Seeing as the Patriots (my team) is in the

Super Bowl, there is a need to be informed.

I am from Massachusetts and during my time

in the Peace Corps the Patriots have been

to four Super Bowls and today they are heading

into their fifth.

The first time I was in Leon, Nicaragua and

that was a great atmosphere. The second

and third I was at Kounkane and Kolda,

Senegal respectively.

Number four was at Nadlac, Romania and

the fifth (today) will be 70 km out in the bush

in north eastern Namibia.

The first three I was able to watch it on TV. The

fourth was through an internet live update feed.

To stay updated on this Pats Super Bowl quest,

I am going to be using what you see in the

picture above ... my cellphone with and internet

connection.

I have downloaded an ESPN app that will post

the plays.

I will refresh every minute or so and though it isn't

like watching it on the tube, it will still be exciting

... especially if they win.

It will require waking up at about 4 a.m. here. It's

ok, it's worth it.I am really lucky that I can keep up with the game

out here. It can always be worse.One of the aspects of life that living in the Peace

Corps reminds one of, almost daily.

Tomorrow morning bright and early it's out the

door and time to head back to the village.

It has been about 10 days out of site and

it's been a quick ten days but it was a good

little break. I actually had a chance to watch TV,

go for breakfast a few times and catch up on

the soapies (soap operas / telenovelas) that

they show here in Namibia.

I've stayed in contact with some of the people

I work with in the village and there are a few things

lined up so it will be some things to do upon return.

I was able to do a little more playing around with

my netbook computer since here there is 24/7

electricity. So, I converted another one of the

Young San Cultural Group's songs.

This one I really like and the name of the song is

... people from the oil tree.

It isn't exactly a traditional song but it is one that the

kids put together themselves.

To listen to it and if you want or download just

click here

when you arrive at the page you will see the player

and to the right an option to download.

Send me a comment if you like the song.

Time to go start packing my things for the 11 hour

journey back.

Africa is that at any time, any where, you may see something that you've never seen before. Despite having almost 6 years of living on the continent, there is still a good chance that something unique will appear out of the blue. This morning I walked into town ( I am spending a few days in Okahandja. A city. ) as you can see there is water jetting out of somewhere due to some work mishap. You can also see a car under the water flow. The great thing is the guy drove through then stopped, backed up and basically washed his car in the middle of the street. Can't say I've seen that before and maybe others have but this was a first for me. I just love things like this. Freedom to just do these things without worrying about what people think. Things like this I'll miss when my time is up in 6 months. But it ain't over yet.

I am out of the village at this moment and

took a few days to visit the host family that

I stayed with in Okahandja.I had been in the village almost full time

since returning from my 1 month vacation

at the end of June. I didn't have to stay there

all the time but I did because there always

seemed something going on that I didn't

want to miss being a part of.But I feel that I was due to just relax a bit. Here

I can catch up on some of the things that I

wanted to work on. In the village the electricity

was basically limited to 1 hour a day and when

they fixed the big generator and it was on for

about 9 hours per, I ran out of airtime for going

on the internet to look up information.

With the 3G connection we have it costs about

1 USD for 7 megabytes of download/upload.

So by being in the city I can get access to buying

airtime by just going to the center of town. In

the village it is hit or miss with airtime so there

are limitations.In the title it says 'A new view' which basically means

that I am in another place. In the picture is a

part of the new view. On the left is Helvy and on

the right is Helena. They are a part of the host

family that I stayed with during my first three months in

Namibia. It is part of the Peace Corps' program

to have trainees live with host families at the

beginning. It is actually a very good thing as it

gives one a chance to get immersed while making

the transition.This family in particular has been very good to me

during training and ever since. I visit them every

so often when I get a chance to pass by this side

of the country.Back to Helvy and Helena ... Helvy is in her last year

at the University of Namibia and she is finishing

her studies in economy. Also she is from the Ovambo

people, one of the many different peoples/tribes in

Namibia. In her language to say hello to

anyone who visits this blog one would say

... ongeipi ... which means 'how are you'.

the reply if things are going well is ... nawa.

Helena is still in high school and will be entering

the 11th grade.

They are both good girls and I am sure that they

will do well with their lives.Now it is time to end this blog entry and take

advantage of the electricity. Maybe we'll watch a

movie or listen to the radio and even crazier, watch

TV.Going without those things isn't a real problem and

when I get the chance to use these every so often, it

really is a treat. I really like how this experience helps

keep life into a perspective. I am hoping and am

almost sure that from here on in, I will never take

any of these things for granted.What a way to enjoy all the things life has to offer ...

but it starts by learning to never take them for granted.

At this time of the year I have made it a

habit to take a few moments to reflect.

I like to reflect back but also forward.

The picture is the view from my back

window. I like just looking out it and

thinking about things every so often. So

I did before I wrote this blog post.It has been a good year all and all. There

are always things and situations that could

have panned out better but ... as it goes it

goes and that's how it's meant to be.To say that the world was changed here in

the village in front of our eyes wouldn't be

accurate. But, there has been progress and

that's all one can ask.The last year's activities were really targeted

towards behavior change and that's really a

tall task if one wants to see 'instant gratification'.

We slogged along and every opportunity that

arose, we took. If it was with sports or culture

groups or just sitting in the middle of the village

and talking one on one, we did it.

The probable biggest success was with the

cultural group. What started out slow and difficult

ended in a bang with the activities of the last

few months.

It was really heartening to hear the mother of

two of the group thank David (group organizer/

leader) by saying that if she had money to give

him she would. She said that her two older kids

give her trouble but the two that are with the

group are good kids that don't give any problems.

She can't thank him enough for what he's done

for her kids.

It was the goal of the group work to help produce

good kids. Hopefully we helped to change their

future, time will tell.

The sports went well but in spurts. If they have a

tournament where there is money, they practice

like heck. If not, no action at all. We tried to

motivate them for the love of the games ... it

improved some but it needs more effort.

The movies we made at the health in 2010

continued to get mileage. They went to a hospital

in the region and the actors from the village got

a lot of text messages from their friends who

saw their work. They are low level celebrities.

Problem, is that we need to make more or at

least one with a good message about alcohol

abuse. It is the leading source of our community's

problems.

One of the smallest yet ' more bang for the buck '

activity we did was with the Youth Office. The

youth (18 to 35) were in a huge need of CV's

or resumes. We worked out a good solid one

that the secretary at the Youth Office put in his

computer. With his support to complete the CVs

at least 15 youth were able to join either the

Namibia Defense Force (NDF), police or

vocational workshops and courses. It was the

largest amount of youth being able to participate

in the above mentioned at any one calendar year.

That was a definitely good surprise to see.There were also a lot of the small things like helping

out anyone that needed it. I always felt that no

matter how big or small, it adds up. Of course

it does, no revelation there.Then there is the upcoming year. I have until June

here so the time is getting short and then there

is the sense of urgency setting in. The work here

with the San is really a slow process, the slowest

than in the other countries I've been in. It is the

nature of the beast. So there is a realization that

it is most certain that all things desired will not be

able to be completed.

One real last activity we'd like to accomplish is

to take the Cultural Group to Etosha National Park.

For me it would be a fantastic climax to the work

we did with that group. Of course there are the

normal struggles of resources (funds) and logistics.

But we will try, all we can do.

As mentioned above, one more movie about alcohol

abuse. If we make it, people will watch it over and

over. They've done it with the other movies so

maybe by repetition (on their own choice) something

will sink in. Even if I'm not here.

Electricity is coming so I hope that it is in place long

enough to be able to help a few kids learn a bit

about computing. It is a matter of timing, we hope

it will be in our favor.I guess that's all for the year end reflections. It was

a good year and hopefully the next half year will

be equally as good.We'll see if that will be possible ... starting tomorrow.

It is another Christmas time and being in a

warm weather climate (it is summer in the

southern hemisphere) gives it a different

feeling.In the picture you can see my Christmas present.

I've been basically just staying in the village all

the time. Except for going out with the cultural

group on their excursions, being here is about it.

So this is a real treat.A girl from the village named Mildred came back

for Christmas to visit her family. She brought what

you see in the picture above. Happy Lion is kind

of a Kentucky Fried Chicken place that's in the

big towns.Mildred had some problems at the beginning of

the year while she was living in the capital. I met

her when I was there and I gave her a little help

and some advice.With that help she got a job in Katima Mulilo and

is doing very well at the moment.The other day she SMS / texted me to tell me that

she was bringing the Hungry Lion. She said that

when she had nothing I was there to help her so

she wanted to do this.Christmas presents are in many shapes and forms.

It is about being happy which is really the best

present of all.The Hungry Lion worked well

... I can tell you that but the present that makes me

happiest of all (this may sound corny) is to see

that she is doing well.I am also happy that she took the help and made

something with it.Just helping one person may not save the world

but it will make it a better place, for sure. In the

life of a Peace Corps volunteer it may be 1 or 2

or hundreds that are affected, a lot of times we

never see any results. It happens after we're gone.But I can say this, seeing Mildred doing well gave

me the best Christmas present ... happiness.

The village is experiencing a let down after

the last weekend's tournament. It was really

hopping and people are saying that it was

the best one ever held here. In a place like

this that has no working radio or TV reception,

events like this are the main source of en-

tertainment.But after the curtains have closed what is there

to do? Especially in this holiday season. A lot

of people have left, a few others are coming

back this upcoming weekend.So, in between there isn't much to do (here

is where the picture comes in) but sit in the

middle of the village and 'look stupid'.

