the ring...). Then everyone celebrated it being over and partied the night away, I however was exhausted and went home and passed out. Using free internet from 1am-5am tends to leave you with poorly rested nights.
I've been trying to stay busy during the days, as I actually have a lot of stuff I could do....but find myself dragging my feet a little. From what I hear though I've made some good progress. I've completed year plans and other administrative stuff for classes I thought I was going to teach but turns out I won't, and am now in the process of doing the same for the classes I will be teaching next year. As it stands I'll be teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics and 8th and 9th grade Physical Science (a blend of Physics and Chemistry). Classes don't work here like back in the States, more like how the do in the UK (or so I'm told). Instead of learning a subject for a full year, like Algebra in 8th grade (or whenever you take it) you learn parts of it over all of secondary school. same with the sciences too. Each year they just get progressively more in depth with the topics. Comparing the two methods, both have their advantages and disadvantages. I find myself setting up my schedule mimicing more of how I was taught, grouping topics together instead of just going through the order in the textbooks (though I'm pretty sure every math teacher on the planet does this...or would like to).
I've also been trying to exercise/think of ways I can do so. I've been running on and off but my right knee is starting to hurt so that sucks. I'm trying to get a bike and use it to make the 60k trips to my shopping town. That'll definitely get me some exercise, especially if I'm carrying a huge pack full of groceries. If any of you have some resources for no-equipment/crude equipment exercises please let me know! I also really regret not bringing my yoga mat. I tried using my sleeping pad this morning but just not the same (if you have yoga stuff I would be so incredibly grateful for those as well!!). I'm thinking I can get some of this stuff in the capital when I go back for our training, or at least I really hope I can. Our cookbook actually has a recipe for making weights out of cement. I think I know what I can use for dumbells...but that's assuming I can buy some cement mix and get it back here (the latter being the trickier part). Would be good to so maybe my reaction time might get back up to speed. I've been working on snatching mosquitos out of the air (with large success actually) but lost my encounter with out fence gate. Managed to dodge the rezor-wire portion of it (I was pushing it from behind) but the track bar managed to get the better of me...across the side of my face haha. Oops. A week later, the bump is almost all gone...maybe it'd heal better if it wasn't so hot here. Ah well, it's Africa, shouldn't be surprised. Though it's a little hard to get used to it being 33 degrees (Celsius, which converts to 92 F) in your room as you go to bed, or even wake up in the middle of the night with your windows wide open, and you're sweating like crazy, especially being from CO. Thank you metal roof for turning my house into a large make-shift human oven.
Oh well, count your blessings, not your misfortunes. I'd post new pictures but don't really have any to take, things look the same as when I first visited the place. We'll see, maybe I'll explore some more but for now time for a peanut and jam sandwich! (PB&J).
To add: The wedding was somewhat similar to the states as well. People said some words, sang some songs, preacher spoke, gave each other rings, kissed and danced out of the church. The only difference was the drunk people that came in and danced during the songs....well, I'm sure this happens in the states too in certain places haha. Now waiting for the after party (and secretly hoping for some good food).
Addition number !gam (two): The dinner was a lot shorter than I expected. Just a few songs, then dinner. No toasts, no dancing, place looked really sweet though. Like a Halloween dance actally, everythign was orange and black. So we ate, talked, then went home and crawled into bed.
Here's a picture of the lovely bride and groom (looking baller with his shades on...yep, during the whole wedding.)
This is a picture of the dinner/reception after the wedding. Told you it was Halloween themed :D
And this little guy made my night because he was rocking a hoodie with "Denver" across the chest. Made me get all sentimental and everything...
I'm very happy I am able to cook what I can. Probably helps with not being that homesick. Many of the volunteers don't have a fridge or stove (even though we're "supposed to/required" to have both). I've offered my place to others as a getaway. It's not exactly en route to...anywhere but it's not too far off the main path. Really I'd just love the company :) But I've been making friends with some of the teachers here so it's okay. And next year, I'll be super busy teaching and doing whatever else I'm involved in so my mind will definitely be occupied.
One of the teachers, Mr. Narubeb, took me to this marriage proposal thing. Very different and at the same time, strangely similar to customs back in the States. In the States, the guy usually buys a ring, does some cool romantic thing (generally involving dinner somewhere nice and more expensive than needed) and drops down on one knee and asks. Ideally he's also cleared all this with the bride-to-be's father/parents before hand and everyone's already considered each other family.
Here, they didn't do it in one/two shots like that, just one drawn out stretch. We went to the bride's house to ask for her hand in marriage in the groom's place. Kind of like sending out a search party. They banter back and forth, asking where she is, they say "she's off at the farm," "ran the 60k to the next town," etc. (all the while she's just hanging out in the house). Then, when they've established she's near (I think), they start asking what the other family has to offer. Like "why should your son/daughter marry my daughter/son?" I hear he's lazy, she can't clean or cook, no he's a hard worker, etc. This went on for a few nights, multiple hours each night. We even had to reset the whole thing because things were getting personal, how this actually happened I have no idea. When we finally started making progress again we got to the point where the groom finally comes in and starts his part or the pleading. They do the same thing then he has to go into the house and find his bride, amongst imposters. This is made a little hard because it's done in the dark. During our "discussions" we had a small light hung up or a candle burning (also the reason I did't take pictures) which also made thigns interesting. Finally he found his bride and asked her. Then he gives her gifts, that's right plural. A watch so she can be on time, earrings to look beautiful for him, same with the ring, and a necklace. Okay, one of those last three has another meaning but I can't remember (Note to my future wife: as it stands now, you can probably just expect the ring...). Then everyone celebrated it being over and partied the night away, I however was exhausted and went home and passed out. Using free internet from 1am-5am tends to leave you with poorly rested nights.
