I started out not really knowing what to expect here in Namibia. I was told there were computer opportunities at the hospital and sports opportunities. However, those opportunities haven't panned out to much in regards to a time commitment, so months back I began searching for things to do on my own.
I helped with the “Farming God's Way” workshop that hasn't really taken off at the project but it has influenced the church to help the project by planting maize in the field. This is an improvement over past years when the farm land was unplanted. Even if they are using their traditional methods and not “Farming God's Way” techniques it is great to see the community working together on the fields. Before rainy season hit, I helped many people with hauling mud with the project bakkie to either repair or build new homes. I also helped plow some fields with oxen. My farming family roots would be proud of that!
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| Ernst & Kahilu- our friends & volunteers at Project |
Sadly, the OVC project itself has not started up again since Christmas. This has been hard to see happen, however, the team here is still trying to empower the local church and community to come together and run the project without “missionary or white peoples” assistance. We know that they can do it, they just need to believe that they can... and changing beliefs here is a hard but needed task. We've learned that some things in Africa don't function or remain sustainable when the “white people” step back, not because the nationals are incapable, but because it has been engrained in their culture that they are incapable. Changing history is something we cannot do, and we are saddened by how things have run their course in Namibia over the years, but we are encouraged by many here who do have the self-esteem, willpower, and passion to step out against the grain to try to make a difference. We are continuing to try to mentor those people here- because those are the people that will change Namibia's future.
I've had meetings with the hospital about the computer system and helped with layout of the system by measuring distances, planning closet locations, and discussing equipment. I've also completed a hospital wide survey on the staff's computer knowledge which will help build a foundation for the computer training courses that are to come. I'm not sure how much more of the computer system will be completed over the course of our time here, but I am happy that I've been able to give my assistance when it's needed.
I've also spend my spare time tutoring some kids from the village, playing soccer in the deepest sand you could imagine, and working on building relationships and mentoring a few really amazing guys here. I also love hanging out and playing with the littler kids in the village. Much of the beginning of January I was able to help our team leader and his family transition their lives and move from Rundu to the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek. One day, on an hours notice we were able to pack their entire home into the back of an empty grocery truck that was driving back down to the capital! Lots of behind the scene things happen when a family of 9 is moving 8 hours away, and I am happy that I was able to be available to help them sort some things out prior to their move.
Since the New Year my schedule has changed a bit. I've started teaching English and Math on Mondays and Fridays at a local privately funded school and youth center named Don Bosco. Kids that are accepted into this school are in grades 1-5 and are in some sort of poor social situation that has made them unable to attend other local schools. The idea of the school is to continue education with the students until they are able to get back into the school system. Once the students are enrolled at Don Bosco the staff works with the Namibian government to try to get grants for the students to attend regular schools. In Namibia the school system is advertised by the government to be free for everyone however each school has fees associated with them that keep children that are unable to pay out of school. At Don Bosco there is only one class for all the children so teaching is done at either a grade 1 or grade 3 level usually switching back and forth between days or subjects. The class has only one textbook for each subject so all the exercises are copied to the chalkboard and the students have notebooks to write down the questions. It has been a challenge to teach in a classroom setting, but I am enjoying it.
On Tuesdays, I meet with my friend Mashingo. Mashingo is someone I met through the hospital and have been getting to know for quite sometime now. We have been meeting every Tuesday to hang out. I have been able to fix a computer he has in his mud home and gave him some training on how to use it. Also since he is in a wheelchair and not really able to make it to the Saturday bible study I have been able to go over the bible study discussion each week with him. We usually talk for hours about questions he has about the bible and different stuff. He could use some prayer right now because he is currently on his way to the capital to see if he can get calipers to assist him in walking since he is paralyzed from the waist down from a gun shot wound and currently in a wheelchair.
On Wednesdays, Julie and I have a day off together. Since we are busy over the weekend with our bible study we decided to use Wednesdays as our day together.
On Thursdays, I have been meeting with Ben. Ben is a young adult leader at the Kaisosi Tar Road Church where we have our Bible study on Saturdays. I meet with him every Thursday to go over the Bible study together and get his input on what people are taught in this culture about certain verses. It is also a time for me to encourage him in what he is doing at the church and in his life.
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| Creating our own shade at Bible Study! |
On Saturdays, Julie and I have the Bible study at Kaisosi Tar Road Church. The bible study starts at 10am. On average we have 12 people that attend sometimes more sometimes less. The Bible study has been a great outlet for the youth to be able to share what they don't understand about the things they read in the Bible or what they have been taught. Julie and I have learned a lot also by preparing the lessons and the discussion with the youth. It is funny to hear the stories they have been taught about creation and a mountain that reaches all the way to heaven or about how the rainbow is a dragon that eats water. We have been getting a lot of encouragement from the elders at the church and the youth that attend the study. We feel blessed that God has been able to work through us in this Bible study...thanks for the continued prayers.
Now onto Julie...
Like Mark said, we've passed our “half way point” and thought we should update you all on some things we've been doing more on a daily basis! My week starts Monday mornings in Casualty at Rundu State Hospital. I usually wake up around 6:30 and start my morning routine of washing my face & hair in a basin, eating some toast, and then biking to the hospital by 7:30. I change out of my bike clothes when I get to work, because I've found it super difficult to bike in a nursing skirt! (And since its culturally inappropriate to show your knees, long shorts work out a bit better!)
