tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52096751125897262852024-03-13T08:19:06.188-07:00Kim's Namtastic AdventuresKim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-31792819179559469782012-10-28T01:48:00.001-07:002012-10-29T07:43:57.358-07:00A final reflection<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s been
nearly three weeks since I’ve left Namibia and only now has my body and brain
reached the correct balance of relaxation and deep thought in order to reflect
on the changes I’ve seen in the last 60 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took a three hour bus ride to find that sweet spot, and I’m afraid
the halcyon moment may be fleeting so I’m going to write while the thoughts are
flowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Everyone is
asking (and will probably continue asking once I’m back in America), “What did
you learn?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is not simple,
nor can I say I “learned a lot.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
life – two years of life, two years of experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if I’d stayed at home, I could’ve
learned just as much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About different
things, of course, but it’s still learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They say life is what you make of it…and so is learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I learned
some serious things and some less serious things, so let me lay them out for
you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">SERIOUS
THINGS</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Being a celebrity sucks.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They warn you about this when you have your entrance interview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you really think you can deal with
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you really want to be in Peace Corps
so you say you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after months of
someone watching your every move – washing your laundry, cooking your food,
walking to school, reading in your room, going to the toilet…you reconsider
your answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much harder than it
seems, and way less fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion,
a good test for wannabe-PCVs would be 3 weeks in a glass house in the middle of
Times Square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you can handle all the
gawking, you can probably handle village life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or we should just send teenyboppers that want to be pop stars to a
remote village for 6 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, after
that, they still want to be famous, then they should be sent for therapy
immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Facebook gives you goggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For awhile, using the internet, especially Facebook, was difficult for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I saw were people’s happy
moments – new jobs, new homes, engagements, marriages, kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when people would talk to me, they’d be
jealous of my amazing experience or my vacation to Victoria Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or they’d say that living without electricity
and water must be so hard and they could never do what I’m doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally I realized, no one’s life is ever
as awesome or as happy or as difficult as you think it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wherever you are, it’s just life – there are
ups and downs, people and places change and we adjust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the grass is always greener on the other
side.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We are what we know.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When my family came to visit the village, they wondered why we had a gas
stove but still cooked most food on a fire outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found the answer hard to explain – just
because.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it’s tradition, because
there are still enough trees, because sitting around the fire has an important
social aspect, even if it’s inefficient, unhealthy and environmentally
unsustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might also ask,
how can students be satisfied with sharing textbooks and sitting on half a
broken chair?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because they don’t know
any different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are a product of our
realities, so if you don’t know that sharing a textbook isn’t normal, then
it’ll never really bother you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s
probably some new gadget in America that everybody’s using and can’t live
without, but I’m not bothered by it, because I don’t even know it exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Does Namibia need us?</b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps the most difficult part of working in Namibia has been seeing
the Genie coefficient in action (that is, income disparity).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I know I had a positive effect on some
kids’ lives and I wouldn’t take back the experience, it was difficult to teach
in a tin shack or run a library out of the multi-purpose room when I knew that
there were unused classrooms at other schools, or that some schools had
computer labs that collected dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
worse, I’d hear about (and occasionally attended) poorly run workshops where
teachers missed school days but were still paid their salary, plus “per diem”
(even though lodging and meals were provided) and learned very little
information, often skipping sessions or missing entire days, especially at the
end week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you go up the chain, the
waste seems to deepen – more workshops, more per diem, more trips to the
capital, even last minute flights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
there were exceptions, it seemed to become more about enriching oneself and
one’s family than enriching the lives of children with quality education. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Spending
time in bigger cities, especially Windhoek, made the disparity seem even
worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you can shop at a shiny
mall, work out at the Virgin Active gym and buy Gruyere or Roquefort cheese,
all within 200 meters of each other, you begin to question a country’s
neediness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, this happens all
over world – the juxtaposition of sickening wealth and equally sickening abject
poverty is common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there’s not just
one ritzy part of Windhoek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Namibia, in
fact, is a middle income country, one of the wealthier in Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has abundant natural resources and a
fairly well educated population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
government has money, sometimes left unspent, sometimes wasted, but often not
reaching the people that need it most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Could a
teacher from Namibia move to a Spanish-speaking inner city neighborhood in
America and be an effective educator while helping implement programs to aid
development in the community?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what about a Spanish-speaking
teacher who grew up in that neighborhood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much more likely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many
young people in Namibia that, with a bit of training and support, could make
big changes in their communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
they wanted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motivation is key.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">LESS
SERIOUS THINGS</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Pee is smelly.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever
used a chamber pot?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Squatting over a
basin probably doesn’t seem ideal, but it’s better than stumbling outside in
the middle of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The convenience
of having a toilet right next to my bed is something I’ll miss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through this experience, I mistakenly found
out that if you leave your chamber pot in your room while you’re at school
(particularly on a hot day), it’s pretty smelly once you get back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Free exfoliant.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
first I was horrified when my soap fell on the ground and got covered in
sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I washed, the little
buggers continued to work themselves further into the tender bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time went on, however, I came to realize
that sandy soap was a free, natural exfoliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Move over loofas, Neutrogena, spas with hot rocks and mud masks…Namibian
sand soap comin’ through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Traveling is a lot of work.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Yes, parents, I know you already know this.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three weeks in, my vacation, while
interesting, has been anything but relaxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I really don’t know how these people who backpack for an entire year do
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some time (days? months?
years?) I’ll get restless again, but right now, I’m ready to come home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-8767662849241878542012-08-08T10:08:00.001-07:002012-08-09T04:31:39.630-07:00It's Not a Shortcut Unless You Know Where You're Going<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In Namibia,
there are three school holidays – four weeks in April/May, one week in August
and 6 weeks in December/January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of
the time, PCVs use these breaks as an opportunity to travel around Namibia and
southern Africa; Swakopmund (on the coast), Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Malawi
and Mozambique are all popular destinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve done my fair share of traveling, so this past April/May, I decided
to keep it local and avoid the typical tourist traps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I answered the invitation to do two
hiking trips – Naukluft and Fish River Canyon, both national parks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite a non-traditional holiday, but it
sounded like an interesting adventure so I was game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Our Fish River Canyon hiking group</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Almost
immediately, I realized the irony of my decision to go on two hiking trips. First,
I’d never hiked before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
abundance of (probably beautiful and well-groomed) hiking trails in Wisconsin,
and America in general, I’d never hiked before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a bit like deciding to do a marathon when one’s never run
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, I despised hiking-type
activities in my previous life in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In college, I was once dragged along on a walk through the woods in some
of central Wisconsin’s public hunting land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the time, I thought that was the most boring, most pointless two
hours I’d ever spent in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thinking back, the longest “hike” I’d ever been on was probably the time
