The Makuwa Comes to Village

It has been monumental past couple of weeks in PC training so lots to update on. Kicking it off was a visit to my site. My site is a Sangwali Secondary School (grades 8 – 12)  in a small village called Sangwali about 130km SW of Katima. It is rather remote and can be troublesome to travel to, but the village sits along a river and is right up against the a Mamili Nature Park. Getting a little stir crazy from spending the past 6 weeks in training, so I was couldn't wait to get out and explore more of Namibia.  The Thursday before leaving, my school principal Mr. Siloka made the journey down, giving the two of us a chance to get acquainted and exchange some questions. 8AM the next morning, I piled in with my supervisor and my other two Caprivi PC counterparts Lorna and Stephanie and the 1400km journey began. We were fortunate enough to be traveling by Ford Focus as opposed to the much slower and much crowded alternative, combi (16 passenger vans most commonly used as transport across Namibia). Several pit stops were made along the way including the half Wild Foods half Target store known as Super SPAR and acts as the Mecca for all PCVs in Namibia.

As we crept further north  things began to looking like Africa. Soon all the big commercial farms were gone and replaced with clusters of mud hut communities called homesteads. Goats and cattle became ever present road hazards and women carrying buckets and baskets on their heads lined the roads.

We neared the Caprivi Strip just as evening began and two things began to enter my mind. A bit of panic for we had been strongly warned of traveling at night due to the dangers of wildlife crossing the road. Secondly a bit of excitement... well because of the wildlife too. This was elephant country and sitings are common.  Fortunately we did get my wish and came across two elephants on the side of the road. But unfortunately being almost dark and speeding to get through the Strip didn't get the greatest of viewings, but they were impressive and way more intense in the wild.

We got into Katima just after dark, and since none of our principals live in the villages in which they work, the plan was to spend the weekend here. We met up a couple PCVs Kaitlin and Emily living there, who were kind enough to house us three PCTs and act as our tour guide for the weekend. On Saturday, Emily took us around to most of Katima's highlights. First off the crafts market where we dined on the local dish of spinach, fish, and porridge (a white tasteless paste made from corn) and in true Namibia fashion using our hands. For dessert I spoiled myself with some soft served ice cream the first I've spotted in Namibia.

On Sunday I got a ride into Sangwali with my principal. The 130km was a long one with only half the road in being tar and the other half being gravel road. We got into the village just before sunset  and it was just the site I had pictured when I first signed up for the Peace Corps.  Grass huts with stick fences and papaya trees, herds of cattle roaming freely, and children everywhere yelling “Makuwa!” which is Silozi for “white person”. My first evening had just enough time to drop all my stuff at the homestead I’d be staying at, meet my host dad Cebens, and walk down to the river to see the most beautiful sunset I'd seen to date in Africa.

The next morning I got to work observing Namibian classrooms and meeting my future learners and coworkers. I was put on the spot at the morning assembly, and asked to give a speech introducing myself and give some words of encouragement. I slowly and loudly announced who I was, and where I come from (let me tell you it's quite difficult explaining that, yes, there is a “New” Mexico and it is in America to a Namibian), and give the best pep talk I could, but at the end of it all the 300+ just laughed! It wasn't because they were being rude, it was because they had no idea what I just said. Unlike in the city where I was coming from, village learners rarely use English outside of school. So I gave it another go. This time almost painfully slow, and I think I got the message across.

After school went across the yard to take a look at the permanent house I will be moving into beginning in December. At let me say it is the pimpest hut I have ever seen! Grass roof, 2 room – L shaped layout, windows, grass carport, and reed shower out back with a flushing toilet! Something I definitely won't mind calling home for the next 2 years.


Back at the homestead, got my first taste of what it is like to live without electricity or running water. Even had a startling late night encounter with a bat which managed to fly into my hut and cause a ruckus. Induced a bit of culture shock, but I'd be a but disappointed if I had it any other way.

The next day it was time to say bye for now and return to Okahandja with a newly found appreciation of just how good I had it there.

Just Some Photos

Posting a few photos from over the past month. Have a great deal to tell with my site visit being last week, so I'll get a full blog post out soon!

Group 32 summiting Pride Rock.

Culture clash! Traditional Herrera dress w/ lady bug umbrella.

Emerica!  Dorm room life with mosquito netting included.

Family cat outside my homestay.

Sangwali Secondary School.  That's my school!

Wooden bridge into the Sangwali village.

Namtastic

This past weekend was Pre-Service Training (PST) cultural food day. Each language group cooked food specific to their region of Namibia and then brought all the food together to be shared in a potluck. Being in the river rich Caprivi group, fish was big on our menu with sides of corn, beans, and a green vegetable that can be described as a cross between spinach and cabbage. The cooking took all morning in true Namibian style over campfires and was highlighted by the chicken beheadings in which several trainees were nominated to do the honors. Happy to say, I was not one of lucky ones.  After everything was prepared, our host families joined us for lunch and the feast began. I made a point to try a bit everything from each region had to offer ranging from fat cakes, to porridge, to sausage, to large worms which actually was not my least favorite dish. Overall the food was fantastic. If it was any representation of what I can expect when I get to my site, it is safe to say I won't be going hungry in Namibia.

