place of habitation. It will be called home for the
next 21 months. It looks pretty nice and it is
actually a good place to live.
It is part of a mission complex and not anywhere
near what is indicative of the village. I am lucky
to here and have no complaints. It is away from
the center and really quiet ... good place to
meditate.
I am happy to have finally arrived at a semi-permanent
residence. It has been the 5th move in the last 7 or so
months. It has been Romania, USA, Okahandja, home stay
(for 3 months) and now (and finally here). It is pretty ok to
be able to actually totally unpack for the first time in quite
a while.
The things are moving actually fairly well in the village and
not that I am a fatalistic person but it seems too good to be
true.
We have a lot of possibilities and we just have to make it
happen.
The support garden is going along tremendously and we've
attracted young men whom never worked a garden before
or have virtually no experience per se. This is really good
because many of them actually do nothing all day. Hopefully
they are becoming a little motivated to be active. We are
also continuing to struggle for the materials to expand but
there is light at the end of the tunnel as we are inline to
get enough stuff to have it come to fruition. We actually
have a waiting list of people who would like to participate.
Another breakthrough is that of making progress in getting
the toilets at the school working again after almost 2 and
a half years. All I can say is ... don't know how to explain
the longevity of that situation. But they aren't actually functioning
yet but at least the toilets are draining and we are getting
water to enter the system. Just have to get the myriad of leaks
fixed.
The new soccer field is half way finished and by Tuesday we
hope to be finished with the clearing and with luck within
the next week or two, have it ready enough for them to
begin playing. Also, it will be the only regulation sized field
in the near region. It should be a great place to play.
With luck we will be making headway in the area of making
short instructional movies in the health sector in the local
San language (Khwedam). The topics are things like malaria,
TB ... etc. These short clips will be shown at the local health
clinic and it is geared more towards the people whom cannot
read. It may take time to complete them all but I'd like to
get that ball rolling.
The netball girls actually came up with having a tournament
on their own. I am happy that they are taking some initiative.
Don't know what they have in mind as to when, where, how
and all that jazz. Maybe tomorrow I'll get the scoop.
We finally have a coffee shop and I am thinking that it is about
the first one in the village since Namibia's independence in '90'.
So now, it isn't all bars and alcohol only as a place to sit and
socialize. Don't know how it's going to work out but I can
predict that she'll (the same lady that bakes bread in a hole
in the ground) will sell at least one cup of coffee per day ... I am
the consumer on that account.
Also talked to a teacher at the school about starting a debating
club and she mentioned that some of her students asked the
same question just a few days before. For where we are in the
middle of no where, it's a pretty advanced concept as far as
I'm concerned. I hope that that comes to fruition.
The San cultural group has to start gearing up the practices
as they got the nod to go to the regional competition and
if they place then they are their way to the nationals in the
Capital Windhoek. They just need to be getting the eye
of the tiger on this one.
So that is about what has happened and is happening over
the last few days. I am again glad that I will be able to
settle in and get a good base to be able to stay abreast
of what I hope will be a decent pace of progress.
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