It rained, so naturally we ran outside to sing in it

Our first section of training is about to come to a close: on Friday we will be leaving Okahandja for the next three weeks in order to engage in Community Based Training (CBT).

The purpose of CBT is to begin observing actual Namibian classrooms and to experience life in a more rural community, more similar to what site might be like.

KKG language group has no specific region, so where we are going for CBT might not actually be the region in which I end up. This is also most likely not my site. However, it will be a big and exciting change to go from living in a town with running water and electricity to a village where those things might not be as readily available.

So, in order to celebrate the first part of PST coming to a close (we’ll be coming back for 2 more weeks after CBT), here is what the typical day at PST is like!

05:00

• Wake up
• Run my hotspot in order to check the internet/post on my blog (I have a phone plan that gives me unlimited data from midnight to 06:00. It’s only NA$10 (around 60-70 cents American for 8 days!

06:20

• Get dressed
• Eat a little breakfast (depending on the day)

06:55

• Walk to bus stop
• Get picked up by kombi and head to training center

07:30

• MWF: Morning Assembly. All of the trainees and staff gather to sing songs to start off our day. On Mondays and Fridays we sing the Namibian and American National Anthems and the African Union Anthem in addition to two traditional Namibian songs and on Wednesdays we just sing two traditional songs.
• TThSat: We have extra time between 07:30 and 08:00 to hang out, study, read, or run to the grocery store/café next store to grab a cup of coffee or a small pastry.

08:00-10:00

• Language Training!

10-10:30

• Tea break. We usually have PB&J sandwiches and either coffee or Rooibos tea!

10:30-12:30

• Technical sessions. These range from Namibian history to Safety and Security to Medical to Classroom technique and management to development.

12:30-13:30

• Lunch break! Time to eat and to run any errands we may have to get done.

13:30-15:00

• More technical

15:00-15:15

• Quick Break

15:15-16:30

• More technical

16:30-17:30 (On Tuesdays and Thursdays)

• We have an extra hour to hang out at the center for various activities

17:30-End of the Day

• We all head home to our host families to hang out, do homework and eat dinner.
• I usually try to head to bed around 21:00 or even a little earlier if I’m not hooked on a soapie (TV show)!

And there you have it! We have very long days but it’s all worth it in the end!