A Carolina Gamecock in Namibia

One Final Post then it is Lights Out on Gamecock in Namibia.

2009-04-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that I am in the United States and you all know I was medically separated from the Peace Corps after 16 months. If you are interested in exactly why my service came to an abrupt end, read on.

I was medically separated from the Peace Corps because I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The original trauma happened 14 years ago. I am a survivor of a sexual assault that resulted in a pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage. The miscarriage was something my friends and family were aware of but I did not share the circumstances leading to my pregnancy with anyone until two years ago. The flood of emotions associated with speaking openly about the assault (and other disappointments attributed to my reactions to that trauma) were staggering. I eventually sought counseling at a rape crisis center. I was fortunate to meet other survivors and began to feel a real sense of normalcy. About that time, I applied to join the Peace Corps. I discussed this option with my therapist at length. We both felt certain it would be a positive experience and I was emotionally prepared for what might occur in my two years abroad.

Weeks into my service, I watched two different dogs get tied up with wire and beaten to near death. It all happened within a 24-hour period. I intervened in the beatings before either was killed, but witnessing such an event triggered some deep-rooted issues in me. I stopped sleeping. I was experiencing vivid nightmares and anxiety attacks. It did not disturb my work. In fact, my work was a coping mechanism for me. I struggled at night alone. I struggled on the weekends alone. My symptoms of fear persisted and worsened, which led me to seek counsel with the Peace Corps. The medical staff was more than accommodating and sent me to sessions with a therapist in May of last year.

I attended the sessions and returned to my village feeling rejuvenated. Yet, I continued to experience ups and downs. My anxiety and fear did not ease. The attacks of panic and anxiety were becoming more acute, the fear more intense. It started to creep into my physical health. I began to worry it might start to effect my work. I began to worry I would never recover. I had to make a choice.

I walked in to the Peace Corps Medical Office on a Monday morning in February knowing full well when I explained my situation I might not be offered a solution that would keep me in Namibia. That would keep me in Lusese. Peace Corps policy states a volunteer is offered three therapy sessions and if not “cured” in that time frame the volunteer is sent home for further counseling. I knew they might do nothing more than put me on the next plane to the Red, White and Blue. I was hoping they might have another option. I was hoping I could stay. I could not. There was no option for me other than to return home and take care of myself. However, I am considered a RPCV in the eyes of the Peace Corps. I left in good standing. I can join again after a year. And it was the right thing for me to return home. I have no regrets.

So, here I am. Home. Taking care of myself. I want to thank everyone for being part of my Peace Corps service. I enjoyed writing about my experience and I hope you all gained something from it too. Thank you for listening to my story. I am doing well and am actively working to untangle what is tangled.

On a lighter note, I just returned from a 10-day Wilderness First Responder Course (you can check out photos from my class in Cullowhee, NC below) and will be heading to Virginia to work for Adventure Links in about three weeks. I am gainfully employed and headed to the woods to live in a tent and take kids on outdoor adventures all summer long. The journey continues…

Wilderness First Responder Course

A look at Lusese from the eyes of Lusese...

2009-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

I just developed some pictures taken by a learner at Lusese Combined School. He took care of Mulotu, my dog, while I was away over the December break. As a thank you, I gave him a disposable camera and told him to take pictures of whatever he wanted. The following photo essay is from him. I plan to mail him the copies.

Lusese through Ntanda's lens

She is sorta here but not really.

2009-03-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends. I hope you are all doing well. After spending over 20 hours on a plane and countless more waiting in airports, I am back. Physically, that is. I am going through the motions of a daily routine: Pooping in a flush toilet that is mere seconds from where I sleep. Turning on a light. Turning off a light. Turning on a faucet. Turning off a faucet. Experiencing hot water on a daily basis. High-speed Internet. Cars. Traffic. Lines of people. Noise. Reaching for items at the grocery store I used to crave. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Adjusting is hard. And, right now, living happily in the moment is a tough one because I left so much of myself at home in Namibia. In Lusese.

However, I wanted everyone to know I did safely return to the United States. I am on the hunt for a job so I can save money for my next big adventure abroad, which is yet to be determined. I have an American phone number now, so if you wish to call or sms (text message) me you may do so. Just email me and I can give you my number.

I will be in touch. There might be less writing for a bit, but I will try to have some insight for everyone on what 15 months away from America can mean to an American. Below is a front and back shot of the t-shirt made for me by my Namibian counterparts who signed the back of the shirt.

Farewell Namibia...

2009-02-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

In a few short days, I will be boarding a plane back to America. Due to medical issues that cannot be treated in Namibia, I am being medically separated from the Peace Corps. (And don't worry, I am going to be just fine, physically.) I realize this is a tremendous shock. It is for me. But, it is what I must do and life moves on and its important to adjust. In the meantime, I am trying to soak in the last week with the people who have become my family over the past 15 months. I will write more about my final days here when I have had some time to reflect.

All the best from Namibia, my home.

A picture days before I departed the U.S.

A picture from my last day in Lusese.

The Namibian Holiday (part deaux)

2009-02-19T09:27:00.001-08:00

Swakop to Etosha

African Antics caught on tape...

The Namibian Holiday (part one)

2009-02-15T01:36:00.000-08:00

Hello America! Click the link below to check out the first week of Warren/Chris visit Tina...

The Boys in Namibia

A Video of our adventures...

Cultivating Patience on the Toilet, Genuine Laughter and Pythons...

2009-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

People in Africa laugh. And do so with sincerity I have rarely seen. For example, Thursday, I went to the “sports field” or “the only spot where maize in not planted” to witness track practice. Kids ran barefoot in skirts and pants and dress shirts. The hurdles were two sticks in the ground with plastic string between them. Nobody knew how to jump them anyway. Kids held out vines to indicate a finish line. Kids laughed. Adults laughed. The sorta laugh that emerges from the soul. Sheer bliss. It is how it should be at sports event from time to time.

As a kid, I remember having a little jar to collect whatever insects inhabited the yard. I placed dirt and grass in it and poked holes at the top so the critters could breathe. The other day, I had an epiphany. I was inspecting the toilet for large spiders when it occurred to me that using a latrine during the rainy season is a little like taking a dump in an insect jar. The latrine has holes at the top, grass and dirt on the floor and every sort of flying, creepy crawling insect imaginable is housed within. Bugs fall on me. Fly into my face. Crawl across my feet. Sitting on the can is a fantastic place to cultivate patience. I owe any personal growth to the fact I used a pit latrine for two years.

Lusese was hit with a snake frenzy days before my return from Holiday. The highlight of which was the Python discovered in the wash area of a teacher’s hut. The snake was smothering its dinner, which on this day was a small dog. My neighbors walked in on the snake mid-squeeze. It promptly dropped the dog and made a hasty escape. Brave souls took chase and shot the snake in a field. I saw pictures and it goes without saying that anything that can devour a dog is large, impressively large.

I am teaching a Life Skills class. A learner asked me to teach him how to get a girlfriend. This is not my area of expertise. Wish me luck, or perhaps you should wish him luck;)

Warren and Chris arrive in a few days. I should have pictures of our Namibian adventures to share with you soon.

I miss you.

Help Me Help Them!

2009-01-22T00:49:00.000-08:00

This year I have been asked to teach Life Skills to Grade 9 and 10. I am hoping to integrate the following program into this course. It is called Hero books and it has been used widely throughout South Africa. It is meant to empower individual children and families as well as entire communities. A Hero Book is a document, and a process, in which a child is invited to be the author, illustrator, main character, and editor of a book that is designed to help them set goals, and give them power over a specific challenge or obstacle in their life. At the end of the process each person has a hand-bound storybook of their own making which is a kind of solution focused mission statement but also documents, heralds, and reinforces their problem busting strategies and hero-survival-resilient abilities. The first draft of a Hero Book is made purely as part of a confidential therapeutic process and is explained to the participant as such. Participants are however offered the opportunity to think about “publishing” their Hero Book by hand-making or photocopying second editions. If you want to read more about Hero Books, check out the website: www.repssi.org then click on the Hero Book link on the left side.

I am hoping you might be willing to send much needed supplies so the children may be able to create a book. I appreciate all the personal things I have been getting, but I would love for you to consider sending items from this list instead. Email me with any questions.

Copier Paper
Lined Paper
Construction Paper (colors)
Pens
Pencils
Sharpeners
Markers
Colored Pencils
Glue
Packing Tape
Paint
Paint Brushes
Nails
Hammer
Paperclips
String/Yarn
Sewing Needles

A Holiday Photo Essay

2009-01-05T03:37:00.000-08:00

Instead of boring you with paragraph after paragraph, I have handpicked the finest photo representations of my holiday. I limited my descriptions to just a few short sentences. I do hope your holiday was all you wanted it to be and then some. Happy 2009 America! I hope the year is fantastic and I hope to see you before its over. Just click on the picture below to go to my photo essay.

Opwuo to Cape Town 2008

More Pictures...

2008-12-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

Me and Ed...

My garden...

Elephant footprint...

Baby Elephant footprint...

Elephant Shit Storm...

Mulotu (another wild animal)...

Mi Casa (or "The White House" as my principal calls it)...

2008-12-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Guava Trees, Snickers, Cheese Bread and more...

2008-11-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

A Shirt.
A trend among learners here is to write on their uniform shirts. Here is what one learner scribbled on the front pocket of her nice white shirt:
Name: Lindah
Grade: Grade 7
School: Lusese Combined
Subject: Shirt

A Tree.
I planted two Guava trees in my yard, which was a feat in itself. I spent the better part of two weekends gathering sticks in the bush and creating a fence around each tree to keep out dogs. I am proud of my work. I am fond of working with the Earth. Planting things. Watering. Watching things grow. My garden is not turning out as I had hoped. It has lots of weeds sprouting and little else, which is why I put the trees in. I plan on getting flowers to plant around the trees.

