Swazi-ed, in Mozambique now.

Quick post to say all is well. We left Swaziland on Saturday and are in Maputo, Mozambique waiting to pick up the truck, tomorrow. Then itºs off to Vilankulo ASAP!!
Much more detailed and interesting posts are being written (on paper!) to be entered into the blog soon.

It might be called South Africa, but it isn't Africa

I'm safe and sound in Pretoria now, but where I was overwhelmed in Bulawayo, I'm floored in Pretoria. I feel like I'm in LA. I don't like it. But I do like being able to leave my stuff at the hostel and feel relatively confident that it'll be there and untampered with when i get back.

Matt arrives tomorrow evening. We're going to take it easy for 2 days here while he deals with jetlag. Then we are planning to head to Swaziland.

My SA number is +27 79 056 7329

Back in Zimbabwe...
I finally ventured out on my own and took a bus from Bulawayo to Masvingo (pronounced Mashingo), where the ruins of Great Zimbabwe are. I camped for the last time in my little dinky tent. Gonna miss ya old fella. The ruins are pretty incredible. They were just as awe inspiring as the pyramids in Guatemala, I think the "experts" think these were erected waaaaayyyyy earlier than any anywhere else. I'll have to google that one, but I'm intrigued for sure.

The locals continued to be fantastically friendly, though English very quickly dropped out of the surrounding conversations. Everyone I talked to though was still fluent. I randomly met a handful of folks that wanted me to come stay with them.

My bus to South Africa situation was a less charming story, however. It was 6 HOURS late in leaving! Was supposed to go at 5pm, and we left after 11pm. The delay? Rain. Sigh. I had to sit at a petrol station and most of the time there was a torrential downpour outside. I felt like I was in the movie 'Romancing the Stone' watching the local buses pass through, people pouring off, scarfing down food, and pouring back on. Best, though, was the loading of these buses. I'm used to overcrowding and overpacking, but this exceeded even the worst I'd seen. At one point a man was standing on top of the bus (an old school bus) and the parcels were stacked on top a full half-body-length above his head! (And he was probably around 6ft.) They'd lumber off into the rainy night. I'm amazed there aren't more accidents.

When my bus finally came I got bumped from a window to an aisle, no reclining seats, no foot rest. But at least I got my own seat and luggage was safe below. At 3am we hit the Beit Bridge border. This commenced the absolute worst border experience I've ever had. We waited outside, in the pouring rain, for over 3 hours. Yep, we weren't through until around 6:15am. @#$#@ @#$^%$#% @#$@@@#%%^^!!!!!!!!

After that the driver had had enough of all the delays and we slammed straight through to Pretoria/Joburg without stopping. I got in around 2pm I think.

Now I'm twiddling my thumbs in relative comfort...waiting for the boy. Everyone still loves my braids and I'm getting stopped on the street asking where I had them done (and how much I paid.)

Bulawayo, Zim Number Restored, No time for Malawi

Finally left Vic Falls last Saturday morning for Bulawayo; I caught a lift (thanks again Cesare) with a friendly fellow called Dinx (we bonded over the rhyming of our names - Dinx/Mynx).

In Byo, I was meeting up with Irvy, the Zimbabwean girl I met last time I was in vic falls who is a teacher in Botswana. She came all the way from Gabarone for one day/night just to see me. She's a special gal, and I'm honored to call her my friend.

I know this is starting to sound broken-recordish, but Zimbabweans are SO LOVELY!! Irvy was staying with a friend from high school and his aunt. They took me in like their own. She took off the next day (Sunday) and I had planned on sorting out a backpackers, but nope, I was informed that would be insulting. So they had me stay another night, and likely for as long as I would've wanted.

Cesare got to town today and now I'm staying with him and his mom. Tomorrow we will go to Matopas National Park. Then Wednesday I'm off on my own to Great Zimbabwe. I think Friday I will head for South Africa, spending Saturday night in Pretoria. Matt arrives Sunday.

I can't say enough at how bright, welcoming and engaging Zimbabweans are. They go on and on about the importance of an education, working hard for yourself, being kind and welcoming to all, etc. I truly love this place.

However, i have DEFINITELY turned into a village girl. Being in Bulawayo has me overwhelmed for sure. I nearly got hit by cars twice today. Therefore I'm not going on to Harare, and I'm kinda peein in my pants about being in South Africa. :-)

I got another phone today out of sheer necessity. My Zim number is restored: +263 91 400 8581

Sorry to be so scatter brained in my posts these days. It's a little different writing when the internet cafe clock is ticking down.

Vic Falls, local style

Camping on an island at the falls, literally ON the falls...as in walk to the edge and mind the water rushing past as it goes over.
...
A couple of swimming holes, you guessed it, RIGHT there on the edge.
...
Full moon.
...
No one else on the island (except for the thieving fisherman of course).
...
Professional photographer who thoroughly enjoyed shooting his first female subject in front of his favorite natural wonder.
...
Climbed about 1/8 of the way down the face of the falls - it's actually pretty easy. We could have gone all the way down but it was getting dark.
...
Tom reckons you can count on 1 or 2 hands how many people have been out to these places, ever.

Obviously I'm not my usual pedantic self. I'm kinda tired (and still bumming a little about my stuff). But it truly was a once in a lifetime experience. And besides, I know a few gentlemen that will gladly reimburse me for what was lost when they see my newly taken photos. ;-)

TIA - No more Zim cell phone

Last night I went out to the island at the falls with that photographer and some of his buddies, as I mentioned. When we got there, he wanted to show us around and said all of our stuff would be fine in the boat (including his oodles of camera equipment) as no one ever goes out there.
Apparently, people do.
We got back and all of our stuff had been rifled through. Tom and I both lost our cell phones, cash and leathermans. Thankfully none of the camera equipment was taken, and my little camera was miraculously still there.

I'm not going to get another cell phone.

Ehem, Still in Vic Falls, surprise surprise

Yep, I can see why people get ‘stuck’ here. There’s so much to do, the people are lovely, the scenery is beautiful and the climate is manageable. Even Zimbabweans come here and end up staying.

Yesterday was all about the animals. I’ve been lucky enough to see lions and elephants in the wild, but I kinda wanted a closer look.

In the morning, I went for a “lion encounter”. I know, I know, cheese factor right? I wanted to see for myself. Here’s the program: get picked up and taken out to a reserve, learn some basic safety stuff, then head out with a few guides who bring out 2-4 lion “cubs” (mine were 16 months…pretty big freakin lions if you ask me) – they aren’t leashed or muzzled. You go for a little stroll with them through the bush, and those willing can come up and pet their rears while walking. After a while, we stop and the lions lay down on some rocks. One by one the guests come up behind them and give em a scratch and of course get photos taken. We walk back, have some breakfast, watch the video and head. Sounds manufactured and touristy yes? Well, frankly, it kind of is, however, there’s a cause, and a pretty serious one. Before this I had no idea that lions were becoming endangered. They’ve seen a huge drop in the population in recent years (70-80%!!) and on the whole, no one is really doing anything about it. So these guys are a part of www.LionAlert.org and there is a pretty plausible plan in place to help boost the wild population. I’m paraphrasing here, but from what I recall: Stage 1 is captive lions who are used to humans hang out and do these ‘encounter’ thingys, but they are also getting more used to being in the bush. Stage 2 sees them released into an enclosure with game they can hunt and human contact is limited. In Stage 3, competitive species are introduced (i.e. they have to start fending for themselves), and if there were only females, males are added to the mix (dating). There is zero human interaction at this point. In Stage 4, any cubs that are born are fully released into the wild after weening and all that. The thinking is, captive lions just can’t be turned loose; it doesn’t work except in the movie Born Free. But cubs born seemingly in the wild should do fine. Why do Stage 1 at all? It’s to raise awareness and funds to support the later stages. Acquiring the land and building the enclosures is super expensive. The whole program is just getting started, and they’ve had the idea to contact companies and organizations with lions in their logos (MGM, Detroit Lions, etc.) for support in a campaign called “Where is your pride?”. Clever, no? Anyway, worthy cause, alarming situation. Two thumbs up. Check out the website – www.lionalert.org

In the afternoon I did an elephant back safari. There’s less of a cause to talk about here so I won’t bore you with the details. I’ll just put up some pictures when I get home. I did get to scratch my elephants tongue…nobody else did…my elephant, Emily, just opened up her mouth and stuck out her tongue, I saw one of the guides doing it so I gave it a go. Weird!!

Today I'm heading out to an island at the falls with a photographer from the BBC. It's a full moon - he's been hired to get all kinds of footage of the falls! This is a private deal, no tourists. Once again I have Cesare to thank! (Ladies, he's free...)

Friday I’m going white water rafting on the Zambezi! Then Saturday morning I’m off to Bulawayo.

New Zimbabwe Number

+263 91 400 8581

I Zimbabwe...have I said that before?

