training in Windhoek

I have been in Windhoek for training and participating in the 'All Volunteer Conference' which celebrates 25 years of Peace Corps in Namibia. It was a very important event, with the Namibian Prime Minister, the US ambassador to Namibia and Country Directors of Peace Corps. I didnt take any photos but it was a short celebration and the rest of our stay was dedicated to getting to know other Volunteers from education and health, community development groups. We exchanged experiences and stories and they gave us newbies lots of sound advice. I particularly appreciated the advice about starting projects and getting small grants to help fund them.
The Peace Corps has put us up in a very nice hotel and we are being spoiled by the meals, braai (BBQ), pool, gym, hot tub and posh service. It is a stark contrast to the reality of our sites. I dont feel like I'm in Namibia. In my view, Windhoek doesn't really represent the whole of this country....but I must say I am loving the luxury!

As the school term has ended and Namibians take their long holiday break, my village will be very quiet. Hopefully, I can spend time updating my blog and putting more photos here. I plan to spend Xmas with some other Volunteers near my site. We are not allowed to travel outside of our regions just yet so some travel shots will have to wait. It will be strange celebrating Xmas in the heat!

I will retrace my time here and include some shots of my stay in Outjo, a small town in the north, just south of Etosha National Park. My lovely host family took us to the park to experience the vast Etosha Pan and see the extraordinary animals. We were only there for the day and I hope to visit the Park again and stay longer to see the eastern side. I stayed in Outjo for 1 month with a fantastic family who showed me around the town and introduced me to locals and family. They spoke to me in Khoekhoe language but I'm slow and we would end up speaking English as they speak it fluently. I learned a lot about the culture, the cusine and the education system. I hope to visit them again soon.

Hope you enjoy these pictures. We went on game drives...you stay in your car and observe the animals. You are not allowed to leave your car or disturb the environment. I have plenty more photos so I will share!