There is actually a story that goes with this. One

of the goals of a Peace Corps volunteer is to

share our culture with the people we are living

with.

When there is nothing to do I usually go to the

center of the village where there are normally

a few people hanging around. During one of

these times I explained the sitting there looking

stupid statement.When I was younger I played softball for a local

team called the Seagulls that was sponsored

by the owner of a bar. His name was George

(God rest his soul) and he looked almost like

a brother to Burl Ives and he had that Santa

Claus look going on. George was a great and

funny guy and he liked to drink a bit too.

One day me and my friend Ray were going to

go fishing and we happened to poke our head

in George's bar on the way to the pond. George

asked us what we were doing and he had had

a little to drink at the time. We said that we were

going fishing for a few hours and George looks

and us and says " fishing ... every time you go

by a lake or pond all you can see is these people

sitting there with fishing poles in their hands

and looking stupid".

The funny part was that on the way back we

stopped in for a drink (it has to have been over

21 years ago or more because I haven't drank

a drop in that amount of time) and there was

George, sitting in the same place on the end

of the bar.

So we said to him ... who's looking stupid now.

You're still here and also looking as stupid as a

drunken guy with a fishing pole at a pond.Not a big deal story but while just sitting there in

the center of town exchanging I told them that

one. So now, whenever we ask one another

what we are doing that day, if it is going to hang

in the center of town, we all say we are just going

to look stupid.Cultural exchange comes in all shapes and forms.

But one thing I do like about this life is the time

that can be taken to just sit and talk and share.

Many time it is an American, Mbukushu, Khwe,

Xong, Mayee, Silozi, Rukangwali, Subia and

Ovambos just sitting there looking stupid together

sharing stories and ideas.

This is what makes this volunteer gig really

something.Oh yeah, the picture is the view from the place

where we sit and look stupid.Old George's opinion stills lives on in our little

village in Africa.

So they played the finals and it was kind

of funny how they changed the strategy for

determining the winner. First it was by a

point system but in mid stream they went

to an elimination scheme.Here's how it finally turned out. The Youngsters

beat Mutjiku 4 to 2. Then in the Finals it was

the 'Vultures' from Chetto against the home

village's Heroes.It was the best game of the whole tourney and

the Heroes maintained and won 2 to 1.In the picture you can see the teams making an

opening jaunt across the field and back. They

also had to dodge the puddle of water that

accumulated after the big rain.Final results:1. Heroes

2. Vulture

3. Youngsters

4. MutjikuThe field that they played on was actually the first

real project that we did here. There was a prior

soccer field but it was outside the village and full

of thorns. Plus it wasn't very amendable to

spectators.So after talking for months and getting the backing

of two of the schools better teachers (who have

left) ... we finally found a location adjacent to the

main housing area in the village.The next problem was convincing people to come

out and work. That took another two months

and it took two more months to take out four trees.

Should have taken three days but the four other

guys kept saying that it wasn't fair that they were

the only ones working. Which was true but I told them

that one day they will see the fruits of the labor.It took two years as this tournament was the first

one held at this field. It was really just great and

I met three of the guys that were with me doing the

work. They all agreed that it was worth it and

seemed a bit proud and happy that they did

the field.The goal was to put the field where people would

come and watch. It worked, as at any time there

were at least 300 villagers sitting and enjoying the

action. I was really surprised to see the people I

saw watching the game.It was about trying to build a nice little community

setting where people could hang out, relax and

enjoy without having to go to a bar and drink

until drunk and become a nuisance.Also, the best part about this project was that the

total cost of making the field was ... absolutely

zero. Not one red cent.I am happy because as I watched the people

just having fun, it felt good to see that one of this

projects

went as designed.Now we have to fix that hole where the puddle is.

Should be easy to get those guys out there with

me ... this time.

An update is that they played through the rain with the Heroes winning 3 to zero. Now (in picture) it is the semi final with Mutjiku and the Youngsters. The finals to come.

An hour or so after blogging about the beautiful Monday morning I am looking out my back window (in picture) at a small deluge. That's how it goes out here in the South Africa region during the rainy reason. At the time the rain came the local Heroes team was 1 up over the Youngsters of either Chetto or Omega 3. Will find out which later. We ran home like the bulls were chasing us in Pamplona so what the plan is to finally finish the tourney, is something I have zero knowledge of. Looks like the rain is here for a bit. Again, more to come as it breaking.

Blogging from the soccer field with an update on this beautiful Monday morning. In the picture you can see the thrill of victory and the agony. The team in the center (on left) of the field are the Vultures from Mashambo and the team on the right in blue, the Mutjiku, don't know their other mascot name is. The Vultures won 4 to 2 and it was a good match with evenly skilled teams. The Vultures are in the finals and they will play the winner of the next game. So forget what I wrote yesterday about points determining the winner. It will be mano a mano. Next game is starting. More to come.

After the rains cancelled two games

yesterday it delayed the finish. Tomorrow

the final games will be played.

The manner of deciding the winner will

be through the point system.With that it

is pretty safe to say that the village Heroes

team, should win. They've won all their games

and have outscored their opponents by

about 21 to 3. So, it seems that they got it.The Heroes girls netball team did win it all

and they were crazy with joy. Like I've men-

tioned in other blog articles, it's hard to

remember a better victory display than what

I've seen in Africa.In the picture is nothing much other than a

moment in the game that saw our other village

team (the Hunters) lose to the 'Vultures' from

Mashambo village. The score was 3-1 and it

was a good game but with the loss, they where

mathematically eliminated from winningIn these tournaments there has been a pattern

of some of the teams getting into beefs and

arguments but so far, it's been great in the

fact that it's been really anger free. The only

real anger we saw so far was between an

off duty policeman from another town (who

was best said ... totally drunk) and his wife.

It was a real show but our local police were

there and after a bit of bezerko behavior,

got it under control.So, tomorrow, the final results to come.

The tournament began at 8 a.m. and they

actually started on time, which was pretty

good.There were 3 and a half games before the

rain came down in ... seeing as we are in

Namibia, it wouldn't come down 'like cats

and dogs' but more like 'hyenas and cheetahs'.The first game featured the Chetto A-team

against the Omega 3 A-team with the outcome

... a draw 2-2.Next up was our village A-team the Heroes

going against Mashambo and the local team

put a bit of a hurting on the visiting team to the

tune of 4-1.The third game also featured another of our

village teams called the Hunters. They lost

2-1 to the Chetto B-team. In the picture you

can see the goal that the Hunters scored

with about 10 minutes left.The fourth and last half game before the rains

came was Divundu facing off with the

Omega 3 B-team. It was 5-0 in favor of the

Divundu team before the half and before the

deluge came.On the netball side the two village teams were

triumphant and I think that they may actually

face off each other tomorrow but I'm not sure

due to the fact that we were running from the

rain before I had the chance to get the info.But it has been good till now and the village

is really enjoying the event. It is fun to be here

and it is even more fun because people from

the other villages haven't seen me and are

kind of shocked and surprised that I can speak

a bit of their San-Khwedam language ... even

with a few click words thrown in.So I am going to predict that the finals for the

football will feature our village's Heroes team

playing against the Divundu team. It should

be a great final as the Divundu is really im-

pressive.I hope to be able to post the info tomorrow after

the finals but if not, then Monday.

I guess that is the best to describe what is going

on the in the picture is ... gas and tourney.The village is sponsoring a netball and football

(soccer) tournament which begins tomorrow

morning at 8 a.m.

In the background are a few of the girl netball

players cleaning and grooming their court.

The young men went out to the football field and

cut new boundaries and lines. Here the ground

is nothing but sand so it is necessary to refresh

the lines on a normal basis.There will be 8 football and 6 netball teams

competing so it should be a big weekend here.

It also seems like a time for reunions amongst

the people from the other villages.Now the gas part. in the foreground of the pic

are people beginning to queue up to get some

drought relief sacks of dried beans. Each person

that registered got two bags at 5 kilos each or

11 lbs.

So with what looked like at least 500 kilos of

beans passed out, there should be a lot of gas

around this joint for the next few weeks.In the past they gave out maize meal and that had

it's problems as some would use it to make a

local alcoholic brew called 'tombo'. So getting

the beans is a better option as far as I can see.Other than that, it is a slow time of the year with

school out. The upcoming project to electrify the

government buildings seem to be on hold until

after new year. But I hope that the electricity is

in place by March so it will give me at least a month

or two to work with people on computer skills.The cultural group kids performed for a few visiting

people yesterday and it went ok. Wasn't their

best but it seems, that what I've observed, is that

they are as good as the amount of people that

are watching.Other than that some people are coming back for

the holidays and it is my last Christmas here so

I am staying around and hanging out with the

peeps. Nothing spectacular other than spending

quality time with friends I've made over the years,

in another country and culture. Never ceases to

amaze me to be in places like here.Hopefully I'll have some good reports about the

tourney by Monday.

The kindergarten is finished for this year

as we mentioned in a earlier blog posting.

The area that we used was actually very

small and one of our goals was to get or

make an area that was at least a little bit

bigger.

The original kinder had space for 20 kids

and the new building will be able to handle

30.

It isn't actually a new build but really a rebuild.

The mission that we are in was actually a

kinder during the time where the South African

Defense Force built and occupied Omega.

We are really building back up the area that

was used as the kinder area at that time.

It was destroyed as people salvaged roofing

materials and anything they could. But now

we are rebuilding it with whatever we can

find. We are looking for any materials we can

get our hands on.

