Kindergarten Placement 3, Tupandeni - 30/11/11

Our third kindergarten was one of two with the fewest resources, Tupandeni. Shade is offered by three small trees and there was no real shelter. The position of the class will slowly change with the suns position to avoid having any children in the hot sun for too long. Lessons are taken out in the sand and if it rains too much the day is called off.

In our week there we were lucky enough to have cloudy weather and so it was slightly cooler than usual. We did the usual activities with the teachers and kids that we have tried in other kindergartens. The Hokey Cokey was also introduced which the teacher asked to be written down for her to do in the future. An emphasis was also put on positive feedback, praise, instead of just telling the children off or twisting their ears.



The activity that we hadn’t done before and stood out was sand castles. Since the rain had fallen over night the sand was mouldable and so armed with plastic cups the kids got to work building. One made a house (or the floor plan at least) and her friends placed their bags in the storage room once being welcomed through the entrance and given a tour. A couple of boys built forts and used sticks to make trebuchets and acted out medieval battles. There were imaginative creations as well as very neat, practical buildings – a skill that may prove useful as many build their homes here out of mud and sticks. Ester built a six-legged turtle, the six-legged part being added after realising she had forgotten what a turtle looked like and built too many limbs. What animals look like seems to be a problem for members of the team. One, Toni, said "Wow, is that a lion?" and I had to correct her telling her it was a donkey. Another, Kiera, was drawing a pig and asked "I've forgotten what pigs look like, do they have mouths?".

Behaviour in the kindergarten varied. There was one child who could potentially cry all day for no reason and if you try to help her she would thump you. Some of the older girls showered their authority through fighting but in general they were a well behaved group. In fact the largest problem, as with a lot of the kindergartens, was eating…eating of the objects found on the floor. Among many other items nail polish, wires and glass are just some examples. The nail varnish was being sucked from the lid and when I removed it from the child’s mouth she, of course, burst into tears.

Kindergarten Placement 2, Pandureni - 15/11/11 [Photos to Come]

Compared to Austen, Pandureni kindergarten was far more limited in terms of resources. They had one building which is due to be knocked down since it is dangerous and a tree for shelter. Inside the building it was sandy and had no lights, only the uncovered doors and windows. No posters were on the walls. If something needed to be stuck on the wall the teacher would ask the children to spit out gum if they were chewing it to use it as blue tac. Cooking was done outside but we only saw food once all week because they ran out. There was a building with a toilet in but not to the standard you can expect in the UK.

The younger children were taught in the building and the ones due to go to primary school were kept under the shadow of the tree. Tables and chairs were provided but were stored in the teacher’s home and the children would run back and forth to collect them as well as other materials. Since one teacher was ill on our first day we took the younger children, teaching them body parts and introducing discipline, usually getting a misbehaving individual to do the activity on their own in front of the class. One occasion Ester bought a child to the front and got the rest of the kids to laugh at him – a technique I wasn’t too keen on but preferred to the usual stick melee to the head the teachers offered.

For the rest of the week we helped with the older children since we noticed they were nowhere near ready for primary school. In Namibia schools are taught in English and these kids had only ever written in the sand. When we got them to write on paper letters were sideways, upside down and reversed. Only a few could get close to writing their own names. So writing was the area focused on for the week. Also shapes were unknown, some not even the teacher knew and we are talking basics – square, rectangle, triangle and circle. So we taught the teacher and she began to teach the children.

Similar games were played with the children as were in Austen. Both kindergartens loved bulldog style games, if you remember bulldog from school days. Some just wanted to be picked up so would run at you presenting their arms, but most enjoyed the challenge of dodging us. Once out they would still enjoy just watching their friends being caught. Football is also always popular with the children, as well as a relay game where they are in two queues and must pass a ball back between their legs and the last in the queue runs to the front. Frequently a smaller child would fall backwards causing a domino effect. Running around was always well received despite the copious amounts of thorns lodging themselves in the children's feet.

At the end of the week the teachers told me they had learnt a lot and were very thankful for our help and so I hope they have taken something away to continue a great job there.

