So I know it's been a while since I posted but I have been trying to figure out a schedule and make time to actually post. Since I swore in on Sept 25 I have been busy...kind of.
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| Me and all the stuff |
That Friday Brittany and her supervisor as well as me went to Gobabis which is my shopping town. We were suppose to stay there until the next Tuesday, but we actually stayed until Wednesday. We stayed with Brittany's supervisor and simply lounged around. I did some serious shopping and bought almost everything I thought I would need for my flat. Also while in Gobabis I got to explore the Ministry of Education there and got to meet the Director there (the head person for my region). Gobabis has one major street, but has a lot of shops. I was very happy to see a Mr.Price (a cheap clothes store), and a Wimpy (restaurant). There are multiple grocery stores, and china shops. There are a lot of languages spoke there. I heard Otjiherero, Africaans, KKG, and a little Oshiwambo. There are a lot of different tribes represented in that one town which is pretty cool.
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| My school |
On Wednesday we piled multiple suitcases, 2 hiking back packs, 2 green trunks, a ton of shopping bags, and ourselves into the back of a closed pick up truck and took the 1 hour journey to Otjinene. The journey wasn't unpleasant because we had a mattress to sit on, and there is a tar road that leads to Otjinene. In order to properly picture Otjinene, think of the smallest town you know, and then divide it into 4ths. That is Otjinene. All the roads are sand, and there is one fuel station. There is a store where you can buy necessities like cool drink (sodas), bread, milk, eggs, canned foods, toilet paper and what not. There is a butcher shop where you can buy meat, and a bakery. There are 2 take away places, and 1 china shop (to my pleasure). There is a standard bank ATM, and even a small post office. There are 3 schools here, which I think is a bit unnecessary. There is a primary school (grades 1-5) a combined school (1-7) and 1 secondary school (8-10, soon to be 8-11). Brittany the other volunteer in my town will be working at the primary school and I am at the secondary school. Omaheke is considered cattle country and so there are cows EVERYWHERE, just kind of roaming. Everyone here is very nice and always curious about who I am and what I am doing here. I thought that me being here wouldn't be too big of a shock since they had a volunteer that left last year, but I was wrong.
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| Donkey pulled cart |
I have been staying with a host family for a few days until my flat at my school is ready for me. I am actually hoping to move in today. The house is small. There are 3 bedrooms, and only one has a working light. There is 1 light in the rest of the house that is in the kitchen. There is one sink in the house that doesn't work. The family is really nice and I have already learned 2 new card games from the kids.
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| One of the classroom blocks at schoo |
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| One of the classes. The kids "needed" a picture |
My first day I went to the car wash with my host mom. A car wash and hair salon are 2 of the most common businesses you can find in a town because they don't need a lot of space. While there I met a lot of the community. I have never been called "white person" as much in my life as I have in that first day. People would tell there friends to "come meet the white person". Of course this was all said in Otjiherero so they didn't know that I understood what was being said. At first people see me and assume that I speak Africaans. They would ask me how I was, and I'd respond in Africaans ( greetings are pretty much all I know in that language), and then I'd have to switch over to English. To that extent I have been using my language everyday while here. Usually just to greet people, but I have slowly been integrating phrases and words that I learned. Everyone is generally amazed and happy that I know even a tiny bit of Otjiherero. My listening skills have increased ten fold because of all the eavesdropping that I have been doing.
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| The only fuel station in town |
My school is nice. All of the buildings are green and white. The school is set up into blocks and all of the classrooms lead to outside. There is a computer lab with 30 laptops, a home ec. classroom, an science lab, and a library. I was told that my school was the 2nd best school in Omaheke last year so that would explain the renovation that was done then. The hostel is right next to the school and hosts most of the students. Each room has 4-6 bunk beds where the learners sleep and 1-2 dressers. A bunch of the windows are broken so I'm sure it gets cold at nights. All of the learners were very excited to find out that I would be teaching, however they were disappointed when I said I would only be teaching come January.
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| my town under construction |
My flat has a kitchen that leads directly into my bedroom. I am going to put up a curtain because there is no door between the two. My kitchen has a sink, a fridge, and either a hotplate (top part of a stove) or an actual stove (still working those logistics out), and racks that looks like it could hold shelves. The bathroom is right next to the kitchen and has a bathtub and sink in one room and the toilet in the other. My bedroom has a bed and a wardrobe. I am hoping to find a table that I can use as a desk. All of the walls in my flat are cement. It is small but will work perfectly.
All and all I like Otjinene. I think it should a good place for me to stay in. There is not much to do but I am sure I will find ways to entertain myself.
