Bearded Kittens

Lindsey and I are almost done with our first FULL year of teaching in Namibia! The students are about to be done with their exams before the long December break, so it has been pretty relaxing for us the last few weeks. I will admit, due to the lack of exciting events recently, this post is probably on the weirder side of things I have written. But if you like pictures of beards and kittens and enjoy stories that seem to have no point, then maybe this is right up your alley. If not, don't loose faith, the posts next year are bound to get much weirder. 

Crazy Weather

The end of November marks the beginning of the rainy season for the northern part of Namibia. Typically, it rains hard for 3-4 months straight and then not a drop for the next 9 months, which is when the north turns back into a dry, sandy desert. Namibia is coming out of the worst drought in 30 years, so hopefully this rainy season will be a good one for the sake of all the people that rely on farming. Right now, the rain looks like it is on track to bring a good harvest since it has been raining nearly everyday.

The view of a storm rolling in from our backyard .

Lindsey testing out the water. She can't resist puddles.

Some of the storms here can get a little intense. I am sure it rains just as hard back in America, but since we have just a single sheet of metal over our heads (our roof), when it rains hard, the sound of the rain hitting our roof literally gets so loud that you can’t even talk inside our hut. The last time it really rained, we had a little river flowing through our yard. There were even some hippos that swam by.

Beard

There was a beard challenge amongst all of the male volunteers in our group which began a few months ago. Although the longest I had ever gone without shaving was previously two weeks, I reluctantly joined just to see what my attempt at a beard would look like. If you are ever going to let your looks go, the Peace Corps is the time to do it without being judged. Needless to say, I did not come close to winning the beard challenge since some of the other volunteers look like teen wolf and can grow a beard in like... 2 hours or something. Despite my utter defeat, my plan was to let the beard keep growing until our parents came in December, but my mind was quickly changed one day when I looked in a mirror and saw what resembled a pubescent lumberjack looking back at me. Also, I never thought the day would come when I would write an entire paragraph on my blog about a beard. I can now check that off my bucket list I suppose.

I felt as if this were the only way to smile with a mustache.

Propositions and Kittens

Things here always seem to happen in clumps. Clumps you say? What do you mean? Well, take last Sunday for example - a woman came by and wanted to give us a puppy and later a man also came by in the same day and wanted us to buy a turtle he found (unusual I know). I jokingly asked the man if the turtle can kill snakes to which his reply was, “No, but it is 200 years old and very funny.”  The turtle didn’t seem funny to me. He seemed a bit... reclusive? Get it? 

So we were offered two different animals on the same day, which is the only time anyone has ever offered us any living thing. If we would have accepted, we would currently have 4 cats, 1 dog, and 1 very funny turtle. Fortunately, we still just have the cats which will hopefully be given to other volunteers soon.

So I briefly mentioned in my last post that our cat had three kittens. They are about 6 weeks old now and are running around like crazy at the moment.

She made a similar face when I asked her to marry me.

What’s Next?

Some of you might be thinking - Tim, you were right, that was a weird post, but also - all you and Lindsey do is travel. I do agree that our blog highlights our travels as they are the most exciting times and it is where we get the best pictures. However, about 90% of our time is actually spent at our school and in Mayara. With that said, let me tell you about our next travels.

Well, December and January are going to be a bit crazy for Lindsey and I. The schools have a month and a half break, so we have a lot of time to travel yet again! Both sets of our parents, plus Lindsey’s brother and sister, are coming to visit in December and we are going to go on a tour across Namibia (we are traveling all together). It will be the first time we have seen them since we left Texas a year and a half ago and we are super excited to see them. Then, Lindsey and I are hopping on a bus to Cape Town the same day our parents leave Namibia to meet my brother and his wife. Then the four of us will travel up the eastern coast of South Africa and stay in hostels along some of the most pristine and untouched beaches in the world. We are also going scuba diving in an area that is rated one of the 10 best dive spots in the world. I will tell you all about it when we get back.

Peace,

Tim

World Map Project

World Map Project

A few posts ago I said that Lindsey and I were going to start painting a world map on the side of our school. Well, we actually finished a several weeks ago and here is the final product. 

I am sure some of you are wondering - how the heck did they do such a immaculate job painting this thing? Well, our school fortunately has a projector. So, we projected an image of the world up on the wall, traced it with the other teachers, and then painted it with everyone - the teachers and students. Each day we had students from each class come outside to help paint, and since the painting process took about two weeks, every student that wanted to help was able to. Our goal was to try to include everyone so that way there would be more “ownership” of the map, instead of it just being “something Timo and Lindsey did”. 

