2018 Update: Service FAQs

I sincerely apologize for leaving my blog unattended for almost a year. This last year has flown by, and the longer I spend in country, the more difficult it is for me to put words to my experience. It has been a wild ride so far and everyday in Namibia has been an adventure. The Krissy who left America 2 years ago is a totally different woman than the person I am today, and I have had some of the greatest and most traumatic experiences of my life during my service. Overall I am very happy with the person I have become and am continuing to grow as I see where life takes me.

As some of you may have heard, I have decided to extend my service another year and am transitioning into the Health sector working on HIV prevention through the use of PrEP with an organization called ITECH and CDC in my region. Teaching has been quite the learning experience (God Bless all you educators out there), but I wasn't able to do as much health work as I wanted to with my busy teaching schedule so this extension will allow me to focus solely on health work within my community in a culture that I already understand very well. I am in the process of applying to medical school while abroad, so will be coming back to the States in the coming months for my 30 day extension leave, to be determined based on when my med school interviews are. 

I've decided to start a little FAQ's emails to answer questions people have, and help inspire my writing! Please send any questions on topics about Namibia or my experience (e.g. future plans, culture, language, medical stuff, transport, school, or anything) and I will gladly answer them!

Here's the first set of FAQ's

1.WHAT?! YOU WANT TO STAY IN AFRICA ANOTHER YEAR? DON'T YOU MISS HOME?

 Namibia has become my new home, and although I have missed you all very much, I have a very strong support system of volunteers and Namibian friends/family. Whatsapp, Facebook and social media have made it fairly easy for me to stay connected to America even with the physical distance. I will be back somewhere around August 2019, depending on the Med School I'm attending.

2. What is PrEP and what are you doing in your new job?

Pre-exposure prophylaxis: a drug taken by an HIV-negative person to prevent getting HIV. It is basically taking HIV medication (called ARVs) as a means of preventing the virus from surviving and replicating in the body. I will be working with ITECH, a partner of CDC, in my area to help implement PrEP as a means of prevention in the community

3. How's the puppy? Mbili Mbili?

She is almost 2 years now, although she still looks and acts like a puppy and is just about as integrated into my community as I am. Still busy chasing goats and chickens. She has a little plush soccer ball that she carries around with her everywhere, and when my kids are playing soccer she will run up and down the sideline with her ball. 

4. What places have you visited?

In the past year I've been to Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Malawi. I would have to say Malawi was by far the most beautiful place I've ever been to! For those who like kayaking, there is a 3 day trip you can do along Lake Malawi and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. 

5. Any funny story with kids? 

My grade 10 class went on a class fieldtrip to the conservancy in our area and most of them saw wildlife for the first time in their lives, (even though we were only 15 minutes outside the village) They were so excited to see buffalo, zebras, elephants, eagles and impala. My favorite learner comment: "Madame, you should've brought Mbili Mbili with us! She would love chasing these impala, but she might have too much fun and then we'd have to trade her for a zebra. I think there's enough room in your house if you train it to sit nicely." 

6. Who's come to visit you?

My family: my sister came to see me here then we went to Botswana and Zambia, and mom and dad met us in cape town, South Africa. Dottie (my best friend/roommate from college) also came to my village and Botswana! There's a whole another year now if anyone else wants to visit!!!

7. What is the one thing you still aren't used to?

Being a local celebrity. I thought it would die down after a little while, but the more people who know me, the more I get called out to join in at every public dancing occasion. Way too many videos have circulated of my dancing just in case anyone from the region missed an event. 

8.  Is there anything from home you miss?

Cheese and broccoli. Both are available, but very expensive and don't taste as good. Also 24 hour drive-thru/ food places. No 2 am Dominoes deliveries to the village unfortunately...

9. Is there anything that you don't miss about home?

The lack of greeting culture in America. It is extremely taboo to go about your day without greeting everyone you come into contact with. The whole "running into someone in Publix and pretending you didn't see them as you hide in the next aisle" thing would basically be a criminal offense. The sense of community that is ever present here just isn't the same at home. I encourage you all to try to take the little extra time to greet those around you, and incorporate more quality time with even strangers; it helps build a sense of connection with the world around you. 

