Term is pretty much back to normal after the initial confusion and craziness. Or maybe I adjusted my definition of confusion and craziness; I’m not sure which yet. The garden is coming along nicely though we won’t be planting until November 5th. It’s supposed to be a garden workshop but I’m not too optimistic that teachers will give up half a Saturday to dig in the ground so I may end up doing the whole thing myself. I don’t actually mind because it gives me something productive to do in the afternoons. Two of my classes have been combined into one massive class which is creating most of the current problems. 8C and 8D were combined which puts somewhere around 55 learners in a class. There aren’t enough chairs or tables, or even space, but no one really seems to care.
I played soccer this week with some learners from the hostel next to my flat. They’re pretty good but completely undisciplined when it comes to tactics. Mostly they rely on an individual or two to do all the scoring and work while everyone else tries to get in the way. I tripped and landed on my left while playing and decided it was best to pull myself out. I put ice on it, elevated, and called Peace Corps. The next day I went to the Rehoboth School Spelling Bee and was impressed with some of the learners. My school was out in the first elimination round (like always) but other schools had to spell words like lymphocyte and aborigine. Some 20 rounds later a winner was crowned. Otherwise there’s not much going on in my life. Oh I might also be getting another puppy from a volunteer. This one has all its shots and hopefully won’t give me rabies.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Term 3
The start of term 3 has been riddled with problems and annoyances. After coming off of a wonderful break, the learners have decided that being a mutinous, whirlwind of insanity is an excellent way to kick off the new term. The problem is similar to that of senioritis, except with more violence. The learners who are going to pass, know they are going to pass, and don’t care. The learners who are going to fail (most of them) know they are going to fail, and don’t care. Most of this term is spent doing review for the end of year exams. So the learners don’t have anything new and the smart ones know everything already. The ones who are demotivated because of the last term’s grades give up trying to learn the old information. So you have two completely separate groups of disinterested people. This creates a huge headache for the teachers.
Now before you go thinking that everything is bad, I’ve developed a new hobby to release my stress. I’ve finally started digging my garden. It’s 6m x 6.5m x 10cm roughly. I posted some videos on facebook but for those of you who are not my friend on facebook, I will explain the process. The entire area was full of dead grass left over from the previous rainy season. This grass is 2.5 feet high and with roots that go down a few centimeters. The grass has adapted to be resilient and grow back quickly. I cannot simply plant over it, so I have to dig it all out. I’ve spent at least ten hours on it already and its coming along nicely but I need to spend about another 10 hours or so on it. This is all just preparation, we haven’t actually planted anything and we won’t be planting anything until the beginning of November.
Also this week I met my new roommate Sam. He’s from Georgia and seems like a nice guy. He won’t move in until December because he has to do a homestay with a family in Rehoboth. He will work at Rehoboth Primary School teaching English. It was awesome meeting his principal, Paul. Paul is actually interested in making sure the volunteers are comfortable and he’s committed to painting part of the flat, as well as moving in some comfortable furniture. This is a small miracle. I slept on the floor for three months because my bed was so shitty (only accurate word) it hurt my back. My principal (and the inspector) wouldn’t do anything for me. It good to see that there are some principals who see volunteers as more than just free labor.
Now before you go thinking that everything is bad, I’ve developed a new hobby to release my stress. I’ve finally started digging my garden. It’s 6m x 6.5m x 10cm roughly. I posted some videos on facebook but for those of you who are not my friend on facebook, I will explain the process. The entire area was full of dead grass left over from the previous rainy season. This grass is 2.5 feet high and with roots that go down a few centimeters. The grass has adapted to be resilient and grow back quickly. I cannot simply plant over it, so I have to dig it all out. I’ve spent at least ten hours on it already and its coming along nicely but I need to spend about another 10 hours or so on it. This is all just preparation, we haven’t actually planted anything and we won’t be planting anything until the beginning of November.