Kindergarten Placement 1, Austen - 15/11/11

Our placements are with the kindergartens of the Mehozetu project. Most start at 8am and finish at 12am and can have anywhere between 40 and 150 kids.

My work partner Ester and I were placed for the first two weeks in a kindergarten called Austen. Out of the ten possible kindergartens I would put Austen in the top four. It had about 60 children. They have a couple of rooms in a church – one to take classes in and the other for cooking and storage. Resources were pretty good too, there are posters on the walls (colours, shapes, animals, numbers and alphabet); tables and chairs for both the children and the teachers; a hob oven for cooking; a couple of footballs; and plenty of paper/pens/colouring books etc. On top of this they had a three walled metal barn with concrete floor outside and a big tree, both offering plenty of shade.



On most days a good lunch was cooked for everyone. On a day where the water had gone down (usually due to rain in the area and we are now entering rainy season) no food or drink was provided. There also was no toilet so children would run off and wee in the bushes.

Each kindergarten has a black box with pre-primary starter packs including things like bean bags and puzzles. Austen had more than most in the box but the organisation of it was an issue. Teachers would hand out puzzles to each table but all the puzzles were mixed together. It is difficult enough for the kids to complete a puzzle without the pieces being mixed. The same went for other game such as a board with shapes cut into it with corresponding pieces to place in.

Our main job is to offer help to the teachers, all of which are volunteers, giving them new ideas and empowering them. Here the teachers were very willing to try new things and if we suggested an activity or even took a session they both would happily join in. This is great since once we go they will be left to their own devices. Others have said their teachers will leave or sleep for hours at a time during the day so this was brilliant news for Austen.

Most the children could read and write their names but something like the alphabet, days of the week or counting was less familiar. Sure they could sing the days of the week to the tune of Oh my Darling Clementine (or Cher Lloyd’s Swagger Jagger if you wish) but if you were to point at the word ‘Wednesday’ they were lost. This very regimental chanting carried over to all the previously mentioned. Ester and I focused on the alphabet and colours so asked the teachers to request the kindergarten kids to collect bottle caps so we could make letter counters. On the way home that day we saw lots of them already searching through the sand for the lids. We also bought some cheap coloured, plastic bangles. We introduced activities to the teachers to help the kids identify between letters and colours in ways other than just remembering a list.

Ester decided it would be nice to hold a photo day for them as most hadn't even seen a picture of themselves. All the children turned up in their cleanest attires and had their hair done smartly. With my digital camera we photographed each child, printed out the photos at a local shop and got the kids to make frames. They were all grinning, showing one another and laughing and so it was good to give them something to take home.

The first two weeks ended with the fun camp I previously blogged about where our kindergarten wore necklaces with their name and coloured beads. They performed a selection of songs that the teachers taught them.

Mehozetu Fun Camp - 12/11/11

Rundu sports centre hosted a fun camp for the children from our kindergartens on 4th November. The GX team played a massive part, working along side the teachers, to organise the activities and run the event.

Due to start at 8am (which means arrive at 9am in Namibia) the groups of children, making up around 550 in total, began to arrive. A common way of transportation here is a 'backy'. Whenever I get a lift from my host family this is how I travel. It is essentially an open backed truck (pick up truck) and the passengers just sit on the edge of the trailer part – no belts or seats. Being groups of up to 80 kids at a time the backies they came in had a large fencing around, the kind of vehicle seen to carry sheep or pigs. Adults wouldn't be allowed to travel in these conditions in England, no doubt groups of 3 to 7 year olds.

Arriving dressed accordingly to their chosen themes, e.g. rainbow, doctors/nurses, Noah's Ark and cats, the kindergartens climbed up the arena style seating. Between each level of seating was a massive chasm, some with a drop as high as 7 feet. Shoes and bags became victim to these gaps throughout the day however the children themselves were fine (even if they did decide to follow their sandals down under the seating to get them back). Once all seated each group presented a little show – some did traditional dances, others songs. A couple did games such as a version of marco polo, an interesting choice of performance.