I've been trying to stay busy during the days, as I actually have a lot of stuff I could do....but find myself dragging my feet a little. From what I hear though I've made some good progress. I've completed year plans and other administrative stuff for classes I thought I was going to teach but turns out I won't, and am now in the process of doing the same for the classes I will be teaching next year. As it stands I'll be teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics and 8th and 9th grade Physical Science (a blend of Physics and Chemistry). Classes don't work here like back in the States, more like how the do in the UK (or so I'm told). Instead of learning a subject for a full year, like Algebra in 8th grade (or whenever you take it) you learn parts of it over all of secondary school. same with the sciences too. Each year they just get progressively more in depth with the topics. Comparing the two methods, both have their advantages and disadvantages. I find myself setting up my schedule mimicing more of how I was taught, grouping topics together instead of just going through the order in the textbooks (though I'm pretty sure every math teacher on the planet does this...or would like to).
I've also been trying to exercise/think of ways I can do so. I've been running on and off but my right knee is starting to hurt so that sucks. I'm trying to get a bike and use it to make the 60k trips to my shopping town. That'll definitely get me some exercise, especially if I'm carrying a huge pack full of groceries. If any of you have some resources for no-equipment/crude equipment exercises please let me know! I also really regret not bringing my yoga mat. I tried using my sleeping pad this morning but just not the same (if you have yoga stuff I would be so incredibly grateful for those as well!!). I'm thinking I can get some of this stuff in the capital when I go back for our training, or at least I really hope I can. Our cookbook actually has a recipe for making weights out of cement. I think I know what I can use for dumbells...but that's assuming I can buy some cement mix and get it back here (the latter being the trickier part). Would be good to so maybe my reaction time might get back up to speed. I've been working on snatching mosquitos out of the air (with large success actually) but lost my encounter with out fence gate. Managed to dodge the rezor-wire portion of it (I was pushing it from behind) but the track bar managed to get the better of me...across the side of my face haha. Oops. A week later, the bump is almost all gone...maybe it'd heal better if it wasn't so hot here. Ah well, it's Africa, shouldn't be surprised. Though it's a little hard to get used to it being 33 degrees (Celsius, which converts to 92 F) in your room as you go to bed, or even wake up in the middle of the night with your windows wide open, and you're sweating like crazy, especially being from CO. Thank you metal roof for turning my house into a large make-shift human oven.
Oh well, count your blessings, not your misfortunes. I'd post new pictures but don't really have any to take, things look the same as when I first visited the place. We'll see, maybe I'll explore some more but for now time for a peanut and jam sandwich! (PB&J).
To add: The wedding was somewhat similar to the states as well. People said some words, sang some songs, preacher spoke, gave each other rings, kissed and danced out of the church. The only difference was the drunk people that came in and danced during the songs....well, I'm sure this happens in the states too in certain places haha. Now waiting for the after party (and secretly hoping for some good food).
Addition number !gam (two): The dinner was a lot shorter than I expected. Just a few songs, then dinner. No toasts, no dancing, place looked really sweet though. Like a Halloween dance actally, everythign was orange and black. So we ate, talked, then went home and crawled into bed.
Here's a picture of the lovely bride and groom (looking baller with his shades on...yep, during the whole wedding.)
This is a picture of the dinner/reception after the wedding. Told you it was Halloween themed :D
And this little guy made my night because he was rocking a hoodie with "Denver" across the chest. Made me get all sentimental and everything...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Luck of the dice.
So apparently there's always a volunteer who gets totally hooked up: sweet homestay family, awesome site, great school, etc. (probabilistically speaking it makes sense that there's one)...which may potentially be me, which is just so Namtastic. I'm not kidding, I keep forgetting I'm doing Peace Corps...though all I really need to do is walk outside of our school compound and it hits me harder than a brick.
But seriously, my family back in Okahandja was so awesome and great (as were a lot of the families). I'm the 4th volunteer (in a decade) at my site and my home is very well furnished like I have mentioned (probably even better than what I would have back in the states...sort of, the water definitely not haha). I'm a little sad I won't get the traditional homestay experience like so many of the other volunteers will but I will definitely be visiting some of the others and hey, if I'm that deperate there's always a 3rd year extension or even a second tour (and I have a lot more weight when it comes to that selection...hello Fiji!). My principal is so awesome and all the teachers and learners seem fantastic as well. Granted I have yet to really get to know them but first impressions count for something right? And I'm just 60k from my shopping town (Tsumeb...you should totally be able to find that on a map) which has SUCH a big selection for almost anything I could want. For example, I have been getting back into Nutella, yep, freaking Nutella. If you don't know what that is I strongly suggest you embark on the experience, it's glorious.
But really, I have so many blessings here and I am so thankful for all of them. I'm sure the full weight of what I aim to accomplishhere will fall upon me sometime soon but we must enjoy our small victories when we can. They (other PCVs, RCPVs, staff, etc.) keep telling us it's an emotional rollar coaster so I'll do my best to enjoy the ups, ride out the downs and always throw my arms up in the air inbetween! They weren't kidding though, I got teary-eyed last night thinking about the snow that must be falling back home in CO (and now again...); it hasn't snowd here in a decade (insert Global Warming comment here) so I won't be seeing any frost outside of my freezer anytime soon (yep, I have a refridgerator haha).
And it's not something I've just started doing here, it is something I've been practicing for a while now. I find life much more enjoyable when we take the time to appreciate the joyful things in life while we have them. And when things turn sour, to just bite down and work your way through it. It's like swimming, I think, maybe running, okay I know there's some athletic simile/metaphor here. If you keep your nose/chin looking down, all you will do is run yourself into the ground, or swim down and drown. That's why you have to keep it up and always pointing ahead...and slightly up if you're running downhill, helps keep your form and lengthen your stride or at least it worked for me (and Miles).
