Narnia

Each week this term, I have been reading "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" to my grade 11 and 12 classes. This has been a hugely challenging task for them as they try to listen to me read aloud in my American English accent and try to understand a story written by C.S. Lewis in British English. Despite it all, they've done a decent job understanding the basic gist of the story and the main characters. In fact, when many of them see me walking around the school grounds, I can hear them whispering "Narnia!" or calling out "Lucy!," mimicking the way I pronounce these important words in the story. It's endearing and hilarious.

Today was our last reading day and instead of trying to cram one last chapter into their heads in the midst of being bogged down by impending exams, I decided to show them the first part of the Disney movie.

They were elated. To watch a movie during class is certainly a luxury! They all scrambled to the front of the classroom with chairs and desks to sit and stand as close to my little MacBook as possible. Despite the small screen and soft audio, they were rapt. When each character appeared on the screen for the first time, they fondly whispered their name out loud. It was like they were meeting long-lost friends for the very first time. They laughed heartily when they saw the goofy-looking Mr. Tumnus, gasped when the White Witch appeared, and ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the sight of snow.

It was a really special experience to watch their faces as they watched the movie. As I read these chapters three times each week (I feel like I could almost recite it these days), I constantly envision the characters and scenes from the movie. I hope the viewing today brings the story to life in their imaginations and helps them continue to understand it better.

And props to Disney for following the book so closely, at least during the first six chapters. The movie really is so magical and was quite the second-to-last-day-of-classes treat!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!!!

I've known Jenny McGee for twenty years now. Twenty years! I think that makes both of us old.

From her birth in 1991

To teaching her chubby arms how to fly

From celebrating our birthdays together every Easter

To countless photos riding Dumbo in DisneyWorld

Happy birthday to the BEST sister ever! Blog readers: please enjoy this sweet video my grade 11 learners made for Jenny. They all admire her because she's 20 and already in university - and they love that she's becoming a nurse! They burst with excitement when I told them I'd send a video of them to America. So click here and enjoy!

TIA Tuesday

Three large pigs have taken up residence in my front yard as a result of all the garbage and sewage that’s been strewn about from the floods. They try to fight me away every time I come home (and probably could win). TIA.

I ran out of butter and haven’t made it to the market because of the water. TIA.

Twenty minutes of our morning staff meeting was spent arguing about the time change this coming Sunday. First, which direction it was going in and whether or not that meant more sun or less sun in the morning (“can’t have the learners wading through chest-deep water in the dark!”). Secondly, whether or not we would observe it. FYI we’ve decided not to observe it even though the rest of the country is. Does any of that make sense? TIA.

Found out I had a package sent to me on January 16 that still hasn’t made it. Who knows when it will arrive! TIA.

When I told my grade 11 class that I was going to take a video of them and “send them to America,” they almost peed their pants with excitement. TIA.

Go Dores!

Check this out.

Vanderbilt mailed out its Class of 2015 acceptance letters last week. We all know that Vanderbilt University is and always will be the BEST university in the world. But while I am proud of the c/o 2015, I couldn’t be more grateful to not be a senior in high school anymore. This is getting out of control!

Most shocking stat of all? The middle 50% SAT is 1440-1590. That means that about 25% of the c/o 2015 got a perfect score on their SAT. Ahhhh. Vomit now.

VU!

Water, Water Everywhere

I had a fantastic weekend in Rundu with Amy and Tanya (and other expat friends along the way)! Truly, I couldn’t have asked for a more rejuvenating, relaxing, and enjoyable time.

However, returning back to Owamboland was a shock. This is rainy season, so the oshanas have been full for a while – that’s nothing new. However, as soon as I caught a taxi north from Ondangwa, I was filled with a foreboding sense of disaster.

The floods have hit, and they’ve hit hard. Many people suspected that we had avoided the floods since they usually occur in early March at the latest. In fact, rainy season should be ending any week now, so the fact that things have worsened is surprising. People say the pattern of floods here has changed drastically since 2008 because of Global Warming. I’m no expert, but those of you with good internet should look into it.

