I'm sitting outside enjoying an amazing view using the free wi-fi. Am I really in Africa?!?
This week has been week 1 of reconnect, which is training for the Peace Corps with my group. It has been great to see everyone, and the place we are staying is just beautiful! It's so different than my village. Though, I do miss my village some. Right now, my village is very empty. After exams ended last Thursday, the learners that stay in the hostel were gone by 12:00. It will be strange to go back next week with them not there. But it will be a nice break too.
This past week we have talked a lot about our experiences from the past six weeks. It's amazing how some are so similar, but also how much the stories can vary. We have also talked a lot about classroom management (which I'm glad about), lesson planning and integration within our communities. It's been very informative, but a complete change of pace from my normal schedule in the village.
We had a toga party this past week which was a lot of fun. I had a volunteer that lives in the Caprivi region bring me back a shitange (not sure if I'm spelling that right) which is a large piece of beautiful fabric that can be used as a sheet, a towel, a dress, a skirt...many different options. A lot of us used ours as our toga and therefore we called them our "shitogas".
This weekend we have been able to go into the city which has been nice to have a little more Western culture. The mall was so crowded with Christmas shoppers - which feels so strange, because it doesn't feel like Christmas time at all to me right now. I did some retail therapy and ate some really good pizza. Then today I went on a walking tour and saw a museum of village life and the Parliament building among other things. The museum had a section about Nama village life which was great to read about part of the culture I live in. The Parliament building and grounds were absolutely beautiful with lots of grass and trees and beautiful flowers. Then we went back to the mall to watch Harry Potter 7 part 1. It was a really nice day.
I have one more week of reconnect before heading back to my village. Then I will be traveling for the holidays - which means that I will not be very connected internet wise. I don't think I will be bringing my laptop with me for two reason - 1. it's lighter and easier to travel without it and 2. i don't want it to get stolen. I hope that there is an internet cafe in the town we are going to be staying, but if not, I will just have to have a long update after the new year. So if you don't hear from me for awhile, don't worry, I'm probably just lounging on the beach with a good book. I do want to say in advance Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
