Daily News

Another week at the center has come to an end. The 5th and 6th graders are working on their writing pieces and Bonita and I have been meeting every morning to study Geography, History, and Life Science. Katy seems to be having a good time at the center and she has made friends with the kids and the volunteers. With the “old-timers” not coming to the center as much I have had a chance to get to know a lot of new kids. Tons of characters! I have enjoyed goofing around with the boys a little more this time around… a lot of the 5th and 6th grade boys are really pleasant young men.

Tuesday night I played tennis with some of MaryBeth’s lady friends. It’s great for the old ego to win in ladies social doubles playing against a 60 year old woman and a mother of three. Wednesday night we took Katy out to Joe’s Beer House to try some exotic game. She ordered beef… she’s so adventurous. I offered her a bite of the zebra steak I had ordered but instead I just put a green pepper on her plate from my salad. She asked why it was green and I told her because it was the way the meat was cooked. When she tentatively bit into it she was surprised at how much she liked it- and how much it tasted like a vegetable! Thursday night Timna, Simon and I went out to Karaoke with the American girls who have been volunteering at the center. This is their last weekend in the country so they were in a celebrating mood. It was nice being out and having drinks with everyone. The karaoke experience is funny- the bar is packed, everyone smokes like a chimney, and half the songs are in Afrikaans. I wasn’t able to drink enough before 2am to get my pipes in tune!

Katy and I are getting up bright and early tomorrow to drive to Swakopmund (on the coast) to see the sand dunes and hang out by the beach. She has been a trooper- I hope to show her a good time this weekend. We’ll be back Sunday night … enjoy your weekend!! God bless you!

Katy's Here!

It's been a few days since I have gotten on here. This trip is certainly keeping me busy and each day passes very quickly. There is a lot that I wanted to do personally (reading, writing, etc.) and volunter-wise (working on the website, planning, etc.) that I have not had time to really do.

Friday was a quiet day as I worked the Big Room and passed out puzzles and games to the kids who were hanging around and I also sorted books. (Friday is game day so it's very casual) Friday night Timna, Simon and I just bummed around the house and watched a movie.

Saturday morning I stuffed 14 kids into the Mercedes and drove them over to a tennis tournament on the other side of town (Windhoek West) After dropping off kids and volunteers I went to the airport to pick up my cousin, Katy Marie!! She had a super easy flight and connection and made it to Windhoek safe and sound with all her luggage and no hassles- thank God! Katy had enough energy to follow me to the soccer fields. After I dropped her off with MaryBeth at the soccer field, I ran back to tennis and picked up the kids who had finished. I then drove back to the center, dropped off the kids and drove Timna back to the house. Once all the taxi driving was done, I stayed at the soccer field for an hour or so kicking the ball around with Dios, Macrenne, Esme, Sheola, Jennifer and a few others. We all went back to the center around 4pm where MB was getting some work done and about 30 kids just hung out playing four square and soccer. As simple as it sounds, it was actually a lot of fun- it's so nice just hanging out into the evening with the kids laughing and playing games outside the center- they have so much joy and are so care-free. They would have stayed until midnight had it not gotten dark.

Saturday was also Ajay's birthday- he's an old roommate from years past- so Timna, Simon, Katy and I went over to his friend's house for a braai. (Braai = BBQ) Katy fell asleep in the car so after I got some food in her I drove her back home, put her to sleep, then went back to the party and picked up Nangula on the way back. We stayed at Ajay's until about midnight then Nangula, Timna, Simon and I went out to a club/bar. Those three got right to dancing and I leaned against the wall to provide structural support for the building. While I was watching the three of them, Martha, a teacher in Katutura who I have met from years past, happened to be there so we caught up for a little while. Late into the morning when they had enough dancing so we headed back to the house.

Sunday was lazy... I met MB for tennis and was up one set to none when we stopped and just sat around on the tennis court chatting. (I think this was a ploy on her part to avoid her first defeat!) In the evening Cathy and her husband Mike came over as well as three others (Sandra- a German volunteer, and Susanne and Rico, a couple from Europe who run a website business) We had a delicious stir fry, bread, cheese, and 3 homemade desserts. It was very enjoyable hosting everyone.

Today was Katy's first day at the center tutoring (she was there Saturday playing 4 square with the kids) She worked one on one with Denzel in the morning then seemed to fit right in throughout the afternoon- she has a great attitude about everything. This evening we watched a movie and lounged around then Simon, Katy, and I played some cards.

This week is shaping up to be a typical week of volunteering at the center. The kids are coming along with their writing pieces that we have been working on, though I do feel the stress of finishing before I leave in a few weeks. Katy, Simon, Timna, and I are looking into heading up North to Etosha (the animal park) next weekend and this weekend I hope to take Katy to Swakopmund to see the dunes.

