Practicum in the North (1-8)

Sunday morning at 9:00 we left Windhoek to go to Brita’s site in the North where we would have our practicum. Since we were returning to the hostel, we were able to leave the bulk of our luggage there, only taking what we needed for the week. The schedule indicated that the journey would take about eight hours, but it took 10.5 hours; so it was a very long day. Midway we stopped at a big supermarket to purchase food for cooking dinner all week as well as food for breakfast lunch. Pairs were given money to purchase dinner foods while Rachel took care of the other meals.

We were all excited to leave the city and see more of the countryside, but the scenery became the same after a couple hours. Most of Namibia is desert, and that’s what we saw. 

Over the hours, the landscape changed little. Close to Windhoek, there were mountains in the distance. Later, the land was flat. Because it’s the rainy season, the landscape was greener than it often is, and Rachel was amazed at the greenness.

A couple hours after our stop, we arrived in O Land, which the north is called because many of the town names begin with “O.” Here the land is flat. We started seeing homesteads surrounded by stick fences. 

Along the road there are a number of bars and small shops. People were sitting under trees in these areas.

We arrived at the school—Oshikunde Combined School (combined primary and lower secondary for grades preschool to 10), which will be Brita’s site—at 7:30, just after sunset. 









A group of people were here to greet us, and a teacher showed us around the complex. Then we settled into the hostel, which is the name for a dorm, while Rachel prepared dinner. The hostel has 38 bunk beds for students who live too far away to go home each night. After two sets, there’s a wall dividing the space. In a building across the way, there are three flush toilets and two showers for the girls.

That night it rained—the strongest thunderstorm I’d heard for quite a while. During the week, it rained three more times but not as heavily.

It quickly became apparent that sand will be part of life here in Namibia since the ground is sand. After a couple days, my soap bar was a scrub-style bar.

In the morning I took the first of three walks before breakfast. On two walks, I came to homesteads—some with cement block houses, some with stick houses, and some with a combination. 

Another day I walked past fields where women and girls were working in the distance. I always enjoy my time out in nature.

Monday morning we began our practicum teaching. There were two classes: ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and English. My assignment was teaching English, which I did with Abby for two days and Hollyanne for two days. We all had one day off during which we observed the others. Monday only nine learners (In Namibia, learners are in grades preschool to 12 and students are in university.) came to classes; so we had only one class, and the learners went to each session. The same on Tuesday. It was nice to be able to observe the ICT classes both days. On Wednesday several grade 4 boys came; so Abby and Hollyanne had to instantly adapt the lesson for them since they hardly knew any English. So Hollyanne and I created a totally new plan for Thursday for the younger group, and those boys didn’t return. So, once again, we had to instantly adapt the plan for the older group to sort of suit the assigned younger group that day. Friday we had yet another configuration for the younger group. Since we saw that group first, we had no idea who we would have until they arrive and Rachel regrouped them each day. It was quite frustrating, but in the end it worked OK. The students present enjoyed the lessons, and we had good evaluations. But all of us were glad when the practicum finished on Friday. 

After classes Friday, photos were taken of the learners with us. 

One of the girls came to me and quietly gave me a present: a few pieces of dried meat jerky. I was completely surprised. Another girl who is quite chatty stood beside me for the group photos, put her arm around me, and called me her American mama. Both were touching.

Afternoons were full with more training sessions, mostly related to teaching. The highlight of the week was hitching (short for hitch hiking) to Eenhana. We were dropped off at the tar (paved) road, which was nice because it takes about 45 minutes to walk there from the school. A few other people were already waiting for a ride at the junction. We waited about 45 minutes, watching vehicles drive past without stopping, until the 15^th car stopped and took two of us. Just a couple minutes later, a bakkie (pick up truck that picks up passengers for a fee) stopped for the other three of us. Chris, Hollyanne, and I joined another man sitting on the driver’s bags in the back of the truck. This is the common mode of transportation in rural Namibia. You stand by the side of the road, extending your arm and waving your hand at passing cars. They flash their headlights if they are already full. A few learners were hanging out with us while we waited. Chatting with one girl, I learned that the time to hike is before noon. It was good to try that with others, since I’ll eventually be doing it on my own. Since most people speak English, it’s easy to communicate, which I am enjoying.

In Eenhana, we met with the regional director of NAPPA, Namibian Planned Parenthood Association. He explained that they have outreach programs in schools as well as at the center, which has a gym and youth center as well as the health services; so youth going for health services do not stand out. Afterwards, we had a couple hours to hang out in town before dinner. We walked past the street venders, and then the others hung out in a bar for a while. Since I wasn’t interested in doing that, I walked around. I did a quick tour through a local branch of a chain store. When entering, handbags and other bags must be checked, which I have also encountered in other stores. Sometimes the security guard just looks into the bag. When leaving, s/he checks the receipt and the items in the bag.

Next I walked to an open area with lovely views of the desert and what looked like a dammed river. It was a nice place to relax a bit. On the way back, I stopped—very briefly because they were closing—in a few shops in a strip mall. Two were what are called “China shops,” which are shops owned by Chinese—sometimes staffed by them and sometimes staffed by local people—that carry a variety of goods from China. One shop had a blanket that is almost identical to the one I purchased in China.

Dinner was at a chain restaurant that has three locations in the country. I had a vegetarian pita that had chunks of a soy product, which was a surprise. All in all, the outing was an enjoyable break from the training routine.

Thursday night the kitchen team noticed a snake on the fluorescent light hanging from the ceiling. The security staff came to take care of it and said it was a type of spitting cobra. I missed this excitement. But I did get in on watching a dung beetle roll a seed ball around. 

On a few of the nights we played cards by candlelight, which was fun and quite nice.