A Day In The Life

  So, I was reading through the blog of a friend of mine from PST (http://theoryxchronicles.blogspot.com) and I realized that most of my post focused on the big events or on things that were different about the culture here.  What I haven't done yet is given you an idea of what an average day is like for me.  So, I guess the best way is to describe this past Thursday.

  Around 5am I woke up and went for a short run.  When I got back, I filled the kettle and plugged it in to boil water for my coffee while I took a shower.  I checked my lesson plan for that day's computer class while sipping my coffee, and around 7:45 left for work, a little late (as usual), because (also as usual) my host mom had slowed my departure by asking for a favor (this time, it was loading 25kg bags of rice into the back of her truck).  I get to work, open my office, turn on my computer, open the windows to get a little breeze, and greet my first class.

  The first class lasts from 8(ish)-10.  By the end, I am usually quite frustrated, because they have zero ability to retain anything, so I generally spend most of the time going over things I've already covered.  It's not that they're stupid, and it's not that they don't understand (I have a translator in the room).  The problem is they expect me to walk them through things step-by-step, baby-ing them, and I just won't do that.  I don't expect them to be as good as I am (having spent years using these programs), but I do expect them to remember how to do things we covered in the last class.  So, at 10, I step out for a quick sip of water, maybe make tea or use the bathroom, and then it's back in for my second class, which is supposed to last until 12.  The truth is, because I am trying to keep the classes in the same place, this class is generally over by 11:15.  The learners in this class tend to be cops and young people who did better in school and just want a better job.  So, I tend to spend the last few minutes in my office, chatting with whoever is borrowing the desktop/scanner/printer, or else reading.

  On this Thursday, my afternoon as free.  I used to have a class scheduled for 2-4, but it got cancelled because they kept not showing up.  I generally use my afternoons to hold meetings or train co-workers for things they need help with when using computers (mainly Excel), and soon (hopefully tomorrow), the gym will be open fully, so I can lift when I'm free.  On this day, I had nothing, so I went for lunch and a beer.  As my co-worker and I walked along the road, each of us with one ear-bud for my iPod, we were passed by donkey carts, cars going too fast, and livestock just wandering.  We pass by a couple of street-meat stands; none of them had what we wanted.  We pass by the rest camp (really a nice hotel for the rich whites passing through on their way to or from Etosha), and arrive at the gas station.  The gas station is possible the only place to get a quick meal in town.  We order a couple burgers, meat pies, and chips to split, grab a couple cool drinks, pay the lady at the counter (I make a point of thanking her in my awful Damara, since I've seen what she has to go through, so the least I can do is be polite in her language).  We sit outside and eat our food, watching the people and cars that pass, chatting about soccer, and enjoying the nice day (mid-70s; winter in Khorixas).  When we finish, we decide to grab a beer.  On the walk over, we pass an old, out-of-service gas station where now a bunch of men have set up a fruit and vegetable market.  I'd gone the day before, and they'd been out of tomatoes.  The guy had promised me he'd have more today, so I stopped in.  My heart sunk.  There were none.  As I gloomily began to walk away (ok, that's an exaggeration, though the look of disappointment as obvious), one of the men came running up to me and stopped me.  "Sir, sir, wait, I put these aside for you."  Expecting me to come back after work, and fearing he'd be out of tomatoes by then, he'd set aside one of the bags for me.  He even knocked half the price off, since I didn't have a selection from which to choose the best ones.  While it might be cheaper to by groceries from the supermarket, honestly, I enjoy shopping from these guys.

  We get to the bar, where the owner greets us, gets us our drinks, and begins trying to help me practice my Damara (he wants me to be fluent before I leave, and I certainly won't say "no" to free lessons).  A lady from the meat stand who I am friendly with comes over with some fat cakes and gives us a few (N$1 each).  We finish our drinks, and I head home.

  It's lunch time for my host family, the kids having just got home from school.  I sit on the couch with them, watching the wrestling (old WWE/WWF) my host dad has on.  We spend the afternoon relaxing, since I don't have to go back to work.  Before sunset, I realize I need to do some laundry (I try and wash a few things every day), clean my room, and make tea.  We are out of meat (or, the meat we have still needs to be cut), so I walk back to town and buy some.  All the ladies at the grocery store checkout lanes know me and have taken it upon themselves to not speak a word of English to me because they want me to practice.  After a short exchange with them and a quick conversation with a friend I ran into on my way out, I go home and begin helping my host sister prepare dinner.  We eat, I sit around reading while the host kids watch TV, and eventually I go to my room, where I prepare the next day's lesson plan, take advantage of the host family's internet, and maybe watch a movie before passing out.