Also this week I met my new roommate Sam. He’s from Georgia and seems like a nice guy. He won’t move in until December because he has to do a homestay with a family in Rehoboth. He will work at Rehoboth Primary School teaching English. It was awesome meeting his principal, Paul. Paul is actually interested in making sure the volunteers are comfortable and he’s committed to painting part of the flat, as well as moving in some comfortable furniture. This is a small miracle. I slept on the floor for three months because my bed was so shitty (only accurate word) it hurt my back. My principal (and the inspector) wouldn’t do anything for me. It good to see that there are some principals who see volunteers as more than just free labor.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
if you're traveling the north country side
I started my journey heading north on the B1 (main road) to Tsumeb to meet up with my friends Quinn and Gretchen. I’ve been to Tsumeb before but it is one of the nicest areas in Namibia. It has some of the most fertile land and looks well maintained by the population. Of course, I did not visit the location (ghetto) where most of the problems are. After that I headed north (still on the B1) to Ondangwa. The landscape along the road is reminiscent of Paines Prairie, with long stretches of flat grassland with only a few trees no taller than a two story house. Along the road sprawls mud huts and tiny villages every few kilometers. Nearly half the population lives in the area, we call, the four O’s, or Oland. This area is populated by the Owambos and is largely homogeneous. I made my way to Eenhana (silent “h”) and then on to the village of Okongo to see my friend Edward.
Just north of Ondangwa the landscape changes, the grass is greener, the trees are taller, and a real feeling of Africa overcomes you. Edward and I cook in his brick house on a homestead. A homestead is an enclosed area with several huts or houses living under the same patriarch, many PCVs in the north live with a family on homesteads. Edward introduces me to the family and we decide that we should go to Oshikongo, a border town between Angola and Namibia. Oshikongo is one of the strangest places on earth and I determined I was 64% more likely to die in that town than anywhere else in Namibia. It’s not exceptionally dangerous or anything, there’s just a ton of taxis and people. Taxis in this area do not drive by any sort of rules. The just simply drive and try to get more people for more money without any regard to other cars or pedestrians. Now the crazy part about Oshikongo is the china town area. I didn’t expect to find a china town outside of Windhoek but right on the border is a china town with restaurants, housing, and shops, for the Chinese only.
I went back to Okongo but left the next day for Tsumeb. I met my friend Min, who was traveling to Victoria Falls, and went to a really nice country club with Quinn. Nothing of real excitement happened. I left and went on to Okahandja, meeting up with Shannon, Brian, Diana, and some of the new group, who arrived a week ago. While in Okahandja I am told of an opportunity to head to Spitzkoppe and I leave the next day heading east.
I meet up with my friends Adam and Jeanine, and their friends Spencer and Mel from America. We camped in the Spitzkoppe mountain range. It’s a good thing I always bring my tent (and food) while traveling. Spitzkoppe is an absolutely gorgeous mountain range complete with technical climbing routes, or if you’re like me, hiking routes. We spent much of the afternoon and early evening just climbing around on massive boulders and mountains before watching sunset over desert. We made a fire and slept well that night. The next day they dropped me off in Karibib and I heading for Rehoboth, making it home around 4pm, completely exhausted. I covered between 400 and 650 kilometers everyday without rest for 6 days.
Also the title comes from a Bob Dylan song.
Just north of Ondangwa the landscape changes, the grass is greener, the trees are taller, and a real feeling of Africa overcomes you. Edward and I cook in his brick house on a homestead. A homestead is an enclosed area with several huts or houses living under the same patriarch, many PCVs in the north live with a family on homesteads. Edward introduces me to the family and we decide that we should go to Oshikongo, a border town between Angola and Namibia. Oshikongo is one of the strangest places on earth and I determined I was 64% more likely to die in that town than anywhere else in Namibia. It’s not exceptionally dangerous or anything, there’s just a ton of taxis and people. Taxis in this area do not drive by any sort of rules. The just simply drive and try to get more people for more money without any regard to other cars or pedestrians. Now the crazy part about Oshikongo is the china town area. I didn’t expect to find a china town outside of Windhoek but right on the border is a china town with restaurants, housing, and shops, for the Chinese only.
