The Goals of Peace Corps: The Bright Side

The past couple weeks have been rather, emotional, for me (as for many).
Don't worry; this is nothing political.

Lets just skip the past week in general shall we?

Peace Corps has 3 main goals, I'd like to highlight goals 2 and 3.


Goal 3:  To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Two weekends ago I received word that a good friend of mine back home had an accident and was in the ICU on life support. Monday morning (my time) I woke to news of his passing. Now if you've read My Story: The Reason you know, death is quite the heavy load for me. However, as The Lion King taught us, it's part of the circle of life. So for today I ask of you. whoever it is you pray to, say a little something for Gary Davenport. That guy, he was just a genuine soul and one heck of a jokester.


However, I did have a rather sweet moment. Later in the day I was sitting under the trees trying to cope, when one of the grade 2 learners came up to me. She noticed I was crying and asked what's wrong. So, I told her "a friend of mine from home died and my heart is broken." She looked at me for a moment, got up and said "Tani wiza" (I'm coming [back]). A couple minutes later she returned with a bag of ice and put it near my chest while she told me about the time she once broke a bone and so her grandma had her put ice on it. I melted. It was a reminder of just how pure and kind people can be. With that moment alone not only did this adorable girl with the sweetest jack-o-latern smile make me feel better, but she inspired me. It was the simplest moment of kindness, and yet I don't think she realizes how much that one moment impacted me. How in that moment, I needed something like that.

So, if there is one thing I want people to absolutely know about my host country Namibia (Speaking specifically of the Kavango region): For the majority, the locals are very kind. They're curious. They're welcoming and  yes, doing an entire greeting is mandatory every time you simply see each other. Overall, there is a astonishing sense of community community.

Rest In Peace Gary Davenport

September 17, 1988

October 30, 2016

Goal 2: To help promote a better understanding of Americans on part of the peoples served.

Let me tell you, being a teacher has some perks. The school year is coming to an end in just a couple weeks and I can guarantee you, the grade 8 and 9 learners learned 2 very important lessons!

1. Chicago is the best city in the whole entire world! Yes, that is indeed a fact.

2. In fact, to go along with that, the Chicago Cubs are the World Series Champions.


Time difference can really affect the news you wake up to, so when I woke up to find messages awaiting in all caps say " WE ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS", that set a tone for the day. My classes did have an exam scheduled, but being that I'm the teacher, I hold the power to decide to postpone the exam to teach a very valuable lesson to these children. I told them a story about how over 100 years ago a horrible horrible curse was placed on a great team known as the Chicago Cubs. Despite all of the Cubs great efforts the curse could not be broke, until now!! This great triumph was to show everyone not to give up on their dreams and it was basically a holiday, so exams were canceled because we had to all learn a very important song, and dance.


Seriously, this is a video you have to watch! Ms. Tena's very important World Series Champions, The Chicago Cubs Lesson ( https://youtu.be/XniiB8PCLyo )

A gofundme has been set up for the family of Gary. If you would like to donate visit Gary Davenport's Memorial Gofundme page

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!

How to survive the rough weeks of Peace Corps

So as much as Id love to say serving, as a PCV is rainbows and sunshine every day, sometimes this gig is rough! Let’s face it; every day can’t be on fleek. (ß who says PCV’s can’t be hip with the cool words States side) These past couple weeks have been one of a few weeks that had me borderline 3-year-old tantrum, tossing myself on the floor kicking and screaming in need of someone to just hold me, say its okay, and give me a sticker and ice-cream. However, not all hopes are lost, I’ve come to find there’s a few ways to survive riding the rocky waves.

Happiness in a box – I’m pretty sure I can speak for all volunteers when I say getting mail makes your day. Come on when was the last time you wrote some snail mail? Its fun! I love reading what friends and family have to say, and I have fun drawing pictures on the letters responding.  Even if your not a PCV tell me you don’t enjoy a letter from a friend. Care packages!!! Its like Christmas morning to get to your box and see a little slip to pick up your package at the office. I pretty much skip the whole way to the post office. Seriously, I can not say thank you enough to the people who have sent me goodies, especially the ones who have sent supplies for my little monsters, wait I mean….. ummm….. classes of angels. 

Welcome to the twenty first century – Isn't technology great? There’s been a few times I had a day from h-e double hockey sticks! Then I get a notification from a friend or family saying either something encouraging or some quoting funny conversations or recapturing funny memories.  Sometimes I swear people sense it even from the other side of the globe.

