Namibia update

Well, my goodness, our friends, it has been a long time. I heartily apologize, but will try to bring you up to date on our Namibian adventure. First of all, we are coming back to US Dec. 4 & returning to Namibia Jan. 12 for another year. Do we love it that much??? We don’t know, but we both feel compelled to stay & are comfortable in that decision.

Working backwards a bit, I just returned home from our between-term holiday. We bought a 4x4 a couple of weeks ago & headed out Aug. 26. Not the best timing since it was a Holiday honouring those who lost their lives in the struggle for independence--so we found most places closed. God went along with us, for on the first day, we failed to get gas at the last station before a long stretch with no stations & glided into our first destination on a wing & a prayer. Even Jim was worried, so I knew we were in trouble!!

Went to the town were the Hereroes ( a tribe that wears many layers of Victorian-type dress & headdress that resembles the horns of the cattle that is their livelihood) have their annual gathering to honour their fallen heroes, but the gathering had been the weekend before. Maybe we can catch it next year. Stopped at Windhoek to shop at a wonderful Craft Mart. Picked up a few things to bring home, but we were very tired & overwhelmed, so may need to return for more before we come back to US.

We continued south into unknown territory to us, but still on good main road. We were in the Kalahari at this point. While there are very few towns, southern Namibia holds all the wealth, so we did a lot of grocery shopping. The south is full of Afrikaners & Germans, so the stores are well stocked with many things that we cannot get up in our area. There is actually a “red line” that we cross about an hour south of us that separates the poor, subsistence farmers of the north from the rich in the south. We have to stop at the checkpoint where they make sure that we are not carrying any meat from the north into the south (an effort to control hoof-&-mouth disease) & no meat from the north may be exported. Going south is like entering a whole new world. Not that they have no poor, they certainly do, but the presence of rich is very evident.

We stopped at a town where we met an American doctor (working with AIDS patients) & his visiting friend who recommended the site of a Quiver Tree forest & Giants’ Playground. Quiver tree is actually a tall plant related to the aloe family, but looks like a tree. The ‘trunk’ has yellow bark that is reminiscent of a birch tree & the leaves were used by tribes of the past to make quivers for their bows. These ‘trees’ usually grow individually, so this ‘forest’ was unusual. We approached the Giants’ Playground as the sun was low in the sky, but were told the shadows & colours of sunset were amazing there, so, we fell for it & entered the area having no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It is a huge maze of massive boulders that teeter on top of each other. There were arrows that pointed the way, but as it got dark, we could barely see the signs, and they were not spaced as close together as we would have liked! Just as the last light left the sky, Jim spotted our car. God held the sun up just long enough to get us safely back. If we had been back in the US, we would not have been allowed into the area so late, but this is NOT the US!

Now we left the main road & started several days of travel on rough, gravel roads. We were heading west to end up at the coast, right above the Sperrgebiet (restricted diamond area). Along the way is a small herd of feral horses. There is speculation regarding their origin, but most likely were abandoned by the German army when the South Africans invaded the area with an over-whelming force. Anyway, these horses have adapted to the desert (by now we are in the Namib). They can go 7 days without water. A concerned person at one point commissioned a borehole or the horses would no longer exist. As it is, their numbers have gotten down to 30, but have never topped 280. They are very thin, but if the rains are good, they fatten up & can last through a couple years of sparse moisture.

Then on to Luderitz, a sleepy harbour town that is quite isolated. Our cottage was right on an inlet where a ship was dredging the waters for diamonds. The area is still filled with them. When diamonds were first discovered in the area, they were just laying all over on the sand. We visited a ghost town where the miners & their families lived--now, the sands are filling the buildings & eventually it will all be buried. That particular area, while still somewhat restricted, is more accessible, but they are sure that the area still contains diamonds. When larger ones were found farther south, the operations moved, but eventually will move north again.

