Makalani Nuts

Hello Everyone. I am bringing home a little taste of Namibia.

These are Makalani nuts. They come from the local palm trees. They are small, like large marble size... mostly used as key chains. Artists carve beautiful images on them. The ones I'm bringing home all say Namibia on them as well. I'm selling them on behalf of another Peace Corps Volunteer trying to raise money to make improvements to her school classrooms in Namibia. If you are interested they are $8 each. I will have plenty available. They are only costing her $1-$2 each so $6-$7 goes directly to the improvement fund for each one. I know that doesn't sound like much but you would be surprised what we can do with that over here. Let me know if you're interested and I'll try to get them to you while I'm home. E-mail or comment here. Thanks!

The end of a year

I know. It's been a long time since the last post. Life has been great here in Namibia. I experienced Copper Festival right here in Tsumeb... wait til you hear what I won. I got to greet 20 new Peace Corps Volunteers at the airport and spend a weekend with them. And the best news, the rain has returned and the garden is still kicking.

Every year the Copper Festival is held at the end of October in Tsumeb, my hometown. The town was built on copper mining and it's the biggest party of the year here. It reminded me of the festivals in Wheeler Park, only four times bigger. We have a big beautiful park here in Tsumeb called United Nations Park. The whole festival was there. Most of the festival is just people sitting, talking, eating and drinking heavily. I guess that's what most festivals are though, neh? Anyway, I was invited to play basketball in the Copper Games the previous weekend. Our team won the Gold Medal! I was so thrilled to be part of the team. They are a talented group of players and they really made me feel welcome, even though I only scored one basket the entire tournament. One of the guys said, "You're not a full player, but you got a lot of heart." I was touched. The next weekend at Copper Festival we were awarded our medals. Here's a picture of our team plus some additional guys... people always jump into pictures randomly here.

On November 7th I was at Hosea Kutako International Airport to greet 20 new Peace Corps Volunteers. Just look at these poor suckers... deer in headlights. We were only three volunteers to greet the new group. I was honoured to be invited. Two of us got to spend the whole weekend with them as part of Volunteer Support Network (I joined that back in April). They had lots of questions and we had lots of funny stories for them. On Saturday we took them hiking up the mountain in Okahandja, just like the last group did for us. We're such a fraternity. I hope they feel welcomed.

The rain is back. It was six months since I'd seen a drop. Jesse (brother), Udi (friend) and I ran around barefoot in the rain yelling like school boys. It's been good for the garden too. It seems like when we water the garden the plants kind of shrug their shoulders. When it rains, they stand up and sing praise to the heavens. I guess that's similar to the way we reacted running around in it. Here's some of our squash. It's been hard to sell them. Nobody knows what squash is until they see it... and ours aren't all that attractive. Oh well. I bought some and I think they tasted great.

This is probably my last post until January. I'm going home for Christmas in a few weeks. I can't wait!

Yea for money!

The American Embassy finally called. They awarded us US$3400. I think we can do a lot with that here. If you don't recall, this was the grant we wrote back in May. I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. For one thing, the Embassy told me I'd hear something by the end of June. I tried repeatedly to contact them in July and August. I got only one response from a lady who said she couldn't tell me anything. I basically gave up on them. This money is to go toward sewing and gardening projects for our HIV support group. The support group is non-existent at the moment. I really hope we can get people interested. Pray for us.

Also, the Male Engagement workshop went well. My colleague, and friend, Udi and I will have an opportunity to share the info with some local SWAPO government leaders here in Tsumeb. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I think we will be speaking to some very conservative, traditional men. We will be presenting them with ideas about gender equality, and asking them how they think we can 'get outside the box' with local gender norms (i.e. Men don't cook or clean, women's sexual rights inside marriage). It should be interesting.

That's all for now.

Let's Get Physical

I’m back in Tsumeb after yet another detour. I spent the last two weeks in Windhoek for physio-therapy (British English). Nothing is really wrong with me. I just have some irritation in my right leg that I thought I’d get checked out. Why not? I have full medical coverage. I didn’t learn much. They say I have a bit of an abnormal separation in my lower spine. It’s something I was born with and it may be causing the problem. They recommended physio-therapy which is why I had to spend so much time in Windhoek. I’m doing stretches and exercises now that are supposed to help. The truth is I probably should’ve listened to my Mom last year when she evaluated me. She’s also a physical therapist and basically gave me the same plan.