  So, there you have it.  A basic day in my life.  I'm sure this won't be the last time I publish one of these.  As I get more integrated and take on more projects, my routine will likely change.  But for now, this is a work day in my life.

Just Something Quick

  So, I have some downtime at my office today, so, after reading about the USA victory over Honduras yesterday (take THAT mom), I went to the PCV whining site, How a PCV puts it gently.  A bunch of gifs, memes, and pictures of the most stereotypical responses for PCVs to various situations, but good for a laugh or 2.  So, I decided to provide a shorted answer to the "why the heck would you want to do the Peace Corps?" questions.

http://howapcvputsitgently.tumblr.com/post/53265856041/when-people-ask-me-why-i-became-a-pcv

(Yes, the whole point of this blog was really just to gloat that we beat Honduras, where my mother served, even if Namibia is out of qualifying and so if South Africa)

First Big Success At Site

  So, for the last few weeks, I've been talking about some big news. So, here we go. On my first day I might center, I was greeted by a bunch of computers and printers. By our standards in the US, they were very old, but they were in pretty good condition. They were a donation from UNESCO, meant to help us start a tourism center in the ≠Khoadi //Hoas conservancy in Grootberg, which gets a substantial amount of tourism due to its proximity to Etosha and the cave paintings, as well as the presence of many elephants (the name meaning “Elephant Corner”). A few years ago they requested help starting this center, hoping to keep the money local and provide jobs for local youths (Grootberg has very high unemployment, especially among young people).

This was one of the nicer ones

The main office, marked with one of its many elephant skulls

  So, a couple weeks ago, I set out for a week with a couple co-workers to begin a training. We'd spent weeks organizing the event, which was to involve 5 days of training, covering the basic Microsoft programs, setting up and maintaining the computers and printers, and using the internet to communicate. This last one would prove incredibly diff

icult, since we didn't have access to the internet and most of my learners had never used a computer before, much less the internet, social media, or e-mail.

Some of my learners trying out the computers for the first time

there were a bunch of goats running around

saying a prayer before the first lesson (Namibians pray before anything)

  I could get into a bit of detail about the challenges of organizing this, made more difficult with the head of my center being out taking his law exams, but, honestly, anyone whose ever tried to organize a big event before has an idea (though add in language challenges and the cultural issues as added problems).

  Day 1 went pretty well. After spending the morning checking the computers again (making sure they weren't damaged in transit and that the software was working), classes began. We spent a few hours talking about how to set up computers and covering basic computer care rules. After that we went into logging in, creating a personal profile on the computer, saving documents, and creating folders. At that point, we felt we had covered enough for one day, which is when the Damaras pulled out the drinks.

Learning to set them up

 

unwinding after a long first day

Mogale is relaxed

  Day 2 and 3 were Microsoft Word and a short test. Day 4 was Excel, with a test overnight. Day 5 was discussing how to use the internet, e-mail, Google searches, social media, and uploading photos onto the computer, as well as printing (and setting up the printer). We had some free time that afternoon, so we did a brief overview of PowerPoint as well.

Waylon translating one of my lessons into Damara (computer terms were not something JJ taught us)

 Then came the big day. The training was to end with a handing-over ceremony, with UNESCO officially transferring the equipment over to representatives of the conservancy. The night before, I was informed that I was expected to give a speech. We spent the morning setting up and then began welcoming our notable guests. We had local leaders from the conservancy, the head of National Youth Council, high ups from my ministry's regional office, some tribal and cultural leaders, and politicians. And we had a representative from UNESCO. As we waited for the event to begin, this man (from Croatia) was particularly interested in how Peace Corps selects volunteers and in my experiences so far (all one month as a volunteer). Finally, the ceremony began, and went well. The speeches were brief (well, relative to what one might expect at these kinds of events, none lasting more than 10 minutes). Those who understood mine said it was very good, and when they found out I made it up on the spot, proceeded t tell me I might have a future in politics. We had choirs from a couple local schools, who were wonderful. NBC even filmed it (yes, it did make the news the next night). Overall, it was a massive success, and as my co-workers and I opened a couple beers on the way back, we toasted to the fact that 3 young men, one new to the country, could pull of something of this scale without any major disasters.

the hall is ready for the big event to begin

The program for the day's event (which is what told me I was giving a speech)

NBC camera man

Steve Biko Booyz from Okahandja, who recognized me and had many complements for me

keynote address

Official handing-over

  Oh, and I saw a lion.

this is what a young lion (think teen-age Simba) can do to a full-grown cow

  So, in the coming weeks I will be leaving on a familiarization tour of Kunene South in order to meet people I will likely be working with over the next couple years.  I am also hoping to get involved with coaching a new youth soccer club (u-13) my host mom is starting.  I helped my office beat the police this weekend, scoring a goal and an assist (as well as setting up the game winner with a cross that got redirected a couple times in the box before being buried).  So, there you have it.  My first success.  It may be small, but it's something.  I plan on returning to do further trainings (one week is obviously not enough time to teach everything), so I will let you know as this progresses.