In the picture you can see the beginning of

our project. We found some old zinc roofing

sheets and also you can see some reclaimed

bricks that we will use for the walls.

We think that it is worth all the effort we can

do to increase the number of kids that will

have the chance to attend and receive a good

foundation for the beginning steps in their

education.

The name of our kinder is Emmanuel Kindergarten

but after rebuilding the old kindergarten we

may have to consider naming it the Lazarus

Kindergarten. It is coming back from the dead.

We do hope that the Lord will bless us in our

work and give us the strength to finish our

project and allow us the chance to help more

of the very young people in our community.

Last Sunday the 4th was Chief's Day as

I mentioned in the prior blog article. It was

a pretty ok day despite the fact that it had

a constant but not too strong rain all afternoon.In the picture you can see the kids from the

cultural group performing the animal song.

The young boy you see is the Chameleon

and he is doing his interpretation of one.

He is actually the brother of one of the older

girls in the group and he also just finished

kindergarten last month.The crowd just went wild when they saw him

and he was definitely one of the favorites.The group was the high point of the festival.

When the dignitaries talked there were a few

people. When the drum began the people came

running. There was at least 400 people watching.

The kids were 'troupahs' (as we say back in

Massachusetts) as they danced through the rain.I have mentioned a lot about the group and their

activities but I don't think that I've mentioned the

real goal behind having this bunch of kids

together and occupied.None of the kids families are rich or well off by any

means but there is one girl that epitomizes why

we are doing our best to develop the group.

She is actually the newest girl dancer to have

joined. She is also one of the youngest (about 8

or 9 years old) and I think (and maybe I am a bit

delusional with this) that, she may benefit the most

out of it.Her family consists of her, a small brother of about

6 months, a mother of 27 and a grandfather that

I have never seen standing up. He appears pretty

feeble.Her mother has HIV, is an alcoholic and really isn't

a bad person, she is just having a lot to deal with.

Last Saturday when we were organizing the kids

for one last practice before going to the Chief's

Day Festival we had to send a girl to go find the

young dancer. She was at one of the shebeens

(bar) watching her 6 month old brother while her

mother was drinking. And this was a 10 in the

morning.So, the mother to her credit, let the girl go to

practice and we got her away from that environ-

ment for at least one day.I am hoping that by her participating in the group

that it will give her a chance to see another side

of life. Also, the rest of the kids are good kids and

she has friends that are of good quality and to her,

good influences.So, working with the group does have a serious

side and there are a lot of the benefits that come

from it, I'll never see the final results as in 6 months

my time is up.But I know in my heart of hearts that there is a

good possibility that at least one young girl out

here in the bush, might have gotten a chance.

In the picture you can see the probable

next generation of dancers for the Young

San Cultural Group.

Yesterday at the practice I had a chance

to take the picture of these kids dancing

along with one of the songs. It is a song

about going in the veld and picking the

traditional fruits and food in the bush. The

dancers have a portion of their routine where

they spin and bend down to pick something

from the ground. The picture got a few of the

kids doing that part of the dance.

It is one of the goals of the cultural group to

be consistent and continuous in it's

existence. So far there has been two gen-

erations and by the looks of it, the third one

is in the wings.

There has been some success with this as the

young kids look up to the older ones and as

so far, the older ones haven't been in any

trouble (pregnant or going to the bars ... yet)

they are what the kids out here need, role models.The group was practicing because tomorrow the

4th is Chief's Day (for the San - Khwe) and they

have been invited to perform. They are the only

dance group invited and they have been to two

other Chief's Day and the crowd liked them. I am

going to state that if the crowd liked them then,

they'll love them now. As a result of the month

long training the kids did before going to the

Lodge, they've become even 10 times better.It has been a good run with working with the kids.

We've struggled for a year and a half to get

things moving and now ... we've been to the Lodge,

the nature park, the fisheries institute and in

a 'what is in the works' category ... a possible

tourist boat trip on the Okavango river.

None of the kids have ever been on a boat so

it looks like it may be that there could be some

impact in the form of a new experience.In the village the school is out and it got a bit

quiet. But there seems to be some change in the

air. I've lived here for two and a half years and

one gets the flow of life after a while. It seems

like there has been less drinking and almost

no fighting ... is it possible that there is a spiritual

revolution going on?Strange things can happen ... I've been told.

Today was a pretty good day in the

effort of working with the cultural group.

We are trying to do varied activities

with them. It is part of the strategy to

show them options and give them ex-

periences that kids with resources have

access to.

We are limited with what we have to work

with and to get things done is a struggle

and a lot of finagling but sometimes a

little luck helps.

The planned activity was to take the kids

to the Mahango section of the Bwabwata

National Park. That section is dedicated

strictly for game drives. There was only

a single member of the group who had been

on one before, so it was a first time experience

for 15 of the kids.

We were fortunate to get the assistant principal

to supply transport (as he is the most reliable

option around).

We left the village about 7:30 a.m. and it might

have been a little late to get to the park to see

the animals.

There is a road that is about 4 or 5 km long

and is specifically for two wheel drive vehicles.

The assistant principal's pickup truck (called

bakkie here) is a two wheel drive so we took

that route.

The first pass was pretty uneventful as there

weren't many animals and the main animals

out were the Impalas. They were a lot of them,

more than I've ever seen at this park.

The park borders Botswana so we headed to

look at the border post. The kids never saw

one. It is a simple thing but they now know

a little about what it is about.

On the way back the kids wanted to go back

through the same road in the park and they

made the right decision.

There were a lot more animals but no giraffes,

elephants or buffaloes but there were a few

others types instead.

There were a lot of kudus, baboons/monkeys,

iguana and there was even a hippo with a

small baby out of the water. It made up for

the first pass.

Near the entrance of the Mahango section is

a fisheries institute that works with fish farming

throughout the region.

It is really an incredible place and even though

it was a Saturday afternoon and the place was

officially closed, they opened it up and gave the

kids a tremendous tour.

In the picture you can see a few of the kids with

the assistant principle inside one of the

institute's building. In those tanks are the fish

species that the institute works with.

These are the only kids in the whole school of

310 students that have ever seen anything like

this before.

They were really great and even the guide said

that they were one of the best mannered and

interested groups that he's guided.

That is one of the things about development,

the thought is to work with the difficult but also

I think it is ok to keep the good ones occupied

so that they don't go to the other side (as in

alcohol abuse at a young age).

We also got them plenty of food and those 16

kids can eat so it was a little pricey but it the

end ... worth every cent.

So now we have have to come up with another

activity for them to do. The idea is to have them

do kind of a cultural concert / performance

specifically for the elders. After watching the

kids dance at the school building's inaugural

event the elders are asking to see more of the

group perform.

So, as it goes, it was a great Saturday in the

life of this Peace Corps volunteer.

It is not the Super Sunday of American football we're talking about here. But it is our own little version, only bush style. In the picture is action from one of the four netball games played here yesterday. Two teams from a village called Mashambo dropped in to slap our village teams around. They won three out of four games. But that really wasn't a big deal. The big deal was the place was rocking. There had to be at least two hundred and fifty people out on a Sunday going nuts. With the main work here for me being that of behavior change, anything that is good clean fun, helps. As mentioned in prior blog articles, there is a lot of alcohol abuse and it leads into bad decisions and unprotected sex. Of course which may lead to contracting HIV. So activities that eat up time during the day is needed. Good activities that is. But it was really fun and one of the great things to see is the winning team doing their victory dances. Our village team won the last game so maybe the Mashambo team really got tired from dancing all the time and ran out of gas. For me, I never get tired of seeing the small village events. They are grass root without a lot of resources, but excitement filled nonetheless. I guess it is like 'the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' only that the Super Sunday is also in the eyes of the beholders. Yesterday was super for sure.

I guess putting audio clips on this blog

is like just getting a new toy. So here is

another one.

I've talked about the San (Khwe) throughout

this blog. I am not sure if anybody has heard

any of the San languages spoken. If you've

seen "The Gods must be Crazy" 1 and 2 then

you have heard the clicks that are used in

their speech.

The San in the "Gods must be Crazy" are not

of the same tribe as the Khwe. I really don't

know which tribe of San the people in the

movies are from.

This morning I asked David (leader of the San

Cultural Group) to say a few words in Khwedam.

In this clip (click here) David is greeting you,

telling his name, where he was born and also

lives (Bwabwata National Park). He also mentions

that some of the animals here are elephants and

a few others. Also he welcomes you to the Park.

Big upcoming happenings are that the village is

going to get electric lines coming in. They are

starting to put up some poles next week. We

had a village generator but that has only worked

for about 2 months in the last year.

The electricity coming is good but at first it is

only going to the government buildings. The

school, the health clinic, police station and

the Youth Office. They said it would take at

least another year to hook up the rest of the

village.

For me, I am finished here in about 7 months

and no 24/7 electric for this kid in this village.

That's life and it's ok. We will keep trucking

on with our little camping generator.

Despite the not going to benefit from the

upcoming electric bonanza, I am happy that

the joint is going to develop. And that's tcaka

tceha (good really).

In the picture is what they call here a jerry

can. This one is made of plastic and I can

say that to me ... it is a hot water heater.

It is a simple concept if one doesn't have an

apparatus to produce hot water and doesn't

want to struggle with the fire wood gig.

One of the best things is there are no moving

parts, except the twist cap. So it makes it a

maintenance free system.

Here in Namibia there is about 300 days a year

(average) with sunshine. Since I've arrived back to

Namibia after a month back home I've only used

anything other than sun to both cook and heat

water, twice.