I went back to Okongo but left the next day for Tsumeb. I met my friend Min, who was traveling to Victoria Falls, and went to a really nice country club with Quinn. Nothing of real excitement happened. I left and went on to Okahandja, meeting up with Shannon, Brian, Diana, and some of the new group, who arrived a week ago. While in Okahandja I am told of an opportunity to head to Spitzkoppe and I leave the next day heading east.
I meet up with my friends Adam and Jeanine, and their friends Spencer and Mel from America. We camped in the Spitzkoppe mountain range. It’s a good thing I always bring my tent (and food) while traveling. Spitzkoppe is an absolutely gorgeous mountain range complete with technical climbing routes, or if you’re like me, hiking routes. We spent much of the afternoon and early evening just climbing around on massive boulders and mountains before watching sunset over desert. We made a fire and slept well that night. The next day they dropped me off in Karibib and I heading for Rehoboth, making it home around 4pm, completely exhausted. I covered between 400 and 650 kilometers everyday without rest for 6 days.
Also the title comes from a Bob Dylan song.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Entrepreneurship Day
This past Friday my school had its first entrepreneurship day of the year. It was a pretty big success. The learners and teachers all had fun. My group made a pizza, cake, pancakes, potato salad, cookies, and we had colored pencils, string and other items for sale. The pizza was the first to go lasting less than 20 minutes before being devoured by learners and teachers alike. I didn’t know it would go over so well. Often American (and foreign) food don’t go over well unless it’s covered in meat and grease. My pizza had only the necessary amount of grease and meat. Teachers are now asking for the recipe and to come over and watch me make it so they can do it for themselves. I don’t know how my teaching impact is, but if nothing else I can show everyone here how to make a good pizza. I also allowed the teachers and learners to cut my hair for N$2 per cut. It went over well with the teachers but the learners spent their money on the bounce castle or food. One of the highlights for a few learners was when I let them shave my beard with an electric razor. They enjoyed it and left me with a nice mustache. It was good to “let my hair down” with the learners. Most of the time they see me I’m very serious and work oriented. The teachers have all seen me have fun and make jokes but it’s not a side I show to the learners too often because I want them to be as serious about their education as I am about teaching them. During the festival I spoke with my HOD and we want to put on another one in October. This time I will make more than one pizza.
After the festival, Ricky and I went to judge the Mr. and Mrs. Ruimte (pronounced raim-ta) pageant as a favor to Anna, the other world teach volunteer in Rehoboth. These pageants are a big deal here and they are sometimes corrupt. That is why Ricky and I were brought in as impartial judges from America. In the end winners were crowned but that was not the highlight of the night for me. There was a section of the contest called “recycle” wear. The children were supposed to make a dress out of old everyday items and they were extremely creative. There was a dress made entirely out of old ties and several unique skirts made out of burlap sacks. The one that won though was a dress made completely out of Xrays from the hospital. The chest piece was even a chest Xray. Needless to say Ricky and I were blown away when we saw that dress.
I’m still sick but hopefully getting better soon.
After the festival, Ricky and I went to judge the Mr. and Mrs. Ruimte (pronounced raim-ta) pageant as a favor to Anna, the other world teach volunteer in Rehoboth. These pageants are a big deal here and they are sometimes corrupt. That is why Ricky and I were brought in as impartial judges from America. In the end winners were crowned but that was not the highlight of the night for me. There was a section of the contest called “recycle” wear. The children were supposed to make a dress out of old everyday items and they were extremely creative. There was a dress made entirely out of old ties and several unique skirts made out of burlap sacks. The one that won though was a dress made completely out of Xrays from the hospital. The chest piece was even a chest Xray. Needless to say Ricky and I were blown away when we saw that dress.
