Introducing Dr. Livingstone He really likes socks My first dog!   Introducing Livingstone.  He is a my new partner in crime.  A mix between a Jack Russel mutt and what has been described to me as a “wolf.”  No idea how big he’ll get.  If you do not know Dr. Livingstone, google him, he is actually a pretty interesting guy.

My House Bathroom Bedroom Kitchen side - minus stove and fridge Sitting area Front yard of my own to rake The previous tennents which refuse to go So here is my house.  Thank you to the gold mine for financing it and my host mom and principal for getting it going.  It is nice to have a place to call home for the next 2 years.  With such luxuries as hot water and ceiling fans I know I am really lucky.  Still waiting for the power to be connected for the past month so the fans just kind of mock me during the 81 degree nights and a lot hotter days.  But it is mine.  It is the Namibian dream.  I even have a yard to rake.  Yes we rake the dirt here, but not in some zen art relaxing technique.  We do it to minimize hiding spots for scorpions and snakes.  Motivational none the less.  You should come visit, I have wood chopped already and we can have a great braai under the African stars. 

Spider bite My 8th grade math class Soccer Tournament Learner's striking a pose "Chatty" the bat in my class. Assembly on Independence Day Traditional Damara Dance Drama on how school was before Inde. Drama on how farmers treat their workers So I know I have been absent from the internet scene for some time now but here are a few photos to make up for delay.  Life has moved on here.  I am finally starting to get you used to the role of Mr. Guimont or “Teach.”  Now that I have a house I have become to settle in.  I do not have electricity yet but I you can read about that above.  Anyway, to clarify a few of the photos and what I have been doing, I will not say that I have fully integrated into the community but I now have a role.  It is nice to have a role other than the awkward house guest that shows up and fumbles around with a language I have only just begun to understand and unfortunately losing fast ( can get by ok speaking Namlish here).  There are still twists and it keeps things interesting.  For example getting bit by a spider and struggling to walk for 5 days due to an infection.  Saw Namibians healthcare system first hand and they said it was a mosquito bite.  Ummm… I have pictures of it without the bandage and I am from MN.  Definitely no mosquito bite.  Pretty much had to self diagnosis and continually ask for antibiotics.  Currently have a chipped tooth and curious to see a Namibian dentist on Tuesday.  But life has pretty much been becoming a teacher.  Expected issues of struggling with studies and trying to relate complex information to students who really do not care what a Protist is much less the different classes.  To be honest I don’t care much either.  Also to issues of drinking, sex and life.  I appreciate those times more.  Catching students drunk at school with a highly suspicious bottle of sprite was definitely a fun conversation.  Especially when they earlier make very obvious parade to the school in the state that they were in.  I love teaching secondary school. We have soccer tournaments, traditional dances at festivals.  For independence day there was a whole assembly created by the learners.  There were dramas, songs, poems, marches.  It was quite the ordeal.  I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.  I made bunny shaped banana pancakes.  I had Jack Johnson stuck in my head.  I will type a more organized blog later.  Only have a limited battery life.

Christmas Cookies Our tree KFC stop on the way to Walvis Bay Looking out the window at the landscape Literally there are no trees anywhere Post dune sledding. Got sand everywhere Swakop and the Atlantic Ocean Here are a few photos from my Christmas holiday.  The host family took me to Walvis Bay and Swakopmund on the coast.  It was very nice change of pace where you go to the coast to cool off verses see some sun.  Had a traditional meal on Christmas with the family.  Christmas eve was spent with the host sisters at a Gazza concert that lasted from 6pm til 5am.  We were there til 3 until we could not take the cold no more.  Went dune sledding the day after christmas.  Can’t have christmas without sledding.  So i grabbed some cardboard, climbed a 30 foot dune and pretty much through myself off the edge to slide about 3 feet.  The locals were not impressed.  Pretty much rolled the rest of the way down.  Was fun but next time going to get a professional sled.  They get going fast.  Google it.