I’d begrudgingly followed my mom up some large hill to a lookout point
somewhere out West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But hiking
it was…and I was not going to be caught with my pants down, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the months leading up to the holiday, I
tried to jog several times a week so I’d be in peak physical condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a trip to Windhoek, I enlisted the help of
the trip leader, an experienced hiker, to assist me in picking out some hiking
boots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I had to break the boots
in, but I had difficulty finding the opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to some small sliver of latent fashion
sense, I couldn’t bring myself to wear the black monstrosities to school with
my flowing hippie skirts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor did I like
wearing them with jeans – or really at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Subconsciously, they reminded me of high school and the aptly named “shitkickers”
that kids used to wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally,
however, I managed to get in an 18 km walk that gave me two nice blisters on
the balls of my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was prepared.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It’s
walking, not mountain climbing, </i>I thought, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how hard can it be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>But I
was wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naukluft is 7 days and 120
kilometers (74.5 miles) of open plains, rolling hills, river beds, canyons, cliffs and
mountains; quite different than the flat expanses of Owamboland where I’d done
my pre-hike preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following the
advice of a friend, and experienced hiker, I packed as light as possible –
minimal clothing, no books, no journals, no playing cards, no hairbrush, no
perfume – nothing but the necessities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
those extra pounds, no matter how small, plus changing topography still add
extra pressure to a hiker’s most valuable asset – her feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">That trail blaze is not confusing...not at all! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Then came
the first day – 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) spent winding around the sides of huge
hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the day was over, I
wondered if my lilt to the right, to avoid tumbling to my death off the side of
the mountain, would be permanent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
hiking trails were rugged, just as I imagined African hiking trails would be: sometimes
steep, sometimes winding; uneven, with obtruding rocks strewn about; poorly
marked; simple dirt paths, probably unchanged from the time when early
explorers first walked them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I survived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the two massive blisters that had
formed on my feet, I felt good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And then
came day two. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s one thing to walk
with a blister while it’s forming, but it’s another ballgame to walk with two
raw, quarter-sized wounds on your feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through a riverbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For 12
kilometers (7.4 miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then to realize that,
the next day, you have to walk right back up the canyon you just walked
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You go down the canyon, with its river rocks,
boulders and chains (for near-vertical ascents and descents), and then go right
back up it the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on day
two that I started to feel panicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was 24 kilometers (14.9 mils) away from civilization and I now had FOUR huge blisters on my
feet that stung with every single step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next morning I was told that I’d been moaning in my sleep, probably
because I could still feel the open wounds stinging, even without shoes to rub
against them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As the days
went on, I got better at wrapping my blisters, but I soon came to realize that
I was quickly running out of gauze and tape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we walked, I’d often joke about how a helicopter was coming to rescue
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or that I was going back to base
camp with the park worker who’d come to the shelter to drop more food for us on
day four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was always at the back of
the pack because I simply couldn’t go any faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every single step, on flat ground or steep
hillside, was painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we moved
along, I often came close to tears – out of pain, out of frustration, out of
anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to scream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to stop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And then on
day four, the stars aligned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about
1:00, after 14 kilometers of trail (8.7 miles), we ran into a park worker just a few
hundred meters from the shelter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I
wanted to go back, it had to be now. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Two of four blisters (3 months later) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A few hours
later, I was back at the base camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
night, I slept alone in the hiker’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fourteen beds and just one occupant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had no headlamp (dead batteries), no matches (left them with the
others), no cell phone (no reception), no iPod (batteries died), and no book (I
packed light, remember?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to
scrounge up a piece of paper with one blank side and wrote a letter in the
tiniest handwriting imaginable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked
on some friendship bracelets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I waited again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just after sunrise, I was already sitting patiently by the
park entrance, hoping some tourist heading to Windhoek would have sympathy on
me and give me a ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And lady luck
struck again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At noon, I got in the only
vehicle going east that day; two German brothers dropped me in the tiny, dusty
outpost of Reitoog, the site of another PCV, Caitlin, whose house keys I had.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The next 3 days was just me, some books, peanut butter and bread, chocolate pudding and
my raw bloody feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time of the
rest of the group arrived on Sunday, I was tipping dangerously close to
insanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even for an introvert like me,
72 hours is a long time to be alone with your thoughts – no TV, no radio, no
cell phone, no iPod, no other humans (which is really my fault because I locked
myself in the house, but I couldn’t go very far hobbling around like an
arthritic centenarian anyways).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the end,
calling it quits was the best decision I could’ve made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my friend Ben told me, making the decision
to turn back when conditions get too difficult takes more courage than pushing
forward (that’s why so many people die on Everest).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I never would’ve made it through the 25
kilometers (15.5 miles) on the last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No way
Jose!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, I wanted to finish, but
I wanted to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enjoy </i>my vacation, not
just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">survive </i>it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t let pride trump pragmatism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admitting defeat and bowing out gracefully is not
easy (just ask Brett Favre), but it’s a necessary part of life; it allows us to
move on to bigger and better things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Which is just what I did…Fish River Canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The extra
few days of rest allowed my feet to heal to a tolerable level, and then it was
off on another 4 day, 85 kilometer (52.8 mile) hike through the world’s second largest
canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Naukluft, Fish River
seemed like a breeze!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Minus the long,
precarious descent into the canyon (which cost me seven toenails), it was
fairly pain free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most challenge
moments were the river crossings (there’s nothing more demoralizing than
getting ¾ of the way across a 15 meter-wide river only to slide off a slippery,
underwater rock and feel your boots fill with river water), and the time we got
lost (in an attempt to take a shortcut we ended up wandering through the arid
hillside without water for 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) until we got to the edge of the park
and turned around, following a dry riverbed that finally led us back to the
river/trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, that “shortcut”
did not save us any time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> As the doctor put best, "traumatic toenail loss" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Though it
was neither glamorous nor relaxing, my April holiday was the most meaningful
vacation I’ve ever taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By golly, did
I learn a lot – about hiking, of course, but also about pain, perseverance and
failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I hike again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You betcha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, it’s challenging and exhausting, but a day on the beach can never
compete with putting supplies on your back and heading out into the wilderness –
rising with the sun and sleeping under the Milky Way, building fires and
