Kamama or Not Kamama

28 November, 2013

If you're reading this but haven't read my last entry "They Say Dogs Are a Man's Best Friend", then go back and read it first otherwise this entry will just waste your time with confusion.

I tossed and turned all night wondering if Kamama (little mama) decided to run away or not. I knew that wherever she was she wasn't sleeping well, and I felt guilty for not having found her when my friend and I went to look in the afternoon....maybe I didn't search hard enough...maybe I didn't call her name loud enough. But I meditated on finding her, and I knew I would see her in the morning.

My principal picked me up around 6:30, and after about 20 minutes we pulled onto Gunkwe Primary School grounds. 

I looked frantically out the windows but Kamama was nowhere to be found. My heart sank. All of my effort to help show her that she can trust some people flushed down the drain. I blamed myself because if I had just went to the vet a day sooner she would be here....

Then all of a sudden I hear whimpering from outside the car. I flung the door open, jumped outside, yelled, "Kamama!" and she came running around the vehicle (as fast as she could with a limp) and crashed into my legs, crying and wagging her tail. Even my principal let out a sound of relief and smiled at me as I ruffled her ears and fur on her head. She was so excited to see me that when I began to walk to my hut she kept leaning into me making me trip over her and myself. 

I got inside and poured a bowl of dog food and put her pain pill and antibiotic in with it. She looked at the bowl and then looked back at me with a confused face. I realized this dog has never seen proper dog food before. She slowly picked up a kibble, dropped it on the floor, smelled it, and then ate it. She repeated this step once more and then ravaged the entire bowl with gusto, pills and all. While she was occupied, I thought I could try cleaning her wound, but when I got close to the burn she began to growl...I didn't want to push my luck. When she was finished with her food I poured her a bowl of water. This was the first time she ever accepted water from me. I'm guessing she was in too much pain to find a place with water for herself, so she was very thirsty. 

Satisfied, she limped over to me and laid her head in my lap. I pet her and talked to her for the next thirty minutes and then the pain pill started to kick in. She wobbled back and forth and tried to fight sleep, but she finally collapsed and passed out....for 3 and a half hours straight. 

I can't explain how happy I was to see her feel safe enough to finally give into such a pleasant slumber. Nobody could bother her as long as she was in my hut and out of the hot sun. 

When she awoke, I managed to get her outside so I could lock up and head back to Katima. She was able to walk with more ease and her energy felt lighter. She followed me until she knew I had to get in the car. 

The best feeling though....was when the same people that had laughed at me yesterday for caring too much asked me how Kamama was doing. Whether they genuinely cared or not, at some point they must have realized that I was hurt by what had happened, and I know they care about how I feel because these are the same people that have gone to great lengths to make sure my entry into this region went comfortably and smoothly. They're my family. Even though we come from two different countries, we share the same world. And I know that while we have our differences, when it comes down to it we would all be there for each other. 

Tomorrow I will continue giving Kamama her pills, and the senior teacher will take over Saturday since I have to go to Windhoek (10 hours away) for reconnect training for a week. After that I will be spending a week on the west coast at Swakopmund (beach time, bitcheeees!) and then a few days in Okahandja with the family that welcomed me into their home upon arrival to Namibia in July. But at least I can travel knowing that Kamama is only going to get better, and I know when I return home, she'll be just as happy to see me as I will be to see her. 

Oh, usually I have sheets on my bed, but my roommate, Protex (the mouse), pooped all over my bed while I was gone over the weekend....so I have to wash everything. Yes, I'm working on kicking him out. He doesn't even pay rent anyway...

They Say Dogs Are a Man's Best Friend...

I have to choose my words wisely in this entry so as not to offend anyone, but how does one that has been offended rant without offending others? Who knows...but I'll give it a shot. 