After all the performances had been 'watched' by the restless children they took part in the stations we put together. Parachute games, facepaint, marshmallows hanging from strings, tug of war and the one I was situated on, obstacle courses. This consisted of crawling under a net, stepping through tyres, balancing bean bags then dribbling balls around cones. Not speaking their language some parts weren’t understood. Not a single group dribbled the balls and just booted them instead. Often it resorted to me slapping bean bags on kids heads and letting them run around. Another group just wanted me to throw bean bags at them and let them chase after. However they all seemed to have fun with the activities.



One volunteer, Gareth, got so frustrated with the non-English speaking children that he started saying "Look, at the end of the day this is for your benefit and not mine..." and continued to moan about their lack of cooperation with tug of war.

After all the activities disintigrated into madness they started lunch which we had packed the night before. The day went very well and we were all relieved it was finished – I have just submitted a small article to Mike, a Mehozetu worker, to pass on to national papers so hopefully a copy of that will be appearing on here soon with photos.

[Update: Here is the link to the news article.]

Global Citizenship Day - 12/11/11

As part of the programme every Wednesday a counterpart pair must hold a 'Global Citizenship Day' (GCD) with the aim to educate the team and maybe others about big global issues. Without conferring with me, AM nominated us to take the first one giving us just a week to prepare. Not having much time to research any areas we spoke to our host family to see what issue was a problem in Rundu – poverty was chosen with the theme "Collective action to combat poverty in our surroundings".

Accommodating for 400 students and a part of the only university in Namibia, Rundu campus was the host to our 'Global Citizenship Day' (GCD). I took the morning session with the GX team defining poverty and discussing causes of it. A lot of in depth discussions took place which made my job easier as all I had to do was listen. As a final activity I got the team to choose specific parts of the morning's session that we'd want to bring up on the evening panel we had organised.

Gareth and AM represented us on the panel along with several chairpersons from societies from the university. A concept paper on the topic and theme was given to each panellist who researched the topic. The panel discussion took place in the evening and members of the university as well as the GX team were in the audience. Starting late (in Namibia it is fashionable to turn up to events, no matter how formal, around an hour late) and with the first rain and thunder/lightning of the rainy season smashing on the roof the discussion began. A lot was drowned out by rain but the majority was ok. One topic that kept arising for some strange reason was whether China was impoverished or not despite being over populated. The assumption by most panellists, who knew nothing of China, was there is no poverty in China, much to the annoyance to a particular UK volunteer with Asian roots.

Finally a social worker who we managed to talk into coming the day before gave a speech on the topic. My favourite cause of poverty she gave was along the lines of Namibian men having five girlfriends then getting them all pregnant and being unable to provide for them.
This post is just to inform you of some of the work we are doing outside of the Mehozetu Project. Since we have had a GCD on alcohol and drug abuse and we have health, crime, unemployment and several other topics to be covered.

Host Home - 01/11/11

We are living in host homes (HH) with our counterpart. The idea of a host home is that we are essentially given a temporary family for our stay and we must adapt to their way of living.

The Building we are Staying in

Initial impressions of the HH weren't great. It was the first time away from the rest of the group and so was overwhelming and scary. After having a meeting with Ngongo (the head of the house) and his wife about our volunteer/host agreements all seemed less worrying. One item discussed was household chores. Ngongo and his wife laughed at the idea of us helping with the dishes and explained "If you were girls, then yes we would want you to, but you are boys!" Namibia is looking good.

The house consists of three buildings. I will discuss two, the guest house where we are staying and the toilet building.

Bedroom
Our bedroom is small and extremely hot. Even writing this I was sweating. We have a fan and a radio and two single beds with mosquito nets. The wall does not meet the roof all the way around and the roof is corrugated metal. I have had a potentially poisonous spider by my bed the whole duration of my stay. Our room is, however, the only in the guest building that has a concrete floor, covered with a loose carpet. The other rooms are all sandy and yet to be completed. Our neighbouring room has people staying there on the floor every so often.

