Time to say goodbye

There is less than 24 hours left for me in
Namibia and the Peace Corps. So, it is
time to say goodbye to both.

This was a great tour. It was all that I hoped
it could have been.

The feeling of nostalgia led to reflect back from
the beginning on 5 September 2000.

Since then there have been countries called
El Salvador, Senegal, Romania and of course,
Namibia. There have been villages called
Sihuanango, Goundaga, Nadlac and Omega.
They've been people called Osmin, Segnor Jose,
Demba, Amadou, Pisti, Ioli, David and Susanna.
They've been volunteers like Karen aka Karina,
Bene, Pat, Brendan, Big John, Sam and Peggy.

All those countries, villages, counterparts and
fellow volunteers have help to make incredible
memories. All of these, pieces of the mosaic of life.

I leave feeling at peace and as of now, there are
no future plans, just ideas.

It will be home and after this amount of time away,
a period of adjustment. I've changed as I spent
day after day with Mayan, Fulani, Roma, Romanian
and San/Bushman people. I've taken bits and
pieces from each culture and made those
pieces, part of me.

Everything between the fire flies of Sihuanango
in El Salvador to the Southern Cross in the
sky over Omega in Namibia have been magical
and precious.

But it is time and I found the picture above of the
kids in the San Cultural Group waving goodbye
and I thought it a good last picture to post.

As this will be my last blog post I thank everyone
who has come to this blog over the years.

Maybe the adventures are over or maybe not. My
heart says no but the future holds the answer.

So the ride that began 5 September 2000 ends on
20 May 2012.

And ... it has been a good one.

Blogging from the streets of Okahandja

In the picture you can see what is basically downtown Okahandja. I am waiting for one of the home stay family members then we head to the capital. I also stopped by the Garden Cafe to say goodbye to Tony and Catherine. We have the transportation reserved ( a friend of the family's car) and ready when we are. I do have to say that Okahandja is a nice place to live. It isn't too big and it has anything anyone needs. If not, the capital Windhoek is only 45 minutes away. In Namibia 45 minutes away is considered kind of close. So soon it is Windhoek and another world. It probably is a good thing as I am slowly becoming adjusted to city life again. After 3 years in the bush with no stores and intermittent electricity, easing into the life of everything for me, is best done slowly. I don't want to lose the simple way of life I've grown to prefer. I think it will take an effort to maintain my preference for simplicity. But I will live a simple life there ... somehow. So, now it's away to Windhoek. One more step to go.

Baptism in Okahandja

While I was visiting with the home stay family,
one of the girls had her baby girl baptized.
In the picture you can see the baby with her
godmother who's name is Maria.

The baptism was held at the Ovambo Lutheran
Church. The Ovambo people are the majority
tribe in Namibia. In this church Oshiwambo
(the name of the language of the Ovambo people)
is spoken which meant that I understood about a
total of zero. I was in a majority San village and
the difference between the Ovambos and the San
are, to use a worn out phrase, night and day. They
are about as polar opposite as opposite can be.

There were 8 babies baptized and I took a video
clip and so when Martha (name of baby girl) is
older she'll have something to see.
I was the only white person in the church which
always leads to some interesting looks. After
all these years of being, the different person, it
isn't a problem. More like business as usual.
One funny thing did happen that Sunday at the
end they had some kind of collection.
Africans have pretty extensive expanded family
relations and a church collection consisted of a
person from that family lineage standing in front
with a bag in their hands. Then each one from that
family would go up and put change in the respective
bags.

One lady in a bench ahead of me pointed to me
(while smiling) and told me to stand up. I did not
knowing what I was standing up for. The whole
church burst out laughing.
When I sat down someone explained to me that I
just pledged to give to that family just like I was a
family member.
I have to admit, it was funny.