I have not died though I have gotten that response from a few friends on facebook.  Nope, just been busy with the holidays traveling the country, then a week long workshop in windhoek, then school starting the day I come back.  School has actually been in session for a week and a half now.  I am at school currently putting the final touches on the class schedule.  I think this is the 5th time I have made changes.  Sill waiting on a finalization of who is going to be in what classes.  That hopefully will be set tomorrow.  They weren’t kidding about the differences in the school system.  With no class register, no year planner (despite having circuit tests) and changing the schedule constantly you really need to be flexible.  Trying to impose an American time schedule has only blown up in my face.  Sounds good in theory but “African Time” is something special. Now that I have my own classes I feel like I am accomplishing something.  It is a experience to have a lesson well thought out and see it executed beautifully then check the homework and see that maybe one got it.  But that one that gets it makes you feel amazing.  Part of the trouble is pushing critical thinking skills.  In science that is key.  You can memorize the facts but the content needs to make sense.  Trying different things all the time to see what works but leaving yet again for another conference this week. But I wanted to keep this message short til I get the pics off my camera.  Then I will talk about the holidays and teaching methodology. Just to give you guys a daily schedule: 5:30 am - Rise and Shine 6:00 am Eat delicious oatmeal, take a hot shower (luxury here) 7:00 School suppose to start,  if Monday there is assembly and songs and a devotion, daily staff meetings other days 7:20 School actually starts Then til 1pm  I am teaching several classes of Life Science in each grade 8, 9, 10 and grade 8 Math. There is tea time at 10:30!  That is when I get the necessary raisen bun from the local ok mart. 2:00 pm - pb and j lunch and half hour nap 3:00 pm -back to Study to answer questions 4:00 pm -head to the athletic field to have the learners run around the track a few laps 6:00pm- head back to school to finish some assignments 7:00pm - Get home, prepare lessons for the next day, eat dinner with the family 11:00pm - “Sleep” - thanks to the lovely malaria medicine we are on The next 2 years are going to go quick with also being subject head/librarian/science fair director/2 peace corps committees and whatever else they throw at me.  So let’s just say my posting is going to decrease a little bit unfortunately.  But I will do my best to try and post the big events.  As always email me questions or comment questions and I will answer.  Geniet jou dag!

Baboons! Birds by my house Donkey Cart I see you. This bug whistles and is everywhere This bug violated me and still lives. Revenge is sweet. A collection of photos of some animals seen so far.  In connection with post below detailing adventures.

I would just like to preface that I am writing this while listening to Christmas with Dean Martin.  Let it Snow has a whole new meaning when there is absolutely no chance of it happening whatsoever.  School is officially out today and I thought might be good to update you with what has been keeping me busy as of late.  I have officially declared war on the giant bugs of this country.  When I said I was tired of the routine Africa must have heard and decided to mix it up by sending these delightful creatures for my amusement.  Some of the local fauna are absolutely amazing.  I went hiking and ran into a meerkat checking me out from a far.  Manage to run into a family of baboons.  They are really cool.  I at first heard what I thought was a human yelling but inaudibly.  This caused minor concern because technically I was on a farmer’s property and neglected to ask permission.  My host mom said it would be all right though.  Then coming down from the peak I ran into this grey furry thing rather unexpectantly.  It was a baboon!  It ran around the peak to its family, its enlarged pink buttocks flailing in the wind.  Spent the rest of the afternoon just stalking them and enjoying their antics. That was about 2 weeks ago.  I was feeling pretty adventurous having gone out into the wilderness and surviving.  Well, last week nature came inside.  I was just chilling in my bed playing Chrono Trigger on my laptop.  A sweet old SNES game for those interested.  And I heard this clicking sound.  Now, I thought nothing of it because I had a fan blowing and my shower curtain in that direction makes a similar noise in the breeze.  Then a movement caught my eye.  Instinctively I swatted at this giant spider/scorpion thing (I have to decide what it was for it cannot climb walls all that well but I don’t remember seeing a tail) Anyway the thing literally was the size of a small mouse and I wound u chasing the thing all over the house with futile attempts to kill it.  It finally ran under a cabinet that I could not quite reach and resorted to trapping it there.  The next morning I found it escaped.  Two days later another friendly spider wandered out while I was watching TV.  Staring at me from its lofty perch I saw my chance for revenge.  Roughly the diameter of a pool ball he presented a formable opponent for I managed to twist my ankle and almost take out some curtains in my attempts to kill it.  Only the next day did I manage to survey the scene and see I was successful in my campaign.  Later that night the spiders kid brother visited me in the kitchen and that was a little easier of a battle. Upon talking to my host mom apparently they will only get worse as the rain continues.  Yippee.  Though all those ones apparently aren’t dangerous.  It is the ones the size of quarters you have to watch out for.  Well lucky for me my cat was patting at my pants laying on the ground.  Upon investigation a black spider the size of a quarter came scurrying out.  Of course my good for nothing cat was about as helpful as all the other campaigns and merely watched as I chased this one until I eventually got this one as well. Two things I have learned from this, when I move out get a cat that is not lazy and two sleep comes a lot harder when you know what bed bugs are actually crawling around when one is trying to rest. Happy studying to those still in school.  ; )