I’m still sick but hopefully getting better soon.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Absurdity and ridiculousness at its best
In the interest of full disclosure I would like to pre-apologize for any offensive language in this blog. I often try to keep my blogs relatively clean but after this past week it just seems unreasonable. I actually wrote this twice. The first time was an incoherent rant filled with a slew of curse words and colorful language.
On July 18th I went to mid-service training with the rest of group 32. It was really nice to see everyone again and I even learned a few good techniques for classroom management. Two days later I went to the all volunteer conference (AVC) where we ate delicious food, used high speed internet, drank significant amounts of beer, and sat in on guest speakers. The Deputy Minister of Education gave a speech and so did the Director of Education for Hardap region. The highlight of the conference was meeting the ambassador from the US to Namibia. We had a meet and greet at her house, which was large and beautiful, where we ate pizza and there was draft beer. Draft beer isn’t something we get often so it was a good change up. That was the good part of the week, now for the bad.
During AVC I received a text saying my dog was sick. The next day I got a call saying it would cost N$3000 and the dog needs to go to a hospital. Not having the money for this I asked my counterpart to take care of it. Later I received a text that said “dog done” and I believed my dog was dead. That night I got a call from Mrs. Pretorius where she said “Ernest (my dog) is responding well to medicine and might recover,” I was ecstatic. I came home Saturday the 23rd and retrieved my dog from the Pretorius house. Ernest immediately responded to the sound of my voice, though he was weak and sickly, he raised his head and tried to get up. Mrs. Pretorius gave me the medicine and some food and I carried the sick puppy back to my flat. I fed him medicine with a syringe, gave him a warm towel in his box, placed it next to a heater, and gave him lots of food and water. In the middle of the night he started having severe seizures, foaming at the mouth, and he became unable to control his bodily fluids. In the morning the two volunteers (PCVs) staying with me for the weekend left to run errands while I watched the dog. I put warm water in the bath tub and moved him so he could piss and shit without making my flat gross. I gave him water using the syringe and tried to make him comfortable. He died as I was petting him and I was miserable. This was the only time I thought about coming home since I left nearly a year ago.
Now earlier I mentioned there were two other PCV’s and I mentioned the dog had seizures and foamed at the mouth. These two were worried about rabies. I was just depressed. They called the medical officer and it was determined that we should all be put on rabies quarantine and then come to Windhoek for additional rabies shots. That’s right, fucking rabies quarantine. One of the PCVs and I were told to stay in Rehoboth for quarantine and not venture out too much though I was allowed to attend school. I never in my life thought that I would be put on quarantine for anything let alone a disease that, if untreated, kills 100% of the time. The absurdity and ridiculousness begins and I spin out of control, losing my fucking mind in the process.
I return to school the following day only to find that 8D has decided my classroom would be better if they broke my desk. That afternoon we had a meeting where all the teachers argued for more corporal punishment. I kept my mouth shut until I was asked to speak by another teacher. I spoke concisely and passionately about not beating children but was mostly ignored me. However I managed to convince one teacher to stop corporal punishment. Hooray for small victories, otherwise this place would eat you alive. I returned to my flat where my quarantine buddy and I make some mac and cheese. Sometimes mac and cheese is the best food ever. Wednesday I got slightly yelled at for not having my end of term exams ready. They weren’t ready because I was at a conference and then getting rabies shots. I quickly worked with two other teachers to get exams prepared. Wednesday was uninteresting except for the fact that my immune system is in a state of shock. I received a flu shot and a hepatitis shot, and a rabies shot, and went to school where half of my learners are sick. I cough so hard my chest hurts.
