Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Good morning, world!
It is 9.30 on Friday morning. David has been away since Tuesday (till Sunday) at Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Tsumkwe. If you live in Tsumkwe, the nearest petrol station is Grootfontein, 375 kms away. We are so glad our ute/bakkie has a tank that will take us 1,000 kms.
Étienne woke up at 5.50 am, the first of our visitors came at 6.50 am (to water the veggies), then came another 2, then came two neighbour children to proudly show me their report for this term that they got this morning (school starts at 7 or 7.30 here, depending on your school). I was glad to finally get into shower!
School
The children are learning about maps (physical, political, contour etc). Then the ‘practical’ was designing a map of their own. Étienne spent about 20 minutes on the key (legend) before he even drew his map. His key includes tree, desert, wreck, ship, current, sea routes, swamp, river, house, church, mountains, valleys, sharks, castles, canyons, cattle, roads, air routes, birds, grass, battle, bushes, tombs, dead fish (!!!), bridges, monster, airport, harbour, fish. As you can imagine, his ‘world’ is a riot of symbols!
We played hangman one day last week. One has to stretch one’s mind when Caris chooses a word as she can be imaginative in her spelling! Everyday she wants to do craft!
Inter alia
We went to karate last night by taxi and got a lift home with another parent who car told me it was 31.5 degrees outside at 6.30 p.m. So much for Autumn!
The children and I went to the ‘English’ church in Oshakati. Some of you may remember our role in it last year. Anyway, I was delighted to be one of about 22 people. The majority are Zimbabwean Christians, working over here, who can’t speak Oshiwambo. (one is the daughter-in-law of the first briefly-president of Zim) Others are locals who enjoy English. The church meets in a conference room at a lodge and some of the staff come along too. The couple leading the fellowship are from the Cape; very caring people. Next time I go I may take a photo.
David has my camera now for Tsumkwe as it is his first time there, is miles from anywhere, is on the Botswana border and is deep in San territory (if one can say they have territory, being nomads). We hope to go with David on some of his jaunts but, as he is still establishing himself and the work, it is right for him to go on his own and concentrate on the work in hand while it is all so new.
Language
The other day we stopped to give someone a lift. As most people have no transport, they rely on being picked up by people passing that way. We did not have much room so David asked her ‘how many?’ (because, when you stop, ‘hordes’ suddenly emerge from the bush for the lift – I do exaggerate!) When she answered ‘$5’, we both laughed as we realised he had used the prefix on the word for ‘how many/much’ that is used for o-words (money = oilmaliwa), instead of the prefix for omu-words!
Talking of ‘hordes’, we had 22 at Bible club last Wednesday. I am having a bit of a break over the school hols but they will still be coming to play, no doubt. I showed them ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ last week as it was exam week. Our lounge was very crowed but I enjoyed watching the children enjoying the movie.
That's all for today, folks!
Étienne woke up at 5.50 am, the first of our visitors came at 6.50 am (to water the veggies), then came another 2, then came two neighbour children to proudly show me their report for this term that they got this morning (school starts at 7 or 7.30 here, depending on your school). I was glad to finally get into shower!
School
The children are learning about maps (physical, political, contour etc). Then the ‘practical’ was designing a map of their own. Étienne spent about 20 minutes on the key (legend) before he even drew his map. His key includes tree, desert, wreck, ship, current, sea routes, swamp, river, house, church, mountains, valleys, sharks, castles, canyons, cattle, roads, air routes, birds, grass, battle, bushes, tombs, dead fish (!!!), bridges, monster, airport, harbour, fish. As you can imagine, his ‘world’ is a riot of symbols!
We played hangman one day last week. One has to stretch one’s mind when Caris chooses a word as she can be imaginative in her spelling! Everyday she wants to do craft!
Inter alia
We went to karate last night by taxi and got a lift home with another parent who car told me it was 31.5 degrees outside at 6.30 p.m. So much for Autumn!
The children and I went to the ‘English’ church in Oshakati. Some of you may remember our role in it last year. Anyway, I was delighted to be one of about 22 people. The majority are Zimbabwean Christians, working over here, who can’t speak Oshiwambo. (one is the daughter-in-law of the first briefly-president of Zim) Others are locals who enjoy English. The church meets in a conference room at a lodge and some of the staff come along too. The couple leading the fellowship are from the Cape; very caring people. Next time I go I may take a photo.
