Livingstone in photos!

Hey everyone! I'm a bit behind on holiday blogging, so expect more posts soon. Since I already have these photos on my computer though, I just wanted to give you a look at what I've been up to so far: 

We had the great opportunity to peruse a local market in Livingstone and have a meal there! Fairly similar to Namibian cuisine, and pretty tasty!

A close up of our food!  

We also got to take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river, where we saw this little guy chilling on the bank.

And, of course, we met several hippo pods!

My fellow PCVs and I enjoying the cruise!

And then, just to add some adrenaline to the equation, Andre and I conquered the bridge swing and bungee jump!

Bridge swing, Vic Falls

Bungee jump - 111 meters, Vic Falls

All in all, a fantastic adventure. I'll try to catch you up on what's going on in Malawi soon :) 

Merry Christmas!

welcoming the holidays.

Holidays away from home have the potential to be awful. Thankfully, my Thanksgiving this year was not.

I had a lot of baking to get done, so right after school I started on some chocolate chip cookies for our Grade 7 farewell party the following day. A few of my favorite (I’ll admit it, I have favorites…) learners dropped by to help. We had a great time interpreting my recipe, practicing fractions as we doubled it, and (of course) taste testing!

Then the secretary from my school came over for a previously promised muffin lesson, so we whipped up a batch of blueberry muffins, and I also showed her how to work my gas oven (she just bought one recently).

In the midst of this, I was also making a Thanksgiving family favorite of mine – Challah. This Jewish recipe was especially perfect given that Thanksgiving coincided with the first day of Chanukah this year – something that won’t happen again in our lifetime!

Later in the afternoon my friend and fellow PCV, Bonnie, came over for the night and we made a delicious chocolate pie to share with my host family. Unfortunately, we didn’t cook the filling quite enough, so it ended up more like chocolate pudding. Fortunately – it was still delicious!

The original plan was for Bonnie and I to eat traditional food with my family, but they ended up not cooking that night, so we instead went back into my kitchen and whipped up some steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes. That might not sound like much… but to two vegetable starved PCVs, it was perfect!

So there you have it, Thanksgiving was a success!

On a different note, today is the last day of school! I’ve made it through my first year of teaching, and my English learners have all made a lot of progress. It’s time to celebrate by taking a new adventure… first stop, Victoria Falls! I’ll be heading that way this weekend, looking forward to spending time in new places, meeting new people, and trying new things (like maybe bungee jumping?). I’ll try to post updates where I can, but don’t expect much for the next few weeks. (Not that you would, given my sporadic posting history…. :/ sorry!)

Without resolution.

Hello blog readers.

I would start this post off with an obligatory apology, as always, but it turns out I actually have a reason this time for the long gap. Actually, two reasons.

You see, first I was traveling. I actually was pretty busy. Certainly didn’t have to time to sit down and write anything well thought out.

And the other reason is… I usually wait to write until I’m in a good mental place, and have the inspiration to package together any frustrations with a message of encouragement that somehow brings resolution to the way I’m feeling.

And, to be honest, that hasn’t happened in a while.

During PST (pre-service training) we covered the “Volunteer Life Cycle” about 57.2 times. They beat that horse to death. So, naturally, and like most of my fellow volunteers, I tuned it out.

However, I was recently going through some of the immense tower of papers, manuals, and other ecologically disastrous Peace Corps materials, and I came across a chart that detailed some of the expected issues at certain intervals during service.

Here’s what I saw:

Month	Issues
11-15	-Mid-Service crisis -Doubt about program, role, self, government -Various failures over time

Check, check and check. 

And for some reason, although it pains me to admit I’m experiencing emotions that PC basically mandated me to, this made me feel…validated.

Don’t get me wrong; I love my life here in Namibia. But, I do struggle from time to time with a feeling of futility. I also wrestle with my ongoing adjustment to living in a new culture.

Even before an offhand comment and some serendipitous radio programming prompted me to pursue a life in the Peace Corps, I’ve always been fascinated by learning about different cultures. I liked it so much that, after a short trip to Haiti in 2010, I inserted myself into my local Haitian community. I went to a Haitian church and started learning to speak Haitian Creole. I had lunch with my pastor and his family every Sunday, fried plantains and fish and rice. I loved it. Actually, when I told my PC recruiter about all of these things, it kind of threw her for a loop. She asked why, and the only answer I could offer was, I wanted to know as much about Haitian culture as I could.

So, when I came to Namibia I was looking for that type of an experience. Immersing myself in a new language, eating new food, living in different conditions… I assumed I would take all this in stride and learn to embrace a culture different from my own, and do it with some ease.

Parts of it are easy. The surface stuff, the tip of the iceberg. The way I dress, the food I eat, being respectful and deferent to elders. But now I’m getting down to the parts of the culture that lie below the surface, and it’s hard. I’m being faced with difficult questions like: is it okay for me to think that parts of another culture are “wrong”? Is that possible? Because, I’m obviously biased, my moral definitions of right and wrong are formed from my cultural perspective. But does that matter?