At home afterwards they had enough food to feed
almost the whole church and I told them, this is
way too much. But of course I was wrong because
I didn't know the Ovambo customs. There were
people falling out of the sky, literally. It was a two
day thing with every person coming eating like
heck.
And ... plates sent out by kids to the neighbors.
I didn't understand much as they spoke Oshiwambo
so I just was there.
Despite just being there it was a great experience
and even after all these years of being in places
like this, there is always something new to see and
learn.

But that time is coming to an end soon as tomorrow
it is off to the capital Windhoek to begin the
out-processing.

This time next week I will be on my way home.

Farewell visiting and good works

I am spending a few days in Okahandja which
is on my way to the capital and which will
eventually lead me to home.
I am visiting with the home stay family that I lived
with when I first arrived in Namibia back in February
2009.
When we are trainees we stay with a family
which can last anywhere between 8 to 10 weeks.
I have stayed in touch with the family over the years
and have visited with them several times. I was
invited to the baptism of a baby girl from one of the
family members. I will post info on that a little later.

 The main topic of this post is shown in the
picture posted above.
In the photo is Tony and he is sitting within his
restaurant right here in Okahandja. It is called
the Garden Cafe and I first went there in February
2011. At that time I was spending a week at the
training of a new group of volunteers. I heard about
the cafe and since then, every time I am in town, it
is a must stop ... daily.
The cafe was opened and managed by Tony and
his wife Catherine. They opened it in November
2010 and have seen it grow and prosper ever since.
The cafe is more than just a cafe and it is actually
the foundation of what would best be described in
the USA as an ... 'inner city project'.
The project is religious based and I am not going
to write on that aspect but instead, I will focus on the
developmental side of it.
The project that Tony and Catherine are offering is
one that which takes youth between ages of 19 to 29
and gives them training and skill to become workers
within the restaurant/lodge industry.
Here in the cities of Namibia it is very difficult for
the youth to find a job and let alone get any work
experience to be able to develop any form of CV
(resume). It is the proverbial catch 22 and a huge
challenge for the youth.
 
The course is a 12 weeks course and it consists
of improving English, mathematics, hospitality,
cooking and basic restaurant management plus
some time for the bible and character building.
Also upon completion they have a chance to
work in the restaurant and build up the CV a bit.
It has been an overwhelming success with three
groups completing the course and another one
soon to finish. As of now of the 34 youth that
have enrolled in the program only 1 had dropped
out. The one had to drop out as a result of a life
situation and not because of a lack on interest.
The number of participants is limited to a maximum
of 10 per course, more or less and this insures a
quality learning experience. Tony and Catherine
say that they prefer to have their program
emphasize quality over quantity.
With the struggle of finding employment and
in essence, a path in life, some of those that have
completed the course have mentioned that before
they joined that they were contemplating suicide
due to frustration and despair.

The news of their course has reached the
capital and a few of those whom participated
have gotten jobs in lodges. Also, the reputation
of their project is expanding and many businesses
are inquiring and are ready to accept any of
the youth, virtually sight unseen. An incredible
compliment for their program.

It is funny how we meet people. They are from the
mid-west of the USA and if they weren't here and
of course, I wasn't here, we never would have met.
We both have the same goal of helping and it is
refreshing to meet people who are concerned
about the youth of Namibia.

I only will put my reputation on the line for people
or projects that I feel are good, run well and have
the honest goal of helping. Well, this is one of those
projects.

They do have a blog address and I encourage
anyone to 'Click Here' if you'd like to visit it.
It is religious based but there is some contact info
if anyone is interested or have inquiries.

It has been a great honor for me to have met
Tony and Catherine.

It is a good feeling to see people such as these
doing the good work they do, selflessly.

Out of the village

The time came to depart the village after three
years. It was rise at 5 then sitting with Bob the
Romanian guy to drink a cup of tea and
reminisce.

Then at 6:30 a.m. I left Bob's mission
(in the picture, window of left was my room)
to walk the one and a half kilometers to the
road to catch a hike out.
Bob walked along and after about an hour
a person stopped and I hopped on.
At that moment, all references to the village
was spoken in the past tense.

