Half Marathon
“Runners, the race will begin in 1 minute. Remember to watch out for elephants and water buffalo. You don’t want to get in a fight with one of them.”
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| A picture that our friend took during the race. Not a bad view is it? |
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| Right after we finished the race. |
I don’t know if I will ever hear that same set of instructions from an announcer before a race again... The race itself was really enjoyable and started at 7 AM in Zimbabwe, right along the Zambezi River and just across from Zambia. We could only actually see the falls when we ran out on the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe (the same bridge that I bungee jumped off of in May), and it was right at sunrise so it was certainly a cool sight to see during a race. The majority of the race was through a game park (which is why they told us to watch out for elephants and buffalo), but unfortunately we didn’t see anything except some baboons and a lot of elephant scat.
Lindsey finished 9th place overall with the females and won a prize of 40 USD! Just enough to cover the cost of buying the visa to actually get into Zimbabwe...... I finished in 1 hr 46 minutes, and Lindsey finished in 1 hr 52 minutes - which is actually the slowest we have ever run a half. This course was hard though. Literally, the entire second half was at a slight incline the entire time - but hey, Lindsey still finished really well compared to the other females.
There was this one baboon that chased after me a few times right before we entered the game park. I don’t know what his deal was, but maybe he caused us both to run faster? So maybe he was actually just trying to encourage us? I am still unsure of his true motives.
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| Lindsey accepting here prize. |
Victoria Falls
We saw Victoria Falls again, but this time from the Zimbabwe side (last time we were in Zambia the whole time). The view was simply amazing. The last time we were there in May and the water level of the Zambezi River was really high, which caused the spray from the falls to almost completely block the view. It was like looking into a giant cloud of mist. Now however, the water level is much lower so we could actually see everything - it was awesome.
Fun facts - so there are three ways to measure the “bigness” of a waterfall - the height, the width, and the volume of water that pours over. Vic Falls has a width of just over 1 mile (which is ridiculously big) but in terms of height, it does not even rank in the top 800 waterfalls in the world. It is 355 feet high. That is tall, but not compared to Angel Falls in Maine which is 3,212 feet high. So in terms of height, Vic Falls is not overwhelmingly tall. However, when you combine all three factors - the height, width, and volume - it is considered the biggest waterfall in the world. Also, you can see a lunar rainbow (a rainbow made from the light of the moon) there during certain times of the year because there is so much spray from the mist.
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| Look at that rainbow. |
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| We were slowly getting soaked from the mist. |
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| Some elephants we saw on the banks of the Zambezi River. |
Culture
A few weeks ago, several of the schools in the area got together for their yearly culture competition. Students from the different schools dress up in their traditional tribal attire and performed a skit with singing and dancing mixed in, in front of about 600 people. It lasted nearly the whole day and was quite the experience.
We didn’t really have any idea what was going on in any of the skits since we couldn’t understand what they were saying (the language was either Thimbukushu, Rukwangali, or Rumono - depending where the school was from), but it was still a great time. After it was over, the announcer asked all of the teachers that were there to get up and dance for everyone. It went like this - “All the teachers come up to dance for us. Even you volunteers.” So, we got up and danced to the beating of bongo drums and all of their splendor. I am sure we looked like fools, but at least the crowd cheered loud when it was our turn, haha!
School
Even though it feels like this semester just started, it is somehow already over and the students are preparing to take their exams. To help provide the 10th grade students with extra preparation, our school arranged a “teacher exchange” type program with a nearby school called Max Makushe one of the highest preforming schools in the Kavango region. Lindsey has been working with the Max Makushe English teacher and has really enjoyed watching him teach and learning from him. He is originally from Zimbabwe, but has taught in Namibia for several years. It is great for her to be exposed to “fresh” ideas from a motivated teacher which will help her tremendously because the education system is so different here. It’s nice to have extra teachers around during the afternoon to prepare the 10th grade students for their exams. Remember that 10th grade is literally the most important grade because if you fail 10th grade - you are most likely done with your education. You don’t get to move on and you usually don’t get a second chance to pass. And since only one student at Mayara passed last year, the entire staff here is trying to do everything possible to try to get the pass rate up. This exchange program is definitely a step in the right direction and has been extremely positive so far. Hopefully Mayara and Max will continue to work together in the future.
One Whole Year
July 24th marked our official one year anniversary in Africa. Crazy right? It is also crazy to think that we only have one year left here, considering how fast this first one flew by. I remember when we first showed up, we were (as all the volunteers were) relatively homesick from time to time. Now, living here is just normal life. We certainly still think about home, but that feeling of “missing” home isn’t there anymore and hasn’t been for a long time. We have done some awesome things, met some amazing people, and have really enjoyed ourselves this first year. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us and lets all pray that this next year is even better.
Vacation Plans
Vacation time has come yet again. What do we have in store this break you ask? Well, we are going to Etosha National Park to camp (in a gated area don’t worry) for 3 days with a couple other volunteers. Etosha is apparently one of the best game parks in the world, and we can expect to see giant herds that number in the thousands of all kinds of animals.
This year should be especially good since the rainy season was rather short, leaving the water level everywhere much lower that usual. That means that more waterholes will be dry, which will cause all of the animals to come to the few remaining waterholes that are left to drink. I imagine that the safaris we have been on so far will not even compare to what we will see in Etosha.
After Etosha, we are going on an intense 8 day hike through the Naukluft Mountains in the southern part of Namibia with a group of 4 other volunteers. And when I say intense, I am not exaggerating. We have to carry all of our own gear, food, and supplies and trek 10ish miles per day through very mountainous, rough terrain. I will tell you all about it when we get back, but rest assured that this “hike” will be no joke. Until then, please pray for our safety, especially on the hike.
Peace,
Tim
