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.