Thank you all for your emails... it's nice to hear from home every now and then. God bless you!

Grandma is Staying!

We just got news that Cathy (a.k.a Grandma) and her husband, Mike, are staying in Namibia for two more years! Mike works for the government of New Zealand and Grandma has been volunteering at the center for a few years.

Grandma’s presence, patience, care, and love cannot be overstated. Since I have known her she has shown such consistent, genuine love for all the kids at the center. It was Grandma who really pushed to make the center’s focus be on academics and she has kept on the children about their grades and enrollment ever since with the type of love and affection that you would expect from your own grandma. The children are blessed to have her for another few years… they are in the best hands.

Victory!

I just returned from the tennis court after beating MaryBeth 6-4, 6-2!! It should be noted that it was women's doubles, she was wearing baggy pants that were 4 sizes too big for her, and she left her hat at home so her hair was in her face the whole time. Minor details, if you ask me...

Weekend #2

Friday was a reunion of sorts at the center. Susmitha, Salome, and Meroldi came back from the boarding school they are staying at and spent the afternoon at the center playing games. Tete also brought little Dalu by for the day, too. It was really nice having so many of the “old timers” as Steve (a former volunteer) calls them. We played cards, ping-pong, and four square. At the end of the day, an American named Harvey who used to volunteer at the center sent a HUGE cake to the kids to say goodbye. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it because he had some serious health issues. Marybeth led the kids in songs and the spirit in the center was great. I have always really enjoyed when she breaks out the guitar and sings songs with the kids. It was truly a wonderful day. I am so proud of how Esme, Salome, Susmitha, Meroldi, Milandri, et al are growing up and maturing though it is bittersweet since they come to the center less often. As great as the new crop of kids are, the original kids will always have my heart.

Friday night I was invited by Luke to go out with his wife and another couple to see a Norwegian Folk Jazz group perform. I have been having trouble sleeping so I figured it couldn’t hurt! They actually weren’t that bad- but it definitely was different. They didn’t look anything like those Capital One guys I see on TV though. I don’t know how their manager booked the gig, but it certainly is a long way from Norway. Check them out on MySpace! (http://www.myspace.com/svermere) Luke and his wife are really nice and it was fun to be out of the house telling stories and drinking beers.

Saturday I tutored Milandri and Bonita until 1pm then I sent them to the Hungry Lion (think KFC) and we had lunch with Denzel and Salome. Afterwards Milandri and I walked to El Dorado Secondary School to help Marybeth coach the girls soccer program on the grass fields. Her soccer program has grown so much and deserves its own blog posting (stay tuned…) I refereed a few games then rode back home. In the evening I met my friend Nangula for drinks at the restaurant Nice across the street from the old house. The old house has been renovated, painted, and landscaped and apparently is now a bed and breakfast. It’s come a long way since being a “Worn out mattress on a dusty floor and breakfast” when I stayed there.

Sunday was a lazy day. I woke up late, watched a movie, did laundry and went grocery shopping. Marybeth came over around 5pm and we talked for an hour or so until Ajay showed up to make dinner and hang out. It’s great to see Ajay after all this time- he seems to be at home here in Namibia. Timna came back from Swakopmund and she and I hung out in the living room after MB and Ajay left sharing stories of our past trips to Namibia. (This is her third time here)

The first picture below is of some of the "old timers" playing cards. (Salome, Bonita, Tia-Zia, Susmitha, and Jennifer.) The next is of MB singing "Feelin' Groovy" with the kids. The third is of Salome and Esme. After that is Innocentia. Finally, there is a picture of Dalu all packed up awaiting postage before being shipped to the Bronx!!

I hope your weekend went well… God bless you!

6th Graders

Today was another nice day with the kids. I had to give tough love to Milandri and Bonita this morning. We agreed they would do homework every night to get ready for the tutoring but they have not been carrying through with it. They were stung a little bit by my lecture but I'm hoping to light a fire in them.

The children in the afternoon are coming to understand my expectations of them for classtime. Occasionally I have had to remind them that I am a teacher during study hours. Still, as soon as class is over I act silly with them.

Today I want to hilight the 6th Grade class that I meet with from 3:45-4:30. So far I have done the same lesson with both grades which makes planning much easier for me. Almost all of the 6th graders are new faces to me but they are really a fun group of kids. The boys are totally outnumbered- but Rivaldo, Rinaldo, and Elias (among others)each are total boys who love their athletics. Marybeth warned me that Rivaldo is a bit of a terror who runs the center, but so far, we have had a great rapport. Tia-Zia is a new girl who I had not met before this trip but she is very bright, helpful, respectful, humorous and full of sunshine (she is in the back row with a white shirt in the pic below) There is also a set of twins (Lebby and Ebba) who dress identically, of course! They are also new to me but act a lot like Tia-Zia. The kids are always asking me if I will teach them today and I definitely look forward to spending time with them.

