I'm gonna miss you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZG-VvlErJY

Sum more pics

http://www.slide.com/r/_MQXE4Jn2T_tgC8bSjPKLDXL7S9KIsFm?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

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Just a thought for life

We will not be remembered by our words,

but by our good deeds.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath.

Happy dancing times at OIC

"Time is like a river.

You cannot touch the same water twice,

because the flow that has passed will never pass again..."

Enjoy every moment of life.

Forever friendship

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend;

Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.

Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop;

Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is Forever Friendship.

Thanks Grace girl for being such a friend to me, miss you so much....

Vote of Thanks

We had our closing ceremony on Wednesday, 22nd April 2009.
We all received attendance certificates and I wish to proudly announced that I obtained an A symbol for this course. It's even with more proud that I want to extend my sincere gratitude to my sensei's, coz I think the performances of participants, whether good or bad, directly reflects on their inputs and sacrifices. Thanks very much, it is appreciated.

Let me also thank our patient course coordinator, Miyagi san for all the guidance and support throughout the course and I wish him all the strength in his future endeavours.

Nana san, our mom, special thanks to you that you were in front of us, next to us as well as behind us as our course leader. This appreciation comes from the bottom of my heart.

My dear fellow-participants, my African brothers and sisters, thanks that we could laugh and cry together. Thanks that we could become one big African family at a home far away from home. I do believe that all of us inspired Ritah so much that she even wrote a essay about us! (See M-TEC blog)

Last, but not least, thanks to my M-TECH family, (including the boys of the Masters course), my course coordinator and the other participants of OIC for your support during the passing of my dad. Special thanks to my dearest friend, Grace, for her broad shoulder during my time of grieve. It was indeed because of all of you that I was able to complete the course successfully. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!

Take care, my dear friends until we meet again....mate, ne.

Spring festival

It's spring in Okinawa! The winter is gone. Not that there's much difference. The weather can still change four times during the day! Anyway, at least it's not 'cold' anymore... So, a spring festival was arranged and to my surprise, I had the opportunity to see the participants of OIC in a total different light. We are greeting them everyday, chat with them now and then, sharing jokes, go to the gym etc, etc, but honestly, I could not imagine the music talent that these guys are having! They played the music instruments like old 'croocs' and their voices, oh so golden! (Forgive me, I want to become lyric, but you know, English is not my mother tongue!)

They gave us a performance of a lifetime, while we were enjoying a nice buffet! Some participants received certificates from the Director after their performance of the 'Okinawa dance' . They had some training for about a month - (am not sure), but they were really good!

Okinawa is the place to be! I could never imagine that it is so easy to have fun while you are working very hard to achieve your objectives. This is indeed a dream and I know I will have no choice then to wake up by the time that I arrive on Hosea Kutako airport, Namibia on April 24, around 11h00, Namibian time. So, allow me to dream further.....

Rhianna - Take a bow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80FId0PR54c

The problem tree

Two weeks to go! To be specific, 16 days to go home, but only 14 days to be ready with the presentation of the proposal. So this problem tree really gave us some trouble! Anyway, with the assistance of our instructors, we managed to go through this step. The rest of the proposal is still waiting to be unpacked using our skills of Project Cycle Management (PCM) and Project Design Matrix (PDM). Take note, the contents are as intensive as their names! Anyway, wish us luck! We can do it!!!!

By lunch time I told Grace that I need fresh air after this problem tree! So we decided to have our lunch on the grass against a monument. Am having a tomago (an egg) in my hand, one of the famous dishes in Japan, but of course, I did not eat it! Abdominal discomfort with the problem tree - bad combination. Anyway, the fresh air did us good! The brain felt a bit more relaxed...

Yakiniku (Barbeque)

Wow, what an experience!

We went to a place to eat some barbeque. That's all I knew before the time. So, we got seated, big mugs of water appeared in front of us, the guys explained something to the waiter, I could not really follow. Anyway, the next moment, the table turned into a barbeque place! I thought, oh gosh, what is happening here? I didn't want to ask too many questions (you know, I didn't wana show am coming from Africa!) and decided to wait. The next moment, a big plate of raw meat (beef, pork and chicken) with some raw vegetables appeared on the table. Now things started to make sense and I became so excited! I have been craving for barbeque that I roasted myself... I imagined for a moment that am back home, next to a real outside fire, having a barbeque with loved ones. We prepared the barbeque ourselves, we ate every little piece of it! It was really oichii desu (delicious)!

