Location, Laundry and Language, not necessarily in that order

I live in the small town of Outjo (maybe 5000 people?) which consists of 3 banks, maybe 3 grocery stores, a garage, gas station, post office, Telecom (their version of Bell Canada) and maybe 5 other stores. All in all, its better than I expected. Most necessitites are available in town, but although there is another, bigger town only 40 minutes away by car, it is not readily accessible. As in every town (especially since this one has many Germans living in it), there is a "location" where blacks traditionally lived (and most still do). Went there a couple of times, and it is a pretty good example of poverty. As I mentioned before, I am lucky to be living close to town, in the old age home. I feel uncomfortable sometimes when I go shopping, because I worry that I am buying too much, and people around me can't. I walk home with all these shopping bags (trying to stock up on cleaning items, etc.) and I worry that I am rubbing it in their faces. But, everyone is friendly, and they are slowly starting to realize that I live here, and am not passing through like all the other tourists. It is hard to pass anyone by here, without saying hello, or good morning. Everyone is pleasant, and quick to smile.

Last friday I attended a gospel show, in the location. I was driven there and back, and at no time would they let me outside the church, even just to check my cell phone (for my safety!). I enjoyed the show enormously, and was frankly just grateful to be out of my apartment, and around other people (while also not working). People sang, they danced and so did I (!). I was even introduced to the whole congregation. It was awkward, because they were treating me like a royal dignitary, through no merit of my own, just because I happen to live in Canada!
Small town life is hard, because there is definitely not many things to do. All stores close at 5:00, 6:00 at most, and its not safe for me to be out at night. So, I have to get used to finding things to entertain me at home (mainly hand-washing my laundry :(

Transportation is a problem here, with virtually no public transport available. Most people just hitch rides with strangers (hitch-hike) to get around the country. I have yet to figure out what I am going to do. Just getting to and from work is a bit of a minor drama everyday. There are cars for every ministry, but there is a serious shortage. Most of them also operate as ambulances. I am never sure if I will get a ride to work in the morning, and its at least a 40 minute walk. Definitely not comfortable in the sun. I actually walked it once , cutting through the bush to get there and although it was nice to walk (and get some exercise for a change!), I was too afraid of killer snakes (3 are common here) to appreciate it fully. There was A LOT of broken glass from beer bottles along the path, which is evidence of how alcoholism is a problem here. Once the men get drunk at night, they break beer bottles and start fights with them.

Language is another interesting component of life here. It seems that there are 4 main languages in this area (Damara Nama, Oshiwambo(sp?), Afrikaans and english). The people I work with at the hospital all speak english, but they speak to each other in Damara Nama. I never understand half of what is going on, and sometimes feel left out, because I would also like to know what all the jokes are about! But, that can't be helped, and its expected. The problem sometimes is actually the patients. Most do not know english (almost all are from the location), and even when I counsel them on medication, they say yes to everything even when they have understood nothing! I usually grab someone from the hospital to translate for me, and I have to hope things don;t get lost in translation. Damara Nama is the most common language, and it is also the hardest to learn! It is the language you might typically think of when you think of african bushmen, clicks and noises that are not part of our alphabet. There are 4 clicks (! II I =), and I think I can do each of them now, although with difficulty. And I certainly haven't learnt any words yet, nor all their names. I joke with them that their babies must have a hard time learning to speak.