It’s easy to debate these anthropological topics at arms-length, in a classroom, academically. But I’m here. And these aren’t high-order thinking, hypothetical questions anymore. They’re real. And they’re about people that I know.

So… that’s where I am right now. Muddled and messy and confused about life. No resolution to offer at the moment. And yet, here I am. 

SOMA guest blog!

Hey guys! So, as you know I'm currently in Senegal attending a malaria boot camp through Stomp Out Malaria in Africa. I'm having a great time and I had the opportunity to write about it for Stomp's website. Check it out!

http://stompoutmalaria.org/boot-camp-day-2-its-a-movement/

How I get from here to there...

Today’s nam milestones –

            received my third bee sting
            saw a second dog be hit by a car
            coaxed my fifty-seventh baby into thinking white people are cool
            was hit on obnoxiously for the millionth time

Pretty full day, huh?

And now, I’d like to delve into a topic I’ve been saving for a rainy day…. transportation.

Transportation in Namibia can be…challenging.

First, everything happens on African time. Not that it’s always a bad thing. If you can get yourself adjusted to it, African time can really work in your favor. But to the stereo-typical American brain, it’s inconceivable that a 65 km trip should take 2.5 hours. And yes, sometimes that happens.

Next, there aren’t that many people in Namibia. About 2 million, actually. And not many of them have cars. Unlike some other volunteer organizations, Peace Corps does not allow volunteers to drive vehicles. So, sometimes we have to creative…

Here are our options – public transport (usually a combi, a van-type vehicle) or hitch-hiking (or, as we refer to it here – hiking). Now, both have their merits. As this is a public blog, I will refrain from supporting either whole-heartedly…rather I will attempt to amuse you with anecdotal tales of both types.

How I get to Rundu (my shopping town) from my village: 

- Walk to the road

- Find a shady spot, and watch the horizon for matua (cars)

- Whenever one meanders by, flag it down using a variety of moves (my personal go-to is the "dribbling the basketball")
- When a car/combi does pull over, discuss where I'm going, and how much money I have

- Hop in and go! 

But, as simple as that sounds, there are always complications. To sort some of those things out…here is the glorious first edition of my Rules for Nam Transport!

Rule # 1: Leave early. You never know what’s going to happen between point A and point B. Examples: your combi/public transport car may take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours to fill up. You may receive a ride from a friendly man who needs to make a “quick stop” and end up chatting with his wife over tea for a few hours. There are always stops to be made, errands to be run, and plenty of cows, goats, and donkeys on the road. As an estimate, take the number of kilometers, multiply it by one million, and you should be pretty close.

Rule # 2: Always bring a book, an ipod, or some other form of amusement. When hiking, you never know how long you’ll be on the side of the road. If possible, bring a friend and invent new dance routines to help get the attention of passing cars. Also, always wear sunscreen (that’s for you, Amanda!). Especially if you’re as pale as I am.

 Rule # 3: Pay attention to your surroundings. This rule is especially important when you; a) live in a village, b) have no sense of direction, or c) both. I’m not too proud to admit that I have, on three occasions, accidentally passed my village. But really, let me break it down. In the 65 km between my shopping town and my village, here’s what you will find – cows. goats. donkeys. small children. huts. trees. and the occasional shebeen (bar). After a while, it all starts to look the same. So rule 3.1 – don’t get too engrossed in your book, 3.2 – don’t have such awesome conversations you forget to look for your landmarks, and 3.3 – don’t SMS excessively. :)

Rule # 4: There is always more space. I’m not sure if this counts as a rule, or more of a principle… but either way, when you’re traveling in Namibia, it’s very true! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a vehicle and thought to myself “there is no possible way another person could fit in here,” and less than two minutes later the driver has decided to prove me wrong. I usually end up making a game out of it and keeping a running total as we pick up/drop off passengers. I think my personal record is 24 on one bakkie (pick up truck), cab and bed included. Obviously, I was abiding by PC rules and riding in the cab. But yes, it happened.

Rule # 5: Enjoy yourself. It can be difficult. Sometimes you’ve spent all day walking around grocery shopping and sweating constantly and you just want to be done. But while transportation is a challenge, it’s also an adventure. Greet the people in your vehicle. Try to impress them with your language skills. Play with the small children. Count the cows. And if all else fails, conjure up some super sweet background music and imagine that you’re in a movie.

So there you have it... five simple rules to keep you sane while you get around in Namibia. Now come visit me and try them out! :)

Rambling thoughts from a combi...

