Saturday, March 26, 2016

More rain (3-20)

Rain, rain, and more rain was the theme of the first half of week. After a lot of rain Tuesday night, it rained most of the day Wednesday as well. This was the first time we’ve had a lot of rain during the day. 


The lakes continue to increase in size, 














and there are many more pools of water around which the animals are enjoying. 














The mahangu has grown nicely. 














Part of the school yard is flooded, including the area where the water tap is. 












Learners have put chairs in the water and hop across them to get to the water. The rest of us are doing without until the water subsides. Everyone is very happy. Kamongwa stopped by especially to tell me about all the rain that has come since they had the special prayers for rain at the church.







Temperatures have dropped to the low to mid 80s and below 70 at night. Soon I’ll need to heat water for washing, as the water temperature, even on hot days, is at my lower limit of tolerance.

Last week we got new timetables to accommodate the changed classes when the new teacher started two weeks ago. Since the timetable was being changed, they took the opportunity to add a reading class on Friday and an extra class at the end of Thursday to replace the one taken by the reading class. During reading class, learners are to read something in their registration class/homeroom.

They also decided to change the grade 8 class designations, switching 8A to 8B and vice versa. The learners and I are still finding that confusing. We had a faculty meeting Tuesday afternoon starting at the end of the second break and lasting for an hour. Therefore, the last two classes were not held. I don’t know why the meeting was held then rather than at the end of the day when learners have study time. This is Namibia. At the meeting, the end-of-semester test schedule was announced. Tests are to be ready on March 30, the day after returning from the week-long holiday. As far as I know, I am the only one traveling; so that won’t be a problem for most of the teachers.

When they saw the girls’ photos, some of the boys decided that they, too, wanted photos. And more girls also wanted a photo. Taking photos kept me busy during breaks.































Tuesday afternoon I went to town to purchase a bus ticket. On the way back I enjoyed all the water along the road while I walked and waited for a hike. There are flowers in some of the lakes.















Thursday afternoon learners staged a rebellion and refused to go to study time after the extra class at the end of the day because they were hungry. The room where they can purchase snacks was open during the break but was then closed. Because it was then closed, they said they were hungry and would not go to their rooms to study. My involvement was because Thursday is my day to occasionally patrol the rooms while they study.

Friday, the last day before the Independence Day holiday, learners had decided to have a celebration. Teachers seemed to know but word hadn’t trickled down to me; so it was a surprise to learn about this during the Friday morning assembly. Because of the program, there were only three classes that day. Then the learners got ready for 45 minutes, which involved the girls changing to traditional pink skirts. The program started at 11:00 and lasted for an hour. 


Several groups of girls—and a few boys—from different grades drummed on plastic buckets and clapped 












while one to three girls stepped out of the line and did a fast-stepped dance. This was repeated many times. 









The boys did a couple short skits. One group did a skit about the freedom fighters that was not well-prepared. The first part went well, and then they disappeared. We laughed about the freedom fighters running away. Actually, the whole program was not well prepared. Wilhelmina said they practiced for about 15 minutes on Thursday. But it was fun to see them perform anyway.






After the program ended, we all left. I went to town with Wilhelmina to pick up my ATM card which had finally arrived. Then we went to a mall in Ongwediva that I hadn’t been to before so I could print more photos and she could have the glass on her phone replaced. While that was being done, we went to a restaurant named Spur. The theme is Native American, which seemed really out of place. I introduced Wilhelmina to quesadillas with guacamole, both of which she enjoyed as much as I did. When we finished, she dropped me off at the road so I could get a hike home. After 25 minutes, a bakkie stopped (Other vehicles had stopped but were not going to Ompundja.), and I climbed in the back with ten other women and their packages and children. The woman standing next to me pointed to another woman and said the latter is on the school board and had recognized me and told the driver he had to pick me up. The was my first hike in the back of a truck.

Saturday morning I helped cultivate for two hours again. Since the weather wasn’t as hot as the previous week, I could have done a bit more, but I needed to stop to rest before going to school to work.

The week-long holiday for Independence Day and Easter is a first. In all her years of teaching, Wilhelmina hasn’t seen this happen. The Independence Day is a two-day national holiday on Monday and Tuesday. Since Good Friday and Easter Monday are also national holidays, schools are closed on Wednesday and Thursday. No one is complaining.