A Moment.
The American Presidential Election was a big deal for the people of my village. I have always known the world watched American politics closely, but this was the first time I have seen it firsthand. I was touched by the reaction of my coworkers and my learners after Obama won. I was hugged. Learners cheered. It seemed to touch something in them. They felt a connection because of Obama’s roots in Africa. They felt it could be good for Africa. And regardless of ones political leanings, one can’t argue it was a significant moment in time and even those living in a tiny village in Africa with nothing but a cell tower can sense the importance of the moment. I am sure all of you can too.

A Birthday.
On my birthday, I ate a snickers bar that my village mate brought back for me from her trip to Botswana. My learners made me spectacular cards and I got lots of love from back home and from my NamFam (Namibian Family). Overall, it was a nice way to start pushing 40. Yeah, you read right. I am pushing 40.

A Sorta Thanksgiving
My Thanksgiving might not have included turkey and mac-n-cheese but it did have lots of thanks. I ate some fresh cheese bread from a grocery store in my shopping town and thought about how much I am thankful for in my life. hApPy ThAnKsGiViNg!!

A Farewell.
The last three weeks of school consisted of no teaching. The learners were writing exams and I was busy marking the exams. Today was the final day for kids. And now it is time for a break from Lusese. I am headed to Opuwo, which is in the Kunene Region of Namibia (northwest corner) at the end of next week. It is home to Ed, my boyfriend for the past few months. He is a fellow Peace Corps volunteer who works with the Namibia Red Cross. He is originally from Wisconsin, which means he talks funny and likes to hunt. I am going to be at his site for two weeks and then we are traveling to Cape Town for Christmas and New Years. We have a wine tour planned for Christmas Eve and we are diving with Great White Sharks on New Years Day. Stay tuned for pictures and stories from our trip. And if you don’t hear from us, it means we are shark food.

Be Here Now.

2008-10-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

October 31st marks one year in Africa. One year. I tried to think of something deep and meaningful to write. Something that illuminates the perspective I have attained; something to inspire America to go out and join the Peace Corps. However, all I can say is I am equally happy it has been a year as I am sad I only have a year remaining. So, I move forward knowing I am in the midst of a grand experience that will come to and end before I know it, which is even more of a reason for me to live in the present.

Random observations:

I saw a small girl wearing a bra as her top. The bra was countless sizes too big and was actually draped off one shoulder. Fascinating fashion choice.

I have been riding bikes more than running in recent weeks because my foot is sending me messages that tell me to stop pounding her on the ground repeatedly. It’s an understandable request and I am forced to listen because the pain is excruciating.

A young lady was hoisting a large bag of maize on her head and Ashley, my fellow volunteer in Lusese, was standing next to me admiring the tone and definition of the girl’s arms. In that instant Ashley decided, “I need to start carrying more things on my head.”

World Teacher Day
The month of October opened with a much-appreciated day off thanks to the celebration of World Teacher Day. I participated in a march to the town hall in Katima where there were speakers and cultural dancing and a live band. It was the ultimate party. My principal was instrumental in organizing this event. I got to accompany him earlier in the week to the flood plains to buy cattle to feed to all the teachers. The cow was slaughtered not far from my home. I watched learners cut and clean the cow then chuck it in to the back of a bakkie. This did not make me want to stop eating dead cow. Just made me glad I was not a cow, or at least not this particular cow. Apologies to my vegetarian friends.

Traditional Dance Lesson
Each Wednesday during afternoon studies the grade eight participates in a class taught by local elders. It’s a traditional dance class. The women perform dances passed through generations. Many of my coworkers here are not familiar with these dances, but recognize the need to keep their traditional culture alive. I witnessed this class and was touched by the energy and rich history that was palpable as the women shared their knowledge with the younger generation. And, of course, they included me at the end of the session. I attempted to perform a dance. It was embarrassing. However, we all know that a surefire way to completely experience another culture is to never be afraid to act like a fool. And that is precisely what I did.

Arbor Day
Lusese Combined School got numerous trees to plant for Arbor Day free of charge from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. I happen to be standing under a tree on this day when a tremendous spider crawled up my leg and rested on my skirt until I was informed of its presence. My reaction? I batted it off like it was a fly. Quite a departure from how I might have reacted to a spider that size 12 months ago. I am very proud of my behavior. However, the lesson I learned this Arbor Day was to never stand under that dreadful spider tree ever again.

World Food Day
Lusese Combined School, which is where I teach, was picked to host the Region’s celebration of World Food Day. Oddly enough, I had little to eat or drink on this day. I did, however, organize a play with some learners about the right and wrong ways to burn a field. A mundane topic for sure, but crucial for this area and the kids embraced it and made it quite humorous and informative. They performed in English and Silozi for an esteemed crowed including the Governor of the Caprivi Region, a local tribal king and NBC (Namibian television). There were also many cultural dance groups performing. I have started to get a real taste of the traditional culture here. The one that existed before Christianity became the mainstay in Namibia, the one that was born here and is the true essence of Caprivian culture to me. It is something you must experience. Speaking of unique experiences, I did have to get down on my knees when the King arrived and departed the celebration. Interesting.

The Video...

2008-10-10T20:46:00.001-07:00

I want to thank Warren for how quickly he put this up. The video below respresents the way my learners wanted to thank all of you for sending packages filled with goodies for them...and for me. I will make another video later featuring yours truly, but dont expect it to inlcude any singing or dancing. All the best to all of you.

2008-10-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

She is dreadfully hot but endlessly thankful.

2008-09-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Thanks!
I was experiencing a bad day a few weeks ago. I have written about bad days before on this Blog and this particular day was ripe with frustration, impatience and, yes, even some tears. I happen to be in my shopping town on this abysmal afternoon, which was both a curse and a blessing. A curse because there are ten times the people there as are in my village. Translation? That many more Namibians got to witness a Peace Corps Volunteer meltdown. A blessing? I checked my mail. On this day, I got packages from Peggy and Sandy. Amazing packages filled with the best a hungry, smelly, needy Peace Corps Volunteer could hope for. The overwhelming kindness was a reminder how much it means to me to receive help from home. A package from home has come to be a metaphorical umbilical cord, power line, blood vessel or simple breath of oxygen. I swear those brown boxes are filled with life. It reminds me I can do this work here because people back home are supporting me. You are the reason I can remain and can have a positive impact. Whether you send school supplies or personal gifts it all keeps me going. Ni itumezi. Na itumela. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. I just recently sent Warren a video of the learners showing their appreciation for all the supplies. As soon as it arrives in Colorado and he figures out how to upload it to my Blog you will be able to see it. I will keep you notified.

The Garden
I have planted a garden with the seeds sent to me from home. Again, the seeds were another blessing from various packages. I have been watering it faithfully and have started to see growth. Stand by to see if I successfully maintain a garden. I hope to eat an actual salad before Christmas.

The Fire Pit
I made a fire pit. I burn trash in it now, which is a common occurrence here. I plan to make it in to a place to cook meat outside. Yummy.

The Heat
It’s back. There is no easing in to the oppressive heat of summer. Someone simply flipped a switch and I started to sweat. It’s obnoxious. Insufferable. Foul. Vile. You get the picture.

The Ballot.
I want to thank Warren for tracking down any possible way for me to get my ballot. It was his enthusiasm that reminded me I had an obligation to make my voice heard. Even from another Continent. I was finally able to vote with a write-in absentee ballot. The act of choosing my American President from my sweaty chair in the sauna that is my office was, well, so cool. I felt a sense of pride and connectedness to America that I never had before. I liked that feeling. And I remind all those who read this to vote.

The latest greatest line from a learner…
Question from me: Define the term Chicken Pox?
Answer from learner: A type of food.

The Gamecocks
What is wrong with them? I dont expect a response. We are all busy people and don't have the time to list every problem faced by the University of South Carolina Football Team.

Is stealing always wrong?

2008-09-09T01:36:00.001-07:00

Toilet paper, markers, puppies, pens, pencils, erasures, glue, magazines, matches, books, chapstick, candles, batteries, scissors, shampoo, stickers, camera, ipod speaker. This is a short list of some stuff that has been stolen from me in the past month and a half. It started innocently enough with people going through my trash. Stealing whatever they found of interest. Then it developed to crawling through the window of the library. And in the past two weeks it has morphed into going in my hut. I am not sure what to do about the incessant stealing but it has brought up some interesting issues for me. One point of view is these kids are poor and stealing a pencil or even my camera is simply a way to provide for themselves or their families, a type of Robin Hood, perhaps. Another point of view is that stealing, no matter the circumstance, is wrong and if we don’t make a stand now these kids will grow up learning to take things rather than learning to work for what they need. I am not sure where I fall with this but I am bummed it is happening. Not as much for the loss of material things but for the loss of trust and respect. Oh well. I am sure this issue will work itself out. In the meantime, I am not going to give up. The final term has begun and I am committed to do my best despite the stealing. Best wishes to all my teacher friends who have gone back to work. Have a great school year! My roller coaster ride continues. Hopefully with more ups than downs.

Happy Belated Birthday Mom!

The faces of Lusese...

