Otjiherero

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No Otjiherero is the language I will be learning in Namibia. No it does not have clicks.

 

We have stayed very busy during our time in Namibia, so here is the whirlwind update. We flew from Joburg to Windhoek and took short bus ride to a nearby game park where we had some introductions and stayed the night. We saw some springbok, kudu, wildabeest and other small game but more importantly, springbok tastes very good. Namibians are meat eaters to put Texas to shame, so we have eaten a variety of beef, lamb, and other game. The vegetarian options are chicken and sometimes fish.

 

The next day we took buses to Omaruru which is northwest of Windhoek. We took over the Omaruru Rest Camp for the begging of our pre-service training (PST). Classes start at 8AM and continue til 5PM with breaks for tea in the morning and afternoon and about an hour for lunch. The most exciting meal was last night when I got to eat an apple. Lots of meat but not much fruit or fresh vegetables. Besides classes on language, culture & PC policies we have been given several injections.

 

Today was the most exciting so far. We got our language assignments this morning which is a step towards the big site announcement on Friday. Earlier this week everyone interviewed with an associate PC director (APCD) to go over qualifications and the particulars of each site. My APCD, Waldo, is very passionate about his work which means that he cares alot about placing each PCV in the best situation. Nearly all of our trainers have been teachers so they relate to situation we are heading towards as well as the need that we are trying to help alleviate.

 

What will I be doing? Once I know my site (Friday) I will be preparing for a week long site visit. I will go to my site on Tuesday to meet with my supervisor and inspect my housing, etc. Next Sunday I will return to Omaruru to continue training, which will shift to community based training (CBT) where we divide into language groups.

 

Hopefully I will be able to get on a computer during my site visit, but for now I only have 30 minutes. Thanks for updating me on all the important news (go TU!) once I get some more time I will start responding to email better. Phone calls are possible, check on phone cards, you should be able to find something around 20 or 30 cents a minute to Namibia.