But this post isn't about September... It's about August. There were two main highlights in August, both away from site. In fact, I only spent about a week total of August in Gobabis.
First off was Reconnect... This is the point where Health volunteers finish up our community needs assessment, an assignment we spent 3 months doing, getting to know our communities and all the complexities there, inside and out. We spent this time really talking to people and listening to what the community members think the community needs. It's a period of exploring our new homes and preparing for the work we hope to do in our 2 years serving as PCVs. After these iniital 3 months, we all come back together as a group to reflect on what we've seen and done, to talk about our potential projects, and to discuss together strategies for moving forward. It's also a chance to see all of our friends from our group together again! It was a great two weeks spent in Windhoek.
We brought our Namibian counterparts along for the first week, to participate in workshops on Male Engagement (encouraging men to stand up as players in challenging gender inequality, gender-based violence and the HIV/AIDS epidemic) and Project Design and Management (how to plan and implement a project so that it has a decent chance of succeeding). The second week involved reflecting on our first three months on our own at site, and listening to and sharing stories from our new homes.
It's been an intense 3 months. I know I've come a long way from when I first stepped foot in Gobabis and had no idea which way was up (you guys know how bad I am at directions... But now I'm a pro at navigating Gobabis). I've started to pick up Afrikaans (and to further my abilities, started seeing a tutor today for some formal education). I know most of the cultural dos and don'ts (you absolutely must greet everyone you come in contact with... And don't ever smell your food) and people have even started to become used to me (I get much fewer shoutings of Otjirumbu! - White person! - when I bike through the Location now than back in May).
Overall, Reconnect was a great chance to take a break from site and just reflect. Plus, got to explore Windhoek, which was great. It's a really interesting town. And it was nice to be in an actual city, because as much as Gobabis has, it's still little more than a small town with lots of cows. Got the chance to check out some restaurants, craft markets, museums and malls. Even got to go to a micro-brewery (Namibia has micro-breweries? Who knew?) called Camelthorne that was really good. Then, after it all, I genuinely missed Gobabis and got to come back "home".
The first 2 and a half weeks of August were spent that way. Now, we PCVs aren't allowed to leave site for the first 3 months. But after Reconnect you can travel whenever you want, as long as you're using your allotted vacation days, get permission from Peace Corps, and your Supervisor from your host organization approves it. I wasted no time! Back in July, Martin asked me and Rob if we wanted to go to Botswana with him and Matt the first weekend after Reconnect. And I said uhh.. Yeah! I've been itching to do some travelling. So I took a few days off of work and spent a long weekend in the town of Maun in Botswana.
Botswana is the country bordering Namibia on the East, and the borderpost is only 100 km from Gobabis, straight shot on the Trans-Kalahari Highway. So off we went, over the border and up to the Okavango River Delta for a few days of rest and relaxation. I basically spent the whole weekend in my swimsuit... It was awesome! A real vacation. The first day we just settled into the backpacker's camp where we were staying, enjoying the bar and pool and just relaxing.
Day two got a little exciting... We took a rowboat belonging to the camp out onto the river. They let us take it "at our own risk" and warned us that a hippo had been seen a few days prior, just on the other bank. If you don't know, you don't want to mess with a hippo. Ever. They are super territorial and protective. Get too close and they can attack. We decided when will we ever get this chance again? And promised to be super careful and keep our eyes open for the hippo. So out we went, the four of us in a little rowboat, through the reeds and lily pads, until we reached open water. It took no more than 30 seconds on open water before Matt spotted the hippo with his eagle eyes. "There's the hippo! Right there!" he said. We were all like, "Where? Where?" and sure enough, there it was in the open water, keeping very still without a single ripple, completely submerged except for its nostrils, eyes, and little floppy Shrek-ears. It was silent and motionless, its great grey head just staring at us from no more than 50 yards away. We paused just long enough to get a good look at it... Then hauled ass back to the shore! That was enough excitement for one day! We headed back to the camp and spent the afternoon playing guitar and made a spaghetti dinner to celebrate surviving our hippo encounter.
The third day we did one of the coolest things I've ever done... We spent the morning on a makoro trip. Makoros are hollowed out canoes that get driven through the water by a single driver, using a stick to guide the boat like a gondola. We took them in pairs. It was so peaceful and serene... We glided along effortlessly through the thousands and thousands of water lilies and reeds. We saw underwater gardens that stay asleep until the summer when the delta dries up. We saw a man fishing in the river from his own makoro. And we saw lots of wildlife... Great white egrots and all kinds of game hanging out on the shores. We didn't see crocodiles but our guide told us they were all along the river. I asked him if there was anywhere safe to swim and he said yes and that he would take us there.
So near the end of our trip we stopped at this reservoir near a farm. All four of us and one of the guides took a nice cool dip in the water... It felt great because it had been hot the whole day in the sun. We swam for maybe 20 minutes, then our guide even showed us how to drive the makoro and let us take turns trying. It was much harder than it looked, though after a little practice the physics made sense and it got easier. After our makoro lesson, our guide took us for a walk on shore to the farm. The farmers were harvesting palm wine from the trees, and they even let us try some. It was sweet and tangy but very light; it looked like coconut water.
Then we were off again, gliding along in the makoros back to the camp, just in time for lunch. It was a great experience, a truly beautiful way to get to see the Okavango River Delta. And it's so close to Namibia, I certainly wouldn't mind making a return trip there sometime during my service! Botswana is a really beautiful country that I couldn't have even imagined before... I had absolutely no idea what it might look like. I'm loving being a Peace Corps Volunteer for everything that it is in itself... But getting to travel to exotic places while I'm over here, places I would never otherwise get the opportunity to see... it's a really sweet added bonus.
I know fall's a-coming back home right now. Hope you guys are getting excited for changing leaves and pumpkin pie and cozy sweaters! Summer's just kicking into gear here. Still, since it's a desert, even though it gets blazing hot in the day, the nights are still cool and provide some relief. Summer here also means bug infestations... Currently in an ongoing war with an ant colony that wants to make my kitchen their home. They're pretty determined little buggers who pay no mind to the ant trap I've set. I've resorted to plugging up all the entry points in my flat with prestik (ticky tack). Hope everybody's doing well back home! Love you and miss you tons!
Xoxo
Tashie
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Windhoek, Maun and Gobabis
This all sounds amazing!! Glad you're getting to explore! Xoxo - Kouli
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