I have to say that out of the four tours I have
had in different countries, this one was the
most challenging. It was challenging for many
reasons and for that, I am happy. I was in a place
that had needs.

The main reasons were HIV/AIDS and the issue
was that many people didn't seem to take it seriously
despite the fact that they've seen people living
with it, dying from it and still, they contract HIV.
The frustrating part was they knew everything
about prevention but just ignored it especially
if alcohol was involved.

Which leads into reason two ... degree of alcohol
abuse. So much so as to the point where people
would buy it over making the choice of purchasing
food. Some wouldn't eat for days, just drink.
Another critical issue was the change in life style
of the San from traditional hunter gatherers. The
situation is so similar to that of the native Americans
over a 125 or so years ago. It has resulted in a
social crisis, especially between their generations.

I am not fooled to think that I saved the world
while I was there and I know ... they were
surviving before I arrived and will continue after
my departure.

I have found that it is about moments in time. It
is about living those moments, realizing and
enjoying that which is all fleeting. It is about doing
one's best, never giving up and caring for the people.
I feel that I have left it all on the field, so to speak, in
that village.

A few people said some nice words before I left
and I was totally surprised of what they spoke.
One said, that it wasn't only the physical or
financial help that he felt was important but the
ideas that I gave to help make his people better.
Another who was a soldier during the time the
South African Defense Force used the village as
a military base. He said that during that time there
were apartheid treatment and segregation in
the living areas. The black Africans in one
location and the whites in another.
Through that experience and since, he never
thought that he would see a white person ever
take time for black people. He said that I was
the first white that he'd seen go over to a black
person's house to sit, talk and socialize. He
stated that I changed his mind concerning white
people.

I was really surprised with these statements.
Always wondered if anything would come out
of my time here. I am blessed to have heard
these words. I have a kind of a going out on
top feeling to take with me.

So, as that moment in time has receded in the
rear view mirror, my thoughts are that of
gratitude to have even had the opportunity
to experience it at all.

Now, it is off to Okahandja.

Hasha ira mbadiko

What that means is ... 'better than nothing' in
the Thimbukushu language.

The village is majority San (Khwe) but there
are also quite a few Mbukushu people and
of course, Thimbukushu is their language.
I used the Thimbukushu language because
I know how to say ... better than nothing ... in
that language. The Khwe language (Khwedam)
I am not too sure of. I asked and they told me,
I have forgotten but if I use my word for word
translating English to Khwedam then it would
come out something like hasha (the Khwe use
the same word as the Mbukushu) ghambe hru.
The hru (don't know if it's spelled right) is
pronounced like who but with a small rolling 'r'.
But to translate it direct hasha ghambe hru then
it means better nothing thing.

Ok, all that jive about language but the real point
is in the picture above, a one-third
finished traditional San/Bushman hut.
David the cultural group leader and his brother
Paulus whose real last name is 'Rambo' (really),
worked hard to just get it to that point with the
limited time they had.

So here's how I see the construction:
First, they dig holes around a predetermined
circle to anchor the poles in the ground. Also,
it gives a foundation as later they will have to
bend the poles and they need the resisting force
to keep it from moving.
Then they tie two poles together from opposite
sides after they have been bent to the desired
shape and height.
Then, they tie thinner more flexible poles around
like you see on the outside but also on the
inside so when they put the grass on it won't
fall in.
Then they add a few more layers and the top
is grass that is centered then bent over where
the ends are on either side so the water won't
leak in.
David also said that at night they make a little
fire in the center and with the heat that the
house retains, the people can sleep inside even
on the cold nights, without a blanket.

Despite the fact that the hut wasn't finished by the
time I left, I am totally happy to be able to see even
that. I have to thank my time in the Peace Corps
for teaching me to accept things the way they are
much better. It taught me to not stress about those
little things and not to get attached to the idea
that the hut had to be finished .

As you can see the blogging has been a bit fast and
furious the last few days and that's only because
all these things are happening all at once. But it
should slow down as the last few days are just going
to be reflecting and preparing to depart.

