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             Before you read my stories let me present you an image of my life in the village of Shamangorwa in the Kavango region. I have asked several people but no one really knows how many people live in Shamangorwa. Most estimates are around 1,000-2,000 people although it feels more like 500.  I live on school grounds, about 30 meters from the classrooms. I live in a cluster of about 10 mud huts and 4 concrete houses. The teachers at our school where gracious enough to let me stay in one of the concrete houses. If there was running water and a toilet I could say that my house here is on par with my house during college. I spent 3 weeks in a mud hut while the volunteer I replaced was still living there. The mud huts are tiny, dusty, and absurdly hot during the day. Our cluster of houses means that we teachers spend a lot of time enjoying each other’s company. We have a river 15 minutes away from us and this is where I take my showers. On a good week I will take a shower 3-4 times, on a bad week only once. We are careful around the river because crocodiles and hippos live in it. The nearest grocery store is in Rundu, about 140 km away. If I do not want to pay for transport directly from my village I either ask my good friend and counterpart Basilius Mukuve for a ride in his car (one of the very few in the village) or I have to walk 7 km before I reach the tar road. Then I sit by the side of the road waiting for some driver who is willing enough to pick me up and take me to Rundu for a negotiable fee. I do the same coming back but it is much harder as I am carrying enough groceries to last me two weeks. I almost always open up my wallet and pay up the price to take a bus directly to the village. My bathroom is the largest in the world. We have a pit latrine but no wall or barrier to cover you while you do your business so unless your body rhythm is in tune to answer Mother Nature’s call exclusively at night, you must go into the bush, find a bush, do your business behind it, and hope no one catches you in an awkward position. Now that you have an idea of how my life is in Shama, please enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoyed living through some them.