Funday Photos!

It may not be Sunday, but any day is a great day to share pictures, wouldn't you say?

The amount of cuteness the puppies bring to my homestead is to much to handle. They just makes me melt!!!!!

In Namibia many Learners who live in the village struggle with getting to town in order to get vaccinations. The Ministry of Health doesn't let that get in the way of getting Learners the medical attention they need to help them remain healthy. Since the families can't always get to the clinic, the Ministry brings the clinics to the school and gives every single learner their vaccination. 

I'm twice their age, and equally as scared of getting vaccinations! 

The official cultural dance competition was this past weekend. Unfortunately I was at resource volunteer training and couldn't make it. The great new is that their hard work payed off and the team proudly brought home THIRD PLACE!!!!

Way to go!!!!!

*disclaimer: permission has be asked and granted by any person(s) photos published. 

Is that a mirror in your pants?: Namibian pick up lines

How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice! BADA BING! *mic drop*

So do I have your attention now? Let's be honest cheesey pick up lines are funny, in any country. I loved the different lines people came up with in the United State, around South America, and Namibia is no different. So just in case you find yourself in Namibia and need a few great lines in your pocket these are a few myself and a few volunteers have encounteered.



* Meets you for the very first time "I love you! We must marry."

* You're so fat and pale

* Has anyone ever told you that you have breast like a chicken?

* You're hair is so beautiful, its like rice and mayonaise

* Have you ever tasted?

* Is it true all Americans look like Kim Kardasian?
                         - Do I look like Kim Kardasian to you?
   No you look like Martha Stewart!

* Come swim in the river, but if you dont take off all your clothes the crocodilles will eat you.

* Have you ever seen a Namibian snake?

* God told me we should be together.

* You're more beautiful than a Savannah sunset 

* Do you know how fast a cheetah is? 

     -umm no 

  Neither do I, but not fast enough to catch my heart like you did

Got more? Or do you have catchy American pick up lines to share with locals? Send them my way

The Hafa legacy lives on!

In one of my earlier blogs you may have learned about Hafa, the dog my host brother got me after saying part of what makes me miss being home is having pets. Hafa (which means happy in Rukwangali) sure lived up to his name. He was happy as can be and had more energy then any dog I've ever known. He reminded me more of a spastic cartoon squirrel than he did a dog. Unfortunately, I live right next to a highway, and we lost Hafa just over a month ago.

       *Hafa when he was a puppy and I first got him

I was really heartbroken over the loss of Hafa. He drove me nuts, but he was my spastic little squirrel. When people asked if I was going to get another dog I would say no, I'm too scared of another one getting hit by a car. 

A couple weeks after Hafa's passing I realized the girl dog on are homestead (her name is Nunu, meaning small) was looking a bit on the preggos side. And sure enough, she was. Last week after attending a media meeting I come home to find in a hidden area of my homestead Nunu and 6 precious little puppies. Nunu never leaves the homestead and Masini (the male dog, masini meaning milk) is very light colored, like when you add too much creamer to coffee (hence the name I have him). Yet, a lot of the puppies look like this 

Notice any resemblance? 

Hafa make be up in doggy heaven, but I think he left a little something behind. I said no more dogs, but visiting these little cuties everyday is causing me to quickly fall in love!

Love, HIV

Love, HIV

Written by: M. Rama

I am the name you hear

The one you loved to get

The one you hate to have

"Trust me"

You don't know me

My name is HIV

I come to destroy people

I enter in the blood

and destroy you

You cant hear me when I enter your body

You feel it as it happens

Yet you can't sense me at all

I cause death

To young and old

Please protect yourself from me

Camp YEAH! / Sunday Funday pics rolled into one

In a previous blog Life in a day of camp I briefly touched on one of my Secondary Projects, Camp YEAH! (Youth Exploring and Achieving in Health). As promised I want to give you more insight on what exactly Camp YEAH! is all about.

To give a brief history and background Camp YEAH! began just a few years ago by 3 volunteers aiming to reach out and teach youth specifically here in the Kavango Region. Though the region has recently be divided into Kavango East and Kavango West, we still aim to cover the Kavango as a whole. In past years volunteers from the Zambezi Region (just east of the Kavango) were involved and this year was the first time Wambo Land (or O-Land) had some representation. In Namibia [as a whole] there are very high rates of HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancies, particularly in the Kavango Region.

Camp is held twice a year, once during the first week of the May holiday of school. Schools in Namibia close for about a month from the last week in April, to the end of May. This gives us the opportunity to facilitate a week long camp for learners. Each Peace Corps Volunteer active in YEAH! was able to bring 2-4 learners to the camp. During this week long camp we primarily focus on teachings about HIV/AIDS. We however also learned about pregnancies, other STIs, gender roles, stereotypes, and about what our bodies are doing in general. The learners also get a chance to ask us "secret questions" about our own experiences. We did everything from acting out scenarios to  interactive groups about the specifics on HIV/AIDS and other STIs to learning how to put on and take off a condom properly to how we can reference the Bible to help us with our attitudes toward HIV/AIDS and those effected by it. In Namibia the Christian religion plays a VERY strong role in the culture so its something valued on high by many of the locals. We even had an interactive obstacle coarse to simulate the concept of risky behaviors. Coming up in October will be a three day weekend camp with a focus on teen pregnancy which I must admit I'm very excited for.

One of my favorite parts of Camp YEAH! is the learning doesn't stop once camp comes to an end. All PCV involved in YEAH! are also required to hold health clubs at their schools. At first I only held a Girl's Club, and then the boy learners called me out for "discrimination" against male learners because they wanted to have a club too. This made me laugh, but also happy that they are actually learning their vocabulary words so I now also run a Boy's club with similar material. Initially I thought it would be awkward to have a female teacher running the club of all boys but so far its off to a good start. The 4 learners I brought to camp are my Club Leaders and LOVE to help teach activities we did at camp. It brings a little smile to my heart to see them with their Camp YEAH! shirts on at school telling their friends about this and that from camp. Over a month later its still something they rave about. Sometimes its the simplest things that make you go, ok maybe I'm not going to save the world by being in Peace Corps, but to see the excitement in learners voice as they share this knowledge with their peers, now that means the world to me!

When I use to work with Deaf students in the USA I would have them put their hands on their head like Bix is doing above to get them to stop talking and pay attention. One day at school I did that again with out even realizing it. Its actually the best strategy to get my kiddos here to quiet down in pay attention because they all mimic it back. It made me giggle to see my learners then doing it when they need the floor. 

TALENT SHOW NIGHT!!!!!! 

We made some awesome Tie-Dye shirts! 

One thing we learned about were gender roles and gender is viewed in the culture. Gender roles in Namibia are MUCH different from those in the U.S.A. The learners then had to act out short drama as the gender opposite of their own. Some of the boys wanted to dress like Memes, the girls rushed to wear bucket hats. It was an interesting experience to see how the learners viewed the opposite gender and lead to some great conversation as to "well why did you...." "why do we think.... about gender x".

Eddie and I both Representing Sweet Home Chicago