Wa lala po?

Clearly, I am not very good at updating/blogging. Thought I’d give a brief update of what I am doing and how things are going. Two weeks ago I swore in as a volunteer…..whoothoo….officially a PCV! Directly after that I was driven up to my permanent site in Oshakati.

For the next two years I will be living with a family in a modern style home. We have running water; cold showers are something I don’t think I’ll ever get use to and electricity (even a TV w/cable!). Yes folks, I am living in the posh corps! The family consists of: Meme, her three daughters, two grandchildren, one cousin, and two/three random cousin types. Let’s just say cooking dinner for the family can be interesting! My meme is super sweet and understanding. She really understands that I need my own private time and space, which is great, since it can be super overwhelming at times.

I am working with an organization, which has an afterschool program for 120 orphans and vulnerable children. I am responsible for improving and running the program, which was just structured in February by a couple of volunteers from England. I have one volunteer helper, but it is still a challenge to get the kids settled down and listen. Also, my lack of understanding in the children’s language tends to be a problem when trying to get them to quiet down. At the moment, I am just treading water, trying to figure out the best way to structure lessons for the children and keep their interest while doing it. If anyone has any ideas/games to play with the kids, email me!

“Hey Shulumbu” is a phrase that I am becoming accustomed to, translated as ‘hey white person’. The children at the center call me it daily and I am constantly reminding them I have a name.

PST

Finally, first entry from Namibia! The first week here was a constant struggle to adjust to the time change and eating habits. I was falling asleep at one or two in the morning and waking up at six. Not to worry, that only lasted a week and now when my head hits the pillow I am out. The food on the other hand….not sure if I will ever completely adjust to it. I already really really miss American coffee and a great big green salad. My meal usually consists of a small piece of meat (chicken and some sort of beef), pasta or rice and potatoes. Oh, and don’t forget the ketchup and mayonnaise, this goes with every meal.
My group consists of 30 rockin’ peeps from all over. Our pre-service training is in Okahandja which is about 45 minutes north of Windhoek. The training days are long consisting of four hours of language in the morning and technical sessions in the afternoon.
I am learning Oshindonga, which means my permanent site will be in the north above Etosha State Park!! Right now, I am living with a single mom, 2 yr old son and 15 yr old sister in a middle class area of Okahandja. Tonight she taught me how to take a bucket bath for two reasons; water is expensive and once I am up north I may not have a bathtub. I go for a site visit next Saturday (March 20), which means I will stay in the area I will permanently live in for a week and then have to find my own transportation back to training. Nervous about that one! The anticipation of finding out where my site for the next two years will be is driving me crazy!!