I come from a culture where animal cruelty is faught against. For the most part people treat their pets like family. There are even animal rights activist groups constantly pushing to reform the way animals are treated in our country. We still have issues with animal abuse (no country is perfect) but as a well-developed society we have come a long way with improvement of the human-animal relationship. 

Coming to Namibia I experienced a culture shock when I saw the way animals, mostly dogs, are treated. Before I continue, I am not saying that ALL namibians behave this way. I am just writing about a personal experience of mine. And before I share my story I will explain a little bit of background info about dogs in relation to Namibia. There are a lot of stray dogs running around because a lot of people that do own dogs (for protection purposes, not usually for friendship) don't spay or neuter them. The dogs here are a lot more wild and can be dangerous if carrying diseases like rabies. Because of this, a lot of people want to keep their distance. In order to keep that distance, some people will beat the dogs by throwing rocks, or hitting them with sticks. One thing you'll rarely see is a happy stray dog approaching a human because dogs here know they're not welcome. 

In the village there is a dog that we call Kamama. She's a beautiful gray dog, maybe 1 and half years old. I have posted a picture before of my hut, and she's the one standing in the doorway. I like this dog because at night she likes to sleep between my hut and Teclar's (the senior teacher at my school) as if she's protecting us. She growls and barks at people when they pass too closely to our homes at night. Kamama has chosen us to protect because we're the only ones that don't beat her when she comes around, and we're the only ones that feed her. She trusts us. 

I was gone from the village over the weekend, and stayed in Katima as usual. When I went to the school, Kamama did her usual greeting for me when I got out of my principal's truck: she came running from across the way and ran into the side of my leg whimpering with excitement. As I was petting her I noticed she was limping. I checked on her side and there was a giant wound of about a foot long and maybe 4 inches tall. It looked liked she had been burned, and it was very deep and fresh. 

I immediately asked a colleague what happened. I was shocked when I heard the words coming out of her mouth.

Apparently, Kamama got too close to someone that doesn't like her (I won't say names) and this person threw a pot of boiling water on her. Her fur and entire first layer of skin is completely burnt away, and I'm not a doctor but it looks like it went even deeper on certain spots. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how someone could do this to a dog that was doing absolutely nothing wrong to her. 

I immediately sent a text to the senior teacher who is absent from school this week to inform her of the incident. She was heart broken. I kept my mouth shut in the staff room.

The next day (today) I came to the school (this whole week I've been sleeping in Katima because none of the teachers are staying at the village due to this week being closing week). I got out of the car and expected Kamama to come running with excitement...but instead she hobbled over to me with her head low, and just leaned into my side to say hi. I looked at her side and it didn't look any better, in fact some spots were turning green. I went to the school and she limped away.

When I came to my hut to use the bathroom around noon, I found her hiding behind my house. She immediately came to me and followed me inside. I sat on the chair and she layed her head on my lap, softly whimpering. She felt feverish, her nose was dry, and she didn't want to move. I couldn't just leave her like this. 

So I got my camera and took pictures of her and her burn. I let her stay inside while I went to the school to ask my friend Dallaz if he would drop me off at a vet clinic (if there even is one) after school. 

Everyone laughed at me. 

I understand if someone doesn't like dogs. Not my business. But when I get laughed at for having compassion for a living being, it hurts...not because I'm embarrassed...but because it hurts to know there are people in this world that don't see life as a miracle in every breathing creature on this planet. 

I quietly grabbed my things, and Dallaz dropped me off at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, where I found a nice doctor who usually works with large animals. I showed him the pictures and explained the situation. He could see how upset I was and sympathized with me. He gave me a week's worth of pain pills and antibiotics...for free. He even drove me to the pharmacy in town and told me what to buy to clean the burn. After that I went and got her some dog food, and another friend of mine drove me to Gunkwe to help care for her. 

Unfortunately, when we got there, Kamama was nowhere to be found. We walked everywhere calling her name and speaking to villagers to see if they had seen her. I know she was gone because she knew I wouldn't be back til the morning. After a while of searching we decided to head back to Katima. 