There is water everywhere. What used to be several oshanas spaced many kilometers apart is now one giant flood plain. Entire homesteads and villages have been washed out and people are struggling more than ever to get food and clean water for their families.

school under water

Even my own house and village have been affected. An entire stretch of shebeens, hair salons, and small family businesses in town are completely underwater. As I returned home Monday evening, I approached my house to find it surrounded by high-standing water several yards around. As I stood and assessed the situation, I realized the very thing that we all have to come to terms to – you just have to deal with it. You can’t move to a new location and you can’t stay holed up in your house. You simply have to wade through the water and pray for health and safety during these flood days/weeks.

The biggest issue with the floodwaters is the filth that fills them. As I’ve said before, cattle roam freely north of the Red Line in Namibia. That means we frequently have cows, goats, pigs, chickens, guinea fowl, and various dogs roaming in our front yard – and “doing their business.” Clearly, that creates an issue when mixed with water. There are also no laws against littering, so garbage and broken glass is strewn across yards and streets in places – also not a good thing to have floating through the water. However, despite the rare risk of typhoid, cholera, and schistosomiasis, people walk through these waters every year and survive.

stretch of shebeens and small shops in ohangwena

The floods clearly cause many issues. When businesses and homes are washed out, families lose their few possessions and their livelihood. When homesteads and farms are washed out, families and communities can lose a year’s supply of food (remember that it only rains for three months of the year here). When learners have to walk through chest-deep water to get to school every day, they drown. Already we’ve heard that there have been several drownings in the north-central regions just in the past few weeks, although all of our learners have thankfully been spared.

shebeens under water - usually thriving with life and loud music every time i walk past!

On Wednesday, I received many texts from fellow volunteers concerning our schools’ decisions about the floods. Today, I learned that 26 out of 31 schools in our circuit have closed for the next 2-3 weeks minimum. This is a HUGE deal. In the immediate time frame, it means all those children are at home or on the streets with nothing to do. Learning completely ceases for the weeks that the schools are closed. The term is scheduled to end in four weeks; the last 2-3 weeks of the term are used for circuit-set exams. With big exams coming up, clearly closing schools right now will have a huge effect. Thankfully, like the States, the schools are required to make up these “flood holidays” just like we have to make up snow days. Unfortunately for everyone, that means the April holiday will be significantly shorter.

As I’ve mentioned before, Grade 10 is a crucial year in the Namibian education system. Our school has already been warned that as one of only five schools remaining open in the circuit, we will likely have to take in Grade 10 learners in the coming weeks so that they will still be prepared for the upcoming exams. It’s great that we (supposedly) have the facilities to take them in, but it will be a challenging logistical situation, for sure.

school under water

And what about our learners? Several of my homeroom learners have been absent for many weeks in a row simply because they cannot get from their villages to school due to the waters. Again, that’s a huge deal with exams coming up, and unfortunately exams are the most important thing in a learner’s success. Perhaps our school will work to house more learners in the hostel, but even that has been a difficult situation in the past few weeks.

So, if you’ve made it to the end of this lengthy blog post, please pray for the following things:

-       that learners stay safe as they commute to and from school

-       that the flood waters recede

-       that we all make wise decisions in how to deal with the floods

-       that the people with power (at the circuit, region, or Ministry) make wise decisions concerning education and safety over test scores

And rejoice that Namibia even has rain! A taxi driver admonished me for even mentioning the fact that the waters were “floods” today. “Rain in Namibia is a good thing; a very very good thing.”

TIA...Thursday?

Sorry avid readers (if there are any of you?)! I flaked out on TIA Tuesday this week, which I promised myself I would never do. My excuse: after spending a long holiday weekend away, I returned home with a nasty cold that kept me in bed for two days.

No excuses. Here are a few of the TIA moments that have happened over the last week:

"Can you help me a black pen?" "A black one? Just use your blood!" TIA.

Physically shoved a Namibian man who was twice my size and yelled in his face - and he backed off! Chased after a taxi that decided to pull away with my bag in it, even though I wouldn't get in. Learning to be assertive! TIA.

Came home to shin-deep water surrounding my house because of the north-central region floods. Have to wade through it every day despite the filth that is in it. TIA.

"Miss! Are you not feeling well? You are looking so thin!" Thank goodness...it's about time. Too bad that's a Namlish insult? TIA.

Flash floods. TIA.

