Ubuntu

*Disclaimer: The content of this post is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Hello, hello!

So sorry for the delay in updating. Part of it is Wi-Fi, part of it is deciding what to say, part of it is uploading pictures, and the biggest part is questioning what I say. I just need to get over it–you’re just my friends and family, and it doesn’t matter if what I write is funny or well-written, just as long as it’s authentic and hopefully insightful on my experience. I’ll post my next few pretty consecutively (keep in mind I wrote them about every 2 weeks, and will post them that way to portray my thoughts at the time), so it’ll be a bit frequent/text heavy until I get caught up.

So pretend it’s still the end of August and here goes for my first two weeks of arrival in Namibia:

Time is funny. I was at home in Pagosa, surrounded by family, only 2 weeks ago? That doesn’t seem possible, sitting in my new home, surrounded by an array of people (who are quickly becoming family), in another hemisphere. This still doesn’t seem real. This still feels like a dream.

I’m not sure what this post will be. I’m not sure how to sum up my first two Peace Corps weeks. In that time frame, I have never been through such a myriad of emotion. I think I’ve hit the whole spectrum. I won’t give you all the details, I won’t give you the play-by-play. I’ll just try to show you my feelings. Some of them. And talk about people. Because really, people all are life is about.

Let’s take it back to staging. This was the day we all met in Washington D.C. as the 48th cohort sent to Peace Corps Namibia. Imagine a group of 55 eager, anxious, excited people with the same million questions and concerns about starting this journey to teach math and/or science in a place none but one had been before. We had a day of ice breakers, discussions, expectation overviews…standard orientation stuff. I bring this day up because I felt close to so many people already. On Day 1. Fast forward to the next 48 hours, where we got to know each other even better as we navigated ourselves and our bags (praying that we were under the weight limit) through a busy Dulles airport and sat for 14 hours on the back of a plane to Addis Ababa. Then a 2 hour layover turned into 5 hours in a crammed little terminal. Then a 4 hour flight turned into 6 hours to finally get to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Let me tell you that by now I knew most people’s names, backgrounds, and 5-minute elevator life stories. People were immediately open and authentic. It felt like I was back walking the Camino, but better, because these weren’t fleeting interactions. These were meaningful starts to 2+ years of volunteering alongside people who somehow, at the same time, decided to go on this adventure and make this decision to move to Namibia. I say this just to show that I felt so much closer to everyone than time would suggest. We already felt like a family, or a Namily, as we say here. And the last thing we expected was to lose part of that Namily. Yet shortly after our arrival in-country, one of the most vivacious members of Group “Forty-great”, Mitch, passed away. It is not my story to tell and share, so I won’t explain the details. Just know that we are safe and we are well taken care of. Also know that we are mourning. Mourning for a person we already felt so connected to, so inspired by. And we will continue to mourn the loss of Mitch throughout our service and beyond. Through my own ways of processing and grieving, I have felt even closer to my other Peace Corps trainees. I feel honored to be serving with such an amazing cohort of people, who will cope through this loss together. And with whom I already feel such a connection. It’s an amazing thing to feel part of a family so far away from my own. And on my tough days, days where I want to go home or feel fed up of trying to integrate into my community, I’ll think of Mitch and his legacy. And how this journey and this life aren’t guaranteed. I thank Mitch for the brief time I knew him, for inspiring me and 53 others to live life with passion and with courage and with hope. Another concept that’s been helpful during this time is ubuntu, the idea that I am because you are. We all need each other; we are all here because of each other. The importance of community here in Namibia has really helped me cope and process my emotions. Leaning on my fellow volunteers, the PC staff, and local Namibians has already gotten me through low points.

Peace Corps will be hard and I’m sure at times I’ll want to go home, and I just hope this will push me to grow and learn as an individual. So far though, training in general has just been fun! Staff is amazing, and I’m surrounded by really passionate people, an environment I thrive in. We’ve had one-on-one program interviews, some sessions on teaching, language introductions (everyone learns 1 of 8), and lots of exposure to Namibian food (I have no pictures–sorry, I eat too quickly to think about it!). One of my fellow PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees; be ready for 2 years with a lot of acronyms) aptly compared our first 10 days to summer camp or some work retreat. With technical sessions at 8 am, lunch 12-1, yoga at 3, runs before dinner being served at 6 and hostel-type accommodations, transportation, and a gated conference center, life has been pretty outlined and scheduled so far.

Recently, Peace Corps loosened their grip on our hands and sent us to different homestay families based on language groups. My language is Silozi! Unlike some of the other languages, Silozi is really only spoken in the “thumb” of Namibia (the country resembles a right hand) known as the Zambezi region, so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be serving in this region (although I shouldn’t take that for granted and I might end up serving somewhere else, is the disclaimer I’ll quickly throw out there). We’ll see what my reality ends up being though once I get my site announcement (not until October).

My host mom or Boma (b’s are pronounced as v’s in Silozi), is from the Zambezi region and her first language is Silozi, which is great! I also live with her daughter and husband. When I moved in with my host family, I could only ask “how are you” [Mu tozi cwani] and say “my name is Gabby” [Libizo la ka ki na Gabby]. Luckily for me though, Namibians are generally amazing with languages (my host mom knows 5) and since English is the national language, I should be able to get by anywhere. Still, language is extremely important to cultural integration (and just fun) so I’m excited to get better at Silozi. Silozi is not a clicking language (I’ve gotten asked a few times) and it’s of Bantu origin. I can also say with almost complete certainty that you already know some Silozi. Does hakuna matata ring a bell? Yes, thanks to Lion King, I have no worries about Silozi or anything else right now. [Just to clarify, The Lion King is based on Swahili (also a Bantu language), not Silozi, and hakuna matata is just a commonality between the two].

Overall, I’m just so happy to be here! I feel really close to my cohort of PCTs, and that’s an artifact of going through so much together already. We will always have Mitch in our minds as we continue through service, and I know I can remember his positive energy and confidence to get through my own difficult days. Ubuntu will remain a powerful concept in my life, because of Mitch and especially because of you all– the people in my life who have made me who I am, who have inspired me/pushed me/encouraged me/loved me. I am because you are.

If you have any specific questions about my life right now or Namibia in general, email me or ask me through the contact form!

Also, if I could ask a huge favor from everyone: could you send me your favorite recipe? Even if you don’t think I can get a certain ingredient here, I’d love to have them. I forgot to collect recipes before I left and no matter what conditions I live in, I’m going to try to make cooking more of a priority in my life at my site. Peace Corps is all about positive coping mechanisms, and cooking (more accurately eating) is one of mine.

Here’s a few pictures from the first 2 weeks (I’ve been slacking on my picture game, sorry!):

Spent our second or third Saturday sightseeing in Windhoek. This is a mural depicting Namibia’s victory for independence from South Africa (gained in 1990).