Zambia Trip

To continue on with the May holiday adventures after Erindi Game Park my friend and I returned to the Kavango region and stayed in my village for a bit so that I can show her that village life style. I’m glad she got to experience it, but there was one MAJOR perk she got to enjoy which NEVER happens, we had Taco Tuesday!!!  As a birthday gift my family sent my friend Bea with some corn tortillas for me ;) a few friends were over so to kick off my Namixcan BirthMay celebrations we had margaritas and tacos!! It was awesome!!

After a few days in the village a group of fellow volunteers, Bea, and myself decided to jump some boarders and venture off to Zambia, just east of Namibia. This time we were riding in style and used Intercape Bus. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was 3,792,735 times better than Kumbis. Kumbis really do make me nervous. Also, Intercape offered an overnight bus which was a nice option so that we could just sleep for the 11 hour ride and arrive in the morning so the adventures could begin right away. Early in the morning we saw some wild elephants and giraffes on the side of the road. This made me kind of giggle to my friend. Back home the animals I saw the most often were cattle and horses. Now I rarely see horses but giraffes and baboons are pretty regular thing; when I return to the states it’s going to be funny to see horses again.

Back to the fun stuff though, Zambia!! Zambia was awesome. We stayed in a pretty touristy area, Livingston so I didn’t get to see too much of the country by any means, but what I did see, I loved. We were there about 3 and half days and got to do lots of fun stuff. The first day was a bit more relaxed and we basically just walked around Livingston which was a cute town. People seemed friendly and it had a nice safe feel to it. The second day was action packed. We got to go see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls. If you are not familiar with it Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world and it is absolutely beautiful!! It costed $20USD and was completely worth it. There are many walking trails on top and on the bottom of the falls. There’s also a bridge about mid level of the falls directly in front of them where you can walk and get soaked. The mist from the falls is so strong it creates a rainforest and garden of rainbows, it was surreal to see. The other exciting point was bungee jumping!! Yes bungee jumping!!!! Ahh it was so scary yet a blast all at once. A bridge a bit down from the falls offers a thing called the Big Air package, this included bungee jumping, the bungee swing (which was similar to bungee jumping with out as much air time and you fall feet first rather than head first), and zip lining. Check out the following blog to see the video of the bungee swing and bungee jumping. Man, that was a rush. I think bungee jumping was even scarier than sky diving!

The next day we purchased a package from the hostel we stayed at (JollyBoys backpackers) which started our day with a 2 hour canoe ride where we got to see a few elephants, followed by elephant interaction where we got to feed and hang out with the elephants. You even get to sit with them and tell them about how pretty they are. Well you don’t have to tell them that but theyre beautiful so I wanted to. After the interaction we went on a small safari drive followed by lunch. After lunch we were able to relax for bit before going on a sunset cruise where dinner was provided. On the boat we met a super sweet pair of parents who were in Zambia because their son just completed his 27 month service with Peace Corps and was now marrying someone he met during service.  Those Peace Corps love stories get me every time!

Over all the trip (though brief) was one of a life time. I had great company and an amazing time. Tons of pictures were taken so I decided to collaborate them all into this fun little video. (Told you I’d make up for the missed Sunday Funday pictures.) So for your Sunday Funday there are tons of pictures between then three blog posts!

Sunday Funday's (late) Pictures. Meet a few special learners!

February Learners of the Month!

 

For this Sunday’s Sunday Funday pictures (even though its Monday, sorry we had no power yesterday for me to get my blog on) I want to invite you too meet some of my learners. In my English classes every week learners have the opportunity to win “Learner of the Week.” I have been sent some fun pencils from America in care packages that learners LOVE! They are definitely in need of school supplies, but throw on scents, or pictures and that it came all the way from America and you would think I was handing over $100. It really is the little things that count. So each month there are four Learners of the Week in each one of my 3 English classes, and out of those four one is crown Learner of the Month.  Learner of the month gets a grand prize of having their picture printed and given to them (and when I happen to have some) a small candy from America. Seriously it is the littlest things that are beyond exciting to the learners. Not many of them have a picture of themselves and who isn’t excited to try a candy from another country? I’m really trying to encourage positive re-enforcements, which typically is supplied in high fives, but when I get a couple goodies in the mail it feels wrong to hog them to myself.

 

Except for Hot Cheetos and pinon, those are mine! #sorrynotsorry  ;-p

 

So this week I want to broadcast not only the ones who learned Learner of the Week, but also put the Learners of the Month in the spot light. They work hard not only in class and on their homework, but also to be a role model to their fellow classmates.