Our Bedroom

Dining Room
Again, concrete walls with a metal roof. The floor is sand. We are given a tiny table and bring our plastic chairs from our room through to sit on. Still, it's a roof and is safe. The stray dogs often pop their heads through the door whilst we eat.

The Dining Room

Bathroom
A separate building to all others. It has a sink, a toilet and a shower but no hot water. This is actually one of the better bathrooms here in Rundu. Others are just holes in the ground with sheets held up by sticks to cover. I have accidentally witnessed a man taking a dump else where.

The Insect Infested Shower

Residents
The house is on quite a large plot of sand with a couple of trees and a shelter where the women cook. There are always different people here and they come and go, including a dozen or so children. Ngongo has 10 children in total, 9 of them boys (good sperm) and the older ones help with his business. There are three dogs that live there. I asked Ngongo and he said they are his but they don't have names and his ownership of them is based on the fact he found them in his garden. Also one cat. One person is only seen around dinner time when he gets hungry - the rest of his time is spent at the bar. The mother doesn't speak English but we can greet each other in Afrikaans.

Picking Up Women Namibian Style - 01/11/11

To sum up mens' attitude towards women in Namibia I recall one comment made to me by a Namibian male: "Why don't you take [girls name]?". The important word is 'take' and this is literally a common way of thinking: women are there for the taking.

Now, I'm not trying to make out that I or the men of Britain are all perfect gentlemen. We're not. Most of us have done our fair share of insensitive chauvinistic acts. However Namibian men are repeat offenders and openly discuss it with a level of pride. Long story short I quote a volunteer who has been here for a while "Namibian men cheat."

I know this sounds like a nasty stereotype but I am yet to talk to a man here who has shown me otherwise. Having a girlfriend doesn't stop you being single; dating multiple women is a skill to flaunt; and excessively complimenting women is a sure way to get them into the sack. The sweet talk is a topic I will discuss further – the art of chatting up.

It isn't uncommon for a man to stand staring shamelessly at a women in a bar. If you want to speak to a girl then forget all social etiquette you already know. Point at the girl until she notices you then with a small hand gesture summon them over. Now, small talk still plays a part in chatting up in this culture but the talk is really kept small. Just "Hello, how are you?" and an introduction will suffice. Next step, tell them to give you their number. Tell – not ask. Maybe as she leaves request their company sometime. Company, I can only assume, is of a sexual nature, or 'being welcomed' as some have put it so nicely.

Alternatively the initial contact doesn't have to be pointing. If a friend knows a passer-by then you can just yell the strangers name. Then, of course, wave over and continue as above. What they are doing doesn't matter – a man's needs are for more important.

Once you have successfully done one of the mentioned methods move onto the next lady. Loaded with female numbers the smooth talk starts. "Beautiful lady" or "you are the one" are common phrases used in back to back phone calls to different women. "I love you" certainly lacks meaning and is just a tool for woo-ing. Admittedly this isn't unheard of in the UK either.

You won't be surprised that the multiple-person-dating isn't reciprocated by the more honest, loyal half of our species – women. This would be out of order. Double-standards at it's best.

I, myself, and what I hope is the same for most men, have never cheated and don't intend to. Still, I must praise the men of Namibia for being able to keep up with several girls at once. Keeping one happy is hard enough work in my opinion. Also the girls must be given credit for their tolerance. We have warned the Namibian guys that these tactics in the UK may attract a slap.

Hair Cut - 31/10/11

AM wanted a haircut. I foolishly saw this as an opportunity to fix my disaster of a hair-do previously cut by a friend who had never cut hair before. She left me with a very well defined layer near the front of my head. It looked like a toupee on top of a long fringe. Surely a Rundu salon can save it.

AM and I got a taxi to a tiny concrete building that didn't look too different to an old bunker; the type you might find by a canal that has been taken over by coke addicts as a drug den. The only difference visible from outside are the words 'Beauty Salon' painted on. Instead of a canal there was sand and inside instead of crack addicts there were men armed with clippers. Lighting was very dim and the furniture was tatty, there was a picture of Will Smith among other men with hairstyles beyond the capability of the hairdressers here. Of course a large mirror was on the wall and there was an extension cord for the shavers. Compared to most salons here (which there are many) this was nice. Others were just metal or wooden huts, one of which cleverly named 'Tacky Hair Salon'.

