Malawi, Tanzania... and beyond

I'm still alive and still enjoying being on vacation... going on a month and no desire to quit. We have been in Tanzania about 5 days now. We spent Christmas hiking up a mountain in the rain forest. It was my first experience in a rain forest. It was beautiful... sorry no pics for that one. Were in Zanzibar now getting ready to celebrate New Year's. We're staying in a place called Stone Town. It's a crazy cool place. It's a town of tall stone buildings with mazes of narrow streets in between. We've been busy dodging cars and vespas the last couple days... oh and getting lost on the way to our hostel. It's really freakin hot here but swimming in the ocean combats that nicely. Speaking of water sports, here are a couple of pictures from Malawi. The first is of me rowing a dhow. These boats are very difficult to balance. We all flipped over in it many times but eventually I got the hang of it and successfully rowed to the other side of the bay. My Father would be proud... especially since he taught me how to canoe. The second picture is also from Malawi. We went cliff jumping there. It was great fun. Catch you next year. Peace.

Mozambique

News Flash: My Peace Corps Service ended 3-Dec. My world tour began 4-Dec.

I left Namibia on Friday 4-December. It was sad, exciting, nerve-racking and lots of other stuff. I'm now in beautiful Mozambique... although it took three days on a bus to get here. Honestly the bus ride didn't bother me. I met some interesting people, got to spend eight hours in a place called Vryburg thanks to a broken-down bus, and my body only hurt half the time. But seriously, It went by like nothing. I think it's because of the pacienca (patience in Portuguese) of the people. We never really knew when our new bus would arrive but 66 people just waited. I never heard anybody raise their voice or get really upset. It really helps when the people around you are relaxed. I feel like that would have been a very difficult situation in Western culture. I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa at 4am. This was actually convenient for me because my next bus left for Maputo, Mozambique at 8am. I slept a little at the bus station and then we were off.

I've been in Mozambique for less than 24 hours but I like it already. Maputo is the capital. It's where I will be for the next couple days before I go up the coast to a nice beach town called Tofo. The country language is Portuguese. Many people
speak hardly any english. That's been tough but I learned the greetings and how to point at stuff so I'm OK. Also I'm couch surfing via the couchsurfing.com website. It's great! I'm staying with a nice Portuguese family. Here's a quick photo... I think I'm still on this street actually. I better get back to exploring. My plan is to enjoy some Mozambiquan seafood, museums and street markets. From here I will meet my friends in Malawi, then travel to Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Israel, the UK, Italy... and maybe more if I'm not broke. Tudo Bem, Chao!

Sometimes I do work

September was the busiest month I’ve had since Peace Corps training two years ago. Here are the highlights:

Close of Service Conference: Peace Corps had us in Windhoek for four days to prepare us for the end of our service. It was mostly paperwork and logistical crap but there were a few sentimental moments too... although they won't compare to saying goodbye to my Namibian family and friends.

AIDS Club Workshop: I helped facilitate a 2-day workshop for 13-16 year-old kids from around Oshikoto Region. These kids were chosen to head up AIDS Clubs at their schools. These clubs are designed to inform young people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS... of course... but also to learn leadership skills and have some fun (fun pictured). Many of the kids came from villages and had difficulty with English, especially our American accents,
but we facilitated alongside multi-lingual Namibians so it worked out fine.

Tsumeb Family Support Centre (TFSC) Spring Walk: TFSC is the new name for the centre where I work. We merged with The Women and Child Centre to form our new organisation. We’re having considerable financial difficulties so we decided to raise money through this event. We walked about 5kms with a police escort. We then had refreshments and games for the kids in the park afterwards. The pony rides, tug-of-war and sack races were a hit. We managed to raise a little money and had a good time.

Support Group Sewing Continues: Our support group has really kicked it into gear. I’m handing over all the responsibility to them step by step. They now have group positions, responsibilities, keys and soon control of the bank account. In Octoberthey will show off their dresses at the biggest party of the year, Tsumeb Copper Festival. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Male Engagement Workshop: This one took up most of my time in September. I basically organised it on my own. Male Engagement is a program addressing gender norms, gender inequality and how they relate to community problems like violence, alcohol abuse and HIV. I really like this material and I love the discussions we get from it. When you boil it down what we’re really talking about is how men’s behaviour toward women is often the root of our community problems. I think the format it’s presented in allows men and women to be honest about what’s going on without disrespecting each other. We had 15 attendees (pictured) from different government ministries, religious organisations and the Namibian Police. They came with a range of conservative and liberal views, but I think we managed to pull off a pretty constructive two days.
I couldn’t have done it without my good friend Udi (pictured). I tend to stress out about small details, but that’s hard to do when Udi’s just smiling and enjoying the whole thing. I owe him a lot.