 

Grade 8

Learners of the Week

 

They are so serious in pictures, so I had to make them laugh ;)

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learner of the Month!! 

Andreas

 Andreas is one who comes off quiet in the classroom but put some pen and paper in front of her and a new being is born. She studies hard because she wants to be a teacher and someone important one day. She one tiny little thing constantly holding a sweet little smile on her face and encouraging her classmates to try hard in school as well.

 

Grade 9

Learners of the Week

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learner of the Month! 

“Benny”

Benny has got to be one of the politest people I have ever met. With every teacher at school he is more than willing to help with passing out papers or carrying books. (Teachers rotate classes and often only have one set of subject books to be shared among all their classes.) He is not shy to offer help or ask for help from his fellow classmates. Benny plans on being a policeman someday to protect us from criminals.

 

 Learners of the Week

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Learner of the Month!

“Eddi”

Eddi, man this guy makes me laugh! He is your 9^th grade social butterfly. I’m trying to recall if I’ve ever seen him not smiling or joking around outside. He is seriously a friend with everyone! Eddi is super enthusiastic about school always being one of the first hands raised to answer questions in class. In his free time Eddi likes to write poems (a topic I haven’t even begin to teach in class).  Check out his latest poem below!

 

Poem

Thieves

 

COME TO ME

RUDE I AM

I STEAL FROM YOU

YOUR LOVE I GET

 

LOVE IS MY STYLE

ANGER IS MY SON

THIEF IS MY NAME

MONEY IS MY LOVE

 

POLICE ARE MY ENEMIES

A GUN IS MY HELPER

BUT FEAR OF JAIL

I AM FATHER OF HAIL

 

 

                   DONE BY EDDIE

 

 

 

*The learners were asked if it was okay to show their pictures and give you a little insight to who they are. They were thrilled featured!!

 

 

 

If you would like to support Learners of the Month with some candies or fun pencils/pen they absolutely LOVE it!! Goodies from America are a hot prize, especially warheads and tootsie rolls. Any goodies for learners can be sent to

 

Jamie Torres

Peace Corps Namibia

PO Box 114

Rundu Namibia 9000

 

 

From being an interpreter, to needing an interpreter: the lesson I didn’t expect to learn while serving in Peace Corps

Thanks to “Facebook memories” a funny reminisce of a status I posted 5 years ago as an American Sign Language(ASL) Interpreting student  came up saying – “The more and more I go through this interpreting program the more I question how well I actually know English.”

 

Languages are, crazy to say the least. Its like we spend our entire lives exposed and learning this thing that we don’t even realize we are learning, yet at the same time no one ever perfects it. How could we? Language is ever changing. I’ve been speaking, listening, reading, studying, and constantly exposed to English. Yet, while in my Bachelor’s I questioned if I was really was a master of English. Studying to be an interpreter requires endless hours studying another language, while challenging your skills in your own language. It took learning not just words, but meaning. Yes, textbooks help, to an extent, but not like getting out there and talking. When it came to getting a message in one language and then exporting that into another language all while not changing meaning was tough! It really made me question how well I knew how to control my use of language.

 

Now, as I’ve experienced Teaching English as a Second Language or Foreign Language, I again find myself questioning what I know. English has some silly rules. Namibia isn’t the first foreign country I teach in and one common factor I would fear is learners asking “well why do we do ___________?” “ Wait why don’t you say that letter”. Grammar is very tricky. I give people who learn English as a language other than their native language A LOT of credit. I giving anyone learning a language or languages in general a lot of credit! It is not an easy task at all. Trust me, I know!

 

After, I completed my B.A in ASL – English interpretation I found myself working as an interpreter for a few years. Working as an interpreter brings a vast variety of situations that call for you. In some situations I can admit, my rookie shoes had me at times thinking “how do I interpret this with what I know and what I’m confident I can do” , sometimes giving a summarized version of a sentence, or pausing for a moment trying to think of the best way to say what needs to be said. There were a couple times clients would get frustrated with my processing time. I don’t blame this for one-minute, it’s an awkward situation. Most of my clients knew I was new on the scene and gave me some leeway but that by no means that should have been their responsibility.

 

Now that I’m Namibia, a land of many languages I find myself taking on a new language, Rukwangali. Though we are at the 7-month anniversary of this experience, I am nowhere near fluent. I am still learning and practicing the language every day. This has placed me in a position where I find myself needing an interpreter at work meetings or clinics. However, that isn’t exactly something supplied by the Peace Corps. I mean we gotta learn somehow right? Luckily, there is usually a colleague willing to help tell me what is going on in the meeting or announcement, or whatever it may be. Keep in mind these are people are doing this to be nice, not professionally trained, simply kind hearted individuals. Since their attendance is also required distractions are easy to come by.  Sometimes I would be sitting for a few minutes of the presenter talking and then when I ask if anything has been said I get a message like “oh yeah, she is talking about the plans”…. Or something like “Its about that one boy and girl who live that side Rundu”. Very vague summaries. This is nice because it gives me some guidance, but no content. This would sometimes make me anxious, uncomfortable, or even annoyed.