I got a nice surprise when I got home. The squash plants are thriving! They were coming around before I left, but now they’re really kicking. Were they happy I was gone? Maybe my bad attitude was stunting their growth... could be a lesson to all of us who are parenting young species. We also started seeds in our planters a couple weeks ago. We planted green peppers, cabbage, spinach and tomatoes. Hopefully we’ll have something to put into the ground in a few more weeks. The ‘My Future is My Choice’ kids promised to help me with it. Here's a picture of them.

I’m looking forward to a Male Engagement Training next week. I’ll be going to Otjiwarango (2 hours south of Tsumeb) to be trained to give Male Engagement Workshops in Tsumeb. A Namibian colleague from Tsumeb will join me and help facilitate the workshops back here. I’ll let you know how it goes.

What a week!

I promised I’d report on the community meeting and self-defence classes. I didn’t plan on being all that excited to do it.

We held a community meeting on Saturday morning at Omatara (Oshiwambo word meaning open market). Community meetings in Tsumeb are notorious for poor turnouts, but this one was well attended. It helped that Omatara is naturally a busy place but we thought getting their attention and cooperation was going to be a heavy task. We requested ahead of time that all shops close during our meeting. They didn’t seem all that willing to do so but when Councillor Tobias went around with a megaphone they complied. Then about 250 of them pulled up benches and listened attentively throughout the meeting. We had a speaker from the Ministry of Health, and a demonstration by TCE (Total Control of the Epidemic) but the highlight was definitely Tate Luanda Ndemweda’s speech. He is an HIV positive man living in Oshivelo, about an hour north of Tsumeb. We invited him to speak at our meeting because we are having a difficult time finding anyone in Tsumeb willing to speak out publicly about their HIV status. Word got out that we would have an HIV positive speaker. That may have also helped with the turnout. When Tate Ndemweda finished he was given a large round of applause and words of encouragement. A couple shop owners even gave him bags of tomatoes and onions.

We also held self-defence classes at Meameno Centre over the weekend. My friend, and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Paddy, taught the classes along with his partner Brooke. The two of them are trained in Karate and Tae Kwon Do. The classes were only for girls. We had 12 who completed the all three classes and received certificates. I was really impressed with the teachers and the girls. Paddy and Brooke spent a lot of one-on-one time making sure the girls learned all the techniques. I was amazed at what they were able to do after just three days. It was fun to see some of the really shy ones perform with so much energy. It seems so many young girls in Namibia have a hard time standing up for themselves and defending their rights. I think these classes gave them a real boost. I want to send special thanks to Paddy and Brooke who brought these classes to girls all over Namibia.

I know I complain a lot about being ineffective and not getting things done. Most of the time that’s how I feel. So believe me when I say this: I played a big part in making these events a success, and I’m proud of it.

Time to go to work

I suppose I’m due for a work update. I’ve been avoiding this a little due to the lack of production on my end. At least I have excuses. In May, June and July I was gone from Tsumeb for about 10-15 days per month. So I didn’t get a lot done. I shouldn’t have many reasons to leave site in the next few months, and I hope they are much more productive.

I just finished my first ‘My Future is My Choice’ course with students at Tsumeb Secondary School. 13 kids graduated. Next month they’ll be presented their certificates in front of the whole school. I think the kids enjoyed it, and I know I did. I feel like I could be a pretty good teacher. I think the best part of the class had to be the question box. Some of the students were pretty shy, understandable for their age, but they made good use of the question box. I had to refer to my smarter Peace Corps colleagues quite a few times. Many of them actually studied medicine or health. So not only did they learn a lot, so did I. The plan is for me to conduct one course each school term. I’m already looking forward to starting my next class in September.