Another metaphor is you save so much energy too! If you spend all your energy being all mopey and negative, you won't have any left when things shape up. I rather be distant and aloof and be told I don't care when everyone's crying about stuff, followed by being super enegetic and told I'm trying to do too much when everyone's out of their funk than going with the flow. It no one disrupts the flow, it never changes and just remains stagnant. And stagnant is always gross and boring, plus mosquitos hang around stagnant water and they suck(bam! pun!).
Ugh, speaking of stagnant, I should get off my bottom and get some more work done. I've taken the past couple days (this is only my third at site!) to relax but also just clean up everything here and get settled in. I actually read for the first time since being in Nam, for fun at least. That's about it though, I did a lot of catching up on things, typing up some loose ends, organizing, cleaning, etc. Just easy, menial things that require not too much mental work, I've had enough of that the past two months. But I need to start teaching myself KKG sometime, and look, I have two hours before a community meeting. Seems like a perfect time to start.
Let's just hope this good luck continues as long as it can.
Two days later, when I am posting the luck ran out. Just f.y.i. There was a spilled baked beans fiasco, and lots of running into furniture, power outage, etc.
Oh well, c'est la vie. Throwing the hands up in the air!
But seriously, my family back in Okahandja was so awesome and great (as were a lot of the families). I'm the 4th volunteer (in a decade) at my site and my home is very well furnished like I have mentioned (probably even better than what I would have back in the states...sort of, the water definitely not haha). I'm a little sad I won't get the traditional homestay experience like so many of the other volunteers will but I will definitely be visiting some of the others and hey, if I'm that deperate there's always a 3rd year extension or even a second tour (and I have a lot more weight when it comes to that selection...hello Fiji!). My principal is so awesome and all the teachers and learners seem fantastic as well. Granted I have yet to really get to know them but first impressions count for something right? And I'm just 60k from my shopping town (Tsumeb...you should totally be able to find that on a map) which has SUCH a big selection for almost anything I could want. For example, I have been getting back into Nutella, yep, freaking Nutella. If you don't know what that is I strongly suggest you embark on the experience, it's glorious.
But really, I have so many blessings here and I am so thankful for all of them. I'm sure the full weight of what I aim to accomplishhere will fall upon me sometime soon but we must enjoy our small victories when we can. They (other PCVs, RCPVs, staff, etc.) keep telling us it's an emotional rollar coaster so I'll do my best to enjoy the ups, ride out the downs and always throw my arms up in the air inbetween! They weren't kidding though, I got teary-eyed last night thinking about the snow that must be falling back home in CO (and now again...); it hasn't snowd here in a decade (insert Global Warming comment here) so I won't be seeing any frost outside of my freezer anytime soon (yep, I have a refridgerator haha).
And it's not something I've just started doing here, it is something I've been practicing for a while now. I find life much more enjoyable when we take the time to appreciate the joyful things in life while we have them. And when things turn sour, to just bite down and work your way through it. It's like swimming, I think, maybe running, okay I know there's some athletic simile/metaphor here. If you keep your nose/chin looking down, all you will do is run yourself into the ground, or swim down and drown. That's why you have to keep it up and always pointing ahead...and slightly up if you're running downhill, helps keep your form and lengthen your stride or at least it worked for me (and Miles).
Another metaphor is you save so much energy too! If you spend all your energy being all mopey and negative, you won't have any left when things shape up. I rather be distant and aloof and be told I don't care when everyone's crying about stuff, followed by being super enegetic and told I'm trying to do too much when everyone's out of their funk than going with the flow. It no one disrupts the flow, it never changes and just remains stagnant. And stagnant is always gross and boring, plus mosquitos hang around stagnant water and they suck(bam! pun!).
Ugh, speaking of stagnant, I should get off my bottom and get some more work done. I've taken the past couple days (this is only my third at site!) to relax but also just clean up everything here and get settled in. I actually read for the first time since being in Nam, for fun at least. That's about it though, I did a lot of catching up on things, typing up some loose ends, organizing, cleaning, etc. Just easy, menial things that require not too much mental work, I've had enough of that the past two months. But I need to start teaching myself KKG sometime, and look, I have two hours before a community meeting. Seems like a perfect time to start.
Let's just hope this good luck continues as long as it can.
Two days later, when I am posting the luck ran out. Just f.y.i. There was a spilled baked beans fiasco, and lots of running into furniture, power outage, etc.
Oh well, c'est la vie. Throwing the hands up in the air!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
It's on Facebook...so it's official.
I'm an official volunteer!! Whoo!! So pumped! I was a little worried about having stipulations on my swearing in for service but I did a lot better on my language assessment than last time so no complications. Not that it matters anyway haha, here we go KKG and !Khu!! Swearing in was actually an interesting day...I had food poisoning! I threw up before the ceremony haha, and of course am sitting in the front row. Nothing like being super pale with food poisoning sitting in the front row while on national television trying not to run out throwing up. Feeling much better today so hopefully I'll be back at 100% tomorrow or sometime soon.
The actual ceremony was nice. A bunch of speeches, us giving a pledge, a couple more speeches then done! Afterwards a bunch of people went hiking which I am SOOOOO bummed that I missed out. I felt better later in the evening so I met up with some people and just hung out for a few hours before heading back home. Finished my last little bit of packing and got ready to leave super early in the morning, well, was ready about 6am, not super early, but still early.
Right now I'm in the kombie (van) on the way to y permanent site again! Except this time I'm moving there!! I actually can't remember where my room key is haha, so hopefully I'll find it in all my luggage when I start to unpack. I have so much stuff...my duffel bag is packed, same with my hiking bag, backpack definitely isn't light and the decently sized storage trunk they gave us is PACKED (albeit with all the freaking papers and books they gave us).