Since Easter is during the holiday, I took Easter candy to the teachers on Friday. Most didn’t seem to be familiar with the concept, and I’d seen it only at the one store—Shoprite; the other grocery stores I was in didn’t have Easter candy. I guess the concept hasn’t become popular here yet. I was asked if we have Easter in America. I had purchased the Bugs Bunny package and replaced the contents with chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. The teachers were very pleased. Rebekka took the Bugs Bunny carton home and thanked me for it with a huge smile.

Sunday was Palm Sunday. I noticed that not many vehicles were at church. When I went out at 1:30, people were leaving the 10:00 service, which may be why attendance was low. I expect that many will be there next week for the Easter service.


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Exam Setting (3-13)

Last Wednesday I was given an invitation—attendance compulsory— to participate in exam setting/writing for grade 10 from Monday to Thursday this week. I was not thrilled to be ordered to be away for four days, and I didn’t feel that I was ready to help write exams when I’d been here for such a short time. However, Mrs. Reinhold thought it was great that I’d been invited and would have the opportunity to learn about the exams. I thought I’d learned enough about them by looking over past exams.

My assignment was to moderate the writing section for grade 10’s regional mock exam in August, which is practice for the national exam in November or December. I was told that moderating meant that I would wait until the others wrote the questions and then check them. When I arrived and was told that I would be sitting around for most of the first two days, I was not pleased. So, when Elizabeth, the woman in charge, arrived, I let her know I was not pleased, and she said she had meant to assign me to the reading section and that moderators could help write the questions. I think she changed her plan, but I was happy to work with the reading section because there was more to do. The three people working on the reading section have worked together for a few years, and one has set five exams. So they knew what they were doing and didn’t need my help, but the man quickly figured out that I would type faster than he. So typing is what I did for two days, and I was happy to be doing something useful. The group appreciated my typing—and my correction of a few small problems—because it meant they would finish earlier than they had anticipated. They were a fun group to work with and I enjoyed the time with them. But I was glad it wasn’t the full four days.

I had to return home Tuesday evening because Rachel’s visitation was Wednesday. When I left the workshop, the exam and the answer key were typed and just needed to be printed and given a final check, which the others could do quickly on Wednesday. So I didn’t return after Rachel’s observation as originally planned.

A nice benefit of being there was that I saw Trinity, my roommate during the last training. She was there for training to teach Oshidonga. We had a good chat during the break.

My roommate in the bungalow was Ndunge, one of the teachers at our school. We were surprised to see each other. Her training workshop—counseling for people affected by HIV/AIDS—is for two weeks. I can’t imagine being gone from school that long, and she was really regretting being away so long. Since there are no subs, her classes have no instruction for two weeks.

Monday evening I needed to go to the mall. Ndunge didn’t want to go, but one of her classmates—and new friends—did. However, she had no money for a taxi. Forgetting briefly that taxis are paid per person, I said she could come with me and I’d pay for the taxi. I didn’t mind paying, but when she bought a chocolate bar in addition to food for her daughter, I felt like I’d been taken advantage of; it seemed that if she had money for extra things like chocolate, she could have paid for her taxi ride. I need to remember that “no money” is a standard response and stated problem and not always offer to pay for them. Wilhelmina has been an exception, as she often buys treats and has never asked me to pay for something because she doesn’t have money.

When I was walking along the road for a bit waiting for a hike to come along, I felt really happy to be returning home. As I passed the clinic, Kamongwa was on duty and asked me to take photos. He posed for ten photos around the buildings with and without his rifle.

Sunday night before I left, there was a thunderstorm with lots of rain. My small pan for washing had an inch of water in it Monday morning, and it’s in the washing room that has a roof. So the wind blew that much water into the room. The lake beside the homestead was really large Monday morning, 






and the other lake had increased in size. In addition, there were a few other small ponds, and the road was flooded near the clinic. 










I enjoyed seeing all the water along the road to town. The whole area looks different.












Saturday I decided to hoe up the weeds in my yard, which were abundant after the rain. Whereas there had been about a hundred plants when I cleaned them up two weeks earlier, there were about a thousand small ones after the rain. All the dormant seeds popped up. I’d been wanting some physical exercise, and I got it, as it took about three hours to hoe up the whole yard. I borrowed the leaf rake I’d seen Helena use to smooth the ground after digging it up, and the yard looked quite nice. Helena even commented on it. Not surprisingly, after the rain Sunday night, the weeds popped up again, and by the end of the week it looked like there were another thousand small green spots.