Kite flying

We are busy with final production. We have about 20 days left here at OIC. The problem tree in the writing of a proposal is giving us headache! So, Uramoto san and Nana san thought it good that we should do a stress buster in the form of kite flying! By the way, we were suppose to use the kites at Meio university, when we visited it for a symposium, but it was raining....

This was indeed a very good stress buster, I ran and screamed like my small daughter! The sad side of the story was, the problem tree was still waiting for me...

Tokyo - a fast world

Tokyo, what a fast world! Since I have a lot to tell, I think it will be good if I do it in phases, hope you don't mind. I think to visit Tokyo, is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it's just fair to give it all the attention it deserves. A five (5) day observation trip was arranged as part of our training course and we officially visited the following places:

1. The International Medical Centre of Japan

Here we received a lecture by Jun Kobayashi MD PhD, a JICA expert on Global Parasite Control. The lecture was mainly on Health Promoting Schools. His e-mail in case anyone is interested to contact him regarding Health Promoting Schools is: j-kobayashi@it.imcj.go.jp

2. AIDS Information Center

The center operates under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Three peer staff member provide HIV/AIDS preventative services to the youth. They are in close cooperation with the government health centre in the same building for referral services. The youth are involve in the developing of IEC materials and it is therefore very much responsive to the needs of the youth.

3. National museum of emerging science and innovation

Very fascinating place to visit and very useful to students to be updated with all new developments in the world! The big earth ball is definetely the biggest attraction. You can lie down on a couch (as if you are on the beach) and just stare at it!

4. Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP)

We had a very interesting lecture about reproductive health and we were exposed to some teaching aids used during IEC/BCC activities, like 'Maggy's apron' and the use of picture dramas. We did some roleplays which almost killed us because of all the laughter shared. It was indeed such a wonderful experience.

5. Meguro Parasitological museum

Will you believe me if I'm telling you that you can have a hookworm inside you of about 8 metres! This was one of the shocking realities we faced when we visited this museum. Again a very useful place for students to explore and to understand the world of parasitology better.

Having such wonderful 'parents' in the form of Miyagi san and Nana san, it's obvious that visiting Tokyo was not only about official business. We shared a lot of unforgetable memories and I will try my best to give you some highlights:

We went to the temple and drinking water from this source and even washing your face is allowed. Our coordinator explained to us the reason for doing so.

Digital Video Shooting and Editing

This exercise was a very nice and interesting experience. We felt like journalists! The adrenaline levels were high, exitement levels were high and most of all we could not wait to see the final products after editing! We had the chance to practise our video shooting skills by means of operating the video camera, but at the same time, we were also the shooting targets! I enjoyed it very much and laughed too much. (see pictures in opposite column)

Happy Girl's Day

Hi my dearest friends

For more information on this day, can you please click on my dear friend and only follower at this stage, mwagso's blog. She wrote an article on our behalf.... Am posing here with Boi, a girl from Botswana.

Video - If tomorrow never comes

http://video.tagged.com/?v=ksxxVYHBkqI


This is a very important message to each of us. Let's take time to express appreciation to our loved ones everyday! You will not loose anything, it's free and you will just make that someone that you love a happier person. Let us also be sincere and really mean it when we say ' I LOVE YOU'.....

Pussycat video clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Sh9uCq8U0


The songs of Pussycat were the favourite of one of my aunts who passed on. Usually when I'm listening to these songs, I'm feeling very sad, caused she had a brain tumour and passed away on a very young age leaving three small kids ages 6 months (youngest) - 4 years (eldest), behind. They are adults now (about 20-26), but they lost their mom at a time they needed her most! These songs are therefore very special to me and I was quite surprised to get it on the net and could not help to download at least one....

Digital photo shooting

My final product of our digital camera shooting exercise of which I scored 100%. Very interesting, believe it or not, it's all about technology! Three photos became one photo!! You need to have fireworks software on your computer, the needed knowledge and skills (obviously), then it's magic from there!

