Saturday, June 28, 2008

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.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

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.