"Like a f****** dream, I'm livin' it"

I had a dream the other night that I returned home after my two-year service, and as I'm walking to the front door of my parents house, I looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars weren't nearly as bright as I was used to in Africa. In my dream I stopped walking and felt a pain in my stomach because I knew that I could try to tell my family and friends about how the moon is so bright you almost need sunglasses to look at it, and how there are so many stars surrounding you that you feel as if you're walking through space....but that they wouldn't fully understand. At that moment, in my dream, I missed the people I knew looked at the same sky I did for a couple years.

Yea, so, I'm pretty sure that's a premonition dream. 

But on a different and exciting note....I found out my permanent site yesterday! Let me tell you about it :)

Anyone who has served for the Peace Corps is familiar with the revealing of site location....it's pretty fun. The trainers led all 40something of us out back, where a giant outline of Namibia made out of rope  lay on the ground. Placed strategically inside this outline were rocks holding down paper labels of all the different cities we'll be moving to. They then blindfolded all of us (with strips of trash bags...gotta be resourceful in Africa) and cued the music ("Final Countdown" ...duh). We each waited patiently for a trainer to take our hand and direct us to our location. After we were all in place, they announced it was time to remove our blindfolds. 

I immediately looked down at my feet and saw I was standing in the Zambezi region and on a piece of paper that said Gunkwe. I look around and my fellow Silozi language learners were each in their own town/village also in Zambezi. I couldn't be more excited to look inside my envelope to read all about my site. 

Gunkwe is a village 17 km (10.5ish miles) south of Katima ( the largest town in Zambezi region, which borders Zambia. The coolest thing about that is Ryan will be living in Katima...so I'm just a cab ride away from a friend.) 

In my village, the population is 800...baha! That's just a few hundred more than my graduating class...

I will be living in a "traditional thatched house", aka a mud hut, owned by the school...so I'll be on school grounds. My mud hut has electricity apparently...how cool is that...

Oh, and the school....there are 7 teachers, 4 female and 3 male....161 students...

They requested that I teach English, grades 5-7. They also requested that I work with developing the library and to "support the school in computer technology". I'm assuming they want me to get them internet if they don't have it already, or if they do, then help them understand how to really use a computer. They ask that I help the students to form clubs like drama, HIV/AIDS Awareness (oh yea, um, Zambezi region has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in Namibia...eek...), fundraising and other projects. They ask that I help form sports groups and other cultural things. I think with that they want me to bring what I have to the table, which will obviously be Arts. For the community, they would appreciate it if I could help with vegetable gardening and poultry farming....two things that I know absolutely nothing about :X so my friend, Stephanie, is in the process of emailing me some helpful resources to start educating myself. 

I know you're wondering about the wildlife. I'll be surrounded by game reservations. So, yes, that means there are a lot of animals. My language teacher said to be careful by the rivers and ponds because hippos like to tip the boats...and if there aren't many hippos, then that means it's because there are too many crocodiles....woohoo! I'll also cry from overwhelming happiness the first time I see a wild elephant. And I also need to research what to do if I happen to cross paths with a lion....*gulp*

But, please, no worries okay? I'm in, like, the safest town in Zambezi region (I even have one of the 4 chiefs...how cool is that?! And traditional herb doctors!). The people there are very pleasant and that entire region is highly protected by officials. They all know how many volunteers are coming and what to do if anything bad were to happen. They are very excited to receive us, and I couldn't be happier with my location. I'm sure that once I get there I'll discover more ups and a lot of downs...but that happens everywhere. 

I'm a little bummed about separating with my fellow group 38 volunteers. I've already built great relationships with most of them, and I'm going to miss our mini Okahandja adventures. But we knew this inevitable departure was coming...and we'll embrace it with open arms. I see a lot of traveling in my Namibian life's future :) 

Got this photos of Gunkwe off the Internet.