Kim titled her recent blog entry "Leaving America" which I felt was interesting. Even though we've been here for nearly two months, service hasn't started for us. And really, the next 6 weeks won't be nitty gritty work. It'll be planning for the school year, learning a new language, assessing my community, etc. at the end of Nov. we're heading back to the capital for a few more weeks of training. After that, hopefully some vacation time THEN the school year (and service) start. At least that's what I'm thinking. I definitely want to get work done but I fee it might work out better if I spend the next 6 weeks in preparation for the following two years. From what it sounds like, and if I get into everything I want, I might actually be very busy during the school year outside of the classroom.
I'll be trying to get on a couple committees so that will definitely keep me busy and then there are the secondary projects that we're supposed to be doing within our community. I don't have too many ideas yet but there are a couple thoughts floating around in my head that I would like to try and put into action. In some aspects I have some solid resources but in others I'll be starting from scratch.. The toughest part, I'm told, is motivating people and getting them to do their own work. Our projects are meant to be sustainable projects. The aim of Peace Corps is to help the host country develop on their own, not build a crutch for them to stand on.
I think this will be a very nice idea for me to reflect on in my life and try to implement here. How many times have we just fixed something for others and not enabled them to help themselves in the future? I've done it a lot and I know a lot of people have done it for me. The thing is are we really helping them or hurting them? But I would say it is human nature (for most people) to take whatever road is easiest. If I have the means to do something with minimal effort, why would I put a lot into it? I think it was Joseph Conrad that said "I don't like work, no one does. But I like what lies within it, the chance to find yourself" or soemthing like that, I could've totally butchered it. It's not our destination that matters but the lessons we learn on the journey getting there.
I think that may be a big problem with a large portion of society. Many people haven't done enough work and don't know who they really are. I haven't led a hard life but I also know many people have it much easier than I do. Maybe I'm a bit behind the curve but it's taken me 24 years to get proactive and agressive on who I am and what I want to accomplish in life. And not just what I want to accomplish but what I want to define my life by. One of the tips I heard somewhere was to make a mission statement for your life (no, I do not have one). I think this is a great idea and I think I've tried it before but never got anything concrete. One of my problems is that I'm always all over the place, maybe because I never really knew who I was or what I wanted out of life. I feel I've been very successful though recently in becomig the person who I want to be and accomplishing what I want to accomplish. Maybe I'll give it another shot at the mission statement but I feel even that would change as I mature through my two years here. I have made a list of life goals though, easier because I can always add and rearrange it to my liking. Something to think about, if you could define your life what would you say?
The actual ceremony was nice. A bunch of speeches, us giving a pledge, a couple more speeches then done! Afterwards a bunch of people went hiking which I am SOOOOO bummed that I missed out. I felt better later in the evening so I met up with some people and just hung out for a few hours before heading back home. Finished my last little bit of packing and got ready to leave super early in the morning, well, was ready about 6am, not super early, but still early.
Right now I'm in the kombie (van) on the way to y permanent site again! Except this time I'm moving there!! I actually can't remember where my room key is haha, so hopefully I'll find it in all my luggage when I start to unpack. I have so much stuff...my duffel bag is packed, same with my hiking bag, backpack definitely isn't light and the decently sized storage trunk they gave us is PACKED (albeit with all the freaking papers and books they gave us).
Kim titled her recent blog entry "Leaving America" which I felt was interesting. Even though we've been here for nearly two months, service hasn't started for us. And really, the next 6 weeks won't be nitty gritty work. It'll be planning for the school year, learning a new language, assessing my community, etc. at the end of Nov. we're heading back to the capital for a few more weeks of training. After that, hopefully some vacation time THEN the school year (and service) start. At least that's what I'm thinking. I definitely want to get work done but I fee it might work out better if I spend the next 6 weeks in preparation for the following two years. From what it sounds like, and if I get into everything I want, I might actually be very busy during the school year outside of the classroom.
I'll be trying to get on a couple committees so that will definitely keep me busy and then there are the secondary projects that we're supposed to be doing within our community. I don't have too many ideas yet but there are a couple thoughts floating around in my head that I would like to try and put into action. In some aspects I have some solid resources but in others I'll be starting from scratch.. The toughest part, I'm told, is motivating people and getting them to do their own work. Our projects are meant to be sustainable projects. The aim of Peace Corps is to help the host country develop on their own, not build a crutch for them to stand on.
I think this will be a very nice idea for me to reflect on in my life and try to implement here. How many times have we just fixed something for others and not enabled them to help themselves in the future? I've done it a lot and I know a lot of people have done it for me. The thing is are we really helping them or hurting them? But I would say it is human nature (for most people) to take whatever road is easiest. If I have the means to do something with minimal effort, why would I put a lot into it? I think it was Joseph Conrad that said "I don't like work, no one does. But I like what lies within it, the chance to find yourself" or soemthing like that, I could've totally butchered it. It's not our destination that matters but the lessons we learn on the journey getting there.
I think that may be a big problem with a large portion of society. Many people haven't done enough work and don't know who they really are. I haven't led a hard life but I also know many people have it much easier than I do. Maybe I'm a bit behind the curve but it's taken me 24 years to get proactive and agressive on who I am and what I want to accomplish in life. And not just what I want to accomplish but what I want to define my life by. One of the tips I heard somewhere was to make a mission statement for your life (no, I do not have one). I think this is a great idea and I think I've tried it before but never got anything concrete. One of my problems is that I'm always all over the place, maybe because I never really knew who I was or what I wanted out of life. I feel I've been very successful though recently in becomig the person who I want to be and accomplishing what I want to accomplish. Maybe I'll give it another shot at the mission statement but I feel even that would change as I mature through my two years here. I have made a list of life goals though, easier because I can always add and rearrange it to my liking. Something to think about, if you could define your life what would you say?
