Thanksgiving, mock weddings and condom demonstrations

Ondihole......I love.......

Ogongo sunsets

Punya punya (red wine and coke)

Laughing in English

Grade 6 learners

Ovambo chicken

Curiousity

The milky way

Africa Staudt Haus

My roommate's laughter

African magic

My cat Zizi

Riding in the back of pick ups

Barefeet

Genuine, yet ridiculous inquires

Baboon sightings

My learners' serenades

My Kuku (grandmother)

Meme mumu dresses

I miss......

Mexican food

Having my own car

Take away sushi

Bedi's stories and shenanigans

Spontaneous plans

Stairs

Snow (believe it or not)

Tailgating

Efficiency

Everything bagels with hummus

Meme Heidi

Spotted Cow

Couches

I want a girlfriend, but I don't know how. Can you help me?
How does a person get the homosexuality?
Can a girl fall pregnant if she makes sex with a very young boy?
Will a person go crazy if they do not make the sex?

- Anonymous questions submitted by my Grade 9 Life Skills class. These are the days I cannot imagine leaving this place.

Hairstyles lead to failing grades

There are many days where the following runs through my head – Wow, this school is really progressing. I am so proud of these teachers and learners. I am so blessed to be here. The teachers are making changes. I love it here. Life is nawa!

And then there are those down days – What are these people thinking? These learners are not understanding anything. The teachers don't care. This place is mass chaos. What am I doing here? Someone just give me a chili relleno with extra guac and a Reese's blizzard.....and a strong margarita! Today was one of those days. To set the preface I will rewind...last week during one of our insufferably long staff meetings we spent an hour discussing the failure rate of our learners and what we are going to do about it. Sounds productive right? Not when 45 minutes of that discussion is spent deciding whether or not shaving the hair of all of the girls who failed is an appropriate punishment. One teacher even tried to argue that these “crazy new hairstyles” are leading to failing. A logical question followed. “If we cut the girls hair, what will we do to the boys.” And the discussion continues....It was not until I spoke up that they realized that the removal of hair was a ridiculously inappropriate form of punishment and will in no way improve their academic achievement. They nodded in agreement when I proposed the solution of helping these failing learners, rather than punishing them.

That was 6 days ago. Today I arrive at school to find a large mass of my learners exiting the gate with backpacks on. When asked where they are going, I get the following replies, “Kegumbo” (to home), “We failed the exams,” “We did not bring N$10 for the teachers.” I make a detour from my normal beeline to the library to enter the office and get some answers. I quickly find out that the decision was made to require all failing learners to bring Engeeshu (ground nuts) or N$10.00 as a punishment. All learners that failed to do so were sent home. Brilliant idea.....lets help these struggling learners by not teaching them. It seems that my obvious solution was lost in translation......

P.S. I have to give them credit for choosing an alternative to corporal punishment (baby steps, baby steps)

Advances in technology

In one of the many boxes of school supplies from Webster City High School, I found a gem that has all the learners, and teachers, marveling. An old-school desk-mounted pencil sharpener with the crank and metal wheel to accommodate various pencil sizes (aren't pencils all the same size?). The first group of learners discover this amazing contraption was a bit hesitant and did not know what to think. After demonstrating a quick turn of the crank and presenting them with a razor sharp pencil, they were running all over the library and school finding every pencil, and colored pencil, to feed the sharpener! The last girl to sharpen her pencil exclaims, “Wow miss! Technology these days....”

Rions and Tigels and Beals, Oh my!

I just got back from a two week holiday with Tyler and his parents. I posted pictures on facebook that you should check out! We had a great time and I loved being a part of their first African experience and sharing my Namibian life with them. They got a taste of village life in Ogongo by visiting my school and sleeping on a traditional homestead. We spent the evening drinking punya punya (red wine and coke) by candle light at Jealous Down Bar No. 2. All of the locals welcomed us with exuberance and bottles of Tassenberg, as it is not everyday four oshilumbus (white people) hang out at their shabeens. Our next stop was Etosha National Wildlife Reserve. I have been there a few times before, but this was by far the best. Thirty minutes into the gate we were stopped by an entire herd of elephants crossing the road – with atleast 5 babies! The next night we saw three rhinos and four lionesses hunting at the waterhole near our lodge. Then the last day in the park we arrived at our last waterhole to find an entire pride of lions (4 female, 2 male, 3 cubs) sleeping, drinking and eating from a giraffe carcass. From there we went to Waterberg Plateau for some beautiful hiking, Okahandja to master the art of bartering with craft hawkers, and then to Swakopmund for sandboarding and ostrich egg liqueur.

Living the traditonal life....

I have had the amazing opportunity to experience traditional Owambo life. I have been invited to many traditional homesteads and loved my time there. Part of me wishes I lived on a homestead here rather than teacher housing! Here is a taste of Ovambo life....

This is the kitchen
The huts are made from sticks, grass and mud. Homesteads have anywhere from 2 to 10 huts that are used for cooking, sleeping, storing grains, working or relaxing.

Martha cooking Oshithima (traditional porridge made from mahangu)

Omalovu (traditional beer made from sorghum and mahangu)

Rauha and her Kuku (grandmother) presenting me with a bracelet as a welcoming gift.

Meme Martha sifting mahangu after she finished pounding

Me, in traditional Ovambo dress, attempting to pound mahangu (very difficult!)

They are much stronger than me! Three girls at a time!

Taking a quick break on our 10 km walk to school.