It’s been over three weeks since I returned to Namibia, and
I’ve already got quite a few updates to share.
First of all, I am wrapping up our first plastic crochet
training in Keetmanshoop, nicknamed the capital of Southern Namibia, but which
is actually a very tiny, home-y town about 2-3 hours north of the South African
border and four hours east of the coast where I live. I am working with the group of ladies with
whom I met previously. Primarily, this group is a sewing/tailoring small
business. They make traditional Nama dresses as well as everyday wear. The
group consists of about 10 ladies who work in a small warehouse room with
various sewing and embroidery stations set up around the space and walls lined
with small plastic bags full of customers’ orders and fabric.
They have been an enthusiastic and hardworking group for the
most part. Last week we began by learning how to make “plarn” or plastic yarn.
After that we focused on the different types of stitches—chain stitches, single
crochet, half double crochet, triple crochet, slip stitches, slip knots—and
spent a lot of time practicing them. The women were eager to try to actually
make something that I wouldn’t make
them just pull out after. So, despite the fact that they would rather just
allow me to verbally take them step by step through a pattern, I forced them to
try to read the written pattern for making a reusable shopping bag in their
booklet. Many of them struggled, and we quickly had people in all different
points in the learning process. Some of
them were having trouble remembering the various stitches, others were skipping
spaces causing them to have horrible, eyesore gaps in their work, some didn’t
know English well enough to understand what the pattern was saying, others
wanted me to basically oversee every stitch they did….and then there were a few
stars who just flew through the work. It was a trying day, but by the end of
it, I had mastered the art of remembering the order of who had called (“Emma
jeee, kom”) and most of them had at least the bottom of a bag completed.
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| Day 1: Making plarn |
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| Day 2: Learning how to chain stitch and single crochet |
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| Working together to learn |
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| Slowly getting the hang of it... |
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| Day 3: Making granny squares! |
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| Success! |
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| Day 4: Starting to follow patterns and making shopping bags |
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| Oh- time to make more supplies! |
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| Lots of colors |
Learning a new skill is both physically and mentally
exhausting (your fingers hurt from crocheting if you haven’t done it much
before), so we usually only train for about 2-4 hours each day. Then the ladies
go back to their sewing, I sit and “supervise” a few stragglers who are still
motivated to work on their crocheting, and then I’m taken home.
This week the group is very busy preparing for school
graduations and a local wedding, so we haven’t had any formal lessons where I’m
teaching all of them at once. Typically I come in, sit with one or two ladies,
work on following new patterns and testing my own ability, and giving
assistance when questions arise. It’s been tough trying to teach so many women
at once, but exciting to see their skills improve and to witness their
happiness when they finish something and are proud of it. I am very much
looking forward to seeing how they continue over the next few weeks and months
and what new things they produce!
In other news, I’ve begun training for a half marathon here
in Namibia happening in October. It’s only N$100 to run which like less than
US$10. Amazing considering half marathons in the US are usually over US$100!!
So I decided to bump up from the 10 km to the half. Now I’ve created my own
training plan as a way to get myself motivated and ready to go. Only 6 weeks
until race day! The race will go from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund—along the coast
in central Namibia. It will be a great opportunity to see more of this country.
Training here in Keetmanshoop is actually really great because there are so
many random sand/dirt roads going out of town on which I can easily get in mileage.
It’s almost the same as going for a run in the forest in the states in that I
don’t generally see anyone once I get out of town. However, it’s also very
different because of how desolate these roads are. It’s an amazing out-of-body
experience sometimes (especially when I’m having a runners high) when I’m just
out jogging down an empty road in the middle of a massive flatland with vast,
open desert all around and far off hills peeking up along the horizon. I absolutely
love it, and it’s helped me remember why and how much I love running.
Last but not least, I’ve met Peace Corps Volunteers living
in these two towns I’ve spent time in recently, and that’s been a wonderful
reminder of what a social life is. With the amount I’ve been focusing on my
work here, I haven’t had much time for socializing and making friends. PCVs are
always really chill and easy to get along with, so it’s nice to have some
friends who understand what it’s like living and working abroad. I didn’t
realize how much I had depended on my PCV friends in Malawi for emotional
support until I left and didn’t have them anymore! Having someone to split a
bottle of wine with while watching a good sunset over the ocean and chatting
about life is a wonderful thing.
