Trevor WENT to Namibia

My New Home

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:13:00 +0100

For those of your who might still be listening, I have started a new personal blog for this phase in my life. While the Peace Corps embodied most of what I was doing over the past two years, my aim with the new blog is to begin to embrace my aggregate mind, explore a multitude of interests, and inspect the points at which these intersect.

So, for the foreseeable future, you’ll find me at www.aggregateMIND.tumblr.com.

Hope to see you there.

"There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story."

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:44:32 +0100

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”

- Frank Herbert

The Summer of Love

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:43:00 +0100

Many people have asked why I stopped writing, why I haven’t continued expressing my thoughts as this journey comes to a close. Mostly, I believe it is because I’m not quite sure what to even say. Like so many times before, I am at a loss of understanding of what that really was. In the bottom of my heart, I know it was profound, I know it changed me, and I know that it has forever changed the trajectory of my life.

Home has been everything that the Peace Corps was. It is emotional, unpredictable, boring, full of adventure, love, and great people. My summer has been a cocktail of travel, friends, family, and important life moments…oh…and some real cocktails. I’ve reconnected and made new connections, and the only way I can explain what this has been is by cheesily dubbing it, The Summer of Love.

I had an amazing experience living in Cape Town for a short time with an amazing person, and I fully intend to move back as soon as possible. I fulfilled a life goal and went to California and spent a glorious two weeks exploring LA, San Francisco, and everything in-between. The hospitality of my friends–beyond words. I watched my sister get married on the beach in South Carolina, and spent a week basking in the glow of my family, as crazy and frustrating as they can be.

All in all, I feel humbled. Humbled to have had the experiences in Namibia and elsewhere, and humbled by the people I have met along the way. I am so sickeningly lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Namibia specifically, and Africa in general, is somewhat of a dreamy state in my mind. When I’m in Africa, the US is very much alive and real. I spent 23 years of my life there, how could it not be? With globalization, remnants of America drift into your life when you’re abroad, and little reminders of home are never far away. After all, you talk different! People are bound to ask where you’re from, why you’re here, and where you’re going.

People in America rarely ask me about Africa. Maybe because they don’t know to, maybe because they don’t know what to ask, maybe because Africa is no more real to them than the images of Mars we’ve all recently been privy to. It is hard to hold on to Africa when you’re away, and because of this, I miss it desperately. I look out the window at our green lawn, lush garden, fences delineating the meticulously planned plots and I see nothing of the Africa I knew. I can’t fathom how these places, so different, can exist in the same world. Yet, I try to keep them coexisting in my mind.

While my time in the Peace Corps is technically over, I will forever carry with me the experiences I had. I, Trevor–my mind, my beliefs, my lens–is the only real artifact that can embody what this experience truly meant. As a result, it will live on, just as long as I do, maybe no more. And because of this, I intend to use it as faithfully as I can while I’m still here.

My next post will be my last. I may change the URL of this blog, but I will leave it up for as long as possible, as a record of my time and my experiences.

Thank you all for you love and support, it has meant the world to me.

thefluffingtonpost: SURVEY: 86% of Americans Think Cats Are...

Wed, 30 May 2012 03:56:32 +0100

thefluffingtonpost:

SURVEY: 86% of Americans Think Cats Are Weirdos

The latest Pew Research survey finds that a whopping 86% of American adults think cats are strange.

“We found most people are disturbed by their odd sense of comfort,” explains Linda Cornish, who led the study. “Cats squeeze into tiny containers or sleep in an upside-down ball and still seem as snug as ever. What’s up with that?”

Merlin, submitted by Trevor Sudano.

Our kitty is famous!!!

!Gaise ha re, Namibiab.

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:55:59 +0100

In a few hours I leave Namibia for the last time.

Today I sat on a bench at Wernhill mall. Under the spotted shade of a tree which cast an ever-changing mosaic upon myself and the ground, I people watched and what I realized is I wish I could always be this humbled by my surroundings, this aware of the nuances of a place and time, and this appreciative of the people I’ve met along the way.

Thank you Namibia for everything you have taught me. Stay well.

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:39:25 +0100

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

- Confucius (via mossycece)

I need to keep this in mind in the coming months…and now. ha

Muahahahahahaha! thefluffingtonpost: PHOTO OP: SOON Via...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:52:49 +0100

Muahahahahahaha!

thefluffingtonpost:

PHOTO OP: SOON

Via 8girls12cups.

How about a few smiles? thefluffingtonpost: Toronto Puppy Can’t...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:51:54 +0100

How about a few smiles?

thefluffingtonpost:

Toronto Puppy Can’t Stop Giggling

Numerous reports from the Toronto area claim a local pup is laughing hysterically to himself about something.

“I don’t know if he was laughing or he was ready to bite my head off. He was just doing this totally silent,” says Alfons Hudescu, who snapped this photo of the strange dog.

