Rehoboth (Ree-oh-but NOT Ree-hoe-buth) will be my hometown for the next two years. It is situated about 80 km south of Windhoek and depending on who you ask, the population could be anywhere from 25,000 to 45,000 making it one of the five largest populations in Namibia.

I was welcomed to Rehoboth with a braai. A braai would be equivalent to a barbecue or cook-out in the States. It was at the house of another PCT’s (PC trainee) supervisor. It was quite a feast. The men are responsible for cooking the meat over coals and well, meat is very big here and by meat I am mainly referring to red meat. We had T-bone steak, lamb, smoked pork, sausage and kabobs. We also had green salad, potato salad, and grilled cheese, tomato and onion sandwiches and then for dessert, rainbow ice cream and sweet melon (cantaloupe.) So while the mean are responsible for the meat, the women will come in and take over at some point with both the meat and the grilled sandwiches. We only used forks to eat the salad meaning we ate all of the meat with our hands and to wipe off our hands and mouth, there was a communal wet towel. After we were stuffed to the brim with braai, the women proceeded to clear the table while the males stayed to talk with us. It was good company (minus the dogs who “don’t really bite.”)

For a bit about my site assignment- I will be a teacher at Rehoboth High School which is one of the three secondary schools in the town of Rehoboth. My primary responsibility will be to teach physical science (a combination of physics and chemistry) for grades 11 and 12 which is IGCSE and HIGCSE, also known as the British O-level and A-level. When the new school year starts in January, I am pretty positive that I will be asked to teach grades 8, 9, and 10 as well as other subjects. The school system is a bit different here compared to the states- learners are required to be in school until 10th grade at which point they take an exam to determine whether they can continue onto grade 11 and 12. They are tested in 9 subjects and must receive a passing grade in 6 of the subjects to continue. Not very many students receive a high enough grade to advance to grade 11 so a select few will make it. I was able to spend some time at the school and in the classroom. The learners are very curious as to who I am and as a result, will simply stare at me as I walk past or shyly say, “Hello, miss.” I sat down during a study session and they were very eager to find out about my life and the U.S. Some questions included, “Are you friends with many movie stars?” “How much do you weigh?” And “Do you have diseases like AIDS, malaria and TB?” I will be living in the school’s hostel (think college dorm) in a teacher’s flat where I have electricity, hot water, a fridge and oven, a good sized living room, a bathtub, bedroom and outside balcony…most definitely not what I expected in joining the PC in Africa…

Rehoboth is an interesting place in that you will not find any place like it in all of Namibia. It is a diverse place in terms of the different tribes and cultures represented, it is a bit westernized and developed and while the town is very spread out, it still offers an assortment of conveniences such as a few different supermarkets (Spar being the best), Le Palace which features karaoke every Wednesday night, a spa and Aga’s which is a take-away run by a man from Pakistan and where I stopped to enjoy the most delicious spicy chips (french fries) on my travels exploring the town. There will be another PCV in Rehoboth teaching at one of the six primary schools so it will be nice to have someone else there for traveling and hanging out.

Here are some vocabulary words:
Take-away- like a take-out restaurant where you can sit and eat there or take it away with you.
The BOB- an ATM.
The Robot- a traffic light. Rehoboth just installed its first one.
Vegetarian- a person who does not eat red meat but is expected to eat fish and chicken.
Izit?- still not sure how to use this but basically it would be the equivalent to really? Or is it really? but whenever I hear it, it never sounds right.

I am doing quite well with lots of smiles, thoughts of home and the coming months. We have been traveling quite a bit so it will be nice to finally settle into my flat and start working in my school and community. For now, I will continue to live out of my backpack as training continues. I return to Omaruru on the 27th and then on the 29th, depart for Karibib where I will live with a host family until December 23rd to learn Afrikaans and to teach at a model school in order to prepare for the next two years. Challenges and good times await. I hope Thanksgiving was filled with safe travels, warm hearts and deliciously full stomachs. Peace & love.