Swearing-In Ceremony

The most exciting day of PST was swearing in! Not only because it meant that I would soon be traveling to my permanent site, but also because I had the honor of giving the swearing-in speech for our Silozi class in front of our Country Director, US Ambassador to Namibia, and the Namibian Deputy Minister of Education.

In English, the body of my speech read:

"Today is the culmination of eight weeks of language, technical, safety and cultural training. As we know, it is a long application process, and most of us have been waiting for this day for twelve months or more. During those months, we could never have imagined the warm welcome that was waiting for us in Namibia. When we arrived at the training site, our trainers sang welcome songs to us, and it has been as though everyone we have met has had a welcome song in their hearts.

The six of us going to Zambezi Region come from all over the US and each of us takes a different piece of the US to their host community. We have come to work with promising business ventures and educational counterparts here in Namibia. We have come to prepare a new generation of Namibians for an increasingly interconnect global community in which Namibians will play an important role. We have also come to learn. Over the next two years, we look forward to getting to know our counterparts, learners, and communities. We can only hope to do justice to the hospitality that has been extended to us in the short time we have already been here.

This process has been facilitated by fantastic language trainers. We have been prepared to serve in Zambezi Region by the enthusiastic, kind-hearted and patient Mama Rosa, whose teaching style and sense of humor has been an excellent preparation for, and introduction to, the Zambezi culture and people. We could not be more excited as we prepare for two years serving the people of the Zambezi Region and are excited about the future as we prepare to go to our sites.

Thank you all and god bless."

Peace Corps Language Training

Language assignment is one of the most exciting parts of Peace Corps. Sometimes, the language you're assigned to gives you a hint about where you might go, and where you go isn't revealed until the very end of PST. To make things fun, each volunteer received a card with an image on it - people got lions, monkeys, snakes, elephants, etc. My card had a snake.

To find out what our language was, we had to make the sound of the animal on our card to find our group and our language trainer. I started hissing and walking, and it wasn't long before I found out that Mama Rosa would be my language trainer and I would be learning Silozi. 

Mama Rosa starts from scratch, teaching the Silozi diphthongs. 

Silozi is a language spoken by a relatively small minority in Namibia and is neither as recognizable to the outside world as the Khoisan (or "click") languages nor as widely spoken as, say, Afrikaans. 

You find Silozi speakers in the most remote area of Namibia - the Zambezi Region (formerly known as the Caprivi Region/Caprivi Strip). It is spoken as a lingua franca there with local tribal languages including Fwe, Kuhane, Mbukushu, Totela, and Yeyi, among others. Silozi came to Namibia through the conquest of the area in the past by Lozi kings who came from western Zambia via modern-day Lesotho and nearby areas in Southern Africa. Zambezi is a small extension of Namibia that extends between the borders of Zambia and Botswana, and coming within hundreds of meters of, but not quite reaching the Zimbabwean border. Namibia is the 34th largest country in the world, yet only 2% of the land is arable, and almost all of it is in Zambezi Region. It is one of the last regions to develop in Namibia, partially because of a conflict that affected the area between 1994 and 1999. Unfortunately, the region also suffers from a high rate of HIV infection (37.7%). It has cultural traditions unlike any other part of Namibia, such as bowing and clapping, or kissing the other's palm while greeting. It is also the last region of Namibia in which the tribal kings/chiefs still hold an important influence over the day-to-day lives of the people who live there. It is one of the most beautiful regions of Namibia, with seasonal floods causing the floodplain areas to turn into a series of oxbow lakes and islands. It is also home to the largest number of birds of any region in Namibia. 

Mama Rosa is one of the best, if not the best, language trainers I have ever had. Her technique is to speak as little English as possible, using body language to get her point across. She has 40+ years of experience as a teacher and school principal. When she retired, she became part of a panel of a Silozi radio show, and a Peace Corps language trainer. She is enthusiastic and has a captivating personality, laughing and cutting up while explaining difficult ideas with the ease of a professional carrying years of experience. 

Site Assignment

One of the most closely-kept secrets during training is WHERE we will all end up going. For me, it was less of a mystery, because the language I am learning is only spoken in one region of Namibia. For others, today was more of an unveiling.

Nothing important in PST is simply told to you (not as fun), and today was no different. Our trainers laid out a map of Namibia using string, and we were blindfolded. Each of our sites had an envelope with relevant information about it placed at the relative location of our sites on the string map that had been laid out. To musical accompaniment, we were blindly led to our sites where we waited until everyone had been guided. When I opened my eyes and looked down, I found everything I had been waiting for.

Things I Recommend Having in Namibia

#1.) A good, discreet backpack 

The one I got is the army green, plasticized canvas Gravis Metro. Lots of volunteers here have high-tech backpacks that look like they're from outer space, and this one is under-the-radar, durable, water-resistant, has a laptop sleeve and a secret compartment for wallet/phone, etc.

#2.) iPad Mini LTE

You can get a micro-SIM card for an iPad and activation for N$35. You can cut down a mico-SIM into a nano-SIM with a simple pair of scissors and a steady hand. To load data, you can use online banking to purchase minutes for the number associated with the iPad SIM, then remove the SIM card from your iPad, place it into your phone, convert the minutes to data, then put the SIM card back in your iPad. N$399 will buy a 2GB data plan, which is good for three months. You can text family members back home with Google Voice, and you can turn it into a wi-fi hotspot and connect your computer to the Internet. You will be hindered by speed (between 0.5 and 3.6 kbps), so Skype, Facetime, etc., is not really feasible, but everything else is. If you get a non-fancy cover for your Mini, then its size will make it relatively discreet to use.  It is recommended to turn off the automatic network connection and set it to MTC, or whichever service you use, permanently. 

