Cue the Music...

(Photo: My host mom Juliana, PCV Chris, me, Chris's host mom, my host auntie)

The winds of change are blowing in Namibia…literally, rainy season is approaching. It is getting warmer and there are clouds in the sky nearly every day now. Soon water droplets will fall from the sky in the tiny miracle we call “rain” for the first time in several months. I may actually go dance in the rain when it happens (someone please cue “Africa” by Toto).

First, I should begin with the big news: electricity and water. Last week, NamPower shut off the electricity for half a day because the municipality owes some millions of Nollars (an easy way to distinguish Namibian Dollars from US Dollars). Needless to say, the constituents of the municipality were not too pleased and could be found demonstrating outside the town hall. Something must have been done to smooth things over because the electricity has been working since, but the threat to cut the power continues to loom (and the same situation exists for water).

(Photo: Women in traditional Otjiherero clothing. Yes, those are horns on their heads. Yes, you can see a dozen or so outfits like this walking around town on any given day)

Thankfully, no power was needed for cultural food day, just fire wood. I have to say, it was quite a feat: over 60 people (including PCVs and trainers) cooking for three times that many. The most interesting food item was caterpillars, an Owambo food. They were black and chewy, about the circumference of a finger and half the length. Another highlight (or lowlight) of the day was watching live chickens face their demise. Needless to say, I didn’t eat any chicken that day.

In other news, site announcements were made on Friday (9/17). I will be going to…(drum roll, please)… a village near Outapi. Outapi is a town in northern Namibia, northwest of Ondongwa. According to the paperwork I received, the village population is about 500 and the combined school (grades 1-10) population is about 350. Site visits begin the end of this week and continue over the weekend and into the next week so more info about my village will follow.

(Photo: My mosquito-netted bed)

I received my first piece of mail on Wednesday (9/15). The excitement level was comparable to that of Christmas for a 10 year old – and I am not exaggerating. So…I would like to thank Ms. Noel Meyers for sending me mail and publicly shame the rest of you for not sending anything! Don’t worry, though, you still have over 24 months to make up for it. Be forewarned, however, that mail takes a MINIMUM of two weeks to reach me…and a more realistic estimate is 3-4 weeks.

I’d like to conclude with an American Moment (cue patriotic music here). Please close your eyes and imagine: a ragtag group of Peace Corps volunteers, some still dressed in business causal, playing fastpitch softball against a group of uniformed 8th and 9th grade Namibian boys on a soccer field. It was pretty wonderful and altogether indescribable.

(Photo: my house while I'm staying with a host family for training)

Before you go, scroll down to my first post from Nam (way back in August) because I added some sweet pics from a hike).

A Laundry Paradigm Shift

What a weekend! First, Windhoek, then church, dinner and laundry. I know this doesn’t SOUND like an interesting day in the States, but it makes for an interesting weekend in Nam.

Windhoek was quite an experience for several reasons. First, the cell phone buying debacle. Without boring you with the details, I felt like I was lost in a corn maze (hasn’t actually happened but I can imagine how it would go). Thankfully I finally made it out of the maze with a cell phone and I’m now happily discovering the fabulosity of T9 - which reminds me of the fact that I had to move to Africa in order to get texting and email (maybe even internet) on my phone – somebody please explain to me how that works!

Unfortunately, the only places we were able to see in Windhoek were the mall (Western culture at its finest) and the Old Location/Katatura (yet again, Westernism in its prime). Quick history lesson for those lacking in Nam historical knowledge: in the late 50s, during apartheid (South Africa ruled Nam for about 7 decades following WWI), non-whites were forced to move from the Old Location to new racially segregated neighborhoods outside of Windhoek (one of which was Katatura). Does this ring any bells? Indian Removal Act of 1830 and Andrew Jackson? Anyone?

Sunday morning began with church. My family was planning on going to church (in another neighborhood) but the transportation arrangements broke down. So…I somehow ended up going with a neighbor hosting another PCV. Again, I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say: I’ve done WI churches, clapped along in Honduran churches and hallelujahed in Baptist Mississippi churches, but nothing prepared me for an experience like this. From praise to anguish, this service (of 15 people including the accordion-playing pastor) topped them all.

After church (which lasted from 9 until about 11), the neighbor PCV (Chris) and I continued our Sunday experience by starting our joint dinner (Wisconsinese: supper) meal - tacos. Easy, right? Not if you’ve never made homemade tortillas. Needless to say, after nearly 4 hours of cooking, we are seasoned tortilla makers (no pun intended, really). It was worth all the effort, however, because the tacos (and cottage cheese crescent rolls for dessert) were well received.

Finally, laundry. Handwashing an item of clothing is one thing; handwashing an entire load of laundry is another. I just hope that all my clothes will survive two years of serious scrubbing and color-leeching laundry soap. Thankfully, I had a wonderful Namibian teacher (auntie) and translator (sister). After that experience (take-home prize: two blisters), my definition of “dirty” has radically changed.

