Keeping Busy. Tsumeb, my first teaching experience, and Etosha National Park

It's been a week since I last wrote. Sorry for the long breaks in posts. I hope to write more often once I'm settled. It's been a bit crazy with all the sessions, my first teaching experience (!) and traveling back to Windhoek from Tsumeb. Tomorrow is the mark for being here two weeks and I can hardly believe more time hasn't passed. I think because we have covered so much it seems like we have been here longer. Since I last wrote, we have began and finished our teaching practicum, and had sessions on teaching listening, the Namibian culture of indirectness, international development, teaching pronunciation, teaching reading, Namibian views of westerners, teaching writing, assessing learners, challenging school/community situations, teaching large/multilevel classes, teaching new vocabulary, teaching new vocabulary, and have begun basic language instruction. Again, quite a lot, but it does make the days go by pretty quick.


 

So, the teaching practicum. Overall, it was good. It started off very slow the first day when only 4 students showed up. We all had planned similar lessons that were supposed to take 40 minutes, but because of the number of learners we formed 2 classes, one for the upper grade levels students and one for the lower grade levels, instead of 6 and had to improvise and conduct a class together. It went pretty well, but we were all a bit disappointed that more students hadn't shown up. One student named Lucas offered to help us recruit more kids so after class on Tuesday we all went out to the settlement where he lived. This was my first experience of the poverty that exists in Namibia.

From the main road in Tsumeb we went back through a neighborhood of small, concrete block houses to a dirt road that cut across an open field. The first few houses we could see were similar to the ones we had passed in the neighborhood, but once we walked further into the settlement we could see rows and rows of corrugated, tin shacks made from scrap metal and wood. None were more than 20x20 and most were smaller. At first I felt very uncomfortable, feeling somewhat like a peeping tom into their lives, but as we continued further in and started talking to more and more families and children I felt more comfortable. I realized that the people in this community were comfortable in their lives and living situation and it was wrong for me to pass judgment through my feelings about their lives. That's not to say I don't feel bad the poverty exists or would like the living conditions to improve, just that it's not right for me to project my views and feelings on them and I should be more comfortable because they are comfortable. Apparently the government, in an effort to create more sanitary living conditions for these individuals, sanctions specific lands for these settlements and provides a clean water source in the area and outdoor toilets for the community, but none of the houses have running water or electricity in the houses. In Tsumeb we only saw a small part of the settlement but today, Tuesday the 11^th, we drove through huge stretches of settlements around Windhoek. In Windhoek they were a little larger and more sturdy and built with new sheets of corrugated tin, but were still very primitive. As I spend more time in the country I'm sure I will experience the poverty in different ways, but it still is a bit surprising to see. Overall, these experiences were good and an impromptu entry in the lives of a majority of Namibians living in the major cities.

Anyway, back to the teaching practicum. After recruiting the previous day about 12 students showed up. Still not the numbers we hoping for, but enough to conduct class. We changed up our schedule to have 2 classes, upper and lower, and then divide the class into 3 35 minute sessions so each group could teach a lesson everyday. The first day my partner and I taught a lesson on exercise. The students really loved being active in class and seemed to enjoy the lesson as a whole. Our only problem was thinking the lesson would take the whole class and then finding that we rushed through our lesson and finished after only 25 minutes. We tried to keep the lesson going, but had to quit early.

The second day I taught a lesson independently on past and future verbs in an effort to practice what a real classroom would feel like when teaching a subject that isn't all fun and games and more simulates the material I will be teaching. Overall my lesson was good, but, again, I had a hard time filling the 35 minutes and had to finish the class playing hangman with verbs which after a few tries turned into allowing any word in the game. Anyway, the went well and the students really surprised me with their understanding. Not all the students were at the same level and some of the younger kids were even at a higher level than the older ones, but, in general, I had underestimated the English skills of Namibian learners. I think the major problem in my class will be the diversity in skills and trying to catch up those behind without holding back those that are advanced.

On the final day of our practicum my partner taught his lesson on his own so I was able to interact with the students a little bit more than the other days. They loved being around us. I think one of my strengths is making personal connections and over the three days a couple of the boys and I were pretty close. They wanted to work with me and in the end asked where we were staying. It crossed my mind to not tell them, but in the end I told them the hostel we were staying at. That evening one learner, Barnard, came by. At the time we were in session so I told him to come back in the evening around 5. Promptly at 5 he showed up and we decided to take a walk around Tsumeb. We had the next morning off so I was looking for a good place to eat breakfast. Barnard showed me every place in town to eat breakfast and we found a great local place that I did go to the next day. After the tour of the town we played Frisbee, soccer, and four square and then had dinner at the hostel. He loved the food and asked if he could come back the next day at 8 in the morning. I compromised and said 10 and he left.

The next day he wasn't there when I left to go to breakfast around 10 but when I came back he was waiting outside the hostel. We decided to take a swim in the little pool with some other volunteers and then he left when we started sessions at 2. He came back for dinner and brought his sister as well. Again, they loved the food and enjoyed hanging out with us.

The next day we spent the morning in Etosha National Park after leaving the hostel early that morning so we could catch the animals while they were active in the morning. In Etosha you can hire a tour guide or just drive around on your own which we did. The park is huge and has many small, dirt roads to travel around on. I will have to take some pictures from my fellow volunteers because my camera is not working yet, but we did see a lion, elephant, many giraffes, zebras, jackals, and a variety of deer/antelope type creatures. It was pretty amazing, extremely beautiful, and I can't wait to visit again. Currently it is the rainy season here so the animals are spread out. Later in the year during the dry season the animals are forced to come to the watering holes and it's easier to see all the variety.

After coming home from Etosha we had the afternoon off. Of course Barnard and his sister came by. First, we went for a walk around town with a few other volunteers. When we came back to the hostel we listened to music, played cards, soccer, and then just hung out around the braai pit while we started dinner. During the day I could tell something was up with Barnard. He was quite and seemed much less excited and happy. As we finished dinner this solemn attitude worsened. We couldn't figure out what was going on until suddenly he put up the hood on his shirt and then abruptly he and his sister got up and said they had to leave. Two volunteers and I followed them out wanting to say goodbye as we were leaving early the next morning. Once we got outside we saw tears streaming down both of their faces. They were upset we were leaving and possibly would never see them again. This caught us all off guard. None of us had realized that the small amount of attention we gave to them was so important. Luckily Kaylan, another volunteer, had got their address earlier in the day an we promised to write and visit. I know we will put letters in the mail soon, but I don't know when we will visit, although I plan on holding to my promise of visiting. I feel good about making an impact in their lives, buy hate to cause sadness. I'm unsure the best way to approach these situations. I would like to find some sort of small item to give away and then hope to keep in touch as much as possible. We'll see how this goes this year but already I'm not looking forward to leaving my learners at the end of the year even though that is so far away.

So, that pretty much wraps up the week. Yesterday we drove back from Tsumeb and today we had a small tour of Windhoek guided by Moses, my Field Director's husband, ate lunch in the Parliamentary Gardens in front of the parliament building and then had a couple sessions this evening. It was the first day it hasn't rained and was very hot. The sun is intense here and has roasted some volunteers. Luckily I am getting nice and tan.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and keep in touch. Pictures will eventually come and I will remember to grab all my new contact information and post it soon. Later.