David has my camera now for Tsumkwe as it is his first time there, is miles from anywhere, is on the Botswana border and is deep in San territory (if one can say they have territory, being nomads). We hope to go with David on some of his jaunts but, as he is still establishing himself and the work, it is right for him to go on his own and concentrate on the work in hand while it is all so new.
Language
The other day we stopped to give someone a lift. As most people have no transport, they rely on being picked up by people passing that way. We did not have much room so David asked her ‘how many?’ (because, when you stop, ‘hordes’ suddenly emerge from the bush for the lift – I do exaggerate!) When she answered ‘$5’, we both laughed as we realised he had used the prefix on the word for ‘how many/much’ that is used for o-words (money = oilmaliwa), instead of the prefix for omu-words!
Talking of ‘hordes’, we had 22 at Bible club last Wednesday. I am having a bit of a break over the school hols but they will still be coming to play, no doubt. I showed them ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ last week as it was exam week. Our lounge was very crowed but I enjoyed watching the children enjoying the movie.
That's all for today, folks!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wot's up?!
A rose by any other name …
People’s names here usually have a specific meaning. When a baby is born, they are given a name in their language, a name with significance (e.g. Born in the morning, Rejoice, Let us give thanks, I am finished, etc). Then, after 6 days, the mother and baby officially leave the birth room and the baby is welcomed with another name, usually these days one of European origin. So Hilma is also Panduleni (we give thanks), and Pandu (thanks) is also Priskilla, etc.
People ask what Caris and Étienne’s names mean. Étienne means ‘crown’ and Caris is Greek for ‘grace’. But ‘grace’, using the Oshiwambo word found in the Bible, is a hard concept to explain so we say her name means Ndapewa Oshali; I am given for free.
There is no word in Owambo for ‘borrow’ or ‘lend’. People use a phrase that means, loosely translated, ‘please help my need by giving me’.
There is no word for ‘please’ either. Culturally, it is very difficult to have people coming to our gate saying, in English, ‘Give me water.’, ‘I want bread.’ (etc), and often not even saying ‘thank you’ (a common occurrence in Oshiwambo but often hard for me to adjust to and to respond to graciously).
Knock, Knock. Who’s there?
Well, it could be anyone. Boys come regularly to our gate asking for food. They do a little job in the garden and we give them breakfast.
Every single day there are children upon children, coming in dribs and drabs (which means I have to KEEP going out to the gate), wanting to play. It can be very exhausting and we have to draw limits. But it is amazing to watch them as they discover the delights of draughts, battleships, uno, ludo, snakes and ladders, dominoes, etc for the first time. Some of the children hear Étienne practising his recorder and THEY want to learn. (Today for Bible Club they are watching an Odyssey video as it is exam week and I thought they could do with some light input. I have 17 children here but one is so keen to practise the recorder he is foregoing the movie to play some music. Wish Étienne was that keen!)
Another knock. This time it is someone needing help with their homework. The other day a class were told to take in books to do a book review. But most of them did not have a book of their own so came to borrow one (I have started a mini lending library). Yesterday a girl, who has just started uni this year, came for help with her computer exam for the following day. She wanted to know the difference between hardware and software. (All these things we just take for granted in our own cultural setting, hey!)
Knock, knock. It’s someone wanting to enrol in the NETS programme or coming to write an exam.
Knock! Knock! Ah, people have arrived for Bible study or for Bible club.
Hey, we’ve been there!
David has got us DSTV this month so he can watch the cricket and we can tape some fresh movies to watch. Many days this month I have scheduled a programme from Animal Planet or Nat Geog into the curriculum and we are learning heaps about all sorts of animals (ever heard of the Pink Fairy Armadillo or the Star-nosed Mole?!). Yesterday we learnt in geography about the early Portuguese explorers rounding the Cape and which one erected the cross at Cape Cross on the Namibian Coast. I reminded the children that that was the cross we saw when we went there to see the seal colony. Then David Attenborough came on TV to show us the seals at that very spot. A coincidence, but exciting for the children who could identify so closely with it.
