A Namibia Christmas

What is it that makes Christmas, well Christmas? The days leading up to my first Christmas in Namibia didn’t really have the “Christmas Spirit”. I chatted with friends who felt similar, trying to solve this puzzle. Was it that we were here in summer hot weather because it is summer here and we’re in Africa? Was it nerves being that it was many of our first Christmases away from family? Perhaps it was the lack of Christmas trees, lights, decorations, carols and egg nog. 

Back in the summer before embarking on this adventure I decided to leave a little surprise for my family back home. I like making jewelry and collages. I was definitely on a budget saving up to leave, but for me leaving gifts for my family was important. They wouldn’t mind the slightest bit if I didn’t get them anything, but I love giving surprises. I enjoy the smiles people get when they receive surprises. So I decided I would make some jewelry and collages, wrap them in Christmas wrapping and hide them at my parents' house where they store their Christmas decorations. This was a mission to say the least. I had a small 4-week job to save up some money over the summer and would spend every single break making this or that. The tricky part being that many of my co-workers were good friends of my mom or had previously worked with either her, my dad, or my sister. Santa Fe is small. They were all in on the secret though. Two of my good friends would help me sneak things to their house to wrap and helped supply wrapping paper. My best friend helped me move a huge bookshelf and venture through storage items so that I could hide the box of presents with my parents' decoration. Over the summer my dad had an injury/surgery so he was off from work, which made it a bit tricky when it came to having time to hide the gifts. I figured if I hid the gifts with my family's decoration they would find them when it came time to decorate… which they did a few weeks ago.  The secret mission was a success.

So as the days leading up to Christmas approached feeling just as any other day a few volunteers decided to get a group of us together to rent at a hotel in Rundu so we could all spend Christmas together as a Namily. A decent sized group all arrived to the Bavaria House the morning of Christmas Eve and the celebrations began. For myself it was a bit of a different Christmas experience. My family was always big on celebrating Christmas Eve and more so relaxed on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve we socialized about what we have been doing during our break since the All-Volunteer conference in Windhoek. School has not been in session the entire month so we’ve been on “holiday” with lots of time on our hands. Christmas day we jammed some Christmas carols, all made a dish of some sorts, and celebrated with a White Elephant gift exchange. I won was some MTC phone credit, which I was excited about.  I did intend on spending a portion of the day with my host family, but unfortunately when my host brother was in town and offered to drive me to our village I was smack in the middle of cooking my dish and couldn’t leave.

From what I hear a traditional Christmas is spent with your family enjoying drinks and a large feast. Prior to leaving to Rundu I saw that my family had purchased 3 goats to enjoy for the holiday. This was interesting for me to see what would be Christmas dinner sitting in the back of my host dad’s truck. I was told it came out very delicious. Traditionally, the other dishes served along side meat (goat being a local favorite) are potatoes, macaroni, and rice. Definitely not a low carb kind of meal.

Over all it was a nice Christmas. I got to spend it with my Namily and had a lot of fun. I also got to FaceTime with my family back home while they celebrated Christmas Eve, which of coarse brought a smile to my heart. I was able to take some time to meet with my Bunya host mom and sister to give them a little gift I made for them as a Christmas present. I really do care about them.  I’m very much looking forward to giving current host sister the gift I made for her. I feel like I'm lucky to call her my host sister. In Namibia giving Christmas gifts isn’t very popular so it will be great to give her a little Christmas surprise and a taste of American Christmas culture. 

Sunday photos 27-Dec-2015

Sunsets in the Kavango are aomething that never get old <3

My beautiful host sister Fannie and I. We attended an end of year celebration for a Namibia band named Kolesa. It was an all white theme.

Like I said, these views never get old. I love when my days end by the river.

These beautiful flowers bloom on some of the trieds not only here in the Kavango, but through out Namibia. 

I had to take a picture of this table, it had a nice New Mexico feel to me. 

Merry Christmas from Namibia 

A woman who was fetching wood and crossing the river while carrying it on her head. People's sense of balance here is amazing. 

