The 7th was Swearing-in Day, the day we would
officially be Peace Corps Volunteers. The morning was good, although a bit
boring because we had more sessions. We then had lunch and went to change. I
was excited to wear my business suit and new shirt and tie for the first time.
It looked great! Some of my other friends had traditional dresses, some looked
funny, some looked awesome, some outfits looked better as the day went on (You
know who you are haha). We got to meet the Namibian Prime Minister! I also
introduced myself to the U.S. Ambassador Wanda Nesbitt. During the ceremony,
the Prime Minister had some really amazing words about the hate between whites
and blacks and how things have gotten better. I wish I had videotaped it.
We were sworn in and
then one person from each language group gave a speech in their language.
Everyone did well! I was so proud of how I did, although I always want to do
better. I got some amazing encouraging words from many people, including the
Prime Minister, the Ambassador, my trainer, and many others. The Prime Minister
said “You’re a natural politician. I expect to hear about you; you have
confidence.” It was so validating! I made sure to take pictures with both the
PM and Ambassador. After the ceremony, I took pictures with my host family.
After that, I changed and went to the pool to talk with my best friend. I had
been looking forward to this for ages, and we ended up talking for hours. We
ended up at the bar after that I went to bed really late that night.
The next morning, the 8th, was move out day. I
said goodbye to people and left. It was very sad for me because I got so close
to a few people. The ride to my site was fine, but long. I had fish and pap
(porridge that has the consistency of mashed potatoes). I sat and spoke with my
family for a few hours. I was so tired I could have gone to bed at 630, but I
waited until 8. One note, my latrine they made is so much nicer than I
expected!
I slept ten hours that night! I started a shopping list
because I needed a lot of things for my hut. It was surreal to wake up and
realize was here for good. On a random note, I am tithing here, but there is a
lot of tithe to give and I don’t want to come in and just unload lots of money
on a church. Have to figure something out. Anyways, it was a public holiday,
but I went to the clinic because I needed to charge my electronics. I found out
one amazing thing; my host mother, the head lady, has a car to run errands for
the villagers. It goes to the main city every single day and I can get rides for
free!! That is extremely valuable because I won’t have to hitchhike to the
city! It makes me feel much less isolated!
I charged my electronics and watched movies for several
hours with some friends. My Namibian friends were randomly watching a video from
Nick Voyacic, an inspirational Christian speaker. I felt it was so random, but
the video was as if I was speaking about my thoughts on life. It was such a
wonderful moment and it describes my views on life and why I am so happy and
positive all the time, and why I love people so much. At lunch, we had amazing
pap, beans, and sauce from the security guard. One thing I have learned is that
the people here are so generous, beyond belief! It makes me feel good.
Later, I sat with the family around the fire and had dinner
and then showed them pictures of America. It was great! Continuing the
generosity trend, my family delivered a tray of eggs, bread, and hot tea in the
morning. It was very nice! I have a little host brother whom I have come to
really enjoy. He is teaching me Rukwangali and I am teaching him English. One
lesson I have learned at work: Never attach your flash drive or hard drive to a
person’s computer in this country without having them scan for viruses first
and scanning their drive if they plug it into your computer. I got a really bad
Trojan horse virus, but thank God my anti-virus system, Microsoft Security
Essentials, caught it. It did hide my files though, so I need to speak to our
IT guy.
I learned more lessons too. Never leave my hut without
money, my id, my passport papers, and don’t bring a bag full of electronics. My
supervisor said I could go to Rundu with her. Halfway there she turned around
and said “How are you getting back?” I was like…hmmm…guess I’ll have to figure
something out. I wasn’t too worried, but I had to borrow some money. I went to
the Peace Corps Office and there were four other volunteers there already! We
went to the open market for lunch. I love the open market’s food. It’s amazing.
