God is great

Words cannot really describe last night’s sunset. I walked out of the elderly home and just casually looked to my left towards Otjiwarongo and literally had to catch my breath. It was so beautiful and I couldn’t look away. As I walked to the end of the road to get a better view I just stood there in awe. There were two huge yet perfect dark purple clouds joining at the bottom by a thin line. Behind the purple clouds the sky was the brightest pink and orange I have ever seen. Seriously, amazing in color. So deep, so rich. Right at the tip of the mountains and below the line connecting the purple clouds was a faint yellow ball. The yellow from the sun was really overshadowed and overpowered by the pink and orange in the sky. You could easily miss the sun if you were not starring as I was. To make the sunset even more fabulous there was a lightening storm in the purple clouds around the sunset, so for the 10 minutes I stood there I would see bolts of white light move through the clouds or the entire cloud would light up. Gosh it was so amazing.

For a moment time stood still. I just stood in awe, thinking how majestic, how wonderful, and how blessed I am to have been a witness to the most beautiful Namibian sunset. Don’t get me wrong every night here God does a magnificent show but last night, ah, last night He really out did Himself. I wish I had a camera that could have really captured the beauty of last night, or maybe if I was a skilled painter, this sunset beat anything Van Gogh or Monet or anyone has done thus far in terms of use of color. It was seriously one of the best moments of my life, so simple, so pure. In that moment I knew: one, that God exists, that He loves me very much and that yes, I am exactly where I am suppose to be. All that in a sunset you might ask, yes all that in a sunset, it was just that powerful. Like I said no words could really convey the beauty of the sunset but I thought I had to at least share with you just how amazing God’s creation can be. It was seriously the most beautiful night yet in Outjo, gosh God is great.

another day in Outjo

Oh, I love Namibia. This morning I woke up bright and early for my morning run and I got to enjoy the most beautiful sunrise over the Location. As I run up the hill perpendicular to the old age home (where I live) I could see the clouds lift over town and off in the distance fog is nestled in the valley created by all the hills surrounding Outjo. It was so beautiful. The sky a deep pink color with bright orange streaks. Seriously, a great way to start off the week. I love Namibia, I love Outjo.



Dear Namibian Rain,

Thank you so much for returning to Outjo. I was really beginning to miss your face. It has been so hot and all I want to do is run in the rain again. I know this is rainy season so why did you leave me so quickly. I enjoy your thunder and lightening storms and the way the clouds look as you fall. I really wish you intend to stay for awhile but the morning clear blue skies has me thinking you have found another place to go. Seriously come back, I miss you, I need you. I promise to be good to you, to enjoy every moment, even when the electricity goes out, JUST COME BACK! Please stay until winter.

Longing for your love,
Dar


Dear Funky Bump on my finger,

What the heck are you, where did you come from and how do I get you to leave? I really wish you would just go away, stop hurting and really, really stop growing. I would look in my med kit for some magical cure if I only knew what the heck you were. I can help but scratch and pick at you cause I find you so intriguing but now I fear you might get infected if you don't heal soon. You are driving me up the wall, please leave and never return.

Really Annoyed,
Dar

oh heck yes I did!!!!

So boredom has kicked in and well I have no desire to clean my apartment when I will be leaving for a week again. Instead, I have straightened my hair and put make-up on. Hot date? No, I am actually going to wash my face and put my hair in a pony tail and go for a hike alone. Sometimes you just need to feel like a girl, even in Africa.

Kamanjab

This week I spent a few days in Kamanjab, a small village/town in our district. Our outreach team did school visits to the primary school in the location and the combined school in town. One a few different occasions I was wondering through the bush on a little dirt path from the clinic to the different schools. I was walking with an ice chest of vaccines strapped to my back, needles in one hand, syringes in the other hand, wearing a long skirt, Chacos, glasses (cause I can’t wear contacts in the bush), with my hair in a braid enjoying the wilderness under the bright, bright sun and I started laughing - I was a perfect picture of the stereotypical American aid worker in Africa.
In Kamanjab I actually got to do something useful. I gave general hygiene talks (hand washing) and dental care instructions and demonstrations to grades 1-3. At the primary school in the location the Principal had everyone prepared so the students had brought their toothbrushes (those that have them) so we got to all brush our teeth together, it was really cute. So, yeah, I brushed my teeth at least four times each morning before lunch had come around. For the older kids we had a sexual/reproductive health talk with the girls, there is definitely room for improvement in this area for our outreach team, but hey it was the first time. We also gave all the 10 year olds, DP and polio boosters and the 15 year old girls got a tetanus shot….it was actually a really productive time in Kamanjab. Now I just have hit up every other school in the district, at least I’m doing something now.
So I’m home for the weekend (so glad to have my toilet again) and on Monday I will head out again but this time for outreach to the farms around Kamanjab. I have no idea what we will be doing and more importantly what I will be doing. It’s hard to give health education at the farms cause well my Damara/Nama is not up to par yet and I don’t speak any other language that is of use. Seriously I need to be more committed to my language development.
This week in Kamanjab I got to do a lot of exploration with my coworkers. It was really great. I was determined to find an elephant and my coworkers just wanted me not to kill myself in my efforts. Kamanjab is a gorgeous place, boring but so beautiful. It was so great to do some rock climbing (Gideon and I had a challenge on each rock, he won almost every time but to my credit I was wearing a skirt that got in the way), hiking and just to hangout with Namibians my own age. It was seriously a great week, but gosh I’m so glad to be back in Outjo.

lessons learned in the last 48 hours...