LOVE it here! I know I haven't really explored the country yet, but Vic Falls and the people here are soooo wonderful.
I went back to the Pizza/Chicken/Creamy Inn and found Julius still there. He was positively thrilled that I came back as I said I would. "You are very honest, Jen", he said.
My friend Hilton hooked me up via Facebook with a childhood friend of his, Cesare, who lives here. Cesare is an Italian tour guide and he's a fantastic host! Thank you Hilton!! Cesare welcomed me into his gorgeous home, and his home away from home, Shoestrings Backpackers. Though the place is most definitely a backpackers (DJ booth, nightly parties, very active bar, etc.) they are super friendly. They've got an African Drumming Troupe that performs there along with some fire spinners. They asked me to light up and I obliged. 2 days later, folks are still going on about the show. It's SOO fun to perform in a more or less closed system, i.e. they only see the same people spin over and over. You get to show off a different style that no one has ever seen. Anyway...
Yesterday I was on my way into town with no particular destination in mind. I greeted two ladies across the street, and they said, "Come with us to church." I thought about it for a second and said, OK! So as I'm now starting to get used to, we walked for ages through the township, alternating between roads and dirt paths. We rattled on about the usual girl stuff (they were older ladies, in their late 40's or perhaps early 50's) but men and babies are usually where the conversation goes to. As we passed people, the ladies were asked what they were doing with the white person (I recognized the word that sounded like 'mukuwa'. They said I was going with them to church ("church" is said in English for whatever reason). That was met with great joy and some clapping usually. We FINALLY made it to our destination: a big tree in the bush. People were already gathered; most of the women wore white head coverings, and some had full length white robes. The few men that were there were the pastors, who also wore long white robes. There was a cloth banner strung up on a bush. They are Apostele or something like that, and I was later told that they are the equivalent of the Amish. There were maybe 15-20 people there. The service was all in the local languages, Shona, Dibele. There was a lot of 'hallelujah'ing and we got up to sing and clap about every 8-10 minutes. At first a lot of people were staring, but most smiled back when I did. After maybe 2 hours, one pastor started to welcome me to the congregation (in Shona) and everyone clapped. He then translated into English and also read a passage from the Bible. He said everyone and everything is about love. By then the little ones had grown quite fond of me (at first they were a little afraid) and were kinda crawling all over me. The whole thing was fabulous. I finally had to go, however, as I hadn't eaten anything and the heat was really getting to me. I started footing the long way home, but it wasn't long before a friendly fellow picked me up and gave me a lift back into town.
Today I'm going to get a SIM card, book my FREE lion walk (courtesy of Cesare), and probably do another fire dancing show at Shoestrings. The boys there want me to teach them a few things too.
So yes, I'm basking in Zimbabwe heaven.

In Zimbabwe Now...Feels like Home

Made it to Zimbabwe safe and sound after some pretty darn TEARY goodbyes this week. The letters started pouring in from learners, along with pretty pictures and what.
Then the morning I left, eesh!

But being back in Zim feels great. I was too late to purchase a Zim SIM card though, so i'll be out of touch until Monday.

Gosh, so much to say but am now on the good ole internet cafe ticking clock. Though i can tell you that a heard of elephants (with babies!) crossed our path on the road today - along with some steenboks (cute!) some other sort of antlered animals, plus i think some form of buffalo, but not the big one...not sure. Anyway...I'm safe, all is well.

Math Exam Results So Far

These are the marks from Paper 2, out of 85. Paper 1 will be written December 4th, 45 marks.

9A:
Average - 24%
High - 51%
Low - 6%

9B:
Average - 22%
High - 46%
Low - 12%

Science Results

The kids did great!! (remember, 30% is considered passing)

8A
Exam:
Average - 38%
High - 60%
Low - 15%
Grades for the year:
1 C
6 D's
14 E's
(the rest F's, G's, U's)

8B:
Exam:
Average - 36%
High - 73%!!!!
Low - 12%
Grades for the year:
1 C
7 D's
8 E's

8C:
Exam:
Average - 31%
High - 60%
Low - 12%
Grades for the year:
1 C
6 D's
6 E's

FAVORITE answer from the test:
Q: Explain why hydrochloric acid is used in swimming pools.
A: To make pure water so white people must swim.

Tears

The English teacher had the grade 9's write a short essay about their favorite teacher. Today he gave me a few of them; they're bringing tears to my eyes.
(Note, they have trouble with he/she him/her, and 'use to' means 'usually' or 'does'.)

(word for word)
5 November 2009
My favourite teacher is Ms Jackson

I like him because she is a good teacher She don't treat us in bad way and she always when we pass her quiz or test she use to award us something so that we must be serious with her subject. She alway present in her period and she use to teach us until we understand and she gave us many thing like book, pencil eraser bubber and sharpener. When we are writing her subject during test or exam she use to provide us with calculator and pencil. And she use to follow time and when we don't understand she use to give us correction so that we must understand her well. And I would like to say that I thank her too for everything she brought here at our school and we steel want him to be with us next year.
-Andreas Kavamba Grade 9A
(different Andreas if you're a regular on the blog)
----

06-11-2009
The Article

The last few years she was arrived at the school compined in Divundu town. All of the learner they have come to luve and respect Miss Jenifa Jackson, our math teacher.

It was very great dejected that we have learned about one of our favourite teachers leaving the school at the end of this year.

Miss Jennifa is a real special somehow and we used to feel glad when she give us some encourages to always a pleasure to be in her class. She is great fun.

Her period we used to enjoy when she is in the class room Even she was very proud/jovial at all. I would be sad to see her going back to U-S-A, because she used to give us something wich make us to feel jovial and active so that we must interested in her subject.

Ms. Jackson her way going back to America I will never ever to see her again in my lify until at the end of the world.
-Sirumbu Moses Grade 9A
----

My favourite teacher is leaving the school at the end of the year.

I would like say is our master for mathematic and science teacher since when he came here at our school, he respect every people and he come adorable with them. I can say she is boffin also he deplore if you miss his homework of class activities or task.

Sometime what she used to do - he come in the class give us pencil and sharpen he used to encourage learner to study hard. When you pass a test- you will gets something that makes you to study hard. She is very good person miss he alot for what has done for us. Every well not get teacher like him because is ve intellegent and know alot the particular subject. I thank he to live with god and help he to reach were he came from.
- Mulyata Kalunga Titus Grade 9A

Length of Service

I can see why Peace Corps and VSO have 2 year placements, and the normal WorldTeach assignment is for 1 year. Plain and simple, you need TIME to get a community to warm up to you. I don't know whether it's because I'm leaving in a few days, or if this is right around the time that there's a crack in the shell, but I'm feeling a lot more welcome here. The kids are talking to me more, and the secretary told me tonight that she wishes she had invited me over. I had to run over to her homestead to drop something off and she invited me into her house. I said it was the first time I'd been inside a mud house; she said she felt very bad about that. Sigh.

So if anyone out there is considering volunteering overseas, my recommendation is not to consider anything less than a year.

You know you're really bored when you...

* Start plucking your leg hair with tweezers.
* Play multiple games of solitaire with cards, without cheating, the 3 draw version. (Still haven't won a single game!)
* Sew two patches on your pack, then rip them out because they are a little crooked.
* Go to sleep at 7:30pm because you simply have nothing else to do.
* Start over on knitting a scarf that's already 6 inches long because you think it's a little bit too wide.
* Write a blog post about how bored you are.

Moving on moving out

Hello dear readers. Matt Sammons here, your guest blogger for the day. Jen would be writing this post, but unfortunately her phone was stolen on the trip from Rundu to Divundu today, which has left her without internet access for the time being.

Pause... no need to panic. She was able to borrow a learner's phone, and is reachable if anything goes wonky. We just chatted for a while, and she's doing fine, all things considered. If you need her temp number or have any other questions, email me. She'll be up and running with a new phone by the end of the week.

School is wrapping up, and Jen is finishing prep for the trip through Zimbabwe and Malawi. She'll be leaving Divundu on Nov 27, and crossing the Zimbabwean border on the 28th. From there, she'll be hitting Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and Harare, each for a few days. She expects to be moving on to Malawi by Dec 6 at the latest, where she'll be heading to Cape Maclear on Lake Nyasa. Then, on Dec 12 she hops a bus to South Africa, to meet yours truly at the Johannesburg airport on the 13th.

She'll fill you in on details starting around the 27th from various internet cafes along the route. I know I'm excited for her, and can't wait to get out there myself. Keep on sending your love and positive travel juju!

New Pics Uploaded

Link's on the left.

Delightful Evening

Last night I had my two Grade 9 Learners of the Year, Fredrick Kasoma and
Victorinu Chiviya, over for dinner. I was able to borrow a hotplate with
two working burners (that magically seems to have lasted more than 5 months
in a different household, ahem) and made a delicious meal of chackalacka
with lots of veggies and meat added plus perfectly cooked rice. (This is
officially my favorite dish for myself.)

The boys were adorable; both clearly dressed up for the affair. They are
some of my most talkative learners, so conversation was thankfully not
lacking. When we sat down, Victorinu said that this was the first time he'd
ever eaten at the same table with a white person. "Ever??" I asked. "Yes."
(I bet it'll be a while before a white person serves him too.) As usual,
many questions were asked about the differences between Namibia and America.
(How are the learners different, how are the teachers different...) They
also asked if I always have dinner like this with my housemate, Mr. T. I
laughed and said Mr. T. is always "out" when I'm having dinner. I told them
that it's been pretty lonely for me here because no one really talks to me.
They both said they would've wanted to come and talk more often but they
thought they would be bothering me :-( POO!

Probably the most interesting question of the evening was from Fredrick:
"Why are white people smart and black people stupid?" My answer was that I
don't believe that to be true. HOWEVER, in many cases white children are
nurtured from infancy with education and curiosity whereas black children
are neglected. I said the brain is like a muscle; it needs to get exercise
to be strong. And if someone has been exercising since birth, they are
going to be stronger than someone who exercises just a little when they are
older.

Both boys gobbled up every last grain of rice, the package of cookies for
desert and several cups of crystal lite (thanks again mom!) We took a
picture and hugged, and then I lent them torches for their walk home in the
dark.

Victorinu and Fredrick are both examples of really bright kids who could go
either way depending on the amount of motivation and guidance they get. I
encouraged them to keep their heads down and try their "level best" to get
to another school. If they can just make it out of here, I think they could
go quite a ways further.

Overflowing with Gratitude

There are a ton of folks I'd like to thank from the bottom of my heart for
contributing in so many different ways toward making all that I've done here
possible.

Pre-Departure Fundraising
- EVERYONE who contributed - too many to name of course and I don't have my
list over here, but a few:
* Early Adopter Deb
* Great White North Contributors (Freeze, Hoops, etc.)
* Family & Distant Family
* Big Finish Dave
- Fundraising Party - IMPOSSIBLE without:
* Jay
* Jeff H.
* ALL the folks who helped at the event - door, bar, DJing, hustling, and
just showing up!

In Country Support for the Learners (school supplies)
- Dave
- Candace
- Jenni
- Mom
- Matt
- Sarah Todd
- William Adams Middle School

In Country Support for Me (food, entertainment)
- Jan
- Jenni
- Matt
- Mom

I'm pretty sure I broke some kind of record with care packages!!

