On the Way Back and There

Today is January 17, 2014 and I am posting the last pictures from November in Kalkfeld.  I am now in Whittier, California, USA.  In Kalkfeld it took 13 minutes to load a picture with intermittent 2 G from a tower 20 plus miles away.  It just took less than one minute to load the six pictures below.  

Some houses in the location.

This is a picture looking toward the center of the settlement of Kalkfeld (20 minute walk) from the Location.  Although there is garbage collection, on both the church property and in the Location there are areas where people dump trash because of the cost of the service.

When I got back to the church property I was met by the local (bovine) gang at the gate.  It is very dry and so they are hungry and waiting for Garrett's truck to bring hay to eat which he does every day or so.  In a couple days that will not be enough (it is sweet but not nutritious or satisfying enough- like eating candy), and they will begin jumping the cattle gate to go foraging between 4 and 10 Kilometers away on their own.

Retirement Celebration at Kalkfeld Primary School Part 2

The Master of ceremonies on the left, a teacher and the Principal on the right.

The Principal begins the procession with a School Board member following.

They are seated awaiting the Guest of Honor.

And here she is Mrs. Camtano.  She has been serving as a teacher for 37 years, and all of them at Kalkfeld Primary School.  One of the tributes to her was that she continued to seek education all her career to improve her skills.  Younger teachers were inspired by meeting her in these continuing education conferences and classes- that an older teacher would still be motivated to learn and grow.  She retires this week because she is turning 60 next week- the mandatory retirement age for government employees in Namibia.  She is given a warm welcome with a standing ovation and many stories of how she has changed the lives of learners, teachers and administrators over her illustrious 37 year career!  Escorted by one of the teachers, she is dressed in the traditional Otjiherero style.

Retirement Celebration at Kalkfeld Primary School part 1

There was a big celebration on the last Thursday before school let out on Friday.  There was a goodbye celebration and ceremony for a teacher.

They had borrowed the tent from the church and set it up as a canopy in the court yard.  There was a keyboard player, drummer and singer.

The children sat under the canopy.

The choir sat under the tree.  Their t shirts were individually designs but each had a hand holding an uncut diamond- and said Kalkfeld, Namibia.  

The teachers and teacher's aides all wore bright pink dresses and blouses and sat under awning of the school building with the invited guests.


Some of the children painted their faces.  There was a definite color scheme to the celebration- bright pink for girls/women and lime green for boys/men.

There was a table up front for the dignitaries, the Principal, the Heads of the Departments and the Guest of Honor.

A Meeting in the Location

On Friday when I was walking back from the Preschool graduation at the Lutheran church, I saw there was a gathering in the Location under the tree.  

The Location is a place near each settlement/village/town of Namibia which was established during Apartheid for the native Namibians.  They were required to live there by the white government as the white farmers accumulated the land the indigenous people had previously lived on, farmed or traveled with their animals as they migrated through out the seasons of the desert.  Although no longer required to live there, after many generations of living there, many people call it home.

The Coloured (mixed race) people who migrated to Namibia looking for work from South Africa were not allowed to own land.  Some rented places in the Location from the people there when they came to work for the white farmers.  Some lived on the property of the white farmers who employed them in migrant labor housing- barracks for the men (as is still done at the mines) or in barns or sheds with their families.  The church property was originally gifted to the church as a place for coloured workers in Kalkfeld to have a place to live with their families.

There had been a meeting with the residents and the social worker assigned to Kalkfeld who was visiting from Otjiwarango.  The meeting was almost over and was translated into several languages (Damara, Afrikaans, and Otjiherero none of which I could understand) so I just said hello to a few people and took pictures. 

One of the purposes of the meeting was to talk about the ongoing Drought Relief program and to distribute Mealie Miel (Corn meal).

Each family who signed up got a 20 lb bag from under the other tree in the soccer field.

Graduation Day! Part 3

I was happy to participate by praying and telling the children the story of Jesus welcoming the all the little (and big) children as children of God.

 The children were so cute and so thrilled with their certificates and their parents so proud!  It brought a big smile to my face.  I was honored to be asked to participate and being with them made my day.

Graduation Day! Part 2

Each of the children received a certificate of participation and a couple received a second one in recognition of their special accomplishments- "best student" awards.  I was happy to help Armando make and print the certificates so they looked nice and official for the children and their parents.

Some portrayed such confidence and self- assurance it looked like they had done this before, or at least had seen an older sibling do it!

A proud Dad had to get a close up shot!

TA DA!!!

Graduation Day! Part 1

I was invited to give the prayer at the Preschool Graduation in the location by the Principal, Armando.  The preschoolers started gathering for their graduation outside the Lutheran church where the vaccinations were going on.  They were being given bright green sashes with their names printed on as they arrived.

So I started taking pictures of them as well as the vaccinations.

They grouped themselves and then one of the mothers lined them up tall ones in the back.  And yes the two in plaid are twins and Warren and Walter and nobody can tell them apart even to the space between their front teeth!

As in all such things, we were a little delayed in starting waiting on parents to come.  The principal (Armando is on the back left with a sash.  The assistant teacher is on the right in blue.)  

So as the principal and teacher made final arrangements getting the certificates ready for the ceremony, I started singing with the children.  Luckily I was well rehearsed at the Kalkfeld Primary School with the two favorites, "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."  

The children were very well behaved but singing kept me out of busy since I seem to get in trouble when I have to wait too long. :) This is when I decided my next vocation might be children's entertainer, specializing in the 0-5 year old crowd.  I am a hit with them, they find me to be either     1) absolutely hysterical of 2) fascinating like a new bug they found.  Either way, we have fun together!

The ceremony finally started with the children all lining up.

They were to say good morning and to give their names.  Some of them did very well, and others had stage fright as you might imagine!