Extra time...
I'm actually sitting in a classroom right now doing "observations". I've been jotting notes down about the classes and learners,not too much new information though. they're just like the secondary students in the States: a handful to manage at the least. The interesting part is the teachers. Since the unemployment is so high here (I've heard anywhere from 30-50%) a lot of people become teachers just because it's a steady salary. Not many go into it for the joy of teaching others. Kind of strange because in the States you DO NOT go into teaching for the money...it's more of "will I be taken care of while I slave for these kids?" if anything.
So I'm just going to try and play catch up with any of the pictures I've had lying around. These next couple are from a campsite nearby my school. It was started by the community to help bring in some revenue and previews a few aspects of what the San people live like. Granted the actual campsites are completely different(such nice bathrooms!!), they have small exhibits where travelers (I imagine not many "tourists" go there) can learn about the San.
Here are some pictures left over of my school visit. First is the view from the car down the 60km road from the nearest town to my site, followed by the view from the car of my first impression of my school (holy crap it's a military compund!...jk, more like wow it's so nice!):
Here is a picture of my principal, me and a lower primary teacher after dinner the second night. Below it is a picture of the hostel that is almost finished being built. It'll allow access to hoousing for more of the students which will be awesome because some of them have to walk very far through the bush to school (yep, just like you mom).
So I'm just going to try and play catch up with any of the pictures I've had lying around. These next couple are from a campsite nearby my school. It was started by the community to help bring in some revenue and previews a few aspects of what the San people live like. Granted the actual campsites are completely different(such nice bathrooms!!), they have small exhibits where travelers (I imagine not many "tourists" go there) can learn about the San.
Here are some pictures left over of my school visit. First is the view from the car down the 60km road from the nearest town to my site, followed by the view from the car of my first impression of my school (holy crap it's a military compund!...jk, more like wow it's so nice!):
Here is a picture of my principal, me and a lower primary teacher after dinner the second night. Below it is a picture of the hostel that is almost finished being built. It'll allow access to hoousing for more of the students which will be awesome because some of them have to walk very far through the bush to school (yep, just like you mom).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
and my 7th post...that also may have gotten deleted...
Wow, it feels like I have been here for months but looking at the date I haven't even been here a single one! All things considered life is great here in Africa. Yeah, that implies there are a few things not going great but isn't that the case everywhere? Things have been really busy, we have our first exams next week so I'm a little nervous for that especially since I speak Afrikaans the worst when I'm in class. Out at a party with my family I'll be okay and can manage but in class my mind goes blank. There have been a lot of things on my mind that have been distracting me and keeping me mentally tired so I definitely am not at my best but just have to work around it.
My family is doing awesome! I really like them a lot, I've heard some not so great stories about the interactions with other volunteers and their families. I don't think I mentioned this last time but two other volunteers are also part of my family. I think they are both nephews to me, or whatever the cousin version of that is. My friend Kim is also just three houses down and her aunty is always over at my house so we hang out a lot. She's learning a different language so we just sit around and have tea time discussing the various going ons, sometimes work on our homework but try not to and relax.
This past week has been pretty busy actually. Outside of the upcoming tests (which I doubt anyone has studided for) I organized for a group to come show us some dancing on Saturday since we didn't have an activity planned, had to give a speech with Kim on Friday in exchange for said dancing group (which I wasn't notified until Thursday late), and planned a pizza party at this resort nearby for our entire group for Friday evening. So that is part of why I'm tired, at least I'm becoming somewhat proactive again so can't complain. Oh, and we had a gathering of sorts last night (Sat.) that I guess I was in charge of but that was just a bunch of us hanging out.
One thing that I like and dislike is that everything here has more of that small town feel. It's great because when I was doing all these different things people were really personable and would work with you on it. For example our little pizza party, there was 50 of us. Most places in the States would require a deposit, reservation, etc. but I told them we didn't want to sign up for anything but maybe we could just order a bunch of pizzas. I gave the guy the order ahead of time and he made sure it worked out. Things haven't been refined into a by-the-book process, so there still is that personable touch which I really like. That being said it isn't as refined so some people would feel uncomfortable not having that set of rules and clear process. We call it working on Africa time haha. For example the event where we gave a speech was supposed to start at noon, I think it started at 1500 (3pm), the key-note speaker cancelled, sound system was late, etc. It is just something you go with though and work it out as you can. I think our group did really well and should have the patience for it, which is great if we're all going to be teachers (the 10 business people weren't there)!
Patience, I think that is something that either gets lost or developed over time. I know both are true for me; I'm really patient in regards to some issues but others I will just turn away from immediately. I really applaud people who strive to have it in all areas of their life, or at least the very difficult areas. For example social workers, they are some impressive people. I do not beleive I could last in many of the positions out there, I woudl become to fed up and just leave. I know not something a teacher should be saying but to me being an educator is much different. Being able to help others understand math is a genuine joy I have. Ever think about what your genine joys are? honesty I do not know if I could list mine for lack of really knowing what they are. Maybe that can be another side distraction this week!
Speaking of patience, sorry for being so out of touch! I'm in the process of trying to see if I can set up e-mail on my netbook and the interet cafe is a little expensive. I'll try and get it worked out soon so I can stay more in contact!
My family is doing awesome! I really like them a lot, I've heard some not so great stories about the interactions with other volunteers and their families. I don't think I mentioned this last time but two other volunteers are also part of my family. I think they are both nephews to me, or whatever the cousin version of that is. My friend Kim is also just three houses down and her aunty is always over at my house so we hang out a lot. She's learning a different language so we just sit around and have tea time discussing the various going ons, sometimes work on our homework but try not to and relax.