I shall upload some pictures of the children, with and without animals! The parying mantis is on Caris’ hand. The frog we found in the garden. They are SO camouflaged. If you want to know why she is coming out of a Weaver’s nest, you need to read the next issue of Ongaipi!
People’s names here usually have a specific meaning. When a baby is born, they are given a name in their language, a name with significance (e.g. Born in the morning, Rejoice, Let us give thanks, I am finished, etc). Then, after 6 days, the mother and baby officially leave the birth room and the baby is welcomed with another name, usually these days one of European origin. So Hilma is also Panduleni (we give thanks), and Pandu (thanks) is also Priskilla, etc.
People ask what Caris and Étienne’s names mean. Étienne means ‘crown’ and Caris is Greek for ‘grace’. But ‘grace’, using the Oshiwambo word found in the Bible, is a hard concept to explain so we say her name means Ndapewa Oshali; I am given for free.
There is no word in Owambo for ‘borrow’ or ‘lend’. People use a phrase that means, loosely translated, ‘please help my need by giving me’.
There is no word for ‘please’ either. Culturally, it is very difficult to have people coming to our gate saying, in English, ‘Give me water.’, ‘I want bread.’ (etc), and often not even saying ‘thank you’ (a common occurrence in Oshiwambo but often hard for me to adjust to and to respond to graciously).
Knock, Knock. Who’s there?
Well, it could be anyone. Boys come regularly to our gate asking for food. They do a little job in the garden and we give them breakfast.
Every single day there are children upon children, coming in dribs and drabs (which means I have to KEEP going out to the gate), wanting to play. It can be very exhausting and we have to draw limits. But it is amazing to watch them as they discover the delights of draughts, battleships, uno, ludo, snakes and ladders, dominoes, etc for the first time. Some of the children hear Étienne practising his recorder and THEY want to learn. (Today for Bible Club they are watching an Odyssey video as it is exam week and I thought they could do with some light input. I have 17 children here but one is so keen to practise the recorder he is foregoing the movie to play some music. Wish Étienne was that keen!)
Another knock. This time it is someone needing help with their homework. The other day a class were told to take in books to do a book review. But most of them did not have a book of their own so came to borrow one (I have started a mini lending library). Yesterday a girl, who has just started uni this year, came for help with her computer exam for the following day. She wanted to know the difference between hardware and software. (All these things we just take for granted in our own cultural setting, hey!)
Knock, knock. It’s someone wanting to enrol in the NETS programme or coming to write an exam.
Knock! Knock! Ah, people have arrived for Bible study or for Bible club.
Hey, we’ve been there!
David has got us DSTV this month so he can watch the cricket and we can tape some fresh movies to watch. Many days this month I have scheduled a programme from Animal Planet or Nat Geog into the curriculum and we are learning heaps about all sorts of animals (ever heard of the Pink Fairy Armadillo or the Star-nosed Mole?!). Yesterday we learnt in geography about the early Portuguese explorers rounding the Cape and which one erected the cross at Cape Cross on the Namibian Coast. I reminded the children that that was the cross we saw when we went there to see the seal colony. Then David Attenborough came on TV to show us the seals at that very spot. A coincidence, but exciting for the children who could identify so closely with it.
