Another minor update...

Hey hey guys – not much happening in ol’ Usakos. Following the organization’s procedure, I’m not allowed to start any projects for the first couple months…which basically means I’m still sitting here pretty damn bored. I’ve read just about everything I brought with me, and more than.

Usakos is one of those towns where very little happens, if any happens at all. So needless to say, the days are slipping by more or less unnoticed. I really wish there was more to report on…but alas, we really don’t do much these days. Ian and I starting playing basketball in location with some of the neighborhood kids, almost all better than I. Been jamming on the guitar as well, also getting nowhere fast. I suck, but at least its fun to do – can almost play Tears in Heaven, so I’m ok. Maybe this weekend Ian and I will paint our rooms, no idea. It depends if we get the supplies we need…which of course is up in the air.

Sorry for so little – there doesn’t seem to be much here I know, but hopefully these updates will become more frequent. This is supposed to be this week that High-Speed gets installed in the town. If I can afford it…hoorah. Oh, so far, the only big thing worth mentioning is the heat. Last night, it was almost impossible to sleep. At 2am, it was still over 100 degrees. I hope you’re all enjoying your cold weather. I’m pining for it, in the biggest way.

As it turns out, this whole experience is starting to grind on my mind. Just by talking to people do you really start to see how difficult these problems are that we’re here to aid. For those of you that speak to prof. Gimbel, let him know that the largest argumentative fallacies are circular arguments, and appealing to tradition.

“Because my father disciplines his women, it means I have to. I’m very traditional.”

I hate hearing this.

Ian and I got into a debate several days ago with a couple of the local teenagers about the role of women in society. They all admittedly agreed that women have no place in the working world, because that’s the way it’s always been done – giving women equal opportunities isn’t “the African way.” I thought this was an interesting point, and I pushed on stating that cars and cell phones aren’t inventions of the African culture, but that doesn’t stop them from being used in the larger sense. So why and how can you choose what to believe? There are plenty of people here that take hypocrisy to an entire new level. Seems to me that they’re mirroring religion….but that’s another debate.

“So tell me, what happens if they bring in a woman that can do your job better than you can?”
“That’s impossible….unless she’s a lesbian.”

Sigh. It’s too hot today.

Hope everyones doing well. Hope to hear from youz guyz soon.

-N

Oh, even though it took forever to write, attached is the speech I gave at the swear-in ceremony. Good luck with the clicks.
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‡Gurose, !gôahesa Waldotse, gangans ‡hapeba ‡gae‡guis !aroma.

//Khati ta ge ne ra sao /gapi !gôahesana, ra //khore//hare neba /khis !aroma: Amerikab ‡nû-//khaebasas, Denise Mathius; !naga-‡nôa Ministers Petrina Hainguras ‡Urusib dis; !a-!kho-mai-aob Kai//khaes dib; P.S Damaseb; danab R. Mererob Local Economy Developments dib; tsî /o-aisase Andreas Kukuris di danab A. /Nanub tsî hoa khoen hîa neba hân. !Kho-!oahehâse tsâsen re.

//Khati ta ge Khoekhoegowab xrups /ons !nâ ta ge sida di Namibiab familin tsî /hûhasiga /gapi !gôahesa ‡an!gâs, tsî gangansa ra mâ, //în di /khais, tsî hâs !na. //Khati //na !gâi Namibiab //gâu!nâ-aon tsî /hosan îa da ge khoedibasen !aroma.

Sida ge /gam kurikha Namibiab !nâ nî hâ tsî nî sîsen, tsî ra //khore !gâise da nî !kho-!oahesa. Ne da go hâ /gam //khâkha Namibiab !nâ kha ge kaise go //khoaxa i. Gangans //nas !aroma.

//Khati da ge ra //khore sida di mû-!gâ-aon /kha sîsen //aresa, Namibiab omkhâisa ai!gû-us !aroma.

Khoekhoegowab xrups ge //khati Amerikab masenxa-sîsenaon, xrup /gamdisi hû/as dina ra gangan neba hâs !aroma. //în ose da ge neba netse ga hâ tama hâ.

Kai Gangans.
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Now imagine speaking that on national TV. I can recall nothing. And I only know about 6% of the words I spoke. For a language lesson, Kai Gangans = Thank you very much.