Doing some seat of the pants not so accurate

math I figure that out of about 148 days I used

the sun 98.65% of the time.

It goes like this ... 8 in the morning put the food

in the solar oven and jerry can with water in the

sun, finished. When I come back by noon every-

thing is ready.

Oh, and I got to say, that hot water can get scalding

hot. It can turn someone's cheeks another color

without a problem.Some Young San Cultural Group info. Today at the

village school the dignitaries came to inaugurate

a new building. The group was on the schedule to

perform and again, they brought the house down.

(Probably not a good thing to do after they just

built it, eh).

When they started everyone came running from

wherever to see. I've seen them do their dances

maybe a few hundred times but the kids never

seize to amaze me as to how well they've not

only improved their dancing but also their capacity

to entertain.

In two blog entries back (the one about the trip to

the lodge) I mentioned how Mavandje (the girl that

impersonates the monkey in the animal dance)

went up to an old man with white hair and acted

out grooming and taking out insects from his hair.

Well, this time when she danced the animal dance,

the old man with the not white hair but balding

nonetheless, was the victim. Yup, it was me.

Man, I knew she was going to do it, it happened

per chance that I was sitting in the front row and

I am like, oh oh. She's dancing next and I am

in a perfect position. Of course it happened, the

people had a great laugh, I probably blushed. It

was just great.

So as the sun is beginning to set over this village

out in the bush in Southern Africa, I will say ...

tcaka kara ee, maka tca ... stay in peace where-

ever you are.

Many times I've blogged about the Young

San Cultural Group. It is probably time that

you actually hear them.

I uploaded their harvest song which is one

of my favorites. The language is Khwedam

from one of the several San Tribes.

Here is the link ...

Mara Ku Se

I hope the link works and I hope that you

enjoy the song.

In the last blog article I mentioned that

on Saturday the 5th, we would be going

out to a lodge with the San Culture Group

to perform.

Well, it happened and it all went better

than expected.

Let me tell you how it all went down.

I went by David's (Cultural group leader)

house in the morning about 8 o'clock, just

before I went to the old airstrip to do some

jogging.

He was stepping out and I said I'd come by

after the run. This took about 40 minutes

and he was there with about half the kids.

They were stringing a few more necklaces

of beads and David and his brother Paulus

were going over the clothes to make sure

there were all the ties ... etc.

The kids were already antsy and saying that

the time was going by too slow.

So after a few hours I went back to my room

and just waited till the arranged pre-departure

get together time of two in the afternoon.

We were planned to leave at three thirty and

maybe two was too early and the kids were

just lounging around. We bought some fat cakes

and the kids ate and had some sweeto which

is equivalent to cool-aid.

At three thirty we met the transport (the school's

assistant principal) and after loading up fourteen

kids and four adults in a small pickup truck, we

were off.

This was actually kind of a big event for these kids

so I was hoping that during the 75 kilometer ride

to the lodge that we would be lucky enough to see

some animals. I felt that this would just make the

experience even better.

We were lucky and within 30 kilometers we saw

a large male elephant right on the side of the

road. To make it even better, in another 20 km

we saw a group of at least 80 elephants

crossing the road. There had to be at least 20

babies within the group. The babies were sur-

rounded by the adults.

We arrived in the small town (gas station, store,

maybe two other small shops ... that's it) and

went to the store to buy the kids some bread

and peanut butter for some sandwiches. We

killed about an hour getting that sorted and then

headed out to the lodge.

The lodge that we went to is situated along the

Okavango River. There are about 6 lodges along

a strip of about 15 kilometers.

We arrived, met the owners and were given

the first basic once over and shown where the

kids could get ready.

It was about 45 minutes before they were to per-

form. The owners wanted the group to arrive

a few minutes earlier to be able to get acquainted

with the layout. Seeing as it was our first time there.

Finally at 6:45 p.m. the kids began.

There were approximately 30 people from Germany,

England and the Netherlands there to watch.

I have seen the kids do their songs many, many times

and I have to say that this time the kids were on.

It kind of amazed me as it was their first time ever

at any lodge or in front of a group that wasn't San.

These kids are ages from 9 to 16 so to me it was

even more amazing how well they just went about

dancing.

But I must say that they took about 4 songs before

they started to interact with the crowd.

It started in the animal dance when the girl that was

impersonating the monkey went up to an older man

and emulated picking bugs out of his hair.

Man, that was funny and he turned red and his wife

had a good laugh.

The picture above shows the group during their

second song.

All in all it was a great night and a great memory.

On the way back home we saw a bunch of animals

such as elans, buffalo, kudu and elephants. So

even till the end it was eventful.

Also, the kids were excited and sang in the back

of the truck all the way home. Usually they sing

for about 5 minutes after leaving and 5 minutes

before arriving. So they were animated.

Another big point was that the group was the first

San group to ever perform at any one of those

lodges.

So maybe we have opened the door for other San

groups.

The owner told David that he thinks that we'll be

back again and as for me, after a year of trying

to get this to go ... I am content.

Yeah, sometimes this volunteer gig has it's good

moments.

The upcoming big event (for us) is still

on track. As anyone who has ever worked

as a volunteer can tell you ... nothing is sure

until you've arrived back after the plan went

off.

But, I am especially concerned about the trip

to the lodge coming out somewhat successful.

Basically, if we go, that's success. It is the

simple criteria we are striving for.

The main reason being is that last year the kids

were promised that would have the chance to go

to Botswana. They were to attend the 'Kuru Festival'.

A big cultural event that attracts many groups.

They had money to go to the event donated by

an NGO that works with indigenous minorities. The

kids were pumped and another organization that

promised to supply the transport, didn't even show.

The kids were just plain ... well ... best said ... their

little hearts were ripped out.

As a result, they lost confidence, interest and

... so ... if one wants a group together for reasons

as to develop or help or support, things like

disappointment is not going to bring any kind of

good results.

So, what we've done is confirmed, confirmed,

confirmed, confirmed and re-confirmed. But still

doesn't mean that we're going to be in business.

But, this time, it seems that it could actually happen.

The guy providing transport is the best we can find.

The lodge is really top notch. The owners are quality

and have an interest in supporting the San within the

National Park.

So, with a week to go all the stars are lined up and

hopefully they stay that way.

On the kids side, as you can see in the picture they

were lining up to do their routine a second time.

The kids are working hard.

It surprised me as I have been involved with that

group for over a year an a half and I have never seen

them this way. I am impressed with their effort.

Back to the picture ... on the left in the red shirt is

David the group's leader. He's been involved with

the cultural group project since 2005.

These kids are what you could call of the second

generation.

This is a good project and it keeps young kids

occupied (especially out here in the bush) and it

has had a positive affect as all the kids in the group

are attending school.

They are really just a great group of kids.

Yesterday, they put on a show during their practice

sessions. David told them that with a week left

it was time to buckle down, get serious and try

their best.

They also motivated a few elders to come and

participate.

The elders have the knowledge that's not getting

passed out due to the different way of life.

One of the goals with this group is to do just that.

Try and keep the 'Old Ways' alive by handing down

the knowledge, just as it used to be.

Again, the elders just talked about participating

and if the old saying goes ... if I had a dollar for

every time ... then we'd be pretty much set.

But this volunteer thing is a lot of time hoping and

praying that things will work out.

Stars, stars ... don't move at least until 7:00 p.m. next

Saturday night.

This way their little hearts won't be broken again..

It has been oh ... let me think ... something like

a year since I've talked to the lodge owner about

our Young San Cultural Group going to his lodge

to perform. I mentioned a bit about this being a

possibility in the prior blog post. In fact, if they

go they will be the first San group to have performed

at any of those lodges along the Namibia side

of the Okavango River.

Since posting that article we've been working on

making it come to fruition. The main problem we

had was transportation as the lodge is about 75 km

or 50 miles away.

We've received a promise of being transported by

the village school's assistant principal. He's about the

most reliable person in the joint, so, if it don't go with

him ... then ... it's about impossible to get that sorted.

So that is good, then we have an agreement with the

lodge owner who is noted as a reputable man so the

two biggest issues are ... on paper, solved.

It ought to be pretty interesting and the kids are going

to basically get thrown out of the boat and have to

tread water. Sounds bad, huh? What I mean by that

is it will be the first time for the kids to perform at any

lodge. Plus, the owner wanted them to show up on the

5th of November because he's having a full house and

supposedly they are going to be important guests.

Man, got to admit, I really don't know how the kids are

as far as anxiety about it goes but, I got a little. Well anxiety

seems to be kind of a negative thing, I guess. I really have

concern or more like, I am really hoping that it goes so

well.

Right now the kids are going nuts practicing which is the

goal of it all is to keep them engaged in activity. As it has

been said: " Idle mind is the devil's playground". Really

holds true out here in the bush.

We have to nail down a 45 minute program and the group

has a mixture of traditional songs and some new ones of

their own.

As for my work goal in all this ... it's to really get the group

to get their first plunge into a new world.

The other day I thought back to my time in El Salvador and

how we did the 'plunge' only with girls soccer. In the campo

(word for bush, rural area) it was unheard of. It took 14

months of cajoling, pleading, begging and finally just plain

demanding. But we had one game and we were ... out there ...

pushing the envelope so to speak. But two years later I

received an email from the volunteer that replaced me and

in it was a picture of a girls soccer team with full uniforms.

I felt pretty ok when I saw it.

