Q and A

I got an e-mail from my favorite 4th graders back home the other day. They asked some great questions, so I figured I would share them with all of you. Here it goes:

Hello my lovely 4th graders!
I hope I have answered all of your questions in enough detail:

From Jaden and Kody: What are some things that are the same as here?

I can still get a lot of foods that we eat in America.

We still have a TV and access to internet. There are swimming pools to swim in here. We have the same kind of bathrooms as back home, with a toilet, a shower, a bath-tub and a sink. I also get to sleep in a bed similar to my bed at home. People also drive cars here, however most people walk when they need to go somewhere.

A lot of people play soccer here. My learners love to play and I play with them at break time sometimes.

What are the things that are different?

The schools here are very different! Instead of having the same group of students all day, I get a different group every 35 minutes. We have 9 periods throughout the day, so I have about 320 students in my classroom in one day. In each one of my classes I have between 35 and 45 kids.

A lot of people live in homes that are not permanent structures, meaning that they will not stay there forever. Most of these homes are made out of sheet metal, cinder blocks and other found materials like sticks and plastic.

So, I mentioned driving cars above, but it isn't exactly like we drive in the United States. In the cars here, the driver sits on the right side of the car, instead of the left, and they drive on the left side of the street instead of the right. It is very interesting, but I am getting used to being on the "wrong side" of the street.

People also eat lots of different foods here like goat, donkey, and porridge. Porridge is a staple in there diet. It is made from maize, which is what the people here call corn, sugar, and oil. I got to taste it at the children's home I am working at after school and I thought it tasted pretty good.

Some sports that are very popular here that aren't necessarily common in the United States are Rugby (a combination between American Football and Soccer) and Netball (similar to basketball).

Tommy: Does it rain there a lot?

It is the rainy season here, however when we first arrived it was about 95 degrees on average each day. It has cooled down some and is now in the low 80s everyday. Nearly every afternoon we have a big rainstorm. Yesterday when we were coming home from school, the streets were so full of water they looked like rivers.

Aylyn: Does it snow there?

It doesn't snow anywhere in Namibia, but it does snow in some areas in South Africa, which is one of the countries that boarders Namibia. My students have never seen snow before and really don't understand what it is. I'm so jealous that you got to play in the snow while I was gone!

Is it sunny there all the time?

Like I said when I answered the question above, it only rains in the afternoon and is mostly sunny the rest of the day. We woke up on Tuesday morning to fog, which is rare here, and it reminded me of home. It really made me miss home.

Tommy says thanks for the blog, We are really enjoying learning about your trip!

You are welcome! I'm so glad that Mrs. Stagg has been able to share it with you!

What is the fun thing to do? What are your students' favorite subjects?

My favorite thing to do since I have been here is to travel around Namibia and see different parts of the country. My most favorite weekend trip was when we went to the Sand Dunes in Sossusvlei.

My kids really like to play soccer and swim during their free time. Just like all of you, each one of my kids has a different favorite. A lot of my kids really like Math and Science or Home Ecology. In Home Ecology they get to learn about how to eat healthy, set the table, and store and prepare food properly among other things.

What languages do you speak to the kids? Are they teaching you a new language?

All of my kids speak at least 2 languages, more commonly though, they speak 3 or four different languages. English is not any of their first language. Most of them learned how to speak Damara, Afrikaans, or Ochiherero, maybe all three, before they ever started learning English. At school that take one language class either Damara or Afrikaans, but all of their other classes are taught in English. I teach all of my classes in English, but sometimes, my kids have a hard time understanding, so another student will translate what I am saying into another language that they understand.

My kiddos are teaching me some Afrikaans and some Damara, but it is difficult for me. My goal is to be able to count to ten in Damara before I leave. I have taken some videos of my kiddos talking so I will share them with you when I get home!

What kind of food do you eat?

I have eaten a lot of pizza while I have been in Namibia. I have also been eating a lot of pasta and hamburgers with fries (here they call the fries "chips" though). I have also eaten some other things that we don't necessarily have in the United States...Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra, and Crocodile. Of the not so common foods I have eaten, I would say that Gemsbok is my favorite. I will show you pictures of all of these animals when I get back to Tacoma!

Avari says we miss you!

I also miss all of you! I cannot wait to get to see you in a couple weeks!!

Kylah wants to know if you see lots of spiders? Like a Black Widows?

There are A LOT of spiders here! The first day we got here we found a spider that was as big around as the bottom of a coffee mug. We find spiders in our room almost everyday, but I have gotten used to them. They don't have Black Widows here, but I attached a picture of the kind of spiders we see most often here.

This is a spider that was in Anna's tent at Mushara Bush Camp.

What do you teach the middle school kids?

I have been moving around a little bit and I have gotten to teach 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. Between the three grades I have about 800 students, a few more than when I was back at home. I have mostly been teaching Science, Home Ecology, Art, and Math. My 7th graders really like to play math games just like you do! My 7th graders are working on multiplication and division right now, so there are lots of fun games to play with them. During Art I am having my 6th graders write you letters that I will bring to you after I get home.

From Kylah: Do you get to teach 4th graders? or spend any time with the 4th graders?

At A.I. Steenkamp, I am only working with 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, but two days a week I am also volunteering at an after-school program kind of like the Boys and Girls Club. When I am there, I get to teach English to 4th and 5th graders. My 4th graders remind me of you I wish you all could meet one another, because you would be very good friends.

Juan says he is thinking of you and we can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

I am thinking of all of you also. I hope you are all learning lots! I will be coming in right after I get back to show you pictures and tell stories. Thank you all so much for all the questions! If you think of anything else you would like to ask, please let Mrs. Stagg know so she can e-mail them to me.

Love,

Ms. Austin

I hope you all enjoyed the questions as much as I did :-)