sharing stories with friends. </span></div>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-23204497690281952502012-04-04T03:33:00.003-07:002012-04-04T03:59:27.227-07:00A Drop in the Bucket<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:6.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">In Namibia, resources seem to come in windfalls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A goat is slaughtered and must be cooked, dried or sold before the meat spoils.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ripe eembe (berries) drop from the tree in the strong winds that precede thunderstorms and must be gathered before the rain arrives.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Paychecks are issued at the end of the month and spent within a week or two.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ombidi (wild spinach-like greens) sprout in the fields and must be collected and dried into cow pie-looking patties before disappearing from the earth as quickly as it arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Rain falls in torrents that cause temporary floods, and then not a drop falls from the cloudless sky for the remaining nine months. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When it floods, the fish “run” and must be caught and dried before the ephemeral oshanas evaporate.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">These cycles of abundance and drought create periods of intense work, like the kind I stumbled across last week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Upon entering the homestead, I walked into a group of memes sitting under a tree with a massive pile of marula fruits making omagongo (marula juice).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Like everything else in Namibia, I immediately decided that I needed to try it, at least once, so I joined them in the shade.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After some confused laughter and quick observations I got to work on a small pyramid of marulas, using a cow horn to pierce the fruit and loosen the skin, letting the juice drip down onto a plastic plate and all over my hands.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An hour later, the plate was only beginning to look full.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Clearly, I forgot to mention one very small, very important detail: marulas are 10% skin, 10% juice and 80% stone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As auto-pilot took over (puncture, loosen, squeeze; puncture, loosen, squeeze), my mind began to contemplate the process occurring under the tree.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7yYYnJAVGQc/T3wkp-LM8CI/AAAAAAAAASY/UEQWAFsIR1k/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7yYYnJAVGQc/T3wkp-LM8CI/AAAAAAAAASY/UEQWAFsIR1k/s320/IMG_0098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727493129591648290" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">PHOTO: Marulas ready to be juice and cow horn to help with the job.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">For some unfortunate reason, clichés are always at the forefront of my mind, so I couldn’t help pondering the “drop in the bucket” theory that was unfolding in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As overused as it is, it’s true: we may feel that our action is only a drop in the bucket, but over time these drops add up ounces, ounces to pints, pints to gallons.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And location matters naught – a drop is a drop; a drop in Africa is a drop in America is a drop in Asia.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">Just a few days before, I’d listened to NPR’s broadcast of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d heard it many times before, but this time it was different; I didn’t just listen to the speech, the speech spoke to me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It reminded me that we all have rights – and along with those rights come equally important responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Among those responsibilities is public service; to serve our communities, wherever they may be, in whatever way we can.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>By some convoluted logic, people seem to think that drop in rural Africa is somehow bigger than a drop in urban America or in one’s hometown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But it’s not.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A drop is a drop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So let’s keep Dr. King’s dream alive by serving our communities and speaking out for human rights, wherever we are, however we can.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Drop by drop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-20265418659019174322012-03-15T02:24:00.002-07:002012-03-15T02:33:10.551-07:00New PagesWater's receding, school grinds on. Nothing interesting to blog about, but I've added two new pages LIBRARY and CAMP GLOW for your reading pleasure.<br /><br />And, of course, a new post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my favourite little Namibian making a sandcastle.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EGrjenxXg4/T2G3CqqGK_I/AAAAAAAAASM/bTM3caveIjk/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EGrjenxXg4/T2G3CqqGK_I/AAAAAAAAASM/bTM3caveIjk/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720054258175716338" border="0" /></a>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-60585110961464087022012-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:002012-02-01T23:07:00.231-08:00Justy's Cupcake<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]-->In addition to a Playskool kitchen and Barbie dolls, an Easy Bake Oven is one of the classic toys for little girls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Despite often making cookies with my mom, I still looked forward to using my Easy Bake Oven because I felt like I was baking on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is, I believe, that sense of independence and personal accomplishment that that makes an Easy Bake Oven so special to a little girl. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Even today, the “Easy Bake Oven Theory” still applies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After a tiring day at school, the simple act of making the family’s oshithima all by myself, from start to finish – no easy task when neither the flour is measured nor the boiling timed – brightens my day and sends me to bed physically tired but mentally satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Despite the tortures of inhaling smoke for an hour while my eyes burn and my nose runs, the sense of accomplishment that I get from contributing to the family’s chores makes it more than worthwhile.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">But learning new things should always be a two-way street, so I’ve started teaching the girls on my homestead how to bake.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the last lesson, with the desire for independent oshithima-making on my mind, I suggested that Justina try making a chocolate cake by herself sometime.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She eagerly agreed, and a few days later I set her free in my kitchen while I took over the oshithima.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">I must admit, I was nervous; a year ago, she’d never even read a recipe, not to mention used measuring cups involving fractions, the boogey-monster of the math world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the end, I had no reason to worry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On her first solo baking attempt, she passed with flying colours.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The texture and consistency were correct, all the ingredients included and the batter well mixed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only hangup was the cocoa powder – 3 t instead of 3 T, but this is a mistake many American adults, would make, not to mention a novice, ESL baker!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the cupcakes still tasted great, which is really what counts in the end. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBVgq_9b25I/Tyoxi4VgumI/AAAAAAAAARM/2MHsnszYpIs/s1600/SAM_0615.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBVgq_9b25I/Tyoxi4VgumI/AAAAAAAAARM/2MHsnszYpIs/s320/SAM_0615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704426353326078562" border="0" /></a></span>As she was taking them out of the pan, I realized that I needed to capture this momentous occasion, so I tucked one cupcake into the fridge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The next day, armed with my camera, I asked Justy if she wanted a picture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Again, she eagerly agreed – but first needed to bathe and change clothes. </p><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">So now it is preserved forever: Justy’s first cupcake – the first of many baking accomplishments.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1OgesyB8qvc/TyozyBMR1II/AAAAAAAAARY/U9JJwmxlSAo/s1600/SAM_0618.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1OgesyB8qvc/TyozyBMR1II/AAAAAAAAARY/U9JJwmxlSAo/s320/SAM_0618.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704428812424565890" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">[Afterword:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last night Justy asked me if she could make cupcakes again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was still some sour milk stinking up my fridge so I consented and she got to work while I stirred the oshithima.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the porridge was finished and I was thoroughly smoky and sweaty, I went into the kitchen to check on her cupcakes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a sad but familiar sight: flat, greasy-looking cupcakes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I summoned her in and we discussed what might’ve gone wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just as I suspected - not enough flour.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After this, I quoted an important English phrase and life lesson: Live and learn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Next time, I said, she’d get it right.]</span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-439121964345043632012-01-25T08:21:00.000-08:002012-01-25T08:35:32.823-08:00It's fine...in moderation<div style="text-align: left;">We’re asked to do, use or consume in moderation all the time – sugars, oils and fats; alcohol; watching TV and playing computer games. So if humans have to keep urges in check, isn’t it fair that Mother Nature should also practice moderation?<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-otyExYIHYPU/TyAtfgOD0sI/AAAAAAAAAQc/kfMLV217pXA/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-otyExYIHYPU/TyAtfgOD0sI/AAAAAAAAAQc/kfMLV217pXA/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701607147499147970" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: Just leaving the homestead can be challenging!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The moderation I’m looking for is in the rains – we’d like the thirst-quenching, life-giving amount, please; not the crop-drowning, knee-deep type. After the skies opened up and rain fell for several days straight the oshanas filled up with cool, crisp rainwater. Too bad north-central Namibia is just a long series of oshanas strung together, all ultimately heading south to the Etosha Pan.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjpQOasM3rI/TyAu_W5kr6I/AAAAAAAAARA/zRXZP0V_V-Q/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjpQOasM3rI/TyAu_W5kr6I/AAAAAAAAARA/zRXZP0V_V-Q/s320/IMG_1104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701608794264743842" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: Aipinge plays in a puddle on the homestead<br /></div><br />The rain has its perks – cool weather for bearable days and sleep-able nights, free water for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing, great puddles for children to splash in, and abundant fish and frogs. But too much rain causes a flood, which is exactly what we have on our hands right now. And crossing long stretches of deep water can be time consuming and dangerous – most people don’t know how to swim, and even for those that do, the bottom is often obscured by the murky water making every step a guessing game (how deep? a plant? a fish? a stick? a rock? a slimy creature?)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JM61E8nzQRg/TyAtzRKiHEI/AAAAAAAAAQo/YfXpUb0DZuc/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JM61E8nzQRg/TyAtzRKiHEI/AAAAAAAAAQo/YfXpUb0DZuc/s320/IMG_0009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701607487055207490" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: Even the goats are refugees!<br /></div><br />For the safety of the learners, classes were suspended last week, and the school will remain closed for the remainder of this week. It was rather anticlimactic – having two days of school and then shutting down. But hope is on the horizon: it hasn’t rained in 6 days and the water has been steadily, but slowly, flowing downstream.