All of the learners celebrating an end to their training

Things I'm Going To Have To Get Used To (Part 2) and How I'm Choosing To Cope With It

So, I keep hinting at that big post, and it's coming.  It should be ready this weekend.  Instead, I am taking a moment to comment on one of my major adjustments and how I am dealing with it.  If you continue reading, this will actually benefit your kitchen.  As you are aware, I like my food spicy.  I love the burn.  Namibians don't.  As I wait for the Namibia/Nigeria WCQ to begin (Go Brave Warriors!), I figured I'd talk about how I am coping with this.  My first option is obvious: suck it up.  I've been doing this, but occasionally I want that kick. Option 2 is buy hot sauce.  They actually have a decent selection of Tabasco, but it's pricey, especially on a Peace Corps salary.  I picked a 3rd option (enabled by my host mom, who actually is one of the people here who does like spicy).  I am making my own.  And because I'm me, I'm sharing my recipe with you (well, partially).

So, here's what you need: 1 Coke bottle (wash thoroughly), 1 onion, 1 bulb of garlic, some salt, some herbs and spices, vinegar (I like a combination of malted, white, and red wine, though I didn't use the malted this time), water, and peppers.

First you chop the onions and garlic.  You can chop them as fine or as chunky as you want. Then chop the peppers.  I find it works best to chop them large, so you don't lose seeds (drying them out for a few days first works best; you want the seeds, since they hold the spice).  I like it hot, so I used 20 chilies, but you can use other peppers (and more or fewer), depending on taste and what's available (if I could, I'd use a mix of chilies, habaneros, jalapenos, and chipoltes).  Put all of this in the bottle.  Add salt, spices and herbs to taste. Fill coke bottle up to the midway point of label with vinegar, then the rest of the way to the bottom of the neck.  Cap and shake well.

Now you have 2 choices.  Choice 1 is the quick way.  You boil it for a couple hours and pour back into bottle (I'd recommend filtering through a coffee filter).  Put either in a hot sauce, malted vinegar, squeeze water bottle, or the Coke bottle. The others are preferable, since you can control how much you pour.

However, I prefer not to do this.  Once you boil and filter, you take the peppers and seeds out, so that's how hot it gets.  I choose to take the longer method.  Instead of boiling, you leave it in the bottle for a week or more.  Once it gets to the hot enough, you can filter it or leave it.  I am leaving it so it will continue getting hotter until I finish it.  I will now thank Robert Hopkins for giving me some recommendations before I left.

First bottle, an hour after bottling

My plan, if this turns out well, is to make a larger quantity (2 liter bottle) to share at reconnect, and once my peppers grow, I'm going to use those instead of buying them (or, as I did in this case, getting the from a friend of my host mom).

Also, I'm looking for a name, so feel free to contact me on Facebook, Twitter, post here, e-mail me, or SMS me (if you're in country).  So far, I've had recommendations of "Hot Juice" (TJ), "Jumpin' Jay's Pepper Party" (KG), "Juicy Jay's Fire Juice" (me), and "Juicy Jay's Fire Water" (also me).  I'll update with new ideas, if I find them worthy (Pepper Party is currently the leader).  So, enjoy!!!

Thanking a Great Man and The Right Thing for the Right Reasons.

  So, I am taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming about my experiences, and instead will be commenting on a couple of things back home.  This is partially me stalling because I have some big news that should be coming soon, but is not quite ready to be shared.  However, this is mainly because I have opinions, and, since this is my blog, I am going to offer them.

