Thursday, August 9, 2012
Hello all!
Hello all!
First of all, I would like to say CONGRATS to my brother and my new sister, Andrea, who were married last Saturday. I wish I could have been there for you, but I heard it was amazing. MUCH LOVE TO YOU BOTH!
I am writing with the latest updates! The big news yesterday was that our host family got a baby puppy! He is pictured below, and he is amazing. My host brother and sister are taking good care of him, and he is a fun addition to our family. (As part of our training, Peace Corps requires that trainees stay with home-stay families during our Pre-Service Training to learn about Namibian culture in an applied way.)
In terms of training, it is progressing nicely. I found out last week that I will be studying Afrikaans, which I am enjoying learning. We have already our mid-term language proficiency exams, which will test our spoken knowledge of Afrikaans. This is one of the skills which Peace Corps emphasizes, being able to communicate with one’s local community in their native language.
You will also see below a photo of my host family and I before church on Sunday. I enjoyed the service very much – lots of singing and dancing (!), but oy is it long here! It is not uncommon for a church service to last 4 hours!
Finally, you will see a photo of the new skill I am learning for Namibia…bucket bath. It is quite nice naturally and wonderful for a number of reasons – environmental conservation, thriftiness, less time-intensive. This definitely took some time to get used to, though!
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"It is quite nice naturally and wonderful for a number of reasons – environmental conservation, thriftiness, less time-intensive."
ReplyDeleteHahaha! You have permanently changed my opinion regarding bucket baths. I hope learning Afrikaans is fun! I miss you!
Mariah!! I didnt know about your blog! Im very excited reading it hahha especially when i got to the "bucket baths" part haha I remember having such baths sometimes when i was in Mexico, but not really enjoyable during winter time hahha I really admire you mariah! Wish you the best always... Karla :)
ReplyDeleteMariah, you are so beautiful. I am so glad that you are sending pictures and updating us on your experience. I think and pray for you everyday. I am so inspired by you and proud of you! The people you are staying with are so incredibly lucky and blessed to have you. Please greet your new brother and sister there for me.
ReplyDeleteAlways and forever love, your sister in the US, Brynn