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