2008-08-18T04:21:00.000-07:00

I snapped off these before my camera was stolen. The first two are the new pup, Mulotu and the mound of puppies are the ones born in my shower area. The rest of the photos are of kids in the village.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled run to bring you the largest living land animal…

2008-08-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

I was about a mile in to my Friday afternoon run when I turned my head to discover an ample-sized rear end in the trees. The impressive backside belonged to the equally impressive elephant munching on leaves. I stopped dead and scanned the bush. There were many elephant. I slowly backed up a bit and sat to watch and listen. After a few moments, I heard one make what best can be described as a growling noise, which I decided was my cue to head back to the village. However, I informed Ashley, my site mate, of my interesting find. We walked back up the road and enjoyed about an hour of close-up elephant viewing. The grand finale came when the elephant emerged from the woods to cross the road on their way to the river. There were well over 40 elephant. It was relatively quiet besides the occasional trumpet or rustling of the trees. For such a massive animal, some of which where the length of the road they crossed, they made little noise. It was nearly impossible to hear them lumber through the bush and equally as impossible to see in the trees.

Since the massive herd sighting, I have seen and heard elephant within earshot of my hut as well as several sightings of the large herd that makes its daily trek through my village on its way to water. I will often step out at night to take a pee and hear the sound of the elephant hitting the trees so coconuts will fall for them to eat. I have noticed plenty of elephant dung on my runs. Needless to say, I have adjusted my run to protect myself from any unpleasant elephant encounter, but I recognize that no matter the time of day I have a fair chance of coming across the largest living land animal on the planet. I move on with life with a sense of excitement tempered with caution.

It’s another “this is why I am here” moments:
I am days away from escorting two of my learners to Windhoek so that they could attend this year’s Diversity Tour. The rewards of teaching come in moments such as these. Witnessing two young kids step outside their comfort zone and expand their circle of understanding about the world. This will be the first time either will spend time with anyone who is of another tribe or ethnic group, the first time they see a movie in a movie theater, the first time they see Etosha National Park, the first time they have ever left the region in which they live to explore their amazing country. It’s bound to make a difference. Thank you Warren and Chris for helping to make that experience possible for them.

A final thought as I surpass nine months in Africa..
The past two months have been the most difficult stretch of my service so far. The list of things not working right is alarming. Here is the fast food, microwavable, high-speed, fast lane version:

• I feel a bit disconnected from my African community and my American one. It has lead to a tremendous sense of loneliness.
• My headphones died.
• I had no candles for two months. I used my cell phone for light.
• I had either lentils and rice or oatmeal for nearly every meal for two months.
• I lost my favorite hat.
• My camera was stolen.
• A dog gave birth to eight puppies in my shower area.
• I have not had the amount of Internet access I have grown accustomed to. I realize this is a ridiculous complaint, but I am not ashamed. Internet keeps me connected with all the people I love.

Despite my list, I am doing just fine. I still feel blessed to have this opportunity. And I would not change a moment of it for all the free Internet in the world.

Happy July 4th, America...you dog-loving, trouser-wearing, tv-watching runners.

2008-07-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

As a tribute to American Independence, I required my students to answer the following writing prompt: What do you think its like to live in America? Here are some of the more memorable responses:

• They like too much dog.
• They have long hairs.
• In America, you cannot find a person wearing a skirt.
• American people do not know how to steal.
• Elephants like to live in America.
• People from America all have white skin.
• People from America always wear jeans.
• They love wearing trousers.
• They don’t want to see someone who is crying.
• They are having a tattoo.
• I think they are quite good because they respect blacks.
• I think in America there are many criminals like 50 cent.
• Dogs like to live there.
• American people like eating food and watching TV.
• They like running to train the self.
• Americans are like dogs.
• Americans cannot build houses with grass.
• They cannot drink beer like Africans.

Things I have said to myself or someone else that I never imagined I would say:

• There is a dead ant in my loofah.
• I hope Kate Moss does not have puppies in my shower.
• I am just going to flick these ants out of my bowl and then it will be clean enough to eat out of.
• I love Facebook.
• This Paris Hilton song is really good.
• The water is much less brown this week.
• I am craving a salad.
• My house is filling with water.
• It’s too quiet.
• My shampoo is dirty.
• I can’t wait to ride in a car for 15 hours so I can print.
• I am going to wear this outfit all week.
• Never mind the stains, it smells clean therefore it is clean.
• I am not going to care about the dozen flies on my body right now.
• Today’s lesson is on how to say the Lords Prayer in English.
• Let’s bow our heads and pray.
• I dropped my soap in the dirt, picked it up and finished bathing.
• I am sorry someone stole your chicken.
• Can I go to the witchdoctor?
• He has over 100 ticks.
• Did you just take that worm out of his tail?
• If I leave this pot in the refrigerator I won’t need to wash it for weeks.
• Yeah, orange matches everything.
• Why are you wearing a ski glove on one hand…in Africa?
• This bike has no brakes and I can’t change gears, but I love this ride.
• Catching rain in a bucket is really cool.
• Keys? What are keys? I kick my door open.

A lesson about pants and other exciting additions...

2008-07-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

A few Saturdays ago I was rearranging my hut because, well, there is little to do with my life on the weekends. I was rigging up a new shelf when I had a feeling someone was watching me. It’s a common occurrence when you are one of two white women in a village. I turned to see a learner at my door. He was holding a puppy. He held out the fuzz ball for me to take and said he no longer wanted me to be sad about Moe. I took the little one in my arms and he was warm and needy and letting out those adorable little puppy moans and groans. As much as I never wanted to take in another village mutt, I could not help but accept. The puppy smell alone won me over. Not to mention, it was such a kind gesture from one of my students. So, I am once again the owner of an African dog. That responsibility is a slippery slope but I am just going to enjoy the small one as long as we are together. The following Monday, I had my grade 7 learners pick a name. The list was as follows: Billy, Sky, Mulotu (beautiful), Kununu (feces…because he poops so much), and Lifalsi (earth). The hands-down champion was Mulotu. So, my African family loses a member but gains another. Welcome Mulotu!

A humorous language lesson occurred one night when I mentioned to a learner that he should put pants on because it was so cold. He was wearing shorts. He gazed at me with more confusion than normal. I enquired. A 15-minute discussion in three different languages ensued among the kids in the room. It was chaotic but ended in roaring laughter. It turns out when one speaks of pants here one is speaking of underwear. I am still giggling about this blunder and slightly embarrassed. Nobody I associate with in my village has been exempt from information about my pants. I have made endless observations in the last few months about my pants. Want to know what I have been sharing with my new Namibian friends. Check this out: “The Peace Corps told me not to wear pants in my village.” “I like to wear pants.” “I have chalk all over my pants.” “It’s so cold, I am going to put pants on.” “I wish I had pants on today.” “My favorite pants are stained.” “I need to wash my pants.” It was the most hilarious moment of my time here when the grade 7 opened my eyes to what pants really are. Lesson learned. No more pants talk. Now it’s all about trousers, which is the appropriate word.

I have hit a stride and feel more a part of life in Africa rather than an American in Africa. Does not make me miss people any less, but it has enriched my time here. Thanks for all the love via packages, emails or Facebook messages. All the best. Much love.

Picture Post of Moe and the Library...

2008-06-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a tribute to Moe. The other dog is Kate Moss, his mom.

Here is the morphing library...

A daily occurance at work...

Cheers Moe.

2008-06-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Moe passed away yesterday. For those who don’t know, he is my lovable village mutt that I adopted the moment I got here in January. I came home on a Friday from a workshop to find he was struggling to walk. By Saturday evening he was not walking at all and spent the next five days in the same spot on the floor of my hut. We are uncertain about the cause of death, but I did all I could to make his final days as comfortable as possible. It was certainly a sad moment in my life. I will miss his energy and selfless love.

My Nano (which happens to be the greatest running partner a gal could ask for) got covered in Coke by accident. RIP running partner. No More Nano.

The learners (students are called learners here) have such unique personalities, which are slowly emerging from the thick fog that characterized the language divide the first term. I am working with a few kids who want to apply to attend a weeklong trip organized by Peace Corps Volunteers for 40 Namibian youth. It’s called the Diversity Tour. As I watch them work on their projects I can’t help but notice their quirks. One learner’s finger is frequently in his nose and one of his pant legs is frequently in his sock, but he maintains the most brilliant smile in recorded history. He hikes his pants to his chin and tucks his shirt to his toes and cinches his belt snug around his tiny frame. Every button on his shirt is buttoned and his collar is up. It’s village fashion at its finest. When he speaks in English he gets so embarrassed he will cover his mouth. I let him type his letter for the application on my computer. He is a fast learner, although in fifteen minutes he managed to type two sentences. His focus and determination were fascinating. Each time I would share a computer trick with him (like how to save a document in Word) he would gasp and his eyes would shine brightly. This reaction made my day perhaps my whole year. One of the many struggles facing this life I chose is feeling like I am actually doing something for someone. The majority of my time here is spent stumbling around trying to act normal when I feel so out of place, so lost, so useless. In this one moment, my months of uselessness ceased to matter. I felt needed.

In the same day, I was visited by three extremely adorable first graders: Kahimbi, Namwi and Twala. I gave them a pile of markers sent by those of you in America and they created some fine art that is now adorning my walls. They are little sponges. They mimic everything I say and pick up on English words quickly. Now they will see me across the village and start yelling my name over and over.

In my grade eight and nine classes I asked them to share what they did over their holiday break. However, since some still struggle with forming the correct English words I told my grade eight learners they could talk or even sing about anything. This led to an impromptu hip-hop jam from a couple of the boys in the class. It was amazing. They love Tupac…may he rest in peace.

Walking out of my wash area one afternoon, I noticed I had a tiny visitor. His name is Baepi (pronounced vai-p) and he is the younger brother of the nose-picker from above. He said, “Tina, I love you,” and quickly turned and ran away screaming in laughter.

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the summer. I am doing well, despite Moe’s absence from my life. There will be a photo update in another week or so.

Much love.

Six Months on the African Continent

2008-05-10T00:14:00.000-07:00

The Trip To Botswana...