It is amazing how one could wish for rain.  I will definitely appreciate it more stateside.  Maybe I’ll live in Seattle for a little bit to make up for it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends. Me? I am baking a pie tomorrow to celebrate. Also gives me something to do to wait out the elections. Not that there is an expectation for anything to go wrong, just playing it safe. It is weird being in a place that does not have thanksgiving. It does not even feel like that time of year with it being 107 degrees outside. All I am holding out for is the rainy season. There have been storm clouds in the horizon for the past 3 days but no rain fall. Apparently when it comes it is not going to let up. School is wrapping up here for the holiday season. We actually close on December 4th. There has been nothing but exams however for the students for the past two weeks. And people in the states think standardized testing is bad. There are cluster wide tests three times a year in every subject. These tests lasts and hour or two each! I have to admit I feel for the learners. Anyway I am also corresponding with some lovely students in MN through a exchange program that is set up. Below are some questions that they have asked. Sorry but how old are you? - I am 22 years old and considered past my prime in Namibian standards. The median age of the country is only 20-21! What kind of food do you like to eat? - I generally love Mexican food but that is in rather short supply here in Namibia. I am learning how to make tortillas and salsa. No easy Ortega mixes here. In Namibia I have grown to love the rusks here. Think of them like a gram cracker cube. They are absolutely delicious but terrible for you. I am not a big fan of their spoiled milk but some other members swear by it. Are there any cool animals their? - There are some pretty sweet animals here. Lizards are everywhere in my town. While driving I have seen warthogs and kudo (imagine a an exotic deer). Both which are quite tasty. I run on a baboon-infested road but I have yet to see any. I hear them howling however. There is a cheetah conservatory that I hope to check out an hour north of here where you can pet cheetahs. The largest concentration of cheetahs is located in Namibia. There are also the big 5 African animal here but they tend to be found in the game parks. They include rhinos, elephants, leopards, lions and cape buffalo. There supposedly have been sightings of leopards on the mountain I hike so I am a little leery of that now. I figure there are goats in the same vicinity that are a little easier prey. Some of my colleagues have seen giraffes on their trips as well as flamingos. I will see more as I am allowed to travel. There are also snakes! One of my friends here had a dangerous spitting one in her hut that awoke her one night. She was very lucky. What kind of words did you learned? - I have learned parts of two tanguages here, Khoekhoegowab which is a language using 4 clicks and Afrikaans, a variation of Dutch. I can speak more Afrikaans just because it is a lot easier but KKG is fun to listen too. “Matisa?” means “Whats up?” in KKG. You would then respond !Gaia. The ! is a click. Hou gan dit? Is the Afrikaans version of the above. What are the main sports? - The main two sports here are soccer and rugby. Everyone here has their favorite soccer team, though a lot seem to favor Manchester United. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the 2010 world cup in South Africa. A lot of commercialism geared up for it. At school there are also leagues in place for netball, a variation of basketball that generally girls play, and volleyball. There is some softball with funds from the USA supporting it. Do you have any body wash there? - Yeah there is body wash here. A little expensive though. The weird thing though is the deodorant. There is no stick deodorant. It is this roll on gel thing. Kind of hard to explain but it is very necessary here with the heat. Is there any Honda cars up there? - There are Hondas and Chevys and Toyotas, BMWs, Fiats, Tatas, Hundai, and Volkswagens. The 5 door coupe though reigns supreme. You see them everywhere. There is also a general trend of smaller cars. People tend to not buy as big here. Definitely opposite of Texans. If you have ever driven through there trucks are huge! How hot is Nambia? - It is currently 107 degrees and supposed to get hotter but not that much. It cools off at night though because there are no bodies of water acting as an insulator to moderate the temperature. Sorry I am a science teacher. Is it ever a little cold in Nambia? - They do have winter here, which happens during what would be summer in the states. I can get below freezing during those times but no snow. It is cooler by the cost all year. What happens when the lights go off? - The lights do go off here whenever there is a thunderstorm. This occurs for seemingly one month straight during the rainy season. During that time people just use there gas stoves and use fires. Although a lot of Namibia does not have electricity at all or at least reliably. I live where in town, but in the location the electricity is a little more sporadic and people there are reliant on the daily schedule of the sun and candles. We hold study hours at the school to give students who do not have access to electricity a place to study but it is a pretty long walk for them, twenty minutes there and back. They make this round trip journey at least twice a day. Is there any lakes or rivers near Nambia? - There are some lakes and rivers but they are few and far between. They are mainly to the north. There is a cool river called the Kunene River, on the northern border, that flows into the middle of Africa instead of an ocean and just evaporates into the Okavango Delta in Botswana. You can see this highlighted in the Planet Earth Series. Wildlife flourish around here during select times of the year. Is there a lot of people living where you are living? - There are very few people in Karibib, around 2,000, and in Namibia in general. There are only around 2 million people here total. Most are in the capital city and in the northern regions. That is 2 million people for an area roughly twice the size of California. That is 6.8 people per square mile. There is a lot of open space here. What weapons do the military in namibia carry? - Well as a member of Peace Corps I do not have much dealings with the military here but during one of my runs I ran past some guards carrying AK 47s. I made a memo to myself to come home arrive home sooner after that. Please feel free to send any questions you may have. Happy Holidays.

