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.