Marco and Julia...

My "stove" under water!

March 21^st was Namibia's Independence Day! Namibia's Independence Day is celebrated differently than at home... mainly, no fireworks. :( Most people have the day off from work though... including Mark. I went to the hospital, and like most holidays in any casualty around the world, it was super busy! After work I biked home, did some laundry and before I could even hang it up to dry a huge rainstorm rolled in and it downpoured the rest of the day!

Mark and I did have a great afternoon the day prior as celebration for independence day. We were invited to a braii (BBQ) at Rundu Beach with the rest of our AIM crew and a mutual friend from the hospital. The river has raised up so much over the rainy season, and it looked like a completely different beach from our last visit on New Years. Mark and I watched as kids went swimming and boats were transporting people and materials to and from Rundu and Kali, Angola. Braiis are big in Namibia, and people were cooking up all sorts of meat! We cooked up a great BBQ pork... Mark and I gnawed on a huge piece and honestly, couldn't believe how awesome it was. It's funny, because just a few days before that I said how we were practically vegetarians since arriving here and I was commenting on how much I enjoyed it and thought it could become a lifestyle, and the next moment I'm eating pork. :) 

Rundu Beach at Sunset

Judith talking me through Civundu...

Our pace of life has slowed down a bunch over the past few weeks, and we realized some of it has to do with really settling in and making Rundu our home. It's becoming hard to even figure out what to blog about because everything we are doing just seems, well... normal. :) This month seems to have flown by. We've spent lots of time in the village... just living life. I've started branching out and cooking more traditional foods, mainly Civundu. (This is Namibia's staple maize meal food... in ZIM it was called Sadza.) This is difficult to make... you literally work up a sweat each time you make it! I've sustained a few burns in the process, but the other night one of the village women told me after sampling my Civundu that “I'm finally a Nyemba woman.” I took that as a huge compliment! 

Elizabeth and I preparing Mutete leaves

I've helped prepare Mutete (a leafy green plant dish), Sampo (a type of leaf from a tree), Vicasa (pumpkin and squash leaves), and Lipungu (maize corn on the cob). The other night we learned how to roast our Lipungu directly on the fire coals... man, was it yummy! Cooking has become more relaxing for me over time... especially in preparing fire. However, some things in the village you can't be prepared for... an example being the other night. I was cooking lentils and civundu over the fire, things were going smoothly... and I was in and out of the house preparing dinner. The next thing I know, donkeys are walking through our “yard” dragging their tire on a rope (it keeps them from wandering too far from home) and they walked straight through my fire knocking over my lentils which then snuffed out my fire. I had to start all over again, quite dumbfounded and upset. Now, I find the entire thing hysterical. ;)

Mr. Mark has continued to teach at the Don Bosco Youth Center during the week.  He is really enjoying teaching the children English and Math.  He tells me that the children are very respectful... in the mornings when he starts class all the children stand and say "Good Morning, Sir" and he then says "Good Morning Class, how are you?" with the response "We are fine and how are you?"  Also when any of the children are called on to answer a question they stand to say the answer.  Since there are not teacher's books, Mark gets to make up his own lessons each day.  This can sometimes prove to be a challenge.  The other day he taught about telling time however, not many children know this skill since Africa is a not a time oriented culture.

Marco holding Jeffy & Pepe holding Paulus

Mark and I have also been spending lots of time with the kids in the village. They have warmed up to us in such a natural way. We've gotten so used to them that I can even distinguish each child's cry from a distance. I love being one of the “village mommy's” :) The kids also love Mark and each morning when I walk outside I can hear some of the younger boys off in the distance immediately yell “Marco!”...not Julia, but I'll live. :) We've also been spending time in the afternoons reading books with the kids. The other night little Eliza was reading “The Little Red Hen” and a few of the girls came up to hear asking her to come to the bush with them. She literally gave them 'the hand' and said... “Me, I'm reading” with a big grin. It was priceless.

Movie Night!

We've continued having a movie night every once in the while which has been a big kick. The moment Mark and I bring out our laptop kids come out of the woodwork (even a few adults too!) and we spend the night watching a movie under the stars. So far we've watched Eight Below and The Lion King. Even with the language barrier they have loved it... and they all couldn't get over the Hakuna Matata scene in The Lion King. :)

Last night we had a braii for David and Mackenzie since they are going back to Montana this next week. It was a fun night and we will miss them tremendously. They are such a fun and creative couple that strive to live interesting and “unboxed” lives... Mark and I love them so much and have learned so much about life from them. It has been great being able to connect and hang with another couple here in Namibia... they will be missed for sure.

Mark & I with David and McKenzie

And now, surprisingly it is April. Mark and I only have 2 more months here in Rundu before we finish out our time here in Africa with a few weeks of travel. We have been so comforted by everyone's packages, letters, and support. We are beginning to really miss home so please keep the emails coming! We would love to hear from you guys...