We got a ride out of our village after a four hour wait. The ride was in the back of a closed bakkie (term for a truck). We were not the only thing in the back of the truck. There was a multitude of dead fish. It’s common to have these smelly passengers because of our site’s proximity to the water. The odor was oppressive. Luckily the ride to the Botswana border was short.The only impovement made for our ride in to the town of Kasane was the smell. I was in the back of a closed bakkie where I placed my backpack on top of a dead cow and then sat on top of my backpack the whole ride.

Below is a picture of elephant dung, which you can burn as a mosquito repellent. It's African Citronella!

This is the entrance to the Chobe National Park, which is all 4WD, dirt roads.

We met up with four other PCVs on Sunday and did a boat drive in Chobe National Park, which is home to the highest concentration of elephant in the world. We saw plenty of elephant, crocodiles, baboons and hippos.

We camped right by the Chobe River and heard hippos each night. We were safe thanks to the electric fence.

Self-portrait of me at sunrise in Kasane...

Our campsite at sunrise...

After a few days we traveled to Maun on a dilapidated bus that drove over an even more dilapidated road. Once in Maun, we spent a few nights with a Botswana PCV making and eating delicious food like a Greek salad with feta cheese. We also ate at amazing restaurants. If you are ever in Maun Botswana you have to eat the cheese toast at Hillary’s.

Here is the Botswana crew eating...again.

This was on the wall at a restaurant in Maun. I screamed. It was a happy scream.

On May 1, we moved to a backpacking lodge to celebrate our “Six Months in Africa” anniversary. We took a sunset boat trip in the Okavango Delta. Saw more hippos. Saw more crocodiles. Saw more tremendous views.

After a great trip we slowly worked our way back in to Namibia and to our “Reconnect” with the rest of our Peace Corps group. It was held at a conference center in the hills outside of Windhoek. We had incredible views and the air was crisp. It felt like Fall in Colorado. I actually wore a scarf. Wow.

This is from the back seat of a truck on our way to Ghanzi in Botswana...

It was a tight fit in the back...

The view from my room at Reconnect. Windhoek is in the distance.

This is what PCVs do when they are bored...cut hair. Yeah, it's odd.

A final thought…
As I look back at the past six months I am amazed at how much has happened. I am also amazed I am still here. It would be a lie to say I have not considered returning home early. But I am still here…somehow. So, I will see you in 2010. As always, stay tuned for more.

Self-Portraits, Elephants and Flavored Water....

2008-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

So, my fancy new Mac Laptop has this little camera on it and a program called Photo Booth. Every few days since I boarded the plane to Africa, I have snapped a shot of myself to document my changing moods or whatever. I have heard, mostly from my parents, that they never see pictures of me. As a result, I will start sharing some of my Photo Booth photos on this site. The first was late one night after an especially difficult day. This is the face of a very, very troubled PCV. The second was a different night when all was right with my PCV world. This should give you an idea of the tremendous ups and downs of this sort of life.

Thanks to my learners, I can share the most unique sentences ever written:
I have one dog and sex cow.
She baked a baby.
My heart started to pound in 1992.
Because I swim like a fish, Ms. Greene bought music disc from America.
Some dogs hug each other.

I was running the other night when I came upon a group of women who were waving me down. I stopped to discover five or six elephant in the trees right next to the road. The interesting part was when they trumpeted. Wow. I was scared to be so exposed to such a tremendous animal. Once again, Africa leaves me speechless. Wow. Once again, a moment I will never forget.

I have adopted another village mutt. It is Mo’s mother. Mo loves his mom, so I felt obligated to take care of her. I named her Kate Moss (after the grossly underfed supermodel). Kate Moss, the dog, (who is also grossly underfed) is often the target of violence. For instance, I saw her get nailed in the back with a hoe for no reason. Despite being the village punching bag, she has a loving temperament and always wags her tail when she sees me…or food…or me with food.

I want to give special thanks to Jim and Marguerite who informed me that if I left my water jug in the sun, I could have a hot bucket bath. I did it. It was the single greatest thing I have ever experienced.

There is this little boy who can’t be more than like five years old. He runs with me for about two minutes nearly every day that I run. Most of the time, he is wearing tighty whitey underwear. Nothing else. However, since we are heading in to winter he sometimes wears an adult long sleeved dress shirt. It’s completely unbuttoned and oversized. Tighty whitey’s underneath. I want to snap a picture of the enormous grin on his face as his shirt flaps like Superman’s cape. Either that or I want to pack him in my bag when I come home.

There is little girl who always wears a skirt with her shirt tied around her waist. She never actually wears the shirt, which obviously means she is topless. Yet, she always has a shirt with her it’s just tied around her waist. Adorable.

The first term of school ends this Friday and I am finalizing grades using the calculator on my cell phone. We have a three-week break before the next term begins and I am in need of time to recharge. There are about nine volunteers, including me, going to Botswana for seven days. I planned the whole trip, so I sort of feel like a travel agent. We are heading through Chobe National Park and then to the Okavango Delta for a Mokoro Trip (a mokoro is a traditional canoe). We will then reunite with all the volunteers in our group in Windhoek for what the Peace Corps calls “Reconnect”. It is three days at a real nice resort-type place where we catch up with how the first six months have been. Yeah, as of May 1, I will have been here for six months. Wow.

Two special requests:

I have fallen in LOVE with those Lipton Green Tea packets that flavor my water. I am especially fond of the Cherry Blossom, Citrus and Mango flavor. In addition, the Propel packets kick booty and I used those up weeks ago. If you are looking to send me something, send me any of those.

I have started to recycle through the TV shows and movies I have. In fact, on Sunday I watched Cast Away (starring Tom Hanks and a volleyball named Wilson) TWICE. If you have anything to send…SEND IT. The same goes with books. I am burning through books, too.

Can you mail cake, brownie or cookie mix because that would make me weep with happiness?

Well, as always, stay tuned for more. Next up will be pictures from Botswana…

The Ramblings of a Morphing PCV

2008-03-18T04:14:00.000-07:00

I have had an especially difficult two weeks, as my recent email will attest. A similar event to the one mentioned happened not even 24 hours after the first. Needless to say, I am processing it as best I can and I thank anyone who responded with ideas as to how I could properly deal with the situation. I feel so much support from home and it is invaluable.

Now, on a more positive note:
I can feel it. I am changing. Slowly. I still tango with those what-the-hell-am-doing-here panic attacks, but I also have plenty of I-am-so-glad-I-joined-the-Peace-Corps moments, as well. One in particular was my first visit to church. Those of you who know me well know that church is not something I attend. Ever. However, I respect the faith of others and was asked to join some learners at Seventh Day Adventist services, which are on Saturday. The singing gave me chills. The singing made me cry. I had happy tears falling from my face. Not only do they sing well but there is something about the emotion behind the words that is hard to describe. And they sing loud. I heard it explained in this way: God is far away, so we must reach him somehow. Either way, it reached me. Like I said. I am changing. I have no plans for a conversion, but I do plan to go to the Catholic service on Easter. I figure I need more fits of happy tears. I love my town despite the recent events there. I tried to snap some photos to give you an idea what I see everday. Below is my first attempt at capturing it thanks to Warren and Chris for getting me a digital camera...

•If you build it…she will shower
The construction of my courtyard and wash area gave me a place to shower and some much needed privacy. More importantly, it confirmed for me the solid foundation of community in my village. The story begins not long after I returned from dealing with my staph infection. I noticed the secondary school learners gathering after school one afternoon and I was curious, and bored, so I eavesdropped. The meeting was lead by one of my fellow colleagues. He reminded the boys from grade 7-10 to each bring one pole the following day (a pole here is simply a small tree trunk). The girls were to bring a certain type of tree branch, which is often used to make a type of rope. I found it odd that this was a homework assignment. How many learners would, in fact, follow through? I giggled thinking of the reaction I would have received from my American students had I ever asked for poles and tree branches. So, the following day kids came to school with the requested items. When I finally asked what it was for I was told the materials where to build my courtyard and wash area. The kids worked together for two afternoons to complete an amazing courtyard and “shower” for me. It was yet another moment since arriving in Namibia that left me feeling humbled and amazed by the people. They work together. They work with a smile on their faces. They work despite the fact there is nothing in it for them, unless you count a clean, freshly bucket-bathed English teacher. I felt uncomfortable as I watched them work because I wanted to repay them for working so hard on something for me. However, it is a built-in feature of small village life. Everyone is taken care of in some way. Everyone is family. Here is a photo montage of the event...

•The hut is done...inside and out.
I finally have a working fridge and stove to go with a finished courtyard. Here is the inside of the hut...

•In four months, she has had an infected eye, an infected foot and now this!
Ashley and I hiked to the river one Saturday, which is about 6k from our huts. The rainy season is coming to an end, which meant we could linger outdoors for a few hours in the bright, warm sun and endless blue sky. Actually, it is like someone hit the off button because it has not rained a drop in weeks. Anyway, back to the Saturday hike. It was a relatively easy walk and Mo, our adopted village mutt, accompanied us. The river turned out to resemble a marsh area, as you can see for yourself in the pictures. There were handmade canoes dotting the shoreline. We hope to convince someone in our village to take us out on one. Although, I have my reservations since I have heard some frightening stories about crocodile attacks in the area. Speaking of attacks, on the walk back home, I was startled when Ashley yelled out, “Oh my God, there is a snake.” I turned in time to see a baby snake slithering away. I commented on how small it was as I moved in to get a better look. So, let me pause for a moment to explain that I do have a healthy respect for snakes, but I have never lived in a place with a high percentage of really, really, really dangerous ones, so the act of moving towards the snake was habitual behavior. As I got closer, it reared up and showed me its hood. It was a baby cobra: brown with black speckles around the neck area. At that point, I said, “Oh my God, it is a cobra.” I promptly took a few steps back. It was satisfied with my retreat and slithered into the bush. I was pumped. I had just seen a cobra. A cobra. Ashley has always expressed a sincere hatred of snakes. She abhors everything about the reptile, so the experience was less exciting for her. Once we calmed down, Ashley informed me that I stepped right over it and it came an inch from striking me on the back of my leg. Yeah, a baby cobra almost clocked me on the back of the leg. I am not sure what kind of cobra it was, even after extensive Internet research, so I can’t be sure what might have happened had it made a direct hit. However, I am certain it would not have been pleasant. Needless to say, I have a much more direct understanding of just how careful one must be when one lives in the African bush. Lesson learned.