You may recall I started a compost pile back in March for the new garden to be planted in the spring. We were able to get two good size compost piles going thanks to the help of a local grocery store who provided us their rotting fruits and veggies. It took a while for the decomposition to get moving, but both piles look pretty healthy now. In fact, the rotten squash liked their new home so well they decided to sprout like wildfire. I spent last Saturday transplanting the new squash plants to our garden… our garden that didn’t exist. So I had to prepare the soil. Anybody ever heard of the double digging method? It’s supposed to loosen the soil down to 24 inches. It was pretty painful, but I promise you that soil is loose! I transplanted about 20 squash plants. Unfortunately they may all be dead. Did I mention I’ve never gardened before? I couldn’t keep the root balls together. The compost soil was so loose, the dirt just fell off the roots. I had Jesse come and look at it. He thinks since the compost piles were covered the squash plants got used to a warmer temperature and suffered major shock in the garden. Why didn’t I recruit him to help me? I’ve still got some more squash plants to transplant. I’m going to keep that compost pile uncovered for about a week before I move them. If anybody has suggestions please send me comments. Oh, I forgot about the mango seeds we planted. None of them sprouted. We’re going to try papaya now. Jacob assures me these will work.

I’m helping organize a community meeting and a self-defence class this month. I’ll let you know how it goes. Ta Ta.

Yesterday

Yesterday was a good day for me. For others it was not. My brother Jesse had to attend a memorial service for three of his fellow students at Otjikoto Secondary School. They were killed in a motor vehicle accident one week ago. Two of them were girls in grade 9. The other was a boy in grade 12. He was a friend to Jesse. 22 other students were fortunate enough to survive the accident, although some were seriously injured. I don't know all the details of the accident. I know the kids were in the back of a large open-bed truck. They were headed to their village, Ombili. The truck was hired by their families to bring them home for the weekend. Apparently, the back tire(s) blew and the driver lost control. The vehicle went off the road. It rolled many times throwing the children from the back. The memorial service was the fourth in Tsumeb this year to involve the death of school children.

Yesterday was a good day for me. I had good conversations, ran into people I hadn't seen in a while. My day finished with a nice dinner with Tate and Jesse at Makalani Hotel. Jesse, who was emotionally exhausted, was talking to us with his eyes closed by the end of the meal. He left early this morning for another day of mourning in Ombili.

My friend and colleague, Jacob, also had a very difficult day. He travelled up to Owamboland upon hearing news that his son was very sick. The 1 ½ year old baby remains in the hospital. It must have hit Jacob very hard when he arrived there. He sent me a message, “I don't know what to do. He's very sick.” I'm afraid his son could die, but I pray he gets better news.

Yesterday the weather was perfect, I had a good day at work. I went home to a decent book and a warm bed. I don't know how to comfort my brother or my friend. Illness and death interrupt life all to often here. And every time it does I just feel like an outsider trying to understand.

I have a problem with the phrase, "Things always happen for a reason." I disagree. I think sometimes things just happen. I don't know that Pastor Roger agrees with me, but I'm going to quote him anyway. "Sometimes evil just breaks in." I think sometimes, it's not part of God's plan.

Quick Post

Life is good. My Mom is loving Namibia. I don't have much else to report. I'll put something together later in the month to let you know how work is progressing for me. Here's a couple images. One is from the Copper Theatre Group. They are a Tsumeb theatre group. Almost all of my friends are part of this group. My Mom and I are going to see them perform tonight. The other picture is from Opawa Junior Secondary School (grades 1-10). I got to speak to them back in February.

Update/Pics

Hello everyone. I don't have much to say today, but I thought I could send some pictures of Tsumeb. It's taken me a while to collect these because I hate taking pictures in the town I live. I feel like such a tourist. I took a couple of these shots blind. I just raised the camera out of my bag for a couple seconds and snapped shots. I know it sounds pretty silly but that's me. This will give you some idea what the town looks like. The last picture is from an event last night at Otjikoto Secondary School (the one my brother goes to). It was alright. I'm getting a little fed up with 'African Time'. The event was supposed to start at 6pm. It didn't actually start til around 8pm. Some of the performers were incredible dancers. I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying so I won't judge their musical talent.

My Mom will be here 1 week!!! We're going to have a fabulous time. I'm taking her to Swakopmund (the coast), Etosha Game Park, Tsumeb and maybe Botswana. I have a hard time imagining her here. I feel quite removed from my life in the states. It's like the two worlds will finally collide when she arrives on Saturday.

