Site Visit: Check

So I just got back from my site visit to Kamanjab!  It was great to see where I will be living for the next two years.  My new village is small and peaceful…yet also rowdy.  Like the sign that says "Welcome to Kamanjab is larger than Kamanjab.  I think that it will be a unique experience to live and work at a clinic in a very small village.  The clinic compound is BEAUTIFUL.  It’s the coolest looking clinic I have seen yet (even cooler than the hospital in nearby Outjo).  My favorite thing to do is sit outside on the Clinic deck and just watch the life and scenes of Kamanjab (I’ll post a photo of my sitting spot in another blog).  Is that too mushy?  In a rural village you have more than enough time to think and contemplate the greater things in life, so I have a feeling that ya’ll will get a softer more thought out view of the world as I see it. 

My flat is GINORMOUS!!  It’s a two bedroom with a large seating area and kitchen.  It also comes with a large back patio, which I have decided to equip with chairs of some kind.  I have created a sofa with the two extra mattresses from the spare bedroom in order to fill my apartment with something so it isn’t so empty that it echoes! I have included photos so that ya’ll can see and I’ll post a video once I get settled and it doesn’t look like I’m a squatter in someone else’s home!

I think I’m going to like living the small village life, and it will save me LOADS of money.  There are only two “convenience stores” and no ATM so I couldn’t even get money if I wanted to!  I’m so happy that Crystal lives so close to me and also lives in my shopping town.  I have to go to her town to do any kind of food shopping (and shopping in general) and, of course, eat at really delicious restaurants!  The other bright side is that with rare access to food and money and having more than enough time I should be able to get my workout on and get ripped with Tony Horton in P90X.  

For now I am happy to be home in Okahandja with my PC family.  It’s funny cause they described PC as taking PCV’s away from family and friends, giving us a new PC family and then they take us away from each other to different areas of the country.  I am not sure what I am going to do when my PC family and I separate.  Hopefully they’ll visit me and I will visit them in return.

 
Nay broke Nicole's chair!!

 
 In Outjo working at the soup kitchen!

 
My back patio------my front door

 

 
The view from my patio-----my dining/sitting room

Got my PHD over night! I live in the doctor's flat!

Site Placements Have Arrived!!

Yesterday we had a practice LPI (Language Proficiency Interview) and got our permanent site locations.  The best way to describe my LPI was that it was on the south end of a northbound cow.  However despite what I thought today they told me that I scored a Novice High (the requirement) and was very surprised that I am at the requirement only half way through PST.  Hopefully this means that I will be able to get better as time goes (maybe even be fluent..ya right… ha ha)  P.S. I’ll be interchangeably calling KKG Damara because it’s a more specific name to the language.  KKG is the label that the whites put to group together the shared (yet different) language of the Nama and Damara peoples. 

So after what I thought was a LPI catastrophe I was in big need of a pick me up…and a pick me up is what I got!  So my placement will be in the village of Kamanjab (phonetically pronounced ka-man-yob or ka-man-job based on accent) in the Kunene region (phonetically coo-nay-nay).  I’m at a health clinic working with HIV and Maternal Health!  SOOO happy that I will be in a health clinic.  I totally stressed in my interview that I wanted to work in the Medical field.

I’ll be living in a flat on the clinic compound with my coworkers.  Can I get an Amen for running water and electricity? AMEN.  There are two other PCVs in my village who are education volunteers.  My BFF Crystal is only about an hour or so away from me, which is going to be totally awesome.  She is placed in Outjo (phonetically ocho). That is the larger town in Kunene.  Jay, who is also learning Damara, will be about an hour and a half away as well.  Unfortunately CJ is closer to Rundu with no water, no electricity, and a half finished pit latrine…

The coolest part is that my family is from Outjo and are so excited that they finally have one of their volunteer children moving to their region.  My family honestly has been the best support for me and have connections everywhere! Ha ha.  The second best part is that Italy told me that there are elephants and giraffes that just wonder around the village!  How cool is that??

I go for a site visit on Friday so I will post more when I return!  Stay tuned everyone!

National Food Day

There are so many different cultures that make up Namibia and each have different foods that are a staple in their celebrations and daily lives.  So by splitting everyone by language groups we were able to eat all different foods.  We killed chickens and ate stomach and Mopane Worms.  Overall it was a good day trying all these different foods.  The Afrikaans had Brae (BBQ) and DELICIOUS Garlic Butter Bread.....I would seriously become obese if I lived at Alicia's host family.  The KKG group made Donkey and Pork feet with some Ash Bread.  Mmmmm....but also not Mmmmm at some times.  I'm not sure that I'll make Mopane worms a part of my daily meals!

Here are some photos!

 

 

 

Me and My Host Family: Riana (my mom) Italiana (my sister) Riaan (my brother) and Italy (my dad)