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Zac Writes a Letter
Hark! Zac writes a letter. 8 August 2004 Sera and I are wrapping up our penultimate term here at Ekulo. Five down, one to go. The learners are busy writing exams and we teachers are busy marking them. Actually, none of my exams have been given yet, so I get to sit around while Sera …
Sources of Self-Esteem
A Treatise on “Sources of Self-Esteem in Namibia” subtitled “Sera Plays God” 5 August 2004 “Oftentimes a volunteer in a foreign country can become overwhelmed with feelings of incompetence. This can be a result of cultural blunders, the complete lack of foreign friends, or learners that don’t seem to learn, making the volunteer feel inept …
Beheading Chickens and Battling the Ministry
Beheading Chickens and Battling the Ministry 4 June 2004 The second school term has started up again and on the 27th of May, I taught my first class of grade 12 English. It’s ironic how, due to my surgery and dismissal from The Peace Corps, I ended up with my dream schedule. This term I …
Nambia Scenery
Namibian Scenery Owamboland (Northern Namibia) “The Owambo landscape is characterized by flat, sandy plains dotted with makalani palms, patches of savanna and mopane forest. Its semi desert climate is characterized by cool nights and hot days; summertime temperatures can climb to over 105F. Owamboland is the homeland of the Owambo people, Namibia’s largest population group. …
Kavango Zambezi
Kavango & Zambezi Rivers May 2004 click here to read the e-mail about our trip to the Kavango and Zambezi Rivers
A Day of Learning
A Day of Learning 31 July 2004 Today I took the HIV/AIDS club on a field trip to visit the New Start Voluntary Counseling and HIV Testing Center, located in Oshakati, a town about 120 km to the north of Ekulo. Of course, it began with a fiasco. I don’t have to utilize any acting …
Raucana Falls
Ruacana Falls March 2004 “The dramatic 85m Ruacana Falls was once a natural wonder, but all that changed thanks to Angola’s Calueque Dam, 20km upstream, and NamPower’s Ruacana power plant. On the rare occasions when there’s a surfeit of water, Ruacana returns to its former glory as one of the most spectacular sights on the …
A Lesson in Conformity
(a lesson in conformity) 30 July 2004 “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. But when in 12B…” It’s first period, Tuesday morning, the last week of classes before exams. I’m sitting at my desk, hurriedly marking a composition and waiting for the 12B learners to trickle in. Kristine enters first and I ask, …
People of Namibia
People of Namibia
The Teacher
The Teacher 2 July 2004 “Perhaps down in his heart, Okonkwo was not a cruel man.” —Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe “Teaching,” she writes with a red pen, “is-” She stops. The teacher is sitting in her storeroom during a break between classes, eating an oatmeal cookie. She struggles to recapture the grandeur …