Rachel’s visit went well. It was good to see her. She observed grade 10, which is a good class. On Thursday, two of the boys asked when the beautiful lady was returning. I told them I didn’t think she was returning, but they wanted to hear it from her. So I emailed their question. They’ll be disappointed to learn officially that she isn’t scheduled to come back.

Wednesday afternoon a group of grade 10 and grade 9 girls decided to use me as their photographer. We had fun taking photos with them posing alone, in pairs, and with me. It was interesting to see how they posed—usually seriously. I enjoyed not having the Asian cuteness all the time. Several wanted prints and gave me money for that.














































Since the first rain, a different type of lizard has been around. At least I hadn’t seen this type before. I’ve seen one climbing up the corner wall in the morning a few times. It moves slowly and hesitantly when I stand nearby. Unlike the lizards I’ve often seen that run quickly if I approach.

There are also frogs. I haven’t seen any here, but I hear them when I walk to the toilet at night. We saw one that had a bad leg when we were walking to the bungalows Monday evening. People talk about eating frogs.















The mahangu/millet was starting to pop up before the rain on Sunday. Now it is several inches high. Soon the whole field will be green. A few beans have sprouted and some corn, squash and sorghum. Last Saturday morning Kamongwa called to me at 7:15. He was excited to tell me that he wanted to demonstrate how they cultivate—right then—and he wanted me to take photos. So I quickly got dressed and joined him going to the field. He showed me how he uses the hoe to loosen the ground around a clump of plants and then removes the smaller ones so that there are four or five left in the hole. He had me try so he could take a photo. After I was more awake and ate breakfast, my inner gardener was ready to work, and I returned to the field with a hoe. I lasted two hours, which is about what I had planned. With the heat and hard work, I needed to stop and rest after that. Both Helena and Kamongwa thanked me for helping them and said I had helped a lot. They worked for about five hours.

Friday I went to town with Wilhelmina to develop photos for the girls. She also wanted to take me to the new open market, which replaced the old one I’d been to before. The old one will be torn down, and a shopping mall will be built on the site. 














The new marked is nice. Vendors wear the traditional pink skirt with a white blouse. There are benches where people can relax, and there are several areas with seats where they can purchase the traditional alcoholic drink. The tower in the center has an elevator to the top, from which there will be a good view of the town. It wasn’t working on Friday; so I’ll have to do that on another visit. 




Clothes are in small shops with imported used clothes, very likely from the U.S., being sold in center of the area. When we were looking at the dried goods, I learned that what I’d thought was millet when we were threshing was sorghum for making the traditional alcoholic beverage. Wilhelmina had a good laugh when I said I’d purchased some to make porridge. Fortunately, I hadn’t cooked it yet. I knew it looked different from millet seeds, but millet is all people talk about; so I didn’t think about it being something else.




(A random girl who stuck her head in front of the camera so I could snap a photo.)



Shoprite, one of the grocery store chains, has a section with Easter candy. I like the chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. I confused Wilhelmina when I said she could take me to Shopko. After a few attempts that she didn’t understand, I realized my error.










Friday, March 4, 2016

Rain (3-4)

Rain has finally come. Last Wednesday night we had a big rain. Enough to make the ground solid. Everyone was really happy on Thursday. It was a good start, but much more rain is needed so the crops can grow. Kamongwa had his field plowed on Thursday. That meant that the sand was loose and in mounds, making walking to the toilet across the mounds a challenge. After several days they made a firm path through the planted area so we know where to walk.

There was enough rain that we now have lakes in the area. 












Even after a week, one of the lakes is still here. Walking around the lake is a pleasant evening walk, 











and the reflections are lovely.













Sunsets--and sunrises--are more muted these days.




On the weekend Helena sowed—millet, beans, and squash, she said. She spent many hours doing that. Wilhelmina had demonstrated how they sow millet using their feet. They take a step, making a small hole, drop a few seeds into it, and then cover it with the other foot. I watched Helena do this from a distance and decided that it wasn’t something I would do well enough to be helpful. She looked like she was just walking with a fancy step with no hesitation between steps. However, in the evening when I was going to go for a walk, I saw her again and she was sowing beans. She gestured for me to go over and help; so I went to see whether I thought I could assist. Two boys had dug holes with their hoes. We put two seeds in each hole and then used a foot to cover it. This I could do, and after while I could keep up with Helena’s pace. I actually liked the feel of the sand as I filled the holes. When I mentioned finishing on Sunday, she said there is no work on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday mornings when I left for school, Helena was coming in from sowing. Their field is large.

