Out And About

Hey all. I will be on my way out of our training town tomorrow for modal school (more about it below). I am going to a tiny village... I am really excited to teach math and science for a month but it is really remote. I will still have cell phone reception (in theory) which means I can still check my email and facebbook (in theory) if you need to get a hold of me (boy, I'm really roughin it). Otherwise, I'll see you and my blog about the same time as we all see 2008. Merry Merry Merry Christmas from the middle of the desert. I miss you all very much and I love getting news from home more than most things. Sorry if I haven't emailed back yet... its probably because I've read your letter at least 20 times by now and I am still enjoying reading it.

Love, Jes




December 1, 2007. World AIDS day.

On the 29th, it had been one month since I had left Oregon. In some ways it felt so much longer and in other ways I was still totally ignorant about this country. Since then, I have compiled a list of things that I have learned so far in my Peace Corps experience.

-Clothes can go a lot longer without being washed than previously thought.

-Points and stares are not discouraged by glaring back.

-Namibians can’t tell the difference between green and blue eyes.

-All white people look the same.

-Prices are sometimes marked N$4.99 or N$3.47… but a one cent piece does not exist,
so they have to round to the nearest five when they check you out.

-The point system, the one where you get points for hitting pedestrians, was
developed here. White people are worth the most.

-Fruit juice = sanity

-Ipods, or anything with headphones, are a gift from above… or dad. Either way, they’re invaluable.

-If you stand in one spot too long your flip-flops will melt to the pavement.

-Americans are very solitary people… we need alone time… Namibians do not.

-Roosters are from the devil.

-Nalgenes make good weapons.

-Mace is against Peace Corps policy.

-Your skin being seared off by the sun isn’t so bad as long as there’s a breeze.

-The speed limit is a suggestion including everything within +/- 100 KPH.

-Donkeys are edible.

-Mayonaise is a food group.

-70 Americans never agree on anything.

-Quakers are a mystery those who haven’t lived in Newberg. “…like the oatmeal?” is an acceptable response to a description of GFU.

-We’re all addicted to sugar and it’s not something to be ashamed of.

-Hysterical laughter is my coping mechanism… only after all the others have failed.

-Scabies only lasts 72 hours when not on a human.

-“our” is two syllables. So is “Clothes” (Ow-er and Clothe-es).

-HIV/AIDS is background music.

-“Now” means later and “now now” means now.

-The ABCs of AIDS: A is for Abstinance. B is for Being faithful. C is for Condoms. D is for Or Die… Have really run out of all other education tools…?

-Public trashcans are a great place to find new toys.

-Burn your trash.

-“Invigilate” is not a bad word… but it does mean you’re going to be bored for three hours.

-Peanut butter and jelly can be eaten for two weeks straight without too many side effects.

-Sunglasses are silly.

-Sweat patterns and farmers tans can be fashionable if you know how to wear them.

-Children make the best language coaches and translators.


Yesterday, we all traveled back to our training site from the sites where we were job shadowing. On Wednesday, we made decorations for the school Christmas assembly. All of the lower primary grades (1-4) came for a reading of the Christmas story. Then we painted their hands green so that they could press them on newspaper cut in the shape of Christmas trees. Then they all colored ornaments to hang on the trees. It was so cute but I am sure some of them had no idea what was going. Wednesday was also girls’ club. The Nam25er we shadowed made brownies for the girls. Then, Beth, the other 27 trainee at the site, taught the girls how to salsa dance. Salsa was the dance I was the worst at in Ballroom… but it all came back. I was sure the girls were going to be infinitely better than us but I was surprised at how confused they were. I do not think they had ever been exposed to any formal dance before. Thursday was the upper primary dance. Imagine middle school dances… The line separating the boys and girls exists in Namibia too - they we perfectly happy dancing on their respective sides of the cafeteria. The only thing that brought them together was the three Americans dancing in the middle. We taught them the electric slide, the running man, the dosie-doe, the shopping cart, swing dancing, the wave and the robot. It’s a little embarrassing getting schooled at your own dance moves by a 5th grader but I got over it pretty quickly. I attempted the waltz also but that was too much for them.

Friday, we got a ride with a German volunteer into Windhoek. Then we took a taxi to the taxi point… then we took another taxi to Okahanja… I don’t even know if I can describe taxis here. They are unique… smelly… crowded… but they are typically really nice cars. Anyway, getting back to our training center has been so nice. It is good to see familiar faces… ones that knew me in the US, if only for two days before we left. Today, we had a session in the morning about “modal” school (summer school in the month of December that will be our first official teaching experience in country). Modal school starts next week but our session this morning downgraded to mass expression of worry about spending Christmas with host families in the community. Sometimes we have trouble focusing. The Health workers spent the morning working with a World AIDS Day presentation at the grocery store. The rest of the day has been ours to recover and be alone together. I bought grapes and started another book. I put down “eclipse” after mercilessly being made fun of for reading about vampires… It wasn’t worth the fight. Plus, the book I’ve been waiting in line for was just finished… “Dark Star Safari” is the book we aren’t supposed to read while serving here. It is about the author’s travels to Africa but, according to rumor, turns into a call to remove all aid from Africa… personally, I think it will be a good motivator to start sustainable projects here instead of project that will crumble without volunteer support. I will let you know how the book turns out, though – I’m only on Chapter two.