Despidida - bush style

Despidida is a Spanish word and it means
a going away party / present.
That's what happened the other night, in fact,
it was a surprise despidida.

As mentioned in some of the recent blog posts,
we were trying to get the djwara project finished
but it just didn't work out.

There was a flurry of situations in the village that
took David's (cultural group leader) time. But he
did make a great effort and in the next blog post
I will show you a picture of a one-third finished
traditional hut.

The other night David called and told me to go to
the djwara and bring my camera. I figured that
maybe there was some progress on the traditional
hut because that was the last thing we needed to
do and which I wanted to see. I thought that maybe
it would be my last chance to see one in person.
When I got to the djwara I could see that something
was up and found out that in fact it was a despidida
for me.

I really don't like despididas and really prefer to walk
out quietly with my thoughts. But this time I had no
choice and I am glad that I didn't
As you can see in the picture, the kids danced in
the night the traditional way with the two fires.
It was truly a night to remember. The kids danced
especially motivated and energetic and in fact, it
was the best that I've seen them.
The drums were beating, the kids were singing and
dancing and the place under the dancing tree was
aglow with the light of the two fires.

This time, I have no words that I can use to describe
exactly what it was like.

I am so grateful to have been able to experience a
pretty close to the 'Old Way' traditional night of the San
(Khwe) people.

I usually don't get this way but it was a bit emotional.
The project of the San cultural group has been one
of my favorites. No matter how the kids in the group
end up, either good or bad, all we can truly say is that
... we tried. Leaving that project behind will just make
me wonder if we've done anything good.

But, as all things must end, and this one ended in a
way that I can probably describe as magical. To be
able to see something resembling what the Khwe
had practiced for thousands of years, how can it
get better?

It was a farewell party but to me it really was ...
a present that I will never forget.

A taste of the Old Way

In the Old Way of the San/Bushman (Khwe)
people, at night the kids would sit around the
fire while the elders passed out the societal
wisdom.
The elders would pass the information out in
the form of stories.
In the picture you can see such en event. The
other night we went to the almost completed
djwara and just kind of hung out.
They started a fire as the night was cool
seeing as the southern hemisphere is entering
it's winter time.
I am not sure what they were talking about but
I think that they were passing out some wisdom
as to the benefits of staying in school and
studying seriously.
Despite the fact that I've been here three years
there are still activities like this that are a first
time see.
This type of passing of knowledge doesn't happen
anymore in the 'New Way' and I am kind of lucky
to have seen an example of it. Maybe it isn't as
authentic as it used to be because the people
would be wearing skins and the such.
But it is ok, I am still tickled to have at least seen
a facsimile.
This life living in places such as here just gives one
the opportunity to see and experience things like
this first hand.
It's just amazing to be able to.

The last run

In the picture you can see Bob the Romanian
guy finishing today's run.
I have been running at the village's old runway
for about a year and a half just to stay fit.
(The village used to be an old South African
Defense Force Base and that's why there is
the runway.)
A few weeks ago Bob decided to start running
with me so he could also stay fit.
So, as my time here is coming to an end
activities like this are also having their last hurrah,
so to speak, and today was the last run.

As I was running I was thinking of how life just
sometimes has a path for us.
I believe I've written about this in a prior blog post
but I am going to write about it again here.
Before I arrived in Namibia I spent two and a half
years in Romania. There is a link on the right hand
side of this page to the blog I wrote when I was
there.
Upon leaving Romania in December 2008 and
while in the airport in Bucharest with another volunteer
named John, we both agreed that it was probably
going to be the last time we will ever speak a word
of Romanian.
Fast forward to August 2009 and while living 70
kilometers out in the bush of Namibia, a pair of
white guys show up in the village. The crazy thing is,
that it was Bob and another guy and guess where
they were from, yup, Romania.
It's just difficult to understand how this could be. I am
probably the only American in the area that can speak
Romanian and here they come.
I have to say that during the three or so years that my
Romanian has improved greatly as I have always
spoken to Bob in Romanian and he has spoken
English to me.
So I am wondering that when I told Bob that as I am
returning to the States and that I will probably never
speak another word of Romanian again, if it would
be true. But as experience has taught me in Bucharest
in '09', who ta hell knows?
But also, it has been a great time working with Bob
over these last three years. I was there when they
started their mission in a building that had been
abandoned for over 20 years. I saw the resurgence
from the ashes just like the Phoenix. I also helped
him as much as I could and felt that by helping people
who are helping other people, then I am helping
development of the village.
It has been an honor to be able to have worked with
Bob and there is the memory of that special certain
time of seeing progress go forth throughout the village.
As I am leaving all I can do is wish Bob and his
mission all the luck in the world as they continue to
help the people in the village.

