Why Namibia is a Third World Country...

Good morning, all...
Thursday was a full day. In the morning I met up with Abner at the BNC to help tutor him in math. His math comprehension is basic to say the least, but he seems to be grasping concepts and appears to have the desire to get better. We worked for two hours on basic algebra concepts and then I made up a bunch of questions for him to work on. He has a long rode ahead of him, but hopefully he can stick with it. Abner left as the kids arrived and I spent the day with them in the computer room, as usual.
As I was walking some of the kids out of the center at 5pm, some guy turned into the center, radio blasting and he nearly hit a few of the kids, then he rolled his window down and began lecturing them on staying out of his way. Turns out this guy is the husband of Tina who runs the BNC. Tina is a sweet middle aged woman who apparently has married the world's biggest jerk. As the guy was lecturing the kids on "not hanging out" I interrupted him and said the kids were leaving the center to go home and maybe he should have considered slowing down when pulling into an area full of kids. "Well, they shouldn't be by the gate!" he grumbled to which I said, "Did you ever consider the kids have to pass through the gate to leave?" He grumbled some more and pulled his car in, picked Tina up, then left, pointing out the window and grumbling some more to Tina as he drove away. He must feel like a big man belittling eight year olds.
MB stayed late at the center to help tutor Abner in English and I had intended on riding home alone but ended up sitting outside with Salome, Antonia, Innocentia, and Tete. Since the security guard on patrol arrived to the center buzzed and without his gun, he asked me to guard the place while he went home and got his gun. I had no problem sticking around with the four girls and we played "Sa" (which is the Damara version of tag) and I let them go back in the center and run around on the jungle gym for awhile. It is so nice to see the kids running around and smiling endlessly at the simplest things. We finally said goodnight around 730pm.
Last night was Kristen's last night in Namibia and she took a 7am flight back to Germany this morning. About ten of us piled into a van and drove to a bar to say goodbye to her. We showed up and they wouldn't let me in because I had shorts on so we had to call Steve, who was on his way, to bring me a pair of his pants. They were a baggy pair of loose fitting windpants. The bar was crowded and someone stole my camera from right out of my pocket. That was extremely irritating and though a camera can be replaced, it just reingnited frustrations I have had with parts of the culture here. Nothing is safe in this country and if you value something, you should have it under lock and key. Granted, I should not have taken something expensive to a bar, but it is not just the kleptomania that irritates me. I have continually sensed a lack of motivation in the people here, as well as laziness, irresponsibility, and disrespect for other people. If they have garbage in their hands, it is easier to throw it on the ground the throw it away. Namibian time seems to be on anywhere from 30mins to two hours delay. If you are told to pick something up in 45 minutes, you are better served to show up an hour and a half later when they are finishing it. They constantly seem to do things that make things worse for themselves whether its crime, vandalism, intoxication, or corruption. Not to mention how the lack of love and responsibility they take with the children. It is a viscious cycle that passes from one generation to the next and that will always keep Namibia a third world country. You can argue about the debilitating foreign policy of the US, China, and others or the effects of colonialism all you want but at some point there has to be culpability placed on the people who actually live here. As 21% of the population in Namibia is dealing with AIDS, the government is constructing a giant mansion on a hill in Windhoek to house the former president of the country. The whole situation is aggravating and there does not seem to be any reason to expect things to change. That being said, I would still come back here because of the children and the potential I see in them, if they can be lucky enough to overcome their environment.

On a lighter note, it was sad saying goodbye to Kristen. She was a lot of fun to hang out with for the past seven weeks and she will be missed around the house. She was a great roomate and now that I have no one else to blame the snoring on, I think MB will realize it was me all along.

Weekday Update

Good morning everyone, it is a grey, rainy morning here in Dublin, er, Windhoek. The past few days have been nice with no major updates or happenings, but I will still ramble on ad nausem about the slightest little details since that is what you have come to expect.
Tuesday was just the BNC in the afternoon and it was another day in the computer lab. When I leave, I think I will feel satisfied that if nothing else, I helped establish the computer room as a place where the kids can go have fun and learn at the same time. At night we celebrated Mark´s birthday with a nice BBQ, beer, and cheap vodka. Everyone got together and bought him a little chess set which he seemed to appreciate. It was a nice evening with lots of drinking.
Wednesday morning was a little tough considering the night before, but like any dedicated volunteer, I pushed on and went to the Pink Kindergarten in the morning with MB. We worked in martha´s classroom teaching the kids colors and shapes and playing memory with them. Some of the kids are very bright. In the afternoon we went to the BNC and had another nice day. Last night was very quiet at the house and I spent most of it reading my book. Only 950 pages to go!
I got news via email that I was accepted into Hofstra Law School in Long Island. It is exciting to know I have options when it comes to deciding which school to attend. Still no word on Fordham and Villanova- but those are long shots. Hope all is well, I need to run and help tutor Abner in math. Have a great day!

Monday, Monday

Good Morning,
Monday was a regular day with regular activities. In the morning I did some grocery shopping with Marc and read some of "The Power Broker" by Robert A. Caro which is a biography on Robert Moses- it is interesting, but a loooong book- over 1100 pages.
At the BNC I did the computer room with the kids and all went well. Quincy, that little girl I mentioned yesterday was in the computer room the whole time reading quietly to herself. She must have read atleast 30 children's books that afternoon! She is a very smart little girl, hopefully that intelligence will be nurtured, though I doubt it. The 4pm time slot was occupied by Wendy, Salome, Charlotte and Suzmita- I am worried that one of these days the kids are going to catch on that Salome is in there almost everyday at 4pm!
After we saw the kids out the door at 5, a young Namibian named Abner who is 22 came to the BNC for help in preparing for his grade 10 examination. The education system here is pretty bad and every child is passed along through grade 10 and if they fail the grade 10 examination they are dropped from school. This guy Abner was dropped but he seems to have the desire to learn what he needs to know to eventually graduate in a few years. For the next two weeks I will try to help him out and give him some advice, but a lot of the burden is resting on his shoulders. I hope he can achieve this because graduating grade 12 is a huge boost to your employment opportunities here.
Leaving the BNC around 630pm, a group of kids ran up to me on my bike and I stayed and chatted with them for a bit. They are so much fun and as I have said before, I'd stay all night and hang out with them if I could.
The evening was very relaxed and quiet, which was nice. Today is Marc's birthday so I doubt it will be as quiet as last night.
Hope all is well at home... talk to you soon!