•Talk about a language barrier…
School is hectic. The kids make it worthwhile, though. I know they struggle to understand my English. It is an ongoing problem. Since the start of the year, I have been reading the novel Holes aloud to my 8th and 9th graders and one of the reasons why is so they can get used to my accent. I gave them a listening comprehension quiz a few weeks ago primarily to check if they are beginning to understand my accent. Some of their answers will give you insight on how well they understand my English.

1. What is a homeless shelter?
• a home near a town
• mountains, rocks, trees
• something that you can see or you can touch
• a tree behind a tree
• it is in the shower
• money
• it is a police

2. Describe Stanley’s shower
• Stanley’s shower was to prevent the body
• tall, shoes, bread
• It was cold. There was no loaf.

3. How did Stanley end up with the shoes?
• toilet
• bread, guava juice

4. What crime is Stanley charged with?
• fun
• money
• backets ball
• eating bread
• he walk along with his foot
• someone stole his notebook

5. Who did the shoes belong to?
• Clie who was living is stone (the correct answer? Clyde Livingston)
• the shoes

•Ngoma Bridge to Botswana
We traveled the meager 16k to the Botswana border recently to check the status of the rising water on the Chobe River. I snapped a few photos and saw some water buffalo from a distance. Ashley and I have tentative plans to head over the border real soon to check out Chobe National Park and then head to the Okavango Delta further in Botswana. Stay tuned because the Peace Corps adventure continues…

PIctures from Ngoma...

Chris Visit 2008: Remarkable. Memorable. Awesome.

2008-02-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

A personal “thank you” to Chris for making time to hang with me and giving me the opportunity to explore my new country. He allowed me to experience things that I would not have been able to on my own. I feel grateful to have family that will do such things. Speaking of my family, a million thanks to anyone who had anything to do with the rather large bag of goodies that Chris carried with him. It was like Christmas is February. It was rejuvinating to get some of the things I needed and a few awesome suprises, as well.

The staph infection is healing nicely and I will be heading home at the end of this week. No worries.

I made a video of me chatting about my foot and my village, another showing off my hut and one other of varied images. Should you have an interest in getting a copy of the video, please email me and I will see that you get one.

Some thoughts from “Chris Visit 2008”…

Next time, Chris should rent a car not a tin can on four bike tires. Despite its shortcomings, it was the “little car that could”. It performed well in the off-road/on-water conditions we encountered during our visit to Etosha National Park. Bravo tin can.

We spent the night in Etosha in a room that is that exact replica of how I want my future home to be decorated. It was simplistic. See photo for a visual of the bed.

“Namutoni” is the name of one of the rest camps in Etosha. Chris thought the park employee who was helping us find a place to spend the night called it “number 20”. Chris proceeded to call it “number 20” during the whole conversation. Silly American.

There are no hiking trails in Etosha. In fact, you can’t even get out of the car unless you are at a rest camp or a toilet. I suppose it cuts down on fatal interactions between humans and the wildlife. Would not want a silly tourist trying to snap a close-up of a Leopard.

Chris wanted to see Giraffe. The first thing we saw after passing the gate into the Park? Giraffe. The last thing we saw before leaving the park the following day? Giraffe. And not just one or two or even three, but more than 20. We also saw zebra, zebra babies, springbok, wildebeest, female lions, birds, tree stumps that we thought were animals, rocks that we thought were animals sleeping, beetles, chameleon, owl. We were in the tin can when we saw much of this stuff. It was Jurassic Park, except we were in a car more suited for an episode of the Flintstones.

I think the most useful time I have ever spent in a car occurred Friday night when we took a night game drive. We began at 8pm and ended near 11pm and there were no other people or cars to be found anywhere. The rainy season is the low season for tourism in the park because the animals are more difficult to find. However, we were lucky to see quite a few. There is a magical quality to experiencing wildlife at night. I felt more vulnerable. Exposed. Our guide swept a light back and forth in search of life as we traveled in an open-air SUV. He had an amazing eye for wildlife and we were fortunate to witness jackals, springbok, giraffe, black-faced impala, several species of birds, and a male lion.

Yeah, you read correctly. A male lion. It was sleeping 15 yards off of the road. We pulled over and the guide cut the engine. We were close enough to hear him lick his impressive paws after yawing several times. He was about ten years old and was waiting patiently for the pride to make a kill so he could fill his belly. The highlight was when the lion decided to show us he was the king of the bush by growling and roaring at us. Each time, our guide would turn the lights off and allow us to experience the intensity of the lion’s roar in complete darkness. It pierced though the night with a commanding tone. Wicked cool. Humbling. Goosebumps. At one point, some hyenas joined in, but we never saw any of them. It was intense. Enough said.

Namibia is gorgeous. Mountains. Desert. Super-sized Sunsets. Tremendous Lightening.

Since when do I look German?

All Gold Tomato Sauce is not Ketchup. Hence the name.

I inhaled all the Snickers that were in the package from home in a 24-hour period.

The Dr. Pepper was like gold running through my veins. More please.

The hotel played the Zamphere Greatest Hits album on repeat. “Unbreak My Heart” is flawless when performed by Zamphere, Master of the Pan Flute. Not familiar with Zamphere? Google.

“Keep it left.” Chris uttered this quite frequently when driving the tin can rental car so that he would not have a head-on collision. It worked. Let’s hope he does not go back to America and “keep it left.”

Anyone ever seen this movie about a Scottish drug addict, meals on wheels volunteer who steals money from her dead boyfriend’s back pocket and travels to Spain with her best friend? It was playing on the hotel TV and we did not catch the ending (nor the name of the film) because the electricity went out.

Random thoughts about being in stuck in Windhoek for the second week in a row…

I started to run since my foot has healed enough. There are hills in Windhoek. There are no hills in all of the Caprivi Strip, which is where I live and run normally. I bonked.

The Cultural Center is big city cool. It’s a slick building with various local artists selling their stuff. It has trendy coffee/internet cafes.

How can you call it a “meat pie” if it only has spinach and cheese in it?

I went to “King Pie” and ordered a combo meal: cheeseburger meat pie, chips and a coke. Ate the chips. Drank the coke. Tossed the cheeseburger meat pie. Well, I ate the breading on the outside. Tasted like a croissant.

Two weeks in Windhoek has reminded me that I am a small town girl at heart. I am ready to head back home to my village and my hut.

I miss Mo. Cute, huh?

Who will be my Valentine when my foot is oozing multi-colored puss?

2008-02-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah, my foot is a wreck, and I felt I should give those concerned a medical update. A week or so ago, I began to notice a tremendous amount of bites on my feet. Despite my best efforts, I did not have the willpower to stop from scratching the bites on occasion. As a result, I opened some of the bites enough and it was exposed to bacteria at some point. Towards the end of last week, I was running a fever and my foot began to swell. The infected areas began to ooze and were extremely painful. It progressively worsened through the weekend until Saturday when I was told by the Peace Corps medical staff to get on a bus for Windhoek as quickly as possible. So, I hobbled my way onto a 15-hour, overnight bus ride to the capital city. I can’t recall a time recently that I have been more uncomfortable. At that point, my entire foot and part of my leg was swollen and there was an infinite amount of pain. On top of that, it was oozing multi-colored puss and I was running a fever. Very sexy. I was happy to arrive Monday morning in Windhoek and receive medical care. It turns out I have a staph infection, which was not a surprise to the Peace Corps nurse when she heard where I lived. I am on antibiotics. I have to soak my foot in hot water and other stuff every morning for nearly an hour, and then it is wrapped up after being covered in medicine. I was on crutches for two days, but I can walk on my foot now because the swelling is down. However, I am told I will not return to my site until the infection is completely cleared, which means I might be here for another week or so. I must say, the “sick bay” (the apartment where sick PCVs are kept) is a treat. There is hot running water, air conditioning, a full kitchen and a TV. I took two showers yesterday. It was fabulous. I made myself a cheeseburger. It was mouthwatering. I watched soccer on TV. It was exciting.

On top of that, Chris arrived in Namibia this week and I will see him tomorrow. The Peace Corps nurse said I could go with him for a few days, but I have to change my own dressing and take it easy. We are making plans to lounge at the pool, which sounds perfect.

So, for all those wondering what exactly was going on with Tina’s foot, you now know. I am healing. Keep in mind that I am new to village living and I must learn how to maintain my health in a different way than I did in Colorado. It’s a learning process, for sure. I am bound to make mistakes, and I do not plan to make this particular one again.

Impressions of living in a hut during the rainy season and other random thoughts...

2008-01-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

An interesting note: It is raining as I write this and has been every day for the past five days. It’s not just a slight, dreary drizzle but a commanding downpour that attacks and retreats on a constant loop.

I am teaching 7-9th grade English, 5-7th grade reading. Teaching English here is a professional, personal, physical and emotional challenge. I also run the library and I am excited about how often learners come to check out books.

A period at the end of a sentence is called a “full stop” and an erasure for a chalkboard is called a “duster”.

I never realized how loud rain is as it falls on a tin roof until the other day as I tried to read a book in class and I could barely hear my own voice. Plus, the learners that are lucky enough to have a desk were huddled on the opposite side of the room to avoid the leaks in the roof.

