T.I.A

Warning: this will be long considering it covers a whole week of new adventures. 

"If you never leave home, never let go, you'll never make it to the great unknown."

Currently, we are driving home from Omungwelume. So much has happened this past week, and I so wish y'all could have been there as flies on the wall to see me conquer Africa. This week proved to be my first true glimpse into my new African life. It was filled with beautiful and big-hearted students, traditional food, and even an outhouse. These four days not only made me stronger, but they showed me once again, that no matter what, God will provide me with strength in every situation. With all of that being said, let me give you an overview of my week. 

On Sunday, we embarked on our journey from Windhoek. The Ministry of Education provided WorldTeach with two vans in order to make our 8.5 hour trek up north more comfortable. Eight people piled in my van ready for a new adventure, and a new adventure we got. The drive was sweaty and hot, but provided us with plenty of time to catch up on sleep. We made a handful of pit stops, were exposed to the bakki and kombi system, and saw landscapes this Southern girl couldn't even imagine. The African lands extended all around us and all we could do was be engulfed by a never ending sea of green and blue. 

Drive to Omungwelume

As time passed, we arrived in Oshakati, the closest "city" to Omungwelume, where we stocked up on groceries before continuing on to Jessie and Ted's new home for the year. At first glance, I was so impressed by where they would be living. Some cleaning needed to be done, and more hours of labor may be beneficial to make the place feel more homey, but they have a lot of space, a yard, sweet neighbors, and live on campus grounds. As for the rest of the group, we stayed at the school hostel, which at first sight made most of us question what we were doing in Africa. Our rooms were the bare minimum and the toilet/bathroom was outside in another building filled with new creepy crawly bugs and only cold water. 

Monday also presented us all with new experiences. I woke this morning with a somewhat swollen lip thanks to all of the mosquitoes. Luckily, it went down quickly and I did not look like i had just gotten a bad Botox job before meeting my learners. On Monday, it was also our first day to put to practice our teaching skills. Initially I was nervous about this task, but all proved to be ok. We started the morning off with some lesson planning and then transitioned into playing ball with the kids. My initial impression of these learners came from their quietness. The children appeared to be reserved and shy, not yet comfortable enough to show us their true, silly selves. Fortunately, as the week went on, their little personalities came out and we were exposed to the beautiful hearts of these Namibian children and the rest of their community. 

During our teacher practicum, we each taught with at least one other volunteer. On Monday, my partner and I began with the prompt: "things you do for fun." This was an easy way for us to gradually get to know the level of the students and ease them back into school. Overall, we got a good response. It was so interesting to see the differences between Namibian students and American ones (a blog to come). 

The rest of Monday allowed me to reach my culture shock high. After classes and sessions, a group of girls went for a walk around town. We saw traditional homesteads, witnessed a cow fight (cows have right away here and roam free), and took our first bakki ride, which is basically just a bunch of people piling into the back of a pickup truck. 

Tuesday came quickly and a new lesson was prepared for the learners. On this day, we discussed nouns, and I must say, it was the first time I knew that I could for sure be a teacher in Namibia. The children were so responsive and I could already feel a connection forming with them. It was amazing that within 24 hours, both the volunteers and learners were so much more comfortable in the classroom. 

Tuesday afternoon, we got more information on our placements and experienced our first Namibian rain storm, which was much welcomed since it cooled everything down. As far as my placement, I am officially living with two female teachers and have cellphone coverage! I will include my address at the end of this entry. 

Wednesday's lesson presented us with challenges we could only prepare so much for. On this day, we discussed different feelings and emotions. We had been told in advance that learners here are usually seen and not heard, but as a person who desires to know her students, I felt this lesson could be beneficial to both them and me.  Throughout the forty-five minutes, we emphasized that we all feel these different emotions in our lives. We gave examples and asked for some in return. This was difficult and others may say differently, but I think the response we received was strong considering the circumstances. 

Our last day to teach, Thursday, was a day of crazy and fun. We set up a game of pictionary and reviewed all of the lessons we had taught within the week. Many have said that the learners were very into the game, which makes my heart so happy to hear. After everyone taught their lessons though, we had a little dance party. We were able to teach the learners the wobble, and then one learner, Sylva, taught us the moves to Waka Waka. The highlight of my day for sure. The holiday school ended with many pictures and goodbyes. 

Some of the volunteers and learners

Later in the evening, the group all headed to the home of Angelina's (our FD's gf) mother, which consists of a traditional homestead with huts and an outdoor toilet. Their land was gorgeous and it made sense to me why they would live this way. They were one with the land and although her sister made a point about them not maintaining the traditional African life like the Himbas, I felt they had held to their heritage and culture very well. While at Angelina's, the group was served a traditional drink called Oshikundu, which is made from fermented grains. I couldn't taste it, but many said it resembled bread or the early stages of beer brewing. We were also served a traditional Oshiwambo meal of porridge and chicken. As the sun started going down, we left the way we entered, past the cows and through puddles of water up to our ankles.

Part of Angelina's homestead 

The week was exhausting, but one I will never forget. It reminded me that my decision to give up a year in America to come here was more than worth it.  I am slowly seeing why so many volunteers extend for another year.

Address:

Taylor McLaughlin

Otjirunda Combined School

206 Opuwo

Opuwo, Kunene, Namibia