Do you think that photography is such an easy story? Forget about that! You have to consider conditions called aperture, focus length, wide angle lens, shutter speed, focus lock, etc. But, once you understand the theory and you are able to apply it in practice, it's very much enjoyable!

Observation trip to Nanjo city

The IEC (b) group accompanied by Nana san and Miyagi san visited Nanjo city, in Okinawa island, as part of the course.

It was quite interesting to hear about all the activities going on in the city as well as the involvement of the community members and the city council.

We also had the opportunity to observe a dental check-up that was arranged for kids of the age of 2 and a half years. Men involvement was quite evident and the way of arrangement of such an activity was very good.


I think some of the health promotion strategies used in this city can definetly be used back home. I do believe that with the positive contribution of every member in the community, including policy makers, leaders, etc. the world will be a better, safer and healthier place.

Video clip - Superwoman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EevnyrHjk



This clip is just to remind all the men to appreciate women, PLEASE (including your mom). We are only 'human' and need more than occasional hugs. Do not think that whatever we do for you is because we have to do it..... No, it's because we care. In any case, what will men do without women??? Please listen to the song, then we'll talk again.

video clips

just url (to show the video, click on the line below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMO4tuhq9eE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIE3mRFypQ

showing video (video clip is embedded from Youtube)

The monorail train

Another experience in Okinawa, Japan: being in the monorail train... (for me, the Namibian girl, I should say: 'As seen on TV'). At least I managed to experience it, being in the monorail train. I was reliably informed that whenever you get into a bus or a train, you should not make noise. It's actually making sense that the Japanese people prefer silence obviously to think of a next business opportunity. They were indeed very quiet, so we also tried our best, even though it was so difficult!!!

This is quite an experience, looking down on the busy streets and getting to your destination so fast before you could even get bored. You board the train after you bought a ticket for approximately 200 yen, depending on your destination (actually quite affordable comparing to the taxi and bus). You should make sure that you do not loose your ticket, otherwise you will not exit the station! We were so lucky to have a very patient co-participant (the one sitting next to me), who've been here longer than us and who can at least understand some basic Japanese. Another important thing to remember, don't get off at the wrong station! Until next time.

Candy floss or floss candy?

Candy floss or floss candy
whateva it's called
A light yellow/pink 'thing' in a transparent plastic
One person thought it's the inner for a pillow
Another one ask whether it's a teddybear (Imagine!)

Some others agree that it's definitely something eatable
Something sweet...
Guess what?
We used it as to display the pregnancy
of my teenage mother on my poster!

Candy floss or floss candy
whateva it's called
I took it to class to share the joy of something eatable
Something sweet...
Even shared it with some student visitors
and all agreed that it was indeed eatable and sweet

I was told that in Japan they call it 'wate ame'
So, let's call it whateva we want to call it
Candy floss or floss candy or wate ame
as long as the taste remains sweet!

Busy, but fun: balancing work and play

You know, life at OIC is so hectic that you have to use your diary not to miss out on any event! The funny part of it is that some of the occassions are not compulsory to attend, but the girls of 08iec(b) keep on signing up just for anything!

Just imagine my schedule yesterday, a BLUE MONDAY:
06h30: Woke up and took a walk around the block and ran upstairs with 81 stairs (yes, i did!)
8h30: Breakfast
09h30 - 17h00: Class: Very hectic, busy to prepare a poster for submission on Thursday, 12h00, as well as editing of photos and creating one photo with three different images, due for Friday, 20 February. Today we visited 2 schools, so we were preparing for the visit yesterday ------almost too much, hey?

But you will not believe it, we are maybe angels from heaven or devils from elsewhere, because we signed up to attend a flower demonstration from 17h30 until 18h30!! So we attended! Very interesting indeed, but we skipped one Japanese (Nihongo) class last week and we had an extra class yesterday from 19h00 until 21h00.... Good people outside there, how much can my poor, aged body really take?

Yet, I still came to the PC room and only got back in my room by 23h30!! What do you call this? Supernatural powers or am I crazy? Anyway, please see the photo of the flower arrangements. It's beautiful! Chao for now. Until next time.