Djwara update

The djwara project continues and today we
finished the platform which you can see in
the picture.
David the cultural group's leader is in the
forefront with Mavandje (one of the girls
from the group) in the back with the pink
shirt cooking on the fire.
The platform isn't exactly authentic and that
is regarding the height. The one in our djwara
is about 6ft of 2 meters. Normally it would be
something like 3 meters.
The platform's purpose was to store food/meat
and when the young members of the San/Bushman
group would go out to hunt or gather, they would
put the elders on top.
The reason for the elders staying on the platform
was for protection against hyenas or lions. From
the platform they had an advantage as the could
thrust downwards with their spears to ward off
the attackers.
We still have the house to build and hopefully
tomorrow we will be able to complete it.
The djwara is starting to come together and is
really looking good. With that house it should be
just about complete.
Then I think it is the going away get together. Only
a few days left.

It's the little things

That seem to pop up kind of frequently that just
make being in these villages and living within
different cultures, interesting.

Today when we were working on the djwara
project I saw a few of the young girls fastening
a few vines together then all of a sudden, they
are jumping rope (or vine).

I just enjoy seeing these little innovative things. No
need to spend amounts of money to have fun, just
got to think a bit.

the vine (above)
after stripping leaves and fastening several together ....
the girls are jumping vine (below).

Djwara progress

The time is really winding down now. There is just
about a week left.

The only activity left to do is finish the djwara/cultural
center project. It doesn't look like it will actually be totally
finish as I mentioned in the last blog post.
But it will be finished enough for me and I will leave
content.

As you can see in the picture, the fence of poles are
almost all installed. In the back there is a section that
needs to be completed but all the poles are there and
it is a matter of just planting them.

Today is Friday and it is the last weekend for me in the
village so ... if anything is going to happen on the
djwara it will happen this weekend.

The big hope that I have is that tomorrow we will be able
to construct one of the traditional huts. So, I guess
'we'll see' is the mantra for that hope-wish.

There have been some pretty good changes going on
in the village over the last few months. One big one
is that they installed two 10,000 liter water tanks for
the school. The school had been struggling for a
decent water supply for years. It took a demonstration
from the students to get it fixed.
It was really a combination of efforts by the school's
assistant principal and the students that got it the
attention it needed to get action.
But it was David, the leader of the San Cultural
Group who talked to the students and told them, that
if they wanted to get something done then they
had to get active, to light the spark. It worked and
the students refused to go to classes for 3 days,
threatened to contact the TV station and the newspaper.
It got it going, miraculously it got priority from those
responsible .

With a week left I am feeling pretty good about the
village and I am very optimistic about it's future. There
seems to be more people discussing the issues
concerning the development of their part of the
world.

It is a gift to see this, I can leave feeling good
about the future of the friends I will leave behind.

A couple weeks left

There is more or less two more weeks left for me
here in the village. It really has been busy and at
least the people are taking advantage of my help
before it is too late.
In the picture you can see the djwara project and
it looks like it's not going to be finished before I
go. But I think that we will be able to build a hut
in the traditional style though. That is programmed
for next Saturday and with fingers crossed ...
Also in the picture you can see the dancing tree.
I guess I don't have to explain that the tree
doesn't dance but that is where the kids do their
practices and performances for the village.
I do have to say that when you are under that tree
it just feels like it has some special energy.