So, I guess it is getting easier because this time it was only

12 months to get the activity happening. But I do hope that

at least, if they never go again to another lodge to perform,

that they will have had one good experience that they'll

never forget. Or, I'll get an email with a picture of them

tearing it up with the crowd going crazy, can lightning

strike same place twice?

Oops, almost forgot, in my enthusiasm I am leaning towards,

this is all going to work out and we will go. But, through

experience it is better to think of the glass as half empty.

This way if there is a let down, there's not too far to fall.

But, we will get there ... this time ... for sure ... again.

The other day we received our first rain of

the upcoming rainy season.

It is really remarkable how the plants spring

to life with little humidity. They are what survives

and thrives in these conditions.

In the picture is one of those plants that flower

after receiving it's first watering/rain. The picture

is kind of bleached out and my first thought

was to shade it a bit to make it look a little prettier,

but I decided to leave it the way it is. The reason

being is I feel that it gives a good example of the

light and ambiance at this time of year out in the bush.This volunteer work is something at times and it

really is simply, working with people and not much

more complicated than that. The simple and logical

way to put it is ... if the people want to, then it will go

and the chance of it being actually anywhere close

to sustainable, may happen.

This is the intro to an update concerning the work with

the San Young Cultural Group. I've mentioned it prior

blog entries that one of the underlying goals is to get

the kids out of the village and give them the opportunity

to see and experience some new things. The purpose

is to combat the tendencies of the youth to drink alcohol

out of what they call 'boredom'.

So, to get them out and about will hopefully open their

minds and give alternative visions as to which direction

they may want their lives to head to.

A year ago I met one of two owners of a lodge 80 km

or 50 miles from here.

At that time I mentioned to him that we had this San

Culture Group and is there was any way that they may

have the chance to go to his lodge and perform. He said

that he was trying to encourage San groups to come to

his lodge but hadn't had much success.

I returned to the village and told our group's leader what

I was told. Well, nothing happened and despite probably

bugging the leader once every two weeks, it took the

leader's per chance meeting of the lodge's owner to

look like ... the show may actually hit the road. As men-

tioned above ... if they want to, it will probably work out.

We have to begin to work out the details this week and

trying to keep the 'glass half full' mantra ... am hoping

that it finally will be

.

I added on one more year here and one of my main

goals before I finish is to at least ... once ... see the

kids have (as of now) probably the biggest experience

of their lives.

It could open the door to a fantastic opportunity to have

an ongoing working relationship with the lodge. If not,

it will be a life skill experience and it is a no lose

situation.It is kind of funny but after one lives in a place for a while

we seem to get the feeling as how things are flowing.

In this village there have been some problems like

anywhere else, I guess.

Mainly alcohol, a confusion in leadership and throw in

a few tricky people ... and ... it all just adds up to a

situation that holds everything and everybody back.

This has been the circumstance almost ever since I've

arrived here but the crazy thing is ... that over the last few

weeks some of the people are beginning to stand up

and take back some control.

The place actually feels different. Maybe there is more

than one change of season going on.

As the Dalai Lama said; "the true development is the

development of the character".

I found this to be so true, as if the people have good

intentions then things work out fine. Maybe they will

even make better life choices.This is good for me as people are coming up to me to

help them write reports, proposals and even add two

cents of my opinion to it all.It only took two and a half years for this energy to come

to life.I have 8 months left and I know that the rainy season is

sure to come. I just hope that the motivational season

has also just started and lasts till I am finished.

Our Young San Cultural Group uses as

their clothing, skins, just like in the old way.

The San cannot hunt anymore as was their

cultural/ancestral way. So to get skins it's not

like the way it used to be where the hunters

would go out and of course bring them back.

Now, how one gets a hold of skins is to

request it from the local game farms or

from the game hunters.

There is game hunting allowed and it is done

in a controlled manner so as to not deplete

the animal population.

Our cultural group has grown a little and we

were in need of a few articles of clothes for

the boys.

In the picture you can see one of the managers

of the group sewing a skin into a piece of

clothing.There were a few things that happened this

week. One actually happened and the other is

a promise for something to happen.

First, the promise of what may happen. That is,

that we may get the opportunity to take the

cultural group kids to a game park. This will

be accomplished with the help of one of the

Lodges which are along the Okavango river.

The owners are from South Africa and they

are interested in working and supporting the

San people.

They have promised to provide two game

watching vehicles and the kids ought to be

looking pretty important riding in those. None

of the kids have seen many of the game animals

and this should be a huge treat. Here it is a

bit different as there isn't much transport

available for these types of activities.

To say the least, this will be big.

As a way of saying thank you to the Lodge

owners we are hoping to go to the place

itself and perform an appreciation program.

This will also get the kids to see this Lodge

which is a really nice one.

So, as it goes time and time again. This is a

promise and nothing has happened and

seeing is believing but this one seems a

little more sure than usual.The thing that did happen was on the 7th it

was National HIV testing day. Man, there was

at least 150 people that showed up. The other

years there were like 15 tops. Don't know

what happened but it was crazy.

Knowing one's status really is the only way to

plan.

If one is negative they can continue to protect

themselves, or, if they were just plain lucky, then,

they can think seriously about protecting

themselves.

For those who have contracted HIV, then, they

can be monitored until or if, they may need to

start taking ARVs.

But to have that many people come out is

close to a miracle.

It was a good week and really pretty satisfying.

In the picture is what is for dessert

today.

The weather in the southern hemisphere

is starting to change and the sun is

beginning to get a bit stronger day by

day.

This gives us the opportunity to get more

creative with our solar oven menu as we

have more heat to work with.

What me and my site mate made were

these rolls. There are two types thanks

to a care package. We have blueberry

and raisin.

With the limited supplies we have out

in the bush it takes a little creativeness

to put anything other than rice and sardines

in our plates.

It is a simple recipe and if anyone is interested

here it is ...-1 and half cups of flour

-1 package of cinnamon oatmeal

half teaspoon of salt

-1 to 1 and a half tablespoon(s) of yeast

- over room temperature of water or warm to touchknead that together and let sit in warm place for

about half an hour.Then the key to this is to roll it out using an old

ketchup bottle into a semi thin sheet. (The

bottle is the only thing we had to roll the

dough out). Just joking and anything to roll

out is obviously ok.Next ingredients are ...

- cinnamon

- sugar

- blueberries

- raisinsSprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon and

sugar on the top. Then add the raisins and

blueberries. Roll them up them cut them into

pieces like in the photo.We put them in the solar oven for a few hours

but now the sun is overhead and the oven

is really hot. So don't know how that would

translate into a regular oven temperature.But it came out great, it is a little treat and

despite being out here in the middle of nowhere,

with a bunch of sun, it can be done.

In the picture on the left are two bicyclists.

They are from France and have been cycling

down the west coast of Africa.They've been on the road exactly one year

when they dropped in to stay overnight here

in the village. At the end of one year they have

accumulated 11,000 kilometers.For me it was interesting and I can speak the

French language. They were surprised and

of course they observed and mentioned that

I speak the Quebec / Canadian French. But

actually I really speak the Le Senegal village

French. I can speak well enough to not be

able to go hungry in any Francophone country.

But it was good nonetheless to be able to use

the language again.Also in the picture on the right is the guy from

Romania and his wife and child.We are located in the middle of a national

park and there isn't much for miles or

kilometers at a time. So, for cyclists our

location is actually advantageous.So far we've had a couple from New Zealand

and the United States stay here about a month

back.This is actually a pretty fun thing to be able to

have people drop by and if they are cycling

through Africa they are apt to be interesting.As far as activities in the village ... it has been

a little slow. The work with the cultural group

has been sidetracked due to a church taking

the group and using them as a choir. It is ok

except for the fact that the church has practice

on Friday and then has services later on

Saturday. So, they cut into the time that was

used as cultural group time.I really don't know how this will pan out but I am

hoping that the cultural group will be able to

get back together. But this one I am not too

sure of.This seems to be a typical scenario. It goes

like this ... whenever it is too good to be true,

it is.So, it is placing a little more emphasis now

on the small business sector or ... working

with the guy who is working to develop his

beekeeping.So, seeing as plan A is sidetracked, it's time

to go to plan B.Now it is out tomorrow to look for a plan C.

I found that a volunteer always needs to have

one plan in the bank, just in case.

In the picture is a traditional piece used

by the village's San cultural group.The skirt is tied around the waist and

the beaded area is worn over the behind.

When the girls are dancing the beads

move and it adds kind of maracas sound

to the songs.The one in the picture is actually a mixture.

The yellow pieces are reeds and are

actually traditional for the Mbukushu people.

They are a Bantu language speaking tribe.

The other pieces are porcupine quills.The San (Khwe) people are Khoesan

speaking and their traditional pieces

are the porcupine quills.For the Young San Traditional Dance

Group we have about 6 of those at this

time. We are in the process of trying to

change the reeds to the quills.To get the quills is not easy and it is more

about people happening to find them. So,

it is going to be a process to outfit the 6

skirts with the quills.It will take time. Things move slow out here

in the bush.

I have been back in the village for over

a month and it is always a little struggle

to get momentum going again.

But ... things are starting to move. Right

now the majority of the people in the

village are out in the bush collecting what

they call ... devil's claw. .

They dig it up, sell it and it is then exported

to somewhere in Europe where I've been

told they process it for some natural remedy

or drink. I really don't know for sure.

