As much as I am enjoying things here the 5 month deadline that I have looming over me to get things done only seems to get closer and closer. I feel like there is a lot of wrap up to do and to prepare for my predecessor (who ever gets to do this will be one lucky person)
This weekend… PARK CLEAN UP DAY!! My kids actually chose to spend all day Saturday de-bushing the park so we can get town council to plant grass before the rains come so it can set in. – Pictures to be posted at a later date
Nov. 13th ….. Mr. & Miss Kayec and End of Year KAYEC Celebration- can you believe the school year is almost over?!?
Nov. 20th….. Thanksgiving- Turkey, Friends and fun celebrating my second favorite holiday… Don’t worry Aunt Gladney I am making “Kimmies Last Green Bean Casserole in Namibia”
Dec. 9th….. Christmas Holiday in Zanzibar, Tanzania!!!!!! Perfect end to the year!
Then there is a bit of a gap but the BEST thing to look forward too…
APRIL 17th…. MOM BALAGUER comes to NAMIBIA!!!!! I am so excited to show my mom around. I have already told my kids and we are working on things to do for her (Dance, Drama, etc.) It will be so much fun and I am beyond excited to have my mom over here for a couple weeks to show her my second home!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
21 Kilometeres Later
After a year and a half of talking about this we did it. I ran a marathon relay with my fellow Kavango 29’er. We each ran halves of the marathon. I had first half (I think he had the prettier run). The race was from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund (right in the middle of those towns is where the famous Angelina and Brad had their baby, our driver actually showed us the house and all I could think of was my sister JB). My part was mostly running through Walvis Bay then finished running on the highway between dunes and in the distance I could see the ocean. It was great! I may or may not have been the last person to cross the finish line, but my partner made up for it and hauled it to pass some people. The town of Swakopmund reminds me so much of Jacksonville… I felt like I was back in America just walking on the beach! It made me so happy to get to see the Atlantic Ocean again. In case you’re wondering, it looks and smells the same you are just sitting backwards. I knew I missed the water, but I didn’t realize I missed it so much. Now I just can’t wait to get on the beach again. The race was fun and I am glad we did it. The whole weekend was really enjoyable. There are some fabulous restaurants to celebrate the race being over we went to a nice restaurant and I got a grouper equivalent filet. The people who sponsor the race also have it worked out so kids from all over Namibia come and run. One of my schools went, they had a 4 person relay (the second to last runner was one of my KAYEC kids), they got second place for the boys relay!! The kids who went had so much fun they get medals and for most they get to see the ocean for the first time EVER!
This was taken about a year and a half ago when my partner and I first started talking about running the marathon relay... this is how our training progressed (notice neither of us running)
This is a shot of part of the group who ran the first half... its a good thing there were no pictures after!
This was taken about a year and a half ago when my partner and I first started talking about running the marathon relay... this is how our training progressed (notice neither of us running)
This is a shot of part of the group who ran the first half... its a good thing there were no pictures after!It's getting HOTT in HERE!!!
It’s officially summertime in Rundu; you can’t even sit in your house with out sweating. I am drinking 3-5 liters of water a day and I am still so thirsty. Obviously, when I go to bed at night I don’t drink water in my sleep and from the time I lay down to the time I wake up my lips are so dehydrated that are super chapped!! Last week we had our first rainy night and we woke up to a cool morning. We are told that the rainy season is coming early this year. We have had some rainy nights since then, but only one really good one. I love the sound of rain on a tin roof. I hope everyone is right about the rain coming early, because I think I blocked the memory of last year’s heat. All I want to do is sit in a pool or be on the beach!! The good news is cold showers feel wonderful and it saves money on electricity!!
Hazards to look out for this summer:
1. I have to keep a fan pointing at my computer so it doesn’t catch on fire.
2. There might be a possibility of me melting this year.
3. I might get banned from the bank! I go into the bank just to cool down because they have air conditioning!! If I keep going in and not doing anything they might start to notice.
I am actually looking forward to summers in the South with a cold glass of sweet tea and being able to run and hide in air conditioning.
Hazards to look out for this summer:
1. I have to keep a fan pointing at my computer so it doesn’t catch on fire.
2. There might be a possibility of me melting this year.
3. I might get banned from the bank! I go into the bank just to cool down because they have air conditioning!! If I keep going in and not doing anything they might start to notice.
I am actually looking forward to summers in the South with a cold glass of sweet tea and being able to run and hide in air conditioning.