Spring is everywhere these days... You can hear it in the way that all the trees whisper in the breeze, and then fall silent, as if holding their breath in anticipation. You can see it in the scores of new baby goats, their bright markings gleaming in the sun. You can smell it when a faint, sweet scent drifts your way from tiny blossoms that cover a few bushes. You can feel it as the sun beats down on your shoulders, reminding you that summer is just around the corner. Yes, spring is here - however brief it may be.

I leave on Sunday for the Stomp Out Malaria bootcamp in Senegal! All the last stubborn details are falling (or being dragged) into place, and tub it's off I go! I'm so excited about this opportunity!

Before I leave, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask for your help, on behalf of my friend Olga. But first, let me back up...

Teenage pregnancy is an astronomical problem in Namibia, particularly in my region. More than 30% of 12-19 year olds in my area will fall pregnant. Once that happens, their future is significantly impacted. While they are permitted to attend school after delivery, many of them aren't able to, for financial reasons.

My friend Olga is one of those girls. She is in 7th grade, and now has a beautiful 3 week old daughter named Indi. Olga's grades were very good for term 1 & 2, even in the late stages of her pregnancy.

Through some visits with her, she's expressed a desire to finish grade 7 and attempt to apply for grade 8 at a nearby school. Together, we've found a young woman in the village who is willing to care for Indi during the day for the price of N$300 (approximately 30 USD) a month, for the remaining 3 months of this school year.

So, here's where I ask for your help. Is anyone interested in sponsoring a bright young mother as she works upwards finishing her education? This is the first step of many, to be sure - but finishing grade 7 will make her eligible for secondary school, and open up many future possibilities.

I hope you'll think about it today, and consider helping. Thanks guys!

Village Chillage

While my original holiday plans fell through, I managed to have a pretty great tome the past week and a half! 

My friend Sachi, who is a volunteer down in southern Namibia was able to come up and hang out in Kavango for the week. It was really great to introduce her to the culture, language and villages of the north! We spent some time here in Rundu, my shopping town and then headed out to my village, along with fellow Kavango volunteer, Andre. 

It's amazing how life in the village (especially during holiday) can seem so slow, but at the same time the days just fly by! We shared meals with my host family, sat around the fire and played an impromptu game of sand pictionary with my siblings. Loads of fun! 

We happened to be in my village just in time for my youngest brother's first birthday. So, of course we baked cookies and brought him a teddy bear stuffed animal. There is, however no word for "bear" in Rukwangali (not surprisingly) so he's learning to love his new stuffed "mbwa" (dog!). Not long after the birthday festivities, we were all able to witness his first steps! Not to brag, but they were towards one very proud big sister :D

We also managed to watch a lot of Friends, make friendship bracelets, and cook delicious lentil tacos. Overall, successful village chillage time. 

Now I'm wrapping up holiday by making use of the internet, getting lessons together and planned for term 3, and getting ready for my trip to Senegal. I also will have the pleasure of hosting 2 trainees in my village next weeks. They've been in Namibia for a little over a month, and will be shadowing me to learn more about a volunteers role at school! 

That's all for now! Enjoy these photos, compliments of Sachi! :)

Here's my dog, Tjida with his Uncle Dre! 

Showing off my neck muscles... 

My little brother, Junior with his mom
(just moments before he took his first steps!)

"Adversity, we get around it"

Perhaps one of the most important lessons I’m learning as a PCV is how to deal with failure. This has been especially true over the past few days, as both of the projects I had planned to do this school holiday unraveled. And while I’m disappointed that things didn’t go according to plan, I can only hope that through these failures I’ll learn some things that will make it more successful next time, and rejoice that I still have the time in my service to make multiple attempts.

Until then, I’m planning to use my spare time to get super organized for term 3, and allow myself some time to organize my new hut. Also, my PCV friend Sachi is up coming to visit, so I’m excited to share my village with her!

Also, the big news I hinted at a few posts ago has come true, so I’m free to share it! I’ve been selected to attend a conference in Senegal hosted by an organization called Stomp Out Malaria! It’s an intense nine day training event focused on malaria, prevention techniques, and behavior change methods to help my community eradicate the disease. Obviously, I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to not only gain so much useful knowledge but also see another piece of Africa!

This also means I’ll be missing a lot of school, so the other thing I’ll be working on this holiday is planning lessons and assignments to leave behind for my learners. I’m working with my school to find someone willing to take over my classes while I’m gone so they don’t fall behind. I’m happy to report that my term 2 exam scores were reasonably high, and by the final exam I hope we’ll make even more progress.

So… I’m off to practice some useful French phrases! :) Hope you’re having a great day!

To the days that make it worth it.