Thursday I go back to Windhoek with my quarantine buddy and speak with the medical officer only this time she notices the cough and writes a prescription for some over the counter cough medicine to knock loose the phlegm in my lungs. I get another shot and wonder how many vaccines are too many. Friday my school has an American day. American day is when the learners pay two dollars and are allowed to wear clothes other than the school uniform. No teaching occurs and I sit around solving IT problems for my HOD and colleagues. Since my absence, many computers seem to have developed random IT problems that I fix. My cough is getting worse and the medicine seems useless. Ricky, Liz and Anna come over for pizza Friday night. It was a successful night of bitching. My roommate Mitra left to take a week off from school and go to Zambia on vacation. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so committed. That way I could go on vacation in the middle of a term. Shit I’ve only take 4 sick days this term and spent most of it with some form of flu/cough/rabies.
Some other little things annoyed me too but they aren't important enough to mention on my blog.
On July 18th I went to mid-service training with the rest of group 32. It was really nice to see everyone again and I even learned a few good techniques for classroom management. Two days later I went to the all volunteer conference (AVC) where we ate delicious food, used high speed internet, drank significant amounts of beer, and sat in on guest speakers. The Deputy Minister of Education gave a speech and so did the Director of Education for Hardap region. The highlight of the conference was meeting the ambassador from the US to Namibia. We had a meet and greet at her house, which was large and beautiful, where we ate pizza and there was draft beer. Draft beer isn’t something we get often so it was a good change up. That was the good part of the week, now for the bad.
During AVC I received a text saying my dog was sick. The next day I got a call saying it would cost N$3000 and the dog needs to go to a hospital. Not having the money for this I asked my counterpart to take care of it. Later I received a text that said “dog done” and I believed my dog was dead. That night I got a call from Mrs. Pretorius where she said “Ernest (my dog) is responding well to medicine and might recover,” I was ecstatic. I came home Saturday the 23rd and retrieved my dog from the Pretorius house. Ernest immediately responded to the sound of my voice, though he was weak and sickly, he raised his head and tried to get up. Mrs. Pretorius gave me the medicine and some food and I carried the sick puppy back to my flat. I fed him medicine with a syringe, gave him a warm towel in his box, placed it next to a heater, and gave him lots of food and water. In the middle of the night he started having severe seizures, foaming at the mouth, and he became unable to control his bodily fluids. In the morning the two volunteers (PCVs) staying with me for the weekend left to run errands while I watched the dog. I put warm water in the bath tub and moved him so he could piss and shit without making my flat gross. I gave him water using the syringe and tried to make him comfortable. He died as I was petting him and I was miserable. This was the only time I thought about coming home since I left nearly a year ago.
Now earlier I mentioned there were two other PCV’s and I mentioned the dog had seizures and foamed at the mouth. These two were worried about rabies. I was just depressed. They called the medical officer and it was determined that we should all be put on rabies quarantine and then come to Windhoek for additional rabies shots. That’s right, fucking rabies quarantine. One of the PCVs and I were told to stay in Rehoboth for quarantine and not venture out too much though I was allowed to attend school. I never in my life thought that I would be put on quarantine for anything let alone a disease that, if untreated, kills 100% of the time. The absurdity and ridiculousness begins and I spin out of control, losing my fucking mind in the process.
I return to school the following day only to find that 8D has decided my classroom would be better if they broke my desk. That afternoon we had a meeting where all the teachers argued for more corporal punishment. I kept my mouth shut until I was asked to speak by another teacher. I spoke concisely and passionately about not beating children but was mostly ignored me. However I managed to convince one teacher to stop corporal punishment. Hooray for small victories, otherwise this place would eat you alive. I returned to my flat where my quarantine buddy and I make some mac and cheese. Sometimes mac and cheese is the best food ever. Wednesday I got slightly yelled at for not having my end of term exams ready. They weren’t ready because I was at a conference and then getting rabies shots. I quickly worked with two other teachers to get exams prepared. Wednesday was uninteresting except for the fact that my immune system is in a state of shock. I received a flu shot and a hepatitis shot, and a rabies shot, and went to school where half of my learners are sick. I cough so hard my chest hurts.