Weekend Update

Good morning, Everyone!
All is going well here in Windhoek. I haven't updated the blog in a few days and I have some good music playing on my iPod so this might get a little long winded.
Friday was a very busy day. In the morning we went to the Bridge school which is a 30 minute bike ride from the house and considering my the brakes on my bike rub the tire, it is a long ride! Regardless, it is a good workout and for the first hour at the Bridge school we do excercises and calisthenics with the kindergartners. Afterwards we played two hours of basketball with the girls. The kids there are friendly and if I spent more time there I am sure I would have developed some good relationships with them.
Speaking of good relationships, we left the Bridge school and headed to the BNC around 1pm. It is fun riding from the Bridge school to the BNC because we ride through Katutura and along the way you constantly hear some little one shouting "MaryBeth!" Occasionally I even hear "Scooter!" which is nice. A few blocks away from the BNC two girls, Quincy and Elfride (see photo), shouted at me so I stopped the bike and let them climb aboard and gave them a ride to the center.
At the center, I worked with the kids in the computer room- they really have done well with it lately and for the most part I can leave them unattended in the room, just checking in occasionally to make sure the computers are working. When signing kids up for the computer room, I have everyone line up against the wall outside (usually atleast 30 kids) and I make a schedule starting with the kids who haven't been in the computer room lately. I always reserve 4pm (the last time slot and because of that it often last longer than than the standard 1/2 hour) for my favorites- it gives me something to look forward to! Not surprisingly, Salome, Wendy, and Esmi often work together at 4pm.
As we were beginning to finish things up around 4:30 to head to the soccer field for another Volunteers vs. Kids soccer game, a fight broke out at the center. Gideon (a 20 year old neighborhood kid who helps serve soup and hangs out at the center) and some drunk guy began going at it near the entrance of the BNC, each of them with a stone in their hand and the drunk guy had a broken glass bottle. I told Gideon not to do anything stupid and to walk away but when he refused to back down, I told him to take it outside and to get away from the kids. They made it to the street, still circling each other, and many of the kids had ran up to watch at this point so I walked up to the two and tried to break it up before it got really crazy, but just as I pushed the two apart, Gideon threw a punch that busted the guy's lip and blood started pouring out. That was more or less the extent of the fight and Gideon came back into the BNC but the drunk guy followed him it, blood pouring out of his face. MB was a calming influence and defused the situation from escalating as she stepped forward and tended to the guy's wounds and calmed both parties down. This behavior, though the first that I have seen first hand here, is all too common in Katutura- men being irresponisble and bad role models for the kids. These kids are so smart and such loving souls, but their environment is going to destroy that. Many of the adults the encounter are horrible role models but unfortunately have the most lasting influence on many of them. It is not worth helping people who don't help themselves- I have no respect for people like that.
The day did get better though! We ended up playing soccer against the girls then the boys for over two hours. I really enjoy playing soccer- even if it is with a flat ball on a gravel field. The game against the boys was fun and competitive and they won 4-3. We played until the sun went down and we couldn't see anymore. Walking back to the BNC to get our bikes, MB and I were surrounded by kids who wanted to stay and hang out instead of going home- I was one of those kids! By the time we got home from the BNC around 8pm I was exhausted from all the sports and riding that I cooked some dinner, showered and hung out with the housemates for a bit then went to bed.
Saturday was soccer day as usual. It is an all day activity from 9-5 and I referred four boys games. The little boys games can be a little tedious but when the teenagers play it is usually a good game and fun to watch. Along with MB and I, there are a few other guys who help referree and coach the teams. Coach Willum is a Namibian guy who coaches 5 teams that play throughout the day. He is a really nice guy and one of the few Namibian men I have encountered who is a great role model. He has a great attitude and shows respect for others. Coach Lemmy is another good guy, but I have not had much interaction with him. The past two weeks aguy that MB plays soccer with on Sundays has come to the field to help out- his name is Eddie. He is originally from Tanzania but lives in Windhoek now and he is a great guy and another excellent role model.
After soccer ended, MB and some errands to run so I went with her in the pickup truck. We delivered some clothes to Martha at the Pink Kindergarten and then went back to Katutura to drop off food that Father Wayne (the owner of the pickup truck) buys every month for a little girl who is sick with AIDS and her family. Returning to Katutura was fun as many kids came running up to the truck to say hello, including Wendy and Esmi :-) Most of the kids live near each other so there are plenty of neighborhood children running around and playing.
Saturday night the housemates and I, along with about 5 others went out to a few clubs. The clubs were really empty but we had a nice time all the same. Alcohol makes me a great dancer and at one point I was in the middle of the dance floor circled by a group of Namibians dancing with some Namibian girl. I probably look like a fool, but it is fun having laughs with everyone. We got back around 3am and I passed out on the couch.
Sunday was very relaxing. I slept late, cooked some eggs for Sebastian and myself and then the housemates and I went over to Steve the Australian's hotel for a pool party. The sun didn't really come out so there was not much swimming but we had a nice BBQ and were there until about 6pm. Steve is a really nice guy who is here for a few months doing work with the Commonwealth Games. His work is done on April 12 and afterwards he has planned a 36 day tour from Cape Town, South Africa to Dar Es Salaam. From there he mentioned climbing Kilimanjaro and then probably heading further north toward Europe even.
There is not much time left here for me and I am trying to decide how I want to spend my last day here with the kids. I think I will have a little party at the center with all of them on Friday after 5pm and then on Saturday after soccer when I drive to the airport I will take about 5-10 of my favorites with me for the drive. I will really miss these kids. I am happy to see family and friends but truly sad to think I will not be with these children. It is a special feeling to have so much unconditional love. The dancing, the germans, and the sights have all been fun and memorable but Wendy, Salome (pictured), et al have touched my heart.