I told AM I wanted a trim, just a little shorter. AM explains. The barber offers to remove my stubble too at no extra cost. Why not accept a free shave? Besides most don't shave themselves here.

Covered in sweat with my hair sticking to my face I am sat down to begin. No washing, combing or touching of the hair was done. Zee, the barber, started by getting a clipper and diving straight in with no grade attached, removing chunks from my fringe. Once most my fringe has disappeared he moves on to the chin. No foam or water, just the scorching hot, blunt, unclean electric razor. The pain was comparable to that of when I got my tattoo. Sharp hot pain hit me every time the razor touched my skin. My head was flinching back on every contact as a natural reflex. Once finished, to my relief, he holds up a bottle. I asked what it was and he replied "A spirit". It stung like a bitch and smelt like a very cheap vodka.

I looked in the mirror and he asked if it was OK. Being in such poor lighting I thought it did. I paid the N$15. AM took the seat next as I waited with a sore neck. Half way through his cut Zee asked me for N$10 to buy a beer. I said no as a drunk man with razors is a bad idea.

When I got home I washed off the blood covering my neck and checked the hair in my pocket mirror. It turns out it does not look OK. Not OK by a long way. I have normal-ish hair up until my fringe where I have uneven shaved hair going back onto my head an inch or two. Some hair from further back almost covered the shipwreck of a hairstyle but not enough. I have worn a hat ever since.

In passing a few days later we popped in to say hi since AM knew them quite well. When about to leave Zee stopped AM and took all his change out of his pocket for a beer and said his next hair cut will be free.

Rundu Taxis - 30/10/11

One might see a taxi in Rundu and assume the procedure is the same as of those in the UK. However, there are several differences which I feel need to be mentioned.
At home it is advantageous financially to catch a taxi with a friend or two to split the cost, rather than travel alone. In Rundu it is charged per head at a flat rate. If staying on the main roads within the town it is N$8 (8 Namibian Dollars, where £1 is approximately N$12) and doubles if you want to be dropped down a more difficult road (e.g. deep sand roads); travelling from opposite ends of town; or travelling after 22:00.

This means drivers don't have to take the shortest route – not that this stopped my taxi driving through hedges and over a dusty football pitch. No quickest routes and charging per head means the more people in the taxi the better it is for the driver; regardless of destination. Consider two people, Paul and Frank, say, who wanted to go to different destinations. Paul and Frank are unacquainted. Paul is picked up first but Frank's location is slightly out the way. The taxi will pick up Frank, drop him off, then drop Paul off maybe slightly later than initially thought. Both are charged N$8. Simple.

To get a taxi you can phone for one. By that I mean literally one. You can call the driver if you are lucky enough to have their mobile number. No taxi agencies to send out taxis for you. Alternatively, and usually more conveniently, you can just wave one down.

Not all the taxi drivers are to be trusted. My colleague Gareth somehow ended up catching an illegal taxi where the driver was drinking a beer whilst driving and tried charging him four times the usual rate. A few others on our team got into a 4-seater taxi despite there being 5 who wanted to travel. This is seen quite often. On this particular occasion the driver was pulled over by the police for carrying too many people. The driver then told the police he had no license and was charged a fine of N$1000, which he haggled down to N$300. Whether he had a license or not is not clear since apparently it is easier to claim you don't have one and take a fine rather than take points on your license.

Credit must be given to the honest taxi drivers of Rundu though since most the roads are dust or deep, loose sand. It is often hard to see due to dust clouds left by the driver in front. Also it is extremely difficult to navigate the sand tracks without sinking. In the latter case speed is key to keep momentum making a lot of taxi journeys bumpy. Also most the streets don't have names and the houses no numbers and so landmarks such as schools and pubs are used for direction.

I will leave you with a money saving tip. If you ever find yourself travelling in Rundu always claim you only have N$5 (or N$10 if travelling in a pair) and the drivers usually accept.