I never realized how loud complete silence is until waking up night after night to the sound of complete silence.

My house is lit with candles and my headlamp. When it rains, which happens quite a bit right now, it takes me 4,032 matches to light one candle.

The alternative to lighting candles is going to bed when the sun goes down. I have done that, too. It saves candles and matches.

I don’t expect my clothes to actually dry from washing until the rainy season ends, which I am told is in April.

I don’t expect my clothes to actually be clean until my Peace Corps service is over and I just buy new clothes.

My feet are always covered in mud.

When it rains, my roof leaks (luckily, none of the leaks are above my bed). When the roof is dry, I have some sort of yellow powder (looks like pollen) that falls from the roof. It covers everything. Everything. I am told it originates from the type of wood used to create my beams.

Currently, there is no place outside to hang my clothes to dry, so they are hanging all over the inside of my hut, and are now covered in the aforementioned yellow stuff.

I am irritated by what humidity does to, well, everything. After living in Colorado for so many years, I had forgotten.

Have you ever had the feeling that something was crawling on you only to realize it was nothing? If you have that sensation in Africa, something is really crawling on you.

A Poweraide (yeah they sell Poweraide in Namibia) bottle works well as a power wash when taking a bucket bath.

One rethinks how badly one must go to the bathroom in the night when it requires that you leave your home and walk across the village.

One rethinks how badly one wants to take a shower when you have to bathe with water you must carry yourself.

One rethinks how badly one wants to cook dinner when you have to cook your food and wash your dishes with water you must carry yourself.

One rethinks how badly one wants to wash clothes when you have to wash clothes with water you must carry yourself.

One rethinks how badly one wants to hydrate when you have to drink water you must carry yourself then dump into a filter and wait for it to filter it.

Are you sensing a theme here? Luckily, it has been raining so much I catch rainwater and using it to bathe, cook and clean.

The barefooted kids in my village run faster than me with my fancy Gortex running shoes. They are awesome.

Ashley and I went to town our first weekend here to shop for food. At the grocery store, I bought a pastry. I was on the final bite when I realized the inside was covered in mold. I survived. I consider that a success.

I buy Soymilk knowing there is no way to refrigerate it. I figured it might last a few days before it goes bad. I don’t know if or when Soymilk is considered bad. So, I designed a two-part test: Does it smell and did I get sick today? I guess that same logic could be applied to buying pastries, too.

There is a small bottle store in my village that sells “cool drink” which is how Namibians describe a cold soda. On Wednesdays, Ashley and I have a cool drink, which is the only one of the week. It accompanies our elaborate dinner (elaborate for us is noodles with garlic and perhaps some carrots and tomatoes) and a weekly malaria pill. Interesting dreams follow ingestion of said pill.

At night, Ashley and I spend time at the school recharging phones, laptops or ipods. One night, I thought it was raining and looked up to realize the noise was from the multitude of bugs hitting the overhead lights.

African people have the absolute best and most resilient attitudes. I am grateful to be around it.

I have fallen in love…with a skinny village mutt that I named Mohinder (after the dude from Heros, which is a flawless show). I call him Mo for short. Ashley and I have adopted him as our pet. He is a puppy. He follows us around and has even come to class with me.

I was reading a novel the other night when I came across a scene in a restaurant. The author described the meal and I nearly ate the page in a vain attempt to have a hot roll with butter on it.

A typical diet for someone who does not have a stove, refrigerator or oven: Cereal (until the Soymilk stinks or makes me sick), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna on crackers, apples and granola. Sometimes, I borrow Ashley’s propane stove and cook some noodles or lentils. This should change once I get my own stove and fridge (which are in my hut right now) hooked up to either propane or electricity. Yes, I have a fridge and a stove/oven combo sitting in my mud hut collecting Africa's version of pollen. And, yes, I might get electricity. It must be said that electricity in a small village in the bush looks and acts drastically different than electricity at your house, but I am not complaining. A cold fridge is a cold fridge no matter where it’s plugged in.

You have heard it before, but I will say it again: This is the toughest thing I have ever done. Ever. It is a harsh place to live, but there are so many reasons why it is worth the hardship. I love it and hate it at the same time, and I could not be happier to be here (if that makes any sense at all).

Thanks to everyone who remains in contact or is sending me packages. I can’t really explain how wonderful it is to get a small piece of America either via email or snail mail. If I have not heard from you, there is still time and I would love to hear from you. Please remember that I can chat on AIM, iChat or Google Talk and its cheap. I get to chat with Chris in person since he will be in Namibia for a business trip in two weeks. I am counting the days to a visit from a member of my fam! Yahoo!

Another photo post....

2008-01-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

These first two photos are from our "Swearing In" Ceremony, which was televised in Namibia. The group shot is the CATJAR (the gang of awesome gals I have gotten close with). The gal next to me in the group shot (in the black dress) is the health worker in my village.

The photos below are of my village. The first is the school, the second is the library (Can you call it a library with so few books?) and the final one is my hut that is not complete just yet.

American Football, Namibian Chick-fil-a and a Spanish Telenovela

2008-01-11T08:16:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008 to all of you! I hope your new year is starting off well. I spent the first days of the new year watching college football on ESPN International. I did not get to watch all the games I would have wanted to, but I got my fill of college football all the same. In addition, we had a tailgate party at the training center featuring BBQ chicken and the Redskins vs. Seahawks. I also got to watch the Steelers lose to Jacksonville. Bummer. On a happier note, the Peace Corps took us all in to Windhoek, which is the capital of Namibia, for a field trip. We saw the Peace Corps offices then they dropped us off at the mall. Yes, you read correctly, the mall. It was surreal to walk around a mall in Africa. It was as if I was in any mall in America. I had mixed feelings about it. I did almost cry when I ate a chicken sandwich, fries and a soda. It was like African Chick-fil-a. I also bought some fudge, which I ate within a 24-hour period. The purpose for the Windhoek trip was to buy things to furnish our homes at our permanent sites. I did not buy anything because I doubt I will need much for a two-room hut. I did enjoy Windhoek, though.

I officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer on January 9th. Thinking back, it does not seem like it has been two months. It feels more like ten. But, I have created some amazing friendships and I will miss those individuals as we all head off to our permanent sites. I will not see most of these people until April when we attend what is called reconnect. At the top of the “miss list” are my five roommates at the training center. We have named our small group of girls the CATJAR, which is simply the first letters of all our names. This is juvenile, I know, but when you are bored to tears your gauge of what is unique, interesting and age-appropriate shifts dramatically. Each reminds me of my close family and friends in some way. The CATJAR offers me support and a humorous outlet when things are tough. We get hours of laugher from various things including the abnormal-sized creatures that fly around our room. One in particular is the moth we named “both” (pronounced like “moth” with a “b”) because we are convinced it is a cross between a bird and moth. It’s huge. We also eat lots of chocolate and pastries together, and talk endlessly about this adventure we signed up for. Outside of my CATJAR, I have created relationships with other volunteers. Three in particular are Griffin, Jeff and Jay. Griffin and Jeff will be working as teachers in the same region as me. Jay will be teaching in another region, but shares a love for college football. We have spent late nights in front of the TV catching whatever televised bowl ESPN International happens to show. Anyway, an interesting thing happened at our talent show one of the final nights of training. Griffin and Jay sang the theme song to Gardener’s Daughter, which is a Spanish telenovela that is wildly popular here in Namibia. They both speak Spanish and dedicated their performance to me, which was highly embarrassing because I had no clue that was going to happen and the whole room turned to see my reaction. Despite my red face, it made me feel kinda special. One of the best parts was when Jeff came out wearing a dress and sang with them. It was a classic moment. I loved it.

Right now, I am at a hostel in the town closest to my permanent site, which is about 60k away. We left the training center, where I have been much of the past two months, at 4:30 am and arrived here at 6pm. It was a brutal trip, yet we have to pass through a game preserve to get here and we saw a handful of elephants. It made the marathon sitting session easier to tolerate. I will stay here until Sunday when I will finally spend my first night in my home. School begins for teachers on Monday, so I will dive right in to work at that point. I am excited to finally settle in to a relatively normal routine. Stay tuned for exactly what relatively normal means in a small African village.

I miss you all.

Lunch lays eggs…

2007-12-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

Let me start by wishing you a Happy Holiday. I am thinking of all of you back in the States. Big hug. Big kiss. Now, here is a tidbit about my life. The setting is my homestay family home, where I have been living for three weeks.

This morning there was a spider in my closet. As a result, I decided to remove all of my things and leave it empty until I leave next weekend. I know it’s not a rational response, but I hate spider confrontations. I was collecting my dirty clothes from the floor of the closet when a chicken egg rolled off my things. Odd. I was not sure how an egg made it there, but I decided not to be concerned. There is a two-year-old in the house so stuff tends to get moved around. Plus, the spider was distracting me.

I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich later when my host mom tells me there is a chicken in my room. Interesting development. I decided to clean my room. I was rearranging my things on the shelves only to locate two more eggs. It turns out, the chicken, playfully known as “lunch”, was flying into my open window when I was out and laying eggs in the closet. Needless to say, the window is now closed. As I write this, Lunch is peering in. Tapping at the glass. It’s searching for a way into my room in order to take care of its eggs. I am ashamed to admit this, but I threw the first egg out of the window. Yeah, I am a chicken killer. It hit the ground with a splatter and one of the other chickens in the yard ate it. The other two eggs were placed outside in a more appropriate place for Lunch to fulfill her motherly instincts. This adventure comes at the end of a week highlighted by a trip to the doctor to get some medicine for pink eye. Yeah, Tina is suffering from pink eye. It's disgusting. Yet, the hardest thing lately isn’t the infectious eye disease or the farm animal raising a family in my closet right on top of my clothes, but it’s struggling with the intensity of my homesickness. I miss familiar faces. I feel the distance. I feel alone, really alone. It’s been a tough three weeks. The Peace Corps has it’s ups and downs and, luckily, I have had many ups to keep me going during the downs.