Owambo Wedding

Last weekend I attended an Owambo wedding. Their culture is the one I've grown closest to here in Namibia. I live near Owamboland, just north of Tsumeb, so naturally I have met more of them. My family in Tsumeb is Owambo. I have many Oshiwambo speaking friends. My girlfriend is Owambo and the bride in the wedding is her cousin. The wedding was fine, but I must admit my favourite part was the slaughtering of three cows. I've never seen it done before. It took 4-5 guys a couple of hours on each cow. Here are some pictures.

Beautiful View

It’s the ghetto (location), but the view is beautiful. I was in the big capital of Windhoek last weekend with friends. We went to a family member’s house for dinner. At first we regretted the decision because it was difficult to find. We had to wait 30 minutes while two little girls from the house came to fetch us at a crossroads. They led us through a myriad of hills and dirt roads that had us constantly asking, “are we there yet?” When we did arrive my out-of-shape friend thought she would faint. We gave her a beer and then she was fine. The house was small and simple as most homes in the location are. The beauty of it was we were on the very outskirts of the city, up on a hill… in the ghetto. In America it would be prime suburb real estate; great mountain views, beautiful sunsets and away from the noise of the city. I watched one of those sunsets while the two little girls from the house jumped rope and played paddy cake. Their jump rope is made of plastic bags. They just tie them together until it’s long enough. Kids even make soccer balls out of plastic bags. I also noticed a creative soccer goal the other day. They strung together a bunch of aluminum cans and tied it to the top of two posts… and we think we know how to recycle.

The sitting room was crammed with two couches, two chairs and a coffee table. There was just enough room for the seven of us to eat dinner together. The ladies placed the different dishes around the table. It’s a good thing we didn’t use plates because there wouldn’t have been room. The dishes were pap (porridge), ekaka (traditional spinach), soup, pork steaks and fish (one giant Angel Fish stuffed with sliced tomato, onion and seasonings…yum!). Everything was really good, especially the atmosphere. It’s not that often I get to enjoy a traditional meal, in the traditional manner, sitting together and sharing. It still gives me a special feeling doing this. I feel accepted. I don’t feel like an outsider. Even after two years I still clearly recognize that I am an outsider. When moments like this occur, I cherish them.

I don’t usually enjoy going to Windhoek, but this time was different. I wish I had a few pictures for you but taking them would’ve been silly. It would’ve changed the atmosphere, and I would've felt like an outsider.

Bummin Around

Wow it's been a while, neh? I'm still chugging along. I just finished another vacation with my Dad and his wife, Kim. It was nice but unfortunately they both got sick and we had to trim some things off our trip. I sure am lucky to get all this free time to roam around Namibia, and other countries. Sometimes I forget I have a job. Speaking of which... Our support group is still going pretty strong. The ladies are finishing up their sewing classes and soon will be making there own dresses and other clothing. I'm in the process of buying the necessary materials now. We have to spend the rest of our grant money before the end of July. I hope to post a blog in the next couple months showing what we've produced and maybe even sold. Wish us luck.

Sorry I don't have more. I'll get some pictures up soon. I promise.

To rant or to praise...hmmm?

I spent the last couple days working with the Ministry of Health on what I think is called a ‘Youth Mobilisation Campaign.’ I’m not really sure why it’s called that. We’re going around to several of the churches here in Tsumeb and discussing HIV, STIs, Alcohol & Drugs and Teen Pregnancy with young people getting ready to be confirmed. I really enjoy the 30 minutes I get to spend talking to the kids. The rest of the process I could do without. It starts with poor planning. The Ministry came to Meameno Centre a couple months ago asking for help. That part impressed me. That’s way ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, they didn’t really have a plan. Sure they have an outline of what the government wants them to cover and a budget for a snack (without this I’m not sure anyone would show up). The lady in charge asked us to present HIV, Alcohol & Drugs. She got a nurse to do Teen Pregnancy. She herself managed to cover STIs. She did this by taking a pamphlet on STIs and reading it word for word at our presentations. If I had to take it away from her and ask her about symptoms of STIs I’m afraid what her answer might be. On top of that, when she tried to offer her own additional information it was often false. This lady works for the Ministry of Health at a regional level. The nurse was better at being interactive but her English level is low. The kids had a hard time understanding her. We showed up to both sessions late which didn’t bother me nearly as much as the fact our leader had to list off excuses for why we were late... most of which were lies. At the end of Friday’s session we ended up short about 10 sandwiches. Some of the ten who didn’t get to eat were the boys who who were busy reorganising all the desks and chairs before they got into line. Who says extra effort pays off?

