Go up the hill, down the hill & drive through the river

(I was unable to access blogger last night, so this is about Friday)

The title is part of the directions Mike gave me so that the teachers and I could find the Shalom Centre School. This is the school that my 2002 Namibian team member, Castrow, is working. The plan was for the teachers to go in and observe the class rooms in the morning and then do a workshop in the afternoon on identifying and teaching special needs kids. Mike asked me to go because I know Castrow and also know how to drive Namibian style. We had a 6am wake up call from Jesse & John standing in the common room playig & singing "The Star Spangled Banner". Since it was 6am & I was a bit tired, I was a little apprehensive as I read the directions (which of course were drawn ever so neatly with a nice map and landmarks). When I ever read the part about driving through the river I recalled Mike's Blog about his experience with visiting Castrow. I looked at him and said "I have to drive across a river in the jetta???". He assured me that we would be fine, but if I get stuck... back up, park & walk up the hill. Mike is always so, so very encouraging...

We drove through Katutura (on the first Friday of the month, which can be pretty scarey because people are roaming the steets and most are probably drunk). We stared down at that river pretty nervous to even think about crossing, but Dorothy scoped out the scene & said she thought we could make it... so we tried & plowed through with out a problem... cheering all the way. When we arrived Castrow was so excited to see me and had no idea that I was coming. In the morning we split up and each went into one of the four classrooms. I went into Castrow's room while Dorothy, Dennise & Janet went into the other three. It was amazing watching Castrow teach his class. He has really been gifted to teach and interact with these children. We swapped classrooms through the experience, and of course Castrow wanted me to play photographer so that he could document the visit in the school history.

In the afternoon we had been invited to lunch we were served antelope, noodles & tea. It was quite yummy and a great expeience for the first day on the field. After lunch the teachers had their work shop. In a lot of ways it was a brainstorming session talking about the observations learned in the classroom, teachers sharing experiences & discovering ways to work with the children that all learn so differently. The meeting had nothing to do with the Americans coming in and telling these teachers what to do or what they are doing is wrong. It was a meeting that informed us about culture, helped to grasp new ideas for teaching and motivating students and really encouraged the teachers that they are doing the right thing and kids will be kids. Each one is different, each one has their own learning style.

We left the meeting almost an hour later than we expected, but we were just so pumped about the day that we didn't think about much else. As we left the school yard we peered down at the river and it appeared less deep so we just plowed through as we had before. Half way up the big hill we stalled... and the car did not want to start again. So we prayed, the teachers came along, people tried to help out... still wouldn't start. Then by God's grace the car decided to start again & we headed out of Katutura before dark and as the streets were more and more filled with drunk people.

A couple things that struck me... I have been so cold this time around. Namibia is experiencing record cold temperatures. We woke up friday morning to 28F, that's -4C. That morning I went up and introduced myself to a little girl. When I shook her hand all I could think about was how much of an ice cube her hand was and I am sure still is at this very moment... I move forward thinking about Celia and the zinc shack that she lives in, the holes that must be all through the sides and the dirt floor she is probably sleeping on and realize that I need to just suck it up.

We were also told that in Namibian culture just knowing how to write your name is considered being well educated. Parents sometimes take their kids out of school as soon as they learn how to write their name. These teachers need to overcome some culture and tradition and discover how to teach these children without the cultural influence of their parents.