Sunday Photos 20-Dec-2015

Hi everyone! I want to start a new tradition of including you in on my photo a day. Every day I take at least one picture to remember service. I will warn you, most are of either people or nature but here is the first set of pics I would like to share withe you. Tune in every Sunday because I plan on making this a Sunday funday picture day!

A few of the kiddos in my village during one of our afternoon hang out sessions. Aren't they precious!

One day a medicine truck came to administer injections (vaccinations) to the community. A few nurses set up chairs under a tree and began giving the injections, first to babies and children, followed by the elders 

This sweet little guy having fun drawing pictures in the sand.

My infamous little host brother Bonze (the one who surprised me with my puppy Hafa) and I playing Mancala. We made it out of an egg cartoon, seeds, and my malaria medication boxes. Gotta get crafty in Namibia. :) 

A few of the awesome volunteers and I during our time in Windhoek 

The tree swing and the hut. A fun picture I was able to capture while in Mayenzere. 

A very special sight to me as this reminds me of someone very dear. RIP auntie 

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

"Where do you picture yourself 5 years from now... 10 years from now?"

Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually knows the answer to that question, or maybe its just me. I definitely doubt I would say "Oh you know I picture myself spending Thanksgiving in the Kavango region doing arts and crafts with grade 2 learners", "Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Peace Corps serving in Namibia", or "Buying an Orange Fanta to share with a random stranger in a small African village". I definitely didn't predict myself saying "I will be living along rivers in Namibia and learning how to speak Rukwangali." or "Sitting in the VIP section of a gospel concert with my sister". None of this could have been foreseen, but you know what, I'm sure glad its happening.

Last week I returned from a two week trip to Windhoek, the capitol of Namibia. In Windhoek we had an all volunteer conference for all 143 volunteers currently serving in Namibia. We also got to join together to celebrate 25 years of Peace Corps Service in Namibia. Namibia gained their Independence in March of 1990 and only 7 days later, before they even had a letter head, they requested service of Peace Corps Volunteers. Fast forward a bit to September of that same year, the first group of volunteers arrived in Namibia ready to serve. I am happy that 25 years later I have the privilege of being apart of the "Namily" and also get to have the experience of serving in Namibia.

The all volunteer conference ended and us newbies of group 42 had to stick around for some additional training. Over all I enjoyed it, I learned some interesting facts, got some info on applying for grants, got to reconnect with some lovely faces and make new friendships. A lot of time was spent debriefing and sharing stories about our sites and experiences. Many volunteers had positive stories, others have had a few speed bumps to over come since spreading our wings and beginning our 2 years of service post completing PST(Pre-Service Training). This time to tell each other really made me realize how thankful I am about this experience. Overall, I feel like my time in Kasote has been great. Yeah some culture shock aside and a few cultural differences have thrown a curve ball or two at me, but I really think I'm beyond lucky to have received my site. This isn't my first rodeo volunteering abroad, I know what its like to live with a just plain mean host family and that was not fun to say the least. The host family I'll be staying with over these next two years is amazing! I would get excited when people would ask "Whats your family/living situation like" and I could respond with telling them how awesome of a host sister I'm living with and the children of the homestead and village I get to hang out with. When it came to language training it was with out hesitation that I could say a teacher from my staff helped me out everyday in trying to battle learning Rukwangali, sometimes two. I enjoyed bragging about how on top of things the principal has been. I couldn't brag enough about how welcoming the community has been over all.

There are both pros and cons to living with a host family in a small village, and in my case the pros definitely out weigh the cons. Being that I've spent a lot of time living alone I had my reservations about living with a family, but now I am very thankful that is the case. On Thanksgiving I was having a bit of a sore spot missing my family. I made a post on Facebook wishing friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving back home and how I was sad about not being there with them. One friend posted a comment say "You may be missing one Thanksgiving, but the impact you are having there will last forever". This really centered me. Maybe I am making an impact on the people I've met here, perhaps not. One thing I do know though is they are impacting me, in several good ways and ya,  that will last forever. I am living my dream, that is infinite impact of its own. And you know what I am hoping I'm impacting people here because it would be selfish of me to be the only one privileged of receiving their grace.

