Some of the things I missed:
Sunsets- I go outside and every night the sky takes my breath away with how beautiful it is. It is always something to stop and appreciate and I love that even with a bad day you always end the day with something beautiful
My Host Family- They have truly been like a real family to me. It is nice to know you have those people to rely on when you need them. They have taken me in and treated me like I was one of them since the day I walked in the door for my site visit. I am also lucky to have a second host family in Okahandja, my first family. It is very comforting to know that you have people all over the county that care about you and are looking out for your best interest!
The Car Wash- This is a local spot that serves the best Mahangu I have had yet! I remember when I first got here I was so over porridge and then when I left and I couldn't get it the first place I wanted to go was to Car Wash. I have to thank an old PCV, Justin, for introducing me to this place last March! I get one scoop Mahangu, a piece of meat and some mutete (wild spinach)... as we say in Kavango its "Utovara Unene"
It just feels right- I can say that while there are some crappy days and not too fun. Overall, at least once a day I am happy! I enjoy my job, walking around town, greeting people I know, understanding a bit about the culture and feeling like I fit in more than I did months ago. I know I am on the right path. While, I don't know what my next step will be yet (I think this is the first time in my life I don't have my life mapped out to what I am doing) I am fine with just enjoying what I have here!
Its not all fun and games! There are somethings that are not so good that you learn to deal with...
The language barrier- I will be the first to admit I have not gone over and beyond learning my language. Rukwangali is hard and I do not speak it often. I will find myself in many situations where people are just speaking a foreign language and I do not understand anything! I feel like I am missing out on things because I do not understand what is going on around me. If there is no one there to translate I am in trouble! People do communicate with me in English, but you can tell its not as simple for them as Rukwangali. There are things that just don't translate over
The heat!- I am from Florida and it gets hot there but I realized the difference. In the summertime in FL you are always going from an air conditioned car to an air conditioned house to a pool! Here you are lucky if you have Air Con and on top of that you walk everywhere and its usually in the hottest part of the day! During the summer I could not step out of the house with out breaking a sweat. You just sit in the heat too hot to move! Now the rainy season is coming but that brings mosquitos... YAY for malaria medicine!
An Ocean Away I think the hardest thing about coming back was leaving my family again. If I could bring my family and friends over to this side I would never leave. It was so great to spend time with them and get back in that crazy family routine we Balaguer's have. I wish I could share this experience with them and have them here with me. I miss so many things about home and most of them all go back to family and the good times we have had. I even miss working in the yard on the weekends! Sometimes I just want to get up and plant some pretty plants and flowers in front of my house and then I remember "oh yeah I can't afford that stuff"
A little more complicated...
The best and worst part of my day- I adore all my kids that I get to work with. They are all wonderful and have great attitudes and are just good kids. I enjoy coming to work knowing I will get to read with them or help them understand some hard math problem a little better. When they are with me it is always a great time. We laugh, learn and just enjoy the time we have. When they are not with me is when it gets hard for me. I don't know if they are being fed, taken care of or loved. The kids here are faced with so many issues I could not imagine facing at their age and it breaks my heart to think about them with out home, food or family to support them. Their positive attitudes are truly amazing. They may have the worst possible home situation, but you will not hear them complain about it to you. They will just come and enjoy their time with you.
Best Christmas Present Ever! One of the questions you have to ask yourself everyday is "Am I even making a difference?" It is so hard to answer that question because of some of the things you see. Is the impact you hope to have going to be lasting? Am I even making a positive impact? What can I do better? When I first started working with my kids last April they filled out an application to join the program. One of the questions asked them "What do you think the IYA Program will do for you?" Most responses fell under a dew of these... They will pay my school fees, They will give me food to eat at night, They will buy my school uniform, They will help me (insert something of monetary worth here). I knew I could not pay every learners school fees so I did not try to I just offered them a place to come in the afternoons where they can play, study and learn about anything they want. In December, we had our Christmas party and I gave the kids a questionnaire to help me plan for this year. I asked the same question as before "What can the IYA Program do to help you?" and the responses were the best thing I could have asked for most fell under these categories... Help me get better English, tutor me in Math, Help me with my sports. It was so rewarding to know that these kids don't look to me for just money they come to me to help them improve their skills. It truly was the best present I could have asked for. I just hope that I can do more for them this next year.
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