This is what it looked like before we started - a big improvement right?

Lindsey is inspecting to make sure we didn't "miss" any countries. We probably did......

This was also before I cut the mop off of my head.

Overall, the project was a huge success and we both think that everyone really enjoyed helping to make it. It is also nice to see something physically tangible that we have done since with teaching you can’t simply point a finger and say, “This is what I did in Mayara.” With the map however, it is easy to physically see a lasting impression that will be around for the foreseeable future.

Some of the students wanted to show off their jumping skills

The Mayara School Staff.

It was also great to interact with the students outside of class and get to know them on a  more informal level. Most of them are relatively close to age with us, and it was amazing  how much more willing they were to talk to us outside of class.

Swakopmund Marathon

Lindsey and I had so much fun running this race - probably our favorite race that we have ever run. The course started in Swakopmund and ran along the flat road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay (that is the next city south of Swakopmund along the coast). On one side of the road was the ocean and the other was a vast expanse of giant, yellow sand dunes. It was quite a refresher from running down the dirt road in our village to say the least. The day of the race was actually quite dreary being that it was cloudy and cold, but it was perfect running weather.

There was a good number of Peace Corps Volunteers that came down to Swakop to either run or show support - there were 5 of us that ran the half and 6 that ran the full, and 7 more that were stationed at a water table along the course to hand out water to passing runners. One of the PCVs even took pictures of us as we passed.

My attempt at growing a beard is also clearly seen in this picture.

Have you ever seen a happier runner?

I remember the last time I mentioned this race I said that we were going to run the full marathon - well, unfortunately that didn’t happen. With our last vacation in August (where we went to Etosha and hiked the Naukluft Mountains), we literally were unable to run a single time over the course of a full month. One month of no running + one month before a marathon = no good. Hence, we both elected to run the half. 

Lindsey finished in 1 hour 44 minutes and I finished in 1 hour 35 minutes. Both times are significant personal bests. I guess the cool ocean air and the low altitude helped out. 

Mid-Service 

After the race in Swakopmund, our whole group had to go to Windhoek to meet with the Peace Corps Staff for our Mid-Service Conference. It was basically a medical check up to make sure that we are all still healthy. We all had dentist appointments and an appointment with the Peace Corps doctor for a regular check up. Summary - Lindsey and I are both healthy. It was also great to see the rest of our group again since we haven’t seen a lot of them since last December when we had our last official Peace Corps Conference. 

Thimbukushu 

Remember how I said I was making a Thimbukushu language manual? During the Mid-Service Conference, I met with several of the Peace Corps staff to talk about the manual and what is going to happen with it. Well, they love it and want it to be the standard language manual that is given to all volunteers when they first arrive for training. It is also going to be translated into all of the other languages in Namibia, so it is not just for Thimbukushu, but for about 7 other languages as well. I also recommended that we include audio .mp3s to go along with the book so people can actually learn how to say the words instead of just reading them, which is also going to happen. So hopefully before the next group of volunteers arrive, the new set of language manuals with audio will be ready to go. And if you are future volunteer that is reading this before you arrive in Namibia - you’re welcome :) 

Mayara

The 10th graders at our school are currently taking their final exams which will essentially determine their future if they pass or fail. We only have three more weeks of teaching until the rest of the school starts their exams. (10th graders take their exams early to give extra time to the graders. The exams have to be sent off to Windhoek to be graded by the Ministry of Education to make sure there is no “grade changing” or anything on behalf of the teachers to try to improve a schools pass rate. The grading process takes a long time since they don’t use scantrons and they have to grade each paper for each student in 10th grade for the entire country by hand.) Other breaking news - it is getting really, really hot again, our cat just had three kittens, Lindsey’s iPhone vanished, and termites caused a big section of our reed fence to fall over. 

Peace,

Tim

Ethosha Game Park and The Naukluft Mountains

Lindsey and I just got back from our two week long vacation. It was amazing, adventurous, and extremely tiring, so we are happy to be back in our hut and sleeping in an actual bed.

Etosha Game Park

The first rhino we stumbled across

Etosha is the biggest game park in Namibia and is claimed to be one of the best parks to see animals in the entire world. Also, viewing game is better in the dry season (which it is now) because animals have to congregate at the few remaining waterholes, and Namibia happens to be right in the middle of the worst drought to hit the country in 30 years. So, it was really dry out there.  