Hide! – Its taboo for the culture of my host village to spend time alone, but some times its needed. Yes, integration and being active in your community is good, but sometimes its just, needed to lock yourself in your room with head phones staring at the roof. Sometimes sanity is granted by tucking away behind a back tree with a book. Just go for a walk. This job can be tough at times, sometimes the best de-stressor is a nice walk and breath of air.

I cant believe I’m about to suggest binge eating – I love chocolate and hot Cheetos. I ATTEMPT to save my hot Cheetos for rainy days, but then, well theyre hot Cheetos, especially lime, mmmmmmmmmm *starts dreaming of its loveliness*. Peace Corps has taught me the meaning of love; love is the feeling you get when you put hot lime Cheetos in your mouth. Since my hot Cheetos don’t typically last long I try to always have a chocolate bar or some other treat tucked away. Some times simply surviving the day is reason enough to celebrate and indulge in good as an award for not going [completely] bonkers.

Pack your teddy bear – Seriously! If you have one pack it. I have an elephant, her name is Cassie and she is the best. Also, before I left my friends back home gave me the best going away gift ever! They threw a surprise going away party and made me a scrap book  of collages, pictures, messages, and some extreme randomness, and I LOVE IT! Just flipping threw its pages not only makes me smile every time, its helps ease home sickness spells.

If you need to talk to someone, then talk. - We're not super heros, we're humans and with that comes emotions. You'd be surprise who you find can be the biggest support when you need it. There was literally a time I was so frustrated I cried my eyes out and a learner saw me, shocked to find out Americans cry. I'm usually a very bubbly person so she was under the impression that Americans are just happy. I didn't feel the need to explain all the issues but rather just leave it at, I'm feeling sad right now and sometimes crying helps. The next day she showed up at school with a card for me. 

And when all else fails a nice walk in with your head phones blasted is really nice way to relieve some stress and bring you back to the fact that you are living through an experience. Whether you're in America, Africa, South America, on and island, good days and bad days happen. Sometimes one of the trickiest parts of being a volunteer is learning how do dance through the rain rather than screaming at the next person to cross your path. 

I love Ellie Goulding and this song (Scream it Out) has played on repeat a few times to help me feel better, maybe it can help you too :)

https://youtu.be/RV9EKQG2ixI

New Series: What Can you do With $1USD in Namibia - KAPANA!!!

Life as a Peace Corps Volunteer has got to be one of the richest experiences of my life, but it is a life definately lived on a budget considering that we are, well volunteers. This doesn't mean we can't splurge once in a while and spend a dollar here or there for a treat. Where a US dollar can (sometimes) get you something off a dollar menu (with out tax) in the States there's also some treats that Namibia has for only $1.00USD!

So as I write this post right now the currency exchange rate is $1.00USD to $15.40NAM

The very first goodie I want to introduce to you is:

 Kapana!!!

Let me start off by saying my name is Jamie, and I am a kapana addict. Wooo glad I got that off my chest. Are we still together? Good I'm glad there's no judgement. Kapan is a style of bried (BBQ) meat made over an open flame. I use to be a vegetarian for a long time so I never foresaw myself loving a piece of meat so much, but this stuff, its good. maybe it the woody smoke taste. Maybe its the seasonings. Or Maybe its the atmosphere of it all but this is definitely a MUST experience should you ever find yourself in Namibia.

In my shopping town of Rundu next to a gas station where many taxis sit and wait for cars to fill up with passengers to drive to distance village lies a strip of "grills" where various people sell bit size pieces of meat for $1NAM each. These Kapana grills are also in other parts of the country but I typically go to the one in my shopping town because of convience. When I'm really hungry, $15 is the meal but there are options with in the corner area. Right across the street is a gas station where you can buy one can of cool drink (Coke, Sprite, water, juice, Stoney's Ginger beer) for about $5.25NAM for a small can.

This gives the options of:

15 pieces of meat

-or-

10 pieces of meat and 1 small drink.


And there you basically have lunch! This typically is my lunch when I come to town, not going to lie. The vendors compete a bit by sometimes having special spices available. I tend to go to the same "Meme" (motherly figure) because when she sees me she greets me with a big smile and says "Hi Tena" while already grabbing crushed chile flakes. I love spicy, the spicier the better. What can I say, I grew up in New Mexico. You basically order water there and they ask you the infamous question: Red or Green? Life is meant to be lived with chile. When my friends and I share kapana I'm not allowed to be in charge of chile flake add-ons or everyones mouth lights on fire.


