Hello to you all!

Im so sorry that it has taken so, so long for me to send in this report. Otjikondo has no internet and I think even if we did, I wouldn't have had any time to send anything in. In the last four months we have had ONE weekend off, and technically it wasn't a proper weekend off because we went to Swakopmund with hthe Grade sevens for their outing and we couldn't stay away from them (It was too lonely).

Otjikondo is amazing, i LOVE it, me and Catherine (my partner) are getting on so well and we both get on extreamly well with everyone at Otjikondo ( I hope they like us as much as we like them all). There is a lot of staff at Otjikondo and they have made us all feel so welcome, its like one big family! Mr and Mrs Stommel are both lovely! Gilly (Mrs Stommel)looks after us like we are her own! She is always sending food over and we have been over there a number of times for a braai (African bbq, but so much better than the ones we have in Scotland). Mr Stommel only speaks German to us, but Im sure he understands and can speak fluent English, he is just testing us!They are both extremely inspiring people who have changed so many people's lives for the better and Im so happy to be able to just a small part of their lives! Then there is Sara and Paul. Sara is an ex-GAP who married Paul Stommel. They have two children Mattie and Olivia and they have a third on they way. They are such a lovely family and have really helped us to settle in. It was Paul's birthday the other day and mine was a few days after, so we all went round to the Stommel household and had a big meal! It was great! There is also all the hostel staff and teachers who have just made our first few months here so welcoming and enjoyable! I feel like I have known them forever and I never want to leave!

Then there is the children - the life and soul of Otjikondo! They actually are. When they left at the end of term, Otjikondo was so quiet! I miss them so much. They are all so happy and friendly and the most amazing children I have met to date! There is Elifas who is just hilarious, then there is Sao who is so talented (you should see her playing the drums) Erich and Saggitarious who are constantly laughing, Little Immanuel in grade one who does the most funny dance and song I have ever seen, little Romana who I love, and so many more children. They are all so special and I couldn't imagine this year without them! The grade 7class have just left us. Yes, I cried. I think we became really close to them, we were working with them day and night, in class and for their grade seven farewell. We had to do a dance and write a song. It was all so much fun. The farewell party went so well. The girls looked like they were going to prom, they were beautiful and the boys looked so smart in their suits! They all danced and sung beautifully! I wish you could have seen them. I think im going to miss them so much next year, they were just such a lovely class. Though, next year's grade sevens I think will be just as good (a very lively bunch!). So yes, they children are fantastic, even if they don't always behave.

I have become so protective over the children, I just love them so much. On th 23rd of November, on the grade two class outing, Mbjitwa, an eight year old boy, who was so happy and who I was just getting to know, he drowned! Me and Cat were both there at the time! It was horrible. One of the other girls nearly drowned but I managed to save her... it was too late for Mbjitwa. This is something that is going to stay with me forever. It was sucha horrible thing and it is always going to be running through my head. "what if...?". We made a memorial for him with the rest of his class and some of the things they wrote were lovely. Rest in Peace Mbjitwa.

That was a pretty big experience for two eighteen year old girls! Nobody will ever be able to properly understand what we went through that day and what it has left behind. We got a lot of support from Otjikondo, Project Trust, our famillies, friends and each other. Thankyou.

Teaching isn't quite what I though it would be, so I wasn't completely prepared for it. We had a few days to settle in but then the teaching begun! We teach all grades (Music, Art and PT) That is in the morning, untill one and then we get two hours break. Then we are busy again untill six! We have activities! WHOO! I do remedial maths from three till four, then it is craft, playgroup, jewellery making or computers for me. It took me a while to get into the way of things, but I think I have managed to get to grips with it all pretty well. The children (they dont like being called 'kids') dont always behavein class, but what do you expect? Did we always behave at school? I dont think so. But Im really enjoying the teaching (maybe not so much the lesson planning) But hey ho, what can you do? you need it! I think the best thing we have done is our handprint rainbow. It looks rather good actually. Each child, in every grade, drew round their hand and then drew patterns - the hands are now all up, after a lot of climbing up and down on the cupboards, and look fantastic!

So I love Otjikondo, I dont want to leave! SO you may not be seeing me next year. Im going to stay here forever! Well maybe if I have to come back to Scotland, i will just come back out again. At the moment I am at a music week in Swakop, playing in the orchestra and I am loving every second of it! Then we are off down to Cape Town, so I will keep you updated on that!

So far I have not been homesick, well not properly homesick. Africa is just such an amazing country! I havent been ill, well there is the odd headache after a day of telling children off, but thats life - we have lots of pain killers! As much as I love everyone in Scotland, Im not planning on coming home anytime soon. I have got nine months left (we fly back on the 27th August) and they are going to be amazing! I just think they are going to go so fast because it feels like yesterday that I was leaving Edinburgh and saying goodbye to everyone. Time in Africa flys by far too fast! Thats the one thing I don't like!

Okay I had better be going, but I will send another update soon (Afria time)

See you when you see me :D

Jordan