//Nau-!a Tama Ta Ha Damara

We’re in the final stages of planning for our weeklong workshop. From the sounds of it, the 60-odd participants who have already signed up should be more than entertained when we cover topics like alcoholism, condom use, the biology of HIV/AIDS, grief and goal setting. Because they told us during the needs assessment that they like games and dramas, we’ve managed to incorporate at least one of each into every session. The last day will include certificates of completion (which are a big deal around here), several plays and of course, a big party with lots of food and cool drinks. (That’s the local term for soda, juice, or anything that’s not water.)

With 13 people each trying to take a turn at the planning wheel, this could have been disastrous. But as it turns out, people who were eager to criticize were also equally willing to step back and observe. We’ve got a pretty solid group of volunteers with a good dynamic that makes even work an okay time. So after a plate of fat cakes and a couple of hours we were well on our way to workshop success. Each of us is responsible for teaching one session each day, but seeing the games and materials others use will be beneficial in running our own workshops down the line.

In the meantime I’ve been practicing for my language exam. My mama doesn’t speak as much Damara to me as I’d hoped, so Jo-Ann, the neighbor, has been helping me practice in exchange for grilled cheeses, lasagna and other American treats. But we hit a wall yesterday when she realized I’d been learning the language for nearly a month, rather than just one week. She went from thinking I was coming along to instead feeling like I was a lost cause.

It was the self-esteem boost I needed with less than 24-hours until my exam.

As for the test, well, it went as expected: terribly. I know more vocabulary than I thought, but I’m nearly incapable of forming complete sentences. (At least for now.) I’m confident that with time (lots of time) I’ll come around. My goal is to be proficient in what I should know by now by the time I leave Tsumeb. I’m literate in Damara, but can’t always hear the difference between //a and a and /a. Since my work in Khorixas will rely mostly on verbal communication, that’s bound to be a problem.

But the good news is that so far, there haven’t been many of those—major problems, I mean. Maybe that’s because we haven’t really had to adjust to life in Namibia quite yet. Although the 70 members of Nam 27 are split between six cities for CBT, we still haven’t had to contend with being totally alone. Because of that, I have a feeling those first few months at permanent site will be filled with the types of challenges we haven’t yet faced. We’ll contend with loneliness and isolation, language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, confusion over jobs and god knows what else.

That’s not to say I’m dreading swearing in. In fact, it’s just the opposite. These are the reasons I signed up for Peace Corps. Sure 2008 will bring more challenges all at once than I’ve faced over the course of the last several years, but that just means more personal growth and greater understanding—of Namibia, Damara, and ultimately, myself.