When you walk up to the strip of Kapana grills they will start saying "Customer Customer, come taste" Feel free to walk to a couple and try the meats they have. 99% of the time its beef, but sometimes its goat. In other parts of the country I hear they also offer dog and donkey. I haven't tried dog, but donkey is good. After you pick the person who fits your fancy just tell them how many pieces you'd like then you can either eat them piping hot off the grill, or get them wrapped in a new paper and continue on your way. Don't forget to add some seasoning though ;) That's the good stuff!

KAPANA!!!

The plate of spice where you dip your meat. This train has salt, "spice" and chile flakes

The other vendors preparing their meat.

This is my go-to Meme. :) She rocks!

Fresh Kapana. The lighter pieces are the fat, which are free (if you like the fat).

The grills are made of old tire rims and metal screening. The fire is made with freshly cut wood. I swear that is part of what creates the flavor. 

What Kind of Impact can a Peace Corps Volunteer Actually Have?

What impact could a Peace Corps Volunteer really hold in the long run?

 

Prior to beginning service I was asked a couple times a very daunting question:  “Do you really think it helps these countries for you to go do stuff for them for two years and then come back?” After an initial moment of defensiveness I would usually respond with a “you should do some research on the Peace Corps and their history.”

 I must admit, no I don’t think Peace Corps would be of any benefit if we did just come to these countries “do stuff for them”, take some pictures and leave. 

            Peace Corps has established three main goals and 10 standards that come along with service. However, even with these in place, there will always be critics and that’s okay. Good actually. I’d be lying if I didn't admit there has been a couple times I’ve laid in bed questioning, am I doing this right? Am I making an impact?

          Well a couple weeks ago another volunteer and I jumped into a taxi in our shopping town. In Namibia taxis work a bit differently. Taxis pile in as many people as they can into the vehicle, and make various stops in route.  So in the typical fashion we more so stuffed ourselves in taxi. A woman asked if we were Peace Corps Volunteers and with a big smile told us about how a few years back, when she was in school they had a Peace Corps Volunteer and he taught them a really funny Christmas song with a penguin. “I still remember that song.” And as we quickly got to her stop she jumped out, excitedly waved and said bye. It was a sweet to say the least.

         The real moment that stopped me in my tracks though was in yet another taxi on my way to town.  Being that we were in the village riding into town the car only had the driver, an older woman and myself.  Greeting is very important in the culture here, so I gave the standard “Morokeni” greeting to the two in the vehicle when the older woman gave a little smirk and asked “Are you a Peace Corps Volunteer?” “Yes I am”. She explained she could tell by accent, which made us both giggle. My accent does need work. Rukwangali is hard! “At my school when I was in grade 7 in 1996 we had a Peace Corps Volunteer as our English teacher from Virginia and she always smiled.” I was impressed, 20 years later and still so many vivid memories. She continued to ask me a couple questions about myself and we shared some small chat. The car got quiet for a couple minutes when she said “I was the first girl leader in my class in grade 8” as she sat a little taller and smiled. “Really? That’s awesome!” I said sharing her excitement. “Yes, she picked me and another boy learner to be the two captains. Some of the other learners were mad and even a teacher told her both captains must be boys but she said a girl and a boy earned this year so she’s running an experiment. And then after that in grade 9, 4 classes had a boy and girl captain.” Namibia is a very young country so to have a country, not even in double digits of age embrace a concept such as gender equality is HUGE! Not only that, but also that one opportunity the volunteer gave this woman is something dear the woman has held onto ever since. She was so proud to tell me the story. Just showing up in a country and “doing stuff for them” doesn’t do something like that.

 Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer won’t make you empower every person experiencing oppression for any which reason such as gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion etc. You probably won’t solve world hunger. Unfortunately, after you complete service there will probably still be domestic violence and diseases being spread. We can’t solve every issue in the world, but we sure can try to give at least one positive opportunity to even one person, or give any sort of positive impact at that. Whether than impact be helping a community plant gardens to feed its people, building a library, making someone the first female class captain, or teaching a fun Christmas song, our lives our made up of domino sequences. If each volunteer can go through service and impact even one person during that time in such a positive way that that person in return uplifts another as well; well then thank you to the over 226,000 volunteers who have served and are currently serving because that’s lot of people world wide who just may share their story in a taxi with another volunteer some day.