Opening two outrageously awesome packages from my dad. I was so filled with excitement that when tears started streaming down my cheeks, I was quite caught off guard. Who knew seeing Chips Ahoy, M&Ms, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Jello pudding mix, my ASB sweatshirt, Parks & Rec Season 2, and much more could make me so emotional? Only in Africa. TIA.

On Race in Namibia

Monday marks Namibia’s 21^st birthday – not only is a 21^st birthday a big deal (only in America, I guess), but it’s also its Golden Birthday! So hats off, Namibia!

On Thursday evening, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology came to our school to show a film to the hostel learners about Namibia’s struggle for independence. The film, “Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation,” detailed Namibia’s long fight for independence through the eyes of Sam Nujoma, the leader of SWAPO (the South West Africa People’s Organization) and the eventual first president of the Republic of Namibia.

Despite its length (161 minutes...it went way past my 8pm bedtime), the movie was well made, detailed, beautiful, and raw. Many scenes in it made me cringe more than “Hotel Rwanda” and there were many scenes of torture, killing, destruction, and dead bodies that were almost impossible to watch. The almost 25-year struggle for independence in Namibia quite a horrific period in history.

In fact, a majority of the bloodiest fighting happened right in and around our village. Ohangwena is a part of the township of Helao Nafidi. which is named after one of the biggest fighters for independence in the north-central area. In the late 1980s, four learners and one teacher were killed at my school as it was shelled. The battle occurred right at my home and life just went on.

Mari and I went to view the movie and were the only foreigners in a room of about 400 learners and teachers. That made me the only white person there. While the struggle for liberation was Namibia against South Africa, this turned into a largely white versus black battle.

I have never watched a movie that had such a passionate audience! Well, perhaps the “High School Musical 3” midnight premiere came close, but this was unreal. The learners chanted along with the war chants, sang all the liberation songs, cheered when the blacks succeeded in battle, and booed whenever the whites appeared.

Namibia has come a long, long way since independence, and it’s important to remember that it’s only been a free country for 21 years. In my experience, blatant racism is not overt here. The country is truly free in many respects. But underlying race issues do exist.

As a white person in Namibia, you do get favored in strange ways. Afrikaners will offer you free rides while they refuse to stop for black Namibians. You may be told to sit in the passenger’s seat on a hike instead of the back of a pick-up truck because you’re a white woman. Or occasionally, you may even get to go to the front of the line at the bank.

But the subconscious race relations are the most heartbreaking and are something I only began to notice a few weeks ago. While Namibians are generally cordial and relatively welcoming, I have found it to be nearly impossible to form real relationships with people. Unfortunately, even if someone appears to want to be your friend, in nearly every instance it’s because they want something from you – money, your hand in marriage, etc. You have to put up your guard in every budding relationship if you don’t want to be walked all over.

As a relational person, these realities are blatant and sad. I came to Namibia hoping to invest in my community, form meaningful ties with the people, and be known deeply. While making relationships with anyone from a culture starkly different from your own is difficult, these race relations create huge – and sometimes impassable – barriers. It’s challenging to realize that I could leave Namibia without any persistent relationships.

This is definitely not a reason to give up, become anti-social, or conform to the racial barriers present in Namibia. I will continue to pray for relationships, greet people, smile, learn the language, and try to find commonalities with the people I do meet. I will continue to hope and believe that relationships are possible in Namibia. And I will remember that I’ve only been here three months.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Parmesan cheese tubs from Publix

Giordano's deep dish pizza

The Namibian sky

Brownie batter

Playgrounds

Chacos

Free internet

Coffeeshops

Snuggling/Snuggies

And chocolate milkshakes with friends!

On My Way

These are the days I live for.

At 5:30am, I awoke to the soothing sound of raindrops beating on the tin roof above me. The daily ache between remaining in bed or getting ready for school was strong today, but I stumbled out of bed and faced my day.

Today was Day 3: a six-hour day with each of my five classes. My grade 8 learners would be wrapping up a two-day review of past tenses while my senior secondary learners would jump into an intense lesson about passive voice and its various formations.

The day was ordinary; certainly not extraordinary yet.

As I left my last class of the day, a learner ran out after me calling, “Miss! Miss!” I turned around to see what she needed, assuming it was either help with an assignment or a need for advice.

“Miss, when am I going to plait you? I tried to find you yesterday and what what but you were not there and...”