Note: I wrote this a few weeks back and never got around to posting it. But, it's still very true! :)

One of my favorite things about living abroad is the way that good things, no matter how small, always seem to be amplified. Good days, classes, or moments are really good. By the same token… when things are bad, they’re pretty bad…

I spent all day in bed yesterday, really sick. Running stomach, fever, headache, and sore throat. And it was awful. To make matters worse, the electricity was out. As a girl with a dead laptop whose primary coping mechanism when sick is to watch too much TV (in college, when I was confined to my dorm room with swine flu for a week I once watched 10 NCIS episodes in one day…) this was hard to take. Also, it meant I couldn’t heat up water in my kettle, and therefore couldn’t enjoy hot tea (coping mechanism #2). So… I slept. A lot. I read a little. I lay there feeling miserable.

And today, I’m feeling better. By tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal. My host family has been awesome. Maxima made me gargle salt water, and Omama made me soft porridge (a lot like cream of wheat – essentially Kavango baby food!). They chastised me for not wearing a sweatshirt and shoes once the sun went down, and fussed at me for looking thinner.

For all the crazy ups and downs, I’m so glad the good outweighs the bad. When I get to the end of every day, week, and month, I can look back and say: there was a lot of good, and a lot of bad… but when I add it all together, it comes out positive. Always. Little things, like Chicken City’s ice cream machine working when I go to Rundu, or my learners asking me “what’s up?” outside of class. When my dog cuddles with me at night, or when my little host brothers smile at me. When I learn a new word in Rukwangali, or teach a new word in English. When I look up at the stars, or watch the sunrise. Good always comes out on top, if you look for it.

So, to sum that all up, I’ll say this. Some days, you will poop your pants on your way to the latrine. But most days you won’t. And those days make it worth it. :)

updates (huts, pups, and more)

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I left the US. What a year… In keeping with the roller coaster analogy, I can tell this ride will be over far too soon! From what I hear, year 2 goes by even quicker! I’m so not ready for that!

Things are going well here in my village. Term 2 is winding down; exams are just around the corner! I haven’t completely settled in on my new homestead, mainly because I’m still waiting to move into my permanent hut.

My hut is coming along though! We’ve moved the roof of my original hut over to my new homestead, and re-mudded the walls. That was a ton of fun! It’s like making productive mud pies! All the dry mud is collected from termite hills or my village’s mud pit, and placed inside the hut. Then, we collected tons of water and poured that onto the mud mound. The task of mixing up the mud fell to a few of my bigger boy learners. Then, the girls and I began shaping mud balls! Each ball is then eased between two of the poles (that are holding up he roof) and smoother into place. You have to be careful to get just the right consistency of mud (not too wet, not too dry) otherwise it wont stay in place. I put on some Namibian music on my iPod and we had a dance party while we worked. :)

For my kitchen hut, I’ll need to start from scratch – new roof, new poles, more mud. Part of the Peace Corps’ contract with my village is that the community members provide housing. As my community is made up mostly of people with little to no income, that’s a lot to ask. We had a parent meeting at my school last week, and the school board presented my case. I was very blessed when two of my colleagues stood up to speak for me. They told the parents that I’m working without pay, and even brought up some of the projects I’ve been doing! It was like a Hallmark movie moment… but it really did make me feel appreciated. The parents all agreed to help, and divided up who was bringing what materials. The grass for my roof started arriving on Monday, so I’m on my way there!

I recently spent a week in Windhoek (the capital city), getting ready for the new group of volunteers. They arrive in country TODAY, and I will be spending a week at their pre-service training in August. I’m so excited to meet them all! It’s a large group (44ish) of English teachers and business volunteers.

My dog, Tjida, is growing fast. He follows me everywhere! Right now, he’s napping under my desk… He comes to school with me every day, sometimes all the way into the classroom. Giving him a Rukwangali name has worked out great - I think everyone in my whole village knows his name! I’m also training him in Rukwangali, and the kids love it! He’s starting to grow into his maternal collie bloodlines. His new favorite game is to round up any passing herds of goats… he doesn’t know what to do with them once he has them together, but he’s getting there. He’s still afraid of cows though, and prefers to bark at them from a distance… maybe he’ll grow out of that?

Things continue to go well with the library! I’m hoping to plan some reading events next term to keep interest up! I’ve also started a small library for the lower primary learners (pre-primary – grade 3) that rotates weekly It’s mainly simple books in Rukwangali and a few very easy English books. I’m meeting with those teachers soon to check the progress, and see how they’re using the books.

My language learning is plodding along... it’s hard to find the time to concentrate on it, but I still try to pick up new words every day. How about a quick lesson?

Morokeni (more-oh-ken-ee) : Good morning/hello

Metaha (may-tah-hah) : Good afternoon

Ngurova (nn-guh-roh-vah) : Good evening

Mpandu (mm-pahn-doo) : Thank you

…I’m not so great at phonetic spellings, but that should get you pretty close! I’ll have to make a video! :)

Well, that’s all for now! I have some exciting projects planned for August holiday, but I’m not going to jinx them by telling you about them now! Hopefully I’ll also have some unrelated good news to share soon… so stay tuned! :)

As a few of you know, I had difficulty relating to my original host family here in Mayenzere. It wasn’t so much that we didn’t like one another, or that we clashed… it just wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t the typical Kavango family experience, either. My mother was a teacher at my school, living on the homestead with one of her 4 daughters. From time to time there were various other children, and for a time another single woman… but it never really felt homey.