1. Never go grocery shopping when you are starving and about to go into the bush for two weeks, you will spend an ungodly amount of money (money which you do not actually have in the PC)

2. Never complain about not having anything to do because you will be shocked with the jobs you are given there after. Today I was in charge of fixing our computer's internet (I know nothing about computers, especially things that aren't Mac) and then I was dropped of at the local primary school to give health education....on what?????? so i walked in to 65 smiling faces (grades 1 and 4) and just laughed my way through a talk on hand washing and brushing your teeth...hope that's what I was suppose to talk about

3. Never assume just cause you were dropped off for a work function that you will be picked up, I really appreciated sitting on the corner waiting to recognize anyone who would be driving to the hospital, I wanted to walk but my counterpart refused

4. Once you question where the "other" computers in your hospital are that the Regional Medical Officer assures you are in use somewhere (although you have searched high and low in all of your hospital grounds and couldn't find the computers in question) they will magically show up in your office, with a new printer....hm....how did that happen and where did it come from

5. Never assume you know what is in your PC med kit, actually look through it weekly cause you'll forget what the great PCMOs have provided for you, I have been trying my best not to scratch my skin off that is covered in bug bites and last night I found two different sets of anti-itch bug bite cream in my med kit, whoops my bad, i guess that would've been helpful

I FOUND LOVE IN NAMIBIA!!!!

Dear Bed Net,

How do I love thee, let me count the ways. I never thought I could find a love like this. You are so safe, comforting, and always there for me. Just know I am in this relationship for the long run, I’m totally committed. Please tell me you feel the same way.

Looking forward to our date tonight,
Dar

oh life...

So I would like to thank PC for this experience. My standards of…well life have changed drastically. In the states when eating fruit I would probably throw away rotten fruit, say apples, bananas and pears, but due to the lack of fruit available in the country and the well abundance of money I make as a PCV, I have totally abandoned my previous ways of thinking. Today for instance I was holding a completely rotten apple and thought this is really really not good but instead - I ate it…all. This is not the first time I’ve done this so I am not really shocked that I did it but I was shocked that afterwards I grabbed the rotten pear and ate that too and well this is normal. Lack of money and well once I spend money on food, no matter what I gotta eat it, including moldy bread, bad milk and cheese, meat/fish/chicken that has thawed/been frozen again/thawed/frozen and finally just left out and things you buy thinking it’s going to be something totally different than what it turns out to be…all this I eat with a smile and think…this is my life?

I thought PC would open me up to new foods and I would finally learn how to cook but instead I remain a picky eater just with lower standards of food quality and sanitation. I embrace the PB&J sandwich as a staple meal for me and all bran/high fiber cereals as a necessity. Also, soda is a luxury I can no longer afford so water, water and more water is all I drink. I guess it’s good to finally cut down on the sugar and get a little healthy.

So while in Opuwo this week I slept on the floor of my friend’s living room with the windows open because they don’t shut and did I mention Opuwo is in the prime malaria region and it’s rainy season. My body (yes entire body) looks like I have a rash or the chicken pox. I am covered in bites and they itch soooooooo bad, thanks Opuwo, I’m in a real hurry to return.
Today I will suffer the wonderful car ride back to Outjo, this time I’m hoping we can actually make the 3 hour trip in half a day and that my life won’t flash before my eyes every few seconds. It would be great to see some more giraffes (saw 10 up close on the ride here) but I will take no animals for a safe and short trip….oh transportation in Namibia.

I’m convinced after this week that boths (bird-moths) have the ability for advanced skills, like typing. Last night on a few different occasions a both continued to pound on my computer keyboard, maybe it was wanting to write and email, either way better it was me out in that living room than Jill.

Dear Hospital Driver,
Please, please, please attempt to drive the speed limit today. On paved roads it’s totally ok to put your foot on the gas and not ride the break for the entire 5 hour car ride and on dirt roads lowering your speed limit is usually appropriate. At least one hand on the wheel would be greatly appreciated. Also, when in town and there are ten million children running around the roads please do no drive 160km/h, it’s just not right and scares the sh*t out of me. One last thing cows are not the same as bushes, you cannot drive through them as easily. I look forward to this fun/wanna kill myself experience today. It’s amazing that 300km takes 6-12 hours to actually complete but I guess I have become painfully aware that TIN.

Hoping not to die today,
Amandar

oh the things that pass the time Feb. 10 journal entry

So I ask, which would have been easier change my sandals because they are digging into my skin and causing my foot to bleed or take apart my medical kit and do a minor surgical procedure on my foot, cover my foot in bandages afterwards and place the same sandal back on?  I chose the second option because 1) I really like these sandals and 2) my ride to Opuwo is four hours late and I needed something to occupy my time - haha THIS IS MY LIFE!

Hi, and welcome to my blog spot.  Just so everyone knows there is no editing done so I apologize for misspellings and grammatical errors (Jill will always point them out to me, thanks Nam sis).  There is no purpose to this blog just the thoughts of the moment of stories from the the mundane moments that occupy the days of my 26 month service in Namibia.

The other day during my morning jog I came across some a section of road that was covered in brown leaves.  Wow I thought, the leaves fall here too.  As I approached the area I discovered it wasn't leaves but thousands of dead moths stuck to the road by at least one wing.  Odd one would say how can you mistake a moth for a leaf.  Well in Namibia moths are more like small birds normally the size of my hand or my face and they are in shades of brown, orange and red - hence the mixup.

Today I ate moldy bread.  The VSO said ew and told me to throw it away but I thought this looks like such a delicious PB&J sandwich and I'm in Africa so I shouldn't waste food and well PC doesn't pay me enough not to eat my moldy bread...I hope I don't get a stomach ache.  *side note I was still eating that same loaf of moldy bread for the next three days until I couldn't deny that my bread was indeed all green and not brown....I like to think this is one of the many things that separate PCVs from VSOs...WE are hard core!!!