TIA...
I was traveling to Rehoboth for a workshop and after too many people trying to take my bag and yelling at me to come travel in their car. I ended up in a private car (you pay the same amount as you do in the van transport, but they usually get you there faster because there are only 4 seats as opposed to 14). We were about 10 km from Grootfontein, the next closest town to Rundu heading south. All of a sudden, the driver pulls off the tar road onto the gravel shoulder. We get out of the car and looking at the flat tire the driver says “I saw the tire was low when we left Rundu (200km ago!) I should have pumped up the tire”. The driver needed to call someone to bring a spare, because he did not have a extra tire and did not think to pump up the tire before we started. Did I mention that he did not have credit to call so he had to borrow my friend’s phone! When the man with the spare tire came we had nothing to put the tire on because neither the driver nor the man with the spare tire had a JACK!! Some random guy pulled over to help us and turns out the tire the guy brought for us to use was not the right size, so the two of them left us with the car on the side of the road as they went into town. In fast Nam time about 2 hours later we were on the road again after a random man pulled over and yelled at our driver for not being prepared when driving! It was an interesting hike day for sure!
My New Roommate, Larry
I was sitting in my bedroom getting ready for bed one night and I noticed everyone else congregating in the second bedroom in my flat. I asked them what they were doing and they said they had seen some animal under my pile of sheets. They thought it was a mouse or lizard. Being a Florida girl … I WAS REALLY HOPING FOR A LIZARD!! Lizards I can handle. When the mattress on the floor was moved … there he was running into my bedroom… my new friend LARRY!!! He was such tiny mouse (did you know mice could lay flat and crawl under anything) and he would have been cute if he wasn’t living in my house. Needless to say that night I slept with the light on and my fly swatter! Thinking he wouldn’t come near me with the light on.The next day my two friends went to the store and got mouse traps to put in my house. We only saw Larry a few more times after that. Once a friend was sleeping on the mattress on the floor (where we first saw Larry) and he heard Larry under the curtains by his head. The next time I was cleaning my kitchen and when I moved an outdoor mat. He was there again hiding in the corner in my kitchen. I was home alone and I ran out the door screaming (my neighbors must have thought I was crazy). That was the last night we saw Larry alive L I have not seen any of Larry’s family and I hope I don’t have to see them ever again! From now on my house is only welcoming Lizards and Wall Spiders.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
"Only The Good Die Young"
I know I am not the most eloquent when it comes to writing so I am going to do my best here because this of all my blog entries deserves it. A volunteer who was serving in the Southern African country Lesotho was killed. It is a terrible tragedy and while I did not get the honor to meet Thomas I have heard a lot about him since I have been over here. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2008 (the same year I did) and started his Peace Corps service in November 2009 (this was 8 months after I started) he was working as an education volunteer. I have read his blog and the people who know him are so proud of him that I know he was an amazing, strong, motivated, powerful, life changing person. It is a tragedy to lose such a great volunteer. I will be keeping his family and friends in my thoughts and prayers everyday. I can not imagine what the community in Lesotho and back in Florida are going through but I will pray for them to have strength to get through this.
Hearing about this made me so sad for many reasons; while I did not know Thomas personally we were part of a very small family. He was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Even though we may not all know each other we are all part of one big family. We are a small group of Americans who dedicate two years of their life to work in communities where you hope to do even the smallest amount of good. There are many volunteers who are serving or who have served, while we don’t all know each other we are all there to support each other any where around the world. Thomas was a graduate of the University of Florida. There are not many UF PCV’s nearby and when you meet one you immediately start talking about Florida Field, The Swamp, University Ave and the most important person in all our PC lives, our recruiter. When they made those commercials about the GatorNation we all laughed, but it was true. You meet someone from UF and you immediately say “Go Gators.” When I came I was in a group with one other Gator Grad. We knew we were lucky because our recruiter took the time to put us together and helped up get ready for Namibia. It is not just the fact we went to UF together it is that we have a common person in our life who takes the time to make us feel special. I know that Amy, our recruiter, took the time to get us here and she has continued to stay in touch. She has many volunteers and she is so busy, but she takes the time to make us feel like we are her only thing she has to do. It is because of her that our UF Peace Corps family is so close. I know she makes all of us around the world serving as a UF PCV feel special. I also know that Thomas was a very special person to her and that means he was a fantastic person and I wish I could have gotten to get to know him.