Communication Breakdown

I just spent 10 days in Ongwediva for My Future is My Choice training. It was an interesting experience. Life is different 'in the North', as they say. The population is almost entirely Owambo. The major towns are nothing like Tsumeb. Tsumeb reminds me a little of small-town America. The northern towns are just a corridor of old buildings all stacked against each other along the highway. Also, the North is like a giant beach. There's sand everywhere. Walking on the foot paths is a lot of work. The ground just gives way. Then I tried walking in it after a few beers, even tougher.

I attended the training with 21 other people, all Owambo. They welcomed me to the group like anybody else. That has been my experience with almost all the activities I'm involved with. The Namibian people are warm-hearted. The problem comes when we try to communicate. Sometimes people in Tsumeb have a difficult time with my 'American English', but usually they understand me. It's a pretty diverse town and people speak a lot of English there. In the North they don't speak much English. They don't have to because almost everyone speaks Oshiwambo. On the other hand, the youth are trying to learn English to increase their job opportunities. It was really frustrating because I wanted to get to know some of the people better, but the language barrier just kept that from happening. Still, we had a good time together. I'd be interested to hear comments from any of you on a similar experience.

I'm excited to start teaching My Future is My Choice. It's an after-school program for 15-18 year olds. The material covers HIV, reproductive health, drugs and alcohol, communication, decision making, values... so much stuff! And, I hear most students enjoy the program. It's highly interactive with games, dramas and teamwork. I may be able to start the program as early as next week with my assigned school, Tsumeb Senior Secondary. Wish me luck.

A Good Day's Work

Last week I spent one afternoon moving dirt around, yet it felt like one of the most substantial things I’ve done since being here. A group from Norway has spent a month here in Tsumeb rebuilding a kindergarten. Tate, Jesse and I joined them for a day’s worth of work. It really is satisfying to know you’re working on something your community needs, even if it’s just for a day. The group we worked with is part of a reality TV show back in Norway. Crazy huh? They have to complete tasks like these in order to continue getting funding for more international projects.

How am I doing? Ek kan nie klan nie (I can’t complain). My Afrikaans skills are still below average, but I can get by in conversation. It’s funny I recognize most of the words people say to me, but I still don’t quite get the meaning. I try to just go with what I think they said. I don’t speak it that much. My brother Jesse gets me speaking it every once in a while just to make sure I don’t completely lose the language. What else? When I first got here I was running and doing yoga, but I quit. I don’t know why but I have no desire for either one. I walk a lot and play basketball. I get so sore after basketball it takes me days to recover. I’m meeting more people but I’m still pretty anti-social after working hours. I read a lot, do crosswords, and now I’m addicted to Solitaire. I never liked that stupid game but now I’m hooked. I’m even keeping track of my winning percentage. I win about 1 in every 20 tries. You’d think that would be enough for me to give it up. I’ll be spending the next two weeks in Ongwediva. It’s the real ‘North’ of the country in the heart of Owamboland. I’m getting trained on a life skills program for secondary school students. I’ll probably write my next blog on that. Peace.

A World Apart

This is Justine. She’s 10. I bet this picture could get her a million dollars if I told the world she needed it. I met her in Windhoek last week during Peace Corps Reconnect. Our Country Health Director, Lejeune Lockett (my boss), has developed a youth centre there in Windhoek. It’s called Young Achievers. Justine is a member of the group. She was carrying around this globe and looking adorable; probably not something she has to work at. I asked her if she could show me Namibia on the globe. No problem. Then I asked her where she wanted to visit. She said, “Canada.”
I asked why. “Because it’s peaceful there,” she said. I couldn’t argue.

I’ve returned to Tsumeb after a week at some posh resort outside Windhoek. Peace Corps Reconnect is a week where all the volunteers come back together, discuss our Namibian lives, and take hot showers. The hot showers were the best part. Spending a week in 8-5 sessions just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I did get some useful information though. I learned about a few grants we can apply for. I’m now in the process of writing one for our HIV/AIDS Support Group. The American Embassy has a lot of money to give toward HIV/AIDS projects (Thank you PEPFAR). The support group is designed to give emotional support to people living with HIV/AIDS, but it’s more than that. People are out of work. They want something to do, and they want something to eat. If all goes well our support group will provide gardening activities, sewing projects and other income-generation projects. Our centre has attempted to get this group going but has run into many hurdles. We had about 15 people register for the group last year, but most did not attended subsequent meetings. They started a sewing project but our sewing machines and materials were stolen. There are now burglar bars and a barbed-wire fence to discourage break-ins. I think if we get some funding and some food we could have ourselves a successful support group. Stigma will be an on-going problem. HIV+ people really don’t want anyone to know their status. We think some fear being judged just by entering our centre where ‘HIV/AIDS Support Centre’ is painted on the exterior. Wish us luck.