We have been continuing with the Young San

(Khwe) Cultural Group project. In the picture

is an old metal shelf from a locker that we'll

try and make a nice sign out of. The kids

have gotten a little entrepreneurial and have

gone out to the road and are trying to attract

tourist to watch them dance and hopefully

leave an offering.

What happens is that we are the first village

that anyone comes too after driving 60 km

or about 42 miles. So by the time they come

up upon the village they are going pretty fast.

The kids have found that they need a decent

sign that is at least 500 meters or yards

ahead of where they are so the people have

time to stop or not jam on the brakes and

create an accident.

So, me and the Romanian guy have volunteered

to try and make a good sign that will be easy

to read for people who are traveling at 130 kph

or 80 miles per hour.

We also made a music CD of the songs that

the group performs. I took the audio off the

video clips that we took of their practices. The

group played it last night. I wasn't there but

I guess they had a little speaker system and

the neighbors all came over thinking that they were

performing. The kids danced to the CD and also

decided that they wanted to do a few of the songs

over and also add to the 12 songs on the disc.

We are trying to also take the kids out to the

game park to see some of the animals. This

is always an exercise in patience and the ability

to face rejection and being let down. We have

talked with an organization about transportation

but we would be going in a few weeks during

their school break. A few weeks is a long time

when it comes to planning things out here. So,

that's on the drawing board and we'll just try our

level best to make it work for the kids.

I've had a discussion with David the head of the

cultural group and a person who works with

cultural issues and so forth.

The point is that with the change in the traditional

ways of the San that the knowledge of the those

ways have a chance of vanishing with the passing

of the elders. I brought back a small Flip Video

camera and the thought is to try and film interviews

with the elders and hopefully get them to demonstrate

the traditional skills and tell us of the old ways.

The thought is that if we can document some or all

of it that it would be available for future generations

if need be. I am not sure if this has been done before

for this San (Khwe) people but no one seems to

remember anything like it.

The plan is to create a small digital library . But like

all the ideas and plans, it seems great and we are

ambitious about it. The real thing is ... can we do it.

This will take participation and if the elders agree

then we are in business.

We have one man who lived the old ways until he

was in his early 20's, so he would have gone

through all the traditional ways such as hunting a

springbok on foot. This would have proven that

he was capable of being a provider. We will

start with him and he is a good man with an

open mind and he understands what we are

trying to do.

I am excited about this as I should have a

tremendous chance to learn of the old ways. Of

course they will talk in the San language of

Khwedam so I will understand not too much.

David will fill me in afterwards.

Right now the majority of the work is cultural related

and in my mind it is more important than what it

seems to be. A people have lost their traditional

ways and are struggling to find another identity

or way. Sometimes it is better to take what you've

learned and then go back to the beginning or

basics. In this case the basics are the old societal

ways.

Now, the societal ways are somewhat confused and

many of the ways such as only elders could drink

alcohol, respect for adults and expectation of young

men providing for their families are on the way to

being lost. These are just a few examples.

By keeping in touch with the old way's expectations

from the society and adapting it to today's life, I

think that the San could work they way out of the

marginalized life that many are experiencing now.

All this sounds good on paper but it is a challenge

at the least. That's why I came back for a third year.

It has been a while since I've posted to

this blog. In the meantime I've been back

home to the States for a month's leave. I arrived back in the village last weekend

and have begun my third year here. It takes a few days to get back in the swing

of things for the obvious reason that the life

in the States as compared to here is very

different. It takes energy to grasp a hold of

the 'now' and the wheels in the brain were

spinning continuously marking the differences

from here and there. But it is back and it is time to get back to

business. I went to the cultural group's practice yesterday

and they were highly motivated and it was

really fun and the energy was proverbially off

the charts. We've gotten a new skin to replace

the one on the second new drum. That was

the one that the kids destroyed within the first

week. It is a duiker skin and should be a few

times stronger than a goat skin. They said that

the duiker skin should last at least three years.

All we have to do is get the man who made the

drums to do the process of treating the skin and

make it fit. We did a little home improvement as you can

see in the picture. With electricity at what is best

described as 'sometimes' we have to always

have the candle back ups. We made four of these wall mounted candle holders

out of some wood that was laying around. One person

mentioned that we are getting the old castle lighting

scheme going. They may call it that but I call it mood lighting. In fact,

it's really kind of nice at night and has a peaceful and

tranquil effect which is a good way to end anyone's

day. So, it is back in the saddle again and as things get

moving, I will be posting more entries. One more year and more ahead.

In the picture you can see four of the

kids who are part of the Young San

Cultural Group.In their hands are from left to right ...

can on a stick with some beans in it.

The girl on the left has the 'kaworoworo'.

I had a past blog article about it and

if you put kaworoworo in the search

field in the above right it should search

it out, if your interested.

The only thing I can add to my knowledge

of the kaworoworo is that by trying to

play it, I've found that as simple as it looks,

it takes some practice. So far, it appears

that I need a bit.The next one is one of the new drums. In

fact, it is the big bass drum and you

can see in the middle of the drum's head

a black substance. That's from bees wax

and they put that on there to increase the

bass sound.To the right the young girl has the '|'guru'

and again, there is a prior blog article

concerning it. Again, what I can add to my

knowledge of the |'guru is through my playing

it. This one is easier and you can see in the

girl's right hand what looks like a melon

skin. That has a little hole on the side of it

and there is a little piece of some type of

membrane over it. It plays best on the bare

stomach and it seems that it is something

that's played while someone is singing.There are about two to three other instruments

that we need to get, plus also need to learn

how to play.The second new drum's skin is already

destroyed. It only took a week so we have to

look for a new goat skin again. This time the

kids are going to pay for it. They have a little

fund they acquired from dancing for a few

tourists.So the group's leader told them, you broke it,

you fix it.The leader of the group is doing a good job

and is not only concerned with dancing and

performing but also the development of the

members character. Out here in the bush and

in this village, it is just so important.But one thing I can say about the kids screwing

up the new drum ... well ... kids are kids no

matter where they are in the world.

As mentioned in the prior blog entry,

Saturday was supposed to be a special

night of dancing by the Young San Cultural

Group.Well ... it happened ... it was something.Around 6 p.m. everybody was in place at the

tree/cultural house area, ready to go. The two

new drums were in front of the fire heating up

the goat skins to tighten them up for the night

of song and dance.At 6:30 when everything was organized the first

beat of the big drum (bass) started it all. The

sound of the drum was the call to the village and

about 30 minutes later the people began to

arrive.I was really interested in watching the elders and

how they seemed to either enjoy or not enjoy the

spectacle. To get to the point, they enjoyed it.The kids danced even more energized that during

the usual practices and the crowd really went wild.

The spectators jumped in and danced with the kids

whenever they had the whim to.We had two bonfires spread apart by about 5 to 6

meters and the dancers danced between them.

In the night of the full moon and with the bonfires

blazing, added up to ... well ... wow. It was surreal

with the drum beating and the people dancing.The kids danced for a total of 8 and a half hours and

it ended with almost all the kids sleeping in front

of the fires at 4 o'clock in the morning.At around 2 in the morning people passing to another

village stopped and it resulted in a dance off. It was

the kids on one side and older (20 to 35) on the

other side. It was about even as to who won and it

was people giving it their all, so as the saying

goes, everybody won.In the end the maize meal porridge was served and

everyone ate till full and that's about the time the

kids started dropping off by the fire.In my opinion it was even more successful than I thought

it would be. The idea was to re-enact how it was in

the 'old days' when being around the campfire at night

was a way of life.I haven't met any of the elders to ask their opinion of

how it was but I am feeling that they enjoyed themselves.A goal of this was to make an activity that would attract

people away from the bars. It is only a one night thing

but even one night with less time in a bar is going in

the right direction.As for me, I never get tired of being there seeing these

type of events. Even after many years I am still thankful

that I have the opportunity to experience these

incredible moments.

In the picture you can see one of the drummers

from the Young San Cultural Group tuning our

second and newest drum.Now the group is fully equipped with their own

drums and there is more to come to outfit the

group to be as traditional as possible.Even though we are striving to have all the traditional

items, it doesn't mean that the songs and dances

will be totally traditional.These are young kids and they are creative. They

have made new songs and new dances themselves.

It is fun to see the old traditional songs to keep

the 'old ways' going but it is encouraging to see the

young people creating and making for the future

generations, their version of their now culture.The drum head is made from a goat skin. Depending

on some factors, the skin gets stretched out a bit,

at times. So, to tighten it up it just requires making

a fire and placing the drum near the fire, as seen

in the picture.The girl is actually beating the drum and will remove

it from near the fire when she gets the skin tightened

to where it makes the sound she's looking for.Tomorrow night's plan for having a night time performance

by the group is still on. We bought some maize meal

to make some porridge and will make a sauce to

go with it.The program is simple. We cook some food while the

dancers dance. We formally break out the two new

drums, hopefully some of the villagers will come out

and it will keep them away for drinking for a little

while.It will be the first time for this activity in the village since

'the old days'. Well, that's what I've been told.

I just returned to the village after a few

days in the capital.

As mentioned in the prior blog post, the

cultural group received their first drum

out of two that was requisitioned.

The man standing behind the drum is about

5 ft 8 inches or 1.727 meters tall. That should

give a rough idea as to how tall the drum is.

This evening the Cultural Group broke it out

for the first time.

It was a energized moment. The dancers

danced spiritedly in honor of their new drum.

This drum has a real heavy big drum sound

to it and there is no doubt from anyone hearing

it, that it is substantial.