This probably sounds pretty bad neh? I think I made it sound worse than it is. I was just laughing as I re-read it. I just wanted to give you a picture of some of the difficulties here. Don’t feel sorry for me. This stuff doesn’t really get to me. The fact is Namibia is a very young country and things like this are happening everyday. I think they’re working pretty hard at trying to make it better. The lady who I put so much blame on here is not a bad person. She grew up in the Apartheid era. She was taught a lower level of education specifically for blacks, and she had to learn it all in Afrikaans, not English. Now she holds a great job. She’s kind and seems to really care about these kids’ future. Working with her makes me feel relaxed and needed. I like feeling that way.

Here’s some pictures of me and my sis. She was here for two weeks in May. We did a lot. We went to Victoria Falls/Zambia and Chobe Game Park/Botswana (pictured). We hitchhiked (pictured) a lot of it. It may have been the best time we ever had together.

In Peace Corps I...

Travelled to Africa... almost learned a second language... gained a new family... challenged my beliefs... read a lot of books... quit yoga... quit running... walk a lot, at a slower pace... made new friends... broke my caffeine addiction... learned to deal better with depression and loneliness... ate new food, like worms and goat face... found some romance... grew my hair out... feel it’s too hot about 320 days of the year... started sleeping on a box spring... got terrible diarrhoea... became an expert texter... hitchhiked through Namibia... was robbed... became closer with people back home... helped support people living with HIV/AIDS... decided I want to be a counsellor... learned British English... swam in the Indian Ocean... spent New Year’s Eve in Capetown... wish I would’ve accomplished more... gained serious appreciation for music... learned how to make tortillas... really miss Mexican Food... drove on the other side of the road... almost hit a giraffe... stayed on a traditional homestead... learned about stars in the Southern Hemisphere... crossed the Tropic of Capricorn... climbed a sand dune with my mom... became a master of making lemonade... enjoyed working with teenagers... have seen a lot of American influence here... won a gold medal playing basketball... met the Namibian Chess Champion... kinda feel like I’m in college again... stopped bathing daily...love saying hello...

And I still got 7 months to go!

Sewing Classes & School Lessons

They began on Tuesday at 8h30. Five ladies from our support group are learning to sew. It makes me very happy. It's so tangible. They are there sewing three days a week now. It's a skill they don't have, and one they would otherwise have to pay for to obtain. It's also one that could earn them a living if they get good at it. We always talk about trying to make sustainable contributions as volunteers. Finally I think I'm part of something that truly qualifies. The instructor says they are
learning fast. Right now they are only practising lines on copy paper but in a few months we hope they can begin making their own dresses.

I also got to go out to one of my favourite communities this week, Ondundu. I think I've mentioned it before. It's about 2km outside of Tsumeb. It's a pretty walk and the people there always greet me warmly. My colleague Jacob and I gave some basic HIV education to grade 5, 6 & 7 at the primary school there. The students were much better behaved then the last time I was there. It helps having a Namibian adult in the room with them... unfortunately it's their fear that keeps
them in line, but that's a topic for a whole other blog. Anyway, we got to speak to about 100 students on topics like HIV transmission and ways it is not transmitted; how to treat someone living with HIV/AIDS; and what HIV does in the body.

It felt like a very productive week, even though I only worked 3 1/2 days. The month is flying by, just like the year, which begs the question... what will I do next year? I'll let you know when I figure that out. Ta ta for now.

Nelson Mandela

I have lived nothing short of a privileged life. I come from a loving family. I was given a free education. I was riding a bike - that was mine - by the time I was 6 years old. I was driving a car - that I owned - by the time I was 17. I was given the right to vote, and the opportunity to work and earn a living. My country allows me to live where I want and basically do what I want to do. In my 32 years I’ve never known anything but freedom.

