Celebrations

Oshiwambo girls and a multi-culture choirIt is Sunday and I slept in to 7:30am. I usually wake up between 5:30-6:00 with my alarm set for 6:30 on school days. During the winter, now, I am expected in the staff room by 7:30. The rest of the year, teachers report at 7:00. My body clock makes me earlier and so it is especially nice when it allows me to sleep in. I guess my body was saying, ‘rest’, due to this busy week.

Tuesday was filled with many events combined into one day of celebration with no classes. It was Entrepreneurship Day where the learners set up tents to sell food/drink, one group brought in a pool table and another set up a Photo Booth. The money goes to the school clubs/groups that raise the money. All during the day, there was a powerful art exhibit about emotions made available from the local German organization.

After break, and there is always a tea break, we all moved to the Hall for the Day of the African Child celebrations. This included music and dance and short skits from the various cultures , including Oshiwambo, Otjiherero, Nama/Damara, Afrikaans, and German. The learners out did themselves with fun and laughter.

We returned in the evening for a professional pianist concert who then played/conducted our Brass Band. This was followed by a multi-choir event which included an Internationally awarded German school choir that we were hosting. Our school choir performed as well as several local youth choirs that also include some of our learners. The finale included a couple songs with all the combined choirs. It was awesome!

Wednesday found me watching the girls’ win the Netball Classic Clash against Etosha for the 4th consecutive year. Thursday, I had dinner with PCV Sam and his parents who are visiting from Chamblee, GA. It felt somewhat like a visit from home. Sam’s mom is a Returned PCV, she served in Lesotho about 30 years ago. It was especially interesting to hear her positive perspectives on our country and service.

This weekend has been dedicated to preparing for the end of the term, making sure that I am covering all the required syllabi. I still manage to play with the babies, go for my daily walk, and I am finally rewatching/watching Stars Wars since I only watched the original 3 episodes back in the day. This is a multi-week task.

I am expecting an overnight PCV visitor today. I will prepare dinner, something that is not time sensitive since travel times are very unpredictable, especially coming from a rural village.

All for now with all my love