So I realized I haven’t written much on my blog in a couple weeks and figured it was time to do so. HOLIDAY HAS BEGUN!! It is hard to think that our first term of teachers has passed. I have one exam left to grade and my reports to hand in and then I am officially FREE!!! I have learned a lot this term. A lot about myself, this country, the people I live with and how to survive in the bush! Yes, I have semi-mastered cooking on a hot plate. I use mastered as a very loose term as I have subjected myself to opening a can of beans and eating from the can for a meal. As holiday starts I am looking forward to having a break and eating some normal food. However, I am feeling this separation anxiety as I say goodbye to my house in the bush and in Opuwo. Foreshadowing of what is coming in December is not very nice. In order to not keep this post so long and boring to write I will make it into bullet points.
What I have learned:
- Namibia is a gorgeous country that I have quickly fallen in love with
- I am totally capable of sleeping on the ground with a blanket. Mailin and I are pros
- Sitting in the back of a bakkie (pick up truck) is the best way to see the country. Although not always the most comfortable but you make it work. Mailin and I have gotten some pretty Awesome tan lines.
- My learners do love me! They cheered when I came back from a day of being sick :D
- Colleagues are friends, family, and frustrating all in the same day.
- Opuwo is a breath of “fresh” air after a long week of school.
- Staying in the bush gets interesting... especially when your learners and colleagues throw dance parties.
- You come to Africa thinking you are going to lose weight when in reality you gain so much!
- I am ok sitting in my flat by myself after teaching for a day.
- Washing your clothes by hand can be pretty therapeutic.
- My bathroom sink has become a kitchen sink and everything else that I need to wash in it.
- There are so many different people living in the Kunene Region that I feel so at home in this melting pot of Kunene.
- So many different ways to say no, I will not marry you nor have your caramel babies.
- Bush ain’t got nothing on me!
- Donkeys don’t like white people. My learners told me so.
- Cows and Goats outside my window love to greet me in the morning.
- Always pack an extra pair of clothes... no matter where you are going.
- Be prepared to leave and travel to some remote village/area at the drop of a hat.
- EVERY PART of an animal can be made into some type of meal... even stomach lining.
- Friends become family to get you through the hard times and help you relieve stress.
- I can go more than a week without service to call, text or contact anyone. It is actually a really nice break :)
- If they don’t really care about something, you shouldn’t stress yourself out over it either.
- If it crawls, KILL IT, there is a 50% chance that it is poisonous or will harm you in some way.
- Bucket bath is the next best thing to a shower.
- Not showering for 3 days is normal.... Water goes out almost everyday.
- Best thing to do when you don't understand; LAUGH. They will most likely laugh with you.
- Looking your best is overrated... you will always look like you just jumped out of the back of a moving truck.
Believe it or not I will be missing this place over break and feeling a little sad that I will be separated from here for a month. But totally excited that my mom and Krista are here in ONE WEEK! Therefore I will not be taking time to update my blog at that point. They don’t know what they are in for. Could be interesting driving around Namibia where the roads are few and the dirt/bumps are plenty.