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| At work with my friends Justin & Aina! |
I spend my days volunteering in Casualty from 8-1 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Like home, anything can happen in Casualty. :) Some days are quite slow... and on those days I take “fat cake breaks” with Laura. (I love those days!) But also like home, some days are very busy... and I love those days too! Working in Casualty has gotten me more used to the Ru-kwangali language, but I still can only speak medically. People ask me often what type of patients I see. I rarely see any diseases related to obesity (unlike back home) such as strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, hypertension... but I still see them on occasion. More commonly, I assist in treating dehydration, dysentery, diarrhea, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, snake bites, scorpion bites, poisonings, etc. There are many home deliveries here in Namibia, so I often get to do well baby check ups on 1 day old newborns... which I can't get enough of! I also get to assist in minor procedures on a frequent basis which has been quite fun! There are two “mini-theatre” rooms (operating rooms) off of casualty that are used daily to I & D abscesses, do biopsies, suture, remove foreign bodies, and do other minor procedures. There is also a POP (plaster of paris) room where I get to assist in placing and removing casts. The staff in Casualty is refreshingly fun and I enjoy working with them a lot. The working environment in Africa is much less stressful and laid back – even in Casualty – and I can say, I've adapted to that quite nicely! :)
Tuesdays I've started volunteering with the hospital's community health outreach in distant villages. This usually is a full day event where I go with a few other hospital staff by truck out in the “bush” to provide medical care to people that live too far away from the hospital. So far I've felt a bit out of my comfort zone because nurses are expected to act more like doctors in this role, but I'm catching on and am enjoying learning more about medical care in the bush. It's a different world in these villages from the town of Rundu, and I am enjoying getting out there and making little kids laugh after I give them a vaccine, or making an old man smile when I attempt to speak his native tongue while explaining his medications. I've also gotten a kick out of people's method of payment if they can't pay the $2N for treatment. By the time we return back to the hospital at night, the truck is full of maize, peanuts, mahangu, veggies, and beans! I've really been enjoying community health, but I do ask for your prayers as the community health staff, although kind, has been a bit difficult to get to know on a more personal level.
Wednesdays are my day off! YIPPEE for days off! I've only started taking a day off since recently beginning community health, and it has been great for r&r and also for some time away with Mark. We've discovered the only coffee shop in all of Rundu and have begun going Wednesday mornings to talk and spend time together. It's been a great find and much needed as our time in Africa, although amazing, can sometimes be a bit strenuous and stressful.
Saturday mornings into the afternoon are spent at our bible study at Kaisosi Tar Road Church. It takes us an hour to walk there from Ndama, and to be honest, most weeks Mark needs to cheer me on to keep walking! :) We've really enjoyed teaching a bible study together, and Mark has been doing an amazing job fostering the kids in asking questions and feeling comfortable with open discussion. Bible studies here are not common, and most people are only used to “preachers, not teachers” as one girl told us last week. So, we are encouraged to continue and teach foundational stories from the Bible while encouraging and fostering self-esteem among the youth here.
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| Ndama Church |
Sundays are spent at church at Ndama EBC. Church is about a half-day event in Africa! The church service is in Luchazi, but luckily Mark and I have our friends and dictionaries (as we've nicknamed them) Pepe and Kambinda translate the service for us. Our favorite part of every African church service is the singing... and lucky for us its usually about an hour long :) Afternoons and evenings on Sundays are usually spent in the village with everyone... visiting, talking, and relaxing together. On weekends at some point I get to perform my favorite womanly duty in the village – laundry! I must say, a washing machine is an amazing invention because not only is washing all your laundry by hand exhausting and sometimes painful – it takes forever! I have picked up a bit of speed over the past month though, and have even found myself looking forward to laundry day... strange. :)
Mark and I usually meet up in the afternoons during weekdays back in the village for our PB&J lunch. Yes, we eat it every day! It is so enjoyable to be able to spend so much time with Mark throughout the day. It has been great for our marriage and something I am sure we will miss when we get home and back into the hustle and bustle of the American work day. Most afternoons I try to take a nap – some days I am successful, some days not. (The heat inside our mud home with its metal roof can make sleeping, well, not possible!) If naps are not possible, I'll clean or do the dishes... otherwise, I sit outside in the shade of our tree and play with the kids, read, help kids with their homework, or try to learn language and talk with the other women of the village.
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| Yup, that's a split fire with 2 pots! I was happy that day. |
The village comes alive in the evenings. Usually around 7 pm the men will come home from their jobs, and the women will come home from the field or selling fish, bread, or tomatoes at the local market. This is when I start the fire for dinner and cook one of 3 things: rice and beans, rice and lentils, or pasta. I know- creative! I have promised some of the women in the village I will try to start cooking their traditional meals soon, but as of right now – they are a bit intimidating! It took me 27 days of living in the village to be able to start a fire on my own. With it being rainy season, some days are harder than others and when we first moved in, every night someone wanted to come over and help before I could even attempt it on my own! I must say, the loving help we've received here has been endearing to say the least. People give of their time, energy, and possessions so freely here. Most evenings Mark and I receive some traditional food from a family in our kiembo. We always return the favor with giving some of our “rice and macunde (beans)” which everyone seems to get a kick out of. Sharing food each evening is something that took some getting used to, but something we've learned to love. There is something about giving and receiving food from family and friends that warms the heart – and the belly!
After dinner Mark and I go outside and sit under the vast African sky and talk with everyone around the fire until bedtime. Some evenings the men and women sit separately, some evenings together. This is probably our favorite time of the day and when we feel most of our relationships grow the most. By the time the coals of the fire cool, Mark and I have fetched our water for our shower and for the next day. Then it is “tana” time (luchazi for shower). This is probably our 2nd favorite time of the day! Mark and I take bucket showers outside which does take some skill... but we've got it down to an art and use such a small amount of water its amazing! Bedtime is usually around 10 or 11... when we tuck ourselves into our mosquito net and drift off to sleep. And when the alarm rings at 6:30 its time to start all over again...
