Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Windhoek
Being in Windhoek has been a welcomed change to life in Rundu. I was a little worried that this past weekend would be difficult… staying in an empty hotel room isn’t exactly the ideal accommodations for staying abroad. Luckily this was not the case at all.
Friday afternoon, after work, I was dropped at the Cathedral to meet with Father Richard, he was standing outside waiting for me. We walked just a few blocks to have dinner. We sat on a balcony on the second floor overlooking the main street in downtown Windhoek. It was a nice meal and we talked about a lot of different things. Naturally, Derek came up and I told him I was getting married this summer. As I talked about Derek and some of the things we want to do together he commented that it seemed like I was in the perfect place to get married. It made me feel good; after all it was coming from a priest. Following dinner he took me to visit a family he knows well. The family is from Rwanda but has been living her for quite some time. The father used to be the United Nation’s economic advisor to Ethiopia, clearly a very smart man. We visited there for some time meeting his 3 of daughters and his son. One of the daughters has been very involved with education and is currently working on the application process to receive a Fulbright scholarship. After this visit Father brought me back to the hotel for the night.
I showered and headed to bed quickly, as I had to be up by 6 Saturday morning.
The Cathedral, along with other Catholic churches in Windhoek had arranged a pilgrimage from the Cathedral, in the city centre, to Brakwater, one of the townships about 15km, nearly 10 miles, away. He picked me up at 6:40 in the morning and we headed to the Cathedral, slowly others begun to arrive, mostly university students. We gathered in the church, and about 7:30 we begun our trek. At this point Father departed and drove to the convent, he joked that there was no medical team involved in the event and being 70, he decided it wasn’t the best idea to walk all that way. I joined with one of the daughters of the family I had met the night prior. I walked with her for the most part, until towards the end I joined up with her father and talked politics until we reached our destination. At other times throughout the walk we sung songs, or prayed the Rosary. We headed from the center of town north, passing by a few other Catholic churches where more people joined. Then we entered the freeway, walking mostly along the shoulder, and there we continued passed the northern industrial district into the countryside. Basically we were walking through the desert, the sun was out, it was hot and busy. There were hundreds of people. Eventually we exited the freeway; toward a convent in the township. Once we arrived people flooded into the chapel there. By the time I got there all the seats were full and people were crowded around the doors of the building trying to get a peek. I snuck into the building and sat on the floor, behind a door which was propped open, I couldn’t see anything for the next few hours. Father Richard (I could tell from the voice) along with others produced the full Stations of the Cross, followed by Holy Mass. The mass concluded around 12:30. At this point Father and I headed to lunch. We had a very nice lunch, ordering the same meal, some nice chicken, some very nice fries, and a salad. We chatted for quite some time. Again, I finished my whole meal… and then just visited with him until he was finished. After lunch he dropped me back at the hotel. I showered and took a needle to the blisters I had all over my feet from walking. Being totally exhausted I tried to nap for over an hour, I was very frustrated at my inability to fall asleep.
Sunday morning I was hoping to sleep in, but of course this did not happen. I lounged for a bit in the morning and then grabbed breakfast from the hotel. Mary-Jean, one of the daughters of the family we spent some time with the other night, picked me up for mass around 9:15am. We headed to the University of Namibia, where Father holds mass on Sundays for the students there. Mass was held in a classroom, a small alter was set up on a tiny table in the front of the room. It was a good mass; you could tell the students enjoy Father Richard enormously. On campus there they have an organization set up for Catholic students (run entirely by students). The classroom was full of students from Zambia, Angola, Botswana and of course, Namibia.
After mass I again went with Mary-Jean. We stopped by a supermarket and went back to her house to make a hearty breakfast: sausage, bacon, eggs, rolls, etc. It was nice, I chatted with the girls for quite some time. Eventually one of the sisters realized I was the same age as her… and then one of the other sisters also reacted. They couldn’t believe I was only 21. I found this strange, I feel like I look so young here, my hair is always a mess and I rarely wear make-up. I asked them how old they thought I was and they said 26. (what, me, 26??) I asked them why they thought that and Diane, the one who is my age, said “well, because you’re getting married,” I thought that was a funny reason. One of the others, Sonya said because “you’re so mature and seem so old.” At this Mary-Jean piped in and goes “well maybe that’s why she’s so comfortable getting married.” Overall it was a great meal with wonderful company, pretty much the type of situation which I thought I would have experienced by living with a host family, but which I never experienced in Rundu. Needless to say, I was totally stuffed, and definitely no longer feel any skinnier than I was when I left Seattle a few months back. Between being in the hotel, Father taking me out for meals, and then eating with this family, I am clearly fattening back up.
Tomorrow is my last day with AED. Following another day at headquarters and being put up in a nice hotel, I will start “slumming it” as Father referred to it. I’ll be moving in with another American volunteer here in Windhoek. I’m more than ready for it! I’ll beginning working daily at the Nord Camp, a center for children from Windhoek. I will also be helping Father with other random projects, including his work at the prison for soon to be released inmates. On Thursday and Friday I will be at Nord Camp and on Saturday, also Namibian Independence Day, I will help Mary Beth with a soccer team she is forming for girls in the area. Before this program there was nowhere that the girls were welcomed to play. Sunday I will again attend Holy Mass with Father at UNAM and then Monday-Wednesday I will continue working with the children until my departure Wednesday evening.