Helena is no longer working at the agricultural office. Teachers had told me it was temporary and kept asking if she was still working. Now she’s working at home. I’m sure the cultivating work in the field will keep her busy.

Rebekka’s sister died last week. Wednesday afternoon the female teachers went to her parents’ house to show our respect. Angel explained that it is a tradition to show support as a group. Thai teachers also do this. Several family members were sitting on the ground outside the house and there were chairs facing them. When we arrived, we stood and sang several hymns. Then we walked past the family members, shaking hands with each one. After that, we sat down and sang more hymns. We were there for about 45 minutes. It felt like a nice way to show our respect. Wilhelmina told me on Thursday that she was surprised and impressed that I could join in the singing in Oshiwamba. Since it’s phonetic and I had experience at church, it was easy for me to follow along. (Photo: traffic jam on the way)

Kamongwa’s sister, Leokadia, came for several days. She’s the woman in Windhoek whom I’ve talked with on the phone a couple times. I learned that I am living in her rooms. Also that she helps Kamongwa out financially, paying for water and other things. Half of the field is hers, and she sowed on Sunday. She was here for a couple funerals—one here on Friday and one elsewhere on Saturday. Kamongwa told me that the person who was buried on Saturday was a relative who was 91 years old.

When they returned Saturday night, the church bell rang. That was how I learned that Kamongwa is the bell ringer. Leokadia said he also digs the graves.

New additions to the homestead: a pig in a pen and a hut for the chickens. One day a couple weeks ago I was taking my trash to the burning pit when I heard crying. 








It was a young, Chinese-style pig in then pen. I guess it’s settled in now, as it no longer makes noise. I checked, and it’s still there. 







The hut (Flap is closed now that the chickens are in it.) was built for the chickens on Thursday to keep them from eating the newly-sown seeds. Thursday night at 9:15 Helena yelled for me in the window, since I hadn’t answered fast enough. She wanted me to give her a torch/flashlight, which they know I have because I use it every night to walk to the toilet. However, I don’t have a torch; it’s the flashlight on my phone. It turned out that she didn’t want me to give it to her; she wanted me to go with her to the chickens and use my light so she and a boy could catch them and put them in the hut. I don’t know why she didn’t do this earlier before it was dark. After the first one was caught and moved, the others hid, and then several flew into the tree. Helena got a long pole and pushed them off the branches so they could be caught. This process took about twenty minutes. It was fun to watch them chasing the chickens around in the dark.

When I arrived home Thursday evening, I caught the final moments of slaughtering a goat. It made me wonder how often this happens. The meat and pieces were at the entrance of the chicken hut. The skin was hung in a tree. When I walked past a couple hours later, there were no signs of the goat.

The new teacher arrived at school on Monday. After the morning assembly, which started late, we had a staff meeting to meet her and for them to decide what she will teach. I had thought that was decided before they hired her, since the other teacher had a timetable, but it was discussed like it hadn’t been determined. Sort of like when I arrived and we discussed what I would teach, but that wasn’t with everyone in the room. I learned later that they were rearranging assignments because she could not teach one of the subjects. Next week we’ll get new timetables. So, first and second hour classes were missed on that day. An interesting observation at the meeting is that most of us sat at our places at the tables, and the two teachers who didn’t, sat with their back to the principal and HOD. It seemed strange that they didn’t turn their chairs around to make a circle so they would be facing everyone. A cultural difference.

Angel has told me a couple times that he will start collecting our files with lesson plans every week after the new teacher arrives. He will also start doing classroom observations. I found it interesting that everything was on hold until the new teacher arrived and the school is fully staffed.

The grade 10 textbook has a couple readings about IVF as a new technology. In discussing it, I asked why people would use IVF. One response was “to not get a disease.” I hadn’t thought about that, but in Africa, that is more of a concern.

Last week when I was at the Ongwediva mall, I found a hair salon thathair was clean and not busy. So I had my first haircut in Namibia. The young man was thrilled to have me as a customer and asked for a photo. Memories of China.














The ants have moved out of the washing room. Or they were drowned. Since their hole was in the crack in the middle of the floor where I have to stand to wash and in the evening I had to keep moving to avoid their biting my feet, I was not unhappy to have them gone. When walking across the field, I can’t stop or the ants bite. Fortunately, they aren’t in the house.

Friday afternoon we had a small party to eat chicken and porridge that two of the teachers had prepared. It was fun to sit around and listen to people joking and having a good time together. I do enjoy these people.