Through a series of event, I ended up living alone on my homestead. My mother had requested a transfer (being both tired of village life, and not wanting to live apart from her other 2 young daughters who are schooling in Rundu). She now lives in town. The Peace Corps and my supervisor felt uncomfortable about my living alone (although I never felt unsafe, my village is fairly quiet) and starting looking for an alternative. The options were limited, with Peace Corps’ housing requirements, and the location of my school. But, it was decided that I should move in with my principal. By American standards, that sounds strange… perhaps I should clarify and say, on my principal’s homestead. At first, I was quite apprehensive about the move. Firstly, I hate moving. One of my least favorite parts of college was moving in and out of dorms each and every year. Blech. Secondly, I originally felt slightly concerned about living with my principal.

But, things have turned out pretty well, so far. I really like the location of my new homestead, and the people who live here. My current homestead family includes Mr. Semethe (my principal), Omama (“Grandmother”, Mr. Semethe’s mother), Maxima (my language tutor/the school cleaner/my best friend on the village), Junior – age 10 months (Maxima’s son), Sendi – age 2 (another one of Omama’s grandchildren) and Maria – age 8 (an orphan who was taken in by my family).

I began moving here on Friday, although I still have a lot of things to move over here. I have way too much stuff. It’s amazing how fast I accumulate things here. I sometimes can’t believe I started out with two bags that I could carry easily by myself. Between Peace Corps materials, the lending library at the PC office, zealous package senders, and my refusal to throw away anything that might be remotely useful… I’ve acquired a mountain of possessions.

This weekend has been… uneventful, I suppose, in some ways. But it’s been wonderful at the same time. It’s exactly what I was expecting when I first moved to my village. It’s been just Omama, Maria, Sendi and I…which has put my Rukwangali skills to the test. Also, since my stove and food are still at my old house, I’ve been taking my meals with them (lots and lots of porridge!). I had the opportunity to help Omama pound mahangu yesterday, after doing some much needed laundry. My arms and hands are sore today, but I was actually getting the hang of it after a while. It’s all in the form… although rhythm and breathing factor in a lot. I’d often wondered why most Namibian women and girls make a little hissing or whistling noise with each stroke of their pounding stick, bu I found it helped keep my tempo strong and helped me remember to breathe – both very important things when you’re pounding!

This afternoon, I decided to try carrying water to my new and slightly further homestead. Since it’s a longer trek, I finally asked some of the women at the tap to help me wind a shitenge into a round, flat pad to put between my head and my jerry can. To use one of these, you need someone to help you place the water on your head, because if you lift it yourself, you’ll knock of the shitenge in the process. So, one of my new friends volunteered to help, and lifted my jug… but she overestimated my water carrying abilities and placed the can on my head standing up straight. (I usually carry it sideways so I have more surface area and can hold the handle as I walk). I gave it a try and tried to straighten up, which resulted in 3 ladies rushing at me to catch the 25 liter container so it didn’t crash to the ground. After that, we did it again…sideways. :) I think I’ll stick with that for now!

 Tjida is also enjoying his new home, which comes complete with a playmate, Pretti, a playful dog who is old enough to subdue my pup, but young enough not mind his constant energy and need of attention. We are both currently staying in a hut that serves as a kitchen during the rainy season (cooking is done outside in the winter). My principal plans to build a new hut for us soon. I’m hoping I can even get him to build me some hammock posts while he has wet cement! And tonight, my new family will I finish watching Tarzan (which we started last night, around the fire). I’m looking forward to it immensely.

I keep thinking I’m going to get better at keeping up with this blog… but then life happens. Haha… Sorry everyone!

I’ll try to summarize:

            - I successfully completed my first term of teaching. It was crazy and frustrating and wonderful. Teaching is really hard work! But, even on the “bad days” when nothing goes as planned… I’m learning to just go with the flow and do whatever I can. I’m slowly getting better at finding those teachable moments, when to bring out the inflatable beach ball to keep things interesting, or how playing Frisbee can become an English lesson.

            - Last term one of my main focuses was getting the library up and running. It went pretty well! I’m in the process of making a few changes in the system to help check out times go more smoothly. The learners love it though! It makes me so happy to see kids so excited about books. I’ve never had fewer than 50 learners come any time the library has been open!

            - Camp Glow! Camp Glow is a youth development camp that I had the pleasure of being a part of this year! It was an amazing week! We had 80 learners there from all over Namibia, some of whom had never before left their village. The week was jam-packed with activities about leadership, health, gender awareness, and planning for the future. We had a blast! I already can’t wait for next year! One of the best things about it was our Namibian counselors. We had 12 of them, some still in high school, all of them amazing! Spending time with them gave me so much hope for the future of Namibia. They are so passionate and smart and wonderful, and I’m so happy I’m to be friends with them.

