A Quick Update

Training continues...I wish I had something exciting to report back on right now, but there hasn't been too much going on here.

Last week we received our permanent site assignments. I will be in the village of Enguwantale which is up north. I will be visiting the village this weekend and part of next week. It is pretty exciting to make the visit and see who and what I will be working with for the next two years. There is certainly some anxiety though as well. Will the village accept me? Will I be able to learn the language? What is there to do for fun?... There are a lot of questions right now. But in reality none of it matters. I will be there for two years and whats there is there. It is not so much the village that matters but how I go in there and shape my own experience with what is there.

With that said, my time is up for now. I will let you all know how the site visit goes next week and give you some more details on Enguwantale.

And a couple of pictures to spice things up a bit...

View towards Okahandja from my neighborhood

On the rare occasion there are clouds,
the sunrise is great

Africa 101

Ongiini. Oho kala mokahandja na otandi kala mo Namiba omvula mbali. Oho hole okulya uukuki ombiliha na oshithima. Otandi pumbwa kotha unene...

Oh yeah, forgot that I am writing home. Too much language training...I guess not too much, I have a lot to learn still. It is really feeling like I am back in school (not that that is necessarily a bad thing). Most of my time has been spent in the classroom learning a new language, new culture, and a new way to live. It has been a lot of fun learning about my new home. The support and resources that the PC provides has been wonderful. It is exciting to be part of the new business development program. As I am finding out there is a lot of unemployment and people are demanding business training. The people that I have chatted with in town or at events express how glad they are to see the PC starting a business program. However, at the same time this adds a bit more pressure on us. We are tasked with getting the program started on the right foot and hopefully make it something that will prosper in the future. Should be fun...

I am slowly making progress on my new language, Oshindonga. The language is predominantly spoken in the north and is one of several dialects spoken by the Owambo people. Luckily, pronunciation is straightforward but wrapping my head around the personal pronouns and tenses has been a challenge. I am beginning to have the ability to build sentences and actually be understood. But when it comes to understanding a native speaker, I become totally lost and am left with a blank stare. Unfortunately my host family does not speak Oshindonga. They actually speak a "click" language called Khoekwoegowab, along with English and Afrikaans. It is interesting to hear them speak this and it is fun to try my hand at it as well. There are actually four different clicks that act as consonants in addition to most of the consonants from our alphabet. I have learned a couple phrases but it is quite difficult to get the right clicks in at the right place. Fun nonetheless. Through it all though I am determined to learn Oshindonga (even though there is no where else in the world where I would ever use it again). I am looking forward to the day when I can hopefully fluently speak it.

Other than that...not too much else going on. I wish I had some exciting adventure to share with you but PC has us on a pretty tight schedule. However, this is a big week; language assessments, evaluations, and permanent site announcements. In two weeks I will actually get to visit my site for a few days so there should be some exciting stories to share. I will keep you posted.

Kala po nawa!

Traditional huts

My host brothers and neighbors

Beware of the infamous Kudu

A Day in the Life of a PC Trainee

The last couple of weeks have been surprisingly busy...and flying by for that matter. Before I oficially become a Peace Corps volunteer I have to complete training. It really feels like I am back in school, complete with homework and exams.

I am now living with a host family about 15 minutes outside of Okahandja. I have two young energetic host brothers, a host brother about my age, and of course a mama and papa. They have been wonderful to live with and have been showing me how to live like a Namibian.

Training days start before the sun is up. My family has granted me a lot of independence so each day I prepare my own breakfast and get myself out the door to catch the PC shuttle. The mornings start with a couple of hours of language training with our wonderful teacher Vicky. Myself, along with several others, are learning Ohindonga, a language from the North. At times it seems like a daunting task. For example, as a business volunteer my title is: omwiiyambi omunangeshefa gwo Peace Corps. Try that one ten times fast. However, despite the often tongue-tying long words, I do feel like I am starting to get the hang of it. After our language session the business volunteers meet up for sessions on business aspects of Namibia from the micro and macro economies to who and how we report when we want to take on a project (the "who" of course being the village headman). In the afternoon all the volunteers meet for sessions on Namibian history and safety and security. Once home I study Oshindonga as much as I can, do my business homework, help prepare dinner, and do the dishes. Unfortunately, the schedule right now doesn't leave a whole lot of time to get out and explore. You can imagine that I am itching to get out and see more of the country. I am certainly looking forward to the middle of October when I am finally cut loose.

Morning language training with Vicky

Returning home after another long day

Even though the weekdays have been full of training there is still time for fun on the weekends. This past Saturday PC hosted a traditional cooking day. The trainers and hosts families cooked traditional dishes from different regions of the country. Dishes ranged from goat stomach to boiled butterfly larvae, to German-style sausages. Some of the food was quite good but some of it was difficult to get down. Lucky for me though, the larvae come from the North which is where I will be positioned. The grub was delicious! I am even told that they are quite healthy.

A successful slaughter

Yep...those are grub, and delicious