A group of four of us rented a car from a nearby town called Tsumeb, and drove ourselves around on the dirt roads inside the park. We saw and got autographs from the entire cast of The Lion King and pretty much every other animal you could think of. We were really hoping to see at least one rhino in the park (especially since they are endangered and actually extinct in a lot of African countries because of poaching) and we certainly got lucky - at the very first waterhole that we went to, a rhino walked up within 30 seconds and was followed by another rhino about a minute later. In fact, we saw so many rhinos throughout the few days that we were there, it got to the point where we would just point out the window and say, “rhino” as we drove by, not even slowing down to get a closer look. Jealous? You should be :)

We camped at this lodge called Halali, which is in the center of the park and has a pretty decent waterhole. There are just three lodges inside the park that all have either real or artificial waterholes situated just outside the lodge to attract the animals at all times of the day. You are allowed to walk to the waterholes (just the ones that are on the lodge grounds - everywhere outside the lodge you are supposed to stay in your car) and you can sit and watch for as long as you want as animals come and go as they please. The viewing area of the waterhole at Halali was up on rocks and fenced in to protect you from the animals, so it is not like you are just standing nearby, “hiding” behind a tree. 

Elephants, elephants, elephants - I never thought I would see so many elephants. There was one waterhole where we literally saw over 50 elephants at the same time. They are by far the most fun animals to watch. They roll around in the water, spray water all over themselves, and then throw dirt on their wet skin to help cool them off. The waterholes for them are multipurpose - they serve as drinking fountains, baths, and toilets, all in one convenient location. An interesting combination if you ask me.

There were about 50 elephants at this waterhole.

Elephants throwing dirt on themselves after rolling around in the waterhole.

In the middle of the park is The Etosha Pan - an immense salt pan that has been dry for centuries but was once an ancient lake. It apparently turns into a shallow lagoon for a few weeks every year during rainy season, but when we were there is was just dried, cracked clay for miles in every direction. If you ever wanted to know what “nothing” looks like, you should go there. It is hard to tell where the ground ends and where the sky begins since they both have a whitish, grey tint to them.

This is what "nothing" looks like on the Etosha Pan.

On our last day in the park, we came around a turn and spotted a hyena running down the center of the road - straight at us. We honestly thought it was a lion at first because it was so big. I had no idea how big hyenas are, but when you see one up close - man, those things are not to be trifled with. He ran right up in front of our car, posed for a few photos, and continued running past us on whatever mission he was on. We only saw one pride of lions that were walking through a field in the distance, but unfortunately we didn’t see any males. Maybe next time.

Hyenas looks like demon-faced dogs. And why is he smiling at us?

These are some of the lions we spotted walking in the distance.

The Naukluft Mountains

The second part of our journey was an 8 day hike through the Naukluft Mountains. The hike is apparently one of the hardest in Africa, and some of the people we met along the way were even claiming it was the “hardest hike in the southern hemisphere of the world.” I have no idea if that is true or not, but hey, I’ll believe them for now I guess.

Our group before we started the hike. 

There were 8 Peace Corps Volunteers on the trek, including Lindsey and I, and we all carried all of our own food, clothes, and gear for the whole trip. Our meals consisted of instant porridge (it is kind of like cream of wheat that you just mix with water) for breakfast and dinner, and tuna in a tortilla for lunch. And lots of peanut butter. Too much peanut butter. 

Each day we walked, climbed, ascended, and descended around 10 miles of pretty rugged terrain and everyone’s feet were definitely hurting from the daily abuse. Our feet actually faired better than almost everyone else because Lindsey and I wore running shoes as opposed to hiking boots. We didn’t have a single blister until the end of day 5, and everyone else’s feet were mangled with blisters after the first day. One of the guys even elected to wear he sandals for the rest of the trip to avoid more blisters. So I ask - what is the point of hiking boots besides being heavy and giving your blisters? 

Lindsey and I on our way up one of the chains.

Lindsey nearly had a panic attack up this set of chains. She climbed up like a champion though.

Oh hey Rob.

Each night we stayed in “shelters”, which more or less consisted of a metal roof with a 4 foot high stone wall around it and a dirt floor. There were different water pumps at each shelter everyday that were pretty old school. Some examples include - pumping out the water by aggressively turning a giant wheel for about 2 minutes just to get any water to come out, lowering a bucket down into an actual well, and several hand pumps that took two people to operate. It was all great fun though. Well, it was all fun until it came time to sleep. 

Playing cards after a long days hike. That is also what our typical shelter looked like.