10. What is the best skill you've picked up in the last year?

The real answer is patience (for anyone who knows me well, you know that's not something I was good at). But I've also learned how to garden, make pap, and eavesdrop on a conversation going on in 3 different languages (my personal favorite)

Lessons from my first year of service

In honor of my one year in Namibia, I’ve made a list of 12 things I’ve learned in the past year, 1 for each month of my service. This list is not at all comprehensive, as many of the things I have learned have become so normal to me that I don’t even remember doing things differently, but I tried to list out some fun facts to capture my time here.

1. You can find family everywhere you go. I have gained 3 families in the last year who treat me as their own and always give me a place to call home

2. Termite mounds have many uses: provide mud for mud huts, a favorite snack for my learners, a shady spot, a place to access the best network and most importantly a playground for goats

3. A 14 hour bus ride is a piece of cake as long as you’re not sitting next to a smelly person or the bus doesn’t break down

4. How to cohabitate with bugs and learn to like them

5. When you’re late, you’re actually early. Whenever there is a meeting in the village, I know to arrive at least an hour after the start time

6. How to bucket bathe like a professional, and survive on less than 10 litres of water a day

7. You’re not drinking tea unless half the cup is full of sugar and a meal is not a meal without meat.

8. How to tie a shitenge as a skirt and keep it from falling off

9. The true meaning of the constantly used phrase “in Africa we share”: I want something from you so you should share it with me

10. Learners are happy to do anything to help out their teachers: need your clothes washed, house cleaned or water fetched? They’re eager to help

11. Chickens are a great bartering system in the absence of money

12. Patience. I have become so much more patient in handling the things I can’t control.

Things I’m still trying to learn

1. How to get rid of mice and keep them out of the house

2. The art of making the traditional “pap” made of maize meal with right consistency… a task that most children can do by the age of 6

3. Language. Although I’m getting better, I have been cursed with the American privilege of only needing to master one language in life

4. Handwashing my clothes the “proper” Namibian way. No matter how many times I’m shown or how many times I wash my clothes, I never do it “properly”. Apparently there is a specific sound that is made when washing correctly by hand… But regardless my clothes are still clean so I’m learning to accept that it may never happen

5. How to go to town to use wifi without spending all of mymoney. Restaurants have the best wifi, but also leave me without the cash that I walked in with

6. How to properly dance sinjonjo with my village cultural group

P.S. Celebrating a year in Namibia means celebrating a year of life for Mbili Mbili! My little girl is growing up so fast!  And she even made it on the national news!

Masubia Festival

Chief Liswani III: the king of the Masubia tribe

The Masubia (literally meaning “people who speak Subia”) is the dominant tribe in my region and the tribe of my village. Every year in late July the Masubia host a festival called Bwikuhane to celebrate the chief of the traditional court (called the Munitenge). One of the most unique things about my culture is the importance of traditional authorities over the Namibian government. Whether it comes to land disputes, social conflicts or government policies, the voice of the traditional authorities always is heard over, sometimes in spite of, the Namibian government. Basically the chief is the most respected person in the area and there are many rituals to even approaching or greeting him. 

Muyako sinjonjo group on the ride to Bukalo

Every year a few villages are invited to preform cultural dances at the festival in the traditional court. My village was asked to perform sinjonjo, one of the cultural dances, which consists of dances to drums while wearing reed skirts and chants to praise the chief. During the week leading up to the festival, I was invited by some of the ladies to come watch them rehearse. Next thing I knew, I was being asked to join them, and within a day I was a member of the Muyako sinjonjo group, with a tshirt and everything. Apparently my community was under the impression that makuwas (white people) physically could not shake their bodies, so even despite my lack of rhythm, everyone loved watching me dance. 

Thousands of people attend the festival located in Bukalo. From 7 am on the day of the festival, the chief's court becomes completely packed with people from babies to 90 year old women, all there to honor the chief. The festival consists of music and performances, cultural dances, gift giving, appearances of the other regional chiefs, feasting on a hippo and even the president attended this year. Those who cannot fit in the court itself surround the streets with cars and have a giant tailgate. The atmosphere felt so much like an American football game day. Families and friends set up barbecues, play music, drink beer and play games from early in the morning throughout the entire day (I've never felt so at home in such a new place).