Thursday I go back to Windhoek with my quarantine buddy and speak with the medical officer only this time she notices the cough and writes a prescription for some over the counter cough medicine to knock loose the phlegm in my lungs. I get another shot and wonder how many vaccines are too many. Friday my school has an American day. American day is when the learners pay two dollars and are allowed to wear clothes other than the school uniform. No teaching occurs and I sit around solving IT problems for my HOD and colleagues. Since my absence, many computers seem to have developed random IT problems that I fix. My cough is getting worse and the medicine seems useless. Ricky, Liz and Anna come over for pizza Friday night. It was a successful night of bitching. My roommate Mitra left to take a week off from school and go to Zambia on vacation. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so committed. That way I could go on vacation in the middle of a term. Shit I’ve only take 4 sick days this term and spent most of it with some form of flu/cough/rabies.
Some other little things annoyed me too but they aren't important enough to mention on my blog.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Upside down
Lately my world has been upside down. I was given a puppy by my colleague Mrs. Pretorius, six days later it was stolen. The following day the security guards stole it back for me. Then I went to mid service, all volunteer conference, my dog died, and a fair bit of room mate conflict. I was always taught, "If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all." So instead I will just post a link to her blog and allow you to read anything you like. Please do not comment on this page or in any other public forum. If you feel your opinion needs to be heard, you may email me or facebook me.
http://bombsandfireworks.tumblr.com/
http://bombsandfireworks.tumblr.com/
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Still waiting for a puppy
I didn’t make it to Gobabis for the Fourth of July BBQ and I didn’t get my puppy this past weekend either. I actually skipped the BBQ so I could get the puppy and then the car that had my puppy broke down on the way from Keetmansoop. I ended up going to Dr. Lemmer High School’s entrepreneurship day and rugby game to see if I could get any ideas for my own. The thing that was most noticeable was the income disparity between my school and their school. Most of the teachers here want to sell cakes, sweets, and other food items. When I went to Dr. Lemmer they had professionally made cakes donated from local bakers. My school can’t get any food donated to it. They also had an inflatable slip and slide which I thought was awesome, though I decided it was too cold for it. While at the entrepreneurship day I ran across some Americans who were working at Oanob Primary School. They were missionaries from California and invited me to a braai on Tuesday. Some of them went home Wednesday and another group is showing up Friday. Most of them will be here for about a month working at the school and helping out with various church functions. The group is comprised of mostly high school students and early college students. It was good talking to them and sharing some of my wilder stories about school and traveling.
Last Friday I went with the grade 10 classes to Windhoek on a field trip to show them that the world is greater than just the town of Rehoboth. For many of them it was their fired time to Windhoek. The trip was an overall success with only a few minor delays and setbacks. We went to Hero’s Acre, The State House, Parliament, NamWater, University of Namibia (UNAM) and then ice cream. I was not allowed in The State House due to the fact that I am not a Namibian citizen. My favorite place was NamWater the water utility for Namibia. They were exceptionally kind donating 10 computers to the school and giving food to all the learners and teachers. They also offered me a job when I made an offhand remark about having a degree in chemistry and looking for a job. I don’t plan on taking it, but still, it was nice to get the offer.
Last Friday I went with the grade 10 classes to Windhoek on a field trip to show them that the world is greater than just the town of Rehoboth. For many of them it was their fired time to Windhoek. The trip was an overall success with only a few minor delays and setbacks. We went to Hero’s Acre, The State House, Parliament, NamWater, University of Namibia (UNAM) and then ice cream. I was not allowed in The State House due to the fact that I am not a Namibian citizen. My favorite place was NamWater the water utility for Namibia. They were exceptionally kind donating 10 computers to the school and giving food to all the learners and teachers. They also offered me a job when I made an offhand remark about having a degree in chemistry and looking for a job. I don’t plan on taking it, but still, it was nice to get the offer.
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