Back at the BNC

Good morning, everyone...
The past few days have been quiet compared to the weekend of sightseeing but it has been nice to be back in Windhoek. I did not go to the morning programs this week and my days were actually quiet outside the time spent at the BNC. The computer room is beginning to have a flow and routine to it which makes it more enjoyable for the kids and less stressful for me. It was really nice to ride my bike up and see the children on Wednesday. I have been riding the bike to the BNC and when I ride I listen to my iPod which the kids adore so I let them take turns listening to it. I put a song on repeat and let it play and play as they pass it around. (For some reason I feel I have written about this before... if so, I apologise, but reading the blog is probably more interesting than sharpening pencils at work so humor me and keep reading.) Feelin' Groovy is, of course, very popular, but they also love Bob Marley so I play "No Woman No Cry" for them a lot. For Martha I play the Beatles' song "Martha My Dear" and yesterday I played "Lovely Rita" for Rita and she loved it. Susmitha (apparently that's how you spell it... not Suzmita) wanted to hear a song with her name in it. She settled for hearing "Wake Up Little Susie" and when the chorus came and the Everly Brothers sing "Wake up little Susie" she giggled and said "They are saying my name!" She is adorable.
The bike is also popular and when I am leaving I give a few kids a ride around the center. So between running the computer room, the iPod, and the bicycle, the kids are often wanting to be around me which is nice, even if it takes an iPod to make friends!
Last night Mark, Michael, Kristen, and I went to El Cubano for some drinks. It was a quiet night at the bar and a little pricey but the conversation was nice. Oh, I come to find out that the landlord of the East Germans is renovating the apartment and painted their bedrooms white and when the two saw their rooms were white, complained that they preferred off-white because plain white was too bright, and the landlord repainted it for them. They are only going to be here until July and they are putting up a fuss... I should just let it go but man do they get under my skin!
Despite those two, everything else here is going great and I am really enjoying myself and wish all of you could get the opportunity to come and see Namibia for yourselves. I am off to get ready for the day- hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Swakopmund, Spitzkoppe, and the Past Weekend

Hello Everyone... I am back from a great trip to the Atlantic coast and really enjoyed myself. I tried to post two blogs before I left but the server was down so this blog will be long as I will update everything from Thursday on... get comfortable.

Thursday was a great day with lots of things accomplished. Being Mb's personal assistant, I was assigned to do some grocery shopping for her in the morning and therefore skipped the Hakehanna kindergarten. She is hosting a prayer meeting tonight and a St. Patrick's Day party on Sunday so she had a lot of cooking to do. After the chores I road the bicycle to the BNC and went back into the computer room- the kids love it, but they can be a little overwhelming with their enthusiasm and excitement.
At 5pm, when we close the BNC for the day, the kids and a bunch of us adults went down to the soccer fields to play a kids vs. volunteers game. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves- as did I. The first game was volunteers against my beloved Pumpkins and the girls did great running around laughing. Then the boys played us which was a close game, which we ended up winning 1-0 but the competition was great. After the two games I was dripping in sweat to the amusement of the kids who wanted to know why I poured water all over my shirt. MB and I then rode our bicycles home, something I really enjoy because it is a nice final workout for the end of the day and the evenings are nice and cool. There is talk of doing this type of soccer game once a week which should be really fun.
Last night I boiled pasta for Sebastian, Michael, and myself and it turned out pretty good. Then Tim, Karina, and AnnaKaren showed up- they are two Germans and a Swede, all very nice people who are volunteering in Katutura as well. MB received about 15 bags of books (70lb mail bags) which were donated from the US by various people and we all spent last night organizing them into four piles- teacher's books, storybooks for little kids, books for older kids, and useless books that were too old, too irrelevant, or too inappropriate. Among the books deemed too inappropriate were "Johnny Loves Apartheid," "Fun with Electricity," "101 Things to Do with a Box Cutter," and "Teletubbies March in the St. Patrick's Day Parade."
I have come to be a little concerned that MB might have a substance abuse problem- I think she is a cocaine addict. :-) Her high energy level was always amazing, but this morning I woke up to find her wide awake (which she never is at 6:30am) and I come to find out she didn't go to sleep last night. (Binging?) She spent the whole night organizing more books, cleaning, cooking, etc. The twisted thing is I am more tired than she is and after a full day of work today she is hosting her prayer dinner... I don't know how she is going to do it...