As of now, I don't know the status of Kamama because the last few paragraphs happened today ( 27 November). Hopefully she'll find me at the school tomorrow morning, and I'll have another blog entry to  upload after this one letting you know how she's doing. 

It takes a lot of work sometimes to settle in with a culture different from your own. And this is one of my  struggles. In order to comfortably live in a different world though you must look at what lies underneath the surface. Having done so, I understand that in a new developing society the least of peoples' concerns is the treatment of animals because they have bigger issues to deal with. Life of a person comes first, and animals just haven't been allowed in the equation just yet. I don't hate people for that because I grew up in a different culture so I couldn't possibly understand. My culture has allowed us to have time to spend understanding the role of animals in our world. I'm just hoping that after my two year service maybe, just maybe, at least one person who hated animals before might just be inspired to change their behavior towards them after seeing the great lengths I'm willing to go through to protect them. I've met quite a few people here also who own dogs and cats and treat them very well, so once again, I'm not saying everyone in this country acts this way. 

I'm not saying we should all become crazy animal lovers, spending all our money to make them live longer...they're doing just fine surviving on their own...I'm just saying show a little love. It's not hard. It takes more energy to beat a dog than to show it a little compassion. If you don't want it near you, chances are it didn't want to be there either and will leave if you tell it to.

And please don't waste your time asking me "Well what about the malnutrition and abuse of children?" Because I'm in no way undermining those serious issues. I'm just bringing up another one that people should also consider. 

I promised her I'd be back tomorrow to help her, and I told her to hold on. When she looked at me as I spoke, something inside me knew that she somehow understood...

Correction and New Housing Situation

13 November, 2013

Okay so forget about part of the last blog entry. Here's what I'll actually be doing starting January: I'll be teaching English to grades 5 and 6, which is actually 14 periods a week (not 10 like I had originally thought), and I'll also be taking on Arts for 5,6, and 7. That's an extra 6 periods a week, leaving me with a total of 20. 

I voluntarily asked for Arts because...well...because nobody else wants it. It'll be challenging because we have limited resources...very limited resources. But I'll make it work. 

Onto another topic...

I have a new roommate. His name is Protex. 

Because he eats my Protex soap. 

I have yet to confront him about this issue because he's very shy and doesn't like to be seen. See, over the weekend while I was in Katima, he cleaned all the bugs off the floor that I had yet to sweep up. I think that was his way of apologizing ahead of time for eating a hole through my backpack and feasting on the corner of my soap. 

I have mixed emotions about this situation. I respect him cleaning up the floor....but then he decided to poop on my dishes. That is absolutely unacceptable. I don't think he'd be very happy if I returned the favor on something of his. Not to mention he's so noisy. At night all I hear is *squeak squeak squeak* and his little claws scratching at things. 

I don't want to resort to murder...I'm in the "Peace" Corps after all...but I may have to kick him out soon...at least before he invites a girlfriend to move in, and then next thing you know I'll have to share my one room hut with an entire family....an entire family that eats soap and poops on my dishes. 

Nope. 

Downtime

5 November, 2013

I can't believe it's already the beginning of November! By the time I upload this, the first week of November will have passed. In one month all of Group 38 volunteers will be sent to the capital, Windhoek, and reunited for a week of training. We have been apart from each other since the end of September, so I'm eager to hug their necks and hear about their own unique adventures so far. That's something I like about the Peace Corps...the fact that they separate us into our own individual sites, creating the most unique experience we could possibly have. I met a few Romanian volunteers for a private school at a teaching workshop a few weeks ago. They're used to living together in one area near Kongola, so when they heard I'm on on my own, they were shocked. They've been here for years but don't integrate into the community much because they're used to having each other as company. Our experiences are completely opposite. I have no other choice but to integrate, otherwise I'd be depressingly lonely...and those of you that know me know that I have to be surrounded by friends constantly. So I'm happy to say that I've made so many good friends since I've moved to Gunkwe, and my language learning is coming along nicely. 