            - After camp, I spent a week with my amazing host family in Okahandja. I know I brag on them all the time, but I seriously can’t convey just how lucky I am to be a Bezuidenhout. It’s like having a small piece of home here in Namibia. I know I’m always welcome there, that there will be hugs, jokes, quality conversations, a comfy bed and good food. And to cement their place as best host family ever, during this visit, they gave me the most adorable puppy on the planet! 

            - The rest of my holiday was spent at a Peace Corps conference and then hanging out with a few other PCVs back in Kavango. It was an awesome, relaxing and refreshing break.

            - And now, term 2 is underway! So far, we’re off to a great start! :) I can tell that my learners are becoming more comfortable with me, and that they’re making progress. I’m back to diligently studying Rukwangali, and hoping to get together some beginner English classes for adults. God willing, Maxima and I will launch our girls’ club next Wednesday! So hopefully I’ll soon have an update on that.

Thanks for reading!

Packing time!

In order to pay homage to all of the diligent bloggers whose writings I scoured endlessly from the time I was nominated until I left America, and hopefully to help out some future volunteers, it is now time for… the packing list.

To all of you American friends, this probably won’t be very applicable. I apologize, and promise to get a new blog up soon for your reading pleasure…but group 38 needs packing advice first!

I distinctly remember, while going through my obsessive list making before I left for Peace Corps, worrying that I wouldn’t be able to find baking soda (which I used to wash my dreadlocks). Baking soda! Now that seems hilarious… but then it seemed like a very real concern.

Fact – Namibia has grocery stores. Clothing stores. Electronics stores. Camping/outdoor stores. ATMs. Internet cafes. Baking soda AND baking powder.

I guess what I’m trying to say is… if you need it, it’s probably here. Granted, maybe not in your region, but at least in Windhoek, you’ll be able to find most everything you need. If not, enlist someone in the US to ship it to you.

The most important piece of advice I was given about packing for the Peace Corps was this: Pack as if you’re moving, not going on a trip. Seems simple, but it’s a great philosophy to think about when you’re making cuts from your packing list.

So here's my advice... 

Clothing

Nice clothes for teaching – Namibian teachers are snazzy dressers! Don’t be afraid to bring some nice things. I get away with my own, more comfortable version of teaching clothing but if you like to dress up, you’ll fit in here.

Casual clothes – I didn’t bring enough of these. In the village, after school (especially in the summer) all you’re gonna want to be wearing is some shorts and a tank top.

Warm clothes – You’re going to hear this a million times…. but Namibia gets COLD. I know you’re sitting there right now in early summer, thinking “Psh… it’s Africa. How cold could it be? I’m from (insert northern state). I can handle it!”

You can’t. Especially after you’ve been through a Nam summer and your body is used to constantly sweating. Do yourself a favor… bring a warm jacket, a scarf, a hat, socks and gloves.  You won’t regret it.

Special note for those with visible tattoos: Peace Corps informed me about 2 weeks before departure that all tattoos were to be kept covered for the first 8 months in country. I assure you this is completely unnecessary. Save yourself a lot of packing frustrations and just bring clothes that are appropriate for the weather. My tattoos attract attention, but they also start conversations, and allow me explain different aspects of American culture.

Electronics

What I would bring:

Laptop – netbooks are good for traveling, but wither way you’re going to want to have something!

Kindle – optional, but great if you like to go through books quickly. There are some pretty great volunteer libraries floating around (especially in Kavango…which is also the coolest region, overall!) so it’s not a must, but if you have one, bring it!

iPod – Music keeps me sane, so this was non-negotiable for me.

Camera - you’re obviously going to see amazing things here!

External hard drive – filled with new media. As in the new Dexter season that starts next month, Game of Thrones, and all the summer blockbusters. You will make lots of friends! :)

Note: Most of the things you bring with you will probably be broken or stolen while you’re here. Be prepared.

Random other things I’m glad I brought…

ENO hammock

A good kitchen knife – 2 years is a long time to go without a good knife. Bring one!

Pictures and things to decorate

Gerber multitool

Thermarest sleeping pad

Hair cutting scissors

Diva cup

In conclusion... bring what you absolutely need. You need less than you think. If you're unsure about whether or not you can get something here ask me or another current volunteer. 

And...welcome to Namibia! Can't wait to meet you all! 

Morokeni (hello) blog readers!

Sorry for the long gap in between posts… I have not one legitimate excuse, there have been a combination of deterrents. In any case, I’ll try to catch you up a bit!

