We've been having electricity problems in my town. By that, I mean we've barely gone a full day in the fast couple weeks without losing it at least once. Around 9 this morning, it went out today. After about an hour of dicking around the office, reading and chatting, I decided to go for a walk. After all, how much more time for them will I have? I get barely a football field's length from my office. I'm passing the old UNAM campus, when I'm greeted by a couple youths I know. They were digging post holes to build a small greenhouse for a garden. They asked if I wanted to help, and I said "yes."
So, for the next couple hours, we hang around, digging and chatting. Anyone who's served in the Peace Corps knows the ability to adapt is one of the most important skills for a volunteer. Funny enough, when I noticed they had no shovel, they comment that "out here, you gotta adapt or die." They were using the top of a cool drink bottle as a scoop and a metal pole to break up the tougher ground. We took turns, one pounding, one scooping, and one resting. And we got to chatting. Mostly, they asked about America. I told them about DC and Louisiana, how I missed the manual labor of construction sometimes (it fits my energy level), and the likes. Turns out, these boys had heard of Katrina, though they were sort of blown away when I pulled out my iPad and showed them some photos from the storm. They asked me about American football and how it's different from rugby. They said I should have tried to start an American football league (note: I actually did with some kids, but it only lasted 2 weeks, before the thorns killed my ball, and we didn't make it past explaining the most basic rules and throwing/catching).
One of the boys recently finished his grade 12 and is taking a gap year before hoping to attend university next year. One thing that's well known about me in this town is my love of reading and we ended up talking about books, ways to get more kids to use the library (like free use and contests with small prizes), and how something needs to change about the culture of education here, since something isn't working (our region consistently ranks at or near the bottom of the country). They even asked me for some e-books (they have no e-readers, but they do have computers).
They tried to return the favor, with an effort to teach me how to tell Damaras from Ovambo from Herero people by sight.
They were impressed by all that I've done in my life, especially when they realized I'm only 25 (one of them is 27).
Eventually, power came back, and I had to head back to the office to get back to the work I should've been doing but couldn't. I told them to swing by my office in the next couple days with a USB stick so I could give them some books, said "goodbye", and went on my way (we got 2 post holes dug in roughly an hour).
So, why am I writing about this? Because it's a perfect example of the little ways a person (PCV or anyone else) can make a difference and how little teachable moments arise all the time, so long as you don't let them pass. Sure, I have my projects and general work, but much of my success has come from moments such as these.
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So, I'm about to leave Namibia, and everyone here is asking what I'm going to do next. Often, this leads to questions about the various states. A number of Namibians are under the impression the US, Canada, and Mexico are three states of a big country called America. Just in case any of you are reading this, I give you a little blast from my childhood.
Thanks for the DVD, T-James.
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There you have it. Counting down the days until I get home. 41 days until my COS, 44 until I'm scheduled to land in DC. See y'all real soon..
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