A New Friend

This is my friend Gabriel. He is a Damara man living in Tsumeb. He stays at the local old age home. I first met him in December when we were training here. We spent a day with the old folks that month, sang songs and stuff. When I returned in January Gabriel came to Meameno Center to visit me. We have had some good conversations. His English is surprisingly good for a man his age. Most of the older folks here don’t speak English. They grew up learning Afrikaans, as well as their mother tongue.

I told Gabriel we would be planting some fruit tree saplings at the center. We want to sell them to create some income for our HIV/AIDS support group. Well, he showed up the next week with a mango sapling for us. What a kind thing to do. On Saturday, I visited him and others at the old folks home. I brought them a big bag of oranges. Gabriel was happy to see me. It’s really something how the old folks light up when they get visitors. It seems it was like that in the states too. I’m sure many of them still have family that visits from time to time, but I don’t think that’s the same as a friend or even a stranger. I kind of wish I had done it more back home. I bet some of our old folks have great stories to tell. I never really got to talk to my grandpas who were in WWII. They died when I was very young. It would be something to know more about their war stories, or anybody else’s for that matter. I’m becoming more interested in history lately. I guess I’m just saying we should take advantage of the time we have with our elders while they’re still around. I’m making my parents write life stories for me, even though they’re still a couple of spring chickens. They’ve just started and I’ve already learned so much I didn’t know about them! I think they’re enjoying the process too.

If anybody is planning to send me a package soon, here are some ideas:
-Gabriel could use a pair of sneakers size 9-10. Any condition is fine.
-Gabriel is also looking for a pen pal if anybody wants to write him. E-mail me if you’re interested and I can get you his address. Or send it to me and I'll get it to him.
-Things for Meameno Center: markers (any kind), sticky gunk (to hang posters, etc), a dictionary, small dry erase board, pencils and sharpener, pens, clipboard
-Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, M&Ms, crunch&munch
-Pictures (any)
-Book about gardening (like for dummies cause I aint dun it before)

Please remember these are not dire needs, just ideas. You can send something tomorrow or in 9 months. It’s all good. My address is in the left column. I really appreciate the things you have already sent me. The letters and notes mean the world to me. Any day I get mail is a good day. Thanks a bunch!!!

I finally played basketball last night. The first five minutes were a blast. Then I remembered how much running full court basketball requires. Actually my body reminded me. I thought I was going to hyperventilate. I had to stop running. I pretty much just stayed back and played defense. Eventually, I got a second wind and rejoined the offense. They have an interesting system of play. We play first team to two baskets wins. Then the losing team subs in one or two players from the sidelines. The game never really stops, you just get new players on the court. It probably would’ve been better if I was on the losing team and got to sit out a little. Unfortunately, I was playing with the star of the high school team. The guy never missed, especially from the three-point line. And he was unselfish, passed to us more than he shot. I was impressed. I thought I would be in all kinds of pain today, but I actually feel pretty good. I escaped with just one purple toenail. I got it fighting for a rebound with somebody a little bigger than me, imagine that. He came down with the ball, and I came down with a smashed foot.

Speaking of injuries, I was in a car accident on Friday. I’m totally fine. It was on the way to Windhoek. The car in front of us stopped for some baboons. They stopped in the middle of Namibia’s busiest highway over a blind hill. TOURISTS! Our driver had no time to react and plowed into them. Nobody was badly injured, just scrapes and bruises. Now onto the reason I was headed there…

Back in December I applied for VSN (Volunteer Support Network). It’s a Peace Corps program designed to support volunteers throughout Namibia (Members pictured here). I was invited to join last month, and we had our training in Windhoek last weekend. I’m pretty excited about it. Volunteers experience a wide variety of emotions and if they need somebody to talk to then they can contact VSN. We’re certainly not qualified counsellors, just a resource of peer support. It's a combination of Group 26 and 27 volunteers. I also had to include this picture of a Windhoek coffee shop. Nice decor eh? And the name... Snob Coffee. How appropriate! Mom, we'll definitely have to make a turn at Snob Coffee when you visit in July.

