I was prepared, mostly. Life happened, as it does, interrupting a couple important peak weeks of training, but I had started preparing early enough and I still believed I could finish the marathon around 4hrs ( the arbitrary goal I set for myself ). As I finished my last couple weeks of training I felt… Continue reading My First Marathon
Maybe you're familiar with the tale that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a short story in only six words. If so, maybe you also recall that story to go as follows: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Many of you are probably familiar with the SMITH Magazine six word memoir project as well.… Continue reading Six Word Memoirs: PC Namibia Style
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything. All I can say is that Peace Corps, like anything else, becomes a bit routine and my day to day becomes less interesting for me, making it hard to write about. You know how the conversations go back home: A: Whats up? B: Not much. What's up… Continue reading Animal Photos From Namibia (lazy post)
Mvhura tazi roko- probably one of my favorite sentences in Rukwangali. Directly translated it is kind of weird; it's like saying the rain is raining, but direct translations aren't always the best, so let's just say it means that it's raining. There is nothing particularly beautiful about the way it hits my ears or rolls… Continue reading Mvhura (Rain/Year)
I’ve always loved to cook. As soon as my eyes could peek over the stove top I was cooking simple things: scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, toast, etc.. Part of this was from the necessity created by growing up in a single parent household, but the other part was a strong appreciation for good cooking, an… Continue reading Meals From Mpungu
So much has happened since my last blog post, and since I waited so long, it is difficult to summarize it all in a way that captures the essence of my holiday season and captivates the reader at the same time. But since I feel like an update is long overdue, and I find myself… Continue reading Holidays in Namibia
One thing that has to be consistent for all Peace Corps volunteers, despite country or sector of service, is that we get pretty dang creative with the limited resources “we are having.” (inside joke for my fellow volunteers in Namibia) The movie Friday always comes to mind when I think about this. The scene I… Continue reading Put Some Water On IT
I've been in my village for a couple weeks now and have had some successes already. People here were very interested in getting a community garden up and running again. Another village resident and I went around looking for committed people, held a couple of meetings, and started clearing the land and repairing the fence this… Continue reading The Peace Corps Roller Coaster
So what do they eat there? This may have been the question I got the most when I was back in the U.S. prepping for this Peace Corps thing, and I could never give an informed answer. Well good news, as part of a cross cultural exchange series, we spent this past Saturday, 09May2015, cooking traditional… Continue reading Namibia: What About the Food?
Hard Work. Sacrifice. Journey. Self-discovery. Struggle. Accomplishment. Meaning. Blah blah freaking blah, right? These are a few of the many words that pop up in conversation, or in my head, when it comes to this whole Peace Corps experience. It's so early in my service, but I'm finding myself reflecting on concepts like work, sacrifice,… Continue reading Sacrifice, Hard Work, and Struggle