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zBy75DP4lS0/TyAuLgf7kfI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/bCjkjG0AAsA/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zBy75DP4lS0/TyAuLgf7kfI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/bCjkjG0AAsA/s320/IMG_1107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701607903488348658" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: Free water! A precious gift in a country as dry as Namibia<br /></div><br />If you’re getting a feeling a déjà vu, you’re absolutely correct. This same thing happened last year – only in April, and school was closed for an entire month. The fact that it’s only January is slightly worrying; there’s still a long rainy season ahead and potential floodwaters from Angola on the horizon. But, for now, we’ll march forward optimistically – and hope that Mother Nature can keep it in moderation.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-87881863798782795852011-12-04T23:56:00.000-08:002011-12-04T23:59:28.991-08:00Glorious rain!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2OAcpxJ2OXM/Ttx5dz6dYwI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ue8oT_W0a2Q/s1600/IMG_1083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2OAcpxJ2OXM/Ttx5dz6dYwI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ue8oT_W0a2Q/s320/IMG_1083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682550382893294338" border="0" /></a><br />Collecting rainwater from a refreshing evening shower.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-14884442598539535762011-11-24T04:23:00.000-08:002011-11-24T04:41:56.215-08:00Thanksgiving<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:6.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">Although overnight temperatures in the upper 80s usually don’t signify Thanksgiving, the holiday hasn’t passed by unnoticed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>School-wise, we’re in the home stretch – only 2.5 weeks until the year is over.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Due to this, and the fact that I’m belatedly attempting to save for vacation, I decided to stay put this Thanksgiving weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But, perhaps, being stationery is most appropriate because, by staying in the village, I’m surrounded by the people and things I’m most thankful for.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here’s my top 5:</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Namibian family</span> – There’s nothing like a </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rkF8Qfy3ZW4/Ts438pZlQYI/AAAAAAAAAOY/pDGMf6CDAUM/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 205px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rkF8Qfy3ZW4/Ts438pZlQYI/AAAAAAAAAOY/pDGMf6CDAUM/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678537695205605762" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">family</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">to make you feel at home in a foreign land.</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With this said, I’m extremely thankful for my Namibian host family, the Pendukenis, and </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">especially Meekulu.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve learned so much </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">about Owambo culture from them that I wouldn’t have learned if I’d ended up in a city or at the teachers’ housing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Plus, they put up with my crazy American-ness, like forgetting t</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">o shut the doors during snake season (oops!) and locking myself in my room with a book after a frustrating day at school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yesterday I was feeling especially </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">festive so I decided to bake a pumpkin pie for them so that they could learn about and taste a bit of American culture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I could only find butternut squash (but it turned out to be a great substitute for pumpkin – you should try it!), and I think my attempted expression of gratitude got a bit lost in translation, but I tried nonetheless.</span></p><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My colleagues</span> – They make me laugh every day.<span style=""> </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0z1pY1nchJw/Ts45Vu3vrFI/AAAAAAAAAPU/9M8QL9D0BEU/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0z1pY1nchJw/Ts45Vu3vrFI/AAAAAAAAAPU/9M8QL9D0BEU/s320/IMG_0765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678539225682652242" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">In</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> addition to the laughter and good food that we share, they’re always there to answ</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">er my questions and listen to my frustrati</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">ons.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To an American, the Namibian school system can sometimes be incomprehensible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thanks to my colleagues, however, I’ve been able to navigate it somewhat successfully (I made it through the first year, didn’t I?).<br /><br /></span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The rain</span> – In Namibia we discuss the weather, especially </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">t</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">he </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4JhLb-o200/Ts44sfvtKnI/AAAAAAAAAO8/sbEuv3I0CDM/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 254px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4JhLb-o200/Ts44sfvtKnI/AAAAAAAAAO8/sbEuv3I0CDM/s320/IMG_1032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678538517247765106" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">rain, not as small talk, but as a </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">serious point of conversation – and rightl</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">y so: after nearly 6 months without a drop of rain,</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> grey skies and a shower can seem like a miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My fixation with the rain may border on </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">obsessive; I watch the skies like a hawk, pray </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">for rain at the first sight of a thundercloud and text other volunteers to get a heads </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">up on the coming weather.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I even have my own humidity indicator – my bedroom door, which latches when it’s humid but refuses to catch when it’s dry. Unlike me, these goats try to avoid the rain!</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My quiet place</span> – I don’t get to escape to my quiet place </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5hq-UGSWxA8/Ts4489CrJ7I/AAAAAAAAAPI/zk91sMfUCmA/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5hq-UGSWxA8/Ts4489CrJ7I/AAAAAAAAAPI/zk91sMfUCmA/s320/IMG_1029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678538799989860274" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">nearly </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">enough, but I’m thankful to have it regardless.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the occasional weekend where there isn’t a soccer game at school or grade 10</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> camping, I’m able to put up my hammock chair and spend blissful hours reading in the shade.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Books have an unrivaled power to immerse the reader in a different world, and in this past year I’ve gained an even deeper appreciation for the power of literature.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cadbury bars</span> – That’s right, I’m thankful for chocolate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Specifically the Cadbury Delectable Trio – a milk chocolate bar with toffee pieces, almonds and mini chocolate cookies buried within.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m so thankful for this delicious chocolate bar that I usually can’t restrain myself and end up eating the entire thing on the day I buy it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cadbury really needs to expand its American distribution beyond their Easter cream eggs!</span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-68160912970828310792011-10-19T02:31:00.004-07:002011-10-19T03:28:03.856-07:00Waving the White Flag<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:6.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="" lang="EN-US">School holidays in </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujmf_RHQPcY/Tp6lWkrQXtI/AAAAAAAAAOI/mQhLtSAlWv8/s1600/IMG_0701.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujmf_RHQPcY/Tp6lWkrQXtI/AAAAAAAAAOI/mQhLtSAlWv8/s320/IMG_0701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665147188499472082" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">Namibia mean only one thing…weddings.<span style=""> </span>This August, I saw signs of weddings e</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">verywhere – parades of cars, couples’ names taped over license plates and white flags in trees (note to all cynics: this is not a sign of surrender but a sign of celebration).<span style=""> </span>An</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">d, fortunately, I had the opportunity to experience a few weddings myself!</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">In America, weddings are often referred to as “the big day.”<span style=""> </span>In Namibia, they’d be more appropriately called “the big week.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The process begins when the future spouse becomes “known” to the family.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure what this all entails, because I wasn’t actually there, but the gist is that you don’t meet your future in-laws until you’re engaged (about 6 months before the wedding).<span style=""> </span>Then, the wedding plans begin. </span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ohq47ojKtyg/Tp6jzrrOlRI/AAAAAAAAANw/CyGD3k2hRB4/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ohq47ojKtyg/Tp6jzrrOlRI/AAAAAAAAANw/CyGD3k2hRB4/s320/IMG_0679.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665145489571353874" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">“Wedding week” begins on Sunday when the couple is announced in church.<span style=""> </span>Again, I can’t be sure what is said (it was all in Os</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">hiwambo), but all of the couples stand up in front of the church.<span style=""> </span>Once church is over, the fun begins.<span style=""> </span>At this point, each couple is followed out of church, surrounded by their posse.<span style=""> </span>This posse consists most of celebrating women, but men are not excluded.<span style=""> </span>The group proceeds toward their vehicle, but moves rather slowly because there is singing and dancing around the couple, as well as congratulations, whistl</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">ing, harmonica playing, cow tail waving and ululating.<span style=""> </span>For those of you not up-to-date on your Nam-lingo, the term ululating means making a wavering, high-pitched sound.<span style=""> </span>It kind of reminds of a stereotyped Indian war cry.<span style=""> </span>In addition to all of this auditory stimulation, there are the bright pink traditional dresses and beads to see.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Aerrbhy3Y_g/Tp6jin3vIMI/AAAAAAAAANk/wMgZyXuT1sU/s1600/IMG_0669.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Aerrbhy3Y_g/Tp6jin3vIMI/AAAAAAAAANk/wMgZyXuT1sU/s320/IMG_0669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665145196492300482" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">From there, preparations begin in earnest.