Also, with two weeks left there is still real life that
goes on. This morning we attended a burial for
a girl named Atalia. She was in one of my first
blog articles way back in May 2009. If you click
here it will bring to the page and in the photo with
the four girls in it, she is the one on the left in the
back.
HIV is never very far away here and she passed as
a result. During my time here I've worked side by
side with a few people at the clinic that have HIV
but it took over two and a half years to find out.
They are taking their ARVs and I never knew a
thing.
Well there are those that take it and those that
don't seem to understand, I guess. Atalia was
one that took ARVs then stopped for no particular
reason. Then she became pregnant and then
started taking them again as part of the PCMT
or prevention of mother to child transmission.
She had a miscarriage and then stopped taking
them again. Then after a while she got pregnant
again and the same thing happened.
About a month ago she comes into the clinic and
looks totally terrible and it was too late at that time.
She weighed about 100lbs when healthy but
weighed a little over 60 at the end.
Just wonder what was in her mind about the ARVs.
Did she really want to live with HIV or ... She had
all the info about it and ignorance wasn't a factor.

It is what happens out in villages. It does
kind of take the luster off the ending of my Peace
Corps tour. But it is the reality and she's not the
first to have passed as a result of HIV since I've
been here. It just seems that many of the people
just decide to stop taking the ARVs.
I am hoping that some of her friends have learned
something so that she didn't die without  leaving
something that could maybe save others.

Sometimes this is the reality of life in the Peace Corps.

One less last minute project

Today the New Gospel Church Choir finally got
together to make their music DVD.
In the picture you can see the interest it created as
a bunch of people showed up at the airport to
watch some of the filming.
When we first got there I noticed that there was
about 5 or 6 extra kids who tagged along. After
the third song I happened to turn around and
then saw all these people. It was ok and upped
the intensity of the choir.
The photo was taken as we were moving to
another location after filming four songs.
In total we filmed 11 songs and each got better
as they warmed up.
I now have all the clips, pictures and songs I
need to compile into a DVD for them.
With an hour and a half of electricity a day it
should take me a few days to get it all set.
I filmed it with a generation 1 Flip camera so it
isn't a Hollywood production by any means but
it actually is, ok.

The djwara project still has some to go and with
two weekends left, I am getting a little concerned
that that project may not be finished enough
(like totally) and we won't be able to have the
inaugural festivities while I am here. So, I am
hoping tomorrow we can plant another bunch
of poles and make progress.
I am really wanting to take a few pictures of
the building of one of the San (Bushman) huts
that is programmed for the djwara project.
I want to write about it and add it to this blog.
Other than that, time is going too fast and it is
time to start throwing out junk and thinking
about packing.

djawara project - first day

Today was the first day in the construction of
our djwara/cultural center.
As you can see in the picture, the kids from the
cultural group are getting their hands dirty digging
holes so that we can plant some poles.
What our project consists of, is the building of a
traditional San (Khwe) homestead. It was told to
me that the traditional homestead of the Khwe is
unique from the other San tribes.

To build the traditional homestead we need
a fence made of poles. A few small traditional
huts, a platform and areas dedicated for cooking,
dancing entertainment and other reasons that I
haven't learned yet.

As mentioned in my last blog post, this is the last
major project with the group and unlike the other
projects in the past, this one has a time limit.
Usually everything goes at a slow pace out here
in the bush but I have been impressed with the
fact that they are trying to finish it before I go.

If it is finished in time, we are thinking of having
kind of an inaugural event. Something like we did
last year which was dancing all night, a little food
and some tea. The last time was fun, but this
one should be better because we'll have the
traditional setting. I am kind of hoping that the
elders will come out in numbers and tell us their
opinion of the djwara.

At this point, with one month left in the village, it
is the time that all the other people that have
mentioned things they would want to do, but
never seemed to have the ambition to start,
are coming out of the woodwork. Other small
activities planned are another movie with the
drama group at the clinic and a music video
of religious songs from one of our churches
in the village.

