Last month, I returned to
Okahandja for a week to be a Resource Volunteer for Group 40. I still find it
hard to believe that it has been over a year since I arrived in country and
started my service in Okahandja to begin PST. As a resource volunteer, I
co-facilitated some training sessions for the new CED group and I answered
questions that the new trainees had about my volunteer service so far. Group 40
consists of about 50 volunteers so their group is massive. I really enjoyed
getting to know most of them and I will hopefully be able to become good
friends with some of them during my remaining year in country.
Following my week as a resource volunteer, I then went on to
do the Diversity Tour with 6 other volunteers. I’ve mentioned the Diversity
Tour in my previous two blog posts, however, the itinerary for the tour had a
few last minute changes due to lack of funding from donors that we thought we
had. The tour had to be cut down from 8 nights to 6 nights. 27 kids from all
parts of Namibia arrived in Otjiwarongo on August 17th and we got to
know each other through various icebreakers and activities. The next day, we
went to the B2Gold Otjikoto Mines where the learners got the chance to learn
more about a major industry in Namibia. At B2Gold, we also did a nature walk
where the kids were given lessons on sustainability and environmental
conservation. The next days were spent at a campsite near Twyfelfontein, a site
of ancient rock engravings from 6000 years ago in North-western Namibia. We did
some camping and for many of the learners it was the first time they’ve ever
done such a thing. Following the two days at Twyfeltontein, we traveled to the
coast and spent one night at Swakopmund. The learners got really excited once we
got to the coastline and were able to see the ocean. A lot of the learners have
never seen the ocean before and had all sorts of questions about what was on
the other side and how long it would take for them to swim across. We were also
fortunate enough to see dolphins at the beach! We spent the final night at
Windhoek where we wrapped up the tour. The tour was an overall success and
given the circumstances, we made the most of it. The one complaint that we got
from the kids was that the tour wasn’t longer.
After the tour, I traveled back to my site and spent the
week with friends because it was still the semester break for all the Education
Volunteers. The Ongwediva Trade Fair took place during that week too, which is
a big event and possibly the biggest event of the year in the North. At the
Trade Fair, businesses and industries from all corners of the country were able
to showcase theirs products and services. Ongwediva and Oshakati were quite
busy that week and it was very interesting to see.
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| Modelling at the mines |
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| Ancient rock paintings at Twfelfontein |
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| The pier at Swakopmund |
The following week, I had a couple of trainees from Group 40
shadow me for a few days. Again, I can’t believe it has already been one year
since I shadowed a Peace Corps volunteer in Luderitz. Unfortunately, I didn’t
have a lot of work to show them while my shadowers were around and when I had
work to do, it was in another town 2 hours away from my site so I didn’t want
them to spend all their money traveling with me. Regardless, I was able to keep
them entertained for most of the time and we even had a large together of about
30 volunteers and trainees in Ondangwa during their last day of shadowing.
Now, I am preparing to do some more traveling over the next
few weeks. Tomorrow, I’ll begin heading to Rundu and then Katima to do some
trainings for a pilot Elephant Energy project. Then, I’ll be heading to
Windhoek for a few days to say goodbye to some close friends who are finishing
their service. A week after that, I’ll have to head back to Windhoek to attend
the Mid-Service Workshop. I’m looking forward to that because it will be the
first time that Group 38 has been together since Reconnect, which was back in
early December. There are some people who I haven’t seen since mid-December and
I look forward to catching up with my whole group.
Lastly, I have recently lost my Grandma to cancer. She had
been battling it over the past couple of months and she sadly passed away on
August 30th. My parents attended her funeral last weekend in
Glasgow, Scotland. Sometimes, it’s hard being a volunteer because you can’t be
with your family when they need you most. However, I was fortunate enough to
talk to her a few times before she passed away. I know she was proud of what
I’m doing here and I will miss her very much. Before she passed away, she also
donated some money to cover costs of the funds for the Diversity Tour. She was
always there to support me whenever I needed her and I’m lucky to have had her
in my life. Thanks for everything Grandma. You’re the best! I love you and I’ll
miss you very much.
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| First photo of Grandma and I |
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| Last of photo of my Grandma, Chris and I. March 2013 |