Headed back north to an area of rocky hills, mountains, and the most incredible sand dunes in the world. We stayed two nights in that area and absolutely loved it!!! I was perfectly content to just sit out & look over the expanse of the desert with the hills in the distance in one direction & the dunes in the other. We had to go to Dune 45 (the most famous & most photographed) & Jim walked about ½ way up, I was happy to watch. We drove further until we came upon a parking area where there were guide vehicles to take us further. Since we had run out of cash (credit cards are NOT as universally accepted here as one is lead to believe--and if accepted, their card readers don’t work half the time!) we couldn’t go with the guides, but Jim decided he could do it in our 4x4. I opted to sit under a camel-thorn & enjoy the breeze. That reminds me--we had cold weather. It felt wonderful to me, Jim was not quite as enthusiastic. Anyway, Jim & God headed out & of course, he got stuck in the sand. Now, remember, even though this past week was a high tourist season, the expanses here are seemingly endless, so we would still travel even as long as an hour & not meet another car. Anyway, there is Jim, stuck in the sand up to the rear axle, trying to lay twigs down to get some traction & one of the guides who was returning back to the parking area delivered his paying customers & doubled to check on Jim (and he had warned Jim that the sand could be very dangerous). So, again, another close call, but we were saved.

Reluctantly, we headed back home, but we were definitely ready for smooth roads. Had an evening in a lakeside self-catering cottage & were all set to braai (grill) some top-quality southern beef--stores were sold out, so ate at a lovely lakeside restaurant after canoeing. Met an American who was visiting a Namibian couple who are doing orphan-orientated work. Interesting discussion on the Namibian school system.

Stopped two days ago in a town that has a wonderful German corner café & GREAT grocery stores (Sheila, Sandy, & Colleen, it was Otjiwarongo where we ate at the c’est si Bon restaurant--huge meat balls--and stayed at the new B&B run by a nice young couple). After enjoying our time there, stopped for gas before heading out & the attendants were sooo excited to see us, for they spotted a flattened tire. Wthen they put air in it, they could hear air escaping (fortunately the hole was not on the bottom). So, they put the spare on--they get so excited when they get work & are paid well. We were booked at a lovely lodge 27km out in the hinterland (Colleen, S&S, we stopped in Windhoek & met w/ Edna who planned the entire trip--you know what kind of accommodations we had!). So, we again were so very thankful that the leak had been discovered before we headed out into no-mans-land. We were scheduled to arrive home that next day after a wonderful breakfast & watching wildebeest, sable, impala, springbok, & I don’t know what all, in large numbers. Got a few kms down the road & detected a horrible smell, but saw a water plant & thought maybe it was the source. Oh, no. It was us. So, fortunately, AGAIN, there was a gas station (along a fairly short stretch where there were stations at each end--why was there one in the middle??) We pulled in & there was a huge cloud of smoke that followed us & the back end of the car was HOT. We had no idea where to call, what to do, no one spoke enough English to be of help, although one man brought a chair for me to sit. Jim called one of the school executives who spoke to a guy at the station, but we could still get no help. Decided to limp along to the next town. The car had cooled down enough & we made it!! I failed to mention this is Saturday afternoon--most stores close & many services don’t even open Sat. mornings, but definitely close at noon. A very helpful cashier called a mechanic who came (amazing) said that the differential seal was bad & we were leaking fluid. He filled it up & felt that we could make it to the next town where there is a Toyota dealer. So we giddily headed out toward Tsumeb, we thought. We actually headed the wrong direction. Fortunately…Jim thought we were going the wrong direction, flagged someone down, & ended up going 20 k’s out of out way--when were just limping along, anyway! The smell got bad again, Jim could see a lot of smoke, so pulled onto the side of the road. Got out of the car, cursed, jumped back in & drove a few feet ahead--the grass under the car had caught on fire. He put that out & some guys stopped, were very agitated, they had seen the grass fire (we thought), no, they were seeing the fire under the car. They threw sand at it & we had a gallon of water (Colleen, S&S, the water you bought on our trip) & were able to put the fire out. I had grabbed the computed--decided the rest didn’t matter. Now we were 35km from Tsumeb, had no idea who to call or what to do, but these guys had a tow belt & they said they would pull us. Okay, we took off--I was a wreck, just knew we were going to go crashing into the back of their car! All of a sudden, maybe 10km into this harrowing journey, there was a huge, sound from the back of our car--as if the back half fell off or something. Safely stopped & they still wanted to pull us & I could not agree to that. So, Jim stayed with car & I went into Tsumeb with 4 young, strange men. We drove into town (which we had stayed at before, so I was somewhat familiar) & proceeded out of town. All sorts of ideas were flying through my head. I asked where we were going, & of course, it was fine--we ended up at a very large garage, which was closed, but the guys must have seen a number to call on the door, because they soon handed me their phone & it was a towing service. I knew of a Backpackers accommodation where the owners spoke very good English & had the guys take me there. As I was asking the guy at reception if the owners were available, a familiar face appeared--3 of our WorldTeach colleagues had just checked in & heard me! Jim eventually arrived after the car had been delivered to the garage & there was an available room for us. This morning, I joined 2 of our colleagues who were also headed up to the Ondangwa area & we ‘hiked’ back home. Not hiked, but there are ‘hike points’ where drivers gather & you negotiate a price for them to take you somewhere. For distances like today, there are usually several ‘combies’ (vans) that have open trailers behind that are more than willing to take you. We had a full van (Namibians don’t feel the need to follow occupancy restrictions) & it took a very long time as we had to stop many times to drop people off, & not always along the main road on which we were travelling. I was so grateful to be travelling with people I knew! The garage will check the car first thing in the morning & Jim will either wait for the car or hike home & return to get it later in the week. It was a wonderful trip, really. Each challenge that could have been disastrous turned out to be just a bump on the road. God was with us every km of the way.

