Serious Business .....and cookies.

So, today, I once again wished I was a teacher, but apparently my job just involves all the fun parts of teaching, aka playing games with learners after school. Not exactly what I am doing, but still, a good time.

Monday, I had my PHE class, where I only have four kids, but they have made a noticeable improvement. When they first got to my class, they didn't look at me when they talked, they didn't talk loud enough, didn't make eye contact, and were basically incredibly shy. On Monday they did a condom demonstration for me (with a wooden penis fresh from the RACE (Regional AIDS Council on Education I think?) office, thank god they give me so many materials), and they looked at me, spoke loudly, and two of them didn't even need to look at the book to remember all the steps. And they weren't embarrassed!!!!!! It was very exciting, and I am so proud of them... even if I feel like there is too much HIV/AIDS education going on at Iipundi, I realize I can't really stop these kids from what I've started. Although I am thinking about starting a debate club... they could definitely use the skills they have learned there.

Tuesday, I actually presented again in a workshop at Okankolo, north of Ondangwa. Despite knowing nothing about needs assessment before I came here, I think the second time around I actually managed to convey something useful. I did this activity where I did a bad interview and a good interview without telling them what I was doing, and I think I kind of scared the guy I did a bad interview with... I was yelling at him and asking questions like "does your mother have a job." it was kind of funny, b/c he really did look scared but right before my session, Helena did a session on gender and the guys were like there shouldn't be a woman president and they had split themselves off by gender, so it was a little bit fun to scare one of the guys. I also got to go to a friend's site which is pretty close to mine to help with the workshop there, although since I had already presented on needs assessment i just helped with the gender presentation... except we have a more expanded concept of gender than they do here, I guess simply because people are a bit more experimental in the states. I was trying to explain to them about how gender can be how someone sees themselves as opposed to sex, but really, the idea of seeing yourself as a woman when you are biologically a man just confused them. I dont think very many people talk about the 13 different genders in Namibia.

Today I basically had my school newspaper club, which has been a bit difficult to get started b/c not all of the learners are really motivated or really ready to unleash their creativity (cheesy, but i know its there). When they first got into the room, and I started talking, it was pretty clear that none of them were paying attention, so after 5 minutes of blank stares, I decided to play fruit salad, which is this fantastic game which I can't really explain here. After that things were a bit easier and I finally got them to come up with story ideas... granted, they were like "a story about a wrong boy", "introduce our new school newspaper" and "the environment at our school," but really, its their paper, so they can write about what they want. at least this is what i am trying to impress upon them! I know I sounded really cheesy when I was talking to them about why it is important to be fair and accurate... i think i said something like "everyone will be a critic, so this is serious business!"... and then i started cracking up. Not sure i gave them the right impression, but I'm working on that.

Oh yes and my Tuesday Legal Clinics are finally starting!!!!!!!! Here is a draft of the AD in English that is going to be translated and put on Oshiwambo radio.
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The AIDS Law Unit of the Legal Assistance Centre is a project dealing with HIV/AIDS from human rights based approach. The project believes that the protection and promotion of human rights is neccessry to empower people to respond effectively to HIV/AIDS and to reduce their vulnerability.

It is therefore against this background that the Unit is extending its servirces across the country. The Unit is pleased to anounce that it will provide legal aid clinic at Omuthiya. The community around Omuthiya is invited to make use of this free service. Any members of the community with any legal problem are encouraged to visit our office. The legal problem should and not necessarily limited to:

* Discrimination or stigmatisation because of your HIV status,
* Dismissal from employment because of your HIV status,
* House/land eviction because of your HIV status,
* Disinheritance as sanction for causing spouse death,
* Refusal of treatment at public health facilities because of inability to pay consulation fee,
* Refused or delayed treatment without reasonable justification,
* Refusal of social grants,
* Refusal of OVC school admission because of inability to pay school development fund,
* Assistance with will writing,