I shall upload some pictures of the children, with and without animals! The parying mantis is on Caris’ hand. The frog we found in the garden. They are SO camouflaged. If you want to know why she is coming out of a Weaver’s nest, you need to read the next issue of Ongaipi!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Easter in Owamboland
It is Easter Saturday. As I write, there are 3 boys playing on the trampoline, 3 boys playing bionicles, Étienne and another boy catching spiders and insects with the fishing net, and 2 girls with Caris playing dolls. They must be having fun as there is a lot of noise! Tomorrow we go into the bush to the church with the missing wall (some of you will have seen a previous posting and pic of the church) where David will deliver (DV) an Easter sermon in Oshikwanyama! I have completed Sunday school 2 lessons in Oshindonga and have the 3rd written, as yet, only still in English, ready to translate. It is hard work. But the best bit is that I can hand over finished (albeit in draft form) lessons to Severia Nekwaya, who helps me translate Sunday school lessons when we are at Ondangwa and who is willing to teach the children these prepared lessons when we cannot make it to Ondangwa. We are also translating some Sunday school songs into Oshiwambo. I spent over an hour with someone last weekend, translating that ‘simple’ (!) song, ‘Father Abraham’. One problem in song translation is that the Oshiwambo words are often much longer than English, and they usually have concords (words which belong to nouns), too. This, of course, affects the rhythm. ‘Father Abraham had many sons’ in Oshindonga would be: ‘Tate Abraham okwa li e na oyannamati aamati ayehe’. ‘Right arm’ translates as ‘onyala yo kululyo’. What the song ended up saying in Oshindonga is: “The Lord promised Abraham/ to his descendants he promised/ and we are one of those descendants/ let us praise God.” Weather? Well, we are into Autumn now. It is ‘only’ 35 degrees inside (and even hotter outside!). David has set aside some of our garden for planting a veggie patch. We once did this when in Armidale, before Étienne was born. The ‘soil’ here is just sand. David bought compost. We were late off the mark and the rainy season is over so we are having to water by hand. I planted some some pepperdew, chives and parsley but they are not doing anything much (I am as green as Shrek’s mother-in-law!). David has his carrots, pumpkin, rhubarb and onion already showing themselves. We also have a baby papaya tree growing – it is about hip-high to me. As yet, we have had no post arrive from anywhere, even though we have mail WEEKS overdue from Windhoek (Namibia!!), Australia, USA, South Africa and UK. It is hard to be patient when I see so many things I want to photograph! This Wednesday David will be very busy indeed. A ‘cram’ (to rewrite HSC) school in Oshakati has invited him to do weekly lunchtime Bible studies with the students. After this one, he will travel on to Oonanda, a village 50km further, and do an afternoon workshop. Then back to Oshakati for an evening workshop. Then home. Phew! One of the many good things about living here is the amount of time our children get to play outside (avoiding the direct light, of course) together and also with the local children, and time spent playing with lego, bionicles, dolls and just reading. This does them so much better than computer games etc (which they do play - in moderation). Étienne has just enjoyed (an abridged version of) Robinson Crusoe. Caris is also beginning to read simple books independently. Now it is a sweltering Easter Monday. Church yesterday was loooong. We were away from home for 5,5 hours, 3,5 of which was the service and the rest was getting to and from Omungwelume. David’s sermon went well. It came after 2 baptisms and about 8 songs (about 2 hours into the service). When he had finished, someone got up and summarised his sermon for everyone (it took her about twice as long as it did David). This is quite a common practice actually, and no reflection on David’s communicating abilities! As there are no toilets anywhere (unless you count the general countryside!), I did not drink much whilst we were there, but we have learnt, when going to a church, to take an container of water and some cups as people are always grateful for a cup of cold water after church, before they begin the walk home after the service. I will put up some pictures. Some are extremely low res ones taken with the video recorder (max quality 60 kb!). others are from before the camera broke. You will see the elephant road sign. David saw the signs when up in the Caprivi Strip last month and actually DID see an elephant. He stopped to video it but it was having an off-day and starting making threatening gestures towards the car! Another pic shows how the people groups are found up here in Owamboland. (You may find I go on a bit about the diff languages, but it is because they play such a role in some many aspects of our life here.) Oshakati falls under Kwambi, Ondangwa under Ndonga and Ongwediva just at the bottom on Kwanyama country. The Kwanyama tribal land has the Angolan border going through the middle of it. Each tribe represents a language. I have probably mentioned this before but the Kwanyama are the biggest people group. The other groups tend to use the Ndonga Bible. Unfortunately, the Ndonga Bible is not available at the moment. It has been revised, apparently, but there will be no copies available till Christmas. We have tried since January to get one for me but there are simply none available. It makes us so aware of what an abundance of Bibles we can get in our own language, and in many versions. Can YOU imagine going to the shops and finding there was no Bible available in the WHOLE country for you to buy? You will also see a pic of Étienne with some of his friends, David’s Sunday arvo Bible study, and a novel way of protecting crops from birds (plastic bags over the heads of grain). After seeing the HUGE fields under cultivation when we lived at Collarenebri, we imagine that this means of protection would probably take a year per field to apply!!! So perhaps not feasible in Australia??!!!
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