When School Starts Colds Soon Follow
Lisa assumes it's because she's hanging around the kids again - and because it's fall going into winter in Namibia - but the bottom line is she has been hit with a bad cold.
We talked to her Friday - she had come home from school and had gone to bed so she was feeling well enough to chat for a bit. She originally asked us to call Friday because she had planned to go to some horse racing - a ways out of town on Saturday so she wouldn't have been around for our usual call - but as it turns out she's planning to skip the races and sleep in all day. Probably a good idea to nip the cold in the bud. The cash machine was working so Lisa got extra soup, treats, and ice cream! They don't often have ice cream and it's expensive so she rarely splurges but she used her sore throat as justification for the indulgence!
Busy Busy Busy
This term has started out extra busy - Lisa not only has all her classes but has picked up a lot of extra curricular activities to cover. She picked up three from the Science teacher who left - Running the Science Fair, Science Club, and the Shell Environmental Competition. The main problem with the Shell one is that though it's supposed to be held in June or July the topics haven't been given out yet so it's rather hard to organize from Lisa's end.
In addition to those activities, Lisa is supposed to be involved with the Debate Team, the Beauty Pageant, and there is always the school library and any other assorted projects that come up.
All these activities are popping up because of regional mandates that every school must offer at least 42 activities. The aim is to make it a nation wide requirement - and her school is trying to be as cutting edge as possible so the activities are multiplying like mayflies!
And Then There's Maude (sorry if the joke goes by you all!)
On top of all this Lisa is arranging to hold additional classes for her 10th graders to help prep them for the major end of year 10th grade exams - since those exams determine if they can go on to High School or not. Lisa says she simply needs more time to cover the science needed for the test. She isn't much happier about the extra classes than her kids are but she really feels they are necessary for her learners to succeed. A good approach for a teacher to take but it's wrecking havoc with her energy levels.
She really feels like she hasn't gotten enough sleep this week and since it's getting COLD out she's finding it hard to stay warm. Even with hot water and a shower she says the water runs cold for a long time then there isn't that much hot water so she doesn't shower much when it's icy. No heat inside her place makes a shower less inviting. And it's getting below freezing some nights already.
She shared how rare her hair washing was last winter but I refuse to freak you all out by telling you exactly how few time she washed it over the whole season. She promises to wash it more regularly when she's in a heated home again. Next topic (GRIN)
Waldo - The Peace Corps Education Supervisor Visited
He was checking out the possibility of placing another PC volunteer in Aroab next year. I guess there are 19 schools requesting volunteers and so far 20 PC volunteers scheduled to come to Namibia in the next group. So assuming all the volunteers come and make it through training there is at least a chance that Aroab will snag one! They really want one (hey - an extra teacher almost anywhere is welcomed with open arms!)
Lisa hopes it works out since she really wants her school to get another teacher, and she'd really like another volunteer to leave all her accumulated stuff to. After being in the "newbie" position herself she knows how her accumulated pots and pans, spices and blankets etc would mean to someone who has just arrived in country! Since she wouldn't be able to bring much of the stuff home with her she'd have to divide it all up among her teacher friends, Erna, and other friends in the community, and while she plans to give each a few special items to remember her by she didn't just want to parcel it all out wholesale.
We'll see how it works out. The cement house she's living in, without exposed wiring, and with electricity, running water, and the shower all right next to the hostel are plusses. Being so far from Keetmanshoop (the nearest town) with very very little travel between the two towns is a big negative. Whoever they would place in Aroab would have to be able to deal with the isolation - and it was tough in the beginning for Lisa - PC wouldn't want to put anyone in there who would leave early because it was too tough on them.
More Peace Core Mandates
Lisa was told she had to go to Keetmanshoop to get a flu shot - of course the day they told her to go there was absolutely no transportation going that way - then PC asked when she'd be in Windhoek - and she said August for final meetings before the end of service for this group - As Lisa said looking at a map if she couldn't get to Keetmanshoop there was no way she could get to Windhoek- Ahh well.
So she talked to her Principal and after explaining that PC was requiring they get the flu shots he arranged for her to go with The Bank Of Namibia Competition group next Tuesday to Keetmanshoop. Since the school wants to be on PC's good side and since PC says the volunteers MUST get the shots or risk being sent home to the USA for not following the rules and regulations (though Lisa thinks this is more a threat than a certainty since if this was placed as a request none would bother to get one). So Peace Corps told her to report to the Hospital and see a certain Doctor on Tuesday.
So Lisa will go, and hopefully find said doctor at the hospital, and then she'll tell him about having a cold to see if that countermands the flu shot and if it does hopefully she'll get him to call Peace Corps and tell them that since Peace Corps will listen to a doctor more than a volunteer about such matters - and then after it is all sorted out she'll try to visit people and shop in Keetmanshoop before coming home.
An all day trip for a shot which she might or might not get. But it's a day off from teaching so she's looking on the bright side of the whole thing!
Think of all this one and all - when you have a little old hour or two wait for an appointment! DOUBLE GRIN
Next Week Will Come One Way Or Another
So with luck next week will ease Lisa's cold, arrange for her trip to Keetmanshoop to be productive, and will bring the World Teach Teacher to Aroab. Should be busy again. If nothing else Peace Corps is never boring!
Oh Lisa want's to thank her Grandmother for the package with the Obama T-shirt (which she says is GREAT!!!) and us for our box filled with instant oatmeal, granola bars and extra vitamins! How did I know that's what she'd need? I'm a mother! That's how! (GRIN)
Have a good week everyone!
Susan Rothman
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