So our trip to the South was just what I needed. We left thursday afternoon and arrived at Hardap Dam and camped there for a night. It was super relaxing and we got to talk about the benefits that the dam had for the community, and of course we were also able to climb the gates into restricted areas and play around on the dam, which was one of the highlights of the dam. However, the most beautiful sunset occurred that night over the lake which was also pretty nice as well. The next day we camped in Berseba, which is the right at the base of a huge mountain and we were lucky enough to be able to camp on the mountain. It was nice because the next morning I rolled out of bed with a few others around 6 am and we got dressed in warm clothes and hiked up the mountain. Standing on the top of a mountain to start your day is one of the more epic things i have ever done in my life. Once we got back to the campsite we packed up and headed off to a school in Berseba to spend a day with the kids there. That was when I met my little twin Emily. She and I met while she was wearing a star printed hoodie and we immediately bonded and planted a tree together for their church. We spent the day together and she showed me around her church and school and I met her grandma and sisters as well. I introduced her to my friends and we played silly american games and we also did the hokey pokey. Emily had the most fun when I let her take my camera and take pictures of anything she wanted, and as props to her I dont think I have had a better picture of me taken this trip. We also then ate lunch together, and that was when i noticed emily making extra sandwiches and keeping them with her, so that she could take them home to her family. I couldnt imagine having to help feed a family at her age, but this seemed to be her reality and the only thing i could do to help was to just help her put the sandwiches into a bag for later. That had a huge affect on my trip just because I had not realized that someone her age would have to do that. So as we left the school I just had a lot on my mind as we camped in the Kalahari. The best decision was made this night to not put up tents. Along with most other people on the trip, I slept under the stars without any barrier keeping me from the nature surrounding me. It was beautiful to fall asleep to a blanket of stars and wake up to a glorious sunrise. And sadly it all had to come to an end and we headed back to Windhoek to finish off our time here.
So recently here has just been routine life, and more of me freaking out that I wont get to do everything I want to do with such a limited amount of time left here. One thing was finally accomplished that I wanted to do this year. While we have been going out to many clubs in town I had never really been to a party in my favorite part of town, and the birthday of one of my good friends who I work with was the perfect opportunity. And while yes when I did get out of the taxi everyone gave me a look like i didnt belong, once it was clear that I did I couldnt ever imagine living in any other part of Windhoek. So for the next couple of weeks that I am here I will probably be super busy seeing people and finishing things off here that I will miss. Ok thats it for now.
Peace
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Life Back in Windhoek
Coming back to Windhoek is like a great way to just come home, especially after three weeks of being away from here. So I got back and am now in the swing of things such as classes and internship. The next few weeks are going to be insane, because it is already coming to an end really. So this is going to be really hard to end, but at the moment I am just living it up.
This weekend while working on three huge projects I am also going out with my internship friends and with people in the house. The other project I am working on is a program that I want to leave my internship with. So at the moment I am writing up a lesson plan for this and just working on getting everything done before we leave for the South, which is really soon.
So, while this was a super short update about me, the only other really interesting thing I can leave you with is the concept that we talked about today in History class. We talked about Identity and how an identity is defined. We talked about this in the viewpoint of someone who is being oppressed and how that affects their identity. It was an awesome conversation and got me to start thinking more about what my personal identity means to me, how it was formulated, and how that image portrays me towards others.
Ok but that is it for now. I told my students if they wrote me a letter I would write them back, so I am off to write about 23 letters to students in order to keep my promise to them.
<3
This weekend while working on three huge projects I am also going out with my internship friends and with people in the house. The other project I am working on is a program that I want to leave my internship with. So at the moment I am writing up a lesson plan for this and just working on getting everything done before we leave for the South, which is really soon.
So, while this was a super short update about me, the only other really interesting thing I can leave you with is the concept that we talked about today in History class. We talked about Identity and how an identity is defined. We talked about this in the viewpoint of someone who is being oppressed and how that affects their identity. It was an awesome conversation and got me to start thinking more about what my personal identity means to me, how it was formulated, and how that image portrays me towards others.
Ok but that is it for now. I told my students if they wrote me a letter I would write them back, so I am off to write about 23 letters to students in order to keep my promise to them.
<3
Fall Break 2010
So, we were dropped off at a gas station in Oshiwarango. And we had about 11 hrs to kill in a strange town. So we ended up going out to eat, and then went to an Internet Cafe, which was amazing to be able to check our email. We also went to a crocodile farm, and we decided not to go in, so we went back to sit in a grocery store and then ate dinner. Then we sat at the gas station where we were going to be picked up for a few more hours. Finally the bus pulled up and we got on prepared for our 20 hrs on the bus. It was nice to just have someone take us there instead of driving ourselves there. So we finally got to the border, and legit I WALKED into Zambia. It was nice, and then we got on the bus and traveled the rest of the way to Livingstone, and got to our Backpackers, which was AWESOME and just relaxed. Which was very needed because we had been going going going going.....
So after the few days of relaxing there was a lot of exploration that happened. On Tuesday morning we went to Victoria Falls. While there we walked around the park, and then met up with some locals who we knew who took us over to the top of Vic Falls. This was insane. First I sat