Mr. Sandman bring me a...juice.

Before coming to Namibia I read countless blogs written by other PCVs, trying to imagine what life here would be like. In fact, I’m pretty sure I spent about 70% of the classes in my last semester of college doing just that… And one of the things I read over and over again about Namibia was that there was a porridge eaten in the northern part of the country that often had pieces of gravel and sand mixed in. Also, that it was impolite to remove said sand.

But what no one mentioned was that sand would actually infiltrate pretty much all aspects of my life! Seriously… there is sand on my floor, in my bed, in my cookies, sometimes just randomly in my teeth, and in my hair (not fun with dreads!). It’s like a perpetual picnic at the beach! Haha…

Anyways…that porridge is actually pretty good! It’s called mahangu, and it’s made from millet, which is grown here in my region. It’s a staple food of the people in my village, as most of them are farmers. It’s eaten out of a common bowl, and usually accompanied by either meat or mutete (a spinach soup). It’s kind of hard to describe… it’s about the consistency new play doh. To eat it you scoop up a piece with the tips of your fingers (right hand only, I still slip up sometimes!) roll it in to a ball, and dip it in the sauce of the meat or mutete. I like it a lot!

I’ve also gotten to eat some delicious fish with my neighbors! Since I’m relatively close to the river, there are always people around selling fresh fish! I haven’t tackled the project of cooking one myself yet (I’ve never de-scaled and cleaned a fish…) but it’s on my list! :) The shop in my village also doubles as a butcher, they slaughter approximately one cow a week and sell the meat to the villagers. They also eat guinea here sometimes! I have yet to try that, but I’m looking forward to it!

Apart from the occasional burst of extreme cravings for Dominos pineapple pizza, Chick fila sandwiches, and Cookout milkshakes, I’m not missing American food all that much. I cook for myself, I have a gas stove and a fridge, so I’m able to create some pretty delicious meals, when I’m not feeling too lazy :) But, the one thing I have been craving pretty solidly for about 2 weeks now is juice. Real, 100% fruit juice. Simply orange. Those Naked juices with like 5 oranges and 2 mangos crammed in one tiny bottle of deliciousness. Fresh apple, orange, or pineapple juice from my juicer at home. Oh yum… :)

Anyways…hope you’re having a great day! Go drink some juice for me :)

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving celebration! I most certainly did… on Thanksgiving Day I celebrated with a festive meal in my hut (complete with decorations!), thanks to my amazing family! Then I spent to weekend with a group of fellow volunteers in Popa, a village on the east side of my region. It was a blast! We got to take a boat ride on the river, I got up close and personal with some hippos, and we had a great Nam-style Thanksgiving meal together.

So, phase 2 is winding down, and I’m beginning to prepare for a few projects I’d like to work on next year. Here are a few of my ideas:

- An English after school program for the younger kids at my school (kindergarten – grade 3). In grade 4 they switch to English as the language of instruction, and for a lot of them, that’s a tough transition. So I’m planning to create a place for them to come (voluntarily) and practice, learn vocabulary, and just get more comfortable hearing and speaking English in a fun environment.

- Raising chickens at my school – this was actually something my principal came up with, but I love it! My school is in a very poor community, and because of that, many of our learners aren’t able to pay their school fees. That leaves our school in a pretty bad spot financially. Also, one of the big costs of the school is purchasing food for meeting and events at the school. It’s a cultural necessity to provide meals for any guests. So…I’m hatching a plan (sorry….I couldn’t help it!) to allow families in the community who are unable to pay school fees to donate either chickens or mahangu (millet – a staple crop for the farming families here) to the school’s flock. Those chickens can then be eaten at school functions, and others can be sold, generating a sustainable income. There are still details to hash out, but I’m really excited about where this could go!

- Two projects I’m taking over from my predecessor are the school library, and a girls’ group. I’m really excited about both of those! I’m applying to have some more books donated, and thinking about potential locations for a reading area (the library is now housed in a cabinet in the staff room). Also, my language tutor wants to co-lead the girls’ group with me! Which is really exciting and encouraging. I can’t wait to get started with that!

I’m also beginning to make some tentative plans for my classes next year. I’ll be teaching English and Natural Science again, as well as art and PE. So… if anyone has ideas for fun art projects that are possible with limited resources – send them my way! Here’s what I have readily available: sand, cardboard, cans, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and…more sand. :) Also, it needs to be simple and something that can be made about 45 times. Like I said, ideas are welcome! :)

{I will learn to love the skies I'm under}

Hello again everyone! It's hard to believe it's almost Thanksgiving... crazy! The year will be over before you know it. 