My internet access will be severely limited once I start working with Father full time. Feel free to continue sending e-mails and if I don’t reply my sincere apologizes!
See you all soon! Love, Rebekah
Friday afternoon, after work, I was dropped at the Cathedral to meet with Father Richard, he was standing outside waiting for me. We walked just a few blocks to have dinner. We sat on a balcony on the second floor overlooking the main street in downtown Windhoek. It was a nice meal and we talked about a lot of different things. Naturally, Derek came up and I told him I was getting married this summer. As I talked about Derek and some of the things we want to do together he commented that it seemed like I was in the perfect place to get married. It made me feel good; after all it was coming from a priest. Following dinner he took me to visit a family he knows well. The family is from Rwanda but has been living her for quite some time. The father used to be the United Nation’s economic advisor to Ethiopia, clearly a very smart man. We visited there for some time meeting his 3 of daughters and his son. One of the daughters has been very involved with education and is currently working on the application process to receive a Fulbright scholarship. After this visit Father brought me back to the hotel for the night.
I showered and headed to bed quickly, as I had to be up by 6 Saturday morning.
The Cathedral, along with other Catholic churches in Windhoek had arranged a pilgrimage from the Cathedral, in the city centre, to Brakwater, one of the townships about 15km, nearly 10 miles, away. He picked me up at 6:40 in the morning and we headed to the Cathedral, slowly others begun to arrive, mostly university students. We gathered in the church, and about 7:30 we begun our trek. At this point Father departed and drove to the convent, he joked that there was no medical team involved in the event and being 70, he decided it wasn’t the best idea to walk all that way. I joined with one of the daughters of the family I had met the night prior. I walked with her for the most part, until towards the end I joined up with her father and talked politics until we reached our destination. At other times throughout the walk we sung songs, or prayed the Rosary. We headed from the center of town north, passing by a few other Catholic churches where more people joined. Then we entered the freeway, walking mostly along the shoulder, and there we continued passed the northern industrial district into the countryside. Basically we were walking through the desert, the sun was out, it was hot and busy. There were hundreds of people. Eventually we exited the freeway; toward a convent in the township. Once we arrived people flooded into the chapel there. By the time I got there all the seats were full and people were crowded around the doors of the building trying to get a peek. I snuck into the building and sat on the floor, behind a door which was propped open, I couldn’t see anything for the next few hours. Father Richard (I could tell from the voice) along with others produced the full Stations of the Cross, followed by Holy Mass. The mass concluded around 12:30. At this point Father and I headed to lunch. We had a very nice lunch, ordering the same meal, some nice chicken, some very nice fries, and a salad. We chatted for quite some time. Again, I finished my whole meal… and then just visited with him until he was finished. After lunch he dropped me back at the hotel. I showered and took a needle to the blisters I had all over my feet from walking. Being totally exhausted I tried to nap for over an hour, I was very frustrated at my inability to fall asleep.
Sunday morning I was hoping to sleep in, but of course this did not happen. I lounged for a bit in the morning and then grabbed breakfast from the hotel. Mary-Jean, one of the daughters of the family we spent some time with the other night, picked me up for mass around 9:15am. We headed to the University of Namibia, where Father holds mass on Sundays for the students there. Mass was held in a classroom, a small alter was set up on a tiny table in the front of the room. It was a good mass; you could tell the students enjoy Father Richard enormously. On campus there they have an organization set up for Catholic students (run entirely by students). The classroom was full of students from Zambia, Angola, Botswana and of course, Namibia.
After mass I again went with Mary-Jean. We stopped by a supermarket and went back to her house to make a hearty breakfast: sausage, bacon, eggs, rolls, etc. It was nice, I chatted with the girls for quite some time. Eventually one of the sisters realized I was the same age as her… and then one of the other sisters also reacted. They couldn’t believe I was only 21. I found this strange, I feel like I look so young here, my hair is always a mess and I rarely wear make-up. I asked them how old they thought I was and they said 26. (what, me, 26??) I asked them why they thought that and Diane, the one who is my age, said “well, because you’re getting married,” I thought that was a funny reason. One of the others, Sonya said because “you’re so mature and seem so old.” At this Mary-Jean piped in and goes “well maybe that’s why she’s so comfortable getting married.” Overall it was a great meal with wonderful company, pretty much the type of situation which I thought I would have experienced by living with a host family, but which I never experienced in Rundu. Needless to say, I was totally stuffed, and definitely no longer feel any skinnier than I was when I left Seattle a few months back. Between being in the hotel, Father taking me out for meals, and then eating with this family, I am clearly fattening back up.
