Landscapes

Created on 4/22/2015

Life has been full of changing landscapes since my last post. Six months have passed and I think about all of the potential blog posts that I could have shared. Some would have been happy moments and some sad. Some stories would have made you think I lead a life of excitement and adventure. Others would have made you pity me. Neither of which I aim to portray. However, life has a way of taking you on a ride you sometimes do not wish to be on. The highs and lows test your limits and make you question the path to this point, the meaning and purpose for the ride altogether. The roller coaster was underestimated. The child in you realizes the mistake and strongly desires to be back on the comfortable merry-go-round. The ride makes you feel insignificant and powerless. You accept that fact and the decisions you’ve made, and try to make the most out of it as you move forward. Life eventually levels out, you catch your breath, and once again you are in control. You may decide to avoid such experiences in the future. But maybe you also learned that avoiding such things is the equivalent of avoiding life all together.

As you will see in many of my pictures, the World around us can change quicker than we can take note. A heavy rain can save a thirsty mahangu field during a drought. The end of a term can bring about much excitement but then leave a school deserted. And rain clouds can consume the sky within minutes. If you don’t want to miss it, then don’t blink.  

This is a picture of the mahangu field outside of my homestead. I took this picture on March 25^th as everyone in the village was praying for rain. A different continent, community, and crop but a familiar prayer.

This is a picture of the same mahangu field, as you will notice from the background. I took this picture on April 21^st, less than a month later, from nearly the exact same vantage point. Everyone is still considering this a drought year but the small amount of rain we have received has been extremely beneficial. Roughly two weeks ago we had the best rain of the year. I have never in my life experienced rain like I did that day. The school-yard turned to quicksand and classes were all but cancelled as the rain deafened everything underneath the tin roofed classrooms. As I went on talking about how amazing the rain was, everyone laughed and treated it like a casual sprinkle. I guess a zero degree-day with lite snow in Minnesota is my casual climate and Namibians would surely think that is rare. It’s all about perspective.

Here is a close-up of the mahangu plant. Subsistence farming is the way of life here and this plant must feed a family year-round. The week after the big rain, I could nearly see the mahangu grow everyday. I have heard people say that about corn before but I’ve never seen corn grow like this.

This is a view of the greenery inside my homestead growing along a few of the inside walls. Traditionally, all outside and inside walls were built with dead tree branches like you see here. Brick walls now surround my homestead but all internal walls look much like this one.  

This is one of our dogs that we don’t feed much. His name is Bobby or Boney Bobby if you like. I know what you all are thinking, “Why don’t you give him something to eat?” If I started feeding hungry dogs in Africa I wouldn’t know where to stop.

Here is one of a few baby birds that I found in my homestead the other day. Its mother was nowhere to be found.

These birds may be the offspring of the family that moved into the roof of my hut. I haven’t seen them around since this day. Maybe Bobby got something to eat.

Here is the patriarch of the chicken population in my homestead. He is so cocky! And to answer your question, Pookie… Yes, chickens do have large talons! Especially this guy!

On the last school day of term 1, these two ditched the school uniforms in favor of something more stylish!

My School! The buildings, books, and technology could all be updated but my colleagues and learners make up for it all. I am incredibly fortunate to teach here everyday.

My Classroom! This is a picture of what it looked like when I returned to school. I assure you, this is not how I left it!

On one of the last days of term 1, all the learners were required to bring a rake or a hoe to school. 300 some learners spent most of the day digging the weeds from the school yard. In the picture, you will find Tate Tiranus keeping cool in the shade while he oversees the work of a 9^th grade class.

The Omashekediva J.S.S Term 1 Soccer Tournament! When exams are finished, the learners gather to organize a tournament to decide what class is crowned as the schools best. Every class has roughly 30 learners so each is able to put together a team. There are 10 total classes so 10 total teams (8A-E, 9A-C, 10A&B). You can see the crowd lining the road, the action front and center, and the school buildings in the background.

The players’ wait patiently for the corner kick and you can vaguely see the goal posts in the middle of the action. The two wooden posts are connected by a wire used as the cross bar.

Spectators surround the goalie box as this game was decided by penalty kicks!

I have some astonishing trees in my village!

And the children are an amazing sight as well!

My host brothers were home for Easter and Meme put them to work. Castrating some of the goats was the chore this evening. The blood curdling goat screams were enough to wear me out. I’m glad Meme doesn’t ask me to help with such tasks.

A tree climber’s paradise! Sarah and Eric are getting set up for an afternoon of relaxation. This tree is just a short walk from my homestead and is the finest we have found thus far. We refer to this beauty as “Eewa” for multiple reasons. In the Oshiwambo language “Eewa” means “okay” and it is used in everyday conversation. In Avatar, the mother tree of life is called Ewa (Spelling is different but pronounced the same). This is our tree of life and our form of entertainment in the village! Eewa!

Here is Eric taking a brave approach to enter his hammock. Getting in a hammock when it is 10ft off the ground is no simple task. Rather than help him, Sarah and I provided him with jokes about how goofy he looked.

Getting our hammocks set up in the tree was an adventure itself but well worth it in the end.

Soon after this picture our excitement faded and we started thinking about how we were going to get out…

Here you can see the mahangu field in late March as the clouds roll in during the sunset. Most evenings, light cloud cover makes the sunset all the better.

These sunset pictures were all taken on the same evening as dark storm clouds slowly consumed the bright sun and sky.

Tequila and Hileni provide constant entertainment and use every bit of light the day offers them. Molly, the dog pictured, was carrying puppies at this time but lost them soon after. Another one of our dogs, Sissy, was also pregnant at the same time and has successfully given birth to 5 pups.

Lastly, the girls display their talent for modeling. I’m not sure what they call that pose but they make it work.

Disclaimer: The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Namibian Government.