Although it was not fun to wake up before 6am this morning for school, now that I'm here and awake I'm glad to be back. This is definitely the least stressed I've felt at school in the past month! I'm hoping it lasts and I don't get all caught up in getting things done again. That's the hardest part of my Americanness to let go of - using all my time to efficiently get things done. Really good lesson to learn for Africa. Getting things done is important, but not the number one priority. So I'm really trying to slow down and spend some time sitting around with the other teachers and not panicking about getting this photo-copied or that marked or this printed, etc. Hopefully things will still get done somehow...
Thanks for your prayers; I made it back to Tsumeb in record time!! I hiked with another volunteer going to Ondangwa (north of Tsumeb) and we got a ride within 5 minutes of arriving at the hike point. This was a relief because it was freezing cold outside! The guy who picked us up turned out to be an extremely fast driver, going up to 200 km/h at times! Fortunately we arrived safely in Tsumeb and as an added bonus it only took 3 hours (usually 4-5)! That one ride went all the way so we didn't have to get out and hike again on the way. I got back before noon on Saturday so I had most of the weekend to relax and recuperate. Dylan was waiting for me with open arms, a clean house, and ready to bake cookie dough, so it was a pretty awesome homecoming. =)
Although it was not fun to wake up before 6am this morning for school, now that I'm here and awake I'm glad to be back. This is definitely the least stressed I've felt at school in the past month! I'm hoping it lasts and I don't get all caught up in getting things done again. That's the hardest part of my Americanness to let go of - using all my time to efficiently get things done. Really good lesson to learn for Africa. Getting things done is important, but not the number one priority. So I'm really trying to slow down and spend some time sitting around with the other teachers and not panicking about getting this photo-copied or that marked or this printed, etc. Hopefully things will still get done somehow...
3 Comments
I hope this works! Today was our last day of GTOT (general training of trainers) and we went "caroling" around the office singing PST songs. This is a short clip of one called "Tate Gwetu." (See link above) Let me know if the file link works/doesn't work! You should be able to play it in Windows Media Player.
GTOT has been a really good experience. I enjoy working with the trainers and other volunteers to get everything just right, and we were able to help with significant changes from our own PST to make the new group's training even better. I also found that I appreciate the Namibian trainers' opinions and advice much more now than I did at PST! Just like you realize your parents might have been right about some things as you grow up, I relate a lot more to the trainers now that I've been in country for a while. I also really appreciated having an extended time to be away from site and look at Peace Corps service through a new perspective. We reviewed and critiqued some of the PST sessions on Peace Corps goals and integrating into your community which reminded me why I'm here. i.e. Not to be running around like crazy trying to do 6 different projects, some of which are not actually my responsibility. I now feel like I'll be able to refocus on building relationships and building the capacity of other teacher sat my school rather than trying to do a lot of things on my own. We'll see how long that lasts. As much as I enjoyed everything, I'm ready to go back to Tsumeb! I'll be hiking home tomorrow, so you can pray for safe transport. However, I probably won't be able to post anything right away to say that I got home safe, so you'll just have to have faith that your prayers were answered. =) Thanks! See that? Yup, first and only washer and dryer I have seen in Namibia. AND WE GOT TO USE THEM! =) I've been in Windhoek since Tuesday for a committee meeting, staying at the Peace Corps flats. Best thing about staying here? The washer and dryer! It takes about 4 hours to go through the whole wash and dry cycle, but you pretty much just put the clothes in and let the machine do the work, so who cares how long it takes?
Close second - unlimited, free internet. Yeah, it still cuts out every now and then, but I can get online and check my email for free at ANY TIME. And it's fast enough to upload pictures! Other things to enjoy - delicious food, especially PIZZA; not one, but two malls; hot water coming out of the kitchen taps; hanging out with other PCVs; not waking up at 5:45am!! The downside - Windhoek is living up to it's name, "windy corner." I've never been here during winter before, but now I know it is so much colder than Tsumeb! I definitely did not bring enough warm clothes, and have pretty much been cold anytime I'm not snuggling under covers in my bed. Some of you all suffering from midwest heat waves might appreciate the weather here! For the next week, I'll be helping plan the training for Group 36, who will arrive on July 25th (incidentally also our third wedding anniversary). If you remember, we were group 34. Group 35 came in March, but they were all health volunteers; now we're expecting the next group of education volunteers! About 8 PCVs from our group will be serving as resource volunteers during group 36's PST, so for the next week we are all meeting together with the trainers to make sure everything is ready. It's weird to now be the experts instead of the newbies. Group 32 are technically the veterans at this point, but they will be leaving in just a couple of months. That means we (the 34s) are the ones who will be going to training and giving sessions and advice to the new group. True, we'll only have 2 terms under our belts, but I remember thinking the 32s were experts at our training, and they had only completed 2 terms too! I'm hoping it will be a good, fast week, and then I can get back to Tsumeb and Dylan. =) Home sweet home! |