Debriefing Moments

The final three days of the program have begun, which in CWY lingo is otherwise known as debriefing. So that means we are busy reflecting and processing our past experiences as a group and as individuals as we think about all the learning and sharing we have had with one another over the past 6 months.

I have been truly blessed with such a warm and wonderful experience. Dont get me wrong it has had its most difficult challenges and problems, however, on the whole the program has been a very powerful experience both for the participants and for myself.

Hottest Day of the Year!

So it's our last weekend in Swakop and its a hot one! Must be 30+ degrees! I just did my last bit of shopping, booked my ticket home(into Edmonton on the 3rd of April) and am going to take a dip in the sea after I get out of this hot internet cafe, where I am actually sweating as I type on the keyboard.

We had our host family and work placement farewell party last night. It was well attended and a lot of fun! All the families came and very much enjoyed our cozy potluck dinner and certificate ceremony.After which some went out dancing, but I couldnt be bothered I have been so exhausted lately just getting on top of everything making sure everything is in order before we leave next week. My counterpart on the otherhand went out all night and came home around 7am!

Its now the home stretch and now we just have to get all the final reports done and then facilitate the final debriefing(preparing the team for the realworld after the program!) And then I take the crew to Jo'berg where they board a plane bound to Canada via Europe and I go with my good pal Michelle to Mozambique. I plan to stay a week or so and then head back to Jo'berg where I will fly to Germany to see my sister again and Vadim.

Well I think the beach is calling my name and I am very hot at the moment,I think its the hotest day of the year so far, so I will end it here and take a nice swim- one of my last as we leave the host community Monday AM...

Sunshine is good for the soul!

Wow! Sunshine really makes you feel alive and so happy! Today in Swakopmund it was hot, its normally quite hot, but today was especially warm! So taking that weather condition into consideration I decided I owe it to myself to enjoy my beautiful surroundings and go to the beach for a little bit of well deserved R&R.

mmmm..... it was very nice.

I met Ali around 4pm, layed in the sun, swam in sea and now feel so alive! The water was especially nice, its normally between 17-20 degrees but today it was 22degrees. We swam in the sea for awhile and hung out by the beach till we saw the beautiful sunset.

After just a couple hours of direct sunshine and swimming in the sea I feel 100% better. Ali calls it the effects of a Vitamin D overdose!

My conclusion is sunshine is good for the soul!

Newsletter article

Below is an article I wrote for our group newsletter and was also sent to the Local Newspaper in Revelstoke:

Greetings from Namibia!

Now that we have finally settled ourselves in Swakopmund, Namibia I thought it was time to send an update as to how the Canada World Youth Program is going and as well to extend a huge Thank You to all the numerous community members in Revelstoke who volunteered their time and energy to make the program a huge success. We had the most incredible host families, who always went the extra mile to ensure their participants had an amazing experience. While at the same time, we had some very interesting work placements where the participants gained meaningful work experience and learned a lot of new skills and knowledge. Finally, the community as a whole was extremely warm and welcoming, making the participants all feel at home during our three month stay in Revelstoke.

Since we left Revelstoke in late November we have traveled a great distance to our new home in Swakopmund, Namibia where the single biggest difference for us all has been the climate. It is very hot and dry which has meant for Africans or Canadians alike we have all been hit with a sunburn at least once, if not twice when we spend our lazy weekends hanging out at the beach for a game of volleyball or like today for an afternoon “Braai”- Afrikaans for BBQ. The hot climate is due to the fact that Swakopmund is situated on the Atlantic ocean completely surrounded by the Namib Desert. In a lot of ways it appears as though Swakopmund is an unnatural bubble of development situated in the middle of nowhere, since really if the the town were not here there would be nothing on the map but sand. The town itself is extremely well developed and has a lot of the luxuries we are used to having at home, such as Italian ice cream, fast food pizza & French fries, cappuccino, and internet, as Swakopmund is one of Namibia’s main tourist attractions.

Just as in Revelsoke all the participants have been placed with local host families, and in mid December they all began to volunteer at their new work placements. The participants’ volunteer work placements here in Namibia all vary and are quite different from those which they held in Revelstoke. Some participants are working with different government ministries such as the Ministry of the Environment and Tourism and the Ministry of Fisheries; while others are working for the local Municipality and the Regional Council. And finally, some participants are working for local small businesses such as at the Snake Park and Karakulia- a local handwoven carpet making business.

The host families where the participants and I am now living are all diverse and are located in three different suburbs, each of which tends to represent a different socio-economic class of Namibian society. In the township of Mondesa four participants are living in quite basic housing conditions, while in Tamariskia another two pair of participants are living in more modest housing conditions with middle class families. Finally, the rest of us are living in the most developed suburb of Swakopmund known as Vineta with middle to and upper class type families where their homes resemble houses such as ours in Canada. Despite the difference in areas or housing conditions, all the families are great, providing excellent hospitality such as we experienced in Revelstoke

Swakopmund and 2 weeks to go!

Happy Valentine's Day

That's right its the day of love and I am enjoying it without a special valentine but with my team! That's because its Tuesday the day of the week when we have our educational activity days(or "EADs" as we like to call 'em). Today's topic is Local Economy so we had a some interesting discussions about the state of the economy here in Namibia, it role within the modern economic system of globalization and then later as a group tried to define Economy. Sounds good, eh? Well it kept a couple of us interested and engaged but a few others were a little lost.

Today is a little sad as we had to announce the deselection of yet another participant! That is right we are now down to 13 participants from a total of 18 at the start in September. It is unfortunate but in the end she really deselected herself with her actions and there was no other alternative than to send her home. She was a bit of an all star so its a little tough for everyone, myself included, to see her leave. She was one of our lead singers and always got the group singing and dancing to diferent Namibian folk music!

On another sadder note, I regret to announce the wedding has been canceled, me and vadim are having some difficulties that we need to work out. I think Vadim has a bad case of cold feet and the long distance relationship has really taken a toll on the both of us. We are hoping to reach a solution that works for us both. We are planning to meet in Europe after my contract and then only after meeting face to face and discussing possible solutions to our relationship will be able to give a proper update on our situation. Thank you for your understanding.

In the meantime I will continue to enjoy Namibia and all the beauty the country has to offer. Ali and I for instance are planning on heading out to do some camping nearby and hike one of Namibia's tallest mountains!

Back from Midproject

Happy to report that midproject went over really well. We didnt all kill each other and nothing Lord of the Flies style occurred( which when leaving I thought would occur).

In fact I think we all grew closer and more fond of one another, enjoying each other's talents and traits, such as doing one another's hair, cooking gourmet meals, singing, dancing, etc.

We learned about African witchcraft and folk tales, and we learned how to meditate, do yoga from some of our keen Canadian participants.

We learned about Globalization, the Environment, the importance in protecting endangered species such as the Cheetah,and Rhino, etc.

In short it was great. Now I am back in Swakopmund and my boss is here, as well as two other project supervisors are visiting, they are on holiday here as they normally work in South Africa! Finally, Ali, my sister, is coming in a couple days to stay 2-3 weeks.

And if that couldnt be enough to make me happy, to top it off I just spend a great afternoon drinking Gin and Tonic at the beach with my boss! Life is grand, despite the few bumps and glitches we face and encounter from time to time.