This past week has been pretty busy actually. Outside of the upcoming tests (which I doubt anyone has studided for) I organized for a group to come show us some dancing on Saturday since we didn't have an activity planned, had to give a speech with Kim on Friday in exchange for said dancing group (which I wasn't notified until Thursday late), and planned a pizza party at this resort nearby for our entire group for Friday evening. So that is part of why I'm tired, at least I'm becoming somewhat proactive again so can't complain. Oh, and we had a gathering of sorts last night (Sat.) that I guess I was in charge of but that was just a bunch of us hanging out.
One thing that I like and dislike is that everything here has more of that small town feel. It's great because when I was doing all these different things people were really personable and would work with you on it. For example our little pizza party, there was 50 of us. Most places in the States would require a deposit, reservation, etc. but I told them we didn't want to sign up for anything but maybe we could just order a bunch of pizzas. I gave the guy the order ahead of time and he made sure it worked out. Things haven't been refined into a by-the-book process, so there still is that personable touch which I really like. That being said it isn't as refined so some people would feel uncomfortable not having that set of rules and clear process. We call it working on Africa time haha. For example the event where we gave a speech was supposed to start at noon, I think it started at 1500 (3pm), the key-note speaker cancelled, sound system was late, etc. It is just something you go with though and work it out as you can. I think our group did really well and should have the patience for it, which is great if we're all going to be teachers (the 10 business people weren't there)!
Patience, I think that is something that either gets lost or developed over time. I know both are true for me; I'm really patient in regards to some issues but others I will just turn away from immediately. I really applaud people who strive to have it in all areas of their life, or at least the very difficult areas. For example social workers, they are some impressive people. I do not beleive I could last in many of the positions out there, I woudl become to fed up and just leave. I know not something a teacher should be saying but to me being an educator is much different. Being able to help others understand math is a genuine joy I have. Ever think about what your genine joys are? honesty I do not know if I could list mine for lack of really knowing what they are. Maybe that can be another side distraction this week!
Speaking of patience, sorry for being so out of touch! I'm in the process of trying to see if I can set up e-mail on my netbook and the interet cafe is a little expensive. I'll try and get it worked out soon so I can stay more in contact!
this was supposed to be my 6th post...I think it may have gotten deleted...
So I've moved in with my host family. They are awesome! I was actully a little worried when we were meeting our families. I was actually reassigned from my original family because the father was worried about having a male volunteer living with his daughters (they were 24 and 19, also had a son who is 28). Coincidently enough, I'm living in a house of all females...I think. There are supposed to be 3 girls (one has a daughter) and a boy. One of the girls, Nadia, left to stay with her father and I haven't really seen the boy. Rosa is the one with a daughter named Lien whom I've been helping brush her teeth each night (the daughter, not the mom). Jessica, the 3rd of the bunch, is on break from school and is helping me a lot with under standing my mama (or meme as some of the volunteers say).
Here in Namiabia the official language is English but this was only instituted in 1990. So while the children are pretty well spoken many of the elders (including my mama!) don't speak any English. That being said mama and I still are able to communicate pretty well for me only being here a couple days. Laughter is definitely something that takes very little to understand. For example: my entire set of linens was pink my first night. Definitely a little amusing. My reassignment was actually a swap between volunteers and the original one for them was a female so they set up the room under that impression. Now I have a brown curtain and some blue bed sheets to off set some of the pink.
But life here is not all that different from back in the States. I wake up each morning, go for a run (with other volunteers), bath, eat breakfast, and then head to "school" to study Afrikaans and Namibian culture. I come home, hang out, eat dinner, watch some soapies (soap operas), study a bit then hit the sack. Yeah, my bath involves boiling water on the stove then pouring it into the tub but the fundamentals of the routine is pretty much the same. I imagine when I get to my site the same will apply. I'll wake up and do my morning chores, head to work, then come home and work some more (I am a teacher after all...), clean up and head to bed.
We watched a movie that I believe was based off of the reason for Children's day. Children's day is a national holiday that celebrates the uprising of black students in response to the delibrately inferior education they were receiving. It's a national holiday in Namibia and may even be continent wide, I'm not sure. Whoopi Goldberg is in it if you're curious, I think the movie is called Serafina but not exactly sure on the spelling. It was a good movie to watch and has a great message but I'll be honest, I was definitely not in the mood for it. I was more concerned about the massive amounts of margarine in my food and by massive amounts I mean the roof of my mouth gets coated with fat as I eat.
I think a big thing that so many people forget a lot of times is this: We're all human. On the surface things are all over the place but inside there's a beating heart that gets each one of us through the day (unless you're in surgery, then you may not have one). People in the States think Africa is some crazy foreign place out in the bush and our host nationals here think America is some paradise where everyone is a celebrity ("Chris do you know ....?"). Yeah, the standards of living are totally different but the actual living is very much the same.
Here in Namiabia the official language is English but this was only instituted in 1990. So while the children are pretty well spoken many of the elders (including my mama!) don't speak any English. That being said mama and I still are able to communicate pretty well for me only being here a couple days. Laughter is definitely something that takes very little to understand. For example: my entire set of linens was pink my first night. Definitely a little amusing. My reassignment was actually a swap between volunteers and the original one for them was a female so they set up the room under that impression. Now I have a brown curtain and some blue bed sheets to off set some of the pink.
But life here is not all that different from back in the States. I wake up each morning, go for a run (with other volunteers), bath, eat breakfast, and then head to "school" to study Afrikaans and Namibian culture. I come home, hang out, eat dinner, watch some soapies (soap operas), study a bit then hit the sack. Yeah, my bath involves boiling water on the stove then pouring it into the tub but the fundamentals of the routine is pretty much the same. I imagine when I get to my site the same will apply. I'll wake up and do my morning chores, head to work, then come home and work some more (I am a teacher after all...), clean up and head to bed.