Welcome to Karibib! My New Backyard There is a constant threat of dogs here! Pink dog! Quiver Tree - sweet local tree here Shot of the main square The main drag. This is my new "Super Target" I did a walk around Karibib to show you my new town.  Enjoy

Sorry about the delay in positing a new entry.  It has been awhile I know.  I think it is inevitable that things that were once novel becomes routine.  I have not written much because it feels like I have been doing the same thing as I have done since arriving.  The life here is definitely a slower pace and the events that may seem like a highlight in my day is quite unexciting in light of the Hollywood image of Africa. I made bread this weekend.  That is it.  Or at least attempted too, came out more like a cracker but it is still edible.  I do not know if it is a good thing that I am now becoming accustomed to the differences in culture and odd things but maybe I am just expecting weird things to happen.  They still occur.  Like yesterday I went out of my room, after working on my lesson plans, and saw that the dog was pink.  My host sister got bored and dyed her pink.  On a similar note, walking home this week I saw a flock of dachshunds, run by.   That was the highlight of my day.  It made me smile.  Fighting off giant bugs or instigating the cat to do so and cleaning the resulting flood from doing the laundry are regular occurrences.  It is little things like raisin bread that costs fifty cents during teatime, helping a student finally reach an “ah ha” moment in personal studies, are everyday occurnces.  Even in the desire for adventure I think it is natural that we set up routines for us to live by.  I for one at least need them, in the wild unknown there needs to be some expectation of consistency in order to act with much certainty.  In order to help the I’m in community, I must learn its laid back routine and try partner with it, verses trying to impose American ideals of multitasking and sense of hurriedness. If anything, this period in life will stretch me.  I spent this afternoon looking over my last year’s calendar and I had something going on everyday and often times several things going.  I thrived on being busy.  Here I am trying to create that same sense and I simply run out of things to read and projects to do (Peace Corps forbids starting secondary projects during this time – that has not necessarily stopped me from putting out some feelers).  All that is left is to sit and interact with either nature or the people around me.  Those that know me know I am a recluse at times and so this has been a good time to stretch myself in interaction but it has not necessarily been easy.  It is a good challenge though. If there has to be theme of this blog it would be that life goes on in each corner of the world.  Each has their own routine and adapting to that routine is what one subjects them self to when they move.  There are plenty of big things to be done but it is not going to be done in one grand sweep of a pen or action.  It is going to come from working day to day with the people and helping out as one can.  Being resourceful and creative are skills that Peace Corps volunteers bring to their community to address problems that are routine but things of habit take time to change.  I guess I am just antsy.

