I'm in the capital city of windhoek for the weekend and unfortunatly the internet cafe I'm at doesn't have CD drives so I can't post my journal entry and I'll have to write a really quick letter...
I've been doing alright the couple of weeks. I'm going through the ups and downs of being a first year teacher and dealing with students that have a difficult time understanding the language and therefore directions. All the learners are really nice and for the most part really like me and treat me well.
It's been raining A LOT here the last couple of weeks and that has been a godsend for the community. Drought has been a problem here for the last couple of years and as a result the economy of the town, which is mostly cattleherding suffering significantly. If there is no rain, then the surrounding plants don't grow and there's no food for the cattle and they don't get big and fat and are worth less.
However the rain hasn't brought all good times. It's caused chaos in regards to the utilities. Phone service was out for 8 days. Electricity has been on and off. The most it was out at one time was for three days. And worst of all, the water has been going out. That's because the town's supply comes from a well that uses electricity to pump up the water. When that happens rainwater, and one tap (that comes from a different source and is 100 yrds from my house) is the only thing that provides water to the 300 people of the school. You don't really realize how much water you use until you have to haul into your house in buckets. Things like flushing the toilet, washing your self, your dishes or your clothes becomes a HUGE job. I went 96 hrs without showering or washing any clothes at one point. I didn't smell good.
All in all I've been doing alright. I've opened up the library, which has been a huge success because the learners love it. I'm starting a science club and community computer classes next week. That's all I've got time for now. Hope everything is well. Congradulations to Annie and Simon on having their first child. I can't wait to see it. And also Congrads. to Jeremiah and Allison on getting married.
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