Wow!! Six months! Its been six months since I boarded a plane to a whole new life; to a dream still be dreamt yet living all at once. I’ve learned several things over this bundle of months. I’ve embraced new meanings, tried things I never thought I would, took a couple chances, and learned many new things. These six months have gone by in a flash, and before I even knew it I recognize six new realities, which establish when what I knew and what I’m coming to know collided in my time here:
6) This country needs a talent scout! Seriously! Singing is a big part of this culture, and I don’t blame them with the voices they have. I swear some how being musically inclined is in these locals’ genetics, same with dancing.Every single week they start off school on Monday with singing songs. When I do games with learners and tell them okay dance, do you know how many typically get shy… ZERO! One of the closest friends I made here will break into song at any given moment, in any given genre, for any reason… with no warning. What this has taught me: Sing me a song about life and dance me the dream of dreams! Just, groove your freakin heart out!! Why not? Singing it out just, feels good; simple as that. I’m no singer, but I constantly find myself singing while I’m cooking, dancing while brushing my teeth, drumming random rhythms like I’m some kind of red pen star in a world built out of notebook and paper mountains…. And every single time I catch myself in these moments, I just smile.
5) “I love you too much”, “You’re so fat” Right of the bat this could come off as rude right? Someone, you’ve never met walks up to you and just starts telling you about how fat you are and how great it is right? But hear me out. It’s a compliment! In words it may not seem so but in context it means that it looks like you is well-fed and taken care for. Who wouldn’t enjoy such a life right? On many cases I’ve heard love confessions or comments on my fatti-ness within the first five minutes of meeting someone and youknow what that taught me: Compliment each other!! We really don’t do this enough. The world can be competitive, its human nature. Being complimented feels great, and so does complimenting. There is one learner I met when I first got to Kasote and one of the first things she told me was she “wishes she could be beautiful like me” after being taken back for a moment I told her “I wished I could be beautiful like her”. Since then when I see her I greet her by saying “Hi miss beautiful” and every time, the shy smile she gets is priceless. The bigger moment was one day when she caught a glimpse in the mirror and said “Me also, I’m beautiful right Ms. Tena”.
4) Every day from the staff room at some point or another the air is filled with the sound of adorable as can be grade 0 learners (kindergarten and pre-k students) singing at the top of their lungs the happiest of tunes. They stand tall as can be and scream to a tune more then sing, making sure their voice is heard. They are proud of their voices. When I see them on the school yard they wave with so much excitement and scream out my name. What these overwhelming moments of cuteness has taught me: Happy to see someone; care about that person’s existence? Just, say it! To let a person know what you think of them, well damn that’s a dive into a waterfall. You never know how someone will react to how you feel about them, but do it! Say what you want to say. Maybe it will go great, maybe you’ll never see each other again, maybe it will start a new friendship/relationship, maybe it will salvage and old one. If you like someone, tell them! Love them? Hell go for it, maybe they feel the same, perhaps not, but at least you know what, you were brave and you took on one of the biggest challenges known to mankind.
3) Nom Nom Nom! Who doesn’t love themselves some amazing gooey warm melty Mac and cheese? Well what Namibians top their pasta with is Ketchup and Mayo. I remember to a T the first time I saw my little host sister doing this after school. I serious just watched like, is that what I think it is as I continued to stir the cheese, milk and butter into my pasta. As I served my sense of comfort food from home into my bowl I caught my sister looking at me like I was nuts for doing so. We both just looked at each other pasta like why would you do that? I offered her a taste and she was not she to decline the strange mixture I had made. She offered me a bit, granted it wasn’t a special version of the dish to accommodate my 2874 food allergies (which, for once worked to my benefit) I also declined the offer. What I got from this is a new appreciation for being engulfed in a world of different. I’ve grown to look at the question “Whats new?” in a whole new light because, well, everything is new. Life is spent in constant captivation.
2) In [what I’ve encountered of] Namibian culture. Family is a chart-topping concept. It’s not uncommon for families to be large and growing. Living on one homestead could easily consist of 4 generations. Living on the homestead with your parents is just as accomplished as moving in with your significant other and having a family. In one writing assignment I gave my grade 8 and 9 learners with the topic “What do you want to be when you grow up” the vast majority said the reason why they wanted to become ________________________ is so they can “be someone in life” and “take care of their parents”. The past 6 months have completely shifted my definition of family. In Namibia alone I feel as if I have 3 families, all of which I completely adore and love. On the contrast, even from the other side of the world, I don’t think I could have a stronger relationship with my biological family and really look forward to our Facetime dates to tell them not only about my adventures, but to hear of theirs.
1) Namibia has skies that not even best quality HD could do justice for. Waking up in the morning, it really is a brand new day. Sunsets so breath taking it reminds you how lucky you are to have lived up to this moment. And a night sky sparkling so bright you know any wish on these stars must come true. What this has taught me: Live in right now. I heard that expression dozen of times, live in the moment; focus on the present, etc. However, here is where I came to learn to be in this moment. How can something everyday as the sky be so extremely different from one day to the next? Truth is I don’t know. I couldn’t even begin to tell you or to predict, but I do know, for each chance I get to just stop and realize where I am, right now.
Though the changes will never stop changing, and what I know now will also some day become something I knew there is a beautiful in the evolutions of this life cycle. 27 months is really a short period of time, but the impact beyond the number of days seen in a lifetime.