Term 3 starts tomorrow for the teachers. Not sure what we do, but won’t be surprised if there is no plan, we’ll just be expected to be there. Exam time was very tense, again. Most of my learners went down in both English & Social Studies. If half of Grade 8 passes to Grade 9 it will be a miracle--and not a good one for they won’t be able to do Grade 9 work! In order to pass, they must get a 40% or better for their final Marks in English, Maths, and 4 other subjects and above a 30% in the 3 remaining subjects. I’ve told them repeatedly to just guess if they don’t know the answer, not to leave anything blank. Shear luck will get them a few points. They don’t like to do that, but I saw that some did listen. Didn’t get any more right doing that, but made me feel better.

We went to an Owambo wedding. Owambos comprise the largest tribe & are largely responsible for Independence. I was disappointed as it was a very European wedding. Understandable, however, since during colonization, Christianity was imposed on them. They did a few things that were different. After the actual marriage ceremony (exchange of vows), various people from each side got up & “advised” the bride & groom. The remarks were prepared & they alternated from bride side, then groom side. Then we travelled by caravan to the bride’s parents’ homestead. Bride & Groom rode in a Hummer Limo to a point not too far from her house & then they had to walk the rest of the way with many people following them. We drove closer to the homestead. There were huge tents set up, music playing on boom box (mostly American). There was a huge buffet with many different salads, beef that had been ‘braaied’ & they brought whole chickens around to the tables that people just took in their hands & tore apart. The head table had more traditional food (porridge that they take by hand from a common bowl, roll into a small ball & dip into a spinach concoction--everyone loves it), there was sort of a champagne toast--glasses were filled, but people just drank. When we needed to use the toilet, we were led into the house--which had no electricity, so they found a flashlight--there was electricity in the tents & around the property, & I think I heard a generator, so maybe they just switched the electricity from the house to the party area. There were TONS of people & security guards. Oh, when B&G arrived at the homestead, they sat on chairs with a table & gifts were presented--wrapped, & not opened, just presented. Because our teachers chipped in to give money, we were given the hindquarter of a cow that was slaughtered for the occasion. After school Monday, some cut the meat up into thin slices. The leg & foot, still with sand on the foot & skin on leg, was sitting there--one of the teachers was going to take it & cook it. They eat every part. They really like the eyes. The children are not allowed to eat the tongue--bad luck or something. Since we were a group, we all had to dress alike--black skirt, black vest, & white long-sleeved blouse. Our maintenance supervisor’s sister made them for us--US$21 included the fabric & labour. Skirt & vest were lined. I had to provide a blouse on my own. I tried to pay more--wasn’t allowed.