Friday was a busy day. MB and I rode our bikes to the Bridge School which is twice as far as the BNC, so it is a great workout to start the day. There we did little relay races with the little kids and then did a soccer game with the older kids afterwards. I am beginning to recognize more and more faces there which makes showing up on Fridays more exciting. The teachers there are very nice and are enthusiastic about MB helping out there; Ingrid works with the little children and Queenie works with the older children. At the BNC there was a big delegation of people from US A.I.D. there which apparently is a major source of funding for Catholic Aids Action, which is the group that runs theBNC andfourteen other after school programs across Namibia. All that to say that there were about 20 important people there roaming around for about an hour looking at how the center was run and observing the kids. To me it sort of felt like watching fish in a bowl, "Oh, look at the little African children!" but I guess in a way I do the same thing- these people atleast donate millions of dollars. We left right at 5pm because MB was hosting a prayer meeting and needed to get back home. Unfortunately for us, it was cold and raining at 5pm so we had to ride home in the rain- needless to say we were drenched. The weather here has been weird the past two days with overcast skies. Since I have been here the has been rain, but usually just pockets of rain the intense sun again, but these few days it has just been cool, overcast, and rainy.
Last night we went across the street to check out the restaurant that is being built hoping to score some more free food but it was a bust and there was little food to be had. From there we skipped over to Tobias' house and ordered some pizzas. He is roomates with those lovely East Germans and when we showed up and sat down, they came out of their rooms, sat down and said hello... then immediately mentioned they still needed their N$35 from Michael and me. Michael and I were both taken back a bit at their bluntness, but I just gave them their money. I am a non-confrontational guy so I paid; but the way I see it, I paid N$35 ($6.50 American) to never have to deal with those two weasels again. Michael was a bit more forward and told them straight up that he refused to pay because he thought what they did was wrong. In hindsight I wish I would have done the same, but as I said, atleast I am done with those two. That sort of set the mood for the evening for me and after eating pizza at Tobias' house, Michael, Sebastian, and I went home around 11pm. Tobias's house is being worked renovated and sort of feels like a prison or a cage so I was just as happy to come home and go to bed.
Saturday was a full day of soccer once again, but this week I was exiled to the little boys. They bicker a lot and being only 4-7 yrs old, they lose interest very quickly and end up loafing around on the field. Needless to say, I lose interest as well. After soccer we went to the BNC to get our bikes and about 30 kids came with us so we let them in and played Bingo for sweets for 2 hours. It was nice spending extra time with them. Lately, I have been letting kids listen to my iPod and I put one song on loop and it gets passed around. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) and No Woman No Cry are the two popular ones. When Martha wants to listen I put on Martha My Dear by the Beatles- she loves it. They also love when I let them ride on the bike with me up and down the street. Saturday night Rick, MB's friend, invited us to Taal for Indian food and it was great. A friend of Ricks named Tim is in from Seattle for the week and he was there too. He is a nice guy who works for Maryknoll I believe and is considering moving down here. MB and I finally rode our bikes home around 930pm and after a quick shower I joined Sebastian, Mark, and Kristen at a lounge for drinks and then we met up with Michael and had another drink at some down-n-out blues bar which was pretty lame, but an interesting experience.
We decided to take our trip to Swakopmund from Sunday morning to Tuesday night because Tim, Karina, and AnnaKaren were able to borrow a van from a co-worker for free and so Kristen and I will all go with them and Tobias and Katrin to save a little money. The trip should be a great!

So those were the earlier two postings... feel free to get up and stretch, grab a drink, or go to the bathroom and when you get back I will tell you about my trip. Go ahead, I can wait, take your time...

Welcome back... I might be a little long winded (surprise) but I am just going to let my fingers start typing. Sunday morning Kristen and I were picked up around 7am and the 7 of us packed into the van and drove to Swakopmund which is a coastal resort town on the Atlantic Ocean. The drive goes mainly through the desert but with the mountains the scenery is still beautiful. We got to Swakopmund around midday, checked into a backpackers lodge and walked to the beach. The beach area is very nice and after playing a little soccer and relaxing, Karina convinced me to go in the water with her. The water was very very cold... like an ice chest. I thought that if I went under the water and came up I would acclimate myself to the temperature- that didn't work as planned and I froze! Karina convinced me to stay in the water and after swimming around enough, I got use to the water after about 30 minutes and we swam out far then swam back in- it was a good workout. After a little more time on the beach AnnaKaren, Tobias and I went to a beachside restaurant and had a beer looking out over the ocean. From there a few of us walked to an Aquarium which was a bust... little to see. We then headed back to the lodge to shower and head out for dinner. I was the only one who didn't get burned at the beach. We had dinner at the same place we had a beer earlier and though the service was slow, the food was good, cheap, and the portions were huge. I had an enormous burger that looked like a Dagwood sandwich with French Fries, Calimari, and a milkshake. We were all pretty tired the first night and just went back to the lodge and went to bed.
Monday we woke up early and took a dolphin tour which was great. It was a small, cozy boat with just 8 people so it was very personal and up close and the captain was super friendly. We saw dolphins, sea lions (or seals.. I forget which is which) and two of the seals jumped into the boat to be fed. We also pelicans, thousands of other birds and a nice tour of the coastline. At the end we had a bottle of champagne provided on the tour and oysters. It was very cool and cruising around the boat in the ocean was so relaxing. Afterwards we all went our seperate ways and did shopping, went to the beach, etc. Later on Tobias and I went to an antique shop which had a lot of cool little artifacts but it was a bit pricey.
Just before sunset we went to a beachside bar which faced the coast and we watched the sunset over the Atlantic... it was a beautiful sight. Looking out I looked to the Northwest and felt close to Montauk, and New York.
For dinner that night we ate at the Tug, which is an old beached tugboat that serves seafood. I had Kingclipper with roasted potatoes. It was delicious. Afterwards Tim, Tobias, Kristen, AnnaKaren and myself went to a few bars but found no nightlife. It was a holiday weekend (Namibian independence day is March 21) but there was nothing exciting going on in the town.
On Tuesday we went to see Flamingos and walked up the sand dunes in the morning and around noonweleft Swakopmund for Spitzekoppe which is a mountain about an hour West of Swakopmund. It is in a very isolated place and the views were breath taking. The mountain was formed from a volcano millions of years ago and the rock is smooth. We found a pool of water in one part that we relaxed next to for a few hours. Tim, Katrin, and I climbed to the top of a smaller rock pile (a few hundred feet high) and the views looking out into the desolate part of Africa were breathtaking. I really liked it there and camping would have been fun had we the time and appropriate gear. There is a super small village outside of the park area where we had to buy gas from a store. The gas came in buckets and had to be siphoned into the car.
We got back Tuesday night and I was very happy with the experience but just as glad to be back "home" and I am looking forward to seeing the children today. With a little over two weeks to go before returning to NY, I am beginning to realize how much I will miss the children. There was talk of staying in Swakopmund another day, but I am glad to be back with the kids instead.

A Simple Day

Good morning!
I have the morning off because MB asked me to run some errands for her so I figured I would write a quick note. Yesterday was an easy day, I was only at the BNC working in the computer room. Sebastian came with me and fixed another computer so now there are four fully operational computers in the room with working keyboards, mice, and speakers! The down side of that is the kids quickly found out how to adjust the sound so now Arthur and Reader Rabbit are being blasted from every computer.
Yesterday, Suzmita gave me a beautiful handmade card with a handmade envelope telling me I was her "true friend" and that she loved me. It was very sweet. I got home a little earlier than usual and relaxed, finished reading a book, and made dinner with Sebastian. He is a lot of fun and a nice guy to hang out with and he was telling me about Hamburg which is where he is from. Being surrounded by Germans has raised my interest in German history and culture and I hope to someday make it over there. Hamburg sounds beautiful.