<span style=""> </span>When you’re hosting hundreds of people without a wedding planner or catering company, there’s a lot to be done.<span style=""> </span>Since weddings are held on the homestead, a tent (or two) is rented and erected outside the fence.<span style=""> </span>Food must be cooked for all of the guests, so these means hours and hours of peeling potatoes, grating beets, boiling rice and butchering chickens, goats and cows.<span style=""> </span>Plus, all of the logistical problems that you’d never consider in America, like bringing in huge blocks of ice to cool the drinks (no fridge), finding a generator so there can be lights after dark (no electricity) a</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">nd hauling in water for cooking, cleaning and drinking (no running water).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">When the big day arrives, it begins at a familiar place: church.<span style=""> </span>A religious ceremony is held, and includes many of the familiar aspects – vows, rings and a bridal party.<span style=""> </span>After church, photos are taken (the lodges in town are very popular locations) </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">and then the celebration moves to the bride’s homestead.<span style=""> </span>The main features of the homestead celebration are the gift-giving, the toast and the meal.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCpeMWwg2Z0/Tp6k2dbYFkI/AAAAAAAAAN8/LLSOe4VPCAY/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCpeMWwg2Z0/Tp6k2dbYFkI/AAAAAAAAAN8/LLSOe4VPCAY/s320/IMG_0706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665146636798006850" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">During the gift-giving ceremony, the bride and groom sit at a table outside and all the women line up.<span style=""> </span>Most of the women balance their gift (a basket) on their head, but a few also give wrapped presents.<span style=""> </span>The singing, harmonica playing and dancing continues as the move through the queue to present their gift to the couple.<span style=""> </span>Next, the couple moves into the tent for the toast. Following a few words, the champagne is popped and shared with everyone in the room.<span style=""> </span>Finally, it’s time to eat – the buffet servers are opened, the big basins are unwrapped and people dig in.<span style=""> </span>As my Namibian BFF Henni likes to say, the food is destroyed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">After day one of the wedding celebration, the hoopla begins all over again the next day at the groom’s house!</span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-45611250290094659172011-09-29T05:16:00.000-07:002011-09-29T05:20:56.557-07:00Hello Lincoln School<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oRRWXhtG5CQ/ToRhq0TTCAI/AAAAAAAAANc/SBmgEm781Hs/s1600/IMG_0857.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oRRWXhtG5CQ/ToRhq0TTCAI/AAAAAAAAANc/SBmgEm781Hs/s320/IMG_0857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657754420106168322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I just wanted to say hi to my World Wise Schools class at Lincoln Elementary! This is some of the 7th graders at my school. We hope you have a great school year.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-85590708527425242412011-08-24T09:45:00.000-07:002011-08-24T09:47:55.490-07:00Ignorance is Bliss<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:6.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Ignorance is bliss.<span style=""> </span>I’ve heard it before.<span style=""> </span>I’m living it now.<span style=""> </span>And like most things, I don’t think you can truly understand it until you experience it firsthand.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">On Monday I discovered that the school’s internet was hooked up again (after a 9 month hiatus) and I’ve been on it for 10 hours a day (nearly sunrise to sunset) for the past three days.<span style=""> </span>I wish I was joking about that, but I’m not.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">As you probably know, the internet is very powerful (quick access to any type of information imaginable) but also very addicting (<i style="">par exemple, </i>the surge of anger and frustration you felt when the windstorm knocked out your internet for 12 hours and you couldn’t check your gmail and facebook every 10 minutes and google the origins of “Turkey” [the country’s] to end a dispute with your colleague).<span style=""> </span></span>In America, ubiquitous internet is just part of life, maybe an annoying part or maybe an essential part, but it’s there regardless.<span style=""> </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">Now, imagine that you are an internet-deprived Namibian n</span>ée American; the effect of restored internet prowess is magnified!<span style=""> </span>If I don’t check into rehab on my own, you may need to stage an intervention.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">You probably think that my rediscovered surfing powering is a good thing – so did I...until I walked home from school on Monday in a weird funk.<span style=""> </span>I should’ve been overjoyed – I’d answered emails, downloaded important documents and skyped with my parents and friends, all for free – but I was closer to despondency.<span style=""> </span>Throughout the day I was able to update myself on all the wonderful happenings at home – vacations, good food, family gatherings, new jobs, marriages, new houses and cars, new babies – but it left me feeling half homesick, half jealous.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">As I walked home, my mind raced.<span style=""> </span><i style="">I’m happy here</i>, I thought, <i style="">why would using the internet throw me through such a loop?<span style=""> </span></i>Then a lightbulb went on.<span style=""> </span><i style="">Of course....I’m only hearing about the exciting, momentous occasions in people’s lives, not the drab everyday occurrences (being stuck in traffic, cleaning the house, going to work)and frustrating moments (filling out ANOTHER job application, worrying about money, longing for adventure outside the suburbs). </i><span style=""> </span><i style="">Just because somebody doesn’t email or facebook about it doesn’t mean it isn’t part of life.</i><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">This revelation led me into a careful consideration of the relationship between the West and the world (as does nearly every other deep thought-conversation I have with myself).<span style=""> </span>It is with this same skewed viewpoint that young people around the world learn about America – they watch television, follow celebrities, see magnificent cities and learn about new technologies – without realizing what they’re seeing is an over-simplification skimmed from the top.<span style=""> </span>America is not like the movies – we don’t have big houses, drive BMWs and hire nannies.<span style=""> </span>There’s crime, poverty, debt and divorce.<span style=""> </span>But seeing is believing...and if that’s all you’d ever heard about America, you’d believe it too.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Then imagine transitioning immediately from the “incredible” world of America into your reality – 50% unemployment, corrupt government officials, lack of electricity and running water.<span style=""> </span>You’d probably be jealous, and this jealously could easily turn into resentment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So, in this way, ignorance IS bliss.<span style=""> </span>While the internet, technology and globalization bring many benefits, they’re not without drawbacks.<span style=""> </span>While they close divides, they can also deepen them.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">With this said, don’t be surprise if I disappear into the darkness of a self-imposed internet moratorium.<span style=""> </span>After all, it is important to live in the present, and we all know how quickly the internet can transport you several worlds away.<span style=""> </span>I usually crave and easily digest a steady trickle of information from home, but right now, I’m drowning in a self-made tsunami.<span style=""> </span>It’s not easy - nay, impossible - to live with your body in one world and your mind in another.<span style=""> </span></span></p> Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-51145123106788017942011-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:002011-08-23T00:32:29.589-07:00Grade 6 PhotosOh, grade 6. This is the class that has given me the most trouble and stress throughout the first two terms. How is it that they look so angelic in pictures? Haha.
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<br />Me and some of the 6th grade class
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<br />Grade 6 (there are 40 total so missing a few, but this is most of them)
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<br />Ester & Maila
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<br />Petrus (pron: pet-ruhs), Erikson and Shongola (pron: shown-goal-ah) with Gustav popping out from underneath.
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<br />Onesmus A (pron: own-ehs-moose), Sebron and Onesmus S.
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<br />Ndapewa (pron: ndah-pay-wah), Maria and Johanna.
<br />Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-46263428791307410092011-08-22T23:38:00.000-07:002011-08-22T23:59:24.362-07:00Term 2 Pictures!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO3I7g2dzm4/TlNMhDAnWLI/AAAAAAAAAME/kZHcjTz8ze8/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO3I7g2dzm4/TlNMhDAnWLI/AAAAAAAAAME/kZHcjTz8ze8/s320/IMG_0629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643938888652642482" border="0" /></a>
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<br />The boy's soccer team with coach (right) and Head of Department (Vice Principal, left) after getting 2nd place (out of 11 teams) at the DAPP Private School Sports Tournament. DAPP is one of the schools nearest to Omahila. The school itself is a unique situation because it is made up of a school (grades 1-10), a plant nursery, and a vocational school. It is funded by an international organization (Development Aid People to People), the Namibian government and the parents who pay for their kids to go to school there (N$250 per month!) To give you some perspective, the school fees for our school are N$40 per YEAR.
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<br />Book Club members with the principal (middle). It took us six months but we finally finished reading The Chocolate Touch. At the end, all participants received a certificate and a chocolate bar.
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<br />Another book club in the works? Not likely. The fact that it took six months to finish a mid-length 4th grade-level chapter book is an indicator of how difficult it is to have a regularly meeting after school program. There are always disruptions - cleaning days, sport days, parent meetings, netball & soccer practice, floods!
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<br />Winners of the 1st Omahila CS Spelling Bee: Aurelia (2nd place) and Emilia (1st place). The Spelling Bee was open to all learners in grade 8-10. Both winners were from grade 9.
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<br />Kasia "reading" a book in the kitchen at home.
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<br />My favourite photo subject, Kasia, sitting in the vessel where mahangu seeds are pounded into flour.