Bad news first…Bekah (my dog) is gone. She has disappeared into my village somewhere, most likely not on her own volition. My friends here in Mayenzere tell me it is not unlikely that someone has taken her. It’s very sad, but it’s been about a month now…so I don’t think she’s coming back.

Happier things:

I’m proud to announce the school library opened on March 4^th, and has been a huge success so far! The first day it was open we had 70 visitors, and since then we’ve been averaging about 50. The room is small, so all the learners line up outside and I let a few in at a time, trying to keep the internal chaos to a minimum. Everywhere I go I see learners carrying their library books… I’ve even had to ask a few to put their books away while I’m teaching! Each of my English classes elected 4 library helpers, who I have been teaching how to check books in and out, repair older books and organize the books into their classifications. Most of the books were here when I came to Mayenzere, but they were in boxes in a classroom, not being used. I’ve also had some donations from family in the US, and the Ministry of Education even sent some to our school last week! So, slowly but surely, the collection is growing.

Teaching is going well, for the most part. I have bad days of course…where every lesson I planned goes horribly wrong, or simply goes over their heads, or is interrupted by a mandatory teachers meeting… but the good days make up for all of that. I’m constantly discovering new areas where my students need help, and those topics get recycled into my lessons for the next week. For instance, last week I discovered that my 6^th graders had no idea what an opposite was, and my 7^th graders didn’t know the word weather… so this week we’re learning antonyms and weather vocabulary. :) Sometimes I get so caught up in the idea of preparing them for the outrageous exams they must take, that I forget that my learners have only been speaking English a few years… sometime it’s good to take a few steps back and realize that we need to go back to the beginning and lay some more groundwork. So, it’s a learning process for all of us. But I think we’ll accomplish a lot this year!

I’ve been staying very busy the past month or two, I’ve hardly been in my village a whole weekend! (My towering laundry pile is evidence of this!) Among my travels have been two trips to Windhoek for Peace Corps meetings. One of them was a planning meeting for Camp Glow (Girls and guys leading our world). It’s a youth camp for Namibians, focusing on topics like leadership, self-esteem, health, and co-operation. I’m very excited about it – especially because one of my grade 7 learners has been accepted to go! I’m very proud of her, and glad she’ll get this opportunity to meet other learners from around Namibia, and develop her skills as a leader. I’ve also spent some time in Rundu, saying goodbye to the group 33 volunteers as they finished their service and started heading home.

This weekend I also had to pleasure of hosting my first couch surfers! Couchsurfers.org is a website dedicated to helping travelers make connections with people all over the world. When I edited my profile with my Namibian information, I was not really expecting a lot of interest… but I’ve had two requests already! Last night I had the awesome opportunity to host 3 Ukrainians who have been traveling all over southern Africa. It was great to hear about their trip, tell them a bit about Kavango, and learn from then about Ukrainian culture.

Okay….I think that all for now! If any of you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them, just leave me a comment or message me on facebook! Mbaa (good bye) for now!

a non-cohesive update on life

Okay…so I’ve been waiting for my random thoughts to magically organize themselves into a cohesive blog post for a few weeks now. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened. So, instead…here are some rambling, rabbit trail musings! :)

1) Murphy’s Law of Rainy Season Urination – No matter how long it’s been since you emptied your bladder, when it starts pouring, you WILL need to pee. Badly. And you’ll end up in an internal wrestling match over whether or not to get soaked on your way to the latrine, or endure the torture or staying inside and listening to the (normally beautiful but currently awful) sound of rain hitting your thatched roof. Every. Single. Time.

2) Meetings in Namibia can be… overwhelming. I’m not even sure that’s the right word. My beginning of term staff meeting began at 1:00pm, just after school let out, and I got home at 6:00pm. Let’s just say, surviving a meeting can take some considerable strategic planning.

The Sestito Guide to Nam Meeting Survival

step 1 – Have a good morning. Do whatever you need to do to put yourself in             a good mood. Listen to happy music, treat yourself to some American goodies (like Starbucks via!)… anything that will give you positive energy. Trust me, you’ll need it.

step 2 – Eat before the meeting, even if you’re not hungry yet. By the middle, you’ll be starving.

step 3 – Prepare a mental list of things to think about once you zone out.

step 4 – Always begin the meeting with your water bottle less than full. At some point, you’ll want to stretch your legs… and filling it up will be a good             excuse.

step 5 – smile! :)

3) Shitenges, a traditional cloth in my region are amazing. I always have one with me now. Always. Somehow a piece of fabric, about two yards long, has become an integral accessory to everyday life. I’m keeping a running list of all the ways to use them I’ve come across.

- As clothing. Most women in the village wear them as a wrapped skirt. I’ve also used mine as a beach cover-up, shawl, and dress.

- As shade. While walking in the sun, draping a shitenge over your head is surprisingly helpful. Also, if the sun is shining into the car, you can use it as an instant window shade. :)

- As a shower curtain.

- As a quick dry towel.

