Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Wild Weather

I have been very attuned to the weather since I have been here- I think it is because whether it is hot or cool makes a huge difference in how I feel, and since there is really no weather forecast I am always watching to see if the weather is changing. Tonight there is a huge front of dark storm clouds approaching my little house- it is very impressive and a little intimidating Right now Sinead is away at a three day workshop, and I am without a car, and more than ever I am feeling like I am alone in the middle of nowhere Africa. Earlier this afternoon I went to the nearby "village" to get a drink, but even there there was hardly anyone around. It seems like everyone here justs works really hard and has little time for anything else. So it really feels like its just me out in the middle of the bush (though of course there are actually a lot of people around on their farms). Its actually kind of a nice feeling, especially when I can have a beer and watch the rain come down from my doorstep, but it also makes me appreciate having Sinead here and realize how hard this would be if I was really on my own (or if I didn't have a car).

Friday, February 17, 2006


Me running with two of my learners on a Sunday night. People here really like running with us.


The church by my house- I have yet to go, but someday I'm sure I will.

ahhh Owamboland


So another week has come and gone, and life is overall pretty good. Its crazy to think that its been five weeks and the first term is a third over. I've been kind of a homebody lately, mostly hanging out around my house and occasionally going to Outapi to visit Sinead, so my photos are mostly just shots around my house. Hopefully I will have some more exciting shots next week. We were supposed to take a trip to the Kunene river to go camping this weekend, but it was canceled due to rain (which is coming down in buckets, I guess my complaints about the heat worked). So maybe that will be next weekend. Meanwhile I think it will be the usual weekend routine of going to Oshakati (90 km down the road) for groceries and maybe meeting up with other volunteers, and then relaxing at home, taking walks around (we would like to make it to Angola), and planning lessons, which is very time consuming.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

A Positive Post

That's right, no more negativity on this blog. Sinead and I are both feeling much better, and the weather is cool to boot. Actually, a lot of people said that the hot weather was responsible for our sickness, which I doubt, but it might have played a part. One of the nun's at Sinead's school told me this is an extreme climate, which I thought was surprising since I figured southern India, where she is from, would be pretty hot too, but I guess Kerala actually has a very mild climate. Now though it has been cloudy and cooler (high 80's) for the past few days and this has helped my spirits soar.

This past weekend was the most relaxing yet. Sinead and I spent most of our time out here at Oluvango, which is very quiet on the weekends. We hardly saw anyone at all, except on Sunday afternoon, when we met and talked to a large group of people heading home from church. We had thought about going, but if people go at 10 AM and leave at 3 PM I'm not sure I'm up for it. We'll see. It was really nice to just hang out and not drive a lot (though we did quickly go to Oshakati for groceries and a car wash), and go for long walks at sunset around the area, which despite its flatness is really pretty. I don't think we've walked as far as Angola yet, but its hard to know since it is so close and the border is not well marked.

This week teaching has seemed much easier. I am getting to know my students, and I am more relaxed when lessons don't go exactly as planned. I can't be sure they are learning any more from me, but at least I'm not wearing myself out as much. That is until my computer class, which I have definitely not figured out how to run effectively. It is a constant barrage of students demanding my attention, and all of them are at different levels. Some can't use the mouse, and others are looking up photos of Beyonce on Google within two minutes of arriving. So I'm not sure how to have cohesive class, but since its only been two days I'm hopeful I'll figure something out.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Cloudy evening with a big baobab tree- unfortunately it hasn't been like this (cloudy and cool) for about a week, instead its been beautiful blue skies and intense heat.
The Namibian expressway (this is much better than the cows who stand on the road taking up parts of both lanes until you honk at them.)

Kids taking a swim in Odibo- it looks really nice, but all of us volunteers are terrified of bilharzia (snails that attack your reproductive system, very nasty)

AAAAHHH- how sweet. A nice moment at my flat.
Group photo from last week in Odibo- from left to right Loren, Narelle, Laura, Inbal, and me.


So its the weekend, I'm starting to feel better, and life is good (if only it would rain). Sinead and I decided to take it easy this weekend, no big trips, though we still had to come to Oshakati to get food and of course put photos on our blogs. Other than that though its been hanging out at my flat, taking walks and talking to neighbors (in our limited but growing Oshindonga vocabulary), looking at the stars, and cooking nice but simple meals (we are both still feeling a little sensitive). Hopefully this week will be much better for both of us, especially Sinead, who definitely had the worst of the runny tummy as well as food poisoning- she is a real trooper. This week I will be starting computer classes (I hope), which will take up more of my free time, but it will be interesting to see if I can teach the learners some valuable stuff. Unfortunately since there are so few computers the principal decided to have only the 4 best learners in each class take the classes- it seems kind of unfair, but I guess they have to choose between them somehow. I'm hoping to switch who is in the classes after the first term. I'm not sure where to start- I guess with turning on the computer and using the mouse. Beyond that it would be great if they could learn to type, but I know it would be more interesting to start doing stuff with the internet. If anyone has any ideas leave a comment or send an e-mail.