I have been thinking about this tragedy all day and it has reminded me to be grateful for the time I have here and how lucky I am to get to be getting to do what I want to do. I am so deeply saddened for the loss of Thomas and in his honor I am making sure I do not take any day for granted.
I hope that all who read this blog will also keep Thomas and his family and friends in your thoughts, prayers or whatever you do!
Hearing about this made me so sad for many reasons; while I did not know Thomas personally we were part of a very small family. He was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Even though we may not all know each other we are all part of one big family. We are a small group of Americans who dedicate two years of their life to work in communities where you hope to do even the smallest amount of good. There are many volunteers who are serving or who have served, while we don’t all know each other we are all there to support each other any where around the world. Thomas was a graduate of the University of Florida. There are not many UF PCV’s nearby and when you meet one you immediately start talking about Florida Field, The Swamp, University Ave and the most important person in all our PC lives, our recruiter. When they made those commercials about the GatorNation we all laughed, but it was true. You meet someone from UF and you immediately say “Go Gators.” When I came I was in a group with one other Gator Grad. We knew we were lucky because our recruiter took the time to put us together and helped up get ready for Namibia. It is not just the fact we went to UF together it is that we have a common person in our life who takes the time to make us feel special. I know that Amy, our recruiter, took the time to get us here and she has continued to stay in touch. She has many volunteers and she is so busy, but she takes the time to make us feel like we are her only thing she has to do. It is because of her that our UF Peace Corps family is so close. I know she makes all of us around the world serving as a UF PCV feel special. I also know that Thomas was a very special person to her and that means he was a fantastic person and I wish I could have gotten to get to know him.
I have been thinking about this tragedy all day and it has reminded me to be grateful for the time I have here and how lucky I am to get to be getting to do what I want to do. I am so deeply saddened for the loss of Thomas and in his honor I am making sure I do not take any day for granted.
I hope that all who read this blog will also keep Thomas and his family and friends in your thoughts, prayers or whatever you do!
Everyone Wants Acceptance 2010
So I am not sure how we pulled it off. There were many hoops to jump but somehow we did it. With the help of the community, volunteers and people at home we made it happen. EWA (ehh-waaa) was a two day conference where we brought learners from Kavango and Caprivi to learn about gender equality, HIV/AIDS and leadership. It was jammed packed with sessions. Let me try to give a recap.
Pre- Conference:
We had some issues since last year. The conference was supposed to happen and the PCV’s had put together it they had prepared everything for EWA 2009 and they lost the funding. So we had to tell the learners who were invited and the facilitators who were trained that it was not happening It was really sad to see all the hard work that had been put in and then for it not to happen. When the PCV’s who had organized finished their service I said I would step up and make it happen this year. The beginning of the year we had our first meeting and we had it all planned out, we had support and potential funding. Then I spent the next few months focusing on Camp GLOW and my primary job. Once GLOW was over I dedicated all my time to making EWA happen. Our first big blow came when our funders told us that they could not provide funding. I was so tired and I just wanted to give up, but another volunteer, Lee, would not let me. He kept asking “whats up with EWA?” and we worked on getting as much as we could for free. The first thing was getting a place to hold the conference. One of the local secondary schools let us use their hostel facilities free of charge!!! From there things just fell into place. It’s funny how things always seem to work out somehow here, no matter how bad it gets it works out. We had worked out everything planning the conference and before we knew it August 25th had come and it was time for the camp!!
Day 1 : Arrival Day: This was not as bad as we thought it was going to be. This is basically a transport day. We rely on the Ministries to help us with transport. We got everything ready and all the kids arrived (except one town because of communication problems). That night we just welcomed and divided the kids. They played the animal game- the kids get the name of animals on a piece of paper and they have to act out the animals until the find other animals who are acting the same some examples are dog, elephant, monkey, etc. This was pretty funny I think the volunteers got more into it than the kids. Then we put the kids to bed. The hostel was really nice and clean and the hostel staff was beyond helpful.
Day 2: Gender Day
The first day the kids were up and knocking at 5 am!! They were ready for the day to start. We started with a good discussion on the difference of sex and gender and then we talked about their views about gender. The day had some really great discussions. We had 7 facilitators, they were trained last year and volunteered to come back and work at the conference, who led the sessions. The facilitators did fantastic they really helped us get the conference to happen. The day continued we played games and did more sessions and the night ended with a HIV/AIDS intro where the kids asked some really good questions. We ended the night teaching the kids about the female and male reproductive systems, how to use a condom and other questions they had about anything.