A Special Category all to herself
- CINDY for giving me this laptop which has enabled all things technical,
but really, I couldn't have made it here without this thing. It was my
lifeline.

Lastly, two people have been tireless in their support, between phone calls,
regular boxes sent, religious blog following and favors left and right.
Mom, Matt, I can't thank you guys enough. On two separate occasions someone
here said to me, "He must love you very much" and "Your mom loves you a
lot." They couldn't have been more right.

Friends and Namibian Life

This weekend I went into town to run a few errands and hang out with my
language tutor, Angie, who came up from Windhoek. In the whole time I've
been here, she's been my only real Namibian friend.

I got to meet her gorgeous and rambunctious little 4-year old girl, Sasha.
Angie and Sasha were staying with Angie's long time friend, Selma, and she
graciously let me stay as well.

Selma is a single mother with a daughter who is around 6. She has a job at
a loan company. She's waiting for a house to be built, so she's temporarily
renting a place in Rundu that you and I would call a shack. Staying there
for a night gave me a real glimpse of what life can be like here. The walls
were bare cinder block sloppily cemented together. The ceiling was just a
piece of corrugated tin held on with heavy rocks. The walls do not meet the
ceiling. There was no running water, so no sink, toilet or shower. A
toilet and shower was available in the occupied space next door that she is
allowed to use.

I've got to hand it to Selma though; she has decorated the place so that
it's as nice as a cinder block space can be. She keeps it very clean,
regularly filling various containers to wash dishes or mop. AND, on top of
all this she took in not only her friend and friend's kid, she took me in as
well. Despite limited cooking facilities, she even made us all dinner.

Angie, Sasha and I slept on Selma's bed, and Selma and her daughter slept on
a foam mattress on the floor. Did I mention how HOT it's been lately?
Saturday it was 40 degrees C in Rundu (104 Fahrenheit). Guess how hot a
cinder block house with tin roof gets? And sleeping under a mosquito net
with 2 other bodies in bed? Ya, toasty. Nighttime peeing happens in a
basin on the floor. And sleep is dependent on when the guys next door stop
watching TV since the walls don't meet the ceiling.

In the morning we had some coffee and snacks and then said our goodbyes. It
was a teary one with Angie; I'm going to miss that girl. She's a bright one
though, and going places. She may very well end up in California with her
newly minted business venture someday...here's hopin. (p.s. she's done with
Namibian guys, by the way, so American men, you've got a good one up for
grabs!)

Dear Housemate Mr. T.

There are a couple of things I'd like you to know.

1. Inexpensive hotplates are not designed to be used for hours on end,
which is what you have countless female learners do when they are constantly
boiling goat for you. This is why 2 out of 3 burners are now broken. This
is also why our electricity bill is staggering.

2. My olfactory system is similarly not designed to smell goat boiling for
hours on end. While I sometimes wish IT would break, I am stuck with it,
and it's showing no sign of acclimating to that horrid stench.

3. I am very upset about point number 1, particularly as I have to prepare
dinner for my two grade 9 Learners of the Year tomorrow. Doing so on just
one burner is going to be very difficult. And should the last burner fail,
'pissed' will be an understatement.

4. It is completely unacceptable to send a female learner (or any learner
for that matter) to the house to cook for you *during class*. I reported
this to the Principal, in case there is any question.

Ohhhh lots of really mean things are boiling up outta my chest right now. I
think I'll cut this letter short.

Sincerely,
Your thank-god!-soon-to-be-former housemate

Constrassen, part 2

I ran out of time in my classes to go line by line on the Namibian National
Anthem. Instead, I printed out a bazillion copies and distributed them
amongst all the learners AND the teachers today. Where I had time I went
through the pronunciation and meaning of some of the words. Again, the
gratitude was overwhelming.

A teacher asked for the master so he could make more copies to hand out in
other schools and in his village. And, just now as I was typing a learner
came in asking for one for his friend.

So if I've accomplished nothing else in my 6 months here, I've hopefully
helped a few Namibians with the Namibian National Anthem.

Black and White

So as my time here draws to a close, I find myself waxing a bit
philosophical. I've had tangible observations within myself around the
notion of black and white, so I thought I'd share.

If candid discussion of race makes you uncomfortable, stop reading.

Over my years, I can't say I've really been around that many black people.
From first grade through high school, I lived in a town in South Texas that
was oh, 95% or so Hispanic. There, sometimes, I felt like the minority, but
most of the time it didn't seem to matter so much.

In college I did calculus with Alvin, my first black friend. Alvin was
brilliant, and damn fine. (I really wish I could find you, Alvin.) At my
first dot-com job I had a black colleague who I worked closely with and
deeply respected. Presently, I've got one close black friend (hi Jay!), but
that's it. It just seems like the circles don't mix very much, ya know?
Not on purpose; it's just the way it is.

Anyway, leading up to coming here, I didn't give much thought to
black/white. It just sort of slipped my mind. But then I got here, and the
first night hanging out in the hostel during orientation, I thought to
myself, embarrassingly, "oh my gosh, there are so many black people here."
(and there were only a few!) When I got up to Kavango and to my school,
that thought was more pronounced. It wasn't an icky feeling...it's hard to
explain...it was just at the forefront of my thinking.

After, oh, I don't know, maybe 3 or so months, one day it hit me - I didn't
see "black people" anymore, I just saw people. And, interestingly, I'd be
more surprised when I saw more than two white people together.

Now here's where it gets interesting. Over the years I came to understand
that it was ok for black people to refer to themselves as black or other
terms of their choosing implying race. But it was decidedly NOT ok for
white people to refer to black people as such. I didn't get that at all.
But wouldn't ya know, I feel the EXACT SAME WAY now. I reference my race to
other people from time to time here (i.e. "all the white people are going to
rundu for a party"), but boy it irks me when I hear people refer to me as
Mukuwa ("white person" in Thimbukushu). ESPECIALLY people who know my name
and who do it right in front of me. OH MY GOD. Last term a staff member
came into the office asking for something, and another teacher said in
Thimbukushu, ask the mukuwa. At the parents' meeting the other day, I was
asked to loan out all my pencils for voting. And the principal said
something along the lines of 'please return the mukuwa's pencils'. Why does
this get my blood rushing, but I can make jokes about how my white nose
turns bright red in the sun? I kinda get the parents' meeting, but I still
find it intolerable amongst my "colleagues."

I recently read an article about race, and how people identify with race
even before gender. We don't say "a man who is black", we say "black man".
But, in Spanish the adjective comes after the noun, "hombre negro", so I
wonder, is it based on language? I kinda doubt it, but it does bring up an
interesting question. Anyway, race is obviously important descriptor. But
again, why should it bother me (or anyone?) I don't have the answer. All I
know is that it does.

I wonder what it's going to be like going home... My guess is that I'll be
much the same as I was, but should I ever find myself in a room with more
than a few "black people", I probably won't notice as much as I would've
before.

Sweat

I have never seen so much sweat in my life...both my sweat and everyone
else's. If I sit for more than about a half hour, sweat soaks through my
skirt. Everyone else seems to have beads of sweat dripping off their faces
and a sheen covering all visible parts of their bodies (thankfully I only
get to that point when it's stupidly stupid hot). My sweat does
occasionally splash on the floor from my legs though, doh! Worse, my
learners are getting nose bleeds in class. I think it must be the heat as
well. My, er, nose detritus is also bloody, but not gushing out of me thank
goodness.

It's hard to estimate temperature here. I'm guessing 105 in the shade and
110 in the sun. My mom reminded me about heat index too...no idea what it
would be factoring that in. I'm really tempted to try and fry and egg
outside.

The last two days I've been getting muscle aches and occasionally feel like
throwing up randomly. At first I was worried I was coming down with
something, or god forbid, malaria again. But the good ole lonely planet
health guide says those are common symptoms of over-heating. I'm losing
more salt than I can take in, so my muscles cramp. (It didn't explain the
nausea, just said you get it.) I'm drinking a TON of water, and thanks to
mom, some is flavored with crystal lite. But I rarely have to pee. I know
I know, "piss clear" - I'M TRYING!!!

I also try to take a cold shower everyday, but the water isn't cold anymore.
It's luke warm.

I've travelled to stupidly hot places before, near the equator hot, but
what's different there is you at least always have the sea breeze. Here,
boy oh boy, it's a whole different enchilada (likely cooked outside!!)

Book Report

A whole lotta reading has been going on over here. I figured I'd wax
'critic' for y'all if anyone is looking for their next book. (If I don't
have the author's name it's because it was a physical book, not on my
kindle, and I don't have it anymore.)

A note on the Kindle - Holy Moly this thing has been a lifesaver!! If you
are EVER doing any sort of extended stint abroad, GET ONE!! I'm still a
little bummed I don't have the smaller thinner one (I have v1.0), but oh
well. For those of you that think you'll miss the feel of regular books, I
can most assuredly tell you you won't miss carrying said books. Not being
able to trade with friends kinda sucks, but since you can put a gazillion
books on there you don't necessarily *need* to share (but it still sucks).
Don't worry about theft..in 2nd and 3rd world countries no one has a clue
what it is. Battery life is great; wish it charged via USB. Mine doesn't.
Love that I can read outside; don't like having to shine my flashlight on it
to read at night.

----Book Report----

Listed in "Star" Order: ***** = Best, * = Worst (though not ranked amongst
similar stars)

BOOKS COMPLETED (17)

***** Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen --> A delightful story and easy
read, Water is about an old man reflecting back on his youth when he joined
the circus. It has a charming plot and engaging characters. Full
recommendation to all.

***** Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin --> I've
already put up a plug on this book on the blog; it is fantastic. I admit it
goes a bit squirrelly at the end, but the accomplishments detailed are
nothing short of moving and inspirational. If you want to purchase, buy at
www.threecupsoftea.com , 7% of purchases goes toward the schools.

***** Scribbling the Cat - Alexandra Fuller --> This book is many things
despite being relatively short (only 200 pages or so if I remember). It's
travel writing, history and a solo women's challenges in the world. I loved
it. It may not be suuuper engaging to everyone, but if you're a woman who
has been in tricky places overseas, or if you have any interest in southern
African countries, read it.

**** Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West - Ethan
Rarick --> Having lived in Northern California for 10 years now and gone to
Tahoe countless times, you'd think I'd know more about the Donner Party. I
didn't, hence the purchase. The title says it all - the book covers their
entire journey, not just the sensationalized cannibalism stuff. I learned a
ton about that period in time, and the story of survival and loss is
incredible. It isn't for the faint of heart, but I definitely recommend it
to anyone who has ever wondered about them as you drive over Donner Pass.

**** The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson --> This book got a lot of
hype a few years back. I can see why, mostly. It's 2 stories in one: all
about the World's Fair in Chicago, and about one of America's first serial
killers who is doing his business around the city at that time. The serial
killer part sort of didn't do much for me. It was fascinating how the guy
went undetected for so long, but other than that it was kind of bleh. The
World's Fair part was super interesting. It contained all sorts of
interesting facts about that time and how it really had a hand in shaping
America. Parts of it were sluggish, but the good stuff made up for it.

**** Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides --> I confess I'm only half way through
this book, but I'm reading it voraciously and by the time some of you read
this post, I'll be finished. Another book that has gotten a lot of critical
acclaim, Middlesex has a very different style to it that I'm enjoying. The
story is of a hermaphrodite, but it's a whole lot more than that. Book 1 is
a little slow, but it's worth getting through.

*** The Dante Club: A Novel - Matthew Pearl --> This book reminded me of
the movie Seven. It's not based on true events, but it sort of reads like
it is. Set in Boston, it's about the great American writers (Holmes,
Longfellow, Lowell, etc.) who are working on a Dante translation and end up
trying to solve murders happening around the city that are modeled after
Dante's descriptions. I actually started and quit the book twice, but after
I finally got into it a bit, it stuck.

*** Stiff, The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach --> Very
interesting book, but a little slow from time to time. Plus her sense of
humour is a bit put-on. However, you sure do learn a lot! If it's up your
alley, you'd like.

*** The Accountant's Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellin Cartel
- Roberto Escobar --> Man, I could not put this book down!! ...For the
first half. The second half got repetitive and whiney....so I can't give 4
stars. But boy oh boy was it ever FASCINATING!! If you liked the movie
Blow, you'll LOVE this (at least the first half).

*** The Last Season - ? --> I read this book in 24 hours (mostly because I
was on a bus); it was pretty good, though I realize not everyone's cup of
tea. It's the story of a back woods park ranger in California who
disappeared. The story reads like an in-depth newspaper article, which is a
style I particularly enjoy. If you see it on the used book store shelf,
pick it up. If not, probably wouldn't tell you to spend the $15, unless
you're into mountaineering and/or park rangers (who are incredible folks,
btw).

*** Stalking the Wild Dik Dik - ? --> The story of a chick who travels from
Cape Town to Cairo. Read this one in about 8 hours (again, on the road).
It's made the rounds amongst volunteers and we all agree: if we'd read it
before coming to Africa we probably would've liked it more. This means, you
will probably enjoy it. The stories are mostly good; the writing is so-so.
It's a very very easy and quick read.

**1/2 The Surgeons - Charles R. Morris --> Investigative writing on Heart
Surgeons and Surgeries at Columbia-Presbyterian in New York. I realize this
wouldn't be on many peoples' lists, but if you're at all curious, I did like
it. There were parts I sort of glazed over, but I'd say I read and enjoyed
3/4 of it.

* Twilight Series, Books 1-4 - Stephanie Meyer --> The ONLY reason I read
these was because they were all very long (i.e. guaranteed time waster) and
I wanted to not be hypocritical when I bashed them. Let me preface by
saying I LOVE the Harry Potter books. It's criminal that Twilight is
compared to Harry Potter. The story is mildly entertaining, yes, but the
writing is horrible, and the characters are a bunch of pathetic, whiny,
codependent saps. I wouldn't recommend these to anyone, least of all
teenage girls, the intended audience.

* The Persistence of Memory - ? --> Bleh, I don't even feel like writing a
review on this one. Didn't care for the writing style at all
(self-inflated, pedantic) but there was a time or two that I related to the
story. Part of it is set in Namibia. But if you haven't been to Namibia or
think you'll ever go, don't bother. Actually, just don't bother.

------

BOOKS STARTED, NOT COMPLETED (7) (Listed in order of Likely to Finish)

The Seashell on the Mountaintop - Alan Cutler --> I'll probably finish this
one. I stopped because Rachel handed me a physical copy of Middlesex that I
need to finish. It's about the father of modern geology who paved the way
for the field by suggesting (correct) scientific theories as to how, well,
seashells could be found on the tops of mountains. This back in the day
when the church ruled all and strictly believed the earth was only 6000
years old. Where I'm at, he's just published his theory, and I think about
to have a can of whoopass opened up on him.

The World Without Us - Alan Weisman --> I might finish this one too; the
later chapters look more interesting than where I'm at. The premise is we
(humans) all vanish from the face of the earth in an instant, so what
happens to all we leave behind (buildings, houses, roads, etc. -
everything)? I don't have much to say yet on my personal thoughts on the
book.

Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond --> I started reading this before I
came and had trouble concentrating. I was pretty distracted then though. I
will definitely pick this up again at some point in the near future.

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle
of Wine - Benjamin Wallace --> Only luke warm on this one...kind of doubt
that I'll finish. What I've read has been mildly interesting, but not
enough to keep going. If you're a wine aficionado though, you'll probably
love it.

Sailing to the Reefs - Bernard Moitessier --> Moitessier is a bit of an
acquired taste. "The Long Way" was really good, but also kinda challenging
to read. Parts of this book are enjoyable so far, but some parts are
suuuper dry. I'll probably take it along the next time I'm out on the ocean
for a long stretch of time. Sailors will like; non-sailors will hate.

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy --> I've seen this book in the hands of at
least 2 other volunteers, and I know it's on everyone's, "if I'm stuck on a
boat or in Africa" list. I started it. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't good.
There are lots and lots of characters, and it's hard to keep them straight.
I will read this book someday, dammit.

Wreck of the Medusa: Mutiny, Murder and Survival on the High Seas -
Alexander McKee --> ACK, terrible!! Old English style writing, WAY TOO
HEAVY on the sailing talk (and I'm a sailor!) Nothing good to say about
this one.

-----------

Wow, I can't believe I've read this much. I've been here for 5.5 months,
that's 22 weeks. With 17 books finished and headway into a few others, I'm
averaging about a book a week still. My goodness.

If you're still with me this far in the post, I am going to buy a few more
books for my kindle before I take off travelling. Got any suggestions?
Email me. Criteria: Long-Very Long! Hard to put down!

Thank you William Adams!!

The 2 packages have arrived and my "goodies" box has overflowed to become a
whole goodies area!

The pencils are just in time to give to every one of my learners so that
they can write their final exams.

The goofy troll topped pens are a hoot! I can't wait to see the expression
on their faces when I show them.

The pencil sharpeners are f a b u l o u s!

The book bags are going to replace an awful lot of plastic grocery bags :-)

I could go on and on. Thank you, "learners" of William Adams for your
generosity, to the teachers and principal who facilitated the shipment, and
of course to my beloved mother for everything.

P.S. - I'm talking to another teacher here about continuing my rewards
program with these very supplies. Your efforts will continue well into next
year!

Namibian "Sense"

So the final exam schedule came out today. Remember how I said it was
completely unexpected that Math was moved to the very end of the schedule?
Here's what happened: Not considering elections, mathematics was supposed
to fall on November 27. Because that's the first day of National Elections,
rather than just shifting it forward to the following Monday, they plucked
it up and moved it to the end. Makes sense... :-(

Alas, there has been a change.

Mathematics Paper 2 has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, a week from
tomorrow. Mathematics Paper 1 has been scheduled for Friday, December 4th.
Makes even more sense, right? :-(

However, I'm a pretty happy camper. Paper 2 is the longer of the two, with
85 marks. I'll get to grade it and will have a general sense of how my kids
did. Paper 2 is only 45 marks, which is easier to have other teachers
grade.

So I'm officially outta here November 27, maybe the 26th.

General Updates

Alex got a part-time job at the market as a stock boy! Congratulations
Alex!!!

This is my last full week of teaching. Exams start next Thursday, so next
week is likely going to be a wash. I was anxious to be done for the last
several weeks. Now I'm starting to get sad. I'm already envisioning
walking out to the road for the last time and turning left.

Went down to Ngepi Camp again this weekend, this time with Rachel. It was
heavenly - I felt like I was on vacation. The water was much warmer than
last time, so we spent a fair amount of time swimming in the hippo/crocodile
cage. Yay.

Someone else donated some money to me via WorldTeach recently that worked
out to about USD$77 (Sorry, they didn't tell me who it was and I don't have
access to the records...whoever it was, THANK YOU!) I thought long and hard
about what to do with the money. We're set calculator-wise, so I decided to
try to help out the science effort around here. With the generous help of
my assistant field director, Kelly Jo, we were able to order a proper
electricity teaching kit. It should be here in 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately it
was around USD$113, but I just paid the difference. Hopefully next year the
kids will get much more tangible lessons on electricity.

Not feeling super expressive today...must be the heat (reason for
everything!)

Constrassen

I have decided that I'm not leaving this school without teaching my classes
the ACTUAL words to the Namibian national anthem. The song is really pretty
simple, but it wasn't until I looked it up that I actually figured out what
many of the words were.

Here's the song:

Namibia land of the brave
Freedom fight we have won
Glory to their bravery
Whose blood waters our freedom

We give our love and loyalty
Together in unity
Contrasting beautiful Namibia
Namibia our country

Beloved land of savannahs
Hold high the banner of liberty
Namibia our country
Namibia motherland we love thee!

---

Here's pieces of what I would here:

..."Whose blood <muffle> our freedom"...

..."Constrassen beautiful"... (i.e. contrasting)

"Be love land sav<muffle>
<muffle muffle> of liberty"...

Friday was another wash of a day teaching actual lessons wise, so I decided
to start the Anthem Quest. I started with "Contrasting Beautiful". I wrote
it on the board, pronounced it, got them pronouncing it correctly, and
explained what it meant. Man, ALL EYES were fully engaged. They were SO
THANKFUL that someone was finally telling them the actual words!

