Here we are, my final reflection post. Also, the start of my final week in Khorixas. Fitting that I'm writing it while taking a break from filling out my final VRF. What have been my biggest accomplishments? I put this one for last, because I thought it would be a tough one. Really, it's actually one of the easiest ones. Yes, I was asked for my biggest one, but, just like with all the other posts, I'm going to list a few. Why waste a post on just a couple paragraphs. In this case, the order will matter. While all of these have been accomplishments, the last of the four I list will, in fact, be the biggest one.
Much of my first year was spent working with Grace getting the gym built. Much of my second year was spent getting the club itself going. Hours of work researching equipment available at different stores, exchanges with the German embassy, working with both my ministry and the ministry of health, but the gym got built. After that, it was a matter of recruiting the kids (a job, admittedly, largely performed by Taylor). My reputation as a soccer coach helped, as did the enjoyment of the first few sessions. Now, the kids have shown they've learned, teaching each other about lifting with proper form, checking each other, leading the stretches, rather than relying on me. They've even gotten the concept of spotters and proper hydration. The ones who've been there from the beginning can probably recite my gym safety lesson for me. And, they seem to enjoy. Best of all, they've shown improvements, meaning they are taking things outside of the two hours a week.
One thing I've mentioned a few times is the difference a PCV can make simply by our example. The reason for that is trust. Over the past two year, learners have come to open up far more to me, asking actual questions, rather than just keeping it to the basic things. Asking me for advice with relationships, about sex, etc. Earning this level of trust has been, in my opinion, a huge accomplishment, and it's enabled a lot of my other successes.
Not all my accomplishments have been work related. The fact that I've been able to adjust and survive has been just making it this far. Before me, Grace was the first PCV in Khorixas to make it the full two years without a site change. Sure, a number of PCVs would call my living conditions "Posh Corps". I have electricity, a shower, flush toilets, and access to internet. Most of my colleagues speak English. Still, I've had my challenges. Yes, flush toilets are nice. Except when the water gets shut off for weeks on end. Then, I'm stuck in the desert, begging people to let me in to fill my jugs (no rivers or streams). Electricity is great, but a lot of volunteers have some degree, and it goes out quite a bit (granted, I'm not sure PEPCO is much better). Then, I have no stove, no over, no fan, and my food all goes bad (though I can't complain too much, since, unlike many PCVs, at least I have a fridge). The internet is nice. Not going to paint this as being anything but a luxury. I just wanted to take a second to brag a little (though I don't simply use it for Facebook, having looked things up for other PCVs and worked it into the work I do to teach people how to communicate and all). Adjusting to life without family and friends has been tough. It's easier, with cell phones and Skype, than it was for my mom. Which is good. It means Namibia today is far more developed than Honduras was in her day (before Namibia existed). Adjusting to the foods here has also been tough, especially because I can't afford meat or the foods I liked back home. And, there have been the struggles with daily life, work, adjusting to cultures, etc. Despite what I tell people, there have, in fact, been times, when I wasn't completely sure I'd make it, especially when death entered the picture. But, I did. I made it. In a week, I go to Windhoek to start filling out paperwork. A few days later, I complete my service. A couple days after, I head back to the states. While nobody may have had me as their pick in the "who's going home early" pool, as my friend, Kellie, often says, every PCV is one day, one thing, one health problem, one straw away from heading home. It's just reality, so making it to COS has been a huge accomplishment for me.
An, finally, my biggest accomplishment: my computer classes. I won't use any names here, since I don't have approval from the learners in question. When I first got here, I struggled. Part of it was a curriculum which was "one-size-fits-all". Working with my counterpart, were-worked the program to be more in line with the levels of our learners, better able to adjust. I offered one-on-one sessions. I also focused less on the step-by-step, more on the thinking things through. Encouraged them to ask each other for help before asking me. Imposed stricter attendance policies so classes weren't held back by people who couldn't bother to show up. The first time we ran the program, only a couple people passed. We revised slightly, and the second time around, more passed. By the final time we ran it, over half the learners passed. And that's with me requiring 60%, rather than the 30-40% most Namibian school require. They even learned to identify which types of graphs to use for which types of data and some of them even learned to come up with formulas on their own, rather than needing me to provide it for them. But, while that was a huge success on its own, it wasn't the biggest accomplishment. The last time I ran my class, I had a learner who had never used a computer before. Couldn't even turn them on. But, he took meticulous notes, asked questions (something I encourage, unlike many Namibian teachers, which has led to a bit of a culture clash), and ended up with one of the top grades in the class. Went from not being able to turn a computer on to being the one showing those sitting at the computers next to him how to do things. But, the real accomplishment came a couple months after he finished the class. I went into the post office to buy some phone credit, when I was greeted by the guy behind the other counter. Beaming, he proudly informed me that his new skills with a computer had earned him a new job. I have to admit, a bit arrogantly, perhaps, that it was one of my proudest moments of my service.
I've had a number of accomplishments throughout my service. Some big, some small. In my opinion, those were among the biggest. However, it's easy to look back at the big ones. The real difference a PCV makes are the small accomplishments every day. Being able to greet people in their language. Remembering names (really hard when you meet literally hundreds of people, some of them only briefly, many of them while not sober). Learning to hand wash your whites. Your first successful hike. Figuring out how to work around the bureaucracy. Finally finishing a book (looking at you, Taylor). Making friends. While Peace Corps asked about my biggest accomplishments, the true success has been the product of hundred of little successes. For those of you considering Peace Corps or about to start your service, or struggling through your second year of service, or even those looking back and wondering if it was worth it, whether they made a difference, I recommend you keep that in mind. It may be cliche, but it's true. If you doubt me, look back at my reflection posts. Most of them are made up of the little things, the day-to-day. I highly recommend working through this sort of exercise at the end of your service. One thing it's allowed me to say: with one week to go, it's all been worth it and I've definitely made a difference.
No, this probably won't be my last post. I'll be in Windhoek wrapping things up, and will hopefully get something written about my last few days, about saying goodbye, and all. But, if this is my last post from Namibia, I hope you enjoyed it. No clue what will come of this blog when I get back. Maybe, I'll keep it going during law school, to share those experiences, especially because I have PCV friends who, like me, are considering law school after they COS. We'll see. If Peace Corps has taught me anything, it's to take things day-by-day (okay, that really wasn't much of a change for me, but it really drove it home). So, until I write again, kai gangans, //khawa mugus, !gaise ha re.
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