 

To walk into a situation, and put what information you will get in the hands of another person takes a lot of trust. How do I know if I’m being lied to? Is this all the information I need or was that just the parts you needed? If everyone else is laughing why am I not? What’s so funny!? ….. I do have to note, English is not the first language of my colleagues helping me out. Sometimes English is even their third language. So why am I so, temperamental with their assistance? What this has really brought me to realize is: To be an interpreter, or even the person trying to help out someone is a lot of work, verbally and mentally. To be the person awaiting an interpretation or message is a lot of work, verbally and mentally. It’s a dynamic that demands a relationship. There must be trust to some extent, and empathy from all ends. Neither chair is an easy seat to sit in, but both positions deserve respect. Serving brings me humility constantly. Its good to be in a position where you are surrounded by opportunities that expand you, yet gives a closer look all at once.

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! 

Storytime

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”   - Dr. Seuss

Last weeks instagram post:

"They say attitudes are contagious... If thats the case I want to infect the Learners at my school with a love for reading and books. What better way than with story time" -Me :)

Reading, in my opinions is one of the most amazing gifts a person can have. Reading expands the mind and opens up worlds beyond what we can travel. It gives hope and creativity. Reading brings a sense of a million lives lived, and a million more to be lived. Anything is possible with literacy. So when I found out helping establish a reading culture at my school was one of their hopes I was both ecstatic and a bit heart broken. When I arrived to my school I came to find we have only a small "library" tucked away in a storage room which also doubles as the office of a couple teachers. There are books, but not many at all. An attempt at alphabetizing had been made, but not enforced by any means. Almost all teachers expressed one of their desires of me is to increase to reading abilities of learners, aid in English development, and help establish an actual library. That is a loaded request, but not impossible. 

A Grade 10 teacher who uses the "library" as an office and I had the opportunity to chat a bit over a library concept and ways to get learners excited about reading. After the two of us spoke with our principal a bit we came to the conclusion that we could utilize school space a bit better by moving the library to a place where we can also have room for learners to sit and read. We also discussed building hammocks outside under the trees with the rule of the hammocks being that if you want to lay in the hammocks, you must have an open book in your hands. Just a little something to appeal the idea of opening a book to learners. 

So after learning about this desire I decided to really look into what the library has and needs. First thing I noticed was they need an organization system, and that knowing the levels of books would be beneficial as well. I figured once I have things organized I would have a better idea of the inventory. Little by little I began carrying books from the "library" to my desk to dust them off and google what the book's reading level is. During one of my trips one girl would lives close to me asked what I'm doing. I told her I was trying to help the library because I love books and were suppose to take care of the things we love. I asked her if she likes books and she nodded. So I handed her a children's story that looked to have some fun pictures. She is only a Grade 1 learner but she has amazing English! She told me she didn't know how to read all the words so I asked if she would like me to read to her. This made me super excited, so I put down the pile of books I had and sat with her to read. Children here, as in anywhere are very curious. One little girl turned into two, which turned into four, and later to about 20. Lower Primary learners leave earlier than the rest of the school so they caught me on their ways home. We read a couple short simple books and they went on their way. The following day they requested another story when they saw me in the school yard. This thrilled me to know they wanted more story time so naturally I agreed. There was down side though. As I mentioned before lower primary learners are excused from school early so a heard of us outside reading caused some distraction to other classrooms. One lower primary teacher then requested that I come to her class to read the following day to learners, a request I has happy to fulfill. 

I knew I would be with them for about 2 class periods so I decided lets make a project to go along with reading. We read a story about a tortoise whom in short lost her shell after taking it off and it being stolen by monkeys. Those tricky monkeys! Eventually the tortoise's friends help her to retrieve her shell and they had a party  dancing and playing. We read the story, then all the learners were instructed to draw their own picture of animals having a party, they could use the same animals in the book or add new animals. Being that they were Grade 1 learners I was skeptical about how much they would understand. With some aid needed from the regular class teacher story time along with the arts project after went much better than I had hoped for. The learners were so into the story, and even helped me pick up a few new words in Rukwangali! One learner even invited my tattoo to her party and drew it into her picture. It was a great experience, and I hoping for future opportunities to have more story times with learners.

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