This term break I didn’t have any visitors or important
trips planned so I stayed around my site for some days and got organized for
the next term. There were no teachers and the learners had gone home so it was
very quiet and relaxing. In my two years service, I’ve seen quite a bit of
Namibia but I hadn’t traveled to the Oshivambo-speaking area up north. The
Peace Corps places many volunteers in this densely populated area for our
Education, Health and Community Development programs. So what better time than
now to pay my colleagues a visit?
I planned a trip to visit Natalie Lopez (fellow
Californian!) who teaches in a small village about 50km from Outapi. Outapi is
near the Angolan border and the trip probably takes over 15 hrs straight from
my site in the south. I decided to break it up and spent one night in Windhoek.
Then it was a 9 hour kumbie ride up to Outapi where again I spent the night at
another Volunteer’s place before heading out to Natalie’s village. In Windhoek
I decided to splurge and spent the night at the Hilton!(maybe no biggie for YOU but for this gal.."Hmmm..shower or bath..? How about BOTH?!") Drinks poolside, hot
water, real comfy bed AND TV! And the best part was breakfast! It wasn’t cheap
but I’d go there again just for the awesome breakfast!
The next day it was 2 more hikes out to Natalie’s village
called Iilyatek. When we finally arrived, it was real quiet and the landscape
is so different from my area: green, low-lying trees, shana ponds, lots of
cattle and some goats. Two other Education volunteers joined us: Emma and
Hannah….and Hannah’s cat, Fella. This kitten was the mascot of the trip! Because
the school breaks are 4 weeks long, it’s not so easy planning what to do in the
break time and sometimes volunteers are not allowed to remain in the school
hostels. So we are encouraged to go visit other volunteers around Namibia. It
was fun spending time with these young ladies. We exchanged experiences and complained about the Peace Corps and all the inconveniences that serving in the
Peace Corps offers. Natalie’s flat is comfortable and pretty spacious. We
watched movies and played cards. Natalie has to fetch water and the toilet is a
pit latrine so washing dishes, clothes and bathing can be challenging but it
was satisfying to see another volunteer’s perspective on living and working in
Namibia.
Some photos are from our visit to Outapi and the gigantic
Baobab tree. It is estimated to be over 1000 years old! It was once a bar,
store, church AND post office! Other photos are from Natalie’s place and her
school. There is also a mission in her village and some learners live there
during the school year. I was also treated to a local meal of mahagu (porridge/polenta),
grilled meat (capana) and spicy tomatoes and roasted nuts. We ate at the local
market and everything is eaten with your hands…no utensils. It was delicious
but spicy hot!! Meats and food here in Namibia are always prepared with spice
or other hot flavors. They are not big on veggies but boy! Do they LOVE their meat!!
I am back at site now and the second term is off to a slow
start. Many kids are still on the farms and won’t get here till probably next
week, even though today is the official first day of school. I have a PC
training this weekend and then the following weekends in June and July will be
filled with school events and I’ll post photos. Its winter here now so it’s
gotten colder at night and early morning but the cloudless sky and bright sun
warm you all up. I’ve gotten into a routine here but am also preparing myself
for the end of my service.