Dining out....

There's a time and a place for everything in Okinawa.
It's about balancing work and play, don't you agree?
So, Nana san our course leader arranged a dining out for the M-TEC students of OIC and some instructors/administrator at a restaurant having a buffet of healthy food. It was indeed healthy food with a lot of varieties, including not only Japanese food, but also some western food. Our instructors were at all times nearby to assist us in case we wana try out a 'ryori' (dish), if you were not sure about the ingredients.

It was a night of not only exploring a lot of different dishes
and the use of chop sticks, but 'overeating' was also allowed.
Uramoto san entertained us with his jokes and because he suffered of abdominal discomfort, he was willing to 'serve' us whatever we requested like water or juice. Thanks so much for your kindness...

My sincere gratitude towards Nana who arranged this and we hope
that it is only the beginning of many more outings to come while we are at Okinawa!

Karaoke nights at OIC

Wow, karoake nights at OIC... yebo, yes, the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night, safe and sound... the karaoke room of OIC!!! You think I have a beautiful voice? Of course not, but who cares! It's about having fun and pretend you are Whitney Houston or Celine Dion or Lionel Richie or even Michael Jackson.

The day at the aquarium of Okinawa

We went on a bus tour to the aquarium of Okinawa on a Saturday, i think it was the 30th January. We were told/warned that it would be very cold, but the weather of Okinawa is so full of surprises and I really didn't take it seriously. My dearest fellow-men, outside there, I got the shock of my life! Just imagine a cold wet, u know 'coast' weather, who want to be exposed to nature in all it's glory? I would have preferred to be under the blankets while drinking a hot cup of soup and listening to slow jams.

However, here in Okinawa, we try our best to be good team players and therefore I did not pull out. The aquarium is maybe one of the most beautiful places I've seen this far in Okinawa. The flower decorations are marvelous!

We also observed a dolphin show and I could just stare and appreciated the wonders of God. Meanwhile, it was so cold that I can now honestly admit, that I just wished it was all over so that we could go home!

The girls took a lot of photos and because I was not really interested in the shots, I sort of got lost from them. I was so interested in all the different sea creatures and did not realized that I'm alone. Take note, it is a very big aquarium! Your entrance is not your exit!! So, I exited myself and just decided there and then to go back to the bus. I did not even know the direction back to the gate and the chances to be understood by any Japanese was almost zero, therefore I did'nt even try to ask. I just followed the flowers back until I reached the gate again.

Outside there, I found a lot of busses and could not recall with which bus we came, becoz it was not the JICA bus. After I passed almost twenty busses, (remember it's cold), the driver of the bus recognized me (obviously coz am not a Japanese!). I was so exhausted and almost fall asleep in the bus while waiting for the other members to return to the bus.

A day that was suppose to be wonderful, almost turned out to be one of my worst nightmares! However, at least there were some marvelous moments in between like the dolphin show, the beautiful flowers and of course, life in the deep oceans of the world. Chao....

Oh, what a night....

Ten (10) participants from OIC (Okinawa International Centre) were invited to attend the 50th anniversary party of the Rotary club here in Okinawa. The participants were Mathew (Samoa), Sashko (Macedonia), Patta (Kenya), Sahadatou (Niger in Africa), May (Tanzania), Rita (Uganda), Theus (Belize), Boitshoko (Botswana), Grace (Kenya) and of course me myself and I, Suzie all the way from Namibia.

We considered ourselves as very priviledged that we could have attend this party with the Director of OIC accompanied by a very patient coordinator and surrounded by the VIP's of Okinawa and some other rotary club members in and around Japan.

We performed a mixed dance on a South African song. The harmony was marvelous for a group of eight people from different countries dancing on the same beat!! I think we did a great job. We enjoyed the feast and all of us received gifts. I got an umbrella, most of the others got towels, Rita got 24 tins of kohi (coffee), Sahadatou got a jewelery box and Theus received a cup set (guess he should take it home for his wife).

There are so much to say, but I think it's enough for now. I just want to make use of this opportunity to express my gratitude towards my team members who represented OIC with proud, to our companion, to our bus driver and to the Director of OIC for the wonderful opportunity that we could represent OIC. Arigato.....