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.