At the festival, it is very common to see women dressed up in the Mushishi dress, which resembles a queen's attire (with about 10 layers on the back side to make the butt look more full) and is meant to honor the chief. My colleague Chaze and I made matching Mushishi dresses from fabric I bought in Rwanda for the event. Below are some pictures from the event:

Bayunt, Sabina and I at our tailgate

Chaze and I wearing our sinjonjo attire

My colleague Joyce in her beautiful mushishi

Chaze and I in our Mushishis

As the only makuwa at the festival of thousands wearing a mushishi and dancing sinjonjo, I quickly became a bit of a celebrity in the region. Throughout the day, people ran up to me asking me for pictures, offering me food and free drinks. At first I was a little weirded out, but my colleague just explained to me that they were all just so excited that an American was taking part in their culture and embracing their tradtitions. A video of me dancing went viral on Facebook and whatsapp and nearly everyone in town who ran into me for weeks after immediately recognized me as the makuwa dancing sinjonjo. Even crazier, I ended up on NBC: Namibian national tv from the festival footage. Never thought I would become a mini celebrity while here in Namibia... 

My debut on National TV

 Here's some videos of dancing at the festival for your enjoyment!

May Break Adventure: East Africa Edition

One of the very many perks of being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa is that it is very cheap to travel to different countries and explore new places. During the Namibian school year there is a one month break in May between term 1 and term 2. This was the first of the few major breaks I get during my service, so as expected my first priority was going back to Uganda where I studied abroad. Another volunteer in my region Bayunt, also wanted to go to East Africa so we planned a trip to Uganda and Rwanda.

The rough beginning:

Just like everything during service, nothing goes completely as planned, so our trip started off with quite a whirlwind. Because we are American citizens in Namibia, we had to send our passports to the U.S. in order to get our Ugandan visas. We sent them 2 months in advance, and my dad sent them back to us using express shipping so that they would arrive with plenty of time. Unfortunately, USPS made an error and accidentally shipped them to Australia instead of Namibia so our passports were lost in the abyss of international mail. We were warned that our flights would have to be cancelled and the arrival date of our passports was unknown. The pure panic set in of crushed dreams and lost tickets, and trying to come up with a back-up plan for break other than just sitting alone in the villages. A day goes by from our scheduled flights and we receive a call from the wonderful humans of NamPost (the Namibian postal service) that our passports have arrived and can be picked up in our shopping town. Other than the flight change fee, the feeling of despair from a lost trip followed by the joy of dreams come true created the perfect concoction for a trip: no plans, no expectations, and 2 weeks of adventure.

Uganda:

After a 13 hour ride through Zambia, two flights with a layover, and another 12 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Kampala, Uganda. One of my best friends from Emory, Caitlyn was finishing the study abroad program that I did in 2015 and was in Kampala for the first 2 days of our trip. While in Kampala we were able to stay with my amazing host family from 2015, the Kafeeros. It was the perfect reunion with my Ugandan family: it felt like no time had passed by other than the narrowing height difference between me and the kids (my 12 year old brother, now 14 is sadly taller than me). I was able to visit my old teachers and some of my favorite places that I remembered like it was yesterday. The one thing I forgot was how much people called out “Muzungu!” whenever they see a foreigner. Constantly being followed by groups of children chanting “MUZUNGU” is not something I experience in Namibia. The biggest culture shock was going from dry Namibia with a population of 2 million, to the densely populated, lush and green East Africa, where there are more people in one city than my entire country.

The Nile River

After 2 days in Kampala we set out for Jinja, where the source of the Nile river is, for white water rafting and to enjoy one of the most beautiful views in the world. White water rafting on the Nile is an such an exhilarating experience: mainly because of the class 5 rapids which almost guarantee you to flip at some point, and partially because of the creatures living in the Nile. Whether as large as a crocodile or small as schistosamiosis and other parasitic micro-organisms, there is a bit of anxiety that you could come into contact with any of these. I'm happy to report that we came out unscathed, despite flipping twice. 