I wouldn't have pictured this be my life even a year ago, and yes there has been some sacrifices that have had to be made, and in my opinion it couldn't be a better way of living. Any one else thinking of just, going for "it" whether that definition of "it" meaning join the Peace Corps (which you should), taking on a challenge, or anything else, do it! Lets face it, no one knows what life will be like 5 years from now, and just in case that zombie apocalypse does hit us, its best that we are living life since now. The scariest thing that can happen is you look back at your life and tell yourself "I should have ________ when I had the chance."

Nom Nom Nom! On the menu Kavango Cuisine

Grubs! Slimmy, yet satisfying :)

Actually I have ate some worms since my Namibian adventure has began, but that is more traditionally an O-land delectable. Personally, I like them dry, but I believe they are suppose to be cooked. I have a thing about textures of food so chewy grubs hasn't been something I enjoyed being in my mouth. 

 So first off a bit of background. As you may have read before I am serving in the Kavango region of Namibia. Namibia its self is split into many, extremely unique regions. As you can see on the map (or may already know) Kavango region is on the top of Namibia near the Kavango River which serves as a border between Namibia and Angola.

Depending on the region's location, its menu of traditional foods shift. The one common love amongst all regions is meat. Any get together with Namibia almost  always involves meat. I don't think I have experienced a single weekend with out walking across, into, or being a part of a Braii (the Namibian word for BBQ). Fast food may be closed, but its guaranteed that you can find some AMAZING "street meat" or "Kapana meat" being braiied on the side of the road or in front of a bar. Let me tell you it is so good that its yummy-ness will never grow old. Its also fun to see the different spices, or seasonings the sellers have out to dip your meat into if thats what you choose. If you haven't had the chance to read my blog "The Wild Game" these two go pretty hand in hand because that one is about the types of game hunted. In that blog I also referenced being unsure on how its possible to hunt (or even butcher) giraffe. Well I must of either a) seen the future coming or b) spoke a few days too soon because not long after that posting giraffe was what was on the table. 

In my region we eat a lot of fish. It is with out hesitation that the fresh fish caught in the river and salt fried or boiled that is commonly served is the absolutely best fish I have ever experienced in my life. I enjoy seeing how fish varies even with in the region. When I was living in Bunya for CBT (Community Based Training) my host mom would typically fry fish. I must admit, her friend fish has probably been one of my favorite dishes in Namibia. Now that I am living in Kasote for my 2 years of service I live with a new host family, and they typically boil the large red belly fish, which is also great. Prior to living here I would eat fish if it was what was served, but didn't love it. That has definitely changed now. I love Love LOVE fish both boiled and fried. 

One traditional food for tea time is breaded, fried fish which many love, but due to my celiac I have not tried. Yes, you read that right. I did say for tea time. One of my favorite features of Namibian culture in all regions is "Tea Time". Every day, usually around 10:00am is tea time. Tea Time is meant as a break for the day and tends to last around 30 minutes. In some occasions tea and/or coffee along with a snack such as the fried fish (pictured to the left), bread and butter, or fruit is provided. Other times you are responsible for bringing your own refreshments and snack. Another traditional yummy treat consumed for tea time, or any time of the day for that matter is a goody known as "Fat Cakes".

Unfortunately I have not been able to try these either, but people who have really enjoy them. They are balls of dough with extra butter and sugar mixed in and cooked by being dropped into a pot of boiling oil. In my opinion they seem similar to doughnut holes, but I don't know exactly. Once in a while you can also find them spruced up being drizzled in syrup or rolled in powdered sugar. The name fat cakes couldn't be more fitting. 