It's amazing how quickly these afternoons go by. With the sun setting around 5pm, the evening pass quickly, too, and before I know it another day passes.

I am now at Fr. Rick's apartment watching a rerun of the Ghana-Uruguay match. The apartment is great and I should have it to myself through the weekend since Timna went to Swakopmund with the rest of the girls.

The furst picture is of the 6th graders. The second picture is of Romencia (one of the regulars through the years who is studying for her 12th grade exam.) The last picture is one of the quaint touches of the other house that I am going to miss...

Hope all is well... God bless you!

Evicted!

Tonight is my last night here... I have been evicted from my house in the hills to a modest 3 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment with cable TV, wireless internet, and a Mercedes Benz parked in the driveway for my personal use. Someone call the US Embassy and get me airlifted out of here immediately!

After staying a week house sitting for one of Marybeth’s friends, I have moved a few blocks over to Fr. Rick’s apartment as he is on vacation abroad for the next few months. This apartment is right near a main road with bars and restaurants. I think I should fare just fine… In addition, there will probably be two other volunteers staying with me (Timna, she’s from Canada; and Simon, he’s from Germany) Depending on the mood I am in, I might let my cousin Katy stay with me when she arrives, too… :)

I have really been enjoying the pace at the center. The days go much quicker since I am up and out by 9:30am to tutor Milandri and Bonita. The afternoon kids are great- the 5th and 6th graders remind me a lot of my students back in the Bronx. They are sweet, eager, and respectful. They also have a good sense of humor and they laugh with (or sometimes at) me. We read and discussed “Julius, The Baby of the World” today and though it was a little below their maturity level, they really seemed to enjoy it. Interestingly they have a lot of the same reading issues my kids at PS 103 have. Then again, both groups are bilingual (actually trilingual here) from low-income, high needs areas so it's really not too surprising.

I try to put on the “teacher” hat during the study hours to maintain consistency and to set certain expectations. Most of the children respond well to that, though I have noticed Tete and Innocentia try to get away with things since we have been buddies for so many years. Innocentia is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met in Namibia but I have noticed in the past few days that she has brought a little bit of an attitude, possibly trying to get me to pander to her. I pulled her aside yesterday and told her how much I rave about her back home and how I’d hate to have to tell people how she’s changed from the lovely girl I once knew… that was all it took for her to lose the attitude.

Cathy has asked me to help redo the website for the BNC (www.volunteer-namibia.com) to make it more attractive to potential volunteers. She referred me to the Mondesa Youth Opportunities website (www.mondesayouth.org) which is a fantastic program that operates on the coast at Swakopmund. Hopefully we can jazz up the BNC website a bit. Any suggestions?

I hope all is well back home… God bless you!

The New and Improved BNC

Monday was jam-packed. I rode the bike to the center and began tutoring Bonita at 10am, then Milandri at 1130am. They both seem motivated to do well but I fear the exams may be difficult for them to pass. Unfortunately I am teaching them some things that in some cases they should have learned already. Still, we enjoy each other’s company and I try to make it as fun and interesting as possible by telling stories and being silly at times. By 1pm the school kids begin showing up. Cathy is still at the center and she does a lot of work organizing and administrating during the afternoon. Some of you may remember her from the last time I was here. She is a very sweet, loving lady who really wants to push a consistent academic program for all of the kids. She has asked me to teach 5th and 6th graders in reading/English. There is another guy here named Luke who teaches 5th and 6th grade math so we split the grades, teach one, then flip.

The dynamics of the center have certainly changed- it’s more productive and for the better. There is only a little free time at arrival then again during a brief 15 minute break, other than that it’s all academics. I am happy to have the 5th and 6th graders because these were the youngest of the kids I remember from 2006. Innocentia and Tete are two of the 5th graders (If you look back at the February 26, 2006 blog posting you can see a picture of them when they were younger.) The game plan I have for the tutoring is to do a mix of read-alouds, spelling, writing, and something creative- maybe drama. Friday is sports day.

At the moment there are a lot of volunteers helping out. All together there must be about 6 or 7 girls from the US and two more volunteers show up later this week. Though I have not had much time to get to know them, they all seem dedicated and fun.

Tuesday was similar to Monday. It's been nice seeing a new familiar face everyday... I'm still looking forward to seeing Esme and Meroldi. Esme is away at a soccer tournament in South Africa and Meroldi is at boarding school across town.

The temperature here has taken a nosedive. I have put multiple layers on and the ride to and from the center has left my knuckles frozen! Although the sun is nice and warm during the day, it’s definitely winter here for the next few weeks. As I remember even August will be chilly at night. Fortunately Marybeth gave me extra jackets and gloves to keep warm.

