Because I'm starting this blog a little late, there is so much that I feel like I should fill you in on. First of all, I'm in Namibia. I know, huge shocker based on the title of this blog. But just in case you did not know, I thought I should state that from the beginning. If you were looking for my adventure blog from Botswana, you are in the wrong place.
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| Group 41 has arrived in Namibia |
Secondly, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. Just about 2 weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being sworn in and becoming an official member of the Peace Corps. To say it's been a long journey to get to this point, would be an understatement. But that's for another post and another time. For now, I want to celebrate the fact that I am official- like can put this on my resume, change my facebook status, official. Hold your applause people, because that just means the start of a lengthy adventure with its fair share of challenges. I know that a lot of volunteers would like to present the story that our time in PC is something of a twentysomething, travel junkie's dream board. But in reality, that's only on like Tuesdays and every other weekend. The rest of the time, we are living a fairly normal life. Or at least as normal as possible for being in a foreign country, learning a new culture, and trying to change the world through one tiny human at a time, can be.
So what is normal for me, you ask? Well I am now living in an adorable town in southern Namibia. I cannot reveal the exact location to you, because our denim-clad Safety and Security Officer would probably call me and ask if I wanted stalkers. But if you are one of my personal friends, all like 27 of you, then you already know which town that is and can now Google all the facts. My housing is more than I could have dreamed of. When you move to Africa and have no idea where you will be living, like me, you probably assume a hut. And some of my other volunteers do, in fact, live in huts. I am not one of those people though. I have a 2 bedroom flat on government property, with all the modern amenities of the states. I would like to say that the 2nd bedroom will be turned into my crafting room or a shoe closet, but in October I will get an Education volunteer as a roommate. Until then, I will keep my fingers crossed that they are not a total creeper... But seriously, I am thankful that I will get someone to share this experience with and binge watch New Girl with me.
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| #nofilterneeded |
Now for the reason I am actually here, after all it's not like I came here for a vacation. I am working at a non-profit in town, previously known as Orange Babies. Recently that organization has decided to move into new projects and depart from ours, so I am working with my supervisor on a new name and new mission statement for our organization. Speaking of my supervisor, she is so driven and motivated to make change in her community, that I am in awe of her. Because that organization is pulling out, my supervisor will lose her salary and all established funding for her project. But rather than shut her doors and go home to watch soapies, she has decided to continue without a salary or formal funding. She knows the people in her community still need her help, so she is going to continue to provide that to them. Now this could be a really difficult time to get involved in an organization, but I am welcoming the challenge. Without a major company dictating our activities, we can really create programs that the community needs. Whether that is helping women learn business skills through computer classes, working on a nutrition program for children, or starting a recycling project, we have the freedom to go into any subject area we would like. And thankfully, my supervisor is letting me spearhead that exploration of projects. Now I am sure that will lead to its own set of challenges- like not having a formal structure to my project, or having many, many failed ideas- but for now, I am embracing it. I welcome the freedom to create my own unique experience here.
Let's see, you now know a bit about my home and my project. I should probably fill you in on my social activities and eating habits. That is the next logical place to go, right? Well let's see, I could probably spend 8 hours typing about food. So I will start with my social life and save food for another post. My social life is stellar, I mean I'm like the biggest thing to hit this town since Hungry Lion. I have total celebrity status, it's like people are fainting over me... Just kidding! My social life is a little lackluster right now, but that's no reason to eat a pint of Ben&Jerry's. (Kidding again, I never need a reason to eat a whole pint.) But don't worry about me, I am slowly making friends. My supervisor took me to a dance last week, where I clumsily learned how to Langarm. It was not as smooth as my twerking abilities, so I'm going to start taking dance lessons from her instructor. I also went to my counterpart's nephew's 21st birthday party last week. Yes, Namibians did get that from America because the drinking age is basically non-existent here, but legally 18. It was a big event, like wedding tent and hookahs everywhere. But I really enjoyed myself and was thankful for the invitation! Also this week, two of my student's and my supervisor's son invited me to the church's youth group. Although it was after my grandma bedtime of 8:00, I went. Now I won't completely describe the night,because that would probably overwhelm you, like it did me, but let's just say that church is on another level here! Next time, I will make sure to carb load and stretch before such an event, because you need energy for the way they praise here. Whew, just thinking about it now makes me tired again.
Other than that, I am trying to keep in touch with my fellow volunteers. (Shout out to Group 41!) Thankfully, we all have really cheap phones that allow us to send brief, like 140 character, messages to express our deepest emotions and fears. It actually hasn't been all that serious lately, other than what seems like the entire staff quitting at headquarters. It's rare to find a group of people that are so progressive and driven, with just as many quirks as me, that I feel like that has been the biggest blessing of my experience so far. Getting to meet each of them and share this adventure together is a delight. They are now the most awesome, yet sometimes dysfunctional, family I could hope for! So a special thanks to them for supporting me, both emotionally like when I'm homesick, and physically like when I'm less than sober.
I almost forgot, it is 4th of July! So even though I'm not back at home drinking Jack Daniels and singing Toby Keith, know that I am making it my mission for the day to celebrate in my own little way. It is time for me to put on my American flag bikini and get some of this African sun on my skin. Classy!
Until next time y'all!
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| Here I am, in all my glory |
PS- Please ignore any spelling or grammar errors this blog may contain. Since learning Afrikaans, I've basically lost my English.
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