“Excuse me? Plait...?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Plait you. Plait your hair.”

I quickly remembered a brief conversation from the middle of yesterday’s class. During their individual in-class work, this particular learner called me over, as many were doing. Most wanted to ask me a question or have me check their work, but she pulled me close and whispered, “Miss, why don’t you ever braid your hair?”

“Uhh...well...” It was the middle of class; definitely not a time for discourse on the various styles of hair.

“I should plait yours. Can I plait yours?”

“Um...sure, sometime.”

Apparently sometime meant as soon as class was over that day. Oops, missed the memo. Usually Namibia isn’t that prompt.

So at our chosen time of 4pm today, I loitered outside the staff room, waiting for the learner to appear from study hours. Soon enough, she sauntered over. We awkwardly said hello and waited for the other person to bring up the hair braiding. Eventually she led me to the classroom, where we waited outside while the other learners finished sweeping. Several asked why I was there (why would a teacher be found near the classrooms after school hours? Crazy!). Some asked questions about America and why I was only here for a year. Eventually, we walked in and took a seat next to another girl whose peer was plaiting her hair.

What began as a one-on-one hair braiding adventure soon turned into five of my female students eagerly pulling at and styling my hair.

“Miss! Miss! What style do you want? Like mine? Or hers? Or hers? Or this? Or that?”

Clearly, I have a lot to learn about Namibian hair braiding.

All the while, I fielded questions and exclamations about the length, smoothness, and non-plaited-ness of my hair while they taught me words and phrases in Oshikwanyama and laughed at my clumsy pronunciation. They hummed and sang traditional songs while plaiting and asked me to teach them an American song (“Next time, maybe”). And they told me their conflicts between being so appreciative of the fact they’re hostel learners, but being uncomfortable about the less-than-ideal living conditions in the hostel (“What’s for dinner tonight?” “Bread. Only bread. Every time.”)

We laughed at how many hairs of mine fell to the ground, giggled about how funny it is to see an oshilumbu (white person) with braids, and they confidently reassured me that I could walk around in public with this style.

I’m wholly convinced that white girls cannot wear their hair braided without looking like they just returned from a vacation in the Bahamas. Fortunately, I don’t think Namibia has that context for braided hair.

For fear that I will completely destroy the respect I currently command from my learners, I will not be wearing my new ‘do to school tomorrow. But my Japanese roommate sure seemed to think it was cool!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera today, so this funny MySpace-esque, Mac Photo Booth photo will have to suffice. Rest assured, they promised we would do it again – and I promised I will bring my camera.

TIA Tuesday

Hurricane-like weather, falling trees, flying debris, outrageously close thunder...but no rain. TIA.

The store that has accepted my American credit card during my last five visits suddenly decides they have to call America and make sure it's real. It takes 15 minutes to check out. TIA.

Found out my milk expired on January 1, even though I just bought it a few weeks ago. I've almost used the whole carton and will probably continue using it. NEVER leave the store without checking all expiration dates! TIA.

I received five letters at once on Friday afternoon, all dated between February 1 and February 18. TIA.

I am the odd-man-out in a conversation at a table of 5 because two of the people are speaking Japanese and two are speaking Oshiwambo. Who said English was a universal language? TIA.

Perseverance

"Let us not become weary in doing good; for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

Friends at School?

During my lunch break today, I returned home to enjoy a peanut butter sandwich, cheese & crackers, and my book. Suddenly, Mari burst into the house and this conversation ensued:

M: Karen! Are you home? All your friends are here!

K: What??

M: Your friends! All the Americans!

K: Huh? What do you mean?

M: There are 20 Americans. They arrived at the school. They are your friends!

Eventually, she persuaded me to gulp down my sandwich and dash out the door. Not only were there Americans, there were other white people in Ohangwena – what a huge deal!

As I jumped over flood puddles to return to the school, another colleague walking by exclaimed, “Karen! All your friends from New York are here!” “Alright, Eams...I’m on my way to see them!”

Sure enough, as I arrived at the front gate, there were 20 white people. How strange! The principal enthusiastically introduced me to this group. They are in Namibia through a global education program put together by Augsberg College. Today, they traveled to the Central North to learn more about the civil war’s effects on this region.*

With wide-eyed enthusiasm, they threw questions at me about my decision to come here, my program, and what it’s like to actually live in Namibia. They are such passionate and visionary young adults and reminded me a lot of myself during CCS and my initial arrival in Namibia. To them, nothing could possibly be better than living the dream of serving in Namibia!

