Wednesday, August 27, 2014 was the day of the big
announcement…SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Before this however; CED volunteers took a trip to Windhoek.
We stopped by the Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), and the
Peace Corps Office where we talked to associates of the Financial Literacy
Initiative (FLI). After these meetings we went back to the training center in
Okahandja. We had to sit through a session on Minor medical incidents such as
burns, cuts, and bites (spiders, scorpions, snakes). Then finally we got to the
part of training that we have all been waiting for.
We were taken outside where there was a map of Namibia made
of string with rocks marking the various towns and villages that people would
be staying. We were blindfolded and then one by one our names were called. Each
person was escorted to their spot on the map. Once we were all placed, we were
able to take off our blindfolds and find out where we would be spending the
next 2 years.
Prior to all of this, some people had a good idea of where
they would end up based on the language they were assigned. For me, learning
Afrikaans did not narrow down my placement. I only knew that I would not be in
a northern region because those regions speak the bantu languages. I did
however hear rumors that suggested where I might be. First I heard that two CED
volunteers would be placed in Swakopmund. Since there is a married couple
(Steve & Barbara) here we all assumed that they were getting those
placements. Then it was found out that they were going to Keetmanshoop. This
was discovered because Steve blogged it. How they found out where they were
going ahead of time is a mystery to me. But this left the two spots in
Swakopmund open for the 4 remaining CED Afrikaans speaking volunteers.
Swakopmund is on the coast and is probably the biggest
tourist spot in Namibia. It is popular among German tourists. It has an
abundance of shops and restaurants and activities. One might ask why it is a
place a Peace Corps volunteers would go. Well, while there are some wealthy
people there, there are also extremely poor people. In fact, the gap between
the wealthy and the poor in Swakopmund is the one of the widest in Namibia. So
there is a lot of work to be down.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I am one of the two CED
volunteers going to Swakopmund. The other is my good friend Kaan who hails from
Wayne, NJ. I don’t know why, but where ever I go I can’t seem to shake people
from Jersey.
We will join another CED volunteer (Justin) who is already
there. I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to be going to Swakop.
However, I can’t say that there is not a little disappointment. I feel that I
will miss out on the true African experience. I think it would have been really
cool to be in a rural village living in a mud hut. Also, I feel that I’ll also
miss out on some of the unique cultural aspects. These are things that I would
have loved to experience. Fortunately, through traveling I hope to get my fair
share of exposure to rural Africa.
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Overall, I really shouldn’t be complaining because I know
that I am going to have the time of my life in Swakop. I’ll start by saying
that skydiving is most definitely an option in Swakop (sorry mom). Also, just
being on the coast is nice. Having access to fresh seafood is definitely a plus
for me. Another plus is I won’t have to go far for shopping. Some volunteers
live quite far from a town with a modern grocery store. Location is probably
the best perk. Swakop is not far from Walvis Bay, Windhoek (the capital),
Spitzkoppe (rock climbing mecca of Namibia), Brandberg (the tallest mountain in
Namibia), and the Skeleton Coast. I still have a lot to learn about Swakop, but
it seems to have a lot to offer, and I can’t wait to get there.
Obviously as a Peace Corps volunteer I’m not going to Swakop
just to have the time of my life. I’ll be working with a COSDEC, Community
Skills Development Center. The main goal of COSDEC is to provide practical
skills training and related services with the following three objectives:
entrepreneurship, job creation, and basic training for higher training
institutions. Essentially, I’ll be helping the organization with empowering
young adults to become entrepreneurs or to become employees at other
businesses. Part of my job will be helping the COSDEC with their day to day,
and the other part of my job will be training the trainees who come to the
COSDEC. I cannot wait to get to work. This is what I’ve been looking for: a job
where I can use the skills I have to help people in need.
I can’t be more specific, because a lot of what I’ll be
doing won’t be defined until I get there. From what I’ve heard there is a lot
of freedom for CED volunteers. I look forward to managing my own initiatives as
well as projects outside of my organization. I know I have a lot of hard work
ahead of me, but I also know that the next 2 years are going to be amazing.
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