By the time I get done with them, grades 8 and 9 will be leading the school,
including the teachers, who also don't have a clue what most of the words
are.

Interestingly, both classes I did this with asked about the American
national anthem. I said that it was much longer, with quite a few more
words. I sang the first verse for them; they humoured me and seemed
impressed :-)

Next week we will tackle the "savannahs" and the "blood waters"...

Letter of Recommendation for my favorite learner

I'm printing out a copy for him and leaving one copy in his file at the
school. This kid's the real deal, and I hope he goes far.

He wasn't the smartest learner that I had, but undoubtedly the best.

Figured the letter to be blog-worthy....

November 2, 2009

RE: Letter of Recommendation for Afonso Ngoma Alexander

Dear Sir or Madam:

My name is Ms. Jennifer Jackson and I am from the United States of America.
From June to December of 2009 I was a volunteer math and science teacher at
Divundu Combined School through the organization WorldTeach. Afonso Ngoma
Alexander (Alex) was in my Grade 10B class, where I was both the Register
and Mathematics teacher. I wish this letter to serve as an official
recommendation for Mr. Afonso in whatever pursuit he is seeking, whether it
is professional, academic or personal.

Alex is an extremely hard-working and motivated young man. He is diligent
and takes his responsibilities seriously and without complaint. He
regularly came to me seeking extra tutoring and was always an active
participant in class. Alex is a natural leader, demonstrating clear
leadership abilities both in and out of the classroom. His peers look up to
him, listen to him and respect him greatly. I witnessed this time and time
again in my class, in the hostel and on the soccer field where he was a team
captain and goal keeper.

I also watched Alex given extra tasks by other teachers (including myself),
and again, I never saw so much of a flicker of complaint on his face. He
would graciously accept the duty, and complete it to the best of his
ability.

Perhaps my favourite story that speaks to Alex' character was the day that
we entered the classroom to find it in disarray from an assembly the
previous day. While other learners lazily shuffled about talking, Alex,
without prompting, quietly went to work arranging the desks and chairs. He
might not have even seen me yet, and certainly did not know that I was
watching. I saw him give all of the best chairs to every other learner, and
he took the worst one for himself.

I believe Alex has the ability and drive to achieve any goal that he sets
for himself. I whole-heartedly recommend him for any position to which he
is applying. In Mr. Afonso Ngoma Alexander, you not only have a candidate
with strong skills, but also with tremendous character.

Sincerely,

Ms. Jennifer A. Jackson

Science Class Jeopardy Update

Round 1 was as complete of a success as one can hope in a classroom with
extremely poor English skills and recall.

We played for about a week. The first day I let them use their notes, but
the remaining days it was all from memory. Some of the teams really worked
together, but a few had outlying members who couldn't have cared less.

It took them a while to figure out that if you don't know the answer to the
$50 question, you really shouldn't 'buzz in'. So the game quickly became
"who has the least negative score". The final tallies ranged from -195 or
so to -34. I think in one class one team had a positive score.

I decided to go for Round 2. I think this is really helping them review,
and they of course like it way more than endlessly writing notes. The
questions are coming straight from old exams, so maybe a few of the answers
will stick in their heads.

This round though, the dollar amounts will be $1,2,3,4,5. Hopefully the
scores will be a little more manageable for the kids.

End of Service Conference

This weekend was the WorldTeach End of Service Conference in Otjiwarango.
Both the Semester and Year-Long volunteers came, so I got to meet all of the
year-longs in different regions of the country.

As usual, it was fabulous to get to speak at full-speed, and as you can
imagine there was a fair amount of venting that went on.

I was amazed at what some of the volunteers have been able to accomplish
since last December. It was most helpful though to hear that *everyone* has
had a very challenging time here, testing the limits of their patience and
character. Plus, most of us can't really say "it's been an amazing
experience...as in fun." We all say, "Yes, it's been an amazing experience,
but it's been fricken hard!" Honestly I would've thought I was doing
something wrong if the majority of the volunteers had said otherwise.

Awards were doled out at our celebratory dinner. I got something like
"Divundu's MacGuyver". As I aspire to be MacGuyver, I was thrilled.

I came home on Sunday to find that we were without water, electricity and
cell service, until about 8:30 that night. Then I discovered another burner
has been ruined on the hotplate. We're down to 2. It wasn't the best of
homecomings, particularly after 8 hours on the road with no AC. TIA.

And then they were gone

Yesterday was the Grade 10's last examination, and one by one, as they
finished the test, they walked out and that was that. Some of them looked
at me and smiled and said goodbye. Others didn't even glance my way. A few
lingered to have a little bit longer of an exchange, but all in all, it was
just the end.

When I was in school I felt a connection with most of my teachers, and
always made sure to say goodbye at the end of the year. But I suppose there
were a whole bunch of students who just left. I feel bad for all teachers
everywhere that have to feel this way every year.

I'm requesting that their results be mailed to me in December. My guess is
that around 15 out of 57 will get promoted to Grade 11. Man I hope it's at
least that.

Resolution

Thanks to all who gently chimed in on my dilemma over here. It was very
good to hear that I'm not a total jerk for wanting to leave to travel. And,
I remembered some old advice I used to give myself (and others). When I
look back on this in a few years, which am I going to regret more: not
staying or not going? And the answer is, not going. Fact of the matter is
I'm not likely to be back in this area ever again. (I mean sure, I *might*
be back, but probably not and certainly not in this general phase of my
life.) If I don't take some time for myself, I'm going to feel a little
cheated and possibly a bit of resentment.

Though I'd like to think my presence is critical around here, that simply
isn't true. Being here for the exam and marking it might make a very
marginal difference, but I think I (and they) can live without it.

All this being said, I'm still holding out a shred of hope that the
scheduling was a mistake, as Rachel's principal seems to think. I doubt it,
but one can dream.

Heartfelt Thanks

On behalf of Divundu Combined School, I'm putting out a huge and heartfelt
thanks to the students and staff of William Adams Middle School for their
proactive kindness and generosity.

Several weeks ago I put up the pictures of the conditions here at Divundu
Combined, what it's like for the learners here. Many classes at William
Adams were shown the pictures. All on their own I'm told, the students
wanted to do something to help their fellow, albeit distant, learners. For
a couple of weeks they along with some teachers brought in school supplies
to donate. They filled two boxes totaling 23 lbs., and the principal Mrs.
Munoz (my former 2nd grade teacher!) authorized the payment of the shipping
cost from the school.

It's really easy to get discouraged over here, day-to-day, but events like
this serve to remind you that compassion and generosity is alive and well.
You guys rock!

Inner Turmoil

I got some unfortunate news on Friday. The end of the year exam schedule
was announced.

Normally Math and Physical Science happen quite early in the timetable. So,
I was planning on being finished with the school around Nov 26 or 27. I'd
started mapping out a travel itinerary to go straight through Zambia to
Malawi for a week or so, then south and west through Zimbabwe to meet Matt
in Bulawayo on Dec. 14. We'd proceed from there to Vic Falls, then back
across Zim to Mozambique for some tropical vacationing. My Malawi plan is
VERY aggressive in that it covers some serious distance (look at the map).
By my calculations it'd take 4 days and 3 nights to get there from Divundu.
But I really really want to go to Malawi for a whole bunch of reasons.

Anyway, the exam schedule puts Science on Nov. 19 and Math on Dec. 3! This,
my friends, is bad for 2 reasons. 1. It'll only take me 2 days to mark the
science exams, which means from Nov. 22 to Dec. 3 I have nothing, repeat,
absolutely NOTHING to do. That is 11 days. During that time I would help
invigilate the other exams, but that's just sitting in a room. 2. After
finishing marking the math exam, around Dec. 5, I would not have enough time
to get to Malawi and back in time for Matt's arrival. This means spinning
my wheels in the part of Zimbabwe that Matt and I will likely cover when he
comes.

Reason #1 is by far the more troubling issue, but #2 is certainly
bothersome.

I talked to my principal in hopes that the schedule could be changed, but
it's a regional thing so that's not possible. He however, seemed to think
it was no big deal. He said so long as my paperwork was in order, I could
go whenever and he and the other lower level math teacher would mark my
grade 9s.

Herein lays my turmoil. I *could* leave around Nov. 27, avoid the 11 days
of staring at a wall, and realistically follow through with my travel plans.
But: 1. I won't be here for the kids when they take the exam. 2. I won't
be able to oversee calculator distribution. 3. I won't mark their tests,
someone else will who doesn't know what or how I've taught them so the
grades will likely be lower. 4. I won't get to know how they ultimately
did. (Though I could have copies of their scores and who got promoted
mailed to me.)

No one that I've talked to thus far thinks I should or have to stay, and
that includes a Namibian teacher, my principal, another volunteer, my new
friends at a nearby lodge and the WorldTeach assistant field director. But
I feel like a selfish jerk. I mean on one hand I'm here, I've done
everything I know how to do, have endured all kinds of crazy to help and
it's my sanity and desire to have a bit of fun and travel on the line. On
the other hand, I feel like I should see it through to the bitter end and
just deal with the boredom and travel restrictions for the sake of the kids.
But how much is it really going to matter in the end?

I don't have the answer right now. Every time I sit down and think about
it, I ultimately end up thinking I should go with my original plan. But I
can't help the bowling ball that sits in my chest as I arrive at that
conclusion.

Feel free to chime in, but please be gentle with me.

Wow, I've adapted

As I type a goat is being skinned outside my window in my backyard. It was
killed just a little bit ago when I was eating, actually, but I didn't
notice. I only noticed the lack of naying. I can hear the sawing sounds
though - they're using a very dull, serrated knife.

A teacher was wasted at school today too. Not that this is the norm, but I
have seen it happen a couple of other times - same guy. This time I
reported it to the Principal and he was given a warning. I wish he could be
fired. This guy is terrible.

