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.
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.
posted by Jim | 2:51 AM
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