The drum head is made of goat skin and being

that it is new, is still a little damp and will

tighten up more in time. Despite that it has a

good sound.

The man who made the drum at first was skeptical

that we would pay for it. He mentioned that he'd

made drums before for people whom didn't pay.

He was one happy man when he received his

money immediately upon completion. He then

went back to finish the second one and said that

by Monday it should be completed.

The man worked hard and had to travel out deep

in the bush to find the tree suitable for the drum.

He went into a somewhat dangerous area where

there are buffalo, elephants, hyenas. If there are

buffalo, then probably a few big cats and of course

snakes, just to make this drum. He did a great

job and again, it sounds strong.

An idea for next Saturday night is to bring both

new drums out to the cultural area, light a fire

and have the group perform for the village. Just

like it was in the 'old days'.

I hope we can organize it and make it happen, it

would be great to be able to step back in time

for one night.

Even though English is spoken in many countries

there are differences.

The header is an example of that. In the States the

header would be ... Walking in Rundu. But here, if

I said the word walking, not too many people would

understand what I was trying to say. Time and time

again I keep forgetting and use the word walking and

have to consciously make a note to remember to

use 'footing' the next time.

I took the picture while footing to the food store

and the land on the other side of the river is

the neighboring Angola.

At the moment I am in the Capital and hopefully

by Friday it is back in the village. I've received

a message that the drum we had a man make

who lives two villages over, is finished.

It will be the property of the Young San Cultural

Group and it should be the first of two. We are

having a little trouble finding a goat skin for the

second drum and when I get back I hope that

we can get on that.

So for now, it is goodbye from Windhoek.

The name of this blog 'Back to Africa' is

based on my returning to another country

on the continent. First I spent almost 3 years

in Senegal West Africa, then arrived here

in Namibia two years ago.

This blog entry will be mostly describing the

kola nut that we had available in West Africa.

The reason is that a few months ago, another

volunteer I met took a trip to Mali to visit a

friend. I asked him if he could bring back a few

kola nuts and as you can see in the picture

above, he did.

It sure brought a trip down memory lane and

I added some stats on the kola nut ...Kola nuts, are native to West Africa. In the 1800s,

a pharmacist in Georgia took extracts of kola, sugar

and coca and mixed them with carbonated water.

His accountant tasted it and called it "Coca Cola."

Today, Coca-Cola still uses kola in its original recipe.

The original Coca-Cola contained coca leaf extracts

(a source of cocaine prohibited in soft drinks in the

U.S. after 1904.)Kola nuts form an integrated part of the social life; the

nuts are valued for its stimulating, aphrodisiac and

healing qualities.The nut's aroma is sweet and rose-like. The first taste

is bitter, but sweetens upon chewing. The nut can be

boiled to extract the cola. Cola nut is a breath sweetener

and contains three times (kola has 2–3.5% caffeine)

the caffeine of coffee.The use of the kola nut, appears to have ancient origins.

It is chewed in many West African cultures, individually

or in a social setting, to restore vitality and ease hunger

pangs. Kola nuts are an important part of the traditional

spiritual practice of culture and religion in West Africa.

Kola nuts are used as a religious object and sacred

offering during prayers, ancestor veneration, and

significant life events, such as naming ceremonies,

weddings, and funerals.In Senegal the kola nut was definitely used in social

events like meeting a village chief, a gift for someone's

future in-laws at holiday times, baptisms and just

about everything else.One other custom was for someone who traveled or

spent time away from the village, they had to bring

some presents back to the family. Of course the village

tried to take advantage of it and everyone asked for a

gift.So, what I used to do was buy a kilo of kola nuts and

a bag of candy for the kids and for about $7 USD

I was able to take care of the whole village of 300

people with as far as gifts were concerned. Also,

they were pretty happy with the kolas as the ones

that were daily users of the kola, didn't have to

deal with a caffeine withdrawal that usually resulted

with them having splitting headaches.So having these kola nuts here in Namibia was a

fun thing. Didn't need to drink any coffee and like

mentioned above, a small trip down memory lane

went along with the goods.No one here has ever seen any so I was able to

do a bit of cultural exchange as well.But got to say after getting a little caffeine buzz

that it'd be nice to have some of these kolas around.

to learn. After being in the village

for almost two years it would seem

that there wouldn't be a lot of things

that I haven't seen.But as I learned last weekend that just

is not be the case.In this San (Khwe) culture there has been a huge

transition from the hunter/gatherer lifestyle

to the 'newer' way of life. What has happened

is that a lot of the bush knowledge is being

left aside. The younger generation haven't

the skills that their parents and forefathers

have.It is the way it is now and for that reason I enjoy

collaborating and supporting the Cultural Groups

as they try to keep in touch with the Old Ways.An example can seen in the picture above. What

you see are two of the young girls in the Cultural

Group learning the process of making rope.

The girl in the foreground is the assistant leader of

the group.In this case they harvested what looks like a normal

cactus/succulent plant that is just everywhere out

here in the bush.The process of rope making begins by placing a

stick on the ground then with another slightly

modified stick, strip off the pulpy/skin of the plant.

This is a little bit of work and what is done is

a foot is also used to add pressure during what

can be best described as the scraping process.

The result after scraping off the pulpy part are

fibers that are then divided up to be rolled

by hand into rope.What was done was two groups of fibers of

approximately 20 each were placed on the thigh.

With one hand holding an end of each group,

the other was used to roll the groups.One group of fibers were as result rolled in and

incorporated into the other in an easy and efficient

manner.The finished product was one strong rope and it

had many uses and what was especially interesting

was how it was used to make a trap. I hope to

be able to get a picture of that in the future so I

can add to the blog.It is one of the hunting methods that the San people

have used over the millennium.For me, it was something new and reminded me that

I really have a lot more to learn about the 'Old Ways'

of the San people.

Saturday mornings are usually kind of slow.

There isn't any school so there aren't learners

moving about. At this time of the year the

people are still out in the fields so the

central part of the village resembles a

ghost town on the weekends.

This morning I happened to step out and

go the one of the village's little shops

called (kuka shop). Just needed to get a

few things and it was a glorious morning,

sun out, no clouds and just the right

temperature.

As I was walking back home all of a sudden

came this drone of what I thought was an

airplane. Lo and behold coming in from the

east was what you see in the picture above.

Our village is an old military base converted

to a settlement/village. So we have this really

official sized landing strip that still survives

in good condition approximately 35 to 40

years after it was put down.

I was told that several years ago that the Klitscho

brothers (boxing champions) actually landed

here as part of a promotion they made for

some organization.

But today it wasn't any boxing champions, just

two German guys that are working doing some

aerial research. They needed to refuel and

was on their way back from the DRC (Democratic

Republic of Congo). Eventually they will go back

to where they originated their journey somewhere

in South Africa.

They were very personable guys and they gave

balloons to the kids that you see in the picture.

It was an unexpected moment of excitement

for the village on a Saturday morning and it

killed and hour of time.

So if you have a landing strip in your backyard

you have to expect people to drop in once

in a while, isn't that safe to say?

I've been out of the village for about 2 weeks. Been up in the capitol and Okahandja. In the picture is some of the people who participated in a culinary cultural day. It was held at the training center and it is an activity to acclimate the new group of volunteers to the diverse cultural foods of Namibia. And speaking of diversity, the girl on the left is a Ghanain-American and on the right is an Iranian-American. Kind of interesting to be around the peoples of different cultures. Even if they are from one's own country. But now it is riding in a pickup truck back to the north and hopefully with luck, the village.

Right now I am in the Capital (Windhoek) for

a few days then it is off to spend a week in

Okahandja with the new group of trainees.

They arrived a few weeks ago and during

their training cycle there are experienced

volunteers spending time with them to talk

and pass on what they've learned.

The picture is just a view from the room

that we are staying in.

Windhoek isn't a bad place as far as Capitals

go.

It is actually fairly easy to move around and it isn't

anywhere near as congested as other capitals. This

is due to the fact that Namibia is the second least

populated country in earth. Only Mongolia is less

densely populated.

After living in the bush for most of the two years

that I've been here, coming to the big city and having

access to the amenities is a treat. But, what

comes to mind is that the simplicity of the village

isn't such a bad thing.

But once in a while a little splurging isn't a bad

thing to do.

So for the next two weeks it is food, hot water and

real stores that have more than 10 things in them.

It is a time of plenty.

In the picture you can see the members of the older

San (Khwe) cultural group from the village. Today

we had what is best described as an outing. For

all but one of the group, it was their first time ever

in a boat.

The village we come from is about 70 kilometers

from here and directly in the bush, no rivers around.

It was a real good experiential day for the group as

we also visited 3 lodges along the river as a fact

finding, motivational and life experience exercise.

The boat was generously provided to us by Nunda

Lodge.

We went out for about an hour an a half and the main

animal attraction for the day was the hippos.We saw

a family of about 7 with what looked like at least 5

babies. Also there were plenty of birds to see too.

We then ended the day at the local fisheries center.

It is an impressive place and is a research, resource

and informational hub for fish farming in our region.

It is well done.

The importance of all this is that the village has barely

radio service, no television and newspapers rarely

surface. There is just no real consistent source of

information for these kids.

So, activities like these are eye openers and hopefully

motivators. The least, the group is a little bit more

intelligent for the information they've received.

Out here without sources of information it is like

building a house one brick at a time. Every bit of

information is a building block for development.