Now that I have been here for two weeks I am finally getting a little of a routine.  Classes start at 7 am.  Lunch at one.  And studies at 3.  There is even a tea time at 10!  After school I watch BBC world news, do a little shopping and go for a run.  Coming into a routine it is easy at times to forget I am in Africa.  It is little things that catch me.  For example during my runs I am told to watch out for the baboons.  I have yet to see a baboon on the road but I know they are in the area.  Speaking of other roadside attractions on the way to Windhoek last weekend our car nearly hit a kudo  (imagine a deer but 1.5x as big) and a warthog. While shopping, we were just standing in line and the power went out.  No storm, middle of the day and and everything went dark.  People just went amongst there day like it was no big deal.  This was in Windhoek, the capital city!  It was at the same store where I was spoken to in Afrikaans and I had no idea what was just asked of me. Starting to teach a little I recognize how much work I have cut out for me.  I started to explain a problem and found myself continually going back to find common ground in which the students understood.  We were doing algebra and it took 3 times for this one student to recognize that x + x + 3x does not equal 4x.  While some of it may be language differences, apparently my MN accent is noticeable, I recognize the amount of work that needs to get done.  Things cannot be taken for granted here and every step forward is going to take significant effort.  There are confounding issues of Namibia being #11 in suicide rates and also being 1 or 2 highest disproportion of income (the Gini Coefficient). Yet I am excited to get started.  We allocated class loads for next year and I am excited to begin preparing my lessons and giving back to a community that has already invested in me.

I am officially at my new home for the next two years of my life. I arrived Friday and started things right in the community by attending the local softball tournament. Who knew softball would be in Namibia. Apparently it is due in part to a grant from the United States. I will be posting pictures of the place soon. I started to integrate with my community and attending my school. A quick memo again, for those that may want to mail me things please use my new address. The old will no longer be forwarding things in 3 months. Which may be about the time I receive things. Apparently the mail system shuts down around the holidays. Use: Nathaniel Guimont P.O. Box 363 Karibib Namibia Southern Africa I technically am already late if I want to mail anything out to ensure Christmas delivery. I thought America was fast with the Christmas season. There is already a tree set up at my local market! It is also a little weird to have it getting hotter as we approach Christmas. This is going to be my first time without snow. Enjoy it Duluthians. We certainly get rain though. When it rain it pours here. We actually lost power for a night. Looks like my camping gear will be useful after all. Well my colleague wishes to use the net. Will post more later.

My Backyard A delicious treat under $1: the bobbes Local Art More local art My Okahandja House Sunsets do not get old here Cutist kid ever Me and my cousins As I depart Okahandja, here are some pics of that represent a lot of good memories there.

I just want to create a special shout out to my host family here in Okahandja.  This family is amazing.  They took me in as one of their own and I truly have family here in Namibia.  I only have one more week with these very special people and I truly appreciate all that they have done.  I will never forget them.

Boondock Saints in Namibia? Millipede the size of your hand! Shave Party Anyone? Language Group Frying Chicken We have our own hand sign. Random pictures from training.

