Photos
Sera Returns to Namibia
The Return of the Volunteer 15 April 2004 “Okonkwo’s return to his native land was not as memorable as he had wished…Umuofia did not appear to have taken any special notice of the warrior’s return. And it was the wrong year too.” —Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe On April 6th, after a mere …
Ekulo, our future school
Ekulo, Our School 26 November 2002 Ekulo I’m sitting at what will be our table in what will be our new home in January. We are doing our site visit or “on the job training” as The Peace Corps calls it. I can hear thunder in the distance, along with the crowing of roosters, mooing …
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving 29 November 2002 “At last the rain came. It was sudden and tremendous. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth. All the grass had long been scorched brown, and the sand felt like live coals to the feet…the …
Latrine of Babel
The Latrine of Babel 2-3 January 2003 Let’s start with a clever joke I came up with: Question: How many Peace Corps Volunteers does it take to build a latrine? Answer: 20. 17 to stand around and 3 to work. We are, after all, government workers. The Peace Corps decided that during our “open space” …
Fish River Canyon
Fish River Canyon May 2004 “Nowhere else in Africa will you find anything quite like Fish River Canyon. Fish River has been gouging out this gorge for aeons, with stunning results. The chasm measures 160km in length and up to 27km in width, and the dramatic inner canyon reaches a depth of 550m. The early …
Bugs
Bugs and lizards Namibia has many unusual (and large) critters. millipede caterpillars “flatty” spider grasshopper cricket cricket beetle dung beetle freak spider termites walking stick praying mantis
6Oct04
No more will be added to THIS. 6 October 2004 On Monday, a hot wind blows through the sandy fields, and I have my last class with 12A. Only half of the class shows up. I am disappointed and a bit angry about the low turn-out. All my grandiose speeches disintegrate. I look at the …
31 Oct 04
Swan Song 31 October 2004 On Monday afternoon a messenger came to our house and said, “Mrs. Arcaro, the secretary is calling you.” When I arrived at the office a few minutes later, the secretary said that a teacher had called from Iipundi Combined School and wanted to talk to me, something about the AIDS …
30Sep04
Crime and Punishment 30 September 2004 ______________________ Mr. Nuushona After the August holiday, Mr. Nuushona, the grade 11 English teacher, didn’t return to school. The principal informed the teaching staff that Mr. Nuushona had been “beaten by thugs” in Ongwediva and was currently in the hospital. No one seemed very disturbed by this. A week …
28 Nov 04
A Few Memories 28 November 2004 Hello Everybody! How did you do on that pop quiz? If you failed miserably, here is one last chance to brush up on your understanding of Namibia. This is REALLY the last e-mail from Ekulo. Here are a few stories that, although short, are reflective of my experiences here. …