Now, for a fun Rukwangali lesson. "Yisima". The one food which is consumed pretty much every single day. Seriously I'm pretty sure "Yisima" is what is served 6 out of 7 days of the week. It can be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "Yisima" is also known as "pap", but in would be better understood as porridge in English. For lunch or dinner the "Yisima" is hard and rolled into a ball which also serves as your utensils. Who needs spoons and forks anyways? When the "Yisima" is served for breakfast it is watered down with milk and extra sugar is added. The breakfast "Yisima" has a similar taste to Cream of Wheat which brings back some childhood memories. <3 What I find most intriguing is how it is typically/ "traditionally" cooked. It is cooked with either maize (corn) or mahangu (millet) flour in a cast iron cauldron on top of three stones and over an a fire. This is known as "ediko" in Rukwangali. 

The "Yisima" is usually accompanied with .... take a wild guess! If you guessed meat then you are right! The other popular pairs for "Yisima" is ekovi (cabbage), mutete (dried spinach, it can also be fresh though), or soap (soup). No matter what your fancy may be it is rather tasty. 

Little fun fact, macaroni is enjoyed here in Namibia just as it is in many parts of the world. In America, I automatically think macaroni is served drowing in yummy, gooey, cheesy wonders! However, in Namibia macaroni is served with mayo and ketchup. I can't say I've experienced that either  though. Darn you gluten for limiting my food options!!! Even with some (very) limited access to gluten free pasta, mayo and ketchup are a bit wild for me. I know, I know, I'll eat grubs, bats, donkey, and doves, but not mayo or ketchup right? I tell you its a texture thing.

Another traditional treat here in "Eguni" also known as a Kavango orange. It has a hard outer shell that needs to be cracked on a rock, or if your a pro with your elbow. Once you have it cracked open it is filled with little seed like fruit that kind of tastes like bananas. Your suck the fruit off the seed and spit out the see pits.

Namibias sure do know how to cook, I think that is one of the many things I really enjoy about living with a host family. Yes feeling like a member of their family is on the top of the list, but right behind it comes the out of this world meals that only a Namibian can create. Trust me, Ive tried mimicking some of the delicious recipes and even though they aren't bad, they are much better made by the hands of the ones who actually know what they are doing. I'm very excited to see what food-ventures will come to be explored in the years to in Namibia. 

*This was also a request made in the "Talk to me" section (located in the right hand tool bar). I would love to hear more ideas on what you would like to know about so let me know! 

A few fun facts about Kasote

Hello all! Don't you just love the adorable learners I get to work with. On Thanksgiving we did this fun art project. :) Naturally, Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Namibia so we did still have school.  I apologize for the quiet past week, I have been attending conferences for Peace Corps 25th anniversary serving in Namibia and it has been rather busy. Keep an eye out for a future blog about the fun stuff and exciting stories about our conferences/celebration.  Not to mention a bit of music. However, in the mean time I thought it would be fun to share a few fun facts about Kasote (the village I am serving in).

• Kasote was discovered by the Nyemba peopleIt was named after the animal “kasote” because at the time there were several in this area. From what I am told kasote is an old Nyemba word meaning Springbok, the animal displayed on Namibia’s ten-dollar bill. A woman named Elina Menavava and a man known as Kanyonga discovered the village. In 2013 a tree in my village for some reason fell, roots and all out of the ground. The tree stayed sitting in the road for over a day blocking the small gravel pathway. It is completely unknown how, but one morning the tree was found standing perfectly planted and upright, as if it had never fallen. The tree is of decent size so in order for a person to replant it the aid of machinery would have been need. The mystery of how the tree stood again is still unknown. 

• In 2013 a tree in my village for unknown reasons fell, roots and all  completely out of the ground. The tree stayed sitting in the road for over a day blocking the small gravel pathway. It is completely unknown how, but one morning the tree was found standing perfectly planted and upright, as if it had never fallen. The tree is of decent size so in order for a person to replant it the aid of machinery would have been need. The mystery of how the tree stood again is still unknown. 

• Most homesteads have families of 3-4 generations living in the compound. The average homestead size is 15-20 people. (The homestead I live on has 12 people)

• Kasote is located along the Kavango River which is the boarder between Namibia and Angola. 

Again I apologize for the lack of activity but I pinkie promise the posts will pick up! Be ready for stories/photos of the 25th Anniversary, a post about traditional foods, and a little something I learned being away for Thanksgiving