On a side note, I just got word that I was accepted to Pace Law School in White Plains, NY. I was fairly confident about the acceptance, but they offered me a very generous scholarship as well which was a nice surprise. Though I have yet to hear back from the other three schools, with the news I heard today, Pace is likely the place I will end up.

Hope all is well at home. Talk to you soon...

The Past Few Days

Hello, All...
The past few days have been enjoyable. Monday was just the BNC which was nice. Wendy apologized for her behavior on Saturday which made me happy- hugs heal all wounds. I have been in the computer room over much of the last week trying to get a system going in there. The kids really enjoy the computer and there is always a long line waiting outside the door to sign up for a half hour timeslot. The computers are from last century so you can imagine they are a little slow and each one has its kinks. Fortunately Sebastian is an I.T. guy so he helps with all our problems.
Monday night Sebastian and I took the bikes out for another ride and we decided we would take a flatter route this time as the past two times we had dealt with a grueling hill. Unfortunately, Windhoek is virtually in the mountains so there are hills everywhere and that night we hit the mother of all hills... my lungs were on fire and my legs were like jelly after riding up the hill.
Tuesday I ran some chores in the morning, one of which was taking the truck to be cleaned because the owner of it, MB's friend Fr. Wayne, is returning from the States after two months and the truck had been trampled on by kids while he was away. Driving was an interesting experience as everything is on the opposite side, just like England. In the afternoon I headed over to the BNC and did more work in the computer room. Afterwards MB and I went to play tennis... she won 6-1, 6-1. Despite what the score may imply, we play many good volleys and both get a good workout. As we left on the bikes for home I noticed I had a flat tire... it seems everyday one of these bikes gets a flat tire from these pricker bushes that are everywhere.
Last night Isabel, a girl who works at the BNC with us, invited me, Mark, Sebastian, and Kristen to her house for her roommate's birthday party. Her roomates are a lot older than her and all the people were speaking German (surprise!) but it was still nice. If I didn't know better I would think the Germans were trying to revive colonialism here in Namibia. We got home around midnight and Mark, Kristen and I hung out in the living room for a couple of hours chatting and listening to music.
We are getting ready for a trip this weekend to Swakopmund and Spitzkoppe from Friday night until Tuesday which should be a lot of fun. Swakopmund is the coastal "resort" town here with sand dunes, beaches, boat rides, and quad biking. Spitzkoppe is a mountain in the desert which is apparently gorgeous and I am sure the stargazing is great.
Hope all is well at home. Thank you all for your emails... keep them coming!! (jmcken82@hotmail.com)

Cheetah Farm

Hello Everyone,
Here is a "short" update on the past few days. Friday we were at the Bridge School in the morning playing basketball with the boys. We are trying to switch boys and girls between soccer and basketball so that neither one is associated with just boys or girls and so that the kids expand their horizons. The picture is of the boys playing basketball. Paul, the evangelical Christian is there, as well as Emmanuel (blue shirt) who is about my age and very helpful with the kids. In the afternoon we had a good day at the BNC and the kids were fun. Friday evening Sebastian, Mark, Kristen and I went across the street to where they are building a new restaurant and every Friday they have drinks and sampler foods laid out amongst the construction and the head chef/owner is there mingling. It seems like the place will be very nice and he hopes to open in four weeks. I am hoping he opens within four weeks so I can try it out. Friday night there were a large number of us hanging out on the front porch drinking and socializing. It was a nice evening and since we didn't go out dancing, I saved a little money. Most of the people we hang out with are German but they all make an attempt to speak in English so Michael and I can understand.
Saturday was soccer day. I was referreing soccer from 930am until almost 7pm at night. The sun is intense but I lathered up pretty good with sunscreen and protected my face with another shirt so I did not burn though I was filthy from all the dirt and extremely exhausted when I got home. I barely made it through dinner and a shower before falling asleep. The same cast of characters came over Saturday night but I took a raincheck and went to bed. All in all, the soccer was fun, but the Pumpkins, the cute girls team I brag so much about, was extremely disappointing and their attitudes on Saturday sucked. Alfrida, the oldest and one of the better players on account of her size, always has an attitude yet her team reveres her because of her talent. She quit on her team during the game and left the field because they were losing and then tried to come back on later in the game. When I refused to let her play, telling her that her attitude was rubbish and she could not play anymore, the team got mad at me for enforcing rules. The worst part of the day was how only six girls actually played the whole game, the rest had walked off the field, including Wendy which was especially disappointing. They let me down.
So then came Sunday and our visit to the Cheetah farm. The cheetah farm is about an hour drive from Windhoek to the north and we all piled into the pickup truck for the ride. There were 10 of us in total, with eight in the back of the pickup truck. The picture to the left is Kristen in the back of the truck flying down the highway. It is funny how riding with your ass hanging out the back of a pickup truck going 120km down a highway seems reckless in America but for some reason it seems safe in Namibia. The ride up was beautiful and the sun was shining and the land is still very green even though the rainy season appeared to be over. I say appeared to be because as we would soon find out, the rainy season was still in full force.
The cheetah farm is 18km off the highway down a dirt road. The ride down the dirt road was scenic and adventurous. We saw baboons, warthogs, wildebeest, and two oryx fighting in the middle of the road. All the animals were extremely close. The oryx I find to be very beautiful- they are similar to deer but grey and black and bigger with long pointed horns. We even had to slush our way through two streams. The ride was very scenic and was very close to the mountains and it looked like it would be a beautiful day to see all the animals. When we arrived at the gate, a woman hurried us onto two landrovers as the tour was about to begin. It seemed a little odd the way we were piled into the Land Rovers with out registering and when the tourguy offered me Barbeque scented suntan lotion, I became a little unnerved.
MB and I went in the front row of the front car with a mixed group of Europeans who were all very friendly. Normally the front row of the front car would seem like a privilege as we have the most unobstructed view, but to our dismay, we found out that also means that our faces are used to clear the way of all the spider webs and branches that have formed across the trail. The spiders here are enormous with black and neon orange coloring and their webs are yellow, sticky, and as thick as dental floss. Oh yea, and there are these prickly bushes all along the trail with prickers as thick as tooth picks.
So our first stop on the trip was to feed the leopards. The Namibian in driving the truck placed chunks of raw meat on a tree trunk and the leopard came around, climbed the tree, and feasted. It is an awesome sight to be within ten feet of a wild animal like this. The leopard was beautiful with huge paws and beautiful eyes. It was a thrill to see the animal this close in its natural habitat. We then drove on to another part of the park to see and feed a cheetah. The cheetah is beautiful, too, but a little thinner and more timid. Right around the time we saw the cheetah, we began to feel a few drops of rain ... and then the flood gates opened. The rain began pouring down on us in buckets and we had no protection from the elements. We went racing down this narrow trail in the Land Rover back towards the gate, but it was about a 10 minute drive in the rain. It was raining so hard that we could not see 10 feet in front of us, the wind from the car made it cold, and we kept driving through spider webs and spiders fell ontop of us. It was absolutely insane! We could do nothing but laugh at what was happening to us and just huddle together until we got back to the gate. Needless to say, everyone was drenched and as we were standing underneath a covering, soaking wet, I overheard one guy say to the other guy sarcastically, "Thanks, again, for letting me use your sunscreen."
The rain kept falling but no one from the park was around to offer us a cup of coffee, a towel, or even collect our money. We stood inside a little room for about an hour waiting for the rain to stop and though it never totally cleared up, we finally just decided to hop into the truck and get home. The girls were offered a ride by a young couple from South Africa who were on their way back to Windhoek anyway, and the five guys and MB took the truck back. On the way down the dirt road towards the highway, the owner of the park came speeding towards us like a madman because we had left the park without paying. Since no one was around the entire hour we were waiting in the rain, we assumed we would drive home, call them, and return at a later date to do the tour again. The owner was furious that we did not pay, but when we explained ourselves he let us go. The rain finally stopped near the highway but it was a cold, wet ride home. So that was our memorable adventure at cheetah farm. We all agree that we would like to go back in a few weeks because there is also a game drive with many different animals including giraffes, oryx, etc.
That is all for now. Hope all is well with you... please note that Sunday I posted some more pictures which some of you may not have seen yet, so don't forget to scroll down and view them!

