END OF ANOTHER SCHOOL
TERM….AND ONE YEAR IN NAMIBIA!!
Well, August marks one year that I have been in this
beautiful, interesting country working for the US Peace Corps! I have certainly
had my ups and downs but I firmly believe it was the right thing to do at this
moment in my life. While teaching English and working on my projects, I have
been able to have LOTS of time to reflect about events in my life and to put
things into perspective. One year also marks the time when Volunteers generally
start thinking about what to do when they finish their service. I’m still not
sure but am beginning to put together a plan for work and life in California.
Let the research begin!
Back here at site…things are quiet as Term 2 just finished
and we have about 10 days break. I plan to stay in the capital Windhoek for
some days and then to attend a cultural event near my village. There isn’t
enough time to do much traveling so I’ll gear up for Term 3, make preparations
in the library for the Readathon event in September and just plan ahead for the
new term as new projects always seem to fall in your lap and you need to be
prepared to take them on.
Want to thank friends and family who have donated soccer
balls and goodies for me! It is so great to receive things over here! Our mail
comes only twice a week and so getting these big boxes after such anticipation
is a wonderful feeling. I will give the balls to the kids when they return…they
will be so pleased to have such quality equipment!
Have had some water issues for weeks (my flat was flooded
and I missed an important school event in another town!) but it was just
restored and now it’s only the leaky toilet to fix. People recognize me on my
walks in the village and I greet them in local language but I’m afraid I still
haven’t made progress. I plan to memorize some basic phrases at least just to
be cordial but I really don’t need to speak KKG for my service and work. I
should have learned Afrikaans…it would have been easier because it’s similar to
Anglo-Germanic languages and doesn’t have those darn clicks!
I’m including some photos of my students…many good kids and
some very naughty ones! There are also shots of my village in the Spring, our
newly completed village Tourist Center (hopefully, there’s a project brewing up
there too…) and a strange photo of some of my garbage that I found on my walk
in the village. Kids go through the garbage heap to find food or look to
recuperate anything. I guess my notes for lesson plans weren’t to their liking….!
