Shout out to ...

All of you out there that reads this blog entry
from a pre-school/day care center (in the picture) in
Okahandja.
Right now I am in that town on my way to the Windhoek.
I am spending a few days with the home stay family
that I lived with over the first 8 or so weeks during training.
It is first time out of the village in a while and the first time out
of the East Kavanngo/West Caprivi regions since arriving
there around the 20th of April.
It is a time to relax and take stock of the last three months, the
initial ones in the village. I have to say that though we haven't
fallen upon the solution as to why world peace is so difficult to
come by ... we've made some progress and as of now there
is a little more animation and less young people going to bars
all day. We haven't stopped them but we've put a road bump
to slow that down some. The road bump is other activities.
Also, I have to say that I am looking kind of dumb here as in
the last blog entry I mentioned that I had little hope of the people
taking out the remaining tree in the middle of the new proposed
soccer field. While I was in transit yesterday I received a text
saying that they did take out the tree. I have to say to the guys
at the Youth Office ... may the winds of the Skeleton Coast
carry my heart felt apologies for not believing in you. I am
beginning to fear that if things like this (doing what they say
they'd do) happens on a regular basis that I am going to lose
the cynicism that becomes part of almost every Peace Corps
volunteers being. Man, what in the heck would be to complain
about if people keep stepping up? I am not worried about losing
that trait, there will be many more opportunities for them to
let the cynicism flow, I am sure.
The garden again is totally full, the school is starting to perk up
and there could be some good things happening there. That is
if the principal doesn't kick me out first. Every time he sees me
doing something and looking at me like ... what is he doing ... I
tell him that some day he'll kick me out of here. He says he
won't but I am almost willing to bet he will. If he does, then we've
made some crazy headway. In a way I hope he does, but only
sometime in the middle of 2011 after I've finished here.
In my opinion the hardest part hasn't even begun yet. The most
difficult part is somehow to tie in all these activities to

developing leaders and managers. In the sports it will happen

with the establishment of leagues in each of the individual sports.

It has seemed so far that every time that I've talked about it

people have frozen up. I am thinking that they don't understand

what a league is. I am getting the drift that what happens here

is tournaments only, similar to how it was in Senegal.
I am thinking that the leagues would be the activity that would
bring the teachable moments (managing, facilitating) that is so
much needed in the village.
Another thing that may happen is that we may be able to organize
a couple of workshops that will be about traditional San (Khwe)
cultural practices. For example, a week long workshop on how
to build a traditional hut and also other activities such as how to
start a fire using sticks (this is what I really would like to learn)

and other things of that nature.
The people that I hitched a ride with are an NGO that works
in that sector so after a discussion, it may be possible
to collaborate with them so as to make those ideas a reality.
Hopefully, that is going to be one of the coming attractions

and not just an idea that hangs out there.
So, from me and the kids of the day care center, ciao.