<br />Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-82366184193716631482011-07-01T16:42:00.000-07:002011-07-01T16:43:44.037-07:00A thanks to my English teachersBeing thousands of miles from home has caused me to rely more on writing than I ever have before. This unique situation has helped me realize the power of the written word and the significance of individual words when trying to convey a SPECIFIC message. So, a big thanks to all my English teachers, both formal and informal.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-54799449896170361742011-07-01T16:40:00.000-07:002011-07-01T16:41:23.688-07:00TranslationsOne of the biggest frustrations of living in country and culture so unlike your own is the fact that many things don’t translate (both literally and figuratively). And in reality, that’s exactly what this blog is doing – translating events in Namibia to people in America and vice versa. It often seems impossible to explain situations, both joyful and stressful, because the listener doesn’t understand the context. What might seem like a simple solution is not, and vice versa. To make matters even more complicated, I often feel like an inept translator – both unable to understand something because of its Namibian context and also unable to explain it effectively within the American context. This experience has certainly made me more feel more compassion for the children of immigrants who are constantly straddling two contexts and two cultures and trying to succeed in them both. <br /><br />I thought I’d purged all my thoughts about adaptation and the human condition in the last post, but it’s still been on my mind a lot lately, so I guess that’s not the case. In particular, the point that I haven’t been able to shake is the image of that destitute African child that you often see on infomercials attempting to play on your sympathies to extract money. I see something similar to this every day, which made the infomercial seem inaccurate. This inconsistency plagued my mind until I recognized that the picture of poverty was incomplete. <br /><br />It’s probable, I’ve come to realize, that there are two types of poverty, and maybe even more. For the moment, however, it’s been easiest to wrap my head around two – poverty of the tangible and poverty of the intangible. <br /><br />Poverty of the tangible would include a lack of materials – living in a hut or hovel or shack; fetching your water from a pond several miles away; having only two sets of clothes and no shoes; playing without toys; eating the same bland rice or millet or cassava every day. But if all you’ve known for your whole life is a hut with plain rice and ratty t-shirt, are you any worse off? <br /><br />The second, and more extreme, kind of poverty is poverty of the intangible – lacking knowledge of the importance of education; lacking the ability to speak your mind or make your own decisions; coping with the mental anguish of losing a parent.<br /><br />After all, you can give a child a book, but if he doesn’t understand the benefits of reading, it’ll end up as fuel for a cooking fire; you can give a girl a condom, but if gender equality doesn’t exist, she can’t even suggest its use; you can give an orphan a mansion, but if he doesn’t have adults to guide him, he’ll soon end up on the streets and the house in disrepair. <br /><br />So, then, the logical conclusion seems to be that the seeds to overcome intangible poverty must first be planted before the war against tangible poverty can be waged. But the question remains: Are the right type of seeds being planted? Is the message getting across? After all, what flourishes in India may wither in Canada. At the moment, it seems to me that the only answer is perseverance and luck; that through one of our relationships the right seed might fall on the right type of soil (and avoid the birds – parable of the mustard seed...anyone?). <br /><br />And now let’s bring this full circle: translation of the message. While I can’t explain to you the details of the poverty I live amongst, I know you understand the message, because intangible poverty exists everywhere – in our country, in our community, in our backyard, in ourselves. So...wherever we are, let’s go ahead, let’s plant those seeds and see if something springs up.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-17482280798471714392011-05-20T08:11:00.000-07:002011-05-20T08:35:27.135-07:00My Favourite Person in Nam...As I was walking to school one day, I met Kasia (by herself) halfway down the driveway. I asked her (in Oshiwambo) where she was going and she said Omahila. It's a 15 minute walk through the bush to get there so I decided I'd better escort her since we were going the same way. On the way, we stopped on the path, sat down and took this little video. She always makes me smile....so I wanted to spread the love!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyAtZ9b_wU2isehm3PjL8mCyq00m7RHeCvwKzGu3SSIfbqvTge1-JFfiJV9AoL2sby6Wg2L4_k9y7UCe4Q1ww' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-16024911006457192692011-05-20T07:56:00.000-07:002011-05-20T08:08:19.257-07:00Cmejla Comes to Visit!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtLm5cb2vdg/TdaDTh3bQRI/AAAAAAAAALY/tfnnfJ3WLSw/s1600/IMG_0034.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtLm5cb2vdg/TdaDTh3bQRI/AAAAAAAAALY/tfnnfJ3WLSw/s320/IMG_0034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608814757468127506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Andrea and Kasia<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehPeGNumqcs/TdaC7uJ3SvI/AAAAAAAAALQ/3BrF70Z3QVw/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehPeGNumqcs/TdaC7uJ3SvI/AAAAAAAAALQ/3BrF70Z3QVw/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608814348449827570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Andrea and Meme Rosa<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvHLPaJy_XY/TdaBqYjY2gI/AAAAAAAAALI/4OJru_mwxSc/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvHLPaJy_XY/TdaBqYjY2gI/AAAAAAAAALI/4OJru_mwxSc/s320/IMG_0029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608812951081900546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Andrea and some of the kids (Moses, Haango, Justina, Petrus & Tangi)Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-44958588092675062652011-05-09T07:16:00.000-07:002011-05-14T07:19:10.666-07:00Adaptation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Holiday time is over...which means back to the village and back to reality.<span style=""> </span>There are benefits – I can finally stop living out of a suitcase and the strain on my pocketbook has somewhat lessened – but there are also drawbacks – the loss of my cherished solitude and diminished dining choices, as well as dealing with bad cell phone reception.<span style=""> </span>After my initial delight to be back home, I went through a bit of a mourning period.<span style=""> </span>During this time of reflection, I became acutely aware of the amazing human ability to adapt.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Maybe I’m going a bit far by attributing this quality only to humans, but it really is amazing.<span style=""> </span>What was once shocking and abnormal quickly becomes regular and expected.<span style=""> </span>There’s a long list of things that I once thought of as scary or strange; now that list is simply titled “The Way Things Are Done.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In most cases, this ability to adapt is a good thing.<span style=""> </span>For example, if I didn’t get used to everyday things – like taking cold showers, being stared at in the street, finding a random ride into to town or scheduling my day around the movement of the sun – my body would be under so much stress it would simply stop functioning.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the good comes the bad, however.<span style=""> </span>There are now things – like a lack of accountability for teachers, working in a school with insufficient materials, or watching people living in unsanitary conditions - that don’t surprise me anymore.<span style=""> </span>I should be extremely concerned when learners are beating up on each other in the schoolyard, but it happens so often that I’ve simply become desensitized to the issue.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the end, whether it is positive or negative, the ability to adapt is a necessary part of life.<span style=""> </span>The world around us is always changing and we must change with it or risk being left behind.<span style=""> </span>I can only hope that the majority of the adjustments I’ve made (conserving water, growing some of my own food, being patient and flexible) will benefit me in the future.<span style=""> </span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-54065470002214199362011-03-28T03:37:00.000-07:002011-04-01T16:03:51.727-07:00Efundja! (Flood!)Before coming to Namibia, the thought of Africa conjured two images: HOT and DRY. These days, there’re only two words on my mind: WATER and FLOODS. Northern Namibia is currently experiencing the worst floods ever recorded. According to an article I read, the water levels are 8 cm higher than the previous record floods in 2008.<br /><br />Just as most other things, it isn’t exactly as you’d imagine it. “Flood” makes me think of rivers overflowing their banks and sweeping away cars and houses, but this kind of flood is different. Since there are no dams, levees or river re-routing, this is a “natural” flood. On one hand, this flooding is expected – north central Namibia is essentially a floodplain.<br /><br />But on the other hand, flooding isn’t a yearly event. From what I’ve read, 2 to 3 major floods occur in each 20 year period (data from the last century). But this is exceptional - in the last few years, we’ve already met this quota with floods in 2008, 2009 and 2011. This makes me fear that global warming will cause years of terrible flooding and terrible drought, therefore terrible suffering, in this area in coming decades. Climate change truly is a global issue.<br /><br />The progress of the floods has been slow, not dramatic: an entire weekend of rain caused the oshanas (shallow, ephemeral lakes) to grow larger and larger and eventually link together. But the main culprit is not the localized rainfall, it is the water from Angola. All of this water slowly moves southward and settles into the Etosha Pan, and Owamboland just happens to be in the path.<br /><br />So, for the past week, we’ve been walking through the flood waters. At times it reminds me of canoeing the Crystal River in central Wisconsin. As I walk through the water, I often catch a glimpse of little silver fish darting in and out of weeds that are bending under the gentle current. But then there are moments that I’m knee-deep in murky, mucky water wondering what type of animals (snakes) or parasites (schisto) might be living in the water.<br /><br />I’m lucky, though – I only live 1 kilometre from the main road and the school, so I’ve had it easy. The majority of my students have to walk for an hour or more, sometimes through waist-high water. Not only is it inconvenient (walking through water takes twice as long), but it’s dangerous. According to an article, 21 students (throughout Namibia) have already drowned. Because of this, many schools (including mine) have temporarily closed until the water recedes.<br /><br />As it became apparent that more and more PCVs were under water, PC decided to move us to a nearby city before the water got so high that it would be impossible to evacuate us in an emergency. So now we wait in limbo – water refugees. (Though I’m not complaining – it’s great to have electricity, a hot shower and TV. Plus, I can watch movies on my computer and read books without being watched! Though I'm sure this won't last for long.)Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-65243539947458996782011-03-12T05:41:00.000-08:002011-03-12T05:45:43.235-08:00You're never alone...literallyA year and a half ago, as I began my final semester at Point, I worried about loneliness. All of my close friends had graduated, as had the majority of my acquaintances. I was no longer president of my college’s chapter of the American Cancer Society, meaning I would be much less involved and, in fact, my schedule didn’t even allow me to make the meetings. And I was moving into a two-bedroom apartment with a random roommate, a mile from campus. As it turned out, however, loneliness was not at all a problem; between school (with its cursed undergrad thesis) and work (coaching levels 4-8 at the Y) I stayed completely occupied.