Witnesses suspect it’s an inside joke that keeps the puppy giggling — you probably had to be there.

Submitted by Alfons Hudescu.

Happy Watermelon is Happy

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:00:09 +0100

Reason 107,286,183,840,036 why I love watermelon! This little guy is from Outjo.

Hoooooooooooooowdy!

Namibian Genocide

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:06:11 +0100

Namibian Genocide:

Great article about the genocide that took place in Namibia by German colonialists. Truly sad that something this terrible (and well documented) is still unacknowledged or downright denied.

And It Stoned Me

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:23:27 +0100

I returned on Sunday to an empty flat in a bit of disarray—a disarray that served as testament to the eventful weekend that had just taken place. I looked around blankly at the pile of dishes, the objects out of place as a result of curiosity or conversation, the bag of garbage filled to the top, and I felt oddly lost.

Following most weekends that I have visitors is a busy Sunday filled with errands. Grocery shopping, cooking dinner for the week, and putting my flat back together. I revel in routine and errands give me time to let my body go into autopilot while my mind escapes on adventures of thought. I can settle into bed—stomach full of lentils, hands dry from the dishwater—and pull the covers up to my chest and breathe a sigh of accomplishment. I imagine I’m sinking into my thin foam mattress while I breathe methodically watching the colors dance on the back of my eyelids. I’m ready for the week.

This week is somehow different, this week is my last.

Suddenly the routines I once found comfort in have lost their appeal and importance. “Who cares if the dishes don’t get done?” I wondered, “I’ll be gone by this time next week anyway.” Why put my books back in place? Push the chairs into the table? Hang my clothes—for the ritual? Am I just pretending for the sake of my own psyche that things aren’t about to change completely?

I had recently said goodbye to some of my closest friends here in Namibia. I’ve never been one to shy away from emotion or dodge the inevitable goodbye hug. I enjoy letting people know how I feel about them, how important they are to me, whatever form that takes…be it a hug, a tear, a blubbering idiot drenching their shoulder. I don’t mind. The last few goodbyes I had were strangely unemotional…some I didn’t even know were goodbyes. I, for some reason, had it in my mind that I had more time, that we had more time. I’ve been so focused on little events here and there that I either didn’t notice the end approaching or I conveniently put it from my mind. Either way, it somehow slipped past me.

With the reluctance to take part in my normal routine, the realization that this was really the end, and the inability to find any bit of stability to clutch onto, I fell. I fell onto my bed, I fell into a fit of tears, and I landed on the memories of the past two years. The people. The places. The lessons. The journey.

And it stoned me.

"‎Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he..."

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:35:33 +0100

“‎Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.”

- James Allen

My coworkers got me a genuine _______ leather fanny pack as a...

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:10:43 +0100

My fanny.

Traditional.

I call it...the Tarzan.

My coworkers got me a genuine _______ leather fanny pack as a going away present. Thank you everyone!

Summing Things Up

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:42:38 +0100

Peace Corps requires you to write a description of your service in the 3rd person which will then be released to future employers, grad schools, etc at your request. It is a bit awkward to write about yourself in the 3rd person, and I was hesitant to sound too full of myself in listing the work I’ve done here–but I actually found it to be a really great way to reflect on my service and begin that process of understanding what this meant that I mentioned in my last post.

This is by no means all of the things I have done in the past two years, but really just the highlights. Enjoy a little glimpse into the final stages of Peace Corps service, but also a nice little summation of my time here in Outjo.

Love, Trevor

Description of Peace Corps Service

Trevor Michael Sudano

Republic of Namibia 2010-2012

After a competitive application process Mr. Sudano was chosen to represent his country to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Namibia. Mr. Sudano arrived in Namibia on February 20th, 2010, and went through an intensive 8 week training program. The program consisted of the following areas of concentration:

Technical—25 Hours: This component of training was designed to introduce trainees to current health and social issues related to HIV/AIDS in Namibia. The training emphasized both the policies and practice of prevention, care, and treatment.

Cross-Cultural—29 Hours: This component of training was designed to familiarize the volunteer with the political, cultural, geographical, and historical make-up of the Republic of Namibia.

Health and Medical—20 Hours: This aspect of the training program educated the candidates about preventive medicine, personal health care, and safety in a developing country.

Language—118 Hours: This component of training was designed to equip trainees with a basic proficiency in the language most frequently spoken at their site. Mr. Sudano received intensive training in Damara (Khoekhoegowab).

Mr. Sudano successfully completed training and was sworn in as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer on April 16th, 2010. At the close of this training he was tested by ACTFL/ETS standards and achieved the highest score out of his peers; intermediate-mid, in spoken Damara (Khoekhoegowab).

As a Community Health and HIV/AIDS Volunteer in Peace Corps Namibia, Mr. Sudano was assigned to the Ministry of Health and Social Services at the Outjo District Hospital in the Kunene Region.