#3.) Swiss Army Knife 

I recommend the Victorinox Traveller Lite. Look for one on eBay. You can get it for half the retail price. It is pretty small, but manages to pack in a corkscrew, parcel hook, auger, toothpick, ballpoint pen, tweezers, two blades, an clock with an alarm function, a timer, a flashlight, both types of screwdrivers, a can opener, and scissors. I really can’t emphasize the DAILY use I get out of this thing. The can opener alone has been used who knows how many times, and is still good as new. Bring batteries for the flashlight, because it runs them down quickly and it uses a special kind of watch battery. 

#4.) Cooking skills 

Be able to cook your favorite things. If you are in a village like mine, there are no restaurant options, and basically the only food you eat will be what you cook. Knowing how to make your favorite comfort foods will really brighten up those tough days, and helps you stay satisfied and upbeat throughout the week. 

#5.) Bluetooth speaker 

With a Bluetooth speaker, you can put the speaker in its own corner of your room and play music, movies, whatever, and you can move your device without having to juggle a bunch of cords. 

#6.) A cat (and a musical instrument)

A cat will kill the camel spiders, mice, and various other insects and small mammals that come into your living quarters, and will be good company when you're feeling homesick. I was lucky to find this little kitty about a month after I got to site. From the US, I brought a soprano ukulele. I recommend it as an instrument to bring, because it's small and light, relatively inexpensive, and sort of easy to play. It provides hours of entertainment for me and minutes of entertainment for the occasional other person. I also recommend a book called From Lute to Uke, which has renaissance lute music with adapted tabs for ukulele.

 

#7.) Your favorite deodorant 

Namibia's sun and heat ain't no joke, and things can get really stinky, really fast. "Good" deodorant here will be expensive on your Peace Corps budget, so I recommend bringing a supply with you. If you're like me, and you care about aluminum and alcohol and things like that in your deodorant, I especially recommend it, because I have yet to see a deodorant available here that is alcohol-free. 

#8.) Water boiler

It’s really nice to be able to make tea or coffee in the morning, and it’s much quicker than boiling the water in a pot. You can also boil water to take warm bucket baths. 

#9.) Cast-iron/steel cookware 

Most of what will be available here will be made of aluminum, so I recommend getting a good cast-iron pot and a second larger pot or skillet. I found a small sauce pot with a removeable wooden handle from Mr. Price Sports in the camping section on sale for N$99, and a large pot for N$375, which I use instead of a skillet. I use a steel sauce pot to make rice/spaghetti and other things that require boiling water. 

"The Person I Admire the Most"

On one of my first days at site, I asked to read some of the learners' journals to get an idea of their level of English and what's going on in their heads. A particularly touching entry came from a girl whose assignment was to write about the person she admires the most:

"Of all the people in the world, I admire my grandmother and to me she is my role model. She laughs with peoples and enjoy story. She is wise because she knows how to read and write. She is proud everytime and is polite in words. I admire my granny because she is so smart. When it come cleanness she is number one. I admire my granny very much and she is the only one who support me. I respect my granny because she is respected and too old. She old, but she is a hard worker especially when it is time for ploughing. She is so nice to me and she is patient. I admire my grandmother more than anyone else in the world. She is so special to me. She is kind, smart, and happy all the time. My grandmother is supportive because she support me and my brothers and sister when it comes to school fund and buy for us uniform, even food. She have got no problem when it comes to talk to other people. I love her so much." 

First Day at Site

The first thing I saw after waking up and looking out of my window was one of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen in my life, a lilac-breasted roller.

Birds were chirping, cows were mooing, and chickens were crowing. I took a bucket bath,

and set up housekeeping. Then I went for a walk and saw my school for the first time.

I met around 15 learners, who surprised me with how well they already spoke English. Since it's the weekend, there are no teachers around, but I already feel lucky to call this beautiful place home for the next two years.

Pre-Service Training

After getting settled into our training site in Okahandja, we began two months of extensive diversity, medical, safety, technical and language training. Language training was far and away my favorite part.

A standout from training was Cultural Day, when we all made food typical of our respective language groups. The Silozi group made fish, chicken, makwangala (cooked water lily bulbs), and pap (maize porridge). We also slaughtered a goat (a first for many of us), chickens, and make vetkoeks. At the end, we had a fashion show, featuring various forms of dress from Namibia. Here is a video I took from the cooking session:

Some trainings were more fun than others. Some were more informative than others. Some (the sexual harassment training) were downright uncomfortable and not fun. One of the more fun ones was a simulation of Namibia public transport. Trainers and volunteers were assigned roles and attempted to demonstrate what it is like to ride in a combi (usually a minivan with about 14-15 passengers crammed inside. I took a video:

Key insights into the culture during PST were the importance of greeting everyone (in Namibia, it's very rude to ignore someone in close proximity to you), the importance of being polite to elders (I consider myself a polite person, but Namibians are extremely polite and treat elders with a reverence long-gone in the United States), and the importance to helping each other. During one of our sessions, all of the Americans listed things they didn't understand about Namibian culture, and our trainers listed things they didn't understand about our culture. One of the things that came up from the Namibians was, "Why don't Americans accept help?"

A trainer stood up and said, "I don't understand why Americans don't accept help. Like, when you all arrived here, you have so many heavy bags, and people offer to help you, and you can barely walk, and you're like, 'No, it's OK. I got it.'"

In Namibia, and Africa in general, it is rude to turn down offers of help. I think Americans are so quick to decline help is because we value self-sufficiency, but also because - let's face it - it's usually an empty gesture in the US, and maybe we usually assume that whoever is offering help is just doing it to be polite. When you refuse help in Namibia, it is like saying that you don't want to interact with that person so much that you will not even accept help from them.