Part 1 April 23-29

Wow, it has been three weeks since I last blogged! Things have just been up and down and all over the place. Also, one tends to lose a bit of motivation, but I hope to write three blogs, one for each week I didn’t write. 

This week was just another week of training. We had a sexual harassment training; it was good but I was definitely sleepy. My friendships have really started to blossom. The 24^th was a pretty awesome day! My language class with Thenga, our Rukwangali trainer, went very well. I slept at lunch and read. We had a session on OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and nutrition. The nutrition part was useful to me. Later, we practiced our speeches for swearing-in. This was the first practice and I was extremely excited. I love public speaking and feel it is one of my strengths. It went so well! The trainers gave some really great encouragement. I still wanted to practice more, though, because I stumbled over some words. 

Today was movie and pizza day, and I was very excited for it. Some of our event committee people ordered pizza from the Garden Café and set up a projector. We watched “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” I didn’t really pay attention though because I wanted to talk to people while watching the movie. It worked out in my favor when we had to switch venues. I went outside with one of my friends and we stargazed and talked. It was amazing! It felt, for the first time, that I was back in the states with friends for a night out on the town. 

The 25^th had some rough spots, but it was still a good day! I was so tired and exhausted. Language class was good. Got in a discouraged mood, and then negative things seemed to roll in, one after another. We were supposed to practice our flash mob that we planned to do at the All-Volunteer Conference, but I was really distracted. A comment was also made about my dancing; it came at a bad time, so I didn’t participate in this session. Later that day we went to the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) shelter. I had one of those really touching moments when this little boy latched onto my hand and held it during the entire tour. He kept trying to grab other female volunteer’s hands and force our hands together, the little matchmaker. The OVC visit was good! However, funding has been cut so they are having to rely on private donations. 

Later that day I went to my friend’s place and relaxed. On the way back, a huge, stupid dog chased me. I look back on it now and it is really funny about what I said. I was really nervous about this dog because it was big and because my neighborhood back in the US had a lot of stray guard dogs. I, comically, kept my knife with me, just in case, but I was worried that I might get in trouble if the dog attacked ME and I stabbed it. Haha I was worried the dog would be the victim because apparently, this dog is known as a biter, yet nothing had been done about him. I was texting one of my friends the entire time. I was serious about what I was saying, but she and another good friend of mine, were laughing hardcore together (Yes, I’m naming names Crystal and Kaitlynn)! I didn’t realize it sounded so comical until I looked back at my texts. I felt somewhat foolish. My pals are never going to let me live that down! After that, I went to bed because I was so tired.

The 26^th was the hardest day of my time in Namibia. I woke up extremely stressed. This sucky day was mainly due to some group dynamics amongst the trainees. People were irritable; issues were popping up. I was really down. There were several factors that made things worse: I was waking up at 3am or other odd hours every day for weeks; I was not eating as I should have, which was my fault entirely; I was on medication for my Coxsachie virus as well as the malaria medicine. I felt so discouraged that I was physically sick. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to my host home, but I knew I needed to get away to think. I got permission and left until after lunch. During this time I did a lot of thinking. I won’t go into details about exactly what I was thinking, just the solutions I came up with. First, I identified the issues; then I addressed each issue. Lessons I learned: Eat more; Sleep more; wait for medications to be done with. Some of the other personal issues were taken care of by talking to people. I also began to look for more support systems. 

One of the overall realizations was that I need to rely more on God and not on other people or myself. I believe that God has a reason for everything. My two favorite verses kept popping into my head. Philippians 4:4-Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. Philippians 4:13-I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Also, it was really encouraging that a few of my good friends texted me to check on me. Christian music, good food, and relaxation really helped me that day, too. I went back to class and solved one of my issues right then. I started to feel really good. Later that night I went to a talent show with my host family at their church. It was hilarious! I was in a sky high mood and so happy that I stayed up until one. I also stayed up that late because I had to make Rice Krispy treats for American Cultural Day. Definitely failed at getting more sleep that night, but it was worth it. 

The 27^th was American Cultural Day, where we would put on a big meal and entertainment for all of our host families. I was in a really good mood. The Cultural Day was fine, but nothing special. The food was good. Later, I went shopping for food for the dinner that I was supposed to make on Monday. I spent a lot of money, but I didn’t care; these two families have done amazing things for me. For the rest of the day I hung out with two of my closest friends here. We went to the Damara Unity Conference and were introduced to hundreds of members of the Damara political system. It was so fun! Later, I watched some movies with a friend. The 28^th was just a relaxing day at home.

The 29^th was a great day! My best friend, closest friends, and everyone else were in a really happy mood! It was partially because it was our last Monday ever for training. One week until we were done! We went to the hospital later, although it was a bit uneventful. It seems that people are never expecting us so we take them by surprise. Later, I went to Alicia’s for a final dinner that she cooked. She is an amazing cook and her food was wonderful (makes me hungry just thinking about it now). Later, I Skype cooked with my mom because I had to cook for twelve people the next day and I am a terrible cook.