People are people so why should it be…

Easter Weekend in Swakop was very nice. The water had to be the warmest ocean water I’ve swam in. My last experience swimming in the Atlantic was on the coast of Maine, you might imagine how cold that was (I’m sure my father remembers). There is certainly something therapeutic about the ocean. The weekend was relaxing, fun and cheap. Would you believe I spent less than $150 U.S. on the whole trip? There were quite a few volunteers that decided to spend the long weekend there. It was really nice to reunite with some of them. Here’s a picture of Nick, Roshn, Milan and I. The four of us were roommates during training. You may be able to see the shipwreck in between us. This ship is beached just south of Swakopmund. The story behind it is a little funny. 30km south of Swakopmund is Walvis Bay. It is Namibia’s major fishing port. Apparently the crew of this ship was elated with the haul of fish they had just brought in. They docked in Walvis Bay and went into town to celebrate. When they went back the boat was gone. TIN (This is Namibia).
While I’m getting along well with other Peace Corps volunteers, I’ve found friendships a little more difficult to come by with Namibians. This is not to say they are unfriendly. It’s quite the contrary, and I get along fine with just about everybody. The issue is I haven’t made the efforts to integrate further into their lives. In Namibian culture people do not invite you to their homes, or into their social lives. It is up to me to make that happen. I’m supposed to just go and visit people when I feel like it. Anyone you visit is supposed to invite you in, give you a cooldrink and maybe something to eat. What an intrusion right? I like the custom but it has been hard to muster up the courage to try it out. It certainly happens at our house. You never know exactly how many people you might be cooking dinner for. We always try to make a little extra. I’ve decided to try a couple easier avenues first. I may join a local theatre group. I went to one of their meetings this week. It would be fun to learn drama the Namibian way. Some of the members are already my regular colleagues, so it’s quite comfortable. I also know a couple guys who play basketball a few nights a week. I told them I’d like to come along. I’m looking forward to playing some hoops. It’s been a while, and I hear these guys are good. I may get laughed at, but I’m learning that’s not such a bad thing. Let’s face it, I stick out here. I talk different. I act different. I do things a different way. Lots of times it makes people laugh. Somehow that makes me feel accepted. I think Namibians just like to laugh. They seem to do it a lot.

Etosha

Camping at Etosha was great. I didn’t expect to get so close to so many animals. And, I never expected to see lions! They say it’s tough to find them usually. Here are some pictures. Yes, we were this close to them. I have to give photo credit to Nick Boire. He took these ones.

We saw giraffes, zebras, hyenas, mongoose, wildebeest, oryx, jackals and lions. It was the wrong time of year for elephants and rhinos. Oh, and Etosha is the 6th largest game park in the world… I misspoke in the last blog.

It was really nice to spend some time with the volunteers too. I camped with Nick, Ian and Chris. They are the first ones I’ve seen since swear in. I’m headed to Swakopmund this weekend. It’s supposed to be a nice coastal town, pretty touristy though. I’m just looking forward to the beach. We have a 5-day weekend thanks to Easter and Independence Day. Why don’t we get Monday off for Easter in the States? Bummer for you guys.

My Address

Upon request, here's my address:

P.O. Box 1770
Tsumeb, Namibia

Doesn't it seem to easy? I'm all the way in Africa and this is my simple stinkin address. Please don't feel the need to send me care packages necessarily, but letters are great!

A Little Info on my Tsumeb Family

Quick review… my Tsumeb family is Tate Tobias, Meme Rosina, brother Jesse and sister Tangasia Cassdy Ulla Palla.

