I have lots to say and not much time to say it, so this is going to be a laundry list... sorry. We arrived in Windhoek, Namibia on Friday and were transported North to our training site. It's basically like a school with dorm rooms. We sleep 6-8 to a room. I have great roommates. Here's a picture of Nick under his mosquito net.
I'm at the only internet cafe in town. It's $20N (about $3 U.S.) per half hour. That is our daily allowance of money so I can't really go over. When we arrived the entire training staff, about 30 people, lined the driveway singing and dancing for us. All of our trainers are either native Namibians or close by. They are wonderful. We've been cooked and cleaned for, fed like 5 times a day. We are spoiled rotten. I'm not sure how this prepares us for upcoming service. Training goes into the first week of January and then we go to permanent sites... don't know where yet, but I have learned the language I'll be speaking is Afrikaans. This language is used in much of Namibia and all over South Africa. I feel fortunate to be studying it. Each day we start out in language class, then have cross-cultural sessions, medical & safety sessions, along with VRC sessions (This is the volunteer support group consisting of current Namibia volunteers). We have gotten to spoke to several of the current volunteers. They all have very different experiences to share. We are all a little tired of our training site and really want to see more of the country. We have a permanent site visit in 2 weeks and then we spend a month in new training sites. I'll be in Tsumeb for most of December, up north near the red line (look that stuff up if you want to know more). I'll try to post again early next week, but it is hard to find time. 
Other pic info... Me at the Vietnam War Memorial, All of us at the airport in D.C., The Namibians greeting us on the first night.
I'm at the only internet cafe in town. It's $20N (about $3 U.S.) per half hour. That is our daily allowance of money so I can't really go over. When we arrived the entire training staff, about 30 people, lined the driveway singing and dancing for us. All of our trainers are either native Namibians or close by. They are wonderful. We've been cooked and cleaned for, fed like 5 times a day. We are spoiled rotten. I'm not sure how this prepares us for upcoming service. Training goes into the first week of January and then we go to permanent sites... don't know where yet, but I have learned the language I'll be speaking is Afrikaans. This language is used in much of Namibia and all over South Africa. I feel fortunate to be studying it. Each day we start out in language class, then have cross-cultural sessions, medical & safety sessions, along with VRC sessions (This is the volunteer support group consisting of current Namibia volunteers). We have gotten to spoke to several of the current volunteers. They all have very different experiences to share. We are all a little tired of our training site and really want to see more of the country. We have a permanent site visit in 2 weeks and then we spend a month in new training sites. I'll be in Tsumeb for most of December, up north near the red line (look that stuff up if you want to know more). I'll try to post again early next week, but it is hard to find time. 
Other pic info... Me at the Vietnam War Memorial, All of us at the airport in D.C., The Namibians greeting us on the first night.
2 comments:
Hey wonderful son.
Sorry I missed your phone call. Out hiking.
I see my son standing next to the wall. Is that him?
I tried calling you back but no one answered the phone. I understand. Love you more than all the sand in Namibia.
Dad.
I am glad to here you made it! We look forward to hearing more of your adventures. Tim
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