Connections

Hey all!

I’m going to stop starting off every blog post with an apology for how long it’s been since I’ve posted. I’ve been here for nearly a year now and I honestly forget to blog! Namibia (and specifically Oshikulufitu) is now home and sometimes it seems silly just to write about everyday goings on at home.

Things are going great here. I am so happy and satisfied with life these days. I have a lot of solid connections and friendships here and I am constantly making more… as I was sitting in church this morning and my mind was wandering (tends to happen since the service is in Oshiwambo), I started to think about how insanely fortunate I am to have so many wonderful relationships in my life—all around the globe. I have so many fantastic friends, family members, and family-friends all over the USA. I have a second family in Spain, in addition to lots of great friends. And now I’m lucky enough to call a third country “home” and have a third and fourth family (and maybe more) here, too. I feel so welcomed in our village and at our school. I feel such a part of the school community. I feel so fortunate. I am honored to count all of you who are reading this as friends. Truly, truly.

On that note, life has been really hectic recently and I have certainly been lacking in my communication. So, please forgive me there! If I have been bad at keeping in touch, please know that I still think about friends all around the world ALL the time… I just don’t always turn that thought into an email/text message/whatsapp message.

As I said, things have been busy recently. We’re nearing the end of term, which means that I’m trying to squeeze in lots of topics and lots of Continuous Assessment assignment marks in the weeks remaining. So, I’m very busy lesson planning and marking ALL THE TIME. Seriously, one of my colleagues asked me if I slept at school the other week because I was there until 9pm and was the first one there at 6:45am. In addition, I was helping three of my grade 7 learners apply for a super-competitve scholarship to attend one of the best schools in Namibia for grades 8-10. If they’re selected, they will receive a full-ride, including transport to and from home during school holidays, toiletries, room and board, uniforms, extra-curricular expenses, etc. It’s an insane opportunity, which is why I was so happy to help the kids apply, but it was also an insanely complicated application that took up every single one of my free periods for a whole week. And this past week, I was down in Okahandja (where we did our training) to help with the strategic plan for the Pre-Service Training (PST) for the incoming group of education trainees arriving next month! I will help, along with 10 other currently serving volunteers, to train the new group with lots of technical and cultural knowledge to assist them along with their service. I’m really excited to pass on some of the things that I’ve learned and also to see Namibia through their newly-arrived eyes!

Hmm, what else… our one year anniversary for group 42 is August 9^th! It’s coming right up. We’ll actually all be together in Windhoek for our mid-service training/medical screening, which will be a cool way to celebrate. Immediately after mid-service, I’ll be going to help facilitate PC Nam’s Camp GLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World). I can’t wait to be a part of the camp! Lots of great things to look forward to and lots of great things going on in the present. As I said in my previous post, there are good days and bad days here. I’m currently in a long-running, deeply wonderful phase and am enjoying life to the fullest. I hope the same is true for you, person reading my blog!

Wishing you and your loved ones happiness, health, and an open heart.