A day in the life

Peace Corps Namibia: A day in the life link


Every wonder what a SUPEP volunteer does while serving in the Peace Corps? Well "I hop up outta bed, turn my swag on, take a look in the mirror say whats up", but seriously, here's what I typically do! Just click the link above  :)





To get more insight to some of my encounters also follow my instagram jamiet06

My Story: The reason

The year of 1999 was coming to an end, a year I could never forget even if I tried. I had turned 10 midway through the year and by the time we were approaching the winter break of 5th grade I had seen more counselors for the year than I care to admit, and been through one traumatic event after another falling on each like dominos. When the year began I had my first experience with death when my best friend had passed away suddenly. Continuing into the year I joined a program at school that taught students how to ski with different public schools in Santa Fe. It was an activity I really enjoyed over a few months, it was a get away gone bad. The bus company that took us up and down the mountain of curvy roads weekly didn't maintain their buses properly and on March 2 while on our drive down the mountain the brakes to the bus gave out ending in a bus full of 32 elementary student and 3 chaperons wrecked and flipped. In the midst of the bus rapidly going around curves, as the bus driver tried to keep the bus under control we were instructed to cover our heads with our bags, but my bag was no where to be found. That was when one chaperon gave his bag to me. Not long after that I woke up to a mangled mess of metal and blood everywhere, quickly followed by an ocean of sirens and flashing red and blue lights. Some how my parents found out about what happened and barged through police lines and made it to the accident scene. However, we were quickly separated when they paramedics began loading students into ambulances to take us to a hospital. The next morning I awoke to find out my cousin Eric, and the chaperon Gary who sacrificed his bag for me had passed away. Many of my friends were ok, but some still in hospital beds hook up to machines and/or under going surgery. That event made me suddenly look at adults as if they were enemies. I thought the world was safe but suddenly it became dangerous. I thought events with school had this bubble that protected us, this proved to only be half true. I still look to Gary as a hero, he saved me that day, but guilt followed me for years (and at times still does). I blamed myself for why 3 boys no longer had a father, and a wife left a widow. And I blamed my school and the bus company for doing this. 

Just a month later a very close uncle had a stroke he survived but not long after that a more sever stroke hit him. It was May 6th, my 10th birthday and there I was in yet another hospital watching another person I love hooked up to machines and putting up what I thought was an unfair fight. Just a few days later he as well passed away.  I had just hit double digits in age and every one around me was dying. I began fearing the world, fearing any kind of relationship. I began thinking that being around me meant you would as well die and I started pushing everyone and everything around me away. I spent the following several years of my life with a similar attitude, occasionally haunted by the same nightmare as friends through out the years moved on to other worlds or heavens or reincarnation.

However, even with what sometimes felt like a rugged storm of a life, the sun did also shine. A couple years following 5^th grade a wildfire ran a muck in Los Alamos, a town not too far from Santa Fe leaving many with out homes and in needs of good. One day my mom decided to take my younger sister Amy and I to a charity goods drive. People donated a variety of items, from food to clothes, household items to toys. We worked for the day sorting out the variety of items to be administered to the families affected by the wildfire. I remember there was a Beanie Baby that I had been wanting for my collection, and I asked my mom if I could have it. She explained to me how the families these items were going to were for people who had nothing left, a Beanie Baby going to one of the families affected may be the only toy another girl may have. I knew I had my own share of not only Beanie Babies, but also other goodies at home. Suddenly it didn’t make sense to me why I deserved this, and not another girl. That moment was when it finally clicked to me why my mom had us there sorting through piles upon piles of various things.  My first moment of volunteer work that later lead to a passion I never saw coming.

Fast forward to the awkward years of High School and I was still holding on to the fear that people I care for were just going to die if I let them too close. As I said, that nightmare of losing people sometimes played like a broken record of curses as I lost a few friends and family members very important to me during the first couple years of High School. I resorted to once again pushing away the people who cared about me most. Sometimes with my mom and dad enduring the biggest lash of that. I can admit, I was a brat as a teen. Until one person changed that all for me.

One day while attending a career fair I met a girl who served in Peace Corps Kenya and was a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. She talked about her stories while serving. Tales of what she did and the people she met. I swear the fair around me stopped; her story was magical! Then she said something that complete changed my world though the quote “The world is filled with good people, if you cant find one, be one”. Up to that point, people in my world were a curse not a blessing. But that moment… all it took was a bit of time with this girl, and suddenly, the world became hopeful. From that moment I knew I want to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. For the first time in several years I believed that maybe I have a “reason”. I knew darkness better than I knew light; maybe my “reason” was to find light in the darkest of moments. Crazy I know. However, from that moment on I swore I WOULD be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I WOULD be the “good” person.  A fire ignited with in me.