Pictures

MB addressing the kids before a full day of soccer. Saturday is a huge day of soccer.











Miraldi, Salome, and Edelsine on top of the truck. Though the three smallest on the team, pound for pound, they are three of the best.











MB with her Pumpkins. Though this is not all of them, it is the majority of those who show up week after week.











Ramashal being Ramashal. He is so much fun to be around. When Suzie was here she said she wanted to rescue him from Namibia and bring him to Greenwich Village.










Steve, a volunteer at the BNC, with Selma, Alfredo, Suzmita, and Phillip. Steve is an invaluable asset who has great patience and is a great male role model for these kids.










The boys playing soccer in Otjumuise. The field is mostly dirt and filled with stones, but the boys play the game as if it was the World Cup.











More soccer.













The little town of Otjumuise. Many of the houses are painted bright, loud colors.












Ricardo and myself during a game. The sun is so hot and intense that I have devised this little cover to keep my face from frying. It looks goofy but works wonders!










Shema during halftime of the soccer game at Otjumuise. Shema is half the size of the rest of his team, but a valuable member of the team.
















Ivan chugging water after a game. There was a picture a week ago of him doing a puzzle and I commented on his attitude. Every time I see him I am more impressed at how good he plays soccer, but also what a great little kid he is.









Gideon's soccer team after the game in Otjumuise. Gideon is in the back with his hands up. The team is actually pretty good, with more experience they should win more games. Often, they have to play teams that are bigger than them just to get some competition.








Gideon working with some kids in the computer lab. Gideon is a 20 year old who lives in the neighborhood and helps out at the center. The BNC is great for him because it keeps him from drinking. He is a really nice guy who just needs some direction.









This is Antonia, a tough little girl who is a sweetheart underneath. Like Edelsine, Salome, and Miraldi, she is a lot tougher than other kids twice her size and won't get pushed around. The other day she had a boy in a headlock to get her food back.







MB playing the guitar and singing with the kids. This is always very popular and all the kids sing along with her. Kids are always singing Feelin' Groovy now.










Esmi... she is like a mini-Wendy, always smiling, always helpful, and never a problem. She plays soccer with the other girls and is always playing hard and has just a great temperament.










Salome workingon her reading in the computer lab. She is very stubborn about learning and clams up and refuses to practice if any other children are around. She has a real confidence problem when it comes to learning.









Riding back from playing tennis with Innocentia, Salome, and Miraldi.