As for the weekdays, I've pretty much settled into a PST routine. Take a run around the neighborhood before classes, doing the best to avoid the angry dogs. Endure 2 – 4 hours of language training till my head is bursting with new vocab and grammar.  Spend lunch in town, shopping for things I may have forgot to bring, or supplementing fruit into my peanut butter and butter sandwich lunch made by the host mom. Followed by 4 hours of culture training of Namibia. Head home, watch the latest sopie with the fam, do some studying and reading, then repeat. Needless to say, I am getting a bit anxious to get out to my site and start teaching, but I'm sure I'll be grateful for all this training once at site.

Caprivi Here I Come

So after the first week of dorm rooms it is time to dive into the Namibian language and culture and move in with our host family. I have been assigned to learn the Solozi language which you may have heard before... Hakuna Matata anyone? It also is awesome, because unlike most Trainees it means I know where in Namibia I will be going for my assignment!  Solozi is only spoken in the little arm of NE Namibia called Caprivi which is just a couple hours away from Victoria Falls and is roamed by crocodiles and elephant herds. Fun History Fact: the reason for this arm is because when Namibia was colonized by the Germans and the boarders drawn up they thought the rivers in this part would lead to the Indian Ocean. Well... it didn't quite make it, oops!

My host family consists of my host mother Mariana, and my two host brothers Ivan who is 28 and Buddy who is 18. Mariana is an extremely generous person and is a secretary at the primary school nearby. Ivan is an accountant in Windhoek and doesn't actually live in the house but comes over often. Buddy is in 10th grade and plays Rugby for his school. They all speak pretty good English but unfortunately no Solozi, so I don't get any practice outside of my classes.

My favorite time of day with my host family is dinner time when we all sit around the TV and watch Sopies. “What are Sopies?” you ask? Well... they are soap operas from Mexico, horrendously dubbed over in English. They are extremely cheesy but the Namibians absolutely love them and they make for excellent discussion the next day with the other Trainees in class. When asked what Sopies we have in America, I tried to explain to them The Office. Let's just say the concept of a show about people working with a crazy boss and no unsolved paternity issues, murders, or long lost twins did not seem to impress them.

I'm here!

So finally after one and a half months of prepping, 17+ hours on a plane, 3 hours of buses, relatively little sleep, I'm here in Namibia! I and 44 other Peace Corps Trainees (as we are called till we are sworn in) are members of Namibia Group 32, a group of mostly Education Volunteers, teaching English, Science, and Math like myself. The rest are involved in a new business development program working with Namibian entrepreneurs to start small businesses. Everyone has been super friendly and outgoing, which has been a helped in a big way to relax and alleviate homesickness. During the many layovers and down time after sessions, we quickly begun the bonding process over card games, movie nights, and even a few drinks. Already I feel like we have known each other for weeks, and know many friendships will be made during my service in Namibia.

For now it on to the orientation and program introduction portion of Peace Corps Training, so for the first week my group is staying at a compound which has a part rehab clinic and part summer camp feel to it. The rooming setup brings me back to my freshman days of college with two trainees to a room and tiny  beds. My roomie is Adam, another Education Trainee from Montana, quite good with the guitar and leader of the daily jam sessions. Totally cliché for the Peace Corps, I know.

During the first day of orientation it came up that other volunteers have referred to Namibia as PC Lite, and I am already beginning to see why. Widespread water and electricity, beautifully sunny days, relatively few diseases, and good beer is beginning to make me feel spoiled, but this is looking great for calling this country my home for the next couple of years.

Me looking over Namibia from Pride Rock.

Contact Information

I'm not in Namibia yet, but some of you have been asking the best way to keep in contact and even send packages (I believe even bike pieces were promised). I should have regular email and internet access for the first three months while I train in Windhoek, but letters might be the best possible way to keep in touch.


Travis Miller, PCT
Peace Corps Office
P.O. BOX 6862
Ausspannplatz
Windhoek, Namibia


No special international stamps are required. Just two first class stamp will do. It's also recommended that you number your letters, in case the letters arrive in a different order in which they were sent. As far as packages here is some advice from past volunteers:

"The best method for sending a care package is by simply using the US postal service. I've found that packages sent in a big padded envelope get here much quicker than a box. Boxes take anywhere from 1 month to 5-6 months. It really varies on this one. I think as a rule of thumb, keep it small. My experience with packages has been diverse: 1 padded envelope sent from California got here in 10 days using regular ground mail. Another package sent from NYC using the more expensive way to send it, got here in exactly 1 week. Other packages took anywhere from 1 month to 2 months. If for some reason you need something shipped that is expensive or important, I know people have used DHL (there is a DHL office in Windhoek)"

Hope this answered all your questions. Let me know if there is anything I've missed and i'll try my best to find an answer. Looking forward to hearing from you guys, and always promise to write you back.

-Travis