Day 3: Leadership Day
This was the day where the kids work on communication and how to be a good leader. The idea is that they will go back to their community and start a club. We also invited 6 career panelists to come and talk about how they got to where they were and just to inspire the kids. We had a pharmacist, doctor, lodge owner, accountant, procurement officer and principal. The day went well and the kids really enjoyed the people who came to talk to us.
Day 4: Departure Day
While I enjoyed the camp I was ready to get the next part of my holiday going. We all worked together and cleaned the hostel, washed down the bathrooms and packed everything to go. The transport came on time (this does not happen EVER!) and we were home by lunch time!!
It was a great camp and I am really grateful to all the people who helped. I am glad I got to be part of it and meet some new kids from different villages and regions that I would have never gotten to meet. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE (PCV’s, Facilitators, RPCV’s, family and friends in America and the people in the Rundu Community who donated time, supplies, energy) who helped make EWA 2010 happen!!
Side note: We did not have time to write the thank you cards with the kids so I will be spending this week writing thank you cards to everyone. I apologize for the delay in y are thank you cards if you are getting one.
Pre- Conference:
We had some issues since last year. The conference was supposed to happen and the PCV’s had put together it they had prepared everything for EWA 2009 and they lost the funding. So we had to tell the learners who were invited and the facilitators who were trained that it was not happening It was really sad to see all the hard work that had been put in and then for it not to happen. When the PCV’s who had organized finished their service I said I would step up and make it happen this year. The beginning of the year we had our first meeting and we had it all planned out, we had support and potential funding. Then I spent the next few months focusing on Camp GLOW and my primary job. Once GLOW was over I dedicated all my time to making EWA happen. Our first big blow came when our funders told us that they could not provide funding. I was so tired and I just wanted to give up, but another volunteer, Lee, would not let me. He kept asking “whats up with EWA?” and we worked on getting as much as we could for free. The first thing was getting a place to hold the conference. One of the local secondary schools let us use their hostel facilities free of charge!!! From there things just fell into place. It’s funny how things always seem to work out somehow here, no matter how bad it gets it works out. We had worked out everything planning the conference and before we knew it August 25th had come and it was time for the camp!!
Day 1 : Arrival Day: This was not as bad as we thought it was going to be. This is basically a transport day. We rely on the Ministries to help us with transport. We got everything ready and all the kids arrived (except one town because of communication problems). That night we just welcomed and divided the kids. They played the animal game- the kids get the name of animals on a piece of paper and they have to act out the animals until the find other animals who are acting the same some examples are dog, elephant, monkey, etc. This was pretty funny I think the volunteers got more into it than the kids. Then we put the kids to bed. The hostel was really nice and clean and the hostel staff was beyond helpful.
Day 2: Gender Day
The first day the kids were up and knocking at 5 am!! They were ready for the day to start. We started with a good discussion on the difference of sex and gender and then we talked about their views about gender. The day had some really great discussions. We had 7 facilitators, they were trained last year and volunteered to come back and work at the conference, who led the sessions. The facilitators did fantastic they really helped us get the conference to happen. The day continued we played games and did more sessions and the night ended with a HIV/AIDS intro where the kids asked some really good questions. We ended the night teaching the kids about the female and male reproductive systems, how to use a condom and other questions they had about anything.
Day 3: Leadership Day
This was the day where the kids work on communication and how to be a good leader. The idea is that they will go back to their community and start a club. We also invited 6 career panelists to come and talk about how they got to where they were and just to inspire the kids. We had a pharmacist, doctor, lodge owner, accountant, procurement officer and principal. The day went well and the kids really enjoyed the people who came to talk to us.
Day 4: Departure Day
While I enjoyed the camp I was ready to get the next part of my holiday going. We all worked together and cleaned the hostel, washed down the bathrooms and packed everything to go. The transport came on time (this does not happen EVER!) and we were home by lunch time!!
It was a great camp and I am really grateful to all the people who helped. I am glad I got to be part of it and meet some new kids from different villages and regions that I would have never gotten to meet. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE (PCV’s, Facilitators, RPCV’s, family and friends in America and the people in the Rundu Community who donated time, supplies, energy) who helped make EWA 2010 happen!!
Side note: We did not have time to write the thank you cards with the kids so I will be spending this week writing thank you cards to everyone. I apologize for the delay in y are thank you cards if you are getting one.
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