A Nice Day

Hello....
All is well here in Windhoek. Yesterday (Thursday) was nice. We went to Hakehana in the morning and played games with the kids. Yada, Yada, Yada... we left four hours later.
Then we went to the BNC. :-) MB wanted me to take some pictures for her friend Urmgard (the woman who owns the hotel we ate at the night before) who wants to display some pictures of the BNC at her hotel to raise money and awareness. I got some great pictures which I will try to post later this weekend. The first hour at the BNC is always great being there when the kids arrive and seeing smiling faces. There is always a lot of high energy to start the afternoon.
I was put in the computer room again yesterday to try to develop a routine- we are getting there. The kids really enjoy being at the computers and all work so well in there, helping each other out and being patient.
Afterwards, MB and I played another round of tennis. I am really enjoying the exercise and feel myself getting a little better each day. We have some really great volleys and play some really good games. Many of the children wait outside the BNC at 5 to go down to the tennis courts with us. Since MB has been borrowing her friends truck while he is away, we load them in the back of the pickup and drive to the courts. They LOVE riding and singing in the truck, they hang off the bumpers ando over the wheel wells. It is awesome how a simple thing like a two-minute car ride can thrill them so much. The tennis courts are in a private park overgrown by weeds and the kids, since they are not members, are not allowed in but within 30 minutes of playing, they find ways to sneak up the fence or over barbed wire to come hang out on the tennis courts. They will run around, watch us play, or take a tennis ball and start a soccer game. MB bribes the guards at the gate on the way out with sweets to look the other way. Losing is so much fun when the kids are there. I look forward to it everyday.
Around 7 we got back to the house b/c I told Sebastian we would go on another bike ride. This time I was on MB's old bike which is a rolling death trap. On the first big hill, I changed gears and the chain popped off. She has no brakes on the bike so to stop it, there is a plastic fender covering the back wheel that, when pushed down on by a foot, while slow the wheel to a stop. Well, going down the first hill, I was applying pressure to the fender when the plastic snapped and it was shoe on tire as I raced down the hill. And then on the straighaway back to the house the back well popped and went flat about a 1/2k from the house and I had to walk it back.
Last night was relaxing- made myself some pasta and hung out with the housemates in the living room. This weekend we are going to a Cheetah farm about 1 hour north of here. Hope everyone has a great weekend. I hear NY is making it up to 65 degrees this weekend... brrrrr....

Wendy

Wednesday was a nice day. As usual, the mornings were only a primer for the afternoons. We were at the Pink Kindergarten again and though the teachers are friendly, the children are a little out of control from time to time. MB loathes working with Kindergarten and Pre-K, and after spending enough time with them I can see why- you just cannot relate well with them and their attention span is minimal.
Onto the BNC we went from there where Suzmita had arrived early and I had the oppurtunity to sit down and talk to her and her family. She is so sweet and loving. She lives with her grandmother, two cousins, and two brothers. I didn't ask what happened to her parents, I can only imagine. She then told Isabel and I about the story of Anne Frank. She apparently read the book in class and her recounting of it was right on. She is very bright.
Speaking of great kids, there is Wendy. (The picture above is from a week ago after soccer) I mentioned her before and posted her picture but it seems everyday she surprises me with her intelligence and maturity. She was working in the computer lab when Denzel, the crippled boy, came into the room looking to play on the computer. Since there are only 3 working computers, Wendy offered to share with Denzel and sat there patiently and helped guide him through the game with her. Not once have I seen her complain, argue, or raise her voice, unless you consider laughing as raising your voice. I pulled her aside (after she quietly, and without urging, helped cleanup the computer room) and praised her for being so wonderful, gave her a lollipop and told her that saying goodbye to her in April will be one of the hardest things to do.
After the BNC, MB and I played some more tennis. I lost 6-2, 6-2. On the bright side we had a bunch of really good volleys, we went to deuce in many games, and it was a good workout. That being said, I hate losing and was ready getting frustrated when MB told me, "Just ask yourself 'What would Wendy do?'" I tried to imagine Wendy smashing her racket and throwing all the balls over the fence in anger, but when I couldn't, decided to just take a breath and have fun, like Wendy. It really is a good challenge playing MB, and I can feel myself getting better.
Afterwards, we were invited to her friends' hotel, a German couple named Jurgen and Urmgard, for dinner. The have a little hotel on the other side of town and are huge supporters of MB. We ate in the little restaurant inside the hotel. I had oryx steak, pan browned potatoes, butternut squash and a salad... the food was amazing. Free food is always great but this was fantastic. They are really nice people and very hospitable.
Hope all is well in the states. I love waking up in the morning and getting emails from everyone. It's a nice way to start the day!!

Tennis, Anyone?

Good morning...
It is another beautiful morning here in exotic Windhoek and I am eating Fruit Loops.
Tuesday was a very productive day- one of my most productive days as an adult, which is not saying much. I woke up, made a grocery list, put my clothes in the laundry (after taking Sebastian's out and hanging them) then I went to the grocery store and bought a weeks worth of food for under $50 and I did not buy a single cookie, chip, beer, or ice cream. I came home, hung my clothes on the line, put my food away, ate breakfast, did some dishes, made my bed then rode the bike to the post office then the BNC. When I got home at night I made myself some steak, potatoes and grilled onions and mushrooms, did the dishes, folded my laundry, and read a little. All in all, I did OK as an adult.
At the BNC I worked in the "computer lab" with a few boys letting them work on different educational software. The computers work adequately but are definatelynot what I am use to. The kids seemed to enjoy it though. We are trying to get everyone to do a certain activity on a certain day, to have some organization and to give the kids a reliable routine.
After the BNC, MB and I played a little tennis. While warming up for the first hour I was doing excellent and feeling confident. Many of my errors are unforced and I find when I just get it over the net, instead of forcing shots, I win a lot of points. So we decided to play a match and I quickly jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Then the wheels came flying off. Two of the little BNC girls (Miraldi and Innocentia) snuck onto the courts to watch and according to MB brought her good luck. That seems to be a fair assesment as I went on to lose the match 6-4, 6-1. Yes, I lost 11 of the next 12 games. On the bright side, I was a lot more competitive than the previous time and many of the games were quite close. That being said, I was steaming through the ears at the way I choked in the end and if those kids were not there a few balls might have been hit over the fence and swearing would have ensued.
MB rewarded her "good luck charms" with a ride home in the back of the pickup truck and some sweets. Charlotte and Salome showed up at the truck as we were leaving and got a lift home as well. Riding in the back with them and seeing them laugh and smile cooled the anger from tennis and made losing fun. At the end of the ride all four of them gave us hugs goodbye- I can't wait to see them again.