We watched a movie that I believe was based off of the reason for Children's day. Children's day is a national holiday that celebrates the uprising of black students in response to the delibrately inferior education they were receiving. It's a national holiday in Namibia and may even be continent wide, I'm not sure. Whoopi Goldberg is in it if you're curious, I think the movie is called Serafina but not exactly sure on the spelling. It was a good movie to watch and has a great message but I'll be honest, I was definitely not in the mood for it. I was more concerned about the massive amounts of margarine in my food and by massive amounts I mean the roof of my mouth gets coated with fat as I eat.
I think a big thing that so many people forget a lot of times is this: We're all human. On the surface things are all over the place but inside there's a beating heart that gets each one of us through the day (unless you're in surgery, then you may not have one). People in the States think Africa is some crazy foreign place out in the bush and our host nationals here think America is some paradise where everyone is a celebrity ("Chris do you know ....?"). Yeah, the standards of living are totally different but the actual living is very much the same.
Some pictures of my stay here so far.
Okay! Another post with a bunch of pictures but this time it's from Namibia!! Lots been going on so this is just a sampling. I think I have all this figured out, it's just hard to actually take the time to learn/format things when you don't have the time ne?:
First up: our plane ride! So On the plane there was a cool little map that showed us where we were and where day/night was in the world. Also totally ate like a king! Not really, but man good food and a big amount, also free (stateside airlines totally suck in comparison) and the beer was free too! Like wow! Some people had themselves a few servings haha. Below it is the view from the plane to Windhoek and a picture of the plane itself!
So getting off the plane was a bit of work. All 44 of us needed to fill out customs forms and pass through. Then we had to give back some stuff to our Country Director among other small things. Then getting all of our luggage, whew that was a lot. Then we got to load everything onto the bus! Oh the bus...that was a fun ride haha. Small towns reminded me so much of America...like in Arizone where there's a small little suburbia in the middle of nothing, this place looked just like that. It took about an hour to get to our training site from the airport but during the ride I got to see my first African sunset! It is beautiful during dawn and dusk here. All the sand is blown up so the sun is just a BEAUTIFUL red and turns the whole sky into a wonderful chromatic waltz. When we arrived arrived, our trainers were waiting to greet us and sang us songs while we walked into the compound. It was very touching and so much fun to meet everyone!
We ere definitely shocked when we entered our training site. The place is nice! It felt like walking into a summer sport camp at some University back in the states. Hot showers, nice toilets, small beds on sturdy furniture haha. The first is a picture of our room (I bunked with another Pi Kapp...fratty!!) and a picture of our second meal there, didn't catch one of breakfast haha.
There was a cultural celebration the first weekend we were there which was awesome to experience. We learned a lot about the Herero culture and witnessed them honoring the grave of one of their past leaders. He was a chief for one of the tribes when they were experiencing genocide from the German settlers. It is strange though, because a lot of their traditional stuff is taken from German culture. Strange to see that and hear the history of their people at the same time.
They chose that weekend because it was the weekend before Heroes day, which is a national holiday that celebrates all the men that fought for the country's independence. The monument is a huge, magnificant graveyard with an awesome statue and mural at the top.
A couple weekends in we decided to go for a hike. We heard about some place from a couple volunteers (remember, I'm still a trainee) that is near by so we decided to ry and find it. It was fun, we went up a route that was probably not the best....as there was no path but it was still a lot of fun! The first picture is a picture of where we hiked through and the next is a pic of the group that hiked with us. The only really tough part was dealing with the trees. Namibia's trees don't mess around. I saw at least 3 different types of throns. One type was hooked looked like a claw, those were painful and hard to get out. The picture I have is of the ones with CrAzY big thorns! You'd step on them and they wouldn't break either, just through an inch of your sole right into the bottom of your foot. So insane! Good thing I have my tough Indian feet haha!
During training we also built a campfire. It reminded me a lot of back home when we went camping. Gotta love the smell of smoke. Oh man, my family needs help learning how to start fires. I tried but didn't work out too much. All that I got across (I hope) was not to use plastic to start a fire. Yep, they do haha. Speaking of fires, it was really sad when this huge craft market burned up. I wasn't in town but they had the most amazing woodcarvings for sale. To give you an idea, the second picture is just carved into a tree outside a person's gate to their home.
First up: our plane ride! So On the plane there was a cool little map that showed us where we were and where day/night was in the world. Also totally ate like a king! Not really, but man good food and a big amount, also free (stateside airlines totally suck in comparison) and the beer was free too! Like wow! Some people had themselves a few servings haha. Below it is the view from the plane to Windhoek and a picture of the plane itself!
So getting off the plane was a bit of work. All 44 of us needed to fill out customs forms and pass through. Then we had to give back some stuff to our Country Director among other small things. Then getting all of our luggage, whew that was a lot. Then we got to load everything onto the bus! Oh the bus...that was a fun ride haha. Small towns reminded me so much of America...like in Arizone where there's a small little suburbia in the middle of nothing, this place looked just like that. It took about an hour to get to our training site from the airport but during the ride I got to see my first African sunset! It is beautiful during dawn and dusk here. All the sand is blown up so the sun is just a BEAUTIFUL red and turns the whole sky into a wonderful chromatic waltz. When we arrived arrived, our trainers were waiting to greet us and sang us songs while we walked into the compound. It was very touching and so much fun to meet everyone!