My first "safari"

(Photo: Namibian thorn tree - beautiful but painful)

Today we traveled to the capital city, Windhoek. Unfortunately, I spent most of the day stressing over the abundance of choices for cell phones (and an equally unmanageable list of prices, specials, etc). Despite the debacle, I am relieved to have a cell phone again - and I have texting, something I didn't even have back in the States.

The most interesting part of the trip may have been the drive - on the way I saw all kinds of Namibian animals: giraffes, baboons, kudu (large deer-like animals with curly horns) and even an ostrich. At first, the animal-watching was rather frustrating (I can spot a turkey or a deer - no problem - but how do you go about finding giraffes or baboons?) but eventually I caught on.

Today was also a day of contrasts. We moved from a winding two-story Western-style mall to neighborhoods of tin shacks and sheebeens (bars). Although a middle class does exist, differences like those I experienced today are a reminder of Namibia's large income gap - one of the largest in the world, actually.

Clicks & Clacks

The newest chapter of my Namibian experience has officially begun. On August 25 I moved in with my host family. I'll be staying here for the next six weeks. Although some great Peace Corps Volunteer (hereafter known as PCV) group bonding time is being sacrificed, I couldn't be happier to move in with my family. I live in a mini convent (with mami, auntie and sister), which I absolutely love. I couldn't ask for a nicer house either - there's a big kitchen, bathroom with hot, running water, a refrigerator and stove/oven, a sitting room with TV and four bedrooms (one of which is mine). There's also a tiny but energetic black "guard dog" that I call "Are-eeb," which means dog in Khoekhoegowab, because I can't rememeber its real name.

Speaking of Khoekhoegowab...yes, that's right. I'm talking about one of those languages that you might have heard about with the clicks. While my teenaged sister speaks beautiful English (and understands my very fast paced Wisconsinese), Auntie speaks Khoekhoe and Afrikaans but not much English. Therefore, I'm learning some Khoekhoe and Afrikaans to communicate with her around the house. Right now I just click a lot and we laugh frequently about my inadequate clicking - there are several different tones and types of clicks but I somehow only manage to make one, and sometimes if I'm lucky, two. Although Khoekhoe is fun (and certainly sweet sounding), I think I am going to focus more on Afrikaans (A) because it is easier and (B) because it's more widely spoken around the country. I'm also learning Oshidonga at training which means I'll end up gaining basic knowledge but not fluency in all the language (story of my language-learning life).

Before I sign off, I'd like to share with you the top three things that amuse me about Nam:

3) Ne? - English sentences often end in "ne?" (pron: nay) which is Canadian/Minnesotan/sometimes Wisconsin equivalent of "eh?"

2) Namibian jokes - I often laugh simply because of their anticlimactic ending. I'd post one for you but you'd be left more confused than anything.

1) Shades of Sin - a Nam soapie. Oh but wait, it gets better: it's really a Spanish soap opera set (and maybe even produced) in Brazil dubbed in English by Americans with varying degrees of talent in acting/general vocal expression. I'm not sure if you can find it on Youtube or not, but if you get a chance, look it up!

Finally, I'll be making my first trip to the post office tomorrow and several of you will be receiving letters (within a time span that may range from several weeks to a month or two). Please don't hesitate to write me.

P.S. - ATTN PILGRIM CENTER STAFF: Just wanted to let you all know that I went on a hike up a nearby hill/small mountain (at least by WI standards) and was nature shanked several times on the way by thorn trees. I have several small puncture wounds and bruises on my legs to prove it. Also, thanks for the beautiful card...your encouragement is greatly appreciated!

The First Report From Namibia

Ah...my first blog post. WELCOME...and thanks for reading. I'll try to keep it brief, light and interesting (okay, I only said TRY). So, I'd like to begin with a joke about the British brought to you by my dear friend Chris (who reminds me of Reid BTW) (and I would also like to add the disclaimer that I love my British friends, the Queen and the Brits in general, but this joke was too good to pass up!):

Q: How come the sun never sets on the British Empire?
A: Because God doesn't trust them in the dark.

Good one, right? I know all the historians out there are secretly cracking up inside. Okay, all jokes aside, a little bit about Namibia (furthermore abbreviated Nam). First, I'm loving it here so far. It is very different from home, especially the weather, but I think I'll adjust. It is very chilly here in the evening, over night and in the morning (sweatshirt, jeans and socks needed) and warm during the day (tshirt and shorts - or here, a skirt). I don't think the landscape can quite be described as desert but I'd definitely call it arid. It hasn't rained since May, but to be fair, it is also winter at the moment and we're just moving into the rainy season (please note: rainy seasons does not equal monsoon season).