But let's move onto some good news shall we? Monday night I hosted my 3
learners of the year from my grade 10s for dinner. Shades of the evening
felt like I a scene from back home (except I was only ever a guest at dinner
parties, not the host!) Italian was on the menu :-) Simple pasta, but I
beefed up the sauce with, well, beef, tons of veggies, whole tomatoes,
spices, onion and garlic. Unfortunately my pot is quite small and I've only
ever made pasta for myself here, so I didn't take into account the
stick-together-factor of a lot of pasta cooking, but what can you do... I
got a little dressed up in my new shirt and hair sticks from Matt and my one
pair of dressy earrings. I had the ipod going playing peppy music while
cooking, then Café Del Mar for dinner.

I asked that the kids bring chairs and forks, as I didn't have enough of
either. So around 6:45, Alex, Edmund and Oberia came over. I had one
request for the evening - English only. We ate and talked some, though the
conversation was lighter than I'd hoped. I tried to find out more from them
about their lives in the past, now and in the future. Edmund wants to be a
scientist and was interested in finding out what kind of science he should
look into. (I recommend food/agriculture or energy). Alex wants to be a
psychologist because he likes figuring out what is going on with people.
Oberia was pretty quiet all evening (possibly because I said her boyfriend
couldn't tag along), but she said she wanted to be a teacher.

We finished up with German Christmas Chocolate for dessert that some very
lovely German tourists gave me a few weeks ago, and a huge monkey fruit. I
presented them with their suuuppper fancy certificates and their framed
pictures of us together. On the back of each picture, I wrote a personal
note. I still want to write a letter of recommendation for each of them. I
want so badly for them to realize their potential.

In other news, did I tell you all what I figured out to do with my grade 8's
the rest of the time? I put together a big crossword puzzle on electricity
to help them review that topic. They're in teams of 2 because by themselves
I don't think they could complete it. I'm only allowing them to work on it
in class and I made up 5 different ones so there would be no cheating. This
is going to take around 3 days. Then, starting sometime next week, we're
going to start playing jeopardy reviewing all the topics from the year. I
think I have to have 6 teams in each class. It'll probably take a full day
just to get them understanding what's going on, and then likely a week to
finish. But that's fun right? Better than just writing out a study guide?
Then they'll have one more test from me and wallah, it'll be exam time.

Night all.

Prayers and Exams

This morning I was up for giving the morning devotion. We have an assembly
every Monday and Friday and a staff member is meant to give some sort of a
prayer/scripture reading. I'm not religious, you see. I believe there's
something more than just silly ole us, but I'm pretty much anti-religion,
and hesitate to make references to Jesus, Heavenly Father, etc. etc.
Buuuttt, I had to say something....
So my "prayer" was along the lines of:
None of us knows the paths our lives will take, where we will be 5, 10 years
from now. But we do have today, and in this day it is important to make
good decisions - know right from wrong, strive to become better people,
learn all that we can, be respectful, etc. So today let us all have the
strength to do be the best we can be.
Unfortunately I was a tad more eloquent in typing it just now. I sort of
fumbled around the not necessarily bowing our heads thing, plus, everyone
was soooo attentive that it kind of spooked me a little. But that was that.

Today was also a culmination of sorts, as it was the Mathematics exam for my
Grade 10's. I ran around like a nut distributing calculators and pencils
and writing "YOU CAN DO IT" on the board in 3 classrooms. Part 1 lasts only
an hour. I whipped through it in about 10 minutes. Unfortunately so did a
few learners. Their answer sheet consisted of miscellaneous numbers
scrawled across the page. James, if you're reading this, I'm referring to
Kativa from 10B, surprise! A few questions were kinda cruel. Surface Area?
Really? How many of you could calculate the surface area of a matchbox?
Volume OK, but Surface Area? And a probability problem where the
probability is given, so find the number of red balls in the bag. Why
couldn't they have just written a straightforward find the probability
question?

It was well-written, I have to say, and a very well-rounded test for
well-educated, English-speaking students. But my kids...sigh.

It was the same for Part 2, which technically lasts 2 hours. Some were done
after an hour, most after 1.5 hrs. But of those that finished early, I knew
they had written nonsense. I did it in 20, but there were 2 questions
actually that gave me pause, and 1 I couldn't do at all because I didn't
know what the value of a hectre was. How freakin random!? The rest, again,
was a pretty good test of overall math comprehension and ability...if you
could read English very well. Example: Box A contains x cookies. Box B
has 5 cookies less than Box A. Box C has twice as many cookies as Box A.
a. Write down, in terms of x, the number of cookies in Box B and C. b. The
total number of cookies is 55. Write an equation and solve for x to find
the number of cookies in Box A.

Now, for those playing at home, imagine this was written in Spanish...a
language you've all had about 2 solid years of instruction in.

I glanced at the answer books for some of the kids, and I'm guessing that
maybe only a handful will pass the exam with a 30% or higher. I think on
the whole everyone will get more points than they did in August, but it
won't be enough.

I am proud to say that just about everyone (save the
finish-in-10-minutes-ers) seems to have gotten the Trig problems right!
That, I am proud to say was my doing! :-)

Ok, off to see about a cold shower to cool off and strip off a few layers of
sweat...then to make dinner for my 3 learners of the year.

Chuckle

I'm in the middle of my first delivery truck hitch hike, going to rundu. It's one step down from an 18wheeler. There is old fashion country music on. I recognize Dolly Parton sometimes. Some is very christian (makes me think of my nashville friends and my dad and grandpa). The namibian driver is singing along. The relief driver is crashed out in the back. It is 95 degrees out, definitely more in the sun. We are crawling at 90km. Im trading texts with rachel planning where to eat for both dinner tonight and breakfast tmrw. And making this blogpost on my cellphone. It is just one of those chuckle moments ya know?

sent using the MTCMobile e-mail service

Book Recommendation: Three Cups of Tea

Just finished a fantastic book and I can't recommend it enough: Three Cups
of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It's about a retired
mountain climber who decides to start building schools in the most remote
regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, primarily for girls. An incredible,
yet very recent tale (starting in 1993), I can't count the number of times I
teared up with inspiration.

Update (Nov 2014): Unfortunately this book has been exposed by Jon Krakauer to be full of blatant lies. Very very disappointing. Funds have been squandered and very little has been delivered on successfully. :-(

One of the many things about this book that struck me was how desperate the
children were to learn. They would sit outside in the cold, huddled
together for warmth, without a teacher, pouring over an addition problem
scratched in the dirt.
Today I had to repeatedly wake up a handful of learners in my class - even
when it was a fairly interesting class (sigh, grade 8). I find myself
wondering several things...At Greg Mortenson's schools, a few years after
they've been built, do all the kids still relish the opportunity of an
education? Or is it just the way of *some* kids everywhere to just flat out
not care, so long as they themselves didn't have to fight for their
schooling? Why is it that in some areas, even when parents are not
educated, they are still able to instill the value of education in their
children? What's going on here in Namibia? If I had to guess, I'd say 25%
or maybe 20% of the learners here give a damn. As I type, I realize that
this is probably true in most countries. And Mark M. will be quick to point
out that I excelled in the system of education so it's hard for me to see
many other paths. But education aside, A's, B's, bah...aren't people
naturally curious about things? Don't folks get bored staring off into
space for hours on end or just sleeping days away? Bleh, but I guess if
they only understand every 10th word out of my mouth that changes the game
quite a bit. The 20-25% are who I'm here for, and the odd random that I can
get through to. I know that. Alright, I'm rambling.
.......Regardless, read the book. You'll love it.

Health, Teams, Calculators, and Kinda Down...

I'm happy to report that I'm back to 100% health-wise. I'm still not
entirely convinced it was malaria. It seems like I got off too easy. But
eh, whatevs. I'm better now and that's what matters.

The team competition has ended for the Grade 10's. In fact, everything has
ended for them. Their exams start Tuesday morning, Oct. 6 and go through
Oct. 26, though they have some breaks in between. The poor dears are just
wiped. Anyway, I didn't have the heart to only reward the 1st place teams,
so I also awarded 2nd and 3rd place, plus pencils + erasers for the rest of
the learners who didn't place. I agonized over the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place
prizes though, as that amounts to 15-17 learners per class, or 30-34. I
settled on the picture idea. Many have asked me about printing photos, so I
decided 1st place would each get a picture of me and the team, plus any
other picture of their choosing. And 2nd and 3rd place would just get team
shots. (Not framed though, that's reserved for Learner of the Year). Plus
everyone got pens/mechanical pencils for the upcoming exams. Anyway, I was
worried sick that they wouldn't think it was a good enough prize. But, the
cheers were overwhelming. Whew!

The grade 9 team thing is where things are really sailing along smoothly. I
only wish I'd started it when I got here. All in all I'd say the scores are
a shade higher. There's one kid in particular I'm just thrilled with. I'd
all but written him off last term. He was all attitude, dodged class most
of the time, etc. But now he's totally trying, paying attention, etc. Yay!
I don't think the captains quite get the concept that when someone is
absent, they have to catch them up, or the absent one realizing he should
rely on his team, but baby steps I guess.

The 45 calculators arrived and I was able to purchase 180 triple A batteries
last weekend. 43 are working, which brings our school total to 58. Whoo
hoo! My ideas about giving to the top majority of the class, however, may
not play out so well. Turns out that in grades 11 and 12 they can choose
their subjects, and many aren't likely to focus on math or science. (This
is coming from my principal). I told him my concerns about having a
calculator pool at the school - i.e., someone would have to ensure both
their care AND their use (not sitting in a box). I think I'm still going to
give some to the top-top learners. But the pool idea is growing on me,
especially because the math department head is very responsible.

And my mood hasn't been the best lately. I found out today that I won't be
marking the grade 10 exams. Not that this is a bad thing, work-wise, but
I'm not going to get to see how they did. They get sent off to Windhoek for
grading. And worse, their results, along with who gets promoted or not,
don't come back till December! And I'll be long gone by then. I'm going to
talk to the principal about texting the names of those promoted to someone
who is staying in Namibia who can email me. I've just got to know.