Other than that not much news here- I think once we really start feeling better we will be much more settled and happier living here. I think we are slowly making progress getting to know the teachers at our schools. I've been giving them rides on the way to town, and its nice to get a chance to talk to them outside of school- unfortunately they all live in town while I live 14 km away at school, so its hard to see anyone on the weekends, especially at night. Plus, I think a lot of them go to visit their families in various villages on the weekends.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Feeling a little sick

I really would like this post to be positive and cheerful, full of the many ways that life in Namibia is wonderful. And actually life here is wonderful, i'm just getting used to it. But this week has been hard so far because both Sinead and I have been feeling sick. We've both been suffering from what Namibians call "Runny Stomach"- a nicely evocative but still euphemistic term- I'll spare you a more detailed description. Lets just say I am not appreciating having an outhouse right now.

However, if this is the worst illness we experience this year (which I'm sure it won't be) we would be incredibly fortunate. I've been surprised at how few mosquitos I've seen so far here, and I think this is making me a little lax about malaria precautions. I'm still taking my prophylactics and sleeping with a net most nights, but I hardly ever put on bug spray, and I've been much less worried about walking around at night when the anopheles mosquitos are most active. Its just hard to constantly vigilant about a disease that doesn't seem to be a big risk, though I have heard about a few recent cases at other schools. I really can't wait for the winter, when it will both be cool and I won't have to worry about getting horribly ill from a mosquito bite.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

a party and more

Our good friend Lolly (sometimes called Lorry) in the mud outside Sineads room.
Traditional (I think) houses that are near the church by my house- I don't think anyone lives in them now, and I'm not sure if they are used for anything.
Me and a cat at our friend Kate's house.
Girls dancing at a farewell party at Sineads school.


Another week of teaching has come and gone, and we are beginning our third weekend here. Despite my negative post below, this week was probably the best in terms of teaching, my learners are starting to get more comfortable with me and vice versa. I’m still disappointed at how poorly many of them are doing on the tests I give them- I would say the tests are too hard, but then one or two students ace them every time. I just need to get used to dealing with a wide range of abilities.

It seems the weather here is following a pattern of rainy for five days, and then sunny and hot for three. Yesterday everything was a huge mud pit and I was cursing the rain, but now it’s so hot I want the storm clouds to come back- I guess I’m hard to please. Fortunately there have been very few mosquitoes lately, despite a whole lot of standing water, so I have something to be thankful for.

Yesterday I crashed a going away party for a former principal at Sinead’s school- it was a long affair, but also really fun to see people here celebrating- the food was really good too, though very meat heavy. I also tried traditional millet beer, which is very interesting and maybe I’ll someday get to like it, but yesterday it kind of made me feel ill. It’s good to start to get plugged in with the community, I think both Sinead and I are going to make a bigger effort to do that in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

So I'm really here for a year

By now the excitement I felt at being in Namibia, and then again when I first arrived here in Oluvango, has definitely worn off. The sunsets are still beautiful, but I'm used to them. I no longer wave to everyone I pass in the car, or at least I don't wave very enthusiastically. I seem to be running out of the adrenaline that carried me through my first two weeks of teaching. Things are starting to seem normal, or more accurately they are still strange but I'm getting used to the strangeness. These things are always hard to diagnose, but I would say I'm beginning to feel a little of the numbness that comes with culture shock.

But then again there is no reason to be so negative. My classes seem to be going better, I get the sense that my learners are learning from me, even if not every class is a clear success. In English I have them doing a project where pairs write an imaginary interview with a famous person and then present them to the class- my guess is that some of the interviews will be dissapointing, but I am hoping that some will really impress me. I've been giving quite a few tests, and it feels good to have something concrete to begin planning with. And hopefully I will begin doing computer lessons soon, which will take up more of my precious free time, but also hopefully be something I can do for learners that they can't get elsewhere and will make a noticeable difference in their lives. One can only hope.

So that is school. Last weekend Sinead and I had a nice visit with another volunteer- Kate Byers- in Okahao, a large village/town about an hour southeast of here. It was really nice to sit there on a Saturday afternoon with a beer and feel a cool breeze flowing and not worry about lesson planning for a while. Not to mention to spend the day with Sinead and not have to leave her at sunset and drive back to my empty flat- the loneliness at night is starting to get to me. This weekend we are doing something similar, visiting two volunteers who are a married couple- Inbal Goldstein and Laura Smock- in their town right on the Angolan border. So far its been nice to get away from Oluvango on the weekends, though I'm also feeling as though I should make more of an effort to get involved in the community here, though I'm not certain what the best way to do that is.

My apologies for the somewhat negative post, but this is just a phase I've got to get through before I can really start enjoying my time here.