straight from a Namibian village

African Differences
Tuesday, 13 April, 2010

You know how telemarketers have an uncanny ability to know when you’re eating dinner? I noticed yesterday that I haven’t had a telemarketer call in all the time I’ve been in Namibia. I don’t think that exists here. Kind of a perk. But the annoyance that has replaced it is having random villagers show up at school wanting to buy recharge for their cell phones. That I sell. I wouldn’t sell it if the previous volunteer hadn’t, but on the first day of year one, I was asked if I had any to sell. So I caved pretty fast and started selling it. I hate selling it. People will come to where I work and pull me out of class to buy it. I don’t show up to your work and interrupt what you’re doing! Well, you probably don’t have a job, so I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to, but I wouldn’t anyway!

Today during study someone came from town with suitcases full of clothes. There’s a new shop that he’s working for and trying to get the name known to more people. So for at least half an hour, most of the teachers played dress up in the staff room while learners ran wild and didn’t study for their exams for tomorrow. A traveling salesman for clothes. Who knew that existed…

Things I have in my fridge right now…chocolate chip cookie dough to make a few each day so I don’t eat all the cookies at once and because they’re so much better when they’re warm, homemade humus and homemade guacamole. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to the store bought stuff of anything. It tastes so much better when it’s homemade!

Chickens
Sunday, 18 April, 2010

One time I was a vegetarian because I wouldn’t kill an animal so I wasn’t going to ask someone else to do it for me, among other reasons, but that’s how it started. Then I moved to Namibia, where I added chicken to my diet because that’s what a vegetarian eats here and it was just easier to tell people I could eat chicken than always have to plan way ahead if I wanted to eat at someone’s house and worry that I wouldn’t be able to eat anything.

On New Year’s Eve at Nicky’s house, I was present for the chase around the homestead for the 3 chickens that would be killed the next day. All the kids ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. So I know what a chicken hunt looks like. And I know enough Thimbukushu to pick out the topic and I know the word “shushwa” is chicken.

Today after getting back early from town, I went to Joseph’s house, the brother for Djami. I hadn’t been to Djami’s house since his burial in November, 2 days after Thanksgiving. I met his family during that time and felt like it would be really hard to visit them without the funeral reason. Then on Friday Joseph told me his mom wants to give me maize. I promised to go on Sunday.

Joseph wasn’t there when I showed up, but I was with 2 other learners, and we sat with Joseph’s sisters and extended family of little kids who are ridiculous and entertaining, while one sister cooked porridge and Lucky Star fish. We all shared a meal together and then the chicken chase ensued. At first I wasn’t sure why, but figured out they wanted to give me a chicken. I joined in, almost caught a chicken as it was chased back into the homestead through a hole in the fence, but no chicken was caught. Apparently tomorrow morning Joseph will come to school with a chicken for me.

To prove to myself that eating chicken is ok, I have to kill one. And I’ve asked some learners if I can do it at their homes, and everyone has said yes. Well, now it looks like I’ll have a chicken at my house to kill. And none of the knowledge or tools to do it! I guess I’ll have some learners over for dinner tomorrow!

Roosters
Monday, 19 April, 2010

It wasn’t a chicken, I got a rooster this morning. Its feet were tied and I didn’t know what to do with it. So I cut the ties and set it free in my yard. But it could fly over the fence if it wanted and I’d never see it again. I didn’t know what to do with it.

So like any sane adult, I asked my learners what I should do, after I asked the adults and didn’t like most of their answers. I first asked Siyanga by starting with, “I have a problem, though I don’t think it’s a problem in your culture.” She laughed and told me it’d probably escape and I’d never see it again. It didn’t escape and I did see it again.

Sihope had seen me receive the gift and asked me what I was going to do with it. He’d received a goat over the weekend as a gift and also doesn’t have a place for it, so it’s staying with someone else’s goats. He told me I could sell it.

I asked Kutenda if he has chickens at his home. Yes, are you looking for one? No, I have a rooster and I don’t know what to do with it, will you buy it? I felt guilty about selling a gift I’d just received, but I’m going on vacation in a week, for 3 weeks, and chickens are not solitary creatures, so for now, until I get more chickens (the plans for a coop are in the works), I really just don’t have a home that’s set up for livestock. He accepted. So I sent boys out to catch the rooster again, which was easier this time around, and sent it to Kutenda’s home. I got N$25.

Then tonight, the meaning of getting a rooster as a gift was explained to me by Ricky. When you are given a rooster, it’s given as a gift of protection and you have to make sure it’s kept safe. I know it’s not about to become dinner, and I’m really glad I didn’t have to eat it! I asked Kutenda if they would eat it - no. I knew already that receiving a chicken as a gift was a big deal. But I didn’t know the meaning behind receiving a rooster. So the family is offering me protection. And it’s Djami’s family. I just can’t quite comprehend that. Djami, my learner who died in a fire last year and I’ve thought about everyday since then. Sometimes life throws you something that you can’t quite comprehend because it can’t be put into words which is our main way of communication. But what I feel for Joseph, Djami and everyone I ate dinner with last night without much English in the conversation so I was sort of just there but shared a lot of laughter at the antics of the small kids around, is more than what I felt for them all when I was attending Djami’s funeral daily. I’m grateful to accept their offer of protection and to be accepted into their family somehow. Even though I sold this rooster, I want to build a small coop and get some chickens when I come back from vacation, even if it’s just for 6 months. It’s worth it.

Food
Tuesday, 20 April, 2010

That’s what the rooster became: food. He was fighting nonstop with the other rooster for Kutenda’s father and they killed mine. He was old and only the kids enjoyed him because he was too tough. I guess I won’t be buying any of his offspring.