It seems only appropriate before swearing in that I should comment on my fellow trainees and their eccentric personalities before we all depart to site. First of all thank you to all PST group 30 for all the fun in Okahandja as we trained together. You guys made the switch to Namibia amazing. That being said, we are the biggest group of geeks that I think Namibia has yet to see. I actually found myself in a place where I had to fight to establish my nerdom in this group. That is pretty hard when we have people that have LARP’ed (see the movie Role Models), regularly debate articulately the solutions to global crisis’s, enjoy Lord of the Ring movie marathons where we are disappointed that we only have the regular edition instead of extended, have a game where we try to guess famous figures from culture over the past 2000 years. We even have a Dungeons and Dragons campaign currently going on. I must admit I indulged in the true spirit of integration even to my own group. Level 13 cleric of disease and destruction as I push my glasses up on my nose in true geek fashion. Let your geek flag fly high here. War Age of Imperialism anyone? Anyway I will miss all of you guys as we head off to our sites and I will look forward to visiting you guys and seeing Namibia together. It has been awhile since I have posted something. I will try to keep a post at least once a week but I have a video coming to make up for it. Will post when I have faster internet. Last week I went to the family farm. I went back to my Guimont roots and became a farmer for a day. I would have made Grandpa Guimont proud for we spent the entire day chasing goats, counting the goats (all 300), recounting the goats that escaped and finally slaughtering the goats. Doing that with a fine mixture of dust and dung in the air that gets everywhere, I definitely earned my keep over the past month and do not envy the family that stays and watches the goats. We also had to tag the goats. That was an experience. I do not know if you have heard goats yell but the description of kids to their young is adequate for they scream like little human kids. Kind of creepy. Even as we were slaughtering the goats, the fellow goats watched with fascination. They totally knew what was going on as their heads followed the carcass of their comrade being thrown in the back of a truck to be taken home. Made me remember my vegetarian ways for a little bit, butlater that week, the goat’s stomach was quite tasty. One thing I will come out of Namibia is being a bit of a cook. We make everything thing here. Yesterday was family appreciation day and we had a mixture of American and Namibian dishes to celebrate. I had a hand in making fried chicken, sheep, and onion rings. Made French toast for my family for breakfast and they didn’t come out half bad. The bread here falls apart instantly with no preservatives but it was “NamGood” (our relative label of quality given what is available). I have also been made aware that my new address may not work properly as given earlier and I will look into it. I will update you guys more at site. Totsiens.

“Is it ok to poep (pronounced poop in Afrikaans) at the dinner table?” - Language instructor Magnus explaining how peop = fart.  The comment was followed by continuous laughter by fellow trainees because we are 12 years old.

Mt. Erongo An overly friendly goat An old mission More Pictures of Site!

Only in Namibia can one worry about the notorious “man-trees.”  Namibia men are known for their persistence in dating relationships.  It is culturally appropriate for men to be blunt and forthright in their advances and for the women to blatantly shut them down.  This can go on for years with a single woman.  It is their odd form of courtship where persistence pays off, couples find out about each other through the woman’s continual rejection.  Well hiking through the mountain some trees apparently have a similar level of persistence.  Everyone of them has thorns, Check out the accompanying pics  Clothing and hair beware.  I actually have 3 little pinholes where ½ cm spikes pierced my skin and came with me.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones.  A friend of mine had a 2 cm thorn pierce her running shoe and into her foot!  She is alright but it is one of those things only in Namibia.

The element of time has been a rather interesting concept of late.  There is this thing known as African time that is quite fascinating.  If you have never heard of African time it is really quite a marvelous practice.  Meetings scheduled for 5:30 pm finally start with all its attendants around 7.  Church services that are supposed to last 2 hours can double on a whim.  Lunch is not a process that takes 5 minutes in a microwave but starts at 7am to finish with a feast six hours later.  This happens almost every Sunday by the way.  It seems as one crosses the ocean they not only cross the six time zones but also this other temporal line where time has become an entity of its own, as free as the sand that winds up in everything here.  Take for example my school.  It looks like a school set in New Mexico.  Yes it is run down, but one of the most glaring differences from any other classroom in the states is the lack of clocks.  There are no clocks to keep the class on schedule but instead they are reliant on the lost relic of the hand held school bell.   It is rung when maybe 45 minutes have past. After making this observation, I noticed other instances of lack of timepieces.  My host Dad is fascinated with my wristwatch and would always ask me what time it was.  Not that he cared for the specific time but whether it was one of four times: the hour, quarter past, half past, or quarter too.  No one wears a wristwatch while one would not be a Peace Corps Volunteer without their trusty wristwatch.  It seems Americans at least are fascinated with this sense of time and are even threatened by the lack there of.  One colleague wants to have a project of bringing clocks to her school.  Not to say I would do without the sense of order, there are some benefits. I for one now have time.  By giving up some sense of control with time, I have managed to gain time.  I have time to write blogs, play checkers with my host niece, read a book, write letters, hike a mountain, cook bok vleis (goat meat), and learn a little Afrikaans on the side all in one day.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am incredibly busy and come home exhausted most days, but the sheer amount of activities that are available and the priority of those activities are drastically different.  Family and daily life needs take a more pressing concern because there are yet to be ways of marginalizing those activities here.  Knowing the rushed nature of people in the States, I would skim a friend’s blog without much thought before moving to the next post on facebook, I know I would.  (A little guilt plug for the blog)  Rushing to the next activity at hand that is pressing.  Food is 20 minutes or less and family is something you see on the holidays.  Now African time drastically clashes with American time and it drives me nuts at times when dinner starts around 11pm at night but there are benefits as well.  Not that it is better, just different.   So take some time for some random activity (my new pleasure is the lost art of radio- Check out “This American Life” if you are not hooked already)  I hope to spend some time posting some decent blogs  I really don’t care if anyone reads them.  It is just some time spent with my thoughts.  I want to be a better writer so I will take the time to practice, sorry to those that may be “Grammar Nazis” but practice makes perfect.

