I apologize to my faithful readers (if there are any) for my lack of motivation to keep this up to date. Quite a bit has happened since my last post. The big event was the conclusion of Pre-Service Training with swearing-in last Thursday, at which I officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer. Although I enjoyed PST, it was nice to finally wrap things up on that end and move on to my actual volunteer assignment. A brief overview of some recent happenings:
Swearing-in: The swearing-in ceremony took place on the 20th at the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in Okahandja, our training town. It is worth noting that all 38 of us who met in Philadelphia in August were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers, which seems like a very rare occurrence. In most groups a number of people, for various reasons, decide to go home before the completion of PST. In terms of the ceremony itself, I found it to be quite energizing. Many of the speakers were good reminders for me of why I came here in the first place, which can sometimes be lost when spending every day with a group of nearly 40 other Americans. The ceremony included speeches from the U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, the Peace Corps Country Director and Training Manager, and the Director of Education of one of the regions here. It also included speeches from us, the new volunteers, in each of the 6 languages that were learned within the group: Afrikaans, Khoekhoegowab, Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Otjiherero, and Rukwangali. It seemed that many of the Namibians in attendance were quite impressed with the speeches, especially considering the fact that many of us had not even heard of these languages a mere 8 weeks before. I, along with two others, delivered the speech in Afrikaans. I’m usually not nervous about public speaking, but doing so in a foreign country and language, and not always being entirely sure that you don’t sound like an idiot, can certainly make one nervous. Despite my worries, though, I think the speech went well. The Okahandja Youth Group was also at the ceremony, performing several traditional song and dances. They were a VERY impressive group, and for me the highlight of the ceremony (the volunteers performed a song as well, but I think it’s safe to say that the Youth Group took the crown in that category).
The day after swearing-in I traveled to Outjo along with the other two new volunteers also serving in the Kunene region. A driver was scheduled to pick us up at 10am on Friday. The three of us, still becoming acquainted with the concept of ‘Africa time,’ arrived early to the pick-up point. After much waiting around, the driver actually arrived at 11:30 in a tiny sedan that would probably transport one of us when factoring in all of our luggage. Much confusion followed, and eventually it was decided that a second car (luckily a large truck) would come as well, and the two cars would travel together. (Insert much more time-killing). By the time the second car arrived, was packed, and departed from the meeting place, it was nearly 4:00. Despite the late start, we all made it to our destinations that evening. Outjo is just over 2 hours away from Okahandja by car, so it was not a bad ride.
Life thus far in Outjo: I have been in town for one week now. I think perceptions of time can be really distorted in a new situation—some days crawl by, some days fly, and weeks can seem like months. It probably is not the best time of year to be new at a school, as the year is wrapping up (school years are in line with calendar years here), and many of the learners are preparing for their external exams. Since most of the teachers are busy with end-of-year work, I have been quite bored for the most part. I have spent quite a bit of time in the school computer lab, doing whatever reading and familiarization I can with the lab itself as well as some projects I might pursue. A few possibilities include: creating an internship program for learners with local businesses, creating some teacher resources, figuring out ways to utilize the computer lab both within the school and the community, working with local entrepreneurs, and getting involved with some extracurricular activities at the school.
I’ve been feeling a little anxious to jump right into things and get going, but I’ve had to tell myself numerous times to just be patient. Things will probably be slow for the next few weeks until the school year is just about over and people have more time to introduce me to community members and work on projects with me.
Lastly (sorry, I know this is long—downside of not updating for over a month): I am living in a flat at the school hostel, which is convenient but sometimes not the best for privacy. Bells go off at all hours of the day (I still haven’t quite figured out that system, especially the 4ish AM ones). My flat is quite bare at the moment—I have a large room which serves as a bedroom and sitting area, bathroom, and a shared kitchen, with very few things to put in them. So, if anyone has cheap and easy ideas for furnishings, decorations, household supplies, etc. I would love to hear them.
End megapost.
No comments:
Post a Comment