Tomorrow is my last day with AED. Following another day at headquarters and being put up in a nice hotel, I will start “slumming it” as Father referred to it. I’ll be moving in with another American volunteer here in Windhoek. I’m more than ready for it! I’ll beginning working daily at the Nord Camp, a center for children from Windhoek. I will also be helping Father with other random projects, including his work at the prison for soon to be released inmates. On Thursday and Friday I will be at Nord Camp and on Saturday, also Namibian Independence Day, I will help Mary Beth with a soccer team she is forming for girls in the area. Before this program there was nowhere that the girls were welcomed to play. Sunday I will again attend Holy Mass with Father at UNAM and then Monday-Wednesday I will continue working with the children until my departure Wednesday evening.
My internet access will be severely limited once I start working with Father full time. Feel free to continue sending e-mails and if I don’t reply my sincere apologizes!
See you all soon! Love, Rebekah
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vic Falls was Incredible, the Trip was Horrifying.
This past weekend I went to Victoria Falls. I decided to only take the bus as far as Katima Mulilo and then I was going to have a co-worker from the Katima field office drive the two hours from Katima to Livingstone. In retrospect, this was a bad idea. I honestly think I would have been safer, and definitely would have been cheaper to have taken the bus the full way, spent the night in Livingstone and take the bus the full way back.
However, this is not what happened. I got to the bus stop in Rundu around 3:15am, we were supposed to be there by 3:30am… the bus did not arrive until 7:15/7:30am. When I got to the bus stop in Katima, Leonard, who was supposed to pick me up was no where in sight, luckily I found a woman from Finland who let me borrow her phone, I called no answer. I call Vincent, another co-worker in Katima, no answer. I call my co-workers back here in Rundu, no answers. So I finally call everybody’s boss, our Chief-of Party in Windhoek, an ask him to keep calling people, since the woman was needed to return to the bus. Eventually Vincent arrives. He takes me to his house which was pretty large for a Namibian family. He has 5 daughters and 1 son; they were all extremely friendly and welcoming. I started feeling very sick that night so I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I had run into Leonard that afternoon and he said he would pick me in the morning between 5:30 and 6am. Which would give us just a few hours at the Falls before we would have to get back for me to catch the bus back to Rundu at 4 that afternoon. I wake up get ready and wait… and wait… and wait. Finally I wake up Vincent and he goes to look for Leonard at his house, he’s not there. So then Vincent starts driving around town to find him. Eventually runs into him and brings him to come fetch me. By this time it’s around 8:30 or 9. We eventually head out of town, but Leonard is not the one driving, instead some other guy I’ve never met is driving. That made me uncomfortable as is, entering into other foreign country with a driver I have never met is fairly nerve-wrecking. We get to the border and the border fees are way more than I was told they were, and of course the two guys I was with brought no money, even though we said we would split border charges and gas, oh and I paid for all the gas as well. The driving was making me uncomfortable so I told them I thought maybe I would try to catch the bus in Livingstone, playing it off like that way they would have more time at the Falls. We get there at 11:30am, I tell them I want to leave at 12:30 to go find the bus. The two of them totally take off. Around 12:30 there were still gone, I wander the trails for a while trying to find them and after some time I decided to just sit at the entrance and wait for them. Another 45 minutes pass, now the time we would have to leave to head back to Katima anyways, and they are still missing. A security guard, who had been sitting with me for some time and knew I was waiting for them, finally said we would look for them while I stayed at the entrance. I gave him descriptions and he went wondering. About 15 minutes later, now past 1:30pm they show up, meandering slowly. I tell them we need to go, now. They were like “the bus doesn’t leave until 4, you’re fine.” I told them I needed to be there by 3:30pm and to get in the car. They finally comply. Then instead of getting on the highway, they drive into town to say hi to some friends. We eventually get on the road a little past 2pm. It takes 2 hours to get to Katima, plus we still have to deal with border crossings. After a little time on the road it becomes obvious that they had been drinking during the time they disappeared at the falls. I’m furious, but there’s very little I can do. There are no busses to catch, they had all departed earlier. I have no local currency because we were only there for the day. And we are now in rural Zambia where I know no local languages even if I did decide to bail out of the car. Instead I decide I will just try to backseat drive as much as possible. They guys become mad because I was "not being a happy passenger and that is making it hard for them to drive.” To this I responded that “it’s hard to be in a foreign country with a driver who had been drinking.” They really did not care at all. It was honestly the scariest time of my life. We finally are getting closer to the border… I’m already pretty sure we are going to miss the bus. (Since Katima is the first stop it was highly unlikely that the bus would be off schedule already.) They pull off the freeway and drive for a few minutes. When I question if this was the way to the border they told me that they wanted to buy fish. The fish they wanted to buy would have been from the Zambizi River, the same waters that people in Katima fish out of, why they had to stop when we were already late was totally beyond me. They start chatting with the fish monger and I yell at them to get back in the car. I told them that we do not have any time to waste and that they “need to get to the border. No more stops!” We get to the border on the Zambia side, I hop out get my passport stamped for departure, and by the time I got back in the car they had not even exited the vehicle yet. Then we have to stop at the Namibian side of the border, same story there. It’s already 4 and we’re still a few minutes from the bus stop.