During these first couple months we were supposed to focus on getting to know the community and also on figuring out what we will be doing come January. I have spoken with my principal and colleagues about what they would like from me and what I would like to offer. It has been agreed upon that I will be teaching English to grades 5 and 6. The Peace Corps stressed to us not to teach 5th grade English our 1st year..but my colleagues have a good point: they want me to have grade 5 again for grade 6 to hopefully provide a strong foundation of English for the next teacher to carry on in grade 7. That would give me two years with one group of students, and we will hopefully see an improvement. Also, I'm confident enough in the local language that if necessary I can use broken Silozi to help get an idea across. I spend a lot of time playing with some of the village kids and we communicate in both languages. 

Doing the math, that's only 10 periods a week. Which is not a lot at all. So I will be spending most of my time of service on secondary projects. We have all agreed that setting up a library is the first priority (after teaching of course). We have to figure out how to get the community to build us a space for a library to even exist. My father is setting up a book donation drive at his workplace and will be sending children's books to my school. If you're interested in being a part of this donation, then send me an email or Facebook message and I will give you his contact information. 

As for another secondary project, the teachers have requested that I teach them how to use a computer efficiently. So on Mondays or Wednesdays, starting in January, I will be teaching them as much as I possibly can about computers. Hopefully, we will have Internet by then. That will open up a lot of doors for us. 

Outside of the school, I really want to organize an HIV/AIDS awareness group in the community that can not only educate adults, but also help them learn how to talk to their kids about it. I found a great source shoved away in the school staff room with information on how to help parents communicate with their kids on such an awkward subject. Before I do this though I will need to find a counterpart in the village who is willing to work alongside me...that's going to take time. 

Anyway...everything listed above is just an outline of the goals I have for the rest of my service starting in January. Some things may be successful, while others may completely flop. But it's always worth a shot. My mind is at ease and I've remained peaceful since my journey has started, and I know that the tiniest impression can make lifelong changes, so even if something doesn't work out as planned, I know that somewhere I've made a difference. I can already see a change now in some of the people around me. For example, every single Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, my colleague and neighbor does yoga and other exercises with me. She's determined to engage in a healthier lifestyle, and that's a big deal here considering fitness isn't common in this country. I know that after two years of this she will stick with it and probably teach others when I'm gone. It's the little things like that worth working for. 

I've already posted some of these pictures on Facebook and on Instagram, but I'll throw a few in here for blog purposes. 

This was at Bezi Bar. We were celebrating my friend, Memory's, birthday. Ryan brought an American football and was trying to teach some of the guys how to throw it. The guy holding the ball is Kenneth, Prince's brother...Prince is Patrick's counterpart in the village Muyako. Since Katima is our shopping town, a few of us see each other every weekend. Oh yea, and later that night, I ended up going swimming in the pool in my clothes because "my song" came on...a Zambian song called Are You Single?...actually I don't even know if that's the title, but they say it over and over in the chorus lol. 

Some of the friends I've made in Katima.

Here are the village kids I play with a lot after school. They actually belong to a few of my colleagues, so they mostly leave the village on the weekends to stay in town in Katima. Dad, I took this picture and the one below for you to use on your book drive donation flier. The above one they're smiling, but the quality isn't as bright...below they look like angry kids because the sun was in their eyes. Oh, and to clear up a stereotype we have in the USA about African kids really fast...yes, you see a lot of pictures of African kids without shoes...but that doesn't mean they don't have shoes...they just choose not to wear them most of the time :)

Anyway, my next entry will probably be another random Facebook statusworthy post...because I've had a lot of those moments in my life since I wrote the latest one, and it probably isn't going to slow down. 

I'm going to bed. Nikalobala hande ni lukabonana. (I will sleep well and we'll be seeing each other).