Community at Work

People in Namibia are friendly and supportive of each other. That is the aspect of my life here that I will miss the most when I return to the States.

For instance, I missed school last week because I got some flu from the learners. Out of ten teachers, two stopped bye the house, three called/SMSed me to check in, and another two asked my new housemates if I was all right. Granted, I felt and looked like shit and all I wanted to do was sit in bed and ignore the world… but still, you can’t even begin to suggest that they aren’t looking after me. A ton of learners also stopped by to check in, and this weekend they all greeted me super enthusiastically, asked after my health and told me how much they missed me! It’s enough to make you feel loved.

Then today, I asked for the help of one boy. ONE! Dad brought me an audio recorder and I was hoping he could sing one of the local songs for me to remember. When he really understood the project, he returned with a posse of eight. Half an hour later, there were about 20 other faces pressed against my windows, singing along.

People here aren’t isolated. They talk too much, anything. But the thing is, they make the best of it and there is always someone there if you need to shout for help.

Learners, teachers and community members working together to prepare food for the school 'culture day' in Term II

One of the recordings my learners made... I hope this link works?