We finally turn the corner and the bus is beginning to pull out, I told them to pull in front of it (at this point I really did not care if their car got bumped) luckily they listened and parked in front of the departing bus. I jumped out of the car and am waving at the drivers. One gentleman, an extremely friendly man who had helped me load the bus the day prior, jumps of the bus and goes “Rebekah!” this was saving grace, this kind driver who I don’t even know remembered me and was more friendly then the two guys I got stuck spending all day with. I was so happy to get on that bus. The day had been a total nightmare. Here I am promised safe transport from a co-worker and instead it was the most tense I have been in my whole life. The trip ended up costing between double and triple what I was told it would be, and while Victoria Falls was honestly the most amazing thing I had ever seen in real life the experience was a complete disaster.
Oh, and then when I get back to Rundu at 11:30 at night, and my host mother had promised to pick me from the stop, she wasn’t there. I managed to get a ride, from a kind stranger. The woman next to me on the bus told me she didn’t want me to take a taxi alone at night. So she departed the bus with me and went up to the first guy she saw and asked him if I could get a ride home. Turns out he lives real close to the house and agreed.
I’ll be so thankful when this experience is over and it can all be in the past. I leave Rundu tomorrow; I’ll be in Windhoek for my last 2 weeks.
On a much lighter note, I have started to pack and trying to lighten the load I brought little by little. In doing so I have opted to give most of the things I am leaving, not much, to Teresia, the house keeper. She workers harder than any of the formally hired persons I have met here, but still makes little. (I haven’t felt comfortable asking how much, but I know it’s close to nothing.) I pulled together a bag of things to give her last night. It included a bar of soap, a fleece blanket I acquired on the plane, a bag of spaghetti noodles, a pair of flip flops, a package of baby wipes, and of course, a white T. I unpacked the bag with her to make sure she knew what they all were (there were some medicines I also wanted to include but I worry about dosages and what not because she cannot read any English, and only speaks very little, I won’t even be bale to explain it to her.) As those of you who see me regularly, you know I wear Hanes Tagless V-neck White Tees on a religious basis. When we got to that, I pulled it out and handed it to her. Her face lit up, and without a second’s hesitation she ripped off the vest thing she was wearing and through it on. She was so thankful and I could tell she had thought about asking for one but just hadn’t. At that I ran back into my room and grabbed and second one and brought it out to her.
[Earlier this trip I tried to giver her a pair of flats. I had hit the wall when she came to my room to say good bye one day and saw what she was wearing to walk the 10 km home. Two right-footed shoes, one was a flip flop a couple sizes too small, and one was an old man’s business shoe a couple sizes too big. However, after her putting on the shoes we both immediately saw that by feet are significantly larger than hers. You could tell she really wanted them. But after walking a few meters in them she slipped them off said that you and handed them back. Even though my flip flops are a little big it’s not as noticeable, because, well, they’re flip flops!]
However, this is not what happened. I got to the bus stop in Rundu around 3:15am, we were supposed to be there by 3:30am… the bus did not arrive until 7:15/7:30am. When I got to the bus stop in Katima, Leonard, who was supposed to pick me up was no where in sight, luckily I found a woman from Finland who let me borrow her phone, I called no answer. I call Vincent, another co-worker in Katima, no answer. I call my co-workers back here in Rundu, no answers. So I finally call everybody’s boss, our Chief-of Party in Windhoek, an ask him to keep calling people, since the woman was needed to return to the bus. Eventually Vincent arrives. He takes me to his house which was pretty large for a Namibian family. He has 5 daughters and 1 son; they were all extremely friendly and welcoming. I started feeling very sick that night so I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I had run into Leonard that afternoon and he said he would pick me in the morning between 5:30 and 6am. Which would give us just a few hours at the Falls before we would have to get back for me to catch the bus back to Rundu at 4 that afternoon. I wake up get ready and wait… and wait… and wait. Finally I wake up Vincent and he goes to look for Leonard at his house, he’s not there. So then Vincent starts driving around town to find him. Eventually runs into him and brings him to come fetch me. By this time it’s around 8:30 or 9. We eventually head out of town, but Leonard is not the one driving, instead some other guy I’ve never met is driving. That made me uncomfortable as is, entering into other foreign country with a driver I have never met is fairly nerve-wrecking. We get to the border and the border fees are way more than I was told they were, and of course the two guys I was with brought no money, even though we said we would split border charges and gas, oh and I paid for all the gas as well. The driving was making me uncomfortable so I told them I thought maybe I would try to catch the bus in Livingstone, playing it off like that way they would have more time at the Falls. We get there at 11:30am, I tell them I want to leave at 12:30 to go find the bus. The two of them totally take off. Around 12:30 there were still gone, I wander the trails for a while trying to find them and after some time I decided to just sit at the entrance and wait for them. Another 45 minutes pass, now the time we would have to leave to head back to Katima anyways, and they are still missing. A security guard, who had been sitting