Keep in mind this moment came over 12 years ago, so when I was approaching graduation in 2006 my parents weren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of me wanting to take off to some random country. They wanted me to go to college. Long story short, I made a bet with my family that I lost, and off to college I went. It wasn’t long though for my wonderlust to kick in and I ventured off to a new place, Chicago. Little did I know, Chicago would become my home. I have absolutely nothing negative I can say about Chicago. To this day when you ask me where is home, I will say Chitown. I made friendships that exceed past friends, but into family. I felt, at home. However the wonderlust didn’t stop there.

          I graduated with my degree American Sign Language-English interpreting in 2012. One thing still stood after all these years, I wanted to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I honestly connected that to being my “reason” what ever that should mean. I met with a recruiter and before you knew it, I was signed up to go to South America.

I absolutely fell in love with volunteering in schools abroad. I love working with children. I have no desire to have and of my own, but there’s something about working with students that makes me feel like, you know what, I’m doing something right. I love the innocence of children. I enjoy how silly they can be. I’m silly and strange myself. I toured South America as a volunteer teaching English as a second language for a bit. While this happened, my heart found a special place in Peru and I found myself seriously debating staying in Peru rather than returning to the States. Up to that point I had never experienced so much euphoria in life as I did volunteering in Peru. That was when the planets of my world aligned. Maybe this was my “reason”.

That’s all it took. All it took was one girl to make me believe. It took one trip to make me believe in me. Just one. I never saw it coming but for once I thought I understood the reason for something happening for a “reason”. I took that trip to South America with intent being to gather experience to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I went to teach, but I left being the one who learned. I knew, I knew exactly what I was aiming for. Maybe it was for that “reason” or maybe it was just because, but I knew I had to do it.  Where darkness once filled my world, now optimism took over.

I had a game plan. I would volunteer in South America, and once I returned to the States I would begin my Peace Corps application. My recruiter and I had it all planned out. However, an unfortunate hostaging situation put my application on a bit of a pause. As many prior events in my life, this took a moment to recover from. But, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?

Later I met someone who introduced me to a whole new world. My roommate introduced to a place that built up people more than anything.

Though through this story I’ve ben extremely selective in incorporating names, there are a couple I have to mention. One being Fred Martinez. He convinced me to push myself beyond limits I thought were way beyond my range. He saw me in a broken moment and rather than let me dig a deeper hole, he taught me to climb out. With out any clue what I was doing, I joined the Superior Fitness family in Santa Fe. With the guidance of not only Fred, but other members of my gym fam (*cough cough* Deanneza, Laura, Pops and Carrie) I became the strongest Jamie (emotionally, mentally, and physically) I could ever imagine being. Like I said though, I’ve ben selective in the names I mention. However this is a moment where I have to call out a few people. See it takes a village to make something happen, and I’ve very fortunate to have an amazing support team that has helped me in my story. Amy, my baby sister who I looked up to since we were little; Landie, the most amazing best friend I could ask for; Marinda, my guardian angel; Beatrice, the one who believe in me more than I did; Fred, who pushed me; Heather, who opened up new doors; Sonja, who stood by me through so much; Mrs. Brooke and Ms. Dianna, two lovely ray of sunshine with hearts of gold, and most of all my parents… I finally became the best version of Jamie I had ever been in my life.

January of 2015, nine months after submitting my application to Peace Corps, I received a set in stone official invitation to serve in Namibia as a Secondary Education English Teacher.  To be honest I had to do a bit of research on Namibia. I believed I would be sent to South America so I hadn’t done much research on African countries. I was a bit unsure but I took the jump. The moment I received my invitation my dream came true. I was so excited I literally ran out of the classroom I was working in. I waited for the moment for so long and there was no way I'd pass it up. Now, January 2016 here I am living in Namibia, a country so beautiful that words and pictures don’t give it justice. I miss my friends, family, and gym family but I also now have a great Namily consisting of my fellow volunteers, host family, and Bunya host family.

Perhaps I did have a reason, perhaps everything has a reason. I’m sure this reason will take a lifetime to reveal, but there is one thing I do know.  Whether or not I ever figure out what that “reason” I found my passion. Life is something good, and though sometimes tough, its beautiful! I don’t think reason ever dies, and I’m still young. Maybe life happens for multiple reasons. Each reason leading to a new reason.  Maybe we’re not here for a reason, but a collection of many reasons. As for now, reasons have lead me to where I am right now, and I cant wait to see what other reasons unfold or where the reasons lead me as I experience this little thing called life.

Just a little piece of my time in Peru

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