The next stop on our trip was the Eastern side of Uganda where we visited Sipi falls, a set of 3 gorgeous waterfalls located in the mountains of Kapchorwa. We did a day hike through the mountains to visit each of the falls from top to bottom. Rainy season, in addition to clay soil and elevation does not make a great mix for accident-prone me, so I had a few slips and falls in the mud along the journey. At the final waterfall, which was the biggest (about 100 metres) we were able to swim to the bottom of the falls. As we entered the water, we could already feel the force of the water spraying back at us as it hit the bottom. The closer we got, the stronger the pressure (quite literally felt like a pressure washer), but the more beautiful the view. Just in front of the waterfall, there was a rainbow that was totally reflected in the water so that it appeared to be a circle. The power and beauty of nature was so apparent in that moment that I will never forget that experience.

 

Found a cave by the 2nd waterfall

 

The bottom of the falls

The next stop on our trip was Entebbe in Central Uganda, where lake Victoria is. We had one day before leaving for a safari at Murchison Falls so we visited the Entebbe Zoo and the Botanic Gardens. The zoo consisted of mostly rescued wildlife, including the rhino, which has been extinct from Uganda for almost 30 years. They are hoping to reintroduce the white rhino from neighboring countries in the future. The botanic gardens was unlike any botanical gardens I have seen before. It was filled with natural forests with trees that are hundreds of years old along the shore of the Lake. Wild monkeys live in the forests and will literally come right up to your feet as you wander around the park. 

Our next adventure was Murchison Falls National Park, the largest wildlife park in Uganda. The park has three climate zones, from tropical rainforest to savannah grasslands, and is home to the World's Most Powerful Waterfall. We went on 2 game drives and a river cruise along the Nile up to the bottom of the falls. The van we were in had a pop top so we were able to sit on top of the vehicle while driving through the park. During our game drives we were able to see 4 of the big five: Lions, Elephant, Buffalo, and the most difficult to find Leopard (they hide in trees away from the road). We saw hundreds of giraffe and warthogs and so many hippo that I was sick of them by the end. Although I had been to this park before during my study abroad, my experience this time was even better than the first.

The Ugandan Crane

Lions napping in the shade

Found a leopard on the hunt

Elephant by the river

      

Our safari group!

Lake Bunyoni

Our last stop in Uganda was Lake Bunyoni in the Gorilla Highlands along the Uganda-Rwanda Border. We spent a day on the lake with a canoe we rented from the locals. As a Floridian who is used to canoeing and kayaking as part of my daily life, I was not worried about getting around by canoe, but as we began our trip I realized this would be one of the most difficult water experiences I've had. Local canoes are made very different from our canoes, and thus the paddling technique is different. We didnt realize this until 3 hours into our trip, after struggling through a strong current that turned the canoe in circles as we tried to push forward. If it weren't for the beautiful view to keep our spirits up, we might have been stranded in the middle of the lake. Thankfully after we watched an 80 something old man easily chug along through the current, we were able to follow suit and make it back.

Rwanda:

Beach at Lake Kivu

Our final 3 days of the trip were spent in Rwanda, where we visited Gisenyi where Lake Kivu is along the Congo border and Kigali, the Capital city. We first went to Lake Kivu to relax along the beach for a bit. I am so happy I studied French for so long, because most of the people in the border town Gisenyi speak French, not English. My broken French was enough to help us bargain at the market, which was one of our favorite activities to do in every city (Namibian markets don't have to haggling and barter system that you can find in East Africa). We were so good at bargaining that we ended up with crafts and pieces of fabric that we didn't even need, just ended up getting because it was so cheap and fun to haggle. I came home from the Gisenyi market with 4 sets of Rwandan fabric, which I used to make clothes and gave to my Namibian friends as gifts. Lake Kivu had the perfect beach set up and swimming area for us to enjoy and I was happy for a change to be in waters that don't house crocodiles. Watching the sunset along the beach reminded me so much of my home in Florida (although we don't have the beautiful mountains). 