Nelson Mandela spent the first 72 years of his life without many of the basic freedoms I know… and he spent most of that time trying to get them, not only for himself, but for everyone in South Africa. His speeches and writings inspired millions to stand up against the European government and its system of apartheid. By 1964 the ruling white party realised the only way to thwart the African National Congress (ANC) movement for equality was to throw as many of them into jail as possible... and that’s where Mandela stayed for the next 27 years. Nelson Mandela was a moving speaker and an even better writer from what I can tell. I just finished a book called ‘Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is My Life’. It’s a collection of his speeches and writings. I was astonished by his command of the English language. It’s no wonder so many people rallied around him. At the age of 34, after graduating with a law degree, he became Deputy President of the ANC. The ANC fought against the apartheid government, mostly through non-violent protest, until South Africa finally gained its freedom in 1994. Nelson Mandela was accused of sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. Imagine being told you would spend the rest of your life behind bars because you sought equality among people. Mandela was a major threat to the ruling racist government. That’s essentially what it boils down to and why he was imprisoned. He was released in 1990, and eventually became the free country’s first president. The thing I suppose I’m most impressed with is his composure, and ability to suppress his anger. Those who were close to him in prison say you didn’t see him get angry, or rant about the wrongs done to him. He just kept talking and planning over what their next move should be. And after 27 years in prison for committing no real crime he wanted no revenge. He didn’t want the leaders of the former government rounded up and jailed. He just wanted a new beginning. This is a man who suffered for the betterment of his people and sought no recognition. He sought only justice and peace.

What is suffering? What does it feel like? Will someone of my background ever really know? I want to understand what people who suffer go through. What was it like to be a Jew in Germany during World War II? What was it like to be hunted by your own countrymen in a genocidal war like that of Rwanda? What’s it like to be stripped of basic human rights based on the colour of your skin? Part of me feels like I’ve missed something by not suffering. I think we learn a great deal through our most painful times. If I had suffered I think I would have more wisdom, more passion, and more empathy. I guess I feel I would have more to offer had I suffered.

A Wonderful Weekend

Last weekend was one of my best experiences to date in Namibia. I spent the weekend in Owamboland, about 2 hours north of Tsumeb. I stayed in a village just outside Ondangwa with a friend. By the end of the weekend I didn't want to leave.
The trip began a little ominously as we sat in the back of a taxi watching modest homes being taken over by flood waters. This is the second straight year Northern Namibia has experienced dangerous flooding. Many people have had to vacate their homes leaving furniture and other ruined valuables. Even a few Peace Corps volunteers were evacuated for precautionary measures. The village I stayed in, while impacted by the flood, did not pose any real danger. Still, to reach the homestead where I stayed we did have to cross an oshana with water at a depth of about 2 feet. Oshanas are like small valleys where the water collects. The water surrounded the property, taking over a piece of the farmland where healthy mahangu (like millet) had been growing. You can see the water and the mahangu field in this picture, as well as my friend Aune. She is one of nine living on the homestead. The family consists of Meme, Tate, children, grandchildren and cousins... a normal mix for a village family in the Owambo culture.
After crossing the oshana we arrived at the homestead and I was soon greeted by the Meme, a super kind woman... I don't speak her language, but sometimes you can just tell. Then I met Tate. He does speak some english. In fact he speaks a lot of it, broken but spirited. I managed to understand him most of the time. He would probably say the same about me. Then I quickly met some cousins who came flying in holding the fresh fish they just caught in the flood waters. We ate them the next day, although I had only a small piece of fish for worry it could make me sick. Luckily that didn't happen. As evening set in that Friday night I remembered I'd be spending the weekend with a million friendly mosquitoes and without electricity. I also remembered there was no toilet or shower. Imagine that, I got to spend one weekend roughing it like a real Peace Corps Volunteer. The only real problem were the mosquitoes... thank God for a mosquito net. I don't know how I could've slept without one.
On Saturday I got to work in the field hoeing down weeds. Then I got to pound
Mahangu, as shown in the second picture. This is the process of turning the mahangu seeds into flour. This is traditionally a woman's job but they allowed me to give it a try. I wasn't very good at it. The girls proved to be much more efficient. After a little work I helped prepare lunch. This is also usually a woman's task but they understood I was one of those crazy new age Americans and humoured me. In the afternoon the girls were back to pounding the mahangu. They had to make a batch of extra fine flour to prepare a special sweet bread called Oshikwida (sp?). I spent a couple of hours just watching them pound. I was completely entertained. It's amazing how much work they put into pounding. As the sun was going down I grabbed a bucket and filled it with water to bathe. It was one of the best baths I've ever taken. The mens' bathing area was at the corner of the homestead looking west. I peered out over the mahangu fields and palm trees watching the sun come down... while bathing. When's the last time you can say you did that?
On Sunday we went to their church. It's about a 30 minute walk from the homestead. I knew we'd have to cross the oshana again. How was I going to wear church appropriate attire and do that? Well I carried most of it. I walked across in my dress shirt, shorts and sandals. The ladies had to hike up their dresses. Really it was fun. If I had to do it every weekend it would probably grow tiresome. The service was all in Oshiwambo... except when the pastor spoke english to personally greet me in front of the congregation. That was really nice. The whole thing was enjoyable. I just kind of sat in my own world appreciating all the joys the Lord had given me that weekend. I was supposed to leave right after church but I didn't want to. I stuck around for
lunch, a couple more conversations with Tate, and some time under the shade tree. When I finally reached Tsumeb it was already dusk, but I'm pretty sure people could still see me smiling as I walked to the house. Some experiences just leave you giddy inside. I can't wait to go back.
This last picture is of one of the many huts as well as some of the squash growing on the homestead walls. While mahangu is their main crop they also have mango trees, guava trees, and pumpkins growing on the premises. In the corrals they had about 20 goats, maybe 10 chickens and 4 donkeys for plowing.