There are 44 (soon to be 45) people in our group. Although we come from many different education backgrounds we'll all be teaching (English, science, math or IT) or helping with small business. The group is great - we have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. Since we don't have TV or internet and are busy during the daylight hours, we spend a lot of evenings playing cards.

We're still in training, in central Nam. Tomorrow we will be moving in with our host families. I met the family today and am very excited to move in. I will be living with a mom, auntie and little sister (16), who will be leaving in two weeks for boarding school about an hour from home. We will be staying with our host families for 6 weeks, learning language, culture and life skills (i.e. how to [hand] wash clothes, how to make Nam dishes). I've been put in the group that will be learning Oshindonga, but my host family speaks a Khoesan (click) language (as well as English) so I, unfortunately, will not be able to practice with them. Hopefully I'll be able to impress you all with my clicks, though!

The internet is hard to come by, especially since we are in session all day and the internet cafe is closed in the evenings and on the weekends. So if I don't write, I'm not neglecting you, I'm just "disconnected."

And finally, if you write me I promise to write back (as long as it is successfully delivered - the mail is generally reliable but not completely perfect) and if you are in the area, please come visit: Nam is gorgeous! My address can be found on my Facebook or email me at kjbeckman AT gmail.

And since I haven't quite figured out how best to post pictures, I'm just going to narrate what these are of...these are part of an album called Conquering Pride Rock. During the first week of training we decided to take a little hike through the bush up that (below) hill. Despite the thorn bushes, it was a wonderful time and the views were fantastic. Thanks bunches to Matt (our official photographer) for taking all these wonderful pictures.

Greetings from Japan

It is amazing that I have been in Japan for a month and a half already and haven't been able to post anything online. Maybe that has to do with Japan's extreme lack of WiFi! I was expecting WiFi networks to be everywhere - but they're definitely not. We have spent most of our time at Global Arena, a facility on the outskirts of a small town. GA only has three computers with Windows 98 and very slow internet. Additionally, the "library" is only open from 11-7 each day. To give you and idea of the boredom we feel at Global Arena, here is a little story: The highlight of our day yesterday was a 2km walk (in between rice paddys) to the convenience store 7-11. We bought some snacks and then began the 2km hike back.

We are currently in the middle of our 8th camp. Only one more to go. Each camp consists of 3 days - about 72 straight hours with the kids. We do different English activities, play lots of different games (like frogger, zoomie zoomie, bang bang, screaming feet and others) and do some fun activities like American Carnival. The second day is definitely the most difficult. We begin the day at 630 AM, sometimes with wake up music played over the sound system. We have radio exercies at 7 AM (everyone in Japan knows this 3 minutes of exercises!). After that is clean up and then breakfast at 8. Throughout the day we work on My Story and Camp Skit (junior high groups) and Activity Stations (elementary groups). At night we have a campfire with s'mores and campfire songs (like baby shark, the frog song, boom chica boom and la tush).

There are 20 ACs (American counselors - I am one of them), 4 JCs (Japanese counselors), 1 AD (American Director - Ben) and 1 JD (Japanese Director - Tomo) on each team. We were all together for the first six camps but have recently been split up into two groups (sometimes at different locations). We were 26 very different people throw into one crazy situation and we've all become quite good friends. We are an extroverted but low drama (stable) team that works very well together. We are one of two teams in the running for the Jim Healy award (given to the best team every summer). I think we deserve the award but we will have to wait until the end of the summer to find out.

After talking with many ACs, I have decided that this camp really isn't about teaching English. Most kids don't dramatically increase their vocabulary or suddenly correct their grammar or pronunciation. It is about teaching them that English is fun. The kids' favorite times are game time, My Town, American Carnival, dance party and campfire. The ACs serve more as entertainers/babysitters than what we would think of in America as "teachers".

Japan in general has been great. It is a gorgeous, mountainous country. Our group (Team 2) has been able to go to the beach twice and went to the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki. As a team we've traveled to several different locations outside of Global Arena (Fukuoka) including Obama and Isahaya (Nagasaki prefecture) and Oita (Oita prefecture). Cole and I spent three days in Nagasaki and had a great time. We spent a whole day at the beach on the island Ioujima, went to the Nagasaki History & Culture Museum and the Dejima Museum, and rode a cable car to the top of Mt. Inasa for a beautiful view of the city at night.

It is already August 24th and crazy to think that I'll be home in exactly one week. Although it's been an amazing experience, "camp" has become very tiring and I'm excited to see my family and Stevens Point friends and begin a great semester of school and work! Until then....

Leaving PC...

So tomorrow I leave Pilgrim Center for a week at home before I take off on July 9. I have to read a few books and write a paper plus pack for Japan and for the move back to Stevens Point. But my real point is that I really don't want to leave. I never imagined that I'd be having such a great time and that, if given a choice, I would probably stay here instead of going on an international adventure. I guess it must be all the fantabulous people at PC that make me want to stay! I will miss you all - and I promise to send a postcard or two. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!