Our last day of our trip we spent in Kigali, visiting the Genocide Memorial (if you are interested in reading about this, check out my study abroad blog from my visit in 2015) and being stereotypical Americans eating burgers and drinking local beers before heading home.

This trip was the perfect vacation for me, and exactly what I needed to refresh and re-energize for the new school term. I love my village and school, but it was important to step away for a bit to get a fresh perspective and appreciation for my community. I will happily be in Muyako until my next big trip in December with the Morgan family!

P.S. Mbili Mbili did not come to Uganda... I left her with a colleague of mine in town with her best dog friend Swikili. She had a blast eating pap and playing with her bud.

Creatures of Muyako

Living in what many Namibians refer to as “the bush” I get to see a lot of wildlife, some which I enjoy and others that I’ve learned to ignore as best I can. Most importantly I am learning that these creatures will be around whether I want them or not, so I figured I would share them with you.

*Warning* some of the creepy crawly pictures may freak some out. My apologies in advance.

First of all, cows or likomu in Silozi. For those of us who didn’t grow up on farms, cows are super fascinating. In Zambezi, owning cattle is a sign of power and status, so every family wants to raise cattle i.e. they’re everywhere. Every once in a while I have a few stray calves that try wander up to my door just to say hello.

Next up is goats, or lipuli. Goats are easily the most entertaining and most annoying part of village life. Because we have a tap on the school property, goats come from low and high to drink water then hang out in the shade during the heat of the Zambezi day. They are called kids for a reason cause I will often see them climbing up trees or termite mounds just to mess around with each other. Unfortunately they also love to eat and knock into things such as my bathing area or the reed fences we have around our mango trees. When the rains are heavy, they will often break into the classrooms for shelter, or even try to enter my office.

Wrong kids in my office

Goats taking over the termite mounds

These spiders are a common wall decoration, not just during Halloween, but year round! They are about 2-4 inches in diameter and enjoying peacefully resting on my walls, so much so that I often think they might be dead (until I try to touch it that is). These little friends eat other bugs and I’ve started to enjoy their company.

When I was a kid, I really wanted a leopard gecko as a pet. Lucky for me (mom you’ll be happy I got my wish) I have plenty of these little friends hanging out in my pit latrine. They come in all sizes from translucent babies to the bigger ones like this. Not sure why they like the latrine so much, but we enjoy our daily bathroom stare downs. I've learned that they eat mosquitos, so I am very grateful for their presence in my living spaces.

The village is never in short supply of stray dogs which roam around the village scavenging the trash dumps behind the school and in the fields. Many of the dogs like to hang out around the school property and so my pup has started hanging out with some (don’t worry she’s been vaccinated). A few of the strays in particular have taken a liking to Mbili Mbili and they’ve become best friends, playing at the school every afternoon. When we go on walks through the village, Mbili’s friends follow us around, protecting her from the other dogs. 

Mbili with one of her protectors

Mbili and her best friend Swikili making great faces

Skink in my latrine

Skinks are far too common in the village and constantly keep my heart racing when I mistake them for snakes. They are incredibly fast and manage to appear everywhere. Luckily Mbili Mbili is getting better at chasing them out of my house and my latrine before I panic too much. These are unfortunately a bit too common so I have to check every new place as I enter so I don't find any unpleasant surprises. 

I'm getting used to always being surrounded by bugs, but I can definitely say I am very grateful for the haven of my bed which is protected by a mosquito net. The rainy season brings along flying crickets, milipedes, mosquitos, giant beetles and flies that always manage to find a way into my house. Growing up in Florida has helped me to quickly adjust to living among the creepy crawlies in harmony. 

Non-Teaching Aspects of Term 1

In Namibian schools, term 1 goes from January through the end of April, during which time the schools are constantly busy with activities. The official school day starts at 6:50 and finishes at 1:30, when the kids are released for lunch. Unlike American schools, we also have afternoon starting after lunch and evening study included in the school day. During the afternoons learners participate in tutoring, sports, culture, choir and study time. Essentially most of my kids are at the school all day and some even come on the weekends to be at the school. Although the academic aspects of school are extremely important, my favorite part of school has been assisting with extracurricular activities and interacting with the kids outside of the classroom.  