I'm about a week away from being finished with material for my grade 8
science classes. I'm trying my HARDEST to make electricity interesting for
them. I cart my one circuit around from table to table showing them. I
have the learners stand up and pretend to be lightbulbs or batteries and I
tie them together with string. But I imagine I just sound like that Charlie
Brown teacher to them. I was sitting in a meeting today that was all in
Thimbukushu, and I imagined that I was feeling exactly like they do. My
eyes started to glaze, my mind wandering...
Anyway, once I finish up with electricity, I've got nothing left. I could
backtrack, but I purposefully took forever and a day correcting the August
exam which was reviewing the old material. AaGGHHAAAHH! What now!? I have
a whole month left!!!??

So starting Tuesday I've got 22 classes a week, down from 32. I'm sure for
a week the lull will be nice, but after that, eesh. I did start reading war
and peace before a few more interesting books crossed my path. It wasn't
that bad. Maybe I'll get through it. Jenni is sending knitting projects.
Sigh.

A teacher just came and asked me for "prizes" for his quiz competition he's
having this weekend. So that's awesome.

I'm inviting my 3 Learner of the Years from Grade 10 over for dinner next
week. They don't know it yet. Two of them are sitting in my office as I
type. I can't wait. (I couldn't decide between 2 in one of the classes, so
I'm going with both.)

So there are little specks of sunshine I suppose, but the grade 8 thing is
really gnawing at me.

And then the rains came

Holy Moly did it ever rain, for a good 12 hours, varying from torrential
downpour to steady. Raise your hand if you've ever been in a house with a
tin roof when it rains. It's LOUD! Add in cracking ripping thunder and
lightening and you've got one heck of a show.

Course all things grind to a halt here when it rains. It kinda does in the
city (SF) too the first time it pours, but we don't lose electricity, and
people more or less still make it to work. I think there were 2 teachers
here this morning. A few more trickled in around 2nd and 3 periods. None
of the learners who stay in the area came, only the ones that stay at the
hostel.

And then there's mud, lots and lots of mud. My shoe sunk in so deep it came
off. Plus I nearly slipped and fell quite a few times.

And, the very best part about it all is...in a few hours the mosquitoes will
come. Heaven help us.

Malaria Update

After a rocky day 2 on my meds, days 3 and 4 were much better, and I'd say
I'm nearing 98% recovered. I'm still pretty tired, but that is completely
normal.

All in all, I'd say it really wasn't that big of a deal. I can see how it'd
kill you if you didn't get treated. And, I definitely had the highest fever
I've ever had as an adult, but still, malaria wasn't that bad :-)

I have a lot of catching up to do ...blogging included. Will get to it
asap. Just wanted to give everyone an update.

Malaria Sucks

But I'm already starting to feel better after having gone to the hospital
and started the treatment. And this isn't the kind of malaria that will
stay in my body forever. Once it's treated, it's gone. So everyone relax!

It started Tuesday night when I just could not get to sleep. I was achy all
over and felt a little bit feverish. By Wednesday morning, getting out of
bed was not an option, and I got progressively worse throughout the day. I
would go through cycles of feeling very cold and shivering, to extremely
hot, to sweaty and clammy. My fever stayed between 101-102. The body aches
were the worst I've ever experienced, and I had a constant headache with a
sharp shooting pain in the back of my head every 5-8 minutes. I was taking
Tylenol, and that seemed to help a little bit, but as soon as it wore off I
knew it. Wednesday night all of the above continued, but throw in some
diarrhea for extra excitement. Nothing like dealing with the broken toilet
seat that pinches your behind every hour or so in the middle of the night.
Thank you Matt for the wet wipes!

Anyway, the 'malaria' section in my Lonely Planet Africa Health Guide pretty
much described my condition to a T, even the diarrhea (who knew?) so I knew
I needed to get treatment. My housemate kept insisting that I go to a
private doctor in rundu, but there was no way I was going to be able to sit
in a car for 2 hours. So I asked one of the teachers with a car to take me
to the local clinic. Everyone here calls it a clinic, so I expected a
random concrete house somewhere in the bush (I knew it was off a dirt road,
not even the tar road). As it turned out, it's a full on hospital. A
pretty nice one in fact. Thankfully it wasn't super busy so it wasn't long
before I was seen. My temp was still 102. The nurse did a finger prick
blood test for malaria that came back negative. She shook her head and
tsked. "These are always wrong", she said, "in my almost 2 years at this
hospital I've seen it positive only 4 times."

Then I saw the doctor, who's English was surprisingly bad and his accent +
speaking very softly made him really difficult to understand. Early on he
asked me, "why are you here?" huh? Um, to get treatment? He was asking
why I was in Africa. Anyway, he ordered a urine test. The results came
back surprisingly quickly. Parasites found. I don't know if you can tell
the exact kind of parasite from the urine test so (I'm guessing) he took the
shotgun approach and prescribed malaria meds, cipro and metronidazole which
is another parasite killer. I'm kind of sketched about taking all those
meds, especially with zero appetite, so I'll most likely stop the cipro
after 3 days. The whole thing cost 8 Namibian Dollars, or 1 USD. I was
glad I got there early though; the line to be seen was pretty long as I was
leaving.

I've had a constant stream of visitors checking on me which has been very
sweet (though not so great to be woken up and to have to get out of bed to
answer the door). My principal arranged for a car to take me to Rundu
tomorrow (again with this private doctor thing). I told him I was already
feeling better so I didn't think I needed to see another doctor. Before
this malaria business I had planned on going to rundu and then to
Rachel/mita's for the weekend. So I told him that and he said that was
fine, that I should go and it was ok if I didn't go to the private doctor.
But either way I would be closer to medical care.

To make matters worse, we lost power for about 10 hours on Wednesday which
means no cell network/internet (and my cold water in the fridge
not-so-much). The power came back Wednesday night, but the cell network
stayed down until about 3 pm today (Thurs). It's so much worse being sick
when you can't complain to anyone!! I almost started crying a bit in the
hospital.

But anyway, cell is back, internet is back, and I'm on the mend. I'm still
kinda achy and have no appetite, and of course am super tired, but it's no
where near the pain from the last couple of days.

Alrighty, I'm off to bed.

Dear American Students,

A friend recently related how he was once told that every American is born
with a lottery ticket in their hands; they just don't know it.

Let me show you, in pictures, rather than words, just what that means.

http://picasaweb.google.com/heyjenjackson/NamibianClassrooms

Sincerely,
Ms. Jackson

Are you Kidding Me??

Boy howdy Friday was a frustrating day. It began on Thursday afternoon when
Rachel sent me a text message saying how upset she was. She was told *that
day* that all of her Continuous Assessment (CASS) marks for Terms 1-3 were
due for grade 10. (CASS are the scores the learners get on worksheets,
quizzes, projects, etc. throughout the terms. I.e. - everything but their
final exams. It makes up a pittance of their end-of-the-year score; CASS for
the three terms gets averaged down to 70, and their final exam is worth 130.
Add them to get 200, then divide by 2 to get their final score out of 100.)

Anyway, I hadn't been told marks were due, so I tried to offer support to
Rachel. She warned me that it was a Regional or perhaps National thing, so
I'd better check. I went to the Principal and he concurred that yes, a form
was due for final CASS, but he wasn't planning on giving us the form until
Friday, the day it was due. Lovely.

I was immediately concerned. The issue here is that we're only 1 week into
term 3, and according to my CASS worksheet for the term, I had 3 different
assignments/quizzes that would make up their T3 score. I already had 1
score from the quiz this week, and it showed improvement overall. I had
been looking forward to seeing what they could do with the other 2
assignments. I asked him if it was OK to put up through T2 on the form,
then at the end of the year incorporate T3 into the final grade. He said
yes.

Friday rolled around and the infamous form requirement was announced at the
morning staff meeting. Pure chaos ensued. The issue for most teachers is
they had no or few marks, period. Plus, they do them all by hand rather
than on excel, so a task of this nature could take hours. So for the most
part, no one taught on Friday. One teacher sprung a test on the grade 10's,
even though it was my period to teach them. (When he planned on marking the
test, I have no idea.) Another teacher had a steady flow of learners to his
desk sifting through their assignments. When one learner had sufficient
marks, he told them to erase their name, put the name of someone else, give
it to them, and send them to see him. 2 grade 10 teachers weren't even at
school, so what happens with their scores is anyone's guess.

For my part, I was growing increasingly suspicious about the T2/T3 question.
The form was by far the most official thing I've seen in this country. It
was a scantron form, pre-filled (typed!) with the learners names, DOBs, and
it said this was their CASS score for the year. So I kept asking, and I
finally got the correct answer. The score provided on the form, is the
score we MUST use out of 70 to add to their final exam of 130. We may not
figure a new 70 score after getting the rest of their T3 marks. And oh,
"didn't you know that we close CASS basically the first week of September?"
I lost it a little. I let a few "This is SOOOOOO RIDICULOUS!" fly, and at
one point I put my fist down on the table and said "NO, this is WRONG!" The
system seems designed to ensure failure.

So I went back to excel...I took the one mark that I had, added a few points
to it and used it for a 2nd mark (the next quiz was going to be open
book/notes). For the 3rd mark I used a score based on effort, not accuracy,
from last term. So my final CASS is mostly based on reality, and I feel OK
about it. In truth, their actual scores are likely to be lower, so they
probably got a little boost. I realize none of it really matters, due to so
much weight being put on the final exam. I can't help but feel frustrated
and sad though, about the whole system.

We won't give you supplies or food, but...

We'll give you a BIBLE!

Gideons showed up today, seriously, in the form of 2 white guys. They
interrupted classes and gathered the learners in an assembly.

Dude preached for a bit, and announced that Gideons was giving a free
Psalms/Proverbs pocket bible to every learner and teacher. Funny thing - I
have the exact same bible from when I was a kid (you probably all have or
had one too.)

I won't pontificate on this one...you guys can chew on it.

The Missing Post

So there's a picture of a girl weaving grasses that I say to remind me to
blog about it...

On my mokoro trip, there was a girl that drove the supply mokoro. She was
in training to be a "Poler" and Guide. She most likely won't ever make it
as a Guide as her English is next to nothing. She may not even make it as a
Poler. But she's nice enough, and a welcome presence in a see of male
guides (who aggressively court their female patrons).