This was the first actual backpacking excursion that we had ever been on so we didn’t really know what to expect, which is where we made a fatal flaw - we did not bring (mainly because we don’t have) sleeping mats. We slept on the ground the entire time in Etosha and Naukluft. Needless to say, we didn’t get the best sleep at night for the entire 2 weeks we were gone, which made it hard to get up every morning. If we ever do another hike like this one, sleeping mats will be packed before anything else. Also, the nights were literally freezing at Naukluft. During the day, the weather was absolutely beautiful. The temperature hovered around 75 degrees during the day with a slight breeze - it was great. But the second the sun drifted behind the surrounding mountains, the temperature would plummet. We brought some warm clothes, but I never expected it to be that cold out there at night. There were two nights in particular that the wind was blowing so hard that the noise alone made it difficult to sleep, not to mention the cold. The hike was awesome. The sleeping was not.

The rhino with anger issues.

More rhinos? Yes, we did run into a rhino. It is more accurate to say the rhino almost ran into us. So, I spent weeks prior to the trip convincing my mom not be worried about this hike because there were no wild animals inside the Naukluft Park - well, I was wrong. There are plenty of leopards, rhinos, baboons, and every hoofed animal in Namibia inside that park. Oops. We came across a rhino that was standing on the side of the slope next to us on the fourth day of our hike - maybe 300 feet away. We all freaked out and grabbed our cameras, amazed that we actually stumbled across a wild rhino while we were simply walking by. However, about thirty seconds later we all freaked out again, this time much more openly and for a different reason, as he began running down the side of the mountain straight for us. Our first instinct was to run, but we happened to be with another group doing the hike that day from South Africa (I suppose they knew what they were talking about), and they immediately yelled at us to “FREEZE!” We all stopped in our tracks, and the rhino suddenly turned 90 degrees and ran off into the distance. Talk about having a jacked heart rate after that - it was simply terrifying. Everything was good with the wildlife after that. Part of the group spotted a leopard one day but the guy that saw it first yelled, “Tim!” (because he knew that I was hoping to see one) and promptly scared it away before I got a look at it. All 8 of us on the trek finished with nothing more than a few scrapes, bruises, and blisters on our feet.

School Starting

The third and final term of school this year started last Tuesday for the students. Lindsey and I are back to the usual routine of school and teaching and everything is going great so far.

Has it been a whole year? Why yes it has.

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.”

A picture that our friend took during the race. Not a bad view is it?

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.

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.

Look at that rainbow.

We were slowly getting soaked from the mist.

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

Thimbukushu, Marathons, and Painting

Some students researching in the computer lab.

Our second term as teachers is underway, and everything is going just peachy. We are both teaching different grades than we were the first term, and it has been very enjoyable for the both of us. Lindsey is teaching 9th and 10th grade English and I am teaching 9th and 10th grade math, whereas before we were both teaching 7th and 8th grade. The older students seem to be much more responsive and motivated to learn - especially those that are in 10th grade. The 10th graders know that if they don’t pass in December, then they are probably done with school for good and will most likely have no chance to move on in their education. 

Language Manual

So, I have been spending most of my freeish time working on redoing the Thimbukushu to English language manual that the Peace Corps gave us during training. I am trying to make it more practical and useful by organizing everything in a more logical way, and I am also adding a bunch of new words and phrases that previously were not included. I am by no means an expert at Thimbukushu or anything, but I certainly want to help everyone else learn what I already know. I am also hoping that the Peace Corps will actually completely “renovate” their entire language program that is used during training based on the manual that I am making (the key word here is hoping). Whether or not that will actually happen..... I have no idea. It depends on whether or not the language trainers like what I make I suppose.

Either way, just the fact that I am making a Thimbukushu manual will greatly help Lindsey and I learn the language. Putting ideas in words and on paper really forces you to learn and causes you to realize what you don’t know. So all those things that I don’t know, I am trying to figure out. Hence, I am getting much better at the language much faster than I would have if I didn’t tackle this project.

“But Tim, I want to know some Thimbukushu! Can you teach me!?” 

Well, that is a great question and I like your enthusiasm for learning - so, here is a very brief excerpt from the manual I am making. 

The phrases you can’t live without - crash course for Day 1 in the village

Mbadi na kutjwathana. – I don’t understand.

Ghambe muthihingirisha. – Speak to me in English.

Shime ghani kukuhongo Thimbukushu. – I am learning Thimbukushu.

Kadi shoni dimuke. – I don’t know.

Name. – Me too.

Wiye kuno. – Come here.