Needless to say, their excitement was revitalizing! They reminded me just how exciting it really is that I’m actually here. I am living out so many people’s dreams right now just by being here. So much time is spent every day worrying about whether I can actually do this or not, but this is it. This is the dream! I couldn’t have not come here.

And while, contrary to the beliefs of all my colleagues, I am not friends with everyone in America**, it was good to drop the Namibian accent, re-adopt American vernacular, and answer their inquisitive questions.

* The principal took them to the library and spoke to them about the civil war’s role at our school. Did you know that some of the most devastating warfare occurred between here and Oshikango? That explains the bullet-riddled billboard that is still standing on the B1 near town. In fact, in the field just next to our school, many bloody battles occurred. The school was even shelled in 1988 and four learners and one teacher were killed – but school went on. And only 21 years later, here we are.

** Namibians often think it’s absurd that I don’t know every single person in America. Living in a country of only 2 million people, you often do know the name of almost anyone you inquire about. 

Terrible Foods

Holy cow. I am so glad I did a unit on food with my grade 8s. They wrote their exam earlier this week. Normally I dread marking (grading) writing...it takes forever but it’s also one of the most important ways to assess their understanding of concepts. So I actually have to mark it well and spend time on it. Oh, the life of an English teacher...

This test’s writing prompt was “write a descriptive paragraph about a food you do NOT like.”

I have laughed out loud at every learner’s paragraph so far! These kids are so silly and melodramatic. I hope you enjoy their sweet outlook on terrible foods.

“But porridge I just like it when I am feel very hungry that day but I don like it for sure and even I do not like to look at those foods that I do not like.”

“Like rice I hate rice because is not change.”

“In many cases pork is not good to be eaten by those people who has oily skins because it will bring them skin cancer if the sun happen to be hotter. I don’t like pork since I was a young girl because many people says pigs eats everything which they can found like, small baby other pigs.”

“Even that day I’m very happy and then you to me with those food, I just want to fry away from you.” (Namibians have trouble with L vs R)

“When ever I eat porridge I feel like the world will end that day...I wish when I become someone in future in my house I will not eat porridge at all.”

“I use to eat them sometimes but they are somehow good.” (double whammy of Namlish)

“Banana is for old people becouse they don have teeth.”

“When my noise hear rice oh! problem.”

“Lemons also smell like somebody puff.” (puff=fart in Namlish)

“I feel very lonely because I eat porridge.”

“Traditional spinach is usually stuck in your teeth. This bad food is not good to many people because this may cost you much money to buy a Colgate.”

“If you have a party and there is potatoes I WON’T come to your party.”

(Top three least favorite foods: porridge, rice, and cheese. Three of my favorites. Crazy kids!)

New Music!

When I visited Amy a few weekends ago, we discovered a stash of 17 old mix CDs left by past vols in her house that now live in my iTunes.

My eclectic collection of new music now includes Amy Winehouse, Regina Spektor, Beatles, Feist, Blake Lewis, KT Tunstall, Blue, Simon Webbe, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, David Bowie, Boyz2Men, Ludacris, U2, The Cardigans, Destiny’s Child, John Mayer, Janet Jackson, The Eagles, Josh Ritter, The Killers, Van Morrison, Nazz, REM, Queen, Ryan Adams, Tyrone Wells, Evele, Goo Goo Dolls, Neil Young, Sting, Alicia Keys, Sam Sparro, Tracy Chapman, Sean Kingston, Natasha Bedingfield, Sugarland, Tom Petty, Unwritten Law, The Weepies, Deb, Glen, and J. Pyke.

Eclectic. Told you so.

Some of them are great oldies. Some are really popular current songs. Some are...pretty out there. And some I can’t stop listening to!

So my Namibia Soundtrack for the first two weeks of March consists of a TON of Sugarland (esp “Genevieve,” which effectively gets changed to “Tennessee” when it’s stuck in my head) and Josh Ritter (holler Moscow, ID). Loooooove.