with me for some time and knew I was waiting for them, finally said we would look for them while I stayed at the entrance. I gave him descriptions and he went wondering. About 15 minutes later, now past 1:30pm they show up, meandering slowly. I tell them we need to go, now. They were like “the bus doesn’t leave until 4, you’re fine.” I told them I needed to be there by 3:30pm and to get in the car. They finally comply. Then instead of getting on the highway, they drive into town to say hi to some friends. We eventually get on the road a little past 2pm. It takes 2 hours to get to Katima, plus we still have to deal with border crossings. After a little time on the road it becomes obvious that they had been drinking during the time they disappeared at the falls. I’m furious, but there’s very little I can do. There are no busses to catch, they had all departed earlier. I have no local currency because we were only there for the day. And we are now in rural Zambia where I know no local languages even if I did decide to bail out of the car. Instead I decide I will just try to backseat drive as much as possible. They guys become mad because I was "not being a happy passenger and that is making it hard for them to drive.” To this I responded that “it’s hard to be in a foreign country with a driver who had been drinking.” They really did not care at all. It was honestly the scariest time of my life. We finally are getting closer to the border… I’m already pretty sure we are going to miss the bus. (Since Katima is the first stop it was highly unlikely that the bus would be off schedule already.) They pull off the freeway and drive for a few minutes. When I question if this was the way to the border they told me that they wanted to buy fish. The fish they wanted to buy would have been from the Zambizi River, the same waters that people in Katima fish out of, why they had to stop when we were already late was totally beyond me. They start chatting with the fish monger and I yell at them to get back in the car. I told them that we do not have any time to waste and that they “need to get to the border. No more stops!” We get to the border on the Zambia side, I hop out get my passport stamped for departure, and by the time I got back in the car they had not even exited the vehicle yet. Then we have to stop at the Namibian side of the border, same story there. It’s already 4 and we’re still a few minutes from the bus stop.
We finally turn the corner and the bus is beginning to pull out, I told them to pull in front of it (at this point I really did not care if their car got bumped) luckily they listened and parked in front of the departing bus. I jumped out of the car and am waving at the drivers. One gentleman, an extremely friendly man who had helped me load the bus the day prior, jumps of the bus and goes “Rebekah!” this was saving grace, this kind driver who I don’t even know remembered me and was more friendly then the two guys I got stuck spending all day with. I was so happy to get on that bus. The day had been a total nightmare. Here I am promised safe transport from a co-worker and instead it was the most tense I have been in my whole life. The trip ended up costing between double and triple what I was told it would be, and while Victoria Falls was honestly the most amazing thing I had ever seen in real life the experience was a complete disaster.
Oh, and then when I get back to Rundu at 11:30 at night, and my host mother had promised to pick me from the stop, she wasn’t there. I managed to get a ride, from a kind stranger. The woman next to me on the bus told me she didn’t want me to take a taxi alone at night. So she departed the bus with me and went up to the first guy she saw and asked him if I could get a ride home. Turns out he lives real close to the house and agreed.
I’ll be so thankful when this experience is over and it can all be in the past. I leave Rundu tomorrow; I’ll be in Windhoek for my last 2 weeks.
On a much lighter note, I have started to pack and trying to lighten the load I brought little by little. In doing so I have opted to give most of the things I am leaving, not much, to Teresia, the house keeper. She workers harder than any of the formally hired persons I have met here, but still makes little. (I haven’t felt comfortable asking how much, but I know it’s close to nothing.) I pulled together a bag of things to give her last night. It included a bar of soap, a fleece blanket I acquired on the plane, a bag of spaghetti noodles, a pair of flip flops, a package of baby wipes, and of course, a white T. I unpacked the bag with her to make sure she knew what they all were (there were some medicines I also wanted to include but I worry about dosages and what not because she cannot read any English, and only speaks very little, I won’t even be bale to explain it to her.) As those of you who see me regularly, you know I wear Hanes Tagless V-neck White Tees on a religious basis. When we got to that, I pulled it out and handed it to her. Her face lit up, and without a second’s hesitation she ripped off the vest thing she was wearing and through it on. She was so thankful and I could tell she had thought about asking for one but just hadn’t. At that I ran back into my room and grabbed and second one and brought it out to her.
[Earlier this trip I tried to giver her a pair of flats. I had hit the wall when she came to my room to say good bye one day and saw what she was wearing to walk the 10 km home. Two right-footed shoes, one was a flip flop a couple sizes too small, and one was an old man’s business shoe a couple sizes too big. However, after her putting on the shoes we both immediately saw that by feet are significantly larger than hers. You could tell she really wanted them. But after walking a few meters in them she slipped them off said that you and handed them back. Even though my flip flops are a little big it’s not as noticeable, because, well, they’re flip flops!]
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Last Week in Rundu!