Just a little update

Well our support group is under way. We had seven attendees for the first meeting, all ladies. They don't speak any English. In fact, they are all Oshiwambo speaking. It's nice to have counterparts who speak the language. I went through the agenda in English while my counterparts translated. It's a funny feeling speaking to a group when you know they don't understand you. I had to do it so my colleagues had something to translate, but I felt really awkward. It's like speaking just to hear yourself talk. Anyway the first meeting went well. We discussed our plans for the group and requested feedback from them. We are still waiting for our sewing equipment and materials to come in and there isn't much work to be done on the garden right now. One of the ladies suggested we start with a bead project where we can make different types of jewelry from beads. That should be underway in the next couple weeks.

I just returned to Tsumeb yesterday. I spent last week in Okahandja with another new group of volunteers. It was myself and two other current volunteers there to answer questions, and my lord did they have them! I felt like a search engine being surfed all day. It was tiring, but also rewarding. I hope I gave them a good picture of Peace Corps Namibia. I guess that's all I have to say. I promise a more interesting blog next time. I'm reading a book on Nelson Mandela, one of my heroes, and would like to write something about him. Ta ta for now.

New Happenings

Tomorrow is a big day. It's our first support group meeting. We announced it on the radio, posted flyers, handed out invitations, called people... if they don't show up it will be quite the disappointment. I think we'll get some turnout. We're not so much worried about quantity as we are quality. If five people come who are really interested in learning to sew, or help garden, I'll be ecstatic! We found a sewing teacher and even convinced the government to pay her from their annual HIV/AIDS action plan budget. It wasn't so hard considering the end of their fiscal year is March and they haven't even spent half their budget. We've ordered the sewing machines and some additional gardening equipment. On Friday, Jacob (Red Cross Volunteer-lives at Meameno Centre) and I planted carrots and red beets. Over the weekend the neighbor dog crapped on them. I guess that tells you what he thinks of our gardening abilities. It's also a good reminder that we must get our fence repaired. Anyway, wish us luck.

On another topic, the Tsumeb Women & Child Abuse Centre is looking at merging with us at Meameno. My Tate and Honourable Councillor Mr. Tobias suggested the idea to them last year. The reason for the merge is 1) We have no money and 2) They have no building. They are currently renting a space just down the road from us. Basically, if they agree to pay the utilities and make improvements on the grounds then we're going to invite them to move in. I'm excited to work together with them, but I am worried about our lack of space. It's going to be difficult to run both our programs out of the current building. They are drawing up plans now to build an additional building at the back of the premises. I don't foresee that being finished anytime soon meaning we'll be packed in like sardines for a while. We'll make the best of it.

The Cape Town pictures I promised...

Happiness

I'm back in Tsumeb. Last week was my first week back to work. Anybody else get 6 weeks vacation this holiday season? I love Peace Corps :-) Going home was wonderful. Seeing friends and family was priceless, and all the snow and good food... it was great. But being back here is maybe just as good. I've really become comfortable here.

So the big goal for this year is our support group for HIV infected and affected people. The big goal is getting people to show up. Really, that's what I want. God just send some people through our front door. I think we can handle it from there. I hope so anyway. I'm beginning to question my colleagues commitment to this project. I guess I can't blame them. They are hardly being paid for their work. Anyway, we'll be buying our sewing and gardening materials in the next couple weeks with the grant money we received from the American Embassy. Wish us luck. Oh, and we don't have anybody that knows how to sew which I think is a key ingredient to a sewing project. I'm praying we find somebody.

Sorry I can't seem to load pictures. I promise some next time from our trip to Capetown. It was a blast!