Anyway, she makes bracelets by weaving grasses. They're nice enough, but
it's not like you would ever actually wear one. So Rachel, Mita and I all
declined.

So I tried to think of something she could make that people would actually
buy, and I remembered my Tapa picture frames from the south pacific -
EUREKA!

Now here's where I had to get creative...to explain the idea to
her....Luckily, Rachel had an actual 4x6 picture. I snagged an empty cereal
box and used the cardboard to trace out the picture, and where the frame
would be. Then I put the picture in the middle of the frame and showed her.

We took off for a little sunset mokoro trip with our main guide, and when we
returned she excitedly ran up to me with Botswanan Picture Frame 1.0 in
hand! For this one she had simply taken 4 bracelets and cut them to fit,
then with the grasses "sewed" them onto the cereal box frame. How exciting!

We had to make a slight adjustment to the sizing of it so it held the
picture better, and she got to work on the 2nd one (for Rachel). The 2nd
turned out much better. She said they were P$20 (USD 3.50), and we happily
paid. I asked the guides to explain to her how much more likely people
would be to buy these over the bracelets.

Rachel and I mused...in a few years some of our friends are going to travel
in Botswana, and come home with a very cool picture frame made of woven
grasses.... and we'll smile and know a good deed was done :-)

Rewards

Thanks to soo many generous donations of school supplies, I've got TONS of
stuff for the learners now - so much in fact that there's no way I could
judiciously give it all out to my learners, so I decided to share with my
colleagues.

I admit - I was concerned that they would keep the supplies for themselves,
so I borrowed an idea from another volunteer. I happen to have a set of
fake US money, so I distributed an equal quantity to each teacher and
explained that when they want to reward a learner, they should give them a
bill and later they can turn that into me for a prize. A $1 might get them
a pencil whereas a $50 might be worth a set of markers, etc. Each teacher
got 4 1's, 3 5's, 3 10's and 1 50. I got a couple of interesting
questions...
"Well, we are supposed to reward learners who get an A or a B, but no one
gets an A or a B."
"So I give this to learners with the highest scores?"

I had to explain that it's important to reward class participation,
improvement, attendance, effort as well as performance. And of course,
grades are relative.

Anyway, I expected I might get a few learners coming into the "store" here
and there. But guess what, 3/4 of the cash was distributed YESTERDAY...even
the 50's. Now you'd think they would've saved them for an exam score, or
taken some time to gauge improvement over the term, etc. etc. But nope!
I'm speculating here, it's like they just wanted to get rid of it all as
fast as possible. But hopefully some thought went into it.

Now as I type this I have to remind myself that that is simply how it goes
here. When people get paid, they spend it all right away. It's a culture
of not knowing when the next dollar or meal is going to come, so use it all
the minute you get it.

The bright side, I suppose, is I'm enabling the other teachers to reward
their learners. And hopefully I've got them thinking of ways they can
continue to praise and recognize. Paralleling this, I've written up my
various reward programs (Learner of the Week, Jackson Stars, etc.) (it was
requested by another teacher actually!) and it will be distributed amongst
the staff.

So hopefully, maybe, things will ever so slowly turn from a consciousness
focused on punishment to one of reward.

Calculator Saga Continues

I've gotten a VERY generous donation of 45 graphing calculators - yes - 45!!
They are in a couple of boxes and hopefully flying this way as I type.

My plan for these puppies is to allow my grade 10's to use them for their
exams that start (gasp!) October 6. I will give a calculator to the
learners that are promoted to Grade 11. (There probably won't be more than
10). But those learners will have to come back at the end of the year to
collect them.

This way, I'll have 60 calculators for use in my two sections of Grade 9.
The top 20 in each class going into the exam will have their own calculator
for use on the exams. And the remaining 20 will be distributed for sharing
during the tests.

The top scorers overall (not just from the exam, but for the year) will be
given the calculators left over from Grade 10s (likely around 50).

Here's the kicker - each calculator that's being sent takes 4 triple A
batteries, and sadly, batteries are not included. A single battery is about
$1US. So to put batteries in all 45, it'll cost me around $169USD (which is
half my stipend). Many have asked about more opportunities to support the
goings on here. This is definitely it!!

Email me if you can help :-)

Zimbabwe and Botswana Pictures ONLINE!!

Link is on the left or http://picasaweb.google.com/heyjenjackson
The album is "Africa Travels".

YAY!!!

Cold Showers

(Get your minds outta the gutters.)

The solar shower has been put away. I'm taking a cold shower almost every
day at this point just to cool off. I'm sleeping with my windows wide open.
It's really heating up here. I'm starting to get kinda nervous about what
the summer, eeerrr, winter (southern hemisphere) will bring.

Teams Update

The team concept seems to be proceeding fairly well, as best I can tell.
There are a few hiccups, like the fact that 3 of my higher performers (and
hence team captains or acting captains) didn't show up at school last week.
2 of them were in a very serious car accident and are in the hospital - I'm
told it was some sort of drunk driving thing, but I have no details. And
another is just "sick". SO, that leaves their teams in a lurch. But until
I'm told they won't be returning, I can't really distribute the remaining
people. Oh, and one team captain is throwing some serious attitude. I
don't know what to do to motivate him.

Other than that, the rest seem to enjoy working together, and are proud of
their names and when they put the right answer on the board. Some of my
favorite team names are:
Ice Machine (slogan: "Too Cool")
The Survivors
Strength and Faith (love this one because it's arguably the weakest team in
the class)
SOH CAH TOA
NDF2 (Namibian Defense Force 2)

The first round of quizzes go out on Tuesday - we'll see how they do. I'll
report the results as I get em.

Challenging Day

Man today was a character test. I think I got about a B+.

I woke up with yet another case of pink eye. Don't know what it is with me
and travelling and eye infections, but I always seem to get em (and no, I
haven't been in contact with any domesticated animals recently). It's not a
big deal, really, I have drops (thanks again Amanda!) and since I treat it
right away it never really gets out of control - it's just annoying.

Oh, before the pink eye...i was actually woken up by blaring Namibian music,
skipping. No offense to any Namibians reading this - we are all allowed to
have our own musical tastes and preferences - in my opinion, Namibian music
sucks. Someone turns on a casio-synthesizer-like loop, and it goes and goes
not just for one song, but for all songs. I'm not kidding, one album with
however many songs has the exact same loop. So a skipping CD doesn't sound
that much different than the normal song. And there's some muffled sort of
lyrics. Not singing so much as making sounds that sort of follow the looped
music, with the occasional yell or holler. So I laid in bed for a bit with
the pillow over my head. But it got too hot. So I got up.

(Then pink eye thing.)

Then I went into the kitchen anxious for my instant coffee and Saturday
morning breakfast that I've nearly perfected, to find that it was a
disgusting mess. Old food, supremely dirty dishes, stickier than usual
table, crusted over burners where porridge had boiled over, and a pot of
goat meat currently boiling over (which carries an awful sour smell). I
just kept thinking, my god, everything these people touch turns to gross. I
mean there's a layer of dirt mixed with oil on the kitchen shelves about 2
millimetres thick. Every time I turn the water on in the kitchen to fill my
electric kettle, my fingers come away greasy. There's a steady stream of
flies, and sadly, cockroaches. Uneaten or half eaten plates of food and not
even rinsed dishes sit out for days. Now, this is NOT the general Namibian
way of life. Another teacher came over recently and was repulsed. And a
Namibian roommate of another volunteer is downright OCD when it comes to
cleanliness. And Mark, don't tell me that I just have a westernized notion
of 'clean'. My standard of 'clean' here is a far cry from what your typical
American would tolerate - just look at the pictures of my feet! Plus, it's
not like we're living in a mud hut. It's a house, and there's a shop a
couple hundred feet away with cleaning supplies. No, in my house's case,
the problem is the sense of impermanence that the people that stay in and
use the house have, even though they've been there for 2+ years now. They
don't care about it at all, so there's no pride or sense of ownership. And
I guess they just don't care how disgusting everything is. They do find it
disgusting - I've seen the wrinkled noses - they just don't do anything to
fix the situation.

So anyway, I kind of started freaking out, mad like. When my housemate came
out of his room I told him that I was really upset, and if this kind of
thing continued I was going to take the hot plate that James bought more or
less for me into my room and keep it there. (And just start living in my
room basically all the time) His response was that he would "just call some
learners to clean this mess." But as the coffee kicked in a little I
realized that that was 1000% not the way to handle things.

A little bit later I asked my housemate if he could kick down some money for
some actual cleaning supplies for when the learners do come and clean. See,
right now, they use dirty rags and a dirty mop. And there's no soap. (Btw,
not just random learners, but the same ones who are over all the time doing
his and their cooking.) He said maybe next week, so I offered to loan him
the N$50 (USD $6).

After my breakfast, and my first attempt at hot waxing my own legs (that's
another story), I went down to the shop and picked up some soap, sponges,
new dishtowels and a new mop. I brought all back and asked Annastacia to
clean just one of the shelves so that we could put their clean dishes there.
(Oh, I keep ALL my stuff completely separate, for this very reason, so this
is just their stuff I'm talking about). I explained that when the food
boils over onto the hotplate, it burns there, making everything smell and
eventually ruining the hotplate. I told her that the mop should not be
thrown onto the ground outside after it's used. And when a rag is used to
clean something, the rag itself also needs to be washed. She and Mr. T's
long term girlfriend who was over for the weekend kinda dove into the
cleaning effort. I don't know if it was for my benefit or not, but they did
more than I asked. And seemed pleased that I helped wash their dishes, and
made a sign for the now 1 of 2 clean shelves that said "Clean Dishes Only".
I don't think they were too thrilled when the actual cleaning was taking
place...particularly when one was literally scraping off that 2 millimetres
of dirt and oil with a rusty old knife...but all seemed happy with the
result.

I'm under no disillusion that things will stay clean in the kitchen, none
whatsoever. Too many people make an absolute mess of the table and kitchen
all the time. But today at least was nice. And in the end I'm kinda proud
of myself or not letting my freak out bitchiness get too out of control.

Anyway, day in the life...