Goodbyes...for now (aka Swearing in)

        Tuesday and Wednesday we had a supervisor workshop. Pretty much every supervisor and volunteer met and then attended workshops that focused on roles, expectations, and what Peace Corps is.  My supervisor did not show up.  BUT my friend Brittany's supervisor did show up and she is the principal of the primary school of my town so she was able to give me some information about my school.  For example, my school has just been renovated and has a nice computer lab.  My school is relatively small (around 400 kids) and there are no more than 15 teachers. I will be able to move into my small flat by the hostel and I'm going to have to buy everything for my apartment.  However a few of the workshops focused on discussing in private the role of the volunteer including what classes they'll be teaching and what not.  So unfortunately I wasn't able to discuss that with my supervisor.
      Today we swore in as volunteers.  I borrowed a traditional Herero dress from one of my host mom's friends.  It was a bit tight around the chest and I couldn't quite snap myself without help (my chest got in the way of seeing where it was suppose to snap into) and my host sibling helped me.  I wore a single petty coat underneath the dress.  My host mom went on to say that she usually wore 6 underneath her dresses.  The dress was then completed with a belt and the tradition hat that refused to stay on my head.  It was really emotional taking pictures with my host family because this was one of the last things we would do together.  As I walked to the center where the ceremony would take place in I got a lot of comments and looks.  I think most people were just really surprised to see a white girl in a Herero dress.
   The ceremony started at 10 ish (good ole African time).  The youth choir sang in the beginning and then we walked down the aisle to our seats.  It was a lot like graduation except I was in a huge dress.  The ceremony started off with the singing of the national anthems.  We sang the Namibian one first (the recording was a lot faster than we were singing), then the African Union one, and lastly the American one.  Our group was introduced by a training staff member.  We then watched this really awesome video that showed what our PST life had been like.  Our training director then gave opening remarks and asked the Country Director to accept the 47 trainees who had completed their training to swear in.  Then our Country Director "accepted" us and gave a really great speech about how we define ourselves.  She spoke about how she doesn't know us all individually but she knows we're "adventurous, selfless, courageous" and a whole lot other words.  She talked about how she felt like our surrogate mother and how she was really proud of us.  She then passed it off to a special guest the acting ambassador for the U.S.A who then gave a speech.  Then we said two oaths.  One was saying we would serve the U.S.A and the next pretty much saying that we would serve as a volunteer.  After this a business guy gave a rather dull speech about the importance of volunteers in Namibia.  A youth choir then sang a really cool song.  Then each language group presented something.  Africaans and my language both gave a speech (my friend adam gave the otjiherero speech).  The Kavango region did a dance.  The Oshiwambos sang.  And the KKG's and Zambezi's said a poem.  After this the national anthems were sung again in reverse order.
    I can't believe that I am finally a volunteer. I am really excited to begin my service.  I can not wait to meet my students and get started.  The next few months are considered phase 2.  Pretty much we will be observing classes, getting to know our schools and communities, and working on integrating.  Then in December we all meet up for a conference known as "Reconnect" where we talk about phase 2.  FINALLY in January (the beginning of the school year) I start teaching.

My host family and little neighbor

My friend Rachel and I 

The 3 out of 4 of us Herero women wearing our dresses

The people I walk to training and back everyday with.

Improvised pizza (aka American culture day and other stuff)

     I know it's been a while since I've posted. In all honesty nothing eventful has really happened and I don't feel like writing about the boring stuff.
     Last Saturday we went to a dam near by for a Braai (BBQ) and to go swimming.  It was a lot of fun to just relax and eat some food. I ended up swimming to this little island and back.  After lunch a bunch of us went and jumped of the dam (about 40 feet).  It was a lot of fun. I only did the 40 foot jump twice but I ended up jumping from a smaller height quite a few times.  In order to jump of the dam we had  to climb over the railing and turn around.  This was the scariest part for me.  After a while we gained a crowd of people on motor boats and kayaks.  The water was cold, refreshingly so, and really really gross.  But in the end it was totally worth it because it was so much fun.
    On Thursday we had our final LPI (Language Proficiency Interview).  I needed to get an Intermediate Low in order to pass.  Pretty much I sat down with a qualified tester (which just so happened to be our language coordinator) and tried my best to talk in my language for at least 15 minutes.  I did pretty well. I was able to convey that I liked to read fiction and I very briefly explained what my favorite book was about ( it's about a woman hero who does magic).  I also spoke about where I wanted to travel to in Namibia and why I wanted to go to Etosha (to see the animals). In the end I got a Intermediate Mid+ (what the + means I have no idea).  I will be retested during Reconnect ( December) and I will be expected to go up a level.
  Then on Friday we went to Windhoek and got a tour of the Peace Corps. offices.  We were suppose to take a bus but the bus driver never showed up with the bus.  So we ended up taking multiple combis and some people even had to jump into taxis.  In the end we all got there.  The office tour was interesting because we got to see where all the behind the scenes work  happens.  We also got to see the volunteer flats.  There are 2 rooms with 2 beds each in it.  If I was to ever get sick and have to go to Windhoek for a medical reason that is where I would stay.  From there we went to the mall to buy stuff for our sites.  However, we were discouraged from buying too much because in the end that is more stuff that we need to bring.  I bought some electronics there but nothing for my future apartment. I anticipate that we will be stopping in my shopping town on my way to my site so I will buy most of my things there.
  Today (Saturday) we had the American culture day.  We divide into different regions, mine was the north east, and each region made different foods.  We made pizza and chili dogs.  We cooked our pizza out on the grill.  In the beginning we didn't know how to cook the pizza because the dough was falling through the grates.  Eventually we used tin foil with a disgusting amount of oil on it.  The pizzas turned out alright (we even made 2 pan pizzas!), and then we made the chili dogs.  The pizza sauce and chili was all pre-made so all we had to do was heat them up.  The south region made peach cobbler, sweet tea and something else that I can't remember.  One group made nachos, another did gumbo and rice.  We didn't have a lot of people come to this which I thought was surprising. I thought more people would want to come to the American culture day than the Namibian one.  Each language also had to give a speech. I ended up doing the one for Otjiherero. I did pretty well, but I was a bit nervous so I stumbled over some of the words.  At the end of this event it became an American hang out.  We played American music and just danced around.