Mr. Sudano’s primary assignment was the establishment and upkeep of the Information Resource Center (IRC) at the district hospital. The library was composed of posters, pamphlets, picture code manuals, a medical textbook library, and digital resources. Mr. Sudano was in charge of procuring, organizing, and disseminating the information and resources available, as well as designing ‘Information, Education, Communication’ (IEC) materials relating to public health in local languages.

Working closely with the district social worker, Mr. Sudano engaged in outreach programs covering a broad range of public health topics including HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, gender-based violence, alcohol abuse, nutrition, immunizations, women’s empowerment and a number of afflictions plaguing the local community. Mr. Sudano’s duties included planning and implementing projects, designing materials, and leading sessions.

A large focus of the primary assignment became addressing drivers of the HIV epidemic that were specific to Namibia in general and the Outjo community specifically. Studies have shown that alcohol and drug abuse remains one of the leading causes of HIV transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is subsequently a driver of the epidemic in Mr. Sudano’s host community. Mr. Sudano established six ‘Teenagers Against Drugs and Alcohol’ (TADA) groups in the local secondary schools with the intent of utilizing behavior change communication as a means to address drivers. Meeting once a week for each group, Mr. Sudano led discussions and informational sessions on alcohol and drug abuse as well as adolescent-friendly health services, teen pregnancy, reproductive health, and life skills.

As part of the fight against alcohol abuse, Mr. Sudano helped establish a local chapter of the ‘Coalition on Responsible Drinking’ (CORD) in Outjo. Being the first in the Kunene region, Mr. Sudano and the district social worker set an example for nearby towns to follow and helped them to establish chapters of their own. In 2010, Mr. Sudano assisted CORD in the planning of the First Annual Parade Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Outjo. Over 300 community members attended the first annual event which culminated in a parade of supporters through town. In 2011, the second annual parade was equally a success.

In order to better support the mission of the Outjo District Hospital, Mr. Sudano wrote and was awarded a grant for the “IRC Technology Advancement Project’. A laptop computer, projector, and portable speaker system were purchased with funds through the ‘President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief’ (PEPFAR) program of the U.S. Government. The IRC Office officially established a digital library that now contains PowerPoint presentations on a broad range of topics related to public health. The new technology allowed for the easy creation and maintenance of the hospital’s outreach services on a digital platform, led to skills-transfer, helped engage the community in an inventive medium, and helmed the creation of new community programs.

One such program, ‘Outjo’s Families First Nights’ became a huge success. Mr. Sudano, along with the help of hospital staff, presented a health topic for discussion at the community hall on Friday nights. Following the discussion was a family-friendly movie. The event was free to the community and served multiple purposes, including: information dissemination, fulfilling hospital outreach goals, establishing a platform for discussing topics relevant to the Outjo community, giving community members an alternative to destructive behaviors (such as alcohol and drug use), and providing a family activity for people of all ages to enjoy.

In addition, Mr. Sudano held computer training classes which have significantly improved the computer literacy of his colleagues and interested members of the community. Attendees gained a working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), how to use the procured equipment, as well as a basic understanding of internet and email capabilities that were made available to the hospital in May of 2011.

Mr. Sudano collaborated with the ‘Voluntary Service Overseas’ (VSO) physiotherapist and ‘Community Based Rehabilitation’ (CBR) volunteers to conduct a survey of people with disabilities in Outjo. Mr. Sudano created a ‘workable-document’ Excel spreadsheet which compiled and extrapolated all of the data acquired from the survey. The Outjo District Hospital now has a list of people with disabilities, the highest instance of disabilities by category, and a picture of how many have been confirmed by testing. The hospital may use the document to look up a patients records, target specific outreach topics, and gain a better understanding of what strategies have been successful. The document was shared with other districts as a model for disability awareness and prevention strategies.

Collaboration with fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Emily Claymore allowed Mr. Sudano to design a poster series addressing some of the most important issues in the community. The posters focused on topics such as proper hand washing, nutrition, edema, malnutrition, a balanced diet and how to take antiretrovirals (ARV’s) properly. The posters were professionally printed, laminated, and now adorn the walls of multiple hospitals and clinics in the Kunene and Erongo regions.

Mr. Sudano concluded his Peace Corps Volunteer Service on March 28th, 2012.

IT IS OFFICIAL! - Click here to live happily ever after.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:35:00 +0100

IT IS OFFICIAL! - Click here to live happily ever after.:

The MOST adorable adorable animals photo website…ever. I am quite the connoisseur of animal photo sites, and I have recently discovered the holy grail. Not only are the photos precious, but the captions lead to involuntary knee-slapping, fits of laughter, and an inability to breathe.

Proceed with caution. And enjoyment.