Welcome to Grade 10 Mathematics!

One of our winners!

At the beginning of this year I ended up being part of the athletics programme at my school. Track consists of two weeks of training for all learners 11 and older, then a school-wide field day competition to select which learners will represent the school. From there, we have a cluster competition with the 3 other surrounding schools and the winners go on to compete at the circuit level and then the regional level ending at the beginning of March. Track in my region is essentially running around barefoot in sand or mud and hoping not to step in thorns during a race. My role as one of the coaches was to lead warm ups and stretches and help learners with injuries or who pass out due to dehydration (what happens when you mix Namibian sports with a lack of water). Athletics at the school gives learners from different classes the opportunity to hang out and most importantly have a little fun in the heavily academic environment. My kids had so much fun cheering for their teammates and competing with one another.

My learners cheering on their classmates

In addition to athletics, culture is a really important part of the school activities. “Culture” is basically competitions representing cultural tradition through song, dance and acting. The kids dress in traditional Masubia attire with reed skirts and huge drums. The songs tell stories from ancestors about witchcraft, traditional myths, struggles of village life, family conflicts, or wild animals which have been passed down orally for centuries. Although I have no idea what the kids are chanting, I love watching the performances and trying to learn the dance styles. These performances are very unique to schools in Namibia as a means to celebrate the country’s many diverse cultures. Culture group helps root the kids in their own tradition so that the values and practices of ancestors can be preserved through the generations.

Song about a Lion coming to the village

The traditional drums used in Masubia culture

    

My learner made a slide for Mbili

My office in the school library is a place for learners to come for tutoring, playing educational games, reading books and making new things out of recycled materials. I love my office space because it provides an open space for kids to feel comfortable and interact individually with me. A few of the grade 7 boys who are really interested in technology and building projects come by to ask questions and hang out whenever I am in my room.

Valentines Day cards activity

Grade 8-10 frisbee game

The weekends can be my favorite time at the school to hang out in the village. All of the teachers go into town on the weekends, and so when I remain behind I am surrounded by kids constantly. Little kids who don’t even speak English will come to play with me or Mbili Mbili at the school. They are obsessed with my hair and constantly want to try to plait (braid) my whole head. After a few tears from pain and my hair in a mess, they usually give up and choose to brush it back to normal instead. My older leaners will come by to ask school questions, just hang out, or play sports at the school. Sports usually just consists of soccer for the boys, but I recently introduced co-ed ultimate frisbee and now we play every Saturday evening. 

Words cannot describe how much kids like selfies

Rainy Season in Namibia #blesstherainsinAfrica

The Rainy Season in Namibia

#blesstherainsinAfrica

When I stepped off the plane in Namibia 5 months ago, my first thought (other than: “I can’t believe that I’m going to be living in a place that most of my friends and family can’t pronounce for 2 years”), was “Namibia is actually a desert”. During the dry season, this country gets really really dry, like endless sand all around and every drop of sweat almost immediately evaporates. I thought this would be my life for the next 2 years, but I was completely wrong. Because Zambezi Region is located in the upper east corner of Namibia, we are considered to be the greenest part of Namibia, however when I arrived in October the only green I saw was some very tiny unripe mangoes in trees and a few dying palm trees. The first few months at site felt just as dry as during my training and then the first week of December it hit: the first drizzle which marked the beginning of the rainy season. I was so excited by the first drizzle that I prayed for more and more rain to come every day. After that, we went about a week without a seeing a single droplet and then one evening they came in with a bang (quite literally, because a lightning strike knocked out my electricity), a torrential downpour that continued for almost 3 days straight. Since then, the rain has continued almost every day and I completely understand why the ideas of rainy season and dry season are so distinct here. Overnight grass began to sprout and within a few weeks my desert looking village turned into a jungle with grass up to your knees.

