Sunday, May 21, 2006

Back at School

So the long vacation has come to an end, and both Sinead and I are back to teaching. Its been tough getting back into the groove. I thought that my students, if not excited to see me, would at least be at the same level of comfortability with me that they were before I left. Instead they were as sullen and quiet as on the first day of school. I also forgot how tiring teaching was. Even without doing my afternoon computer classes I've been exhausted every day this week.

But on the other hand it does feel nice to get back to my flat and my village and see familiar faces. My principal has been very welcoming, bringing Sinead and I groundnuts and pumpkins (though this may be to make up for the fact that we haven't had water since we have been back). Sinead also has a new flat, which she shares with a Belgian volunteer, which is very luxurious compared to my place (it has hot water and a TV). Unfortunately since it is on the mission I can't spend so much time there (the nuns object to Sinead having a boyfriend apparently).

Next week we have a four day weekend, and my parents, sister, brother, and uncle are coming (which I'm very excited about) so really I am easing into the second term slowly. We are meeting my family in Etosha, where hopefully there will be even more wildlife as it is dryer now. Then they are coming up here to our sites for a week. Finally we are going to a lodge on the Kunene River before they head off to see more of Namibia.

River Trip photos





These are a bit out of order, but our canoe trip down the Orange River was definitely a highlight of the vacation. The river was flowing quickly so we didn't have a lot of paddling to do, and there were lots of birds, a few monkeys, and many amazing rocks to look at. A couple of times we hit big rapids that we thought were going to tip the boat, but we never actually capsized. We went with two guides from Northern Namibia who didn't speak so much English, but were excellent at keeping us all in good spirits and catching a few fish. Overall a great experience, we are hoping to do more river trips in the states or elsewhere.

Twyfelfontein petroglyphs



The last stop on our trip was to see rock art at Twyfelfontein (Afrikaans for doubtful spring), which is suppoused to be one of the most extensive sites in Southern Africa. There were pictures of all kinds of animals, and some kinds of maps of springs. There were even some pictures of seals and penguins, supposedly from when the people living here went to the coast to find salt. The art has been dated at more or less 5000 years. I was very impressed.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Fish River Canyon and Sossusvlei

Fish River Canyon



Ostrich on the Namib plains

Sinead busy writing a song


Flowers at Sesriem




Deadvlei