Last Hike

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:19:00 +0100

I hitchhiked for the very last time from Windhoek to Outjo last Thursday. What is typically a quick pickup out of the capitol took me a record 2 hours! The ordeal ended when a semi-truck stopped along the highway to cover the beds with tarps. I noticed the license plates were from Outjo and so I begged the driver to let me ride with him. Not something I usually do, as I feel it is better to get a ride with someone who voluntarily pulls over…but I was desperate.

Since I had no intention of standing in the no shade hike point in Windhoek for very long, I didn’t apply sunscreen and it was packed far down in my bag. Translation…I got burnt, yo.

So as a final time hiking in the span of two years you’d think it would be successful, but I guess that is the surprise and unpredictability of Namibia and life in the Peace Corps.

"Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of..."

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:18:55 +0100

“Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and over as a tragedy, but you choose to call it an epic, that’s when you start to learn what celebration is. When what you see in front of you is so far outside of what you dreamed, but you have the belief, the boldness, the courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it wrong… that’s celebration.”

- “Cold Tangerines” by Shauna Niequest

Looking Back

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:45:47 +0100

It has been about two years exactly since I left the US and embarked on my Peace Corps journey in Africa. I just arrived back in Outjo this weekend from my COS (Close of Service) conference in Windhoek. I said goodbye to a lot of great people and discovered the date that I’ll actually leave Namibia, March 28 2012. While this time in my life comes with a lot of mixed emotions, I find myself in an eerily similar place to where I was when I began.

When I first arrived I was hesitant to declare all the reasons I decided to join the Peace Corps. I figured mostly that it was a big mix of things, but in actuality, I didn’t quite understand it then and I decided that it was something that may become clearer with time. It has become clearer with time, and while I won’t bore you with the list of reasons, I find comfort in this slow reveal as I begin on a similar journey to try to understand what these past two years have meant.

I spent the past few hours reading through old blog posts that I wrote in the first few months after arriving here. I was impressed by my foresight, amused by my naivety, and proud of the courage and determination I had. The trivial things that once so easily knocked me off-kilter seem laughable in hindsight. The foods, amenities, and comforts of home I dwelled on so much now baffle me as I am having trouble remembering what that felt like to be so dependent on those things. In short, things have changed.

On March 14^th 2010, I wrote about what my post-PC plans had been and how quickly my priorities had changed since arriving. I wrote about the most important thing to me now was being with the people I love. While I still stand by that previous statement (and I believe leaving home has had a major impact on how much I appreciate the people in my life), being here for two years and realizing that those who matter will always be a part of your life no matter where you are or how far away you go, has allowed me to continue to find my way through life without constraints. Though I never anticipated attempting to stay in Africa after my service, as I am now, I did find hints to the possibility that this place meant something more to me and has for some time.

An entry from February 19^th of 2010 alludes to my first impressions of South Africa:

The first thought in my mind after arriving in South Africa is that I missed this continent. There is just an overwhelming presence here that I’ve never felt anywhere else. It’s not really the smell, it’s not really the sounds, it’s not really the feel—it’s everything combined—and even though South Africa is about as far away as you can get from Egypt (and still be in Africa) I felt like I was returning to the same place again. The one thing I will say for sure is that the sky right after sunset, where the blues are striated and the palm trees really stand out, is exactly the same sky I remember in Cairo.

While my actual service bears little resemblance to the fantasies I had before I arrived, all of the life-altering, self-reflecting, core-challenging aspects I expected from this experience have come to fruition. I am a much more grounded individual. I have a greater idea of where I want to go in life and what I want out of it. My values have focused to a point where I can now gauge situations against them and gain a much clearer picture of what is best for me. The worldview I had before has become much larger and continues to long for further development. In summation, I have found an inner peace that seems ironic but feels all too destined to be a fluke.

Mixed Bag

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:46:41 +0100

As I write I am sitting in the Peace Corps volunteer lounge. Wanting to go home (Outjo) because I’ve been in Windhoek too long but afraid to go home because it is one more step into the unknown. I don’t particularly know why it is all hitting me now, that some of the people that I nonchalantly said goodbye to over the past week may not be seen again for some time. These people that were my friends, family, counselors and sounding board over the past two years. I’m wondering what my impact actually was in Namibia, what have I accomplished here? I’m attempting to figure out where I go from here but the conviction to follow my heart and stay strong when things seem impossible is wearing thin at this particular time. I knew the end would be tumultuous, but I guess I just expected myself to filter things better; however, here I sit…not knowing whether to be excited, to be nostalgic, to cry, to question everything I’ve been doing lately, or to just close it all out and go to sleep.

I leave Namibia on March 28th. I guess I have about two months to figure it all out.

This is Just Incredible/Adorable!!!

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:11:33 +0100

This is Just Incredible/Adorable!!!:

…and an amazing picture. Look how happy they are! XD