We have been struggling with enforcing rules that teachers & learners ignore. The inconsistency drives us crazy & we are trying to address it. There is still corporeal punishment practiced at our school--and apparently at all but a few throughout the country. It is against the law. Everyone nods & says yes, but they are just more discreet in doling it out. We are doing what we can & making no friends in doing so. Our executive board is behind us, but the administration & colleagues resent us. When we come home, we will tell you all about it. In the mean time, please continue praying. Every day seems to have its own challenge & by days’ end we are usually exhausted.

I have organized their first-ever spelling bee. As usual, everyone was excited when I first presented the idea, & many signed up. However, when it came time to get their lists to study, about half committed to it. Follow-through is lacking throughout all the ranks, so we just work with what we have. Grade 6 also took on a water conservation project that they will have to carry out this term as part of Social Studies. I was soo proud of them! They thought of every obstacle & how to over-come it. That class is great. They are beginning to think independently, creatively--our buzzword is thinking ‘out of the box’ and I have heard the term used in the schoolyard! We also have a “no ‘Me I‘” campaign going on. It’s a Namlish thing--everyone says it. But when they say it, they catch themselves & they remind others when they hear it. Hopefully they are not correcting their teachers. We also refuse to ‘borrow them’ anything. And no, she is NOT having a pencil--she has a pencil!!! They are quite proud when they remember to say it right! We had quite a battle with the student teacher who was supposed to teach English in my Grade 6 & Jim’s Grade 5. After I commented on two of her days’ teaching she didn’t come back to my class but stuck with Jim. Did not always show for class, was not always prepared, would not follow Jim’s plan, and at the end, when he asked if he was supposed to fill out an evaluation of some sort, she just waved him off & said that it was taken care of. What she doesn’t know is that we are friends with lecturers and student teacher tutors at UNAM & they have her name & will be checking up on her. The system has enough struggles with unqualified teachers, they don’t need new ones, who are supposedly trained, to simply follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.

Well, I have gone on long enough. I must get ready for tomorrow--whatever that will bring. I can hear the principal now: well, tell Mr. Jim he must just hike back. You knew every teacher had to be back today.

It is now Friday & we completed our 1st week of Term 3. On Jim’s way home with our car (on Tuesday), from the garage about 250km away, the car started smoking again. He pulled off the road, about 65km from home. Called our school executive friend who dispatched a tow truck, but Jim was on then side of the road in the dark--NOBODY is out alone after dark here, but he was kept safe & came home exhausted & frustrated. Garage in Tsumeb then towed the car back to their garage yesterday & we are now waiting to find out what’s going on.

At our briefing Monday, the principal informed us that corporeal punishment will no longer be tolerated at our school!!!!!!! It was difficult to sit there & not react. I believe it was the result of our contacting the parents of two of our girls after one of them had been slapped. We also reported to a school executive who demanded action. So, now, our next battle is to convince some of our girls to report incidents of inappropriate actions and comments made by one of the male teachers. In a conversation with Jim, 3 asked if the “no touching policy” related to no corporeal punishment extended to unwanted sexual advances. He brought stories home & I have been talking to the girls. Each time, they tell me of yet another girl who has been touched. So, again, we need prayers to advise or act in a way that will protect these girls.

Sometimes I get impatient with the US for over-protecting us (banning a product that I like because a few people died using it), but there are very few safely regulations here, & the ones that are in place are largely ignored. Our children run helter-skelter in the school yard as cars & taxis drive helter-skelter--neither watching for the other. Pre-grade through Grade 4 are released at 12:30. There is no supervision of them & many wander outside the gate--and we are located on a primary highway with cars racing by. Even after receiving a report that a local man was luring children into his car, the children were simply warned. So, somewhere between US & Namibia, there must be some reasonable measures taken to ensure safety.

Okay, if you have read all of this, you deserve a prize. Take a little trip to the store & buy a Dove bar.

With love & prayers,
sharon