Those little projects I like but the village
generator gave up the ghost the other day and
the news is that they aren't going to fix it this
time. With electricity coming to the village
(typical question is when) sometime this year,
it really doesn't make sense to pay the money
to repair it.

That leaves me with a lot less computer time
to put the movie and the music DVD together.
But I guess with those we will have to hustle
like we need to do with the djawara.

So, I guess the thought I had of just chilling out
in the village for the last month won't happen.
But that's ok, we'll just hopefully get it all done
in time.

Last minute project

I have only two months left here in Namibia.
It was originally supposed to be three but due
to a visa issue I have to leave a month earlier.
Even though it is only a change of a month it
makes things a little more intense. It is always
the way that when you leave, people are just at
the point of getting animated. Right now I am
pretty busy doing all the little things. Just kind of
taking care of all the details.

In the picture you can see a sketch that David,
the leader of the Young San Cultural Group made.
It is a traditional San (Khwe) homestead. It is
called a dwjara (don't know how to write it but it
is pronounced that way). We started making one
about a year or so ago but it didn't get to be what
you see in the picture.

We always talked about making a cultural center
and the original idea was kind of like a brick type
building as the center. Instead we decided to make
the dwjara as the cultural center. kind of makes sense
and if it goes well, visitors will be able to spend the
night sleeping in a traditional hut.
I am hoping that it can be completed before I have to
leave. It would be a great thing for me to be part
of it and see what a real one looks like.
It would be just like the period at the end of a sentence
... it would end my time here the right way.

Mid-March update

It has been a bit since I last posted. So, there
are a few things that have happened since.

The village health clinic where I work has been
the recipient of a very quality solar system. I like
the workmanship that the company's employees
did.
It really changes things a bit and now we can show
our movies/dramas on health and social issues
daily. It also makes it a lot easier for the nurses
when they have emergencies at night and it eliminates
having to deliver babies in the dark with only
candle light.

The cultural group is still going along with activities
to keep the kids busy and out of trouble. Yesterday
we loaded them all up into a small pickup truck and
then headed out to Katima Mulilo, a decent sized
city about 250 km from the village.
Out of the 15 kids we brought only two have ever
been there so, that was a new experience for them.
There were a lot of firsts for the group but also for us,
the adults (there was four of us).
Let me see ... the first first for the kids other than
arriving in the new city was ... get this ... ice cream.
Yeah there were kids about 8 or 9 that have never
had the chance to eat ice cream.
It was funny as one of the kids about 8 years old, tasted
his ice cream and said that he didn't want to eat it
because it was too cold (even though it was about 35 c
or 95 F) and it was going to make his body cold.
David the group leader just laughed and
said it was just like the 'The god must be crazy"
movie.
I am leaving in three months so this was kind of like
a going away activity at the same time. So I was
able to give each kid N$20 or about US$2.50 so
they could go to one of the China shops to buy
something.
Man, the kids did shop and it was really surprising
to me what they bought with just the N$20. Again,
for about 10 of the kids it was a first of having
their own money to buy something in a store.
Then we went to the nice open air market and
had a lunch of pap (porridge) and fish. The lady
was pretty happy as she sold 19 plates at one
time and probably made a normal day's pay
in about an hour. Again, this time first for all the
kids.

In Katima is a mission/project that takes in some
underprivileged kids and gives them a solid base.
They live at a small complex that is situated right
on the Zambesi river.
A few of the kids come from our village so we
thought that a decent thing to do would be to go
visit them while we were in the neighborhood.
There are two people running it at the moment
and they are from the States. They do a great
job and are very sincere and caring people.
When we contacted them about visiting we
mentioned that we were a cultural group. We
brought a drum and the skins (traditional clothes).
In the picture above you can see the kids from
our group dancing along with the kids from
the mission/project.
It was really a great time and it was a new
experience for both our kids and the ones living
there.
Again, this was another first.