That last one worries me a little bit, but after not really knowing anything before I came here about what I'm doing and figuring it out, I am confident that I'll figure this one out too. Or tell them to go to the office with a real lawyer in Ongwediva.
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Sorry this entry is so long, but I also went to Walvis Bay and hung out with some of my favorite PCVs there. Its beautiful, and quite possibly the most unique landscape I've ever seen. On one side, there is a desert (technically not a desert, actually) filled with sand dunes which stretch for miles and look kind of like the waves of the ocean, and on the other, there is an actual ocean. Its such a contradiction. Swakop is really developed, so from the beach you can really only see a boardwalk, but the beach is also, contrary to what we had been told, very clear and perfect to swim in, although a little cold. We also saw seals really close to the beach on these rocks that were serving as a barrier between the ocean and the water near the beach. We decided to kind of climb the rocks (they weren't incredibly high), and off course I was terrified b/c I am always terrified of heights, but I climbed them anyways to the part looking over the ocean... everyone else made it safely, but off course once I got up there I got SOAKED by a wave. Fortunately, I saw it coming and sat down, so it didn't knock me off the rocks, but off course, it was just my luck. and off course, my friends took pictures, so they will eventually be posted.

We also ate a lot of food... I FINALLY got sushi, thank god! no spicy tuna, but it hit the spot. And garlic mussels. And we found black beans at the grocery and made mexican food, and coconut milk and made thai food. I must have gained some weight, which I will undoubtedly lose this week b/c a) I am broke and b) we have been eating beans and maize from the field everyday. (yes, the same beans that I earlier sowed in the fields... its a good feeling). mmmmmmmmmmmm. i'm getting hungry now (notice how many of these entries center around food... what can i say... people respond. My mom is sending me soft baked cookies. clearly, while i didn't think there was a way for me to love her more than I already do, it has somehow happened).

Read Kate in Namibia

Read kate's blog. she got into an accident, but I am jealous, b/c its hilarious.

Always a First Time for Everything

So today, I took my first ride on an open bakkie. Think me, helena, saki and 25 community members in the back of a truck driving pretty fast. It was actually really cool because we were riding with the youth that we organised to the fish breeding project withsome guy from the ministry of fisheries. They have a dam full of fish already, but it may not be as easy to start because the fish are old and tough, so they may have to breed new fish and also get funding for good food although the fish can eat anything. It definitely seems like its gonna work really well, especially since the regional council has taken credit for the program we've organised! Next, Chicken breeding project and feedback meeting for those who are not a part of these two projects! I don't really care as long as it works, i just need to feel like i'm doing something.

Apparently, I am school secretary, they have my type assignments for them constantly. Today a teacher at my school gave me this like 10 page assignment she had and asked me to please type it so I did, except i was like ok, you want this in a couple days right? apparently not, she said it was due today, so i was like ok, no problem. But, i found out when i came back at 2 with it halfway typed that the assignment was due before then. Clearly I've created some myths about my typing abilities here, but i dont know how they got started.

probably from all this blog writing.

Oh yes, my family finally likes me! I think? I had dinner with them the other day (some kinda fish, was pretty good) and spent the evening stirring oshikundu, and my meme and I actually had a conversation sort of which was pretty amazing considering she could not even understand my greeting in oshiwambo before. Then I fed her cookies, which obviously the classic way to anyone's heart regardless of culture. If the milk in namibia was any good, probably wouldn't have broke that out too. They don't have those big soft baked cookies here though... mmmm........ i miss those. lately I've been having food cravings for east asian food. Hopefully thats gonnna happen soon, one of the volunteers found coconut milk in the store, that was pretty amazing.

I am off to Walvis Bay/Swakop for the independance holiday... where I will eat sushi. Will let you know how that goes. Also, lucy, the vol there might be getting high speed so will attempt to post many many pictures. yeayy!

Finally!!!!!

Finally have a P.O. Box of my own, so no excuse to avoid mailing me nowwww!

Send your professions of love to:

Ami Shah
P.O. Box 19042
Omuthiya
Namibia