East German Hospitality

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends...
Sunday night a bunch of us went to Joe's Beerhouse which is apparently a famous restaurant here in Namibia. They have a bunch of exotic meat and the restaurant has a nice outdoors atmosphere with a big area covered by a thatched roof. I chose the sampler platter which had salad, corn fritters (mmmm), and a variety of exotic meat including ostrich, zebra, crocodile, kudo, and chicken. Tobias and I also split an appetizer of oryx carpaccio and all that food along with four beers cost only $27- tip included. And this is apparently one of the more expensive places in town. The food was delicious.
Monday was a nice low-key day. I had the morning off so I relaxed a bit and made myself some scrambled eggs. A funny thing happened while cooking my breakfast. There are two new Germans living in a new place with Tobias, who moved out of this house last week to get more space. The two new german guys are sort of weird to begin with- they are always together, they seem a little odd, and they look completely different- one is tall, thin, and blonde, the other is short, a little thicker, and dark hair. Anyway, Friday night they came over to our house with a bunch of meat and cooked a nice BBQ for a bunch of us. I had just gotten back from tennis and when I sat down outside with them, the two new guys offered me to join in. Being hungry, I obliged. The meat was good and at the end of the night, after cleaning up, one of the new Germans told me that we all needed to pitch in for the meat because it was costly. Now I am fine with the idea of pitching in to help with the cost, only their approach was way off... they should have mentioned this before coming over to our house and offering us their food. (I definately would have eaten more had I known I would have to pay!) I offered to pay them there, but they told me to wait until they figured everything out.
Well, Sunday morning they figured everything out and pulled up in front of the gate to the house and honked their horn obnoxiously. When that didn't get anyone's attention in the house (we hear honking from the street all the time) they whistled at us... no "Hello! Anybody home?" but a whistle like they were calling a dog. Mark went out and they handed him a list of what everyone owed and then left.
The icing on the cake was Monday when MB and I were in the kitchen and I hear that same obnoxious whistle. I told her it must be the Germans and that we should just ignore it until they learn to act like civilized human beings- they didn't learn. After whistling for 5 minutes, they finally caught the attention of an Angolan guy who lives in a room behind our house. He knocked on our backdoor and told us they were there, so I went outside to see what they wanted. They were standing by the gate, smiling, with a couple of loads of laundry and asked me if they could use our laundry. I told them they would have to ask MB, since it wasn't mine to lend out, and they walked into the kitchen and as they were loading the washer asked her for permission! Here they were expecting us to pay for meat at a BBQ while at the same time mooching our laundry, not to mention getting rides to the bars from MB, and drinking our alcohol while hanging out at our house! What a bunch of clowns. I suggested we make a very expensive dinner in a week or two, invite them over, and at the end of the night charge them.

So that was that, and then I went off to the BNC and spent much of the day teaching 4-Square. It went over well and the children seemed to enjoy it. When I got home Sebastian and I went for a bike ride around Windhoek. There are lots of hills here so the ride is pretty intense but it was a good workout. Overall it was a nice day and I look forward to another one today!

Pictures

Here is little Edelsine. You can tell by the picture that she is a feisty little girl. Though she is tiny , she is tougher than almost anyone else. As a soccer game was about to begin, one team
formed a little huddle and began praying to
God to help them win. MB walked over to them and said, "If you pray to God to help YOU win, and the other team prays to God to help THEM win, then who will God help to win?"
Edelsine smiled and said, "The one who scores the most goals, of course!"



Taking a break during a soccer game. This was on a Thursday when the game is more informal. On Saturdays, the girls wear nice orange jerseys and there is a boys team who have green jerseys. If a kid shows up consistently and has a good attitude MB will reward them with a jersey and tocks. Tocks is what they call cleats- a very valued possesion when playing on these stone and dirt fields.





Quincy and Alfrida. These two girls are always with each other and always smiling.












Salome playing with two hand puppets. Salome is a tough little girl and very helpful and will always stay late and help clean up.











Ricardo and Ivan finishing up a 300 piece puzzle. Ricardo has a bit of an attitude problem, but I find the more encouragement he gets, the better he becomes. Where he used to be mean all day long, he now cracks a smile at me and shakes my hand when he shows up. He will come around. Ivan is a great kid who works hard and keeps his nose out of trouble. Both are great soccer players.






Lovely Rita. Rita has got soul and loves to dance and sing. She has taught me one short little dance that whenever I attempt it she just points and laughs.










Suzmita and Alfredo, sister and brother. They are Herreros who live about a 30 minute walk from the BNC. Most of the children are from the Damara tribe but tribal rivalry is virtually non-existant. These two look out for each other and are fun to be with. Suzmita is a sweetheart who has a beautiful laugh and Alfredo is tough, but a softy on the inside.






Here is Wendy. She should be named the captain of the Pumpkins because she is one of the best players and a quiet leader. All that she does is play hard and shuts her mouth. She doesn't complain, even when playing against bigger boys, and often does better than those boys. On and off the field she is always smiling. Everything she does, she does well and her temperament is great.





Dear Martha. She is such a wonderful, responsible girl. Martha is always around to help out and clean up and she does it in a selfless way- expecting nothing in return. The only thing she doesn't excel at is soccer... she has two left feet and often messes the play up! Still, she is always the first one to show up. Saturday she came out of the game and was tired so I picked her up and was holding her when she fell asleep in my arms right on the side of the field. Just a genuine pleasure to be around.



This is from a few days ago when MB and Tara were singnig songs at the BNC. The kid in the foreground is Denzel, a crippled boy who can't walk and who is mentally challenged. He was so pumped up from the singing and the music that he held himself up b/w the table and the chair and began swinging his feet around. It was amazing to see.






Choosing sides for a soccer game. Mostly girls remain because it was a co-ed pickup game so many of the boys were picked first.











Climbing the fence to get to the soccer field. For some reason this picture would only show up in this direction which is a shame. The city walled of the soccer field so the kids just climb over it.










Carrying Sebastian home. We might have been drinking.


















Kristen and Me at La Dee Das. She is the one that went to Etosha with us and is my roomate along with MB. She is a volunteer here from Germany and is always smiling.













Ze Germans... Mark and Sebastian at a club. They are a lot of fun to hang out with. Mark reminds me a lot of Joker from Full Metal Jacket.











Whenever we leave in the pickup truck, a horde of kids jumps on the bed of the truck for a ride down the street.











Lining up for soup. Everyday at the BNC the kids get in line for one soup voucher. The portion is decent and for many kids it is their best, and possibly only, meal of the day.