Being outside of Nashville (and America) for almost three months has made me really miss and appreciate the easy access to new, great music. Now I won’t know any hot hot hits when I return home! Heavens to Betsy...

Please send 2011’s hot hot hits and new discoveries my way.

TIA Tuesday

And now...for the first installment of my new weekly blog series: TIA Tuesdays! TIA (This Is Africa) is a phrase commonly used by ex-pats throughout Africa to lighten the mood in such a foreign, hilarious place. So enjoy these typically African (or at least Namibian) tidbits from my week.

And please, pronounce it tia...not T.I.A. Much more fun and exclamatory that way :)

- I got accused of being self-centered because I hardly ever talk...because everyone only ever speaks Oshikwanyama. TIA.

- I wasn’t prepared for my double period English lesson, but it didn’t matter because 40 minutes in, I was thrown out of class so an impromptu cycle test could be given. What’s a cycle test? And why wasn’t I warned about it? TIA.

- Saw a woman beating a pregnant dog with a stick. No one seemed to mind. TIA.

- I have no clean clothes because it has rained every afternoon for 12 days. TIA.

- A loud “Jingle Bells” ringtone goes off during a meeting and no one seems to notice it’s March. TIA.

- My 7-year old neighbor, Tangen, ran over to carry my books home for me and called me sister. He then looked at me with big eyes and said, “you are my sister, right?” Yes, Tangen...yes I am! TIA.

- Walked over to say hi to some girls at a shebeen and the eldest one threw her arms in the air and exclaimed, “you are looking so fat!” Highest Namlish compliment, but it could also be because of the brownie batter. TIA.

- Two men at a shebeen were very excited to meet me one day. The one grabbed my arm as I was leaving and said, “I cant tell you why, but I think I am loving you.” I bluntly said, “oh, is it because I’m from America?” And he said, “no, I am just loving you too much.” Proposals. TIA.

- My Japanese roommate and I arrive right on time for the 9am parents’ meeting. At 9, only 7 parents and 3 teachers were present and the principal wasn’t even there. The last teacher to show up arrived at 11. TIA.

- On my way to the market, a 10 year old girl carrying a giant jug of water on her head stopped, smiled wide, and said “good morning, sister!” TIA.

PSA's

Official public service announcement: the video doesn't (really) work. There's no audio. Why, Namibia, why?? Probably to save you all from my cheesy commentary. Nonetheless, I'm sure the vid's pretty strange without the audio. Sorry! I'll try to fix it next time I have the patience to brave the African internets. In the meantime, I've rearranged my bedroom, my roommates and I bought a kitchen table, and I killed Harold the Wall Spider. So the video is ultimately null and void!

Other announcements:
- I will start a fun blog series this Tuesday - so come back then and check it out!
- I officially survived my first staff meeting. 5 1/2 hours. Entirely in Oshikwanyama. Read 34% of my long Kindle book. Namibians are obscenely patient.
- Fed my roommates pancakes and biscuits for breakfast. Don't think they loved them as much as I do, but they didn't complain. More for me next time - hah!
- Finally got enough sunshine today to wash 14 shirts! Pants, undergarments, and linens tomorrow if the weather holds out.
- I'm halfway through watching the entire "Friends" series. I can't believe people had to wait 5 years for the shows I've watched in three weeks...ridiculous.

Lastly:
Hey, TN - please revel in the b-e-a-u-tiful Nashville spring that is upon y'all! Spring is BY FAR the best time of year in Nashville (only rivaled by autumn - which I probably will also say is the best when August arrives). Not just because of April (duh). But because of everything - greenery, flowers, sunshine, laying on the grass, outdoor concerts, Bobbie's Dairy Dip reopening, Country Music Half Marathon (I heard it's hillier this year?), windows open, and general love/joy in the air. Soak it up in my absence, please!

Good Ol' Country Biscuits

There are many things that I miss about the South (okay...everything). So when fellow Southerner Amy told me to try the biscuit recipe in our cookbook, I knew that I had to give it a try.

What better thing to do on your Friday afternoon? Well, laundry – that’s a better thing to do. Too bad it’s been cloudy/rainy every afternoon this week, making it impossible to dry my clothes. So biscuits!

Sweet baby Jesus, these biscuits are DELICIOUS! I have to admit the only biscuits I’ve ever made came from a box. Plus, I was skeptical that these could satisfy my biscuit craving. But they did. And they were so easy!