I have just purchased my tichets to get to Zambia this weekend. [As Derek will tell you] I was very upset this morning by the lack of people's help in arranging the trip. Before I departed from the US I contacted my host family about going to see Victoria Falls, I was assured that it would be no problem and arrangments would be made. This has been far from the case, after weeks and weeks of the trip being pushed back I am now in my last 8 days in Rundu and have yet to go. So, the Bekah appoarch, I bought bus tickets to take me to the border and convienced a co-worker in the town of Katima Mulilo (the town practically on the border) that it will be "fun" to join me. He will drive from there to Livingstone and on to Victoria Falls. Hopefully not too many costs will arrise and the trip will be quick. As you are probably concerned about my travel alone I am reassured that the bus carrier I am taking is safe and relatively timely. After looking at their site Derek said that it "looks better than the US grayhound service," I sure hope so Grayhound is awful! So I leave at 4am Sat. morning to head to Katima, 6 hours on the bus followed by stops at office at the border, both on the Namibia side and on the Zambia side, and 2 more hours to Vic Falls! One of the 7 wonders of the world! It should be exciting, and I'm glad I found the courage to go, hopefully it won't rain all day that would be a drag. I will get back late late late on Sunday night and then 2 days and I'm out of here!
I will be in Windhoek with AED until the 18th, and then with the Maryknolls and Father Albertine until the 25th!
Wow, so close to the end, keep in contact, it's helped alot.
Much love!
I will be in Windhoek with AED until the 18th, and then with the Maryknolls and Father Albertine until the 25th!
Wow, so close to the end, keep in contact, it's helped alot.
Much love!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Ongwediva
Sorry it hs been a while since I wrote. Last week I was at a conference and had no internet. It was the Oshana Regional Educational Stakeholder's Conference: 2009. The town we were staying in was completely flooded, and even our very nice 4 star hotel was out of power for a while. The conference was very interesting and I wish I could attend a national meeting which included similiar information. One of the most informative presentations was given by the regional director, she presented the 2008 pass rates from different schools in the region. One of which 0 % of grade 10 students passed the English exam. The statistics were shocking. I couldn't believe how badly these schools were failing their students. Yet, overall the region was very happy with the results... firs the first time 50.1 % of grade 10 learners passed the national exam, the first time in history the region has seen a 'majority' pass rate. For grade 12 students only 20 % of the region passed their exam. The rest of the conference was focused around combating these number and what sort of policies need to be create to raise these pass rates. I struggled with most of the excersizes, knowing that even if we worked hard and came up with positive solutions, the implementation and monitoring would be low.
Minus the town being flooded and much time being wasted I did meet some interesting people and had a good time.
I am in Rundu until Friday when I will end to Zambia for the weekend to see Vic Falls, when I return on Sunday I will only have a few days in Rundu before I head to the AED headquarters in the capital to finsh the last week of my program. Then onto the Maryknolls for a week of service before returning home! It's getting closer...
Minus the town being flooded and much time being wasted I did meet some interesting people and had a good time.
I am in Rundu until Friday when I will end to Zambia for the weekend to see Vic Falls, when I return on Sunday I will only have a few days in Rundu before I head to the AED headquarters in the capital to finsh the last week of my program. Then onto the Maryknolls for a week of service before returning home! It's getting closer...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Caprivi
Thursday morning Vincent and I wroke up at 5:30 and were out of Otjiwarongo by 6am. We were headed to Katime for the EduSector Health Day, the whole region closes schools and teachers and family all gather for health related matters. To my surprise his sister, much younger sister, was also catching a lift to Katima. She was accompanied by her baby son, who was so cute. We didn’t stop for food or the bathroom and made it in just over 8 hours. The little boy was very well behaved and thought I was the funniest thing in the world to look at, whenever I would turn around for a quick second he would laugh and giggle. When I got to the hotel around 2:30pm it was madness. There is a woman named Stephanie, who I met at the conference in Swakopmund and she was trying to get the ball rolling. The group had just finished a long important meeting about what needed to be done today to ensure that the event is a success, they were supposed to eat lunch and get going. Well, being African, most of the group began lingering around and it was ticking off Stephanie, as well as me. Stephanie is white but a born Namibian and people really need to respect her more, nobody was listening and all just sitting around chatting. There were some issues with the cars and how to get rides to where and when (most of the larger cars, the 4x4s and trucks were out in the bush of the region picking up rural teachers and bringing them into town so that they would be here for tomorrow). Steph was trying to explain what was the ride arrangement and this group of African women, who I was supposed to be working with, were completely disregarding her. It was making me furious, but being that I missed the meetings and was not sure what my tasks were for the afternoon I kind of had to stick with them. Of course as soon as we hopped in a car and left we got stranded somewhere because somebody else and already claimed the right to that car. It was a huge mess, and of course, Steph had to come pick us. From that point on I tried to stick with Steph being that she’s pretty much the only one in the group that has my full respect. We went to the Caprivi College of Education where the event it being held tomorrow and people, mainly students, were busy setting up tables and chairs. Steph new I was more competent than that, but that’s what needed to be done so she asked me to help. I agreed, yet after my first trip all the other girls helping quit and stood around chatting, it was very frustrating but I kept at it knowing that it had to be done (and not wanting to look like ‘the lazy American’). After a few rounds Steph told me to come with her, and after we got a few meters away she told me that there was no way she was going to make me help carry chairs while everybody else just stood around. I appreciated that, and asked what else I could do. She took me into an office where 3 women were printing and folding pamphlets for tomorrow’s event. (Obviously something that could have been last week)… but they too needed help, so I agreed. This girl ‘demonstrated’ how to do a 3-fold pamphlet, which too ticked me off, as if I don’t know how to fold paper… please people. I was nice and took it in stride, smiled and said ‘okay.’ A few moments later another women goes “can you make sure they overlap like ‘this’?” That almost put me over the edge. Here this group is procrastinating like the dickens and then trying to correct me. (Especially when you look at what she was doing: She was supposed to be cutting these printed sheets hamburger style and them folding each in half. She was folding each individual sheet of paper in half both ways (hamburger and then hotdog) then unfolding it and cutting along the hamburger crease and re-folding the other crease. She was doing this for each individual sheet of paper (dozens and dozens of times). Wouldn’t the sensible thing to do be to cut one piece of paper in half the hamburger way and then use that single half as a guide to cut all the others? And then fold them in half?) So anyways, I felt like an extremely patient person looking past all these low expectations of me and attempting to do it happily. It also helped that Steph was more that willing to acknowledge my competency when so many others were being so inefficient. At 5 people started quitting and walking off the site even though so much was no complete. I asked Steph what I could do to help and she told me to come back to the hotel. She said I’ve been more than helpful and after the long drive deserved to relax.
