Three awesome Israelis came to visit my homestead via couchsurfing.org and stayed for two nights with me and my family. It was such a great visit and it was very cool to meet these free like minded travelers. They have plans to come to USA someday so we will meet again.
They cooked us a wonderful meal of fresh pita bread accompanied by Shakshouka!!!
Tillie being lifted by Rom, Meme, Grizzly Adams, Ran, and Lia
After term 2 ended, I went down to Okahandja to meet the new group of Peace Corps volunteers. Good luck to them as they start out on their two year odyssey, I know how they feel! Then it was time for vacation so I made my way up North to Rundu and met up with my Israeli friends again. We drove in their car to Livingstone, Zambia and spent a few days chilling at Victoria Falls. I forgot my juggling balls at the hostel but still managed to get my obligatory juggling picture. I eventually made my way back to Windhoek (they continued on to Malawi) and attended the last Peace Corps function before our Close of Service in December. All the logistics were worked out and I will be getting on the plane home on December 15!
Here is a typical view of what's in the fridge: Lucky Star canned pilchards, Savannah Dry (alcoholic cider), and a freshly caught rabbit in a bag
Nightly dinner scene: the kids covered with dust and smoke and ash, Meme sitting on her blanket cracking jokes, and the porridge-stirring spoon being passed around for everyone to get their licks.
Egumbo climbing the massive termite mound outside our homestead
When I went to Cape Town for the World Cup a very gracious friend-of-a-friend donated some soccer balls for the kids. I can assure you that they are a huge hit!
Donkey Cart 64. See how strong that girl in front is!?!? I could have used one of these on the hike from Epupa to Ruacana!
Me and the local soccer gang before our evening pickup game at the school field. (Me, Nepando, Namindi, Shikongo, Johnny, Biangi, Ileni, Amwaama, Dangi, Evelina [the cutest little girl you've ever seen] and Egumbo)
Sunset as the ball makes its inevitable way towards goal
Tillie with ondunga (palm tree fruit). This is a prime example of how kids look after a day of playing in the dirt and dust.
Meme after finishing her stunning basket. It took about four days of hard work before it was complete
Don't I just look like a drunkard? Actually the jar contains oshikundu (a refreshing slightly alcoholic brew of millet, sugar and accidental ants). And I'm reading Ishmael which I highly recommend.
Top to bottom left to right: Magano, Tusnelde, Sylvia, Bonifatius, and ThomasI have about a million of these pictures of kids where they are striking some sort of 'cool' pose. This year I started offering to print pictures for kids (one photo is N$4) and they have jumped at the opportunity.
Now it is my last term of teaching at Elamba Combined School! I am busy trying to make sure the Grade tens are prepared for their important exams which determine whether they can continue on with grade 11 and 12. Trying to teach Trigonometry in one week is not so easy. You would not believe how packed the syllabus is and compounding the difficulty is the fact that many of the kids are still having problems with material covered during the previous years (be it that they didn't study enough then or that the teachers didn't teach it). So it has been a struggle but I think/hope that at least half of my kids will pass the math exam which is actually a pretty good percentage compared to most rural schools.
With only two months or so left in Namibia, I am trying to live it up and do as much as I can before I say goodbye. I am taking pictures of everything and anything and trying to get in some last visits to neighbors and learners. I cannot describe how much I will miss my Namibian family and my learners, and will be very sad to leave Elamba, the place that has been my home for the last two years.
3 comments:
Paka! I can't believe you have a plane ticket home! It cannot possibly have been 2 years already...
These photos, as always, are awesome - so fun to see what you've been up to. And yes, Ishmael is a GREAT read. And no, you don't look like a drunkard - just a very relaxed, happy fellow! :) Miss you!
Also: I can't believe there is couchsurfing in rural Namibia. Too perfect.
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