If any of you are curious about anything (the center, certain kids, cultural questions, or anything else to do with Namibia) please ask away and I will try to write about it. I’m writing the blog for your interest so if there is anything beyond my day to day minutiae that you’re curious about, drop me an email and let me know! Hope all is well for you… God bless you!

The pictures are of Innocentia and Tete as well as some of the scenery outside my bedroom door!

The First Weekend

The sun is setting and vuvuzelas are blaring in the distance. As I wait for Marybeth to get back from tennis I have some time to write about the last few days…
Friday was the first day back at the center. The way Cathy and Marybeth have set up the center now is to have academic tutoring Monday-Thursday and Fridays are game days. The kids choose between tennis, basketball, soccer, music, etc. Despite my request to teach basket weaving, Marybeth insisted I go down to the basketball courts and play basketball. I spent the afternoon shooting around with Macrenne, Ladianna, Shaun, Ronaldo, Romencia, and Melandri. We brought Denzel down too in his wheelchair which he seemed to enjoy. Friday was also the first day I saw Salome :) She has grown from the little girl who stole my heart five years ago into a beautiful young lady! In the evening the Lion’s Club was going to have a Bingo night. We invited Melandri, Bonita, Romencia, and Salome to go with us but on the ride over it was cancelled so we returned the girls home. That evening we went shopping for food and MB made a delicious stir fry which we ate outside under the stars.
Saturday is still soccer day. What’s amazing is Marybeth now has two different locations where she runs her program and she has put some of the older BNC kids (Sheola, Macrenne, and Dios) in charge of running one group of fields while she is off at the other field with all the Pumpkins (the girl soccer teams). Everything runs flawlessly and the kids get a paid at the end of the day for helping to run the program. The Hammond family from Ossining, NY was at the field and we kicked the ball around with the kids for awhile. Around noon I went up to the center and met Melandri and Bonita. They are both 17 and studying to pass their grade 10 exam which they have failed. I have agreed to tutor them while I am here so we met to plan out the next few weeks. Melandri needs tutoring in Math and Physical Science and Bonita needs tutoring in Life Science, Geography, and History. We decided I would tutor them Mon-Sat from 10-1pm, an hour and a half each. It will be intense but I’m hoping to give them a foundation in preparation for the October exam. Aside from Geography and History, I will be learning as I teach it! Later I helped Salome with some of her math homework and spent time chatting with her… she is wonderful- so polite, curious, and thoughtful! Around 5pm MB returned from soccer and we spent a few hours going through books before meeting the Hammond family at the house they are staying at for dinner. They made an awesome spaghetti dinner and we talked the night away.
Today has been very relaxing. I woke up around 10am, ate a bowl of cereal, then sat out in the sun for a few hours before heading off to tennis with MB. Once again, she kicked my butt (6-3, 6-3, 6-3) but it was good exercise and I feel my game getting better. She stayed to play more tennis with Fr. Joe two hours ago and she’s still not back… I don’t know where she gets the energy. Tonight we will watch the World Cup at one of the houses she is house sitting.
I hope all is well with everyone. Happy Birthday to Erica :) Have a great day… God bless you all!

No More Jet Lag

Good morning!

I finally left the airport last night with Marybeth around 730pm. Not much to do in the Hosea Kutako Airport for 5 hours!! A friend of Marybeth's picked us up and we sat in the back of the pickup truck catching up on the 45 minute ride back to Windhoek. Marybeth does a lot of housesitting and for the next few days I will be staying at one of the houses... it's reallllly nice! (See the pictures) It feels like I am in the foothills of Phoenix.

Today will be the first day at the center... lots of hugs and a good way to get back in the groove of things since it is Friday. MB says that Mon-Thurs the kids do academics and Friday is game day. In addition to tutoring during the afternoon, I hope to visit schools in the mornings and do more individual tutoring with some of the older kids during the day. The next few days should be pretty calm and quiet around here as many of the other volunteers have left for a weekend trip to the game park Etosha.

Looking forward to seeing all the (not so little) kiddies today!! Will take pictures and post this weekend. Hope all is well... God bless!

Landed Safely

Just arrived in Windhoek ... the flight from JFK was delayed for an hour on the runway as I sweated out 10 pounds! The delay made me miss my connecting flight so I hung out in the terminal in Johannesburg for a few hours until the next available flight. All in all, a super easy flight with no baggage hassles. I smuggled in about 50lbs of cleats, books, etc. :) It's about 60 degrees and sunny in Windhoek! I'm not sure what the next few days have in store for me as far as housing and internet but will try to get on soon.

On the flight across the Atlantic I didn't sleep so I just started thinking of all the possibilities to do here from mentoring to teaching to exploring other schools. There is a lot I hope to take advantage of in this trip. Looking forward to seeing my cousin, Katy Marie, soon, too :) My battery and internet time are running low... will write more later!!

God Bless...