Life 70 kilometers out in the bush is moving

along at it's usual pace. The work with the

cultural group continues (picture - group

working on list of songs) and the kids are

not only getting better but also becoming

extremely creative. They've made about 5

more new songs. It brings up a point about

culture. Culture is really an ongoing process.

As the kids have learned old songs they are

also making new ones.

The main part of my work has been in the

direction of behavior change. Working with,

for example, the cultural group, the goal is

to keep the kids engaged and hopefully down

a good path.

It has been almost two years since arriving in

Namibia and in the 3rd week of April it will

be the second year anniversary in the village.

I have asked for and received one more year

in Namibia. So, this time next year I should be

writing about a third year anniversary.

There are quite a few things that can still be

done here in the village. So I decided that I'd

stick around and continue to hopefully help out.

So, there is another year of blogging ahead.

At this posting it is almost exactly one-twelfth

into a new year.

Things are moving along very rapidly and

the holidays went well. With Christmas in the

village and New Year in a town called Rundu,

it was a good mix of styles.

In the village it was with the new site mate

(named Gretchen) and we just cooked, talked

and mingled with the villagers. It is always a

little bit awkward feeling to be in a warm country

at Christmas time. I am from the northeast in

the States so it is usually cold. After the years

we must get a little programmed into how it should

feel at certain times.

In the new year we are continuing forward in

evolving the little projects and activities that we've

begun since I've arrived here. One thing about projects

that I've learned, that is that if sustainability is the goal,

then it takes a length of time to get it solid. It is all

about the management and that's the biggest challenge.

Despite the all the time I've spent in the Peace Corps

and living with different levels of accommodations, there

always seems like there is something new to discover.

In the picture you can see a candle under a pot. With

the village generator broke again and it raining fairly

well (making fire wood wet) and not having a gas stove,

it requires a little imagination to cook.

With that setup we made coffee, cookies and soup.

It is just using the simple principle of putting heat into

a pot. Candle gives off heat, so it seemed possible

and it worked. It is fun to try and figure these things out.

At this time I am in a city called Okahandja getting ready

to head out to our group's COS or close of service

conference. It is almost 2 years already since we arrived

in Namibia. It is always an interesting time. Reflecting back

on the journey is always special. There are always the

good and bads but at this point they are the tools that

have helped us change over our tours.

It will be the last time that we will be together as a group.

People will be leaving at different times over the next

three months, so these next few days are the last

chance to hang around together.

In the end, we were like a team. We came, we did what

we could and we always have the memories. It makes

coming here all worth it.

Today the 4th is a day of celebration for the

San (Khwe) people. It is Chief's Day and

this year it was held in our village. It is on

a rotating basis and next year it should be

going up to the next village.On this day the government allows a few

animals to be hunted and the meat is then

given to the Khwe and is distributed to every

village and person.This year they hunted one elephant, a buffalo,

kudu, maybe a hippo and some other smaller

animals like a springbok or two.Also part of the day's activities was our Young

San cultural group. Even though the picture is

of poor quality it does show the group on the

left and the people standing around the dancing

area. There was also a place a little to the left

where I took the picture and where the headmen

and special guests sat.The kids danced their hearts out and the crowd

really just went wild. The older people also

jumped in and danced with the kids. They

didn't want the them to stop.It was a good day.

We have just begun a cultural project with

the members of the Young San Cultural

Performance group.

Above you can see a picture of a tree with

some poles around it and people underneath it.

That is the beginning of our project to build what

is called a 'Kwara'.

What a Kwara is is a traditional San homestead.

The idea of the Kwara was to build a place that

was safe from animals, such as lions.

What the San would do when the resources

started to get low, they would leave food and water

for the elders while the young people went

out and found another bountiful area.Then

they would build a new Kwara and come back

and get the elders who had stayed safe in the

old one.

Though we haven't near completed this Kwara and

I think that it may take a little time due to the fact

that we will need some dry grass to build some

traditional huts. There will be some available in a

few months after the rainy season.

Still, we need to put more poles around the tree

in the vertical position and also require more

to put around horizontally. Enough to make at

least three rows.

The great part about this Kwara is that since I

arrived, David (the leader of the cultural group) was

talking about making a cultural center. I think that

he was waiting for a proposal or project to come

along.

One day a few months back he mentioned that

we should make a traditional structure that could

serve as a cultural center.

So, here we are in the process of making this

Kwara.

Thinking about it, this seems to be the best solution

for a cultural center, as it should. Also, it costs

virtually nothing to make and the members of

the group are participating and in the process

learning about the old way.

We are thinking of the possible usages of this Kwara.

As mentioned above, a cultural center and with this

as a base things like ... a place for the group to practice,

a traditional area to greet and have meetings with

government officials and also as a fantastic traditional

space if any tourists or visitors come. I can just

envision the Young Cultural performing in the Kwara

and how fantastic it is going to be to see.

David is about 30 years old and told me that he was

lucky that when he was a child he had the chance

to see one of these. In the last 25 years or so he's

never heard or seen of one. So, it is really

important that we make this Kwara as original as

we can.

We are hoping that the elders will come out and

tell us exactly how the Kwara was, in it's design

and in it's usage. Such things as where the headman

had his hut and where the cooking fire was and

so on.

So, even though we aren't finished and there are

still many things to do, I am grateful to be a part

of this and to have the opportunity to learn first

hand about the old ways of the San.

It is important that this project goes well, seeing

as there is virtually no one under 30 to 25 years

of age that's ever seen a Kwara.

In one generation, all the past traditions have been

left behind and are only a part of the elders.

Building this Kwara is not going to change the

direction that the San people are heading in.

They will eventually all have the cars and

the luxuries but we are hoping that through

efforts like these, that the young will know and see

what was their incredible way of life that ended

only a short while ago.

I am thinking that I would like to be able to continue

posting articles concerning the progress of this

Kwara and one day have a finished Kwara to

present instead of a 25% completed one. I think

that I prefer that there are a few entries before it

is done. The slower and surer it goes it seems the

more details about the how and why come out.

This project I am really excited to be a part of.

Today, 1 December as you probably know is

World AIDS Day.In the village we had a few activities to bring

awareness of World AIDS Day to the community

and especially to the youth. It has been told to me

that many of the people here haven't even heard of

this day.We organized a mini netball and soccer tournament

as a way to bring attention to the topic of the day.In the picture, the community counselor from the health

clinic (second man from left in black shirt) and the youth

officer (man on the left) are giving out the first and second

place prizes to the netball squads.There was a small sum of prize money for the teams.

It was about 7 dollars USD for first and 3.50 for

second. It was only an amount to go out and buy some

fatcakes and some type of drink that they make out of

corn meal. Or anything else that they wanted to get.With limited resources there wasn't much else we

could do but despite that, it came out ok.I really doubted that it was going to work and thought

that for that small amount that there wasn't going

to be much interest but, surprisingly, there was. There

had to be at least 50 to 75 people at the netball game

and easily double that at the soccer match. Plus, the

vast majority was youth.In the end I was pretty happy with the way that it worked

out. It was a community based and funded activity

that hit it's target group (youth) with the information

about what was World AIDS Day and it's meaning.I always feel that we are on the right track when we

can do things like this with our own initiative.Tomorrow I will do an informal verbal questionnaire

in the village and see if was something that we may

be able to replicate on other special days. If it can be,

then we can have quite a few days like this.We probably didn't make a huge impact today, but

that's ok. Just like the tortoise and the hare, slow,

humble and steady can win a race too.

In the picture there is Anton playing a musical

instrument called the kaworoworo.

It is obvious to see that it is a piece of wood

which is bent and with a string. The bent wood

tightens up the string till it gives the desired sound.

On the side that you can't see, are small cuts

into the wood or notches. These are situated

at the bottom of the arc.

Above you can see Anton holding the kaworoworo

and at the same time he is moving a stick across

the notches, with the thumb of his other hand he is

moving the string in and out and also ... adjusting

the sound with his mouth, which acts something

like a speaker.

It has a twangy but earthy sound to it.

Interesting thing is that no one in the village I am in

knows how to play it. (Anton is not from our village).

From what I was told, it has only been a generation

or two since the kaworoworo was used almost nightly.

At night the men used to sit around the fire and play

the kaworoworo while telling stories and giving out

wisdom. Stories of how greed was the downfall of a

person, for example. These stories were told to teach

the younger ones the ways and wisdom of the elders.

The problems we have is that we need to go

several villages over to find some elders who still can

play these instruments. Then we need to find some of

the younger ones who want to learn.

Hopefully through our efforts we can save some of these

traditions within the village before it is too late.

Being from the USA and here out in the bush

of Namibia on a Thanksgiving Day makes one

go out and try to do something a little special.In the picture is our Thanksgiving Day meal. No

turkey, gravy or stuffing. There's none of that out

here 70 km (46 miles) from anywhere.We just have to make do. We put this little quick

and simple feast together. We, as in me and my new

site mate Gretchen.The bread is actually a Romanian recipe called gogos.

The s at the end of the word should have a little 's'

underneath it to give it a 'shuh' sound. They are

really good and actually make a little pocket to allow

a filling if desired.In the bowl is an 'out in the bush what you got' recipe.

It is cooked dried split peas with sardines in chili sauce

added in are some salt, pepper and ketchup.It came out ok and was a good meal. Bob the Romanian

guy came over and we had a nice little Thanksgiving day.In this case it wasn't the food that was the center of this

Thanksgiving for us out here in the bush, it was the

people we were with.For me, I will always remember Thanksgiving Day 2010.

It was me, Gretchen, Bob the Romanian guy and a

pile of gogos.