Mbili having one of her first experiences with grass

The rain here has many meanings. The majority of people in my region and throughout Namibia rely on agriculture as a means of sustenance living. In my village specifically, most people don’t have any sort of formal employment but instead survive based on the food they grow or fish they catch, making little money by selling excess. That being said, the beginning of the rainy season means it’s time to plow and plant crops for the year. This conveniently falls during the holiday season so everyone returns to the villages and the whole family from age 2 to 92 is in the fields preparing the soil for planting. When the rains come late, plowing begins late which can cause food insecurity and famines in areas who need the crops to survive.

Typical morning in town

Rain also means flooding. Overnight, a lake can appear outside your house or a road turns into a river that can’t be crossed. Dirt paths to homes can completely disappear and some places can be unreachable by car (good thing there are canoes). Luckily the sandy soil helps the water to drain quickly so the flooding is very temporary. When the water begins to recede, the new challenge becomes walking. I often have to try to guess how deep a puddle is and a few times I have miss-stepped and had to trek through over a foot of water. On the bright side, Mbili Mbili is getting some practice swimming. The muddy terrain everywhere has also been a challenge but after a period of wiping out on a daily basis, I’ve managed to limit myself to only slipping once a week.

Living in a hut has also been quite interesting during the rains. Because my house is made of mud, I can tell exactly how much rain we’ve had based on the erosion to my outdoor walls. The expanding and shrinking of my door from the weather will make my door unable to shut or open as it no longer fits in the door frame. In the past month, I’ve broken off the door handle and created new cracks in the mud which crumble a bit more every time I attempt to slam my door. My zinc roof amplifies the sound of a light drizzle to a monsoon so I always have a warning when it is beginning to rain. Luckily for me, the pounding of the rain has become calming to me at night so I can fall asleep even if the storm is as loud as a rock concert. During heavy rains my house begins to leak from the roof, water falls from the walls and my floor floods. As long as I move my stuff out of the way, my hut basically cleans itself. Despite all the craziness from the rain, the mud huts are resoundingly durable structures and easy to repair. The biggest issue I have is from the insane humidity inside which I can’t escape. After washing my clothes, I have to hang dry them inside my house to dry which can take anywhere from 2-4 days. Recently my phone has gotten water damage from the humidity and is so affected that I have to put my iphone in rice overnight for it to work the next day. Rain also means I don’t have to fetch water or rinse dishes. I can simply stick my wash buckets outside and allow them to fill for me. Because of the weather, the power in my village goes out on a daily basis and can be out for anywhere from a few seconds to the entire day. I have been learning to keep my electronics fully charged and am very grateful for my gas stove which allows me to cook in all conditions. 

Water gets into the huts very easily

Rainy season also means mango season! The mangoes are all over Katima and every household has at least one mango tree. Everywhere you go you can find women selling thousands of mangoes in the street and at every home you visit someone gives you a mango (or a bag of mangoes) as a gift. I’ve learned maybe 10 different ways to eat a mango and have had entire days living just off of mangoes (definitely had my fill of sugar for awhile).

The only truly bad thing about the rainy season is that the rain brings along with it snakes and mosquitoes. I have seen more snakes in the last month than I ever want to see in life. Thankfully, Namibians hate snakes as much as me so the second anyone says snake or noha in Silozi, 10 boys will come out of nowhere with machetes and sticks ready to kill it. The mosquitos come out in the evenings ready to buzz in your ear and bite you. I am taking all the precautions to avoid malaria and mosquito bites with bug spray, mosquito nets and prophylaxis medication.

One of the really interesting things about Namibia is that the idea of climate change is considered undeniable. The climate here is extremely affected by the slightest changes and thus everyone has seen the direct impact it has on their lives. The past few years, Namibia has been dealing with a severe drought and in the majority of communities water is literally an issue of life or death. Whether it be from dry taps or lack of ground water, some can go weeks without access to drinking water or be unable to support crops needed to survive. Although the rainy season comes with its own set of challenges, it is so necessary and meaningful to the lives of my community and this country. Toto really was right when they said “I bless the rains down in Africa” and I will never take this beautiful resource, we as Americans so easily access, for granted again.