Me giving my speech

The North East Table

Our lovely braai pizza

New People and New Places (aka shadowing)

      Wednesday morning I left with 3 others to Otjiwarongo for shadowing.  We met at the training center and were scheduled to leave at 8 am.  Well, that didn't really happen and we only left around 10:30, but hey  we're on  Africa time as they call it here.  There were 6 of us traveling together so we took 2 cars.  We rode with some guy that our trainers knew and this was our first taste of hitch hiking.  I rode with 2 other girls in a tiny car that already had 2 other hikers.  It was about a hour and a half hour drive to Otjiwarongo. It's more north than Okahandja and a lot bigger. Otjiwarongo has around 30,000 people (according to the census but the people I stayed with said it was probably closer to 80,000).  My first impression of Otjiwarongo was that it was really pretty.  There was grass (grass!!!!!!!) along the side walks and there was a beautiful church.  We pulled up to a gas station where we got out and paid our driver $150 Nam.  From there I met up with the people in the other car and waited for the people we were staying with to pick us up.  Oskar and I were shadowing a young married couple Julia and Trent.  They're both volunteers and have been there for around a year.  They have amazing stories.  Before they joined the Peace Corps. they taught English in Korea.  They're both really nice and I am really glad I got to stay with them.  2 other trainees Scott and Ben were suppose to be staying with a volunteer Steve but since Steve's place is tiny (smaller than a UNCC suite!) and Steve lives near Julia and Trent, Ben and Scott stayed with Julia and Trent as well.

      Julia and Trent are both teachers and live in a teachers flat that is an extension of the hostel that the kids stay in.  Julia teaches 5th graders and Trent teaches 8-10. Julia's school is yards away from her place.  Most of the kids that go to her school stay at the hostel that is attached to it.  This means that there are kids outside screaming and playing at all times.  Trent's school is about a 25 minute walk away.

    The flat that I stayed at was really big in comparison to what I imagine most teacher flats to be.  The flat had a living room that consisted of a dining room table, a couple of chairs, and 2 hostel beds that guests would sleep in.  Then there was a tiny kitchen, a bedroom that I stayed in, a shower room, a toilet room, a master bedroom where Julia and Trent slept in, and another bedroom where 2 guys slept in.  All the walls were cement as were the floors.  They had running water but it wasn't usually hot so whenever they wanted to do dishes they would use a hot water boiler to heat up water and then use that to clean.  A lot of the stuff in the flat was left over from the last volunteer that stayed there.

   On Thursday I went and watched her teach.  She teaches 5th grade English and that day there were learning about stories.  Most of the kids wore school uniforms and all of the were colored (black).  There were enough desks and chairs for all of the students but a few had to double up.  They were very curious about who I was and at the end they were able to ask a few questions about me.  I got asked how old I was ( definitely not the first nor the last time I will get this one) where I was from and what languages I knew.  They were generally pretty well behaved.

   On Friday I observed Trent who taught 2 English classes and 2 BIS classes (basic information sciences). The kids had to wear uniforms to school everyday except on Fridays.  Friday was when they could wear casual clothes.  A lot of the guys looked like they were in a Chris Brown music video and the girls looked like they were going to a club. 

   Each night we cooked food.  Wednesday night we made salad, pasta and sausage.  Thursday night it was a different type of salad, and left over pasta.  Friday night we did a potluck dinner where Scott made corn chowder and we all pitched in sides or dessert. Saturday night was all about leftovers.  On Saturday went to a trade fair in Okakarara.  It was very similar to the expo we went to the first week.  Then after a bunch of other volunteers and the people shadowing them came over and stayed the night.  It was really fun meeting new volunteers and just relaxing with them.  The entire time I was shadowing I felt like I was on vacation.  I was so happy to be away from the trainers and training in general.  Today (Sunday) we got a ride back to Okahandja.  

This is Julia' classroom pre class

This is Trent's classroom

Trent's school's library which is pretty much just a closet with books

A mural the previous volunteer did

An improved bookshelf

The kitchen