- To carry laundry, or other various items

- To carry babies (I thought they deserved their own bullet point…)

- To cushion your head when carrying heavy containers of water

- To lay on the ground when sitting outside.

And, did I mention they come in all sorts of awesome patterns, and cost approximately $2.35 USD?

4) Teaching is challenging, rewarding, frustrating, exciting, and hard work. Most of the best and worst moments I’ve had in the past month have been in the classroom. But, I’m getting there. I’m starting to develop some good routines. I’ beginning to get better at planning good lessons (that are at the appropriate level for my learners, and take the right amount of time). I’m doing my best to learn all of their names. And I’m starting to be relaxed and confident enough in the classroom to have fun while I teach.

5) I cannot get over how beautiful the sky is here. Whether it’s raining, sunny, morning, dusk, or evening… it’s always mind blowing-ly gorgeous. Neither photos nor words do it justice. Come and see.

Okay…..that’s all for now. Much love to everyone! 

A walk in the {theme} park

Peace Corps service is like a rollercoaster.

Okay, maybe this analogy is as dead as the proverbial horse… but I think it still has merit. The application process is about as close as you can get to waiting in line for the newest thrill at Six Flags. You’re standing there, awkwardly stuck between other hopeful faces, not sure when you’ll get to your destination, if you’ll get the seat in the front car as you so desperately desire, or if you’ll finally get to the front of the line only to find that you’re too short, or the park is closing, or someone threw up all over the tracks and the ride is shut down.

Then, your invitation comes. You accept, and suddenly you’re strapped in, legs dangling, clutching the handles and combating a rush of second thoughts. Is it worth it? What if this is the ride that changes everything? Should you call it all off?

But, eventually you decide that you didn’t wait in line for 3 hours (or 9-12 months…) to get to the front and then quit. So you go for it. You lurch forward and begin your long, clickety-clackety journey up the big hill – otherwise known as Pre-Service Training. PST is full of strange time-warping powers, anticipation of the “real ride”, getting to a place where you can see the view around you, and steeling your stomach for all the butterflies that promise to react to the coming drop. You make it to swearing in – that is, the top of the first big hill. You’re sure it’s all warm fuzziness and dopamine from here on out.

And it is.

And it isn’t.

Because this nearly ends the metaphor. The truth is, the actual ride that is Peace Corps Service does offer a lot of heart stopping, stomach dropping, butterfly fluttering moments. But a lot of days… you feel stuck on the tracks. Like you’re not going anywhere. So you call maintenance (cleverly disguised as fellow PCVs, friends and family) and get moving again. It can take a while, but it’ll happen.

And last of all, just like a roller coaster... I have a feeling that it will be over much to soon. And that I will look back on this amazing ride and know that it was worth the time and the price it cost to get here. 

Dread-less and reporting for duty.

There are some rumors going around that I chopped my dreads off.

And...they're all true! I spent a wonderful Christmas with my host family in Okahandja… but it was incredibly hot. And they had hair clippers… and it was just time to say goodbye.

This decision has brought numerous changes, such as:

- No longer being called “rasta” when I walk down the street (which was getting a bit annoying…)

- No need to carefully avoid Velcro

- Bucket baths becoming a thousand times easier

- Loss of head traction when carrying water

In any case, I’m enjoying the new look, which takes virtually the same amount of morning prep time (approximately 0.5 minutes), and is much cooler!

After Christmas I headed back up north to Kavango. I have to say, it’s definitely good to be back. It was an amazing month of traveling, but I missed village life (and my puppy!). I transitioned back into it by spending a very relaxing New Year’s Eve camping outside of Rundu with an awesome and eclectic group of people. After that a fellow volunteer, Kara, was able to come and visit for a few days, and we passed our time cooking and baking delicious treats, playing with Bekah, watching Smash and getting some ideas together for our classes.

Now…school is about to begin! Teachers started yesterday, learners come on Tuesday! I’ve been helping with some of the transferring and registration and today I got to put my hand tool skills to use. Yesterday I asked about getting another cabinet for the library, and was directed to a stack of flat cardboard boxes in one of our classrooms. Evidently, the Ministry of Education dropped off new furniture for us, but no one knew how to put it together! So, in a Providential turn of events, I used my handy screwdriver (thanks Mom!) and problem solving skills to put together two locking cabinets and three bookshelves. It took a bit of creativity (missing parts, extra parts, incorrectly spaced holes…) but I have secured one of the cabinets for library books, and am now moving forward with my plan to move the library stock we have out of the staff room and into a classroom. More on that to come!

It’s kind of hard to believe that I’m only now, after nearly six months in Namibia, getting ready to begin what I came here to do. But, by the same token, it’s kind of hard to believe how much I’ve learned since coming here. I’m feeling a bit apprehensive, but mostly excited and ready to get started! So, wish me luck… I’ll let you know how my first couple days go!