Then we headed from the Zambesi to the center
of town. We set up a tour at the NBC (Namibia
Broadcast) studio.
We arrived about 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon
and the people working there were really nice
to give us the tour. Normally the tours are during
the week only.
The man who gave the tour was just the greatest
and had patience with the kids and with 26 years
of experience at his job, knew everything and was
willing to share it.
He showed the kids the studios and the equipment
and even let the kids sing a song that he saved on
the memory drive.
So, if someone wants to request their song, then
in minutes after doing a search on the server, the
song can be played.
The kids were kind of happy and impressed with that.
Also, the goal in bringing them there was to show
that by going to school and studying they may be
able to work in a studio too.
The guide told them what kind of education they
need and we hope that it was a planting the seed visit.
We pray that in one of the kids, it will grow.
Again, this was another first.

Then we headed towards the border post between
Namibia and Zambia. We couldn't go across and
the border closes at 6 p.m.
We got there at about 5:30 so even if we wanted to
walk out a bit to see the bridge over the Zambesi,
it was too late.
But the kids did get a chance to look at Zambia.
Not a big first, but a first nonetheless.

We then headed home and the kids were full of
food and tired. It was a good day.

So, with 3 months left here for me, it is winding
down time. I am happy that we had a good day
like yesterday and I am not sure that there will
be any more chances for trips like this.
If there isn't, we went out in style.

Keeping up with the Super Bowl ...

Seeing as the Patriots (my team) is in the
Super Bowl, there is a need to be informed.
I am from Massachusetts and during my time
in the Peace Corps the Patriots have been
to four Super Bowls and today they are heading
into their fifth.
The first time I was in Leon, Nicaragua and
that was a great atmosphere. The second
and third I was at Kounkane and Kolda,
Senegal respectively.
Number four was at Nadlac, Romania and
the fifth (today) will be 70 km out in the bush
in north eastern Namibia.
The first three I was able to watch it on TV. The
fourth was through an internet live update feed.
To stay updated on this Pats Super Bowl quest,
I am going to be using what you see in the
picture above ... my cellphone with and internet
connection.
I have downloaded an ESPN app that will post
the plays.
I will refresh every minute or so and though it isn't
like watching it on the tube, it will still be exciting
... especially if they win.
It will require waking up at about 4 a.m. here. It's
ok, it's worth it.

I am really lucky that I can keep up with the game
out here. It can always be worse.

One of the aspects of life that living in the Peace
Corps reminds one of, almost daily.

It's back to the village ...

Tomorrow morning bright and early it's out the
door and time to head back to the village.
It has been about 10 days out of site and
it's been a quick ten days but it was a good
little break. I actually had a chance to watch TV,
go for breakfast a few times and catch up on
the soapies (soap operas / telenovelas) that
they show here in Namibia.

I've stayed in contact with some of the people
I work with in the village and there are a few things
lined up so it will be some things to do upon return.

I was able to do a little more playing around with
my netbook computer since here there is 24/7
electricity. So, I converted another one of the
Young San Cultural Group's songs.

This one I really like and the name of the song is
... people from the oil tree.

It isn't exactly a traditional song but it is one that the
kids put together themselves.

To listen to it and if you want or download just

click here 

when you arrive at the page you will see the player
and to the right an option to download.

Send me a comment if you like the song.

Time to go start packing my things for the 11 hour
journey back.

What I like about ...

Africa is that at any time, any where, you may see something that you've never seen before. Despite having almost 6 years of living on the continent, there is still a good chance that something unique will appear out of the blue. This morning I walked into town ( I am spending a few days in Okahandja. A city. ) as you can see there is water jetting out of somewhere due to some work mishap. You can also see a car under the water flow. The great thing is the guy drove through then stopped, backed up and basically washed his car in the middle of the street. Can't say I've seen that before and maybe others have but this was a first for me. I just love things like this. Freedom to just do these things without worrying about what people think. Things like this I'll miss when my time is up in 6 months. But it ain't over yet.