The Real Africa

Well, this concludes my third full day at the homestead. On Saturday, after a long day of travel (10+ hours) I arrived at my permanent site. Since then, I’ve spent the majority of my time either at school or in the outdoor kitchen.

My daily routine goes something like this: Wake up at 6 to wash, dress, eat breakfast, etc. Then at 7, I leave with the children from the homestead to walk to school. It’s about a kilometer to the school, through the bush on a sandy road. At school I observe a few classes, entertain the students by teaching them a game (Heads Up 7up) or song (the Iggle Wiggle) if a teacher doesn’t show up (proctoring exams, at a meeting, marking papers or absent for some other reason). After the tea(less) break I stay in the office (large supply closet with shelves for books and three tables for three teachers) and work on plowing through the mounds of paperwork and other recreational reading that I’ve received in the past 8 weeks from Peace Corps. At some point during this time, one of my colleagues walks in and we have a chat, attempting to pass the time until 4 when afternoon study concludes and we can all go home. At four, I begin the hike back with the kids, feeling like the Pied Piper because I have a crowd of uniformed students trailing behind.















With my host mom, Julianna, at the Swearing In Ceremony in traditional Damara dress.


At home, I relax in my room for a few moments and then move to the sitting room for oshikundu (traditional drink made of fermented mahangu) with the elder girls. Soon after, we eat the afternoon meal, consisting of rice, pasta or oshithima (mahangu-maize meal porridge) flavored by ketchup and the broth left from cooking the meat. Once the meal is done and the dishes are cleaned (no running water so dishes are done in a basin on the floor), the fire is started for the evening meal. The evening meal is nearly always oshithima, sometimes with a piece of beef. By the time the meal actually begins it is past 8 PM and already dark so the table is lit by a small lantern. Once I’m done eating I head straight for bed because, let’s face it, I’m exhausted. After brushing my teeth (taking my nalgene along for rinse water), I read for a bit or write a letter and finally drift off. Thankfully, I’ve now moved into a room with a window so I’m able to keep it open during the night and it gets cool enough so that I can sleep without sweating excessively and tossing around fitfully.














With my principal, Mrs. Ashipala, at Swearing In, this time wearing a traditional Owambo dress (yes, I am aware of my resemblance to Where's Waldo?!)

I can foresee many challenges ahead (which I may delve into during a later post), but right now I’m simply thankful for the big family that I live with. There are always kids running around and they keep me entertained. I’ve learned so much from them already and, simply said, they make me smile! I hope you enjoy the pictures of some of them! Until next time…