Everyday Life

Hello, I'm checking in again. A lot has happened since the last entry. Let's start in September. The work routine, which had just begun, was immediately interrupted by a week of vacation. We had visitors from other volunteers of our organization and went to the club together. After the weekend, I traveled with Amelie and Luise to Swakopmund, to the coast, where we took a surf course for a week. In our hostel, we met many cool people. Among them were Lester and Steffi, who are cycling around Africa. On a whim, I also got my hair cut by a surf instructor from the Bahamas.

After the vacation, members of the Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin came to YONA. Among them was Enrico, who co-founded YONA in 2017. They were here to rehearse the 'Namibian Fairy Tale' with the children, which will be performed next June. For this, we went on a weekend trip to a farm with 20 children to rehearse with the choir. The children had a wonderful time, and we 'adults' also had a lot of fun. In the two weeks before, I rehearsed in a quartet with Enrico, as the violist from the RSB remained in Germany due to illness. We then performed the pieces in the Katutura Community Hall and at the German Ambassador's residence. Additionally, Enrico invited us to a one-day safari, for which I am very grateful.

After the musicians left, not much happened at first. I continued with my work, and on the weekends, I met with friends. At the end of October, Vicki (our fourth volunteer) finally landed in Windhoek. The children were thrilled. On her first weekend, we got the full experience of Windhoek. We went to eat Kapana (a Namibian dish) and visited the National Museum. Here it became clear once again that Namibia is a young country with a dark history, to which Germany unfortunately contributed massively.

At the beginning of November, we learned that YONA is facing financial difficulties. Therefore, our apartment is being terminated, and we will move to the music school next week. That was quite a shock, but we can handle it. So, we had a small farewell party in our apartment with Rodriko (our homework helper), Muinee (our cello teacher), Filko, and Maja (two other volunteers).

On November 16th, I went with three students to Walvis Bay to play in a quartet at the mayor's gala. Unfortunately, the bridge of one violin broke shortly before the performance, which is why we could only play as a trio. We still had a lot of fun and went to a cozy café with a sea view the next morning before strolling on the beach with the flamingos.

This weekend, we will be playing three small Christmas concerts, and then our big summer vacation starts on December 6th.

Best regards to Germany

Your Paul