3/31
So let me start by giving a quick recap of my actual days at work in the Ministry of Health office. For the most part, it was very low key. My supervisor really didn’t have anything for us to do, so I pretty much just checked my email, Facebooked, and did some homework that Peace Corps gave us about cultural norms and language in relation to Opuwo.
As for Opuwo itself, it’s a gorgeous town. There’s one main grocery store, which has the basic food items and is just a short walk from my flat. There’s also a couple other stores that are very similar to an Aldi store back home. All of the grocery stores in town though seemed to have a lack of good produce, so that was a bummer :( Gone are the days of having to pick which variety of apples I want from a sea of 10-12 varieties. Just goes to show that you never really appreciate all the varieties of fruits and veggies until they’re gone.
There’s also two PCVs, some VSOs (Voluntary Service Opportunity, similar to the Peace Corps but applicants can be from different countries such as England and Holland) and a few expats living in Opuwo. So that’ll be really nice having a support network of people that are going through the same adjustment and culture shock that I am.
On Wednesday, Elizabeth and I were going to take a Ministry of Health car back to Okahandja (for free!), but the ride didn’t end up working out. So instead we took a combi back. At 6am that morning, I woke up to be ready for a 7am ride out of Opuwo. But in true Namibian fashion, we didn’t leave until 10am. With everything going on lately, I’ve been trying to see the positive though. So this slight change of plans gave me time to people watch and just collect my thoughts about what this week at my permanent site had been like. And so I sat in the combi with my guava oshikandela (a yogurt/milk kind of drink) and just relaxed.
Then around 10am, we left Opuwo for Okahandja. Although the combi was full--about 15 people packed in, the quiet ride back to training was just what the doctor ordered. It was so nice to just spend the day with the windows open and the breeze blowing. Plus, the scenery was gorgeous. The green hills definitely reminded me of Vermont. My new home away from home. I could definitely get used to this scenery as my backyard for the next two years. Every so often the driver would beep his horn and I would glance up to notice a bunch of cattle on the road. Oh Namibia. At the same time though, I still haven’t gotten used to this scenery. I never thought Africa would be this green. Throughout the 8 hour drive, I passed by endless green fields of trees, mountains and animals. There were no billboards or even huge skyscrapers blocking the horizon. Just green all around. So nice.
Then when I got home to Okahandja, my host mom came home wiht a delicious pizza from Okahandja Lodge (a really nice lodge and restaurant in town). It was so yummy! Had some olives, sausage, green and red peppers and lots of cheese--so good! Definitely hit the spot.
The down of the day though was the internet. Just as I’ve been getting used to having free internet from 1am-5am, they go and change it with out anyone’s knowledge. Not cool. I had N$220 on my internet stick and it was wiped from my account and kicked me off the internet when I was in the middle of Skyping with my Mom & Dad. I was so upset. These next two years is definitely going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I can already tell.
I later learned that the internet provider did away with the free internet from 1-5am and instead implemented a new promotion. Now you pay N$10 per week and have unlimited internet from midnight-6am. I just hope that I have a good enough internet connection in Opuwo so that I can Skype with friends and family from back home. I guess we’ll see!
So let me start by giving a quick recap of my actual days at work in the Ministry of Health office. For the most part, it was very low key. My supervisor really didn’t have anything for us to do, so I pretty much just checked my email, Facebooked, and did some homework that Peace Corps gave us about cultural norms and language in relation to Opuwo.
As for Opuwo itself, it’s a gorgeous town. There’s one main grocery store, which has the basic food items and is just a short walk from my flat. There’s also a couple other stores that are very similar to an Aldi store back home. All of the grocery stores in town though seemed to have a lack of good produce, so that was a bummer :( Gone are the days of having to pick which variety of apples I want from a sea of 10-12 varieties. Just goes to show that you never really appreciate all the varieties of fruits and veggies until they’re gone.
There’s also two PCVs, some VSOs (Voluntary Service Opportunity, similar to the Peace Corps but applicants can be from different countries such as England and Holland) and a few expats living in Opuwo. So that’ll be really nice having a support network of people that are going through the same adjustment and culture shock that I am.
On Wednesday, Elizabeth and I were going to take a Ministry of Health car back to Okahandja (for free!), but the ride didn’t end up working out. So instead we took a combi back. At 6am that morning, I woke up to be ready for a 7am ride out of Opuwo. But in true Namibian fashion, we didn’t leave until 10am. With everything going on lately, I’ve been trying to see the positive though. So this slight change of plans gave me time to people watch and just collect my thoughts about what this week at my permanent site had been like. And so I sat in the combi with my guava oshikandela (a yogurt/milk kind of drink) and just relaxed.
Then around 10am, we left Opuwo for Okahandja. Although the combi was full--about 15 people packed in, the quiet ride back to training was just what the doctor ordered. It was so nice to just spend the day with the windows open and the breeze blowing. Plus, the scenery was gorgeous. The green hills definitely reminded me of Vermont. My new home away from home. I could definitely get used to this scenery as my backyard for the next two years. Every so often the driver would beep his horn and I would glance up to notice a bunch of cattle on the road. Oh Namibia. At the same time though, I still haven’t gotten used to this scenery. I never thought Africa would be this green. Throughout the 8 hour drive, I passed by endless green fields of trees, mountains and animals. There were no billboards or even huge skyscrapers blocking the horizon. Just green all around. So nice.
Then when I got home to Okahandja, my host mom came home wiht a delicious pizza from Okahandja Lodge (a really nice lodge and restaurant in town). It was so yummy! Had some olives, sausage, green and red peppers and lots of cheese--so good! Definitely hit the spot.
The down of the day though was the internet. Just as I’ve been getting used to having free internet from 1am-5am, they go and change it with out anyone’s knowledge. Not cool. I had N$220 on my internet stick and it was wiped from my account and kicked me off the internet when I was in the middle of Skyping with my Mom & Dad. I was so upset. These next two years is definitely going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I can already tell.
I later learned that the internet provider did away with the free internet from 1-5am and instead implemented a new promotion. Now you pay N$10 per week and have unlimited internet from midnight-6am. I just hope that I have a good enough internet connection in Opuwo so that I can Skype with friends and family from back home. I guess we’ll see!
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