The next day was like a mad rush. We woke up somewhat early grabbed a very quick breakfast and headed to the college. The participants were meeting at the open market and then having a parade to the College. The band of people were led my the Caprivi army marching together, including their band. There were many speakers including Liman, our Chief-of-Party, the mayor of Katima, the governor of Caprivi and others, like the Deputy Minister of Education, and possibly Health, I cannot remember. Over 2000 people participated which was nice. Unfortunately only a fraction of those got HIV/AIDS tested which I thought was a slight let down considering that Caprivi has a 43% infection rate. But most got blood pressure checked, as well as glucose levels. Northern Namibia has a high incidence of diabetes and blood pressure because of their high meat, high salt diets. Additionally, individuals also recieved information on STIs, TB and could get tested for Malaria if they thought they needed.
Today the AED staff recieved the following e-mail from Liman, Chief of Party:
"We have done it once again. The NEPP team led by Steph was able to support HAMU and the regional education team of Caprivi to host the first every ESHD in Katima Mulilo. Well over 2000 teachers participated at the event and accessed various medical test including VCT, blood sugar, blood pressure, malaria etc. Logistics was a nightmare with that umber for one day and we owe it to Ephraim, Alfons, Dennis, Joors, who ensured that teachers from all over the Caprivi, in particular the swamp and islands were picked up and delivered on time, despite dangers to themselves from crossing rivers and mud flood plains. Theolida was wonderful wit ensuring proper food distribution and Rebekah helped chronicle the events as they unfolded and was there to support exhibitors with their displaysI have been to all four events and I must say this one was really the most successful in particular considering the logistical challenges that we faced due to flooding in the Caprivi. The Minister of Health and Social Services who graced the occasion was full of praise for USAID support and in particular AED leadership in initiating this great event which according to him is an innovation that he will make sure his Ministry learns from and emulates this approach. We await the final tally regarding how many teachers accessed what medical test, but even without that I can assure you all that it was a massive success by any measure. Partner collaboration and participation was as usual great. SMA, Know your medicine, Project Hope, Red Cross, VSO were all there and so was the Ministry of Health both regional and local staff.Congratulations to the team for making us proud once again. Liman, Audu Muhammed"
Overall my short time in Katima was the best time I have had to far, I finally felt more productive and it was nice to interact with locals in a constructive setting.
Tomorrow I leave for Ongwediva for yet another Stakeholders conference. I believe I am coming back Wed, so hopefully Thursday I will be back in the office and connected to the internet.
The next day was like a mad rush. We woke up somewhat early grabbed a very quick breakfast and headed to the college. The participants were meeting at the open market and then having a parade to the College. The band of people were led my the Caprivi army marching together, including their band. There were many speakers including Liman, our Chief-of-Party, the mayor of Katima, the governor of Caprivi and others, like the Deputy Minister of Education, and possibly Health, I cannot remember. Over 2000 people participated which was nice. Unfortunately only a fraction of those got HIV/AIDS tested which I thought was a slight let down considering that Caprivi has a 43% infection rate. But most got blood pressure checked, as well as glucose levels. Northern Namibia has a high incidence of diabetes and blood pressure because of their high meat, high salt diets. Additionally, individuals also recieved information on STIs, TB and could get tested for Malaria if they thought they needed.