Basic Questions and Responses for Everyday Situations

Yinye wa kutenda? – What are you doing?

Kadiko. – Nothing.

Kuna kutoya mbapira. – I am reading a book.

Kupi wa kuyenda? – Where are you going?

Kuna kuyenda kuthitora. – I am going to the store.

Kupi ghuna kara? – Where were you?

Kudimbo – At home.

So you are pretty much fluent now right? The cool thing is, after you learn the basic greetings, the few phrase above will handle almost everything you could encounter if you venture out into the village. And if you don’t understand what they are asking you, all you have to say is, “Mbadi(don’t) na(I)  kutjwathana(understand).” and you are covered - more or less.

The other reason I am writing the manual is to help teach the students at our school English. As far as I know, there isn’t a single book that is practical for Thimbukushu speakers to learn English, and I guess the same goes for English speakers trying to learn Thimbukushu. There is a Thimbukushu to English Dictionary, but have you ever tried to learn a language by memorizing words in a dictionary? It is horrendous. So, I honestly think (yet I could be wrong) that I am the first person to ever try to make a good language learning manual for these people. 

Once I’m done, my hope is to give it to all of the other volunteers in the area so they can also give it to their own schools. Then, hopefully, the Namibian teachers will start practicing English with the kids at a much younger age so that by the time they get to 5th grade (when all of their classes switch to English) they will already be comfortable with at least the basics. Can you imagine how hard it would be to learn a new language with just a dictionary? Well, that is all these students have to work with right now, but hopefully they will have something much better soon. 

Wall Mural 

Lindsey is heading up a new school project that I am very excited for as well. We are going to paint a huge, colorful map of the world on the outside of the school - super cool. A lot of the learners will be involved in helping, so it will be a great learning experience for them and it will leave them with a nice, big map that they can look at and learn from for years to come.

We are going to use a projector to trace the outline of all the countries, and then fill it in with paint that will hopefully be donated from a hardware company here called Build It - it is kind of like The Home Depot of Namibia. She is just in the planning stages right now so there are no pictures of our wall yet, but it should look something like this when we are done. (We did not take this picture.)

Marathon

Lindsey and I have started training for a marathon this October in Swakopmund, where we will be running in between giant sand dunes and the ocean. Sounds cool right? We are also running a half marathon in Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls on July 14th just for kicks as part of the training. Since there is only one gravel road running through Mayara, training consists of running for a long time in one direction, and then simply turning around to come back. We run along a little dirt/sand path next to the road that is sort of the “pedestrian path”, plus or minus a few cows and donkeys. I am currently reading a book called Born to Run (Lindsey already read it), which I would highly recommend reading if you are a runner. It is inspiring you know? Back on topic - running here is actually really enjoyable, until a car drives by and kicks up a cloud of dust that we have to run through.  Ahh, dust, that brings me to my next point....

Weather Change

We are now entering winter in Namibia. Since we are in the northernmost part of the country, it doesn’t get nearly as cold as Windhoek (the capital), but it still gets pretty dang cold at night. To take the edge off of the cold we bought a little space heater from the grocery store for our little hut, and man - that thing is nice. It is not that cold yet, but we have been told that July is the killer month. And you might be like, “But Tim, I looked up the weather on Google and it says it only gets down into the 40’s there. That’s not that cold.” Well, that is true most of the time - but remember, if gets down into the 40’s, so that also means it is 40 degrees inside as well. There is no escaping the cold just as there was no escaping the heat during the summer. We are just much more exposed to the weather.

It also is very dusty know. It hasn’t rained in a very long time and all the grass is now gone, leaving just sand. Everything is much more sandy than it was a few months ago. So, back to the previous topic, when a car drives by when we are running, there is a serious cloud of dust that follows.

Since this post was a little slim  on pictures, here are some that we took in May. 

The sunset on top of Table Mountain in Cape Town.

Lindsey hanging out with Simba and Nala

It was really hard to actually get a picture of him running. I had to push the button like 2 seconds in advance. He flew by us going around 60 mph.

The Next Few Weeks

The next few weeks are actually going to be very busy for us. We are going to Popa Falls (it seems that this is our designated hangout spot) to celebrate the Fourth of July with other volunteers, then the next weekend we have to come back to Rundu to buy food, and then we are going to Vic Falls the next weekend to run in the half marathon. So, our weekends are pretty full for the foreseeable future. Other than that, our health is great and everything is going swimmingly. Snakes are hibernating, so Mom - that is one less thing you have to worry about. Until next time!

Peace,

Tim