A few photos!

So....facebook is hit and miss around here but I wanted to share these photos with you! Best communication is email and comments here, but I will continue to check facebook when I can.

Elizabeth and I on our flight to South Africa:

On the bus to Okahandja:

First Namibian sunset:

Beautiful rose at the hostel where we are staying:

Walking through Okahandja:

Okahandja:

At the Garden City Cafe, our choice for wifi and caffeine! :)

That's all for now!

7/25/12

5:30 am

I’m here! I arrived last in Okahandja, the location of the Peace Corps’ training center. All of our travel went incredibly smoothly – our only complaint was the massive amount of extra time that was built in between each piece, but better safe than sorry. We were greeted by a big group of staff members from Peace Corps Namibia. They’re all super friendly and they even sang to us as we came through customs. It was great!

I’ve not yet seen much of Namibia, but what I have seen so far – I love! Not five minutes into our bus ride we saw a herd of springbok! It was awesome! And we also saw the sunset on our way, which was awesome! The terrain is sort of scrubby and hilly and there are some trees (even palm trees – in Windhoek) and the weather has been great! Right now it’s almost 6 am and my fingers are about freeze off actually. It’s great! :) Haha…

More soon! 

7/26/12

8:00 pm

Hi again!

I can’t believe it’s the same day as when I started this…I thought I would have the chance to send it this afternoon, but I didn’t. So hopefully tomorrow! Anyways, I thought I’d just add on, since I have the time :)

It’s been a very full, but very fun day. Believe it or not, I’m in my pajamas, planning to go to sleep as soon as I finish typing. Jet lag is brutal! So far our sessions have been very interesting and interactive – but I’ve still had to concentrate really hard so I don’t fall asleep. It will get easier and easier though.

Today was our first day at the training center - about ten minutes walk from where we are currently staying. We met the staff, had some overview information about health, bank accounts, what PST (pre service training) will be like, etc, and we also got rabies shots! Tomorrow is meningitis… Yay, fun! :) haha

I got my first look around Okahandja today! It’s a medium sized town, from what I can tell. I found out where to buy a power converter, so I plan to do that tomorrow so I can charge everything. I also found out that a 3G USB stick is a good option for internet, so I’m planning to do that soon. 

The weather here is so dramatically varied it’s incredible! I walked to training this morning in a fleece, shivering a little, but when I walked back for lunch I was sweating! It’s crazy!

They’ve been easing us in to the food here, each meal offering less I recognize. Tonight we had a full on traditional meal of porridge and meat. I hear it’s a real repetitive meal around here :) It was actually quite good! It’s the porridge that you have to eat with your hands (right hand only!) and you just grab a piece with your fingertips and roll it around in your palm to form a ball. It’s about the consistency of play doh. Then you dip it in whatever type of sauce you have and eat it. I like it a lot! The meat tonight was lamb chop, also good. We truly haven’t had a meal without meat yet. They even gave us a sandwich at tea time!

It is true that Namibian English uses some slightly different words than American English. It’s lovingly called Namlish, and it’s really pretty fun. A few examples from today are:

Candy = vaccine

File = binder

Learner = student

Robot = steet lamp

I’ve read about some of these in blogs, but it’s way more fun to hear it myself! Also, a woman at the Johannesburg airport liked my dreads and asked where I got them done! And she used the phrase “Is it?” a couple of times. I read that Namibians use that phrase to mean “really?” or “is that so?” and things like that. I’m not sure if they say that in South Africa, or if she was Namibian – but it was still cool! :)

Alright, I’ve gotta get some sleep. Love you guys bunches and talk to you more soon!

Steph

7/27/12

2:51 pm

Hello everyone! So, I'm now sitting in an internet cafe, 10 minutes walk from my hostel, using the wifi! It makes me feel slightly less like I'm in Africa... but it's still pretty neat. Today has been pretty chill, and I'm getting to explore the town even a little bit more. It's great :) I'm about to go search out some post cards! I'd love to hear back from you all of you, so feel free to comment or email me! Love you all dearly, and talk to you soon! 

Steph's group has arrived in Namibia! Here is their first picture there.
I will post information on here as I get it from her until she is able to log in herself.
-Elaine Sestito

When the rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window and I'll be gone...

This is it folks. I'm about to turn out my light here in Philly. I'll be on my first flight in approximately 12 hours. Lord willing, I'll arrive in Namibia at about 9am EST on Wednesday. Mom will be posting blog updates on my progress until I get settled :)

Let the adventure commence.

Packing Pressure

Okay...if I'm being honest, packing was beginning to stress me out.

2 years is a LONG TIME. That's a lot of packing pressure.

My normal packing routine goes something like this: I have a pile of things I'm thinking of taking, and the day before I leave I catch up on laundry, then go through the trial and error process of throwing everything into whatever bag I'm taking until everything fits. This sometimes takes quite a while...

And it's what I would have been doing this time, except for the fact that since my leave date was moved up, I no longer have the luxury of a full day to pack. I now leave on Monday, the 23rd. In the week before that day I will be away, out of state for 6 out of 7 days. I will get back Sunday evening, and need to pack fairly quickly in order to get whatever minute amount of sleep my excitement allows me, and then head to Philly on Monday morning.

So, I've done what I've never done before and completely packed my bags, checked their size and weight, and unpacked them again, making a detailed list of what made the cut. My friend Amanda was over to help me negotiate through the decision making about which clothing items were more versatile, what types of things I could do without, etc. Next time I pack, it will be a piece of cake. :)

Makes me want to wag my tail...

My planner for the next three weeks is very quickly filling up, full of good things like beach trips, birthdays, and baseball tournaments. Time is flying by already, and I have a feeling it will only speed up from here. But, thankfully, I'm feeling more and more prepared and at peace each day.

In case anyone is wondering about the title of today's post...it is, indeed, from Blues Clues. Specifically, the mail song! Because... I love mail! :) Letters, notes, packages... not much makes me happier than the knowledge that someone took the time to send me physical evidence that they were thinking about me.

According to the Peace Corps, mail takes about 2-4 weeks to get to Namibia. So... I'm giving you all a head start :D

My address during training (until September 20th) is:

Stephanie Sestito, PCT
Peace Corps
PO Box 6862
Ausspannplatz,
Windhoek, Namibia

After I receive my site assignment I'll know my permanent address for the remainder of my stay in Namibia.

Thanks in advance to those of you who choose to write...as much as I love mail under normal circumstances, I'm sure it will be even more special when I'm so far from home. And, while I can't guarantee it will be speedy, I do promise to answer each person who writes me as often as I can!