Today the AED staff recieved the following e-mail from Liman, Chief of Party:
"We have done it once again. The NEPP team led by Steph was able to support HAMU and the regional education team of Caprivi to host the first every ESHD in Katima Mulilo. Well over 2000 teachers participated at the event and accessed various medical test including VCT, blood sugar, blood pressure, malaria etc. Logistics was a nightmare with that umber for one day and we owe it to Ephraim, Alfons, Dennis, Joors, who ensured that teachers from all over the Caprivi, in particular the swamp and islands were picked up and delivered on time, despite dangers to themselves from crossing rivers and mud flood plains. Theolida was wonderful wit ensuring proper food distribution and Rebekah helped chronicle the events as they unfolded and was there to support exhibitors with their displaysI have been to all four events and I must say this one was really the most successful in particular considering the logistical challenges that we faced due to flooding in the Caprivi. The Minister of Health and Social Services who graced the occasion was full of praise for USAID support and in particular AED leadership in initiating this great event which according to him is an innovation that he will make sure his Ministry learns from and emulates this approach. We await the final tally regarding how many teachers accessed what medical test, but even without that I can assure you all that it was a massive success by any measure. Partner collaboration and participation was as usual great. SMA, Know your medicine, Project Hope, Red Cross, VSO were all there and so was the Ministry of Health both regional and local staff.Congratulations to the team for making us proud once again. Liman, Audu Muhammed"
Overall my short time in Katima was the best time I have had to far, I finally felt more productive and it was nice to interact with locals in a constructive setting.
Tomorrow I leave for Ongwediva for yet another Stakeholders conference. I believe I am coming back Wed, so hopefully Thursday I will be back in the office and connected to the internet.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The following was from one of Rebekah's emails to parents.
Hey guys,
I hope that you are all doing well. I want to tell you about dinner last night. The whole AED headquarters office here went out to dinner last night. It was a very nice and funky restaurant and huge portions; I didn’t even finish half of mine. I ordered chicken cordon bleu, and it was less than $10 US. I cannot seem to understand the rhyme or reason to prices here, most things are about the same price in equivalent US $, but some things are significantly cheaper. Overall it was a very nice dinner, about 18 people and it all got paid for. It was nice to be able to ‘talk’ to the staff. I have only stayed in Rundu about half the time since we’re traveled to many conferences around the country. I was hoping to see Victoria Falls this month but it may not be until March now. There are a number of conferences I need to attend this month so it is making hard to get enough free time to drive to the falls. I’m going to trying schedule some time to go the first week of March.
While I’m enjoying being in Windhoek, I am really missing Bonga’s dinners. I’ve told Derek about them. Bonga makes this amazing somewhat sweet sauce called “soup.” It typically has sautéed onions, green papers and carrots, sometimes cabbage, and then she adds a liquid to it, red/orange in color. I’ve tried to ask her what it is but all she says is ‘vegetables.’ I offer to help almost every night, since she has to make dinner every night, but she uses this time for herself to unwind. She did tell me that she would teach me to make it before I leave. Whenever I ask what she’s making for dinner she often replies “soup and rice” with a smile and a chuckle. It’s funny because Maria is not a fan of it, but since Bonga likes rice and soup, and I like rice and soup that’s what she often chooses to make (when we have the ingredients). I miss her meals when we are traveling to conferences, and if I had it my way I would have rice and soup for dinner every night. However, since I won’t be back to Rundu for another 8 days, I will have to be patient and wait to enjoy it until then.
(haha I just opened my HIST term paper that I started, and it is just as long as this e-mail…… it needs to be at least 20 pages, clearly I have my work cut out! Ek!)
Take care all.
Hey guys,
I hope that you are all doing well. I want to tell you about dinner last night. The whole AED headquarters office here went out to dinner last night. It was a very nice and funky restaurant and huge portions; I didn’t even finish half of mine. I ordered chicken cordon bleu, and it was less than $10 US. I cannot seem to understand the rhyme or reason to prices here, most things are about the same price in equivalent US $, but some things are significantly cheaper. Overall it was a very nice dinner, about 18 people and it all got paid for. It was nice to be able to ‘talk’ to the staff. I have only stayed in Rundu about half the time since we’re traveled to many conferences around the country. I was hoping to see Victoria Falls this month but it may not be until March now. There are a number of conferences I need to attend this month so it is making hard to get enough free time to drive to the falls. I’m going to trying schedule some time to go the first week of March.
While I’m enjoying being in Windhoek, I am really missing Bonga’s dinners. I’ve told Derek about them. Bonga makes this amazing somewhat sweet sauce called “soup.” It typically has sautéed onions, green papers and carrots, sometimes cabbage, and then she adds a liquid to it, red/orange in color. I’ve tried to ask her what it is but all she says is ‘vegetables.’ I offer to help almost every night, since she has to make dinner every night, but she uses this time for herself to unwind. She did tell me that she would teach me to make it before I leave. Whenever I ask what she’s making for dinner she often replies “soup and rice” with a smile and a chuckle. It’s funny because Maria is not a fan of it, but since Bonga likes rice and soup, and I like rice and soup that’s what she often chooses to make (when we have the ingredients). I miss her meals when we are traveling to conferences, and if I had it my way I would have rice and soup for dinner every night. However, since I won’t be back to Rundu for another 8 days, I will have to be patient and wait to enjoy it until then.
(haha I just opened my HIST term paper that I started, and it is just as long as this e-mail…… it needs to be at least 20 pages, clearly I have my work cut out! Ek!)
Take care all.
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