  The first thing is very recent.  I was informed by my dad yesterday (and by e-mail about an hour later) that Scott Cowen, the president of Tulane University, has announced that he will be retiring.  While there have been many people who took issue with his time in charge, I can honestly say that the man did more for the University and the city of New Orleans than could ever be fully stated.  Many complain about the decreased quality of our athletics, but under Cowen, the baseball team got a beautiful new stadium, the Fogelman arena has been improved immensely, and the new football stadium is under construction.  Our basketball team, while not a powerhouse, has been getting more and more competitive every year.  Our football team has a coach who has made the team better in just one year and showed what he can do as a recruiter already, bringing in a substantial amount of talent.  Our women's basketball team is competing at a high level.  Our volleyball team has been down the last couple seasons, but that's largely the result of losing their coach.  Baseball has been a bit shaky, but has also consistently been competitive in C-USA (this past season excluded), coming just shy twice under Cowen from being national champs.  While these may not be great, this is all impressive for a school whose main focus is on academics.  And that's where Cowen's next criticism lies.

  Yes, our rankings have been falling.  But part of that plays into the methodologies of those rankings (often having a bias towards larger universities).  Yes, he's taken some heat for closing down the engineering department.  But that department was very expensive and subpar, compared to the rest of the university's departments.  The decision was actually made prior to Cowen, but he was the one who acted, and honestly, this was a necessary move, especially post-Katrina. Our b-school and school of architecture are ranked among the best.  Our polisci department may not be the best, but it pulls in some very respectable instructors for a reason.  The Payson Center (and idev department) are doing very good work.  The school of public health and tropical medicine have such a high reputation that some of their resources have been sited on multiple occasions since I joined the Peace Corps.

  However, Cowen's biggest impact might be his role in fixing Tulane's position in the New Orleans community.  It was his leadership that established service learning as a graduation requirement.  It is Tulane that is the largest private employer in the city.  It is Cowen's doing that Tulane students (myself included) dedicate so many hours on helping the city and volunteering in the community.  And while many are still skeptical about Tulane students (Mardi Gras behaviors often don't help our reputation), Scott Cowen has done a lot to improve Tulane's reputation and the reputation of its students in the city.

  So, President Cowen, while I will most likely be unable to attend any farewell events, I would like to take some time to offer my thanks for all you have done for me, my university, and the city of New Orleans.  While we all knew it would happen eventually, your retirement is a huge loss and you will be missed.  Also, thanks for the coffees.


  So, with that out of the way, I would like to comment on one more thing.  As many of you know, equal rights for same sex couples is something I feel passionately about, because of the many homosexual friends, family, and co-workers I've had over the years, and because, as I was raised believing, it is my duty to God and my country to help anyone who is being wronged if I can.  There's a reason I include that last part.  It is straight out of the Scout Oath ("On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country...").  So, I'm guessing you think you've figured out where I am going with this, and you are probably half right.  It was big news last week when BSA removed its ban on homosexual Scouts, and as an Eagle, I was proud to see a step in the right direction.  But I took 2 issues with it.  The first was that it is not enough, since it doesn't go far enough, leaving the ban on homosexual leaders in place.  The second reason I take issue with it is that there is the perception that it was a move largely motivated by outside pressures, and doing the right thing should NEVER require outside pressure, especially from an organization like BSA, which has all it's boys promise to "help other people at all time," and be "courteous," "kind," "friendly," "trustworthy," and "loyal."

  Which is where I am really going with this.  Shortly before BSA's vote, the Peace Corps made an announcement that they intended to allow same sex couples to apply for the couples slots offered to married volunteers.  In order to sidestep DOMA and the many states that still allow discrimination in their marriage laws, in place of a marriage license, PC is taking, I believe, signed affidavits or civil union certificates to confirm the unions.  What really struck me about this, though, was that there was no public debate.  In fact, it seemed to come out of the blue.  Which made me proud to be a PCV, knowing I am working with an organization that truly wants to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, not because they feel any sort of political or financial pressure to do it.

  Of course, this will pose challenges.  Slots for couples are already limited and there are many countries where PC cannot send these couples for safety and legal reasons.  PC has already made statements that they well take laws against homosexuality and instances of violence against homosexuals into account when placing these couples.  Still, at least one group is trying to do the right thing, and I think they deserve applause for it (and no, I'm not being told to say this).  Equal is equal, and all people, whether gay or straight, male or female, black or white or yellow or red or green or blue, Christian or Jewish or Atheist or any other belief, deserve to be treated equally and shown the respect they deserve for the person they are, not the differences they were born with.  So, bravo BSA for finally starting to do the right thing under pressure, but more people need to take a page out of PCs book and start just doing the right thing for no other reason than it's right.

  Well, that's that.  I could go into more stuff (including disgusting and laughably misinformed comments I heard about Jews by an American Christian preacher on an American news show I saw here when talking about BSA, but that one would mostly be angry, and I'm not in the mood for an angry rant).  So, instead, I'm going to go back to playing soccer with my host siblings.  Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and once again, Scotty C, thank you for everything.