Sunset 1st Night Training Center Some of my family Cultural Cooking Day! Goat Head- Lower left Previous Pictures

““Do not play with the girls in Karibib.” -Out of the blue, best sex talk ever with my host Dad”

My School, not donated by Coke. Okajandra skyline from mtn top

It is hard to believe that I have been in Namibia for over a month now. So much has happened that it is hard to sum it up in a neat little blog post that is long enough to merit a read but short enough to keep attention. It is a delicate line I must confess. But as promised below are pictures and they say a thousand words. As an update I am currently residing in Okahandja for the next three weeks. I just came back from site visit where I am able to see where and what I will be doing for the next two years of my life. I am assigned to the quaint little town of Karibib. It is a small town, around 2,000 people that is often not thought more of other than the halfway point between Windhoek, the capital, and Swakopmund, a tourist city. For those that do stop they will find a gold mine, 2 shops, a small library community library with wireless internet!, a God-send really, and my school. It is a small school with only around 200 learners (students) and nine teachers. I will be the math and life science teacher for grades 8 – 10. There is a test that is required in order to go to the 11th grade. The pass rate of the class last year was 50%. The subject of struggle was math. Interacting with the community there seems to be a desire for many things be done from improving the local proficiency of English to setting up a music class, to overseeing athletics, to setting up a computer programming class to dealing with local issues of drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS awareness. Needless to say I have my work cut out for me. Until October 16th I reside in Okahandja. Those that may wish to mail me stuff though may want to start addressing my school’s P.O. Box in Karibib. There is a 3-4 week period before mail gets to me. Nathaniel Guimont PCV P.O. Box 363 Karibib Namibia Those that may wish to call send me an email and I will send you my cell number. Skype has a pretty reasonable rate. It is a 7 hour difference from MN to here. I am now learning Afrikaans for my language. Which is a variation of Dutch and a little easier than KhoeKhoe, so I am not complaining.  In addition to language we have cultural education. Today was a lesson on cultural cooking where I made fat cakes and a fish/spinach stew. Fat cakes are quickly becoming a local favorite among the volunteers here. They are essentially doughnuts that we get to eat for meals. It is not the weirdest I have eaten though. I think goat brain and lung rank pretty high on the list. Especially when it comes directly from the skull. Warthog is actually pretty tasty. Sorry Pumba. And thanks to my host dad I can make a pretty mean cow stomach in the pressure cooker. Die kos es baie lekker. (The food is very nice) Cultural note: Do not wear the color red when it is raining. It seems to signal bad fortune and draws lightning to oneself like a lightning rod according to my host family. One time my host mom was wearing a red dress and lightning struck really close. Apparently it has something to do with red being the color of blood. I found this out just yesterday as I walking around with my bright red jacket on a the start of the rainy season! Before this gets too long in one sitting I hope all is well stateside. Enjoy your beautiful fall season. It is only getting started here with summer.