Mr. Tobias is the Tsumeb Regional Councillor, a former school teacher and soldier in the country’s fight for independence. The proper way to address him in the business community is ‘honourable councillor’. Sometimes they just call him ‘honourable’, and I think the shoe fits. He has strong morals, carries himself professionally and he’s always smiling and laughing. He supports as much local business as he can. He’ll give anybody in town a lift. People wave him down in the streets, and he stops the car and lets them voice their concerns. He spends almost every Friday night and Saturday as an MC for memorials and funerals of those he barely knows, and he does it because they ask him to. He is also my supervisor as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and it should come as no surprise he always has time to listen to my plans and ideas. Tate’s wife is Meme Rosina. They seem to be linked by a very similar sense of humor. They are both funny people. It only took a few days for Meme to start joking with me, making me feel at home. Unfortunately, she is gone to Windhoek for the year. She’s a nurse for Tsumeb Hospital, and they’ve sent her there to study for an advanced nursing degree. She will return in December. Baby Ulla is with her. We miss them both very much. Jesse is in his last year of school at Otjikoto Secondary. He hopes to become a pilot one day. He does most of the cooking now that Meme is gone, and I’m usually his sidekick in the kitchen. He loves TV, music and his baby sister. He’s a smart kid and we get along great.

Just a quick note: I’m doing pretty well. Lots of opportunities have come up recently, different ways for me to serve the community. Some involve the centre and some don’t. Luckily the Councillor gives me the freedom to involve myself in the community just about any way I’m interested in. I’m excited for next weekend. I’ll be camping with some other volunteers at Etosha National Park. It’s the largest game park in the world! I hope I see some good wildlife. Who knows I might have pictures for you soon. God Bless.

Towns and Locations

A Namibia Geography Lesson: In Namibia, townships are made up of towns and locations. A reasonable comparison in America would be a city made up of suburbs and ghettos, not exactly the same but close enough. Each township has a town which is usually located very close to downtown shopping, businesses, etc. Each town has locations which are usually further away from the centre of town. You could say it is the opposite of some American cities where the ghettos/inner city neighbourhoods are in the centre of the city and the nicer suburbs spread out from there. Some locations have newer, nicer homes while others may consist of only tin shacks with no electricity.

During Apartheid, Blacks were confined to these locations (most of these locations remain populated only by Blacks). Whites lived in the towns. Schools were segregated. The Black schools had a lower standard of education, and teachers dressed in military uniform and carried guns. At the university level Blacks couldn’t study certain subjects such as medicine. Blacks were not allowed in town after dark. There were separate toilets, separate benches in the parks, and Whites only beaches… and this continued into the 80s. Namibia, then known as South West Africa, didn’t gain Independence until March 21, 1990. I haven’t actually read about the full history of Apartheid here. These are just some of the things I’ve been told.

Here in Tsumeb, most of the locations are in decent shape. The oldest location, called Soweto, is pretty rough. This picture is from Soweto. They only received electricity last year. I don’t think many families have bought ovens yet, as I can smell all the wood fires burning when I go through there. I enjoy the smell, and the neighbourhood. People are always outside and kids play soccer on the dirt roads. The locations are not generally considered dangerous, but after dark is no time for a stranger to be roaming around. The locations are full of shebeens (bars/clubs) and bar fights seem to be pretty common, but during the day the atmosphere is fun and welcoming.

I live in town with the Tobias family now. In December, I stayed in the location. Both areas have their advantages. I enjoyed the liveliness of the location, the soccer fields and greeting people more often. Town life is quieter, which is nice when you’re trying to sleep (The music from the shebeens in the locations seems to go on all night). I live in a bigger, more modern home in town and I’m surrounded by more trees. Here’s a picture of my house. Its now under construction. I'll show new pictures when its completed.

Something Light

Like Coca-Cola Light for example, no diet soda here. Oh, and Pepsi makes a larger can of soda and calls it the ‘Afri-Can’. Oh the marketing genious, sort of. And, it all tastes different. They don’t use corn syrup here, so the sodas are made with real sugar instead. That’s a plus. And, the flavour of chips is different. Simba is the big brand here, comes from South Africa. They have tomato, cheese & onion, and chutney flavours among others. You can find Doritos here, but none of the flavours we get back home.

I put together a list of local lingo. Some of it comes from British English and Afrikaans. The rest I’m not all that sure.

