Breaking the Law…oops

So this is a kind of funny story. We are at ReConnect like I’ve mentioned before and the week began with our Safety and Security Officer asking us what questions we have about safety and security. So I raised my hand because I’ve been wondering about safety strategies for the village because those we learn in America are more or less inapplicable when you are in the bush. For example if someone decides to attack me I can start running but where to run is the question or I could start screaming but the likelihood of being heard by someone is slim to none. So I wanted to know what to do when I run, for example should I carry a Swiss Army knife or my cell phone. How much danger am I actually in, I honestly don’t know. I am told repeatedly my village is safe, I’ve only once been told that I could be in danger riding my bike to the nearby town (15 km away down a dirt road). When I threw in the option of Swiss Army knife in my hypothetical question our Safety and Security Officer took me quite seriously saying that is not necessary and I come to find out that I could be convicted of a felony for carrying my Swiss Army knife anywhere on my person. Little did I know I am apparently breaking the law carrying it with me pretty much everywhere I go (except on jogs).

To follow up on a previous post about tribes and whether they exist in America I guess is more of a individual question for myself. I am constantly asked what tribe am I in and I don’t know how to answer that question. I am not atypical for an American and for me I would consider myself simply American. Being born in New England moving to Texas my life has been split between two entirely different American regions. If I consider my parents origins, my father comes from Maryland and my mom you can count on two hands the number of states she grew up in, so that doesn’t help determine a region or “tribe” that I come from. If I go back another step one set of grandparents comes from the Midwest and the other from Massachusetts, so again that doesn’t help me much. I guess if you go back a few more steps I have family from Sweden, Finland, and England. Though can one go back that far to determine their tribe? For me it seems like the only appropriate way to describe myself is American, but somehow that answer never seems enough for the learner asking.

The end of this week bring ReConnect to an end, which to be honest I am getting really excited to go back to my site! I miss everyone there and believe it or not ReConnect and Windhoek has been a tad bit overwhelming for this new village girl. I also have a wedding to go to this weekend and hopefully a dress waiting for me to wear to this wedding. I also am going to move in with my host family when I get back for part of the holiday season! I really, really like my host family. I am not quite sure they realize how fond I am of them but they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. My host brother is a bit sneaky, as all 10 year old boys are but he is also the top learner in his class which is pretty impressive! And my host sister is really bright too and she doesn’t seem quite so sneaky! My host mom just seems to be such a kind soul and like someone that will be a wonderful friend to have in Namibia.