Since December 4th, I have been teaching at a local school and living with a Namibian family. The Peace Corps set up what is called “Model School” for volunteers to practice teaching in a Namibian school with Namibian learners. I teach 9th and 10th grade English, and I adore the kids. I also adore my host family. They have been so wonderful teaching me how to be Namibian, and helping me as I contend with a severe case of homesickness. I will happily spend Christmas with them and then, next Sunday, head back to the training center to celebrate the New Year with fellow trainees. I have plans to sit my butt in front of the one TV at the center and watch bowl games on ESPN International. Finally, on January 9th, I will become a full-fledged Peace Corps Volunteer at the Swearing In Ceremony. At that point, the Peace Corps will transport me to my permanent site and leave me there for two years. Wow. Heavy.

The following are random thoughts about my last few weeks. Enjoy!

*My Namibian host family eats with their hands for many meals. I like this tradition.

*I went to my host brother’s school one night to watch an end of the year awards ceremony. It is called a prize giving ceremony here. The oddest thing was the award for “Most Tidy”.

*I killed a cockroach and it was a surprisingly disturbing endeavor. It was not all that big, but I hit it pretty hard with the outside of my journal. There was an impressive amount of white stuff that seemed to represent whatever it is that constitutes the inside of a cockroach. I had this skewed vision of a cockroach as being hollow on the inside.

*I washed my clothes by hand again and I officially am the worst at being my own washing machine. I can’t get things clean, and all this hand washing is stretching out everything I own.

*There are chickens that belong to my host family that wander in their large yard. The kids named one of them “lunch” and another “dinner”. Lunch was the one in my room. Dinner is the daddy.

*When I was washing my clothes I left the back door open and all the little baby chicks came in to the room. It was laughable to witness me trying to chase them out of the house.

*I went to a professional soccer match. There was no scoreboard and some random guy on the sidelines ran out on to the field, snatched the ball and proclaimed that the match was over. The match was not over.

*I took my first Silozi language test. It was humbling to realize how much I did not know.

*I made pizza for my host family. They liked it so much we made it two nights in a row. I have never had any group of people want to eat something I made more than once. I had my host sisters help. It was one of my favorite moments so far.

All the best from Namibia and much love to all…

Photo post...

2007-12-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

My camera is not functioning right now, so I don't have a ton of photos, and it costs more to download photos so I did not put up many. However, enjoy these few photographs of my flight into Namibia and my first two weeks here.

A chicken in the shower and a lion in the road…

2007-12-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Over the past two weeks I visited my permanent site and shadowed a current PCV. I spent the first week at my permanent site (in Peace Corps lingo that represents the village where I will spend two years). As a side note, on our 12-hour journey to the village we saw giraffe, ostrich and baboons. These animals were not in a zoo when I saw them, but hanging out on the side of the road. Ashley (the health worker who will be in my town) and I were received into our village community at a meeting at the school. It was interesting when the Khunta (who is a traditional tribal leader) welcomed us and expressed the importance of our work. At that precise moment, the reality of my placement here set in. This is my home. I have a new community of people who are prepared to help me maintain a life in a place so remarkably different than Boulder. I only hope I can offer them tools to help build positive, sustainable practices in the school and community.

The indoctrination to village life began when I had the opportunity to assist building my mud hut because it was not complete yet. The construction of a mud hut is like nothing I have ever experienced. Dirt and water were blended to the perfect consistency and then we grabbed it with our bare hands and created the final wall of my house. We removed our shoes and eventually I had a layer of mud caked to the bottom of my feet. The mixture felt like clay. It was rewarding work for me because I have never been that involved in constructing my permanent shelter. The house has two rooms divided by a wall. I have no windows, but two doors. The walls and the thatch roof do not connect, so there is a gap for air to move through (and for spiders, which we have already experienced). The space maintains an exceptionally cool temperature. It reminds me of the pueblos in the Southwest. I have a wash area, which consists of a grass fence tall enough to create a private area to dump water on my head. It sounds like the worst way to bathe, but it is just the opposite. I have enjoyed showering outside. It is refreshing and tends to be the only time the heat is bearable. There was a chicken in there the other day, which was one a memorable experience for Ashley, who was taking a shower.

Other highlights:
*I will be teaching 6-9 English and I will be revamping the library. The library is basically a closet and they have a rather small selection of books and magazines. I also have the task of getting the kids to read books in English.

*Over half of the kids in my school are orphans.

*I ate 7654 crackers with peanut butter on it during my permanent site visit. The peanut butter is called Yum Yum.

*Thanksgiving dinner? I had a cold Coke and a bag of chips.

*Mango flavored Tang does wonders for water that is, well, less than tasty.

*Elephants walk through our village during certain times of the year.

*I went to the Botswana border, which happens to be closer to me than the town where I buy my groceries.

The second week, we visited with a current Peace Corps Volunteer and shadowed him. It was nice to stay in a home with electricity and running water after a week in the hut. We had many interesting experiences during our visit. One of the most amazing was the safari. We spent the day at an amazing lodge. We had lunch (grilled cheese, which might not sound exciting, but there is not an abundance of cheese eating happening here, so I am going into dairy withdraw). After lunch, some of us went swimming in a pool, because swimming in rivers here is a death sentence because of crocs or hippos. After relaxing for a bit, we hopped into open air Range Rovers and headed into the game park. We spent about four hours traveling through the park. We saw giraffe, hippos, turtles, monitor lizard, water buffalo, zebra, ostrich and a bunch of other things that I can’t remember. Yet, the most amazing moment happened as we were heading out of the park. We turned a corner to discover a lion in the road. We rolled up on a pride that stayed within 10-15 feet of us for much of the time. Lions are impressive creatures with gigantic paws. After the lion sighting, we headed back for dinner by the river. We could hear the hippos grunting in the water. Those massive creatures are so cranky. We lingered at the lodge until late talking and laughing about all that has happened in just one month. The whole day cost me about $65 (American).

Other highlights:
*I got to proctor the end of the year exams at my PCV’s school. In Namibia, proctoring the national exam is called “invigilating”.

*I ate fat cakes, which taste a bit like doughnuts, but not as sweet.

*I attended a mourning at the home of a local man who died. It was at dusk outside, and the sunset was breathtaking. The whole countryside seemed to be on fire because the sky was a brilliant orange.

*Toured a hospital…it was a tough experience

*Learned about a Marathon in October on the Namibian coast. I have plans to run it with some other people.

There is so much more to be said, but I doubt anyone would read it all. I am back at the training center for a few days, then we head out for a month with a host family. I finally got the Internet and Bluetooth working on my phone, so I can have Internet on my computer again assuming I have cell service.

Ku Cwani!

2007-11-15T03:26:00.000-08:00

First off, I have a cell phone now.
Country Code: 264
My cell phone number: 0813642888
I can receive text messages, as well.

If you would like to help me with my teaching, please send any of the following, although the priority would be any sort of reading material appropriate for grades 3-8. Ship anything in a padded envelope or taped up REALLY well. Write in red marker “Sister Tina Greene” along with “Jesus is watching” or other religious statements.
Grade 3-5 short reading passages
Grade 3-8 novels
Picture books
Magazines
Stickers
Word search puzzles
Any sort of games
Pencils
Pencil sharpener
Printer

And now, a little bit about my experience so far...

Greetings from Namibia! I am currently typing this under the clear African night sky watching Goonies on a projector screen. One of my fantastic roommates is the movie night brainchild so we could all have a small taste of home while soaking in the glorious spring weather.

Departure from DC was not without interesting twists and turns as I got a shot for yellow fever and started Malaria medication. I then spent fifteen and a half hours in a center seat. I don’t do well in confined spaces and I struggled to maintain my sanity after about seven hours. In fact, another fantastic roommate of mine and I started to watch the blinking light that was outside the plane. We could see this light from a camera feed to our monitor in each of our chairs. It was a long flight, but worth every minute.

The climate in Namibia is mild right now. It feels similar to Colorado’s summer because it is incredibly dry, and endlessly sunny and hot. At night, it cools down and I can throw on a jacket and gaze at the stars. I woke up yesterday morning for a jog at 6:30 am and there was a cold drizzle, which made me feel like I was home as I ran head on in a stiff wind. The landscape reminds me of Western Colorado, but the mountains are not as tall. I must admit I have not seen much of this country, but it is exciting to start learning about so many possibilities for adventure here. Windhoek is tremendously clean and surrounded by mountains. Many people claim they saw baboons and giraffe on our ride from the airport. I did not see any baboons until a few of us hiked to the top of a local mountain, where we heard and saw them.

I do have more news on my teaching assignment. I am headed to the northeast corner of the country to live out my two years in a thatch hut. I will be in an area that has not had a Peace Corps Volunteer in several years, and my understanding is they have never had an education volunteer. The four teachers going will be the first. I feel privileged to have the opportunity. I am cautious, but ecstatic, to try something entirely different than what I am used to. It is a good thing I spent so much time in the woods, huh. I will be schmooing in the woods for quite awhile. I don’t know my exact assignment right now, but I am hoping it will be teaching English and remedial reading to 8-10th graders. At then end of this week, I will find out for certain. In addition, I will be gone for six weeks starting at the end of this week. My time away from the training center will include a home stay with a Namibian family, shadowing a current PCV, and continued language and cultural training.