In America we say.... In Namibia they say

Soda or punch... cool drink
Porridge... pap
Barbecue or grilling... braai
Lunchmeat... polony
Peppered beef jerky... chilli bites
Ground beef... mince
Polish sausage/kielbasas... Russians
sausage links... boerewors

He’s drunk... He’s babbalaas
Right?... Isn’t it?
How’s it going?... Howzit?
You’re welcome... Pleasure

Students... learners
Graduate... matriculate
Co-workers... colleagues
Shuttle or van ... kombi
Pick-up truck... bakkie
Trunk (on a car)... boot
Braids... plaits
Tennis shoes/sneakers... tackies


And my favourite. They say: I’m coming, I’m coming now, or I’m coming now now. If someone says ‘I’m coming’ you know they’re not serious. If they say ‘I’m coming now’ it means probably less than an hour. If they say ‘now, now’ it should be less than 20 minutes.

Here are some pictures from Valentine's Day. We wrapped up condoms and gave them out around town. TCE, Red Cross and Meameno joined together for this effort.

My New Community

Well, my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer has begun. I started work last Monday, after being afforded a restful 4-day weekend following swear in. My first week was certainly uneventful. I spent it at the centre where I’ll be based (Meameno HIV/AIDS Support Centre). Not a lot happens there right now. My primary job is to change that. The centre just opened in May and most people either don’t know it exists, or what we do there. Once in a while somebody will stop by… A community member wanting to get involved, a police officer sheepishly looking for the free condoms, or young children taking guavas from the trees. With little else to do, I’ve at least gotten to know my counterparts, Zenecia and Mattheu a little better. They are local volunteers. The three of us run the centre, and work under Councillor Tobias and RACOC (Regional Aids Committee).

While I did spend most of the first week staring at my watch, I also had one pretty productive day. On Tuesday, we did some work in the field. In the morning we went out with TCE (Total Control of the Epidemic) members to identify homes with a need for home-based care. RACOC has a budget to facilitate home-based care training so we’re beginning that process. In the afternoon, we delivered condoms to employees of one of the grocery stores. The response was great. They were very happy to see us and suggested we come more often. This second act was so easy, yet really gratifying. I’ve spent much of my time in Namibia doubting my ability to be an effective volunteer… that’s nothing new, I’m a pessimist and tend to doubt myself more often than not. The Peace Corps reminds us to recognize small victories. I think this day qualified, and boosted my self esteem.

If anybody is interested there are Peace Corps Namibia 2008 calendars available for purchase. A former Namibia PCV, Shayna Dooling, started this project a couple years ago. I’m sorry to say I don’t remember exactly which cause this supports but proceeds do go to Namibia. To order:

E-mail duffyd@optonline.net
Mail check – U.S. $11 each – payable to Shayna Dooling – 18 Donack Lane, Bellport, NY 11713 (they are mailed from the U.S. so shipping should be fast)

Also, check out the blog link listed on the left. It comes from a fellow volunteer here in Namibia. He has several other current Namibia Volunteer blogs attached to his site.

1 more week

The end is finally near. On Wednesday, 10-Jan we'll be sworn in as real volunteers. And let me tell you it's about time. We're all burned out on training. Today and tomorrow the health volunteers are giving sessions to the education volunteers to help them discuss community health and HIV with their students. I don't think they're in the mood to retain much of it but we'll give it our best shot. We have our final LPIs (language proficiency interview) on Sunday and Monday, I scored at Novice-Medium on the first test... definitely room for improvement. Tuesday we travel to Windhoek for shopping to prepare for the next 2 years. Wednesday we swear in, and I hear the Namibian Broadcasting Company (NBC) covers it with a news story. We have to give thank you speeches in local languages, and that usually gets on air.

Referring to my last post... Our workshops were indeed successful, at least according to the feedback we got from Tsumeb youth. We kept the sessions interactive and taught on many subjects (Science behind HIV, Alcoholism, Stigma & Discrimination, STDs, People living with HIV/AIDS-PLWHA, Condoms). In the end the youth would show up for just about anything as long as we served food, and we did that. Who doesn't like free food though? I know I've found meetings/conferences in the states where the food was definitely the highlight of the experience.

One sad note... we lost our first NAM27 volunteer. His name is Seth, and he was a fun guy to have around. We respect his decision to leave but he will be missed.

Picture Time: 1. The Tsumeb youth at our workshop 2. My host sisters Winnie and Susana desparately trying to teach me to dance on Christmas Eve 3. Meme Egumbo, Grandmother to my host sisters and wonderful host mom 4. Me before braids 5. Me with braids, done by host sister Susana (hope you can see them)