So if you want a taste of Namibia and the South at the same time, try this outrageously easy recipe and share with your friends!

WorldTeach Biscuits

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter

1 cup milk

Sift flour, powder, and salt together. Pinch in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in milk. Knead for 30 seconds. Make balls and put them on a baking sheet (or you can do it the non-lazy way and roll out the dough 1 inch thick and cut it into circles with a glass). Bake at 205 C (400 F) for 15 minutes or until done.

The great thing about biscuits and other more floury/less chocolatey recipes? I’m way less tempted to eat the entire batch in one sitting. I might even share these with my roommates!

Home Sweet Home!

FINALLY successfully uploaded a video of my home in Namibia! Friends, this has taken weeks of trying and failing. After 124 minutes of waiting for YouTube to upload, another 15 minutes for processing, and then a lot of crossed fingers and toes, I think it's worked. However, I can't actually view videos here because of the internet, so you'll have to let me know if it works.

Enjoy a little glimpse into my life in Namibia!

Here are some still shots of a few of the harder-to-view scenes in the video:

Harold the wallspider...who disappeared from stage fright shortly after this video

HIV/AIDS bumperstickers plastered all over the walls

bed/room/mosquito net princess tent

Wall of Joy

Friends around the world

Nashville/coffeeshops/landmarks/AP lyrics by Kiely

Oh Heavenly Day

In the midst of the adjustment and realities of...well, reality, sometimes you need to take a break and simply indulge.

Indulge in good food. Indulge in creature comforts. Indulge in relationships.

Last weekend, I made the long trek from Ohangwena to Rundu in the Kavango region of northern Namibia. WorldTeach currently has three volunteers in Kavango, two of which are newbies like me. On Friday afternoon, I met up with Tanya and Amy at one of the lodges in Rundu. This particular lodge boasts good pizza and free wifi - can't beat that! As I walked through the front gate, I wasn't even sure if I was in Namibia anymore. There was air conditioning, a total lack of bugs, comfortable couches, popular hits playing on the radio, peacocks roaming the beautifully manicured lawns, and a view to boast. I indulged in their free wifi while eating a toasted egg and bacon sandwich (bacon! unheard of). When Amy arrived, we ordered two pizzas for the two of us because you sure can eat a lot of it when you've been pizza-less for two months.

After hours upon hours of eating and internetting, the three of us walked down the road to our sleeping spot for the night: the Kavango River Lodge. I was reassured when we spotted their snazzy metal sign at the end of the road, backed by the most perfect view of the Kavango River Delta.

It was a sign (hah, pun intended) of good things to come. We arrived at the River Lodge and were like giddy kids at Disney World. Air conditioning! Hot showers! Quintessential views of Africa! No bugs! Plush mattresses! Real comforters! Couches!

After running around our area of the lodge, we settled in for dinner on the veranda of the lodge restaurant. I ordered hake fillets - only N$60 (about $8 USD) for two huge, delicious, battered fillets. A dream come true! We enjoyed our dinner and wine while watching the sun set to the left:

and the rains passing over Angola to the right (cue Toto now):

As Patty Griffin sings, "Only I'm glad to be here with you on this heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly day, all the troubles gone away, for a while anyway, for a while anyway, heavenly day."

After the best night's sleep in a while, we enjoyed a delicious continental breakfast in the morning, did some grocery shopping (finally found some pesto for my pasta!), and went back to the first lodge for a double order of chocolate ice cream on a waffle and a chocolate milkshake (indulging in cravings).

Later that day, we parted ways and Amy and I went back to her cute house in Bunya for the night. Amy's golden birthday was on February 23, so we celebrated the night in style with an experimental white pizza...

...a Pillsbury chocolate mousse cake (cake = good, mousse = not so good)...

...and candles, birthday tiaras, and goofiness:

Very grateful to have found such a kindred spirit on this Namibian adventure. And even more thankful that we got to see each other and celebrate this weekend!

Sunday, I travelled for 10 hours from Bunya to Ohangwena. The first hour was spent hitchiking on a Windhoek Lager semitruck. Life goal: complete.

Here's to good friends, good food, and respites from the crazy daily Namibian life we are living!