Want to donate books?

Dani, my fabulous colleague, sitemate in Mariental, and the "ultimate Peace Corps Volunteer" as I often call her, signed Danie Joubert up for The Library Project.  This project was started to help volunteers is acquiring books for their school libraries and to help people in the U.S. know how about the school and how they can help.  Below is the link to the website for Danie Joubert's Library Project.  On that site is a link to an Amazon.com wish list, so you can chose from the list and have the books shipped directly here for the school's library.  

http://www.thelibraryproject.org/volunteer_display.cfm?VID=1003

Even if you are not interested in donating books, it is still worth checking out the site to read more about the school, Mariental, Namibia, and the project.  Thanks!

Track and Field Day in Mariental

Even though I am not teaching at Danie Joubert, I like to volunteer
to help with school events. This is the school where I run the girls
club. Also, the principal there and his family have been so
welcoming and helpful to myself and other volunteers in Mariental,
past and present. One early Saturday morning (6:45) Megan and I
walked across the street to help out at the Danie Joubert In-House
Athletics. This means it was the school's track and field day.
Megan and I were timers for the grade 1-9 event. It was a long, hot
day, but a lot of fun. We enjoyed getting to know some of the other
teachers and some parents that we worked with. By quarter past five
when the final relay was finished we turned in our stopwatches and
headed home for cold showers and some rest. This was only the in-
house competition. Megan worked the next weekend at the zonal junior
secondary schools' competition and I worked again the weekend after
that at the primary schools' zonal competition. Each day hot, but
not as long and each time feeling like we are a part of a school
community and able to give back to the schools that we work in or with.

fresh paint

It's unfortunate that I do not have good "before" photos to share of
the sitkamer (living room) and kombuis (kitchen), but trust me when I
say they were depressingly ugly.

The cracked, dirty, mint green walls against the heavy, brownish-
yellowish curtains and random, some broken, chairs in the sitkamer
made it almost unbearable to be in there! Now, with a fresh coat of
paint, some different drapes, some fabric over the chairs, a donated
bed to serve as a couch, and a few borrowed chairs for the table it
is an entirely different room! I even felt inspired to decorate
using the ribbon and paper clips that Amy sent for stinging up photos
and cards. The room is much lighter, so the plants are even
happier. Instead of avoiding going into this room, I enjoy spending
time in there when friends come over or watching a movie with Megan
or sitting in the quiet of the morning reading and enjoying a cup of
coffee. Agh, what a transformation!

The kombuis was a dark, gray color with many holes in the walls.
Even with the morning sun coming, it was still dark and gloomy. The
fresh, bright, blue paint makes the room more alive. It even matched
Megan's shirt as she was making tortillas for a Mexican dinner a few
days ago. We only just finished the painting and still need to put a
few things on the walls, so it's not totally complete, but already
better.

It is amazing what a little paint can do to change not only the look,
but the whole feel of a room!

exciting family news

For those of you who know my unforgettable brother, Luke, I have news
to share...

HE IS ENGAGED!! Luke proposed to Rachel on New Year's Eve.
Apparently, it was quite romantic and I am quite impressed with my
brother! Rachel is a wonderful girl and I am very happy for both of
them!

CONGRATULATIONS to Luke and Rachel!!! Just please hold off on the
wedding until I am home from Peace Corps or give me enough warning to
make arrangements to be home. :-)

refreshing holiday at the sea

During the December holiday (it's the same as summer vacation in the
U.S., school closes the beginning of December and reopens mid-
January) I had the opportunity to visit the ocean. Many Namibians go
to the coast at this time of year to escape the heat inland, up to 40C
+! It was nice to have cool, misty days. Even when the sun was out,
the ocean breeze was cool. You have no idea how refreshing coming
from blazing sun and 42C in Mariental! Enough about the
weather...the experiences are more interesting as I...

*visited the seal colony at Cape Cross
*went sea angling with Jaco and his dad and was the only one to catch
any fish
*made sand angels instead of snow angels
*spent Christmas with Jaco's family: parents, sister, cousin, and Ouma and Oupa who
remind me very much of my grandparents with their wit and smart remarks
*enjoyed relaxing afternoons at the beach with more fishing and
making potjiekos (a pot meat and vegetables cooked in a sauce on a fire)

Most importantly, I rested, relaxed, and enjoyed the company I was in
for the holidays! I was able to speak with my family on the phone a
few times, so they did not seem so far away from my holiday at the
sea with Jaco and his family.

I hope that each of you reading this had a blessed Christmas and a
happy New Year!! All the best for 2007!

PADDED ENVELOPES a must

Since July I have not been getting all of the letters or cards that
have been sent my way. I have had friends email and say, "Did you
get my letter, note, card yet?" and then months later I still go to
the mail box with hope. Any piece of mail is greatly appreciated, so
it is frustrating to know that many are lost somewhere between here
and there. When my roommate, Megan, went home for Christmas several
friends asked her if she had received the cards they had sent long
before Christmas. Nothing.

However, there is one monthly parcel that has never failed to reach
our post box: a padded envelope of People magazines. Both Megan and
I have received all the padded envelopes that we know of that have
been sent over. One of mine did go through Japan, just arrived here
later than expected. We've learned that the padded envelope gets
here better than a regular envelope. The moral of the story: even
if you are sending a letter or a card, please put it in a small
padded envelope to give it a better chance of arriving in PO Box 908.

Check back later for a post about my holiday here in Namibia.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Yesterday I heard some jazzy Christmas song about snow on the radio and I nearly started to cry. I thought of my parents' cozy living room with the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I thought of snow and cold outside and warmth of the wood stove inside. Here it is really hot and each day is filled with lots of blazing sun, not the Christmas weather that I am used to. However, this is Christmastime in Namibia. I'm spending Christmas here instead of going home to Wisconsin. I just want to wish all of my family and friends who read this a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! Enjoy the holidays and the winter weather!