I went back to the office after that to skype and use the internet. I was
nervous about finding my way back to site, but God provided. As I was looking
around, my host mother’s car was waiting to take people back to the village! It
was such a relief! The trip back was interesting. I argued with a young woman
for thirty minutes, saying that I do not want to get married now and that I do
not want to have children, as she tried convince to do both. It was funny, but
I eventually won! Fyi, this is a common occurrence. I went to bed soon after we
got back.
The 11th was my major shopping day in Rundu. I
felt really bad because I am not a good shopper and I spent a lot of money, but
I got a lot of necessities. I picked up a cell phone battery and a Netman, so I
can try out the internet. Anyways, it was a busy day, but very enjoyable. I met
another PCV in the office, Ryan. The ride home was good. I found my face was sunburned
later.
As I was sitting under the thatch roof of the eating hut, I
felt dirt falling on me and heard rustling above me. I remembered a story from
some other PC Namibia Volunteers about a spitting cobra being in their thatch
roof and waking them up at night. I looked up and saw a long object and face
slither out from the thatch. Well, I freaked out a bit, just to have a lizard
fall on me. Anti-climatic huh? I ate dinner, talked for a bit, then went to
bed.
I had to use the restroom during the night and it is really
creepy with no light! Anyways, I went to the Clinic to charge stuff before
church. One random note, I love not being judged for how I look or what I do
here. People don’t care if my hair is messed up, or if I am taking pictures. It’s
an awesome sense of freedom. I went to an Evangelic Lutheran Church ran by a
layperson named Vilho. He was very nice. I greeted everyone and introduced
myself to this 30 person church. Church here is so simple, but so real. The
only instrument one has is one’s voice. It is hard to stay awake though because
the services are longer.
Later that day I went for a run. It was a bit rough. It’s
also very funny because Namibians don’t exercise like Americans do. I got many
shocked looks from people. While I was running, my supervisor pulled up and
said she had been looking for me. She wanted to take me to the local police
station to meet the commanders, wardens, and police officers. I was in my Under
Armor and very sweaty, but I couldn’t pass up this valuable opportunity. I am
so glad I did go! It was so fun and amazing! I met about 20 police officers and
the Station Commander and Second in Command. They were all very nice and
impressed with my language skills. We got back to my home and I was famished.
The food tasted so good!
Monday the 13th was my first real day at work. It
is not like America, though. Life is slow and not very busy. As a PCV, we are
not even supposed to really work for three months because we need to learn the
language and build relationships. So I just blogged, did computer work, wrote
letters, and listened to music. The only stress I have here is missing other
PCVs. I was so stressed because of this; it was awful. My mom or dad sent me a Bible
verse as encouragement. Isaiah 26:3-4- “You will keep in perfect peace him
whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal”. One of the issues I am having
here is trusting God, and trusting those who He has put in my path. Anyways, I
worked something out and felt a bit better.
Earlier that day, a man had come in for medical attention.
It was not until later that we found out he died from HIV/AIDS. He had
defaulted on his ARV’s. It was surreal. Guess I need to get used to it. Some PC
staff came by later and dropped off my much needed water filters. I got a ride
back to my hut with them. Dinner was good; I am constantly amazed by the
generosity of my family. The head lady said that I will eat dinner for free
while I am there! That is amazing and, because I am bad at cooking, it is really
appreciated. I tried to offer money several times, but there is no way they are
letting me pay. This family has accepted me as their own and they even call me
their son or brother.
As we were sitting around the fire, I was given the
opportunity to educate three young guys about HIV/AIDS. I taught them how to
use a condom; dispelled myths; convinced one or two of them to get tested when
our clinic gets the tests in the next few weeks; told them how HIV started. One
of the myths was that they believed that there were worms in the lubricant on
the condom. (Sorry if this is too much details: this stuff is my job now.)
Anyways, I went home and the head lady had bought a large Coke and Fanta for
me! I felt so loved! Fyi, soda is called “cool drink” here. After that, I went
to bed. Another random note, I am keeping a work journal about my interactions.
I write down people’s names and contact info, how many people I’ve talked to,
and what I did (education or w/e).
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