Name: Caroline Bewell
Location: Namibia
Report Title: Crocodiles in Namibia!
Report Date: 22/05/2010
Its now the beginning of May, which means a whole term has passed since you last heard from me. It's certainly been an eventful few months. I'll start at the beginning: Since then, things have been busy. Rehearsals are well underway for "Moses and his Journey to the Promised Land", this year's drama production, although some of the song lyrics are a little questionable...
After the Christmas holidays, Otjikondo went athletics-crazy, with hard practices every afternoon and evening runs for the older children. Training was challenging - I don't think I've ever ached so much! I may not be super tough, but if it hurt me, then I can't imagine what the children were going through; and yet they endured it all with enthusiasm and good grace, finding great amusement in sprinting past me and shouting, "See you in Cape Town!"! To me, who wasn't accustomed to their style of training, it often seemed cruel and brutal, and it was heartbreaking to see the children physically crying tears of pain. However, when I spoke to them afterwards, it seemed they actually enjoy it - "It makes us stronger", said one boy. Wow. Anyway, it was all in preparation for Sports' Day on the 30th January, which started in true Namibian style with a Scripture reading and prayer (at 7am!). All the children competed for their team (green or yellow) in the hope of winning the highly coveted prize of...ice cream! And of course, everlasting glory. In the end if was the green team who were victorious. I was in green team, so of course I was happy with the result,but (dare I say this?) there was actually a little part of me hoping that this year would finally be a yellow year, because they haven't won for so long. Who knows what 2011 will bring!
Training continued for about 60 athletes, who, two weeks later, went to Outjo to represent Otjikondo at the Interschool Competition - a great honour. We had a quick stop on the way there to squeeze in as many St Michael's children as possible: their lorry had broken down on the tar road. Time was ticking by but therewere no worries about running late. It really demonstrated the African way of thinking which I have grown to love and understand..."We'll get there when we get there...right now there's people we need to help...no worries!" Once in Outjo, the children all tried their best and were impeccably behaved, even when a huge thunderstorm completely flooded the field, wiping out the rest of the competition and causing widespread chaos. You might think that after a 4:30am start, hard hard exercise, adrenaline pumping through their little veins and the disappointment of not finishing the competition, the kids would be a bit jaded on the way home (especially since they were travelling in the back of a cattle lorry!) but in fact they kept singing and smiling all the way through the rain and back to Otjikondo. Nothing could crush them - I was so proud of them.
The Tuesday after Interschool Athletics, I actually returned home to England. The tonsillitis that I'd had in the Christmas holidays really wouldn't leave me alone, however many different antibiotics I tried, soit was decided- tonsils are coming OUT! I am really grateful to Gilly and Reiner, whowere so supportive of my decision to return home. Whilst healthcare in Namibia is actually of a very high standard (if you have money...) I'm glad I had the operation in England because it gave me the chance to get properly well again. Now I'm back in Namibia, I have the physical strength to throw myself back into Otjikondo life and make up for the month I missed out on. I'm not going to pretend it wasn't hard leaving my family and friends in England a second time. It felt like I had been living ina different world; in a way I felt trapped between England and Namibia, not knowing where I really belonged. I just had to focus on the amazing children who were waiting for me in Africa, who needed me. Being almost knocked over by a bunch of screaming kids all trying to hug me at the same time, telling me (and I believed them), "Caroline we really missed you!" was possibly the best feeling ever.
"Ancient Egypt, a magical place where pharaohs rule,
Ancient Egypt, the pyramids there are really cool,
I think you're gonna like it a lot,
Come with us to a place that's hot!"
...certainly gets stuck in your head! Although, lying in bed at night, having listened to the deep hum of the girls praying in their hostel, the "crocodile" chattering away on our roof, and singing "Ancient Egypt" in my head, it has crossed my mind that there's no place I'd rather be. (The "crocodile", by the way, is a mythical creature that Mrs Vermaak led us to believe in. We could hear this strange noise on the roof and mentioned it in the staff room, where we were reliably informed that it was a giant lizard, so naturally we gave it an appropriate nickname. We really thought it was big and scaly until we actually found a specimen on top of the kitchen curtains.... it’s more like avery noisy stick insect- nothing like a crocodile! But the name has stuck.)
This term in activities I was presented with two beginner recorder groups- sounds nightmarish I know! - but I think it's one of the most rewardingthings I've ever done. The children are so eager to learn new songs and pick them up really quickly. We don't read music, instead I play them a tune and they follow with their fingers, then we break it down into pieces until they've got it. Doesn't take long! There are no words to describe the natural African rhythm and musical aptitude that is just in their blood. I wish I could capture it in a more permanent way than just memories, because it's truly amazing. For the end of term concert I taught a group of children a couple of nice hymns, and it was simply stunning the way I would sing them the tune and they would sing it back to me in three or four parts. Hearing the children sing and pray together is still very special,even though it has become almost the "background noise" of Otjikondo. I remember one Friday evening after vet cakes for supper, when instead of the usual "Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen", Sister Letha burst into song and the children sang and danced their way out of the dining hall and over to TV, thanking God for that moment of life that they had been given.
The end of term was the usual mad cleaning, tidying, newsletter-writing rush. Things were almost going to plan until a simultaneous 24 hour power cut and water shortage halted proceedings a bit. Electricity in the gap flat is temperamental to say the least, i.e. it doesn't really like wind or rain, but we are now very handy with candles and it makes us appreciate the power all the more when we do have it. However, this time it was the whole of Otjikondo that was without electricity! The only tap that had water was the one up at Gilly and Reiner's house, so all day long children traipsed up there with whatever receptacles they could find, queued at this one tap and then lugged the heavy containers all the way back to school, some carryingthem on their heads. Once again, the sheer determination of these children showed through: they had cleaning to do and nothing was going to stop them! Thankfully the power and water returned (at the same time!) in time for all the jobs to be finished and left us with enough time to have a lovely concert on the last evening. It rounded off what has been, for me, an unusual term, but certainly one to remember. I look forward to returning to Otjikondo after the holidays and really making the most of the last (sniff) three months there.