We ere definitely shocked when we entered our training site. The place is nice! It felt like walking into a summer sport camp at some University back in the states. Hot showers, nice toilets, small beds on sturdy furniture haha. The first is a picture of our room (I bunked with another Pi Kapp...fratty!!) and a picture of our second meal there, didn't catch one of breakfast haha.
There was a cultural celebration the first weekend we were there which was awesome to experience. We learned a lot about the Herero culture and witnessed them honoring the grave of one of their past leaders. He was a chief for one of the tribes when they were experiencing genocide from the German settlers. It is strange though, because a lot of their traditional stuff is taken from German culture. Strange to see that and hear the history of their people at the same time.
They chose that weekend because it was the weekend before Heroes day, which is a national holiday that celebrates all the men that fought for the country's independence. The monument is a huge, magnificant graveyard with an awesome statue and mural at the top.
A couple weekends in we decided to go for a hike. We heard about some place from a couple volunteers (remember, I'm still a trainee) that is near by so we decided to ry and find it. It was fun, we went up a route that was probably not the best....as there was no path but it was still a lot of fun! The first picture is a picture of where we hiked through and the next is a pic of the group that hiked with us. The only really tough part was dealing with the trees. Namibia's trees don't mess around. I saw at least 3 different types of throns. One type was hooked looked like a claw, those were painful and hard to get out. The picture I have is of the ones with CrAzY big thorns! You'd step on them and they wouldn't break either, just through an inch of your sole right into the bottom of your foot. So insane! Good thing I have my tough Indian feet haha!
During training we also built a campfire. It reminded me a lot of back home when we went camping. Gotta love the smell of smoke. Oh man, my family needs help learning how to start fires. I tried but didn't work out too much. All that I got across (I hope) was not to use plastic to start a fire. Yep, they do haha. Speaking of fires, it was really sad when this huge craft market burned up. I wasn't in town but they had the most amazing woodcarvings for sale. To give you an idea, the second picture is just carved into a tree outside a person's gate to their home.
Hawai'i pictures before leaving.
Okay, continuing the process of vomiting pictures, here's a bunch of pictures from my trip to Hawai'i right before leaving.
First thing I do when I get to Hawai'i...MOCHA FREEZE!! So freaking delicious!! No coffee shop in the world has anything on this place!! Check out the hilarious sign haha!
Mom and I went up to the North Shore like usual at some point and walked around a couple of the usual beaches. It was nice to spend time with her and get one last tropical beach visit before coming to Namibia! Here's both of us:
We went hiking around Manoa Falls which was a lot of fun. It was a long trip too! I think 5 hours total! Can't remember how far we went but it was super rainy and so much of the trail was pure mud. My TOMS got destroyed! They were already on their last few days though so I didn't mind and rather them than my sandals.
And here are just some pictures of the scenery around the island. First two are pictures from my mom's old apartment's balcony. Then a picture of Waikiki from Diamond Head followed by a bay that's name starts with the letter "H" I think. Last a picture of a spot we always stop by on the east shore.
First thing I do when I get to Hawai'i...MOCHA FREEZE!! So freaking delicious!! No coffee shop in the world has anything on this place!! Check out the hilarious sign haha!
Mom and I went up to the North Shore like usual at some point and walked around a couple of the usual beaches. It was nice to spend time with her and get one last tropical beach visit before coming to Namibia! Here's both of us:
We went hiking around Manoa Falls which was a lot of fun. It was a long trip too! I think 5 hours total! Can't remember how far we went but it was super rainy and so much of the trail was pure mud. My TOMS got destroyed! They were already on their last few days though so I didn't mind and rather them than my sandals.
And here are just some pictures of the scenery around the island. First two are pictures from my mom's old apartment's balcony. Then a picture of Waikiki from Diamond Head followed by a bay that's name starts with the letter "H" I think. Last a picture of a spot we always stop by on the east shore.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Soon! I swear!
Okay, there is just a teaser of pictures. Apparently I still need to figure out the formatting but I'll get there soon. It takes so long to resize then pictures then upoad them and figure out where they'll be in the blog. When I make new posts it'll definitely be a lot easier but I wanted to go back and put in some pictures! Okay, I'm well past free internet now (AHHH!!!My monies) but maybe this weeken or next week I'l get it all done!
So some more pictures to show:
Here's Tara and one of her favorite persons in the world and Sheena and I right before I went into the hotel to start my Peace Corps experience. All this seems so long ago now!!
Okay, here's all the stuff that they send in the packet (it's packed with many forms and lots of info!):
Here's what I was lugging around the airport and trains minus my checked in stuff which was a guitar and huge duffel bag. I think I shrunk two inches from all the weight I was carrying that whole time.
Here are some pictures of the subway if you haven't seen it. There are these little statues in a couple stations that are really cool to see but I'm sure lose their appeal if you see them everyday. There was also this awesome guy that I didn't get to take a good picture of that played the keyboard and had a bunch of little dancing things that moved while he played. SO AWESOME!
Central park was really nice, saw a photo shoot and a bunch of other things, it was so busy!
So some more pictures to show:
Here's Tara and one of her favorite persons in the world and Sheena and I right before I went into the hotel to start my Peace Corps experience. All this seems so long ago now!!
Okay, here's all the stuff that they send in the packet (it's packed with many forms and lots of info!):
Here's what I was lugging around the airport and trains minus my checked in stuff which was a guitar and huge duffel bag. I think I shrunk two inches from all the weight I was carrying that whole time.
Here are some pictures of the subway if you haven't seen it. There are these little statues in a couple stations that are really cool to see but I'm sure lose their appeal if you see them everyday. There was also this awesome guy that I didn't get to take a good picture of that played the keyboard and had a bunch of little dancing things that moved while he played. SO AWESOME!
Central park was really nice, saw a photo shoot and a bunch of other things, it was so busy!
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