Here are a few more photos of life lately, along with commentary :) 

Bekah and I in front of my hut! :) My friend and fellow PCV, Kyla, came over last weekend and took this photo for me. We had a great time! We made chicken pot pie, watched Christmas movies and attempted to do Zumba in my hut. :D 

Okay, so yes - I have to use a pit latrine every day. Yes, I take bucket baths. Yes I wash my clothes, dishes, and self with water that I carry from my borehole. But life here is pretty stinking awesome. We have amazing skies:

And adorable people:

Some of you have been a bit confused about hut electricity works.... I am too! But this is what it looks like inside my hut. The pink wire goes through my wall and is my connection to my host mom's house (where our meter is). When it rained last week we had to dig up that wire and duct tape it in a few places for my electricity to come back on!) Anyways....the wires going up run to a light bulb that is affixed to my thatched roof, and the grey cord runs to an outlet that sits on my floor. :)

My hut organization is improving! Woohoo for care package goodies and makeshift closet rods! 

That's all for now! If there's anything you're wondering about life in Namibia, let me know!

Biting flowers and laughing chickens.

Waiting is a big part of my life here in Namibia. Waiting for a hike, waiting for a taxi, waiting for the atm. I’ll admit, it’s been difficult to adjust to the seeming complete lack of efficiency that surrounds most processes. But, it’s just one of those things you have to get used to, and learn to make the best of. Would you rather scowl, tap your foot, and think despairingly of all the other ways you could be using your time? Or just smile, use the time thinking productive thoughts, and/or strike up a conversation with the person next to you?

That being said, even my growing Namibian style patience was tested yesterday. I’ve become slightly accustomed to waiting 30 minutes for the ATM, hour long lines at the post office, battling massive crowds and intense lines at the grocery store… but nothing prepared me for the phone store. It’s official, American or Namibian, phone stores are one of my least favorite places to be. I waited for a record 2 ½ hours to get a replacement sim card! Oy vey!

But, things are starting to feel more and more comfortable here. I’m no longer daily conquering new tasks, but settling into a routine. My learners seem to be adjusting to me; they’re becoming more open and responsive every day. The other day, as I was carrying water back to my homestead (on my head) a few learners passing me asked (through their giggles) if they could help me… I politely declined and told them I needed the practice! I have to imagine I look pretty funny to them, since they’ve been carrying water with ease for years. But, I’m getting better! I can make it about ten paces with only one hand! Haha…

My use of Rukwangali sometimes inspires its own laughter… today, during a lesson with Maxima, I accidentally said that a flower (mbya) bit my sister, instead of a dog (mbwa)… :) oops! Those tricky words that are one letter apart… Not that English is any easier in that respect! One of my learners did a writing assignment for me about how to prepare and cook a chicken… Step 1 was to “laughter”(slaughter) the chicken… I just about did die of laughter! :) That’s my favorite spelling mistake so far! 

A few thousand words...

Some photos I've been collecting... 

Kyla, Lindsay and I during our shadowing week!

Tumbo and I

A random tortoise that showed up at school one day

Panoramic capture of Grade 7

Grade 6...they had a harder time staying still! :)

My school! 

yet another beautiful skscape! 

birthday breakfast with my puppy! 

birthday resolutions

Well folks, my first Namibian birthday was wonderful! My coworkers sang for me, I created a magical carrot cake in my cooking hut, allowed myself unrestricted access to all my package goodies for the day, and got to talk to my mom! :)

One of the reasons I love birthdays is that a birthday is like your very own New Years celebration (I realize it’s NOT my very own, I share it with millions of other people…but humor me!). So, while I rarely (if ever) make New Years resolutions, I do frequently create birthday resolutions for myself. Some of you may remember my 20^th birthday when I decided to try vegetarianism for a year (and I did it!) and last year I decided (just a bit after my birthday) to join the Peace Corps.

This year I have two. The first is to become conversationally fluent in Rukwangali over the next year. The second is to join the ranks of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). NaNoWriMo is an online community of creatively insane people who think it’s a good idea to try to write a novel (of more than 50 thousand words) in the course of a month. It just happens to be November… so over the next 30 days I’ll be trying to put down a first draft of my yet untitled novel. :) I’ll keep you posted on how that goes! (If you want to check it out go to nanowrimo.org!)

As for the first resolution, I’m studying hard! I had my second tutoring session with Maxima yesterday. She is amazing! She has the wonderful ability to strike a balance between praise, encouragement, and good-natured threats that is thoroughly motivating! Which is good, because the first week of December I’ll have my third LPI (language proficiency interview) to assess my progress.

Well, that’s all for now! I’m planning to upload another picture heavy post this weekend while I’m in town, so look for that soon!