<br /><br />The year 2011 has again brought of thoughts of loneliness...or the lack thereof. I’ve always heard that Americans are strangely solitary and independent, but I’d never thought anything of it. How can you when you’ve lived your entire life in a culture that embraces those characteristics? Now I’m beginning to grasp a better understanding.<br /><br />Each day, I search for ways to be alone but invisible. It’s more challenging that you’d think.<br /><br />During the school day, there’s a steady stream of distractions: lessons to teach, students with questions, copies to be made, teachers to chat with, library books to be checked out, make-up tests to be administered, re-teaching and pre-teaching and, my biggest frustration, a near-constant group of teacherless students running about the school yard, playing, fighting and generally making a ruckus.<br /><br />I’m also keenly aware that I’m being observed all the time. Even at school, where I’ve been a constant figure for 14 weeks, I often still feel like a zoo animal. It’s usually the primary school children that camp outside my door, staring in or lingering for an unnatural amount of time as they walk by. But even the older students are watching. Yesterday I was told by my host sister that one of the girls from her class reported back that I was eating eembe (berries) and drinking tea in my office. I can only imagine how quickly word would spread if I was eating a pizza and Skyping with friends in America!<br /><br />The interest in my every movement is not just confined to the schoolyard. At home, as I’m preparing rice for the next day’s lunch, baking banana bread or washing my dishes, I often have an audience. The little girls from my house sit in the chairs and watch me work, even though they’ve seen me cook and clean many times before. One Saturday I was helping cultivate mahangu, and the next day another teacher told me she’s seen me out in the fields. Twice now, I’ve taken five or ten minutes in the morning to pick eembe from the tree to take for lunch and later come home to find a bowl of them in the sitting room, a gift to me from mekulu. How she knew that I was picking berries in the morning, I have no idea. I’m usually the first up and the first to leave, so no more than one or two people could have seen me.<br /><br />Even my Namibian colleagues take note. If I go for a whole day without stopping by their office, they joke about my antisocial behaviour. I once tried to explain the American need for solitude to one of my younger but very opinionated colleagues. Our conversation ended with her declaring that the overabundance of alone time is why Americans spend so much time with psychiatrists.<br /><br />My natural introvertedness has further compounded this issue. By the time I get home from school each day, I’m exhausted. It’s already 6 or 7 o’clock, I have a bit of cleaning and cooking to do, and then I just want to read or write and go to bed. Even THIS gets noticed. I’ve had people tell me that it’s not healthy or natural for one to sit alone in their room (maybe they think I’m just sitting there?). When I read outside, however, it’s internally more stressful than being inside: instead of relaxing, I’m worried about what the others think (I’m sitting and reading while they’re working) or I’m trying to figure out what’s going on (as they chatter away in Oshiwambo).<br /><br />In an effort to cope, I attempt to find less conspicuous ways to be alone. One is staying after school. Once 4:01 hits and the schoolyard has emptied out, I can finally clear my mind enough to think, reflect and plan. A dark, cramped office with little air circulation and a hard wooden chair are hardly conducive to divine inspiration, but it works. I even spend many of my weekend hours at school. Another cherished ritual is my walk to and from school each day. It’s 20 minutes of near-solitude. Just me and my iPod. I’ve actually turned down free rides home in order to preserve my time alone. Although I cherish sleep more than nearly anything else, I purposely choose to wake up early in order to enjoy the cool morning air in peace and quiet. The other only other escape I’ve (begrudgingly) agreed to is a workshop for Life Skills teachers next week. I hate missing school but it’ll probably be good to get away, if only for a bit.<br /><br />In the end, however, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Despite my occasional (though sometimes urgent) longing for an apartment of my own or an isolated hut in a field, life on a homestead has offered me so many experiences and opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s given me a Namibian family and clearer picture of everyday Vambo life, both a big part of the reason I came here in the first place.<br /><br />Now if only I could remind myself of that the next time I feel like a living museum exhibit.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-1758723070681350202011-02-25T01:53:00.000-08:002011-02-27T01:53:51.519-08:00Dreams of Cold Water...Up in Smoke<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> 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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">For four months now, I’ve lived without a fridge.<span style=""> </span>That means no cold water, no leftovers, no milk, no meat and no ice cream.<span style=""> </span>Given this, I was pretty excited when a beautiful new gas fridge showed up at my house a week ago.<span style=""> </span>In celebration, I even went to the grocery store and bought a box of (long life) milk and a box of Kellogg’s bran flakes (though I didn’t notice until I started snacking on them that they expired last month – always, ALWAYS check the expiration date before you buy food in Nam).<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Having never even lit a gas stove before coming to Nam, I didn’t feel qualified to connect the fridge myself so I put off the set up for nearly a week because there never an older, adult male around to do it (just me, the memes and the kids).<span style=""> </span>Finally, under pressure to report back to the ministry about whether it was working or not, I asked my 18 year-old brother to set it up last night.<span style=""> </span>As he worked with another younger boy to connect it to the gas and get it lit, I tidied up the kitchen, fetched water, brought some dirty dishes from my room and generally watched from the sidelines.<span style=""> </span>After it was going, I checked a few times to see if it was feeling cooler (it wasn’t) and decided I’d have to be patient and wait til morning to reach a real conclusion.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Due to the fact that there’s no electricity (therefore not a lot to do after the sun sets) and I’m one of those people that NEEDS at least eight hours of sleep to function properly, I usually head to bed around 9 or 9:30, read for a bit and then fall asleep.<span style=""> </span>As I was reading in my bed around 9:30, I heard a bit of commotion and the word “omeya” (water) outside but I didn’t think anything of it – there’s often commotions happening outside my window.<span style=""> </span>A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door and the message, “Miss, you must come see this.”<span style=""> </span>I walked outside to find the fridge on fire.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eventually, the burning fridge was dragged outside, tipped on its side and sand used to extinguish the fire.<span style=""> </span>Thankfully, the only other damage was a scorch mark or two on the painted cement-block wall.<span style=""> </span>After the flames had ceased, we spent a time standing around marvelling in disbelief (at least I was) and investigating the charred backside to figure out what had caused the fire.<span style=""> </span>As most everything was said in Oshiwambo, I’m still not exactly sure what started the blaze, but from what I gathered, I think the hose connecting the gas tank and the fridge had been too close to the heating element and had melted.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Having had nothing to do with the set up, I did not have to endure the horrible pangs of guilt that I doubtlessly would’ve felt had I been the one who put it together.<span style=""> </span>Instead I stood there in disbelief, alternating between feelings of amusement and amazement.<span style=""> </span>Obviously, it is worthless to become upset over something that is completely out of your control.<span style=""> </span>The excitement over and the damage already done, I decided to go to bed.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apparently, however, my acceptance of the situation was only conscious, not subconscious.<span style=""> </span>That night I slept horribly!<span style=""> </span>A few hours after falling asleep, I awoke to find myself at the end of my bed, sitting on my mosquito net (luckily I did not pull it out of the ceiling), putting on my flip flops and attempting to unlock my door (now I realize that locking the door is more of a precautionary measure to protect me from myself than to protect me from others).<span style=""> </span>After the sleep walking incident, I tossed and turned to bad dreams, including a bad substitute teaching incident and my computer being stolen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What will become of the fridge situation, I’m really not sure.<span style=""> </span>Obviously, it will be returned to the ministry because it won’t function anymore, at least not safely – and we don’t need ANOTHER fire!<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure how kindly the ministry will look upon me after I destroyed their brand new fridge.<span style=""> </span>I’d be shocked if they willingly offered up another one.<span style=""> </span>A nearby volunteer has offered me her unused electric fridge, but we have to go through the ministry to get approval for that.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps I was just not meant to have cold water or perishable food in Namibia.<span style=""> </span>Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise...After all, how many people can say they lived two years without a fridge?</p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-83043570580332506382011-02-22T01:51:00.000-08:002011-02-27T01:53:04.482-08:00Celebrating Six Months....<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The 18<sup>th</sup> of February marked the 6<sup> </sup>month anniversary of my arrival in Namibia so I decided it was a good time to stop and reflect.<span style=""> </span>The first thing I thought of was how different my life is today than it was just six months ago.<span style=""> </span>I have very fond memories of my 4.5 years in Stevens Point and for some reason the memory of late-night trips to County Market and Walmart popped into my mind.<span style=""> </span>That was always my favourite – doing my grocery shopping in peace and quiet at 11 PM on a Saturday when the isles were deserted.<span style=""> </span>Some of you might recall how I could spend hours at the grocery store, wandering the isles, walking back and forth across the store to collect ingredients I’d forgotten or <span style=""> </span>suddenly realized I wanted.<span style=""> </span>This mini-daydream also reminded me that sometimes I’d drive from my apartment to the grocery store which was just a five minute walk away (but, in my defence, I did walk sometimes and I also often rode my bike).<span style=""> </span>Still, I don’t think I realized how lucky I was at the time.<span style=""> </span>Now I walk 20 minutes just to get to school or to the road to find a ride into town.<span style=""> </span>I’d also hop in my car when I wanted to go to Walmart or if I needed to get to the YMCA and it was raining.<span style=""> </span>Which brings me to another topic – things I miss.<span style=""> </span>With that introduction, I’d like to present to you my “Most-Missed List” (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Preface: Obviously, the thing I miss the most is all of you – my friends and family – but I think that goes without saying so I’m not including it on the list.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4.