I think about you all when I count the hours back to figure out the time in Colorado. I hope to hear from everyone and I hope you are all doing well. I run most mornings (and see several Dachshunds on my run), and some of us have been playing soccer in the afternoon at a local field. I am really sore since I have not actually played soccer since college. We have met some precious kids in town who are teaching us their local dialect, and everyday I walk to the store and get a Coke and a skoetsol, which is this amazing pastry that I am almost positive I am spelling wrong. However, it tastes oh so right! Last night, a bunch of us went to a local pizza, yes pizza, place here for a celebration of my birthday. I enjoyed a Windhoek Lager with my ‘za, and it was the largest beer I have ever had. Overall, it was one of the most memorable birthday’s of have ever had and I have my fabulous roommates to thank for it all.

This is an amazing country with interesting people and I am excited to one day leave the confines of training and start life in my permanent site. I will write again when I can. In the meantime, take out your favorite pad and pen and write me about all I am missing back home.

Dead Cow and Malaria Pills...

2007-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

I just finished packing up my stuff and I figured it was a perfect time to write one last note before Internet access becomes less of a reality in my life. My final evening here in the States was spent laughing with a bunch of other future Volunteers. I love my new family. We come from all over the country and bring such unique strengths. I look forward to getting to know everyone better over the next two years. Tonight, some of us went and ate big, greasy cheeseburgers. It was the first time I have ever ordered a double cheeseburger. I was unable to eat that much dead cow, but I gave it my best shot. It was a fitting sendoff as we depart from the old red, white and blue.

I am convinced that tomorrow will be the longest day of my life. We have to check out of our hotel at 5am, then by 7am we will be waiting at “the clinic” for varied shots and our first dose of malaria meds. The flight to Johannesburg leaves late tomorrow afternoon and arrives Thursday afternoon (that is fifteen and a half hours of airtime). I will officially be in Namibia on Friday at about 5:30pm (Namibia time), and that is when the good stuff begins. I am ready to get this started. It has been great to hear about being a Peace Corps Volunteer, but I am ready to experience it on my own.

Well, it is time to crawl in bed and enjoy my final night with air conditioning. I must admit I do miss Colorado. I miss seeing mountains with snow. I miss everyone at home, but I am really thrilled that I am outta here. Please write me and send me music and books and anything else. Bye for now.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled life…

2007-10-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

I am off to the airport today for my three days in Washington then 15+ hours on a plane to Southern Africa. It is not certain when I will be able to check email or get a cell phone number, but my understanding is that it will be after November 3rd. I have learned that once in Namibia I will spend my first two weeks in Okahandja, which is about 45 minutes from Windhoek. It is going to be a hectic couple of months until I graduate and take my place at my permanent site on January 10th. I will write when I can, but it does not mean you folks can’t write me. Anyway, I will miss everyone and I wish you all the best. Go Gamecocks! Go Rockies (although I must admit that I am not much of a baseball fan it has been fun to watch lately)!

Smell ya later...

Firsts and lasts...

2007-10-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

A North Carolina Recap: On the flight from Denver, Warren and Chris "classed it up" by hooking me up with First Class seating. I felt "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S" (minus the champagne, which came later). The Wake Forest game was the ultimate football experience. It was at night, it was cold and there was a trashy fight in the stands (wtb, baby, wtb). Chapel Hill is a beautiful town despite the fact that most people look as if they just stepped out of an advertisement for Ralph Lauren. Della is officially the cutest Carolina fan of all time. Too bad her first game was not the Gamecocks finest football hour as we barely squeaked out a win over the Tarheels. Welcome to Gamecock Football, you never know what you are gonna get. I just hope she missed the Vandy game. Anyway, I also spent some time with Dawn and Mandy, who are long lost favorite cousins of mine. I loved getting to know Dawn and Jon's little ones Lucy and Harris, and I am certain Ford will fit right in with this new batch of Greene young ones. I hope the three of them can have as many fond memories as I have of my time with Dawn and Mandy. Can you recall the lip-sync contests, the easy bake oven, or fighting over who got to comb Mandy’s amazing locks of blonde hair.

Since my return from the Dirrty South, I have been negotiating many firsts and lasts. Today was likely my final sub job at Casey Middle School, which is my favorite place in Boulder (and where I taught). I did not have the chance to say goodbe to everyone I wanted to, but I managed to get some of my students from last year to record video clips to show to my future students in Africa. Of course, this assumes I have the capability to show the clips to them. In addition, I am thrilled that my favorite teacher (the 8th grade LA teacher at Casey) agreed to correspond with me through a program the Peace Corps offers called the Correspondence Match Program. It will be a nice lifeline to a place that is incredibly special to me, and I will miss terribly.

In other news, the reality of what is happening in a few short days is rapidly setting in, and I find that my life is already far removed from the status quo that defined life pre-Peace Corps. As the snow begins to collect in the mountains, my focus would normally shift from mountain biking to shredding some powder on my snowboard. However, this year I sold both of my bikes and packed away the snowboard gear. Hibernation for my winter outdoor goodies is one of the only things that is certain as I prepare for the uncertainties that await. Instead of a season pass, I made some high quantity toiletry purchases at Target that seem odd when taken out of context. Who else can say they bought six boxes of tampons and a mess of razor blades? I am curious what MacGyver might craft from those two purchases. Any thoughts?

Anyway, the tricky part is trying to crack the how-to-pack-for-two-years code. My first round of packing was an exercise in futility. It is fortunate I have wasted many hours mastering Tetris, because it will take some advanced skill to make it all fit by Sunday. Kidding aside, packing has forced me to consider how much I really need in life. There is something liberating about making the decision to let go. I appreciate the challenge of shedding material possessions and replacing it with a more simplistic vision of life. Perhaps it is one of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps.

Halloween at 30,000 feet...

2007-10-06T19:21:00.001-07:00

In a little more than 20 days I will board a plane for Washington, DC for what the Peace Corps deems as three days of “staging”. I imagine being herded from meeting to meeting where I will receive more information than I can humanly retain. Yet, I am thrilled to spend a few days back in the town I called home for a few years. I hope to get to Dupont Circle to see the old homestead, and grab some first class Italian at Pasta Mia in Adams Morgan. Oh, but while in DC one must not ignore the greatest Spansh restaurant ever...Lauriol Plaza. Yummers!

According to the official Peace Corps staging schedule, my group (Namibia27) has an appointment at “the clinic” for a round of shots on Halloween morning and then we are whisked to the airport for a 15-hour plane ride to Johannesburg. It’s a unique way to celebrate Halloween, right? We will spend the night of November 1st in South Africa and board a plane to Windhoek, Namibia the following day. After that, it is 27 months of, well, stay tuned because I have no idea what to expect. I do know I am ready to be teaching again. I have been subbing at my old school, and at other schools in Boulder, and I miss having my own classroom. Speaking of things I miss, I am having Tilly and Katie withdraw and I have not even left yet. I am trying to wean myself off my attachment to my dogs, so they are living with Tibi more often. But, I am taking lots of pictures and making lots of little movies of them sleeping, barking, eating and pooping (OK, perhaps I do not need footage of either of them having a bowel movement) so I can experience Tilly/Katie moments while in Namibia.

One last thing…Go Gamecocks! I will attend my final Gamecock football game next weekend as they travel to Chapel HELL to play North Carolina. In the same trip, I will attend my first Wake Forest game as they host Florida State on Thursday night. I am trying to talk Chris into painting his face for the game. Chris, paint your face!

USC Beats UGA in Athens! (A fond memory as we face Kentucky on Thursday.)

2007-10-03T12:45:00.001-07:00

Thou Shalt Not Forget Sister Tina...

2007-10-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

As the time for me to depart draws ever so near, I wanted to share some interesting facts about mailing packages to Namibia. Thanks to current PCV’s in country, I have included some steps to follow (and some to avoid) when trying to mail me goodies. The first person to figure out how to properly and successfully mail either my dogs or a piping hot Chick-fil-A sandwich (with waffle fries and a cold Dr. Pepper) will immediately be crowned my hero. Check out the info below….

The best method for sending a care package is by simply using the US postal service. I've found that packages sent in a big padded envelope get here much quicker than a box. Boxes take anywhere from 1 month to 5-6 months. It really varies on this one. I think as a rule of thumb, keep it small. My experience with packages has been diverse: 1 padded envelope sent from California got here in 10 days using regular ground mail. Another package sent from NYC using the
more expensive way to send it, got here in exactly 1 week. Other packages took anywhere from 1 month to 2 months.

If for some reason you need something shipped that is expensive or important, I know people have used DHL (there is a DHL office in Windhoek). They take 3 days! But, it's really expensive.....

Anyhoo, the only other thing I wanted to add is that in sending packages via the post office, we've found that it's helpful to "holy" them up -- address them to Father Joe Schmoe, or Sister Jane Smith, and say that they're coming from the Sister [whatever] at Blessed Church of Jesus. Writing holy phrases ("Thou shall not steal," "Jesus is watching," "We miss you at church, Sister Jane!" etc.) on the package helps too. That said, I never got a package or two for the Reverend Mother Elizabeth, so it's not 100% effective, but it helps. On the Contact Info section of my website --
http://www.geocities.com/perkykoalapc/contact.html -- I have more details there. If something's REALLY important (laptop, plane tickets, etc.), then definitely don't send it through the post office.
Use DHL (it's way more prominent there than UPS or FedEx) or... if you hear that another PCV is getting a visitor from the US, have your parents or whatever send the important item to that person in the US, and then he/she can bring it over to you (you can meet in Windhoek or whatever). Bring US postage stamps too -- this way, you can slap them on mail to the US and send it back with a visitor (who just needs to drop it in a mailbox). True, you don't get the funky Namibian stamps or postmark, but at least you know it'll get to your destination!