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Birthday Weekend

Adam and Rachel, both of whose schools are closed due to flooding, came into Okahao on Thursday the 12th to visit my school and teach with me on Friday and to celebrate my birthday weekend. Rachel is the volunteer who I have spent the most time with since being stationed in the north. Her school has been closed since just after Valentine's Day and so she has had some time to tour some of our sites and visit. She bought for me a traditional Oshiwambo skirt for my birthday; I almost cried. The women here make these beautiful pink and "whatwhat" striped skirts that tie around the waist and are worn as traditional wear and for special occasions. Adam, being the rockstar that he is, spoiled me with a 12-pack of sharpie markers (a teacher's dream here) and some hand cream. It was the best birthday eve ever.

I paired my new prized skirt with a white top for Friday school and headed through the dark morning to devotion. From the first person I saw, and throughout the day I was greeted with the conventional Namibian "Oh!"s and pokings and proddings and hugs, handshakes and praises. My colleagues, the elders especially, were so thrilled that I was wearing traditional dress. To them it was a show of my embracing their culture and way of life, which they take so much pride in. The old kukus (respective elder women) who sell traditional bread at break time and who clean the school grounds just smiled at me through their stained teeth while gripping my hands and chattering in Oshindonga.

My principal held an urgent briefing at break, making sure all staff were in attendance. Once we were all settled in, Adam and Rachel joining the congregation, the principal shut the door to the staff room and shooed learners away from the door, getting right down to business. That business being having me stand and model my traditional skirt as they "oohed" and "aahed" and clapped, and then alerting them all of my birthday and leading them in a chorus of Happy Birthday- first in English and then in Oshiwambo and then, just for good measure, in Spanish.

During my free blocks of the day I toured Rachel and Adam around the school grounds, being randomly ushered into classes, learners tugging at us and having me introduce the two of them as they clamored around to stare and laugh and chatter. If one white teacher at a time is exciting, three is a riot. We three were quite the spectacle together.

After school that day the three of us were in the computer lab, Adam and Rachel making use of the school's internet connection when an unfamiliar (white) woman walked through the door and greeted us. She introduced herself as Laura Evans, a VSO volunteer from, bizarrely, Victoria, B.C. She is living in Okahao, working as a social worker at the hospital in town. It's incredible just how small this world is.

Over the course of the next few hours Emily, Erica and Aleks arrived at my place and we enjoyed birthday "cake" (a chocolate eclair, custard donut and apple streusel with a large emergency candle protruding from the centre) before making our way to Lizette's, a local restaurant up the main road. We enjoyed rice, pasta, fish and boiled vegetables, washed down with punya punya, a local drink of 50-50 cheap red wine and coke (it's absurdly delicious). Chris and Chloe (the married couple from Victoria, as well) met us at Lizette's and socialized with Laura who I invited to join in the festivities. We moved the party to a shebeen that sits on top of the post office where we listened to local music and socialized with one-another and the locals. The mosquitos were fierce, so by 10 or so we moved the party back to my place where we continued to drink and talk and laugh until after 3 in the morning. It was such an amazing feeling to be able to socialize and laugh and commiserate with one-another, sharing in each other's experiences-successes and failures. We all have such unique and disparate placements and living situations, but are able to communicate and empathize with one-another in a way that just isn't possible with friends and family back home. The evening provided impeccable release; I couldn't have asked for a better birthday, or people to share it with.

Everyone departed mid-day Saturday after a breakfast of french toast. Erica stayed behind as her school was closed and she had business in Oshakati Monday. Her sight is significantly more rural and far-out than mine so it was easier for her if she could venture from my place on Monday instead of having to journey back and forth to her place. I was happy for the company. We did schoolwork and preparation, toured the town, cooked delicious food, and watched Steel Magnolias. It was the very best, and most relaxing, birthday weekend I can remember and it was exactly what I wanted and needed.