<span style=""> </span>My car – after a particularly rough day with grade 6 a few weeks ago, I was sitting in my office at school trying to reflect on the lesson and understand where things had gone wrong.<span style=""> </span>For some reason, however, I just couldn’t find the motivation and concentration necessary to do the reflection.<span style=""> </span>I tried to think of how I could get the job done and I realized that, in America, I did most of my reflecting in my car on the drive to/from work or school.<span style=""> </span>At that moment, I really wanted to hop in my car and go for a drive so I could figure things out.<span style=""> </span>I never realized that a drive has three elements necessary for a good reflection – solitude, beautiful scenery and good music.<span style=""> </span>And cars also offer another wonderful benefit: independence – you can go wherever you want whenever you want.<span style=""> </span>Craving ice cream?<span style=""> </span>Coldstone’s not far away.<span style=""> </span>Had a morning that’s dragged on?<span style=""> </span>Starbucks at lunch.<span style=""> </span>Feeling bored?<span style=""> </span>Why not road trip to Florida!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">3.<span style=""> </span>Coaching gymnastics – I’m not sure what sparks the memories of my coaching days, but I think of my gymnasts often.<span style=""> </span>I miss them dearly and since I haven’t heard from any of them (insert sad face here) I’m not sure how their season is going but I’m sure they’re doing well.<span style=""> </span>I may have been thinking of gymnastics because it was an example of a time when I was able to clearly see (and even measure) my student’s progress.<span style=""> </span>Whether it was a back handspring on beam, proper form on tap swings or a round-off back handspring without a spot it was incredibly rewarding to see the girls learn and master a new skill.<span style=""> </span>And in Namibia, thus far, it’s been difficult to tell how much progress my students have been making in English.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2.<span style=""> </span>The selection of food – returning to the tales of the grocery store, I fondly remember days when my college friend Kristen and I would go to County Market and enjoy a baked good (usually a muffin) at the secret tables upstairs overlooking the produce section while discussing the events of the weekend.<span style=""> </span>While the muffins were delicious, it is the beautiful array of produce that I miss even more.<span style=""> </span>At almost any grocery store in America you can find an incredible selection of fresh produce and, generally, this produce is offered at a fairly reasonable price.<span style=""> </span>The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Namibia.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I often find myself craving fruits and vegetables – lettuce, oranges, spinach, pineapples, radishes, bing cherries, peaches, nectarines, celery, cherry tomatoes, grapefruit, olives.<span style=""> </span>And don’t even get me started on dairy products!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1.<span style=""> </span>Snow – alright, I know everyone in Wisconsin is probably rolling their eyes in disgust, but I really, REALLY miss the snow.<span style=""> </span>By the time March rolled around I was looking forward to spring as much as the next person, but while the snow was around I really enjoyed it.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes I just close my eyes and remember what it was like – walking down a carless, tree-lined street at night, the stillness and silence surrounding me, the snow crunching under my feet, the peace and solitude of watching the snow gently fall down and feeling like I was walking in a snowglobe.<span style=""> </span>Or ice skating at dusk on the little skating rink Chris had cleared on the lake, just far enough from shore that the sounds of traffic on the highway were absent, gliding on the ice in complete, utter silence.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the process of reflecting on these past six months, I also realized how much I’ve learned.<span style=""> </span>The long list of things I’ve learned makes me marvel at the human ability to adapt.<span style=""> </span>Things I couldn’t even have fathomed six months ago now seem normal to me.<span style=""> </span>So here’s a little sampling of the new things I’ve learned to do:</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Wash laundry by hand (you’d be AMAZED how much dirt and dye comes out of clothes)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Wash dishes without a cloth (that’s right, it’s completely possible!)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Hitchhike (please, don’t panic, this is Namibia, not America – it’s the way people get around here)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Sow, cultivate and pound mahangu (I can pound for an hour now without getting blisters – quite the improvement!)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Light a gas oven (not a burner, the oven – at first it was rather scary)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Collect rainwater (an essential survival skill when water isn’t running at the tap and the water in the oshanas nearby is a mucky grey and quite possibly infected with schisto)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Live without a refrigerator (although I’m pretty positive my nutrition has suffered)</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Pluck a chicken (and not wince when its head is chopped off – tho I have yet to wield the machete myself or hold the twitching chicken’s body)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">All in all, the first six months have been great – a wonderful learning experience, everything I wanted and nothing I expected!<span style=""> </span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-34361276230115932932011-02-17T07:05:00.000-08:002011-02-27T01:51:07.341-08:00Pounding Mahangu<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzKx1kazGm9yCze59DoryTO8nMtQaaMTHL3L5WG1vohh6SMS_N22WiS_rDkk5Qw76APYpOosNJY0km1L-hI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />This is how mahangu (pearl millet) is pounded into flour to make the oshithima.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-45293956320832006202011-02-17T02:56:00.000-08:002011-02-17T06:13:09.588-08:00Chairs & Internet: Say WHAT?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]-->I don’t have a lot to say today, I just really wanted to add some pictures.<span style=""> </span>Things at school are still up and down, especially with grade 6.<span style=""> </span>Some days I feel ready to declare victory while others I feel defeated...but the days continue on.<span style=""> </span>I’ve done some crosswords with the kids and they’re really seemed to like those so I’m going to keep on going with that and hopefully find a few more things that work well.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Some good news: there’s free wireless internet at the library in Outapi!<span style=""> </span>This is wonderful news.<span style=""> </span>The only down side is that the library is only open M-F until 5 PM.<span style=""> </span>This means that if I scoot out of school right away at 2 I can get a solid 2.5 hours in before the library closes.<span style=""> </span>And...our school got 50 new chairs!<span style=""> </span>This is great news!<span style=""> </span>Now almost all of the kids have a place to sit.<span style=""> </span>However, this one has a down side, too.<span style=""> </span>The quality of the chairs is very low so they won’t last long.<span style=""> </span>Some of them are already breaking.<span style=""> </span>But, at least, we have chairs, if only for the moment.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And now...some pictures (they really are worth a thousand words, aren’t they?)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-10H4wPBYNyE/TV0BiI2G_2I/AAAAAAAAAK4/D65L_DCmENY/s1600/DSC08663.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-10H4wPBYNyE/TV0BiI2G_2I/AAAAAAAAAK4/D65L_DCmENY/s320/DSC08663.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574613599756156770" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">PHOTO: The Oshiwambo traditional spinach, called ombidi. It is a combination of a few different green plants that grow wildly in the area. Reminds me a little of collard greens. Ombidi is eaten with the oshithima instead of meat.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ7mcnNrXYk/TV0C4DUxvEI/AAAAAAAAALA/1AG5Xc6bbnY/s1600/DSC08665.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ7mcnNrXYk/TV0C4DUxvEI/AAAAAAAAALA/1AG5Xc6bbnY/s320/DSC08665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574615075742923842" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">PHOTO: Eembe, berries, that grow on big trees in the homestead. Some might say they are an acquired taste but I've acquired that taste. They can be eaten fresh off the tree or dried and are used to make a drink. The ones on the left have been drying in the sun for a few days, the ones on the right are fairly fresh.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6VRuNWv3kE/TV0AgBPswjI/AAAAAAAAAKw/-5l81G3fx4Y/s1600/DSC08668.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6VRuNWv3kE/TV0AgBPswjI/AAAAAAAAAKw/-5l81G3fx4Y/s320/DSC08668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574612463844639282" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />PHOTO: A closer look at the berries. Unfortunately they are 1/2 fruit, 1/2 pit so you really have to work to get the most out of them. But it's worth it.Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209675112589726285.post-53942232130584522582011-02-11T15:43:00.000-08:002011-02-12T15:44:35.174-08:00Some Days...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m writing this entry to let you know that although I love Nam, every day isn’t just a walk in the park.<span style=""> </span>Some days are extremely challenging, especially those when I’m not getting anywhere in the classroom (and in grade 6, let me tell you, that happens a lot).<span style=""> </span>On those days, I have to fill my head with positive messages just so I can make it through the school day.<span style=""> </span>It goes something like this...</p> <p class="MsoNormal">They’re not ignoring you, they just don’t understand.<span style=""> </span>It’s not a constant undercurrent of chattering, they’re just translating for each other.<span style=""> </span>Don’t worry, they’re just as frustrated as you are.<span style=""> </span>They’re not trying to drive you crazy.<span style=""> </span>It doesn’t mean they don’t like you.<span style=""> </span>They’re not trying to annoy you or be disrespectful, they’re just floundering in a new situation.<span style=""> </span>They’re still young and they’re not sure how to handle themselves when they’re confused or lost.<span style=""> </span>They also don’t understand what you’re going through: that you left your friends and family thousands of miles away and gave up many comforts of home to come here and teach them.<span style=""> </span>They’re adolescents, they haven’t yet developed the ability to empathize with others.<span style=""> </span>They’re not trying to frustrate you so much that you leave, they’re just expressing their own frustration in the only way they know how.<span style=""> </span>They want to understand you and they want to learn, they’re just scared of making mistakes.<span style=""> </span>They’re not used to an environment where learning from your mistakes and others is encouraged and accepted. <span style=""> </span>They have a lot on their plate; maybe they were cultivating in the fields all day yesterday or they didn’t eat anything this morning.<span style=""> </span>You can do this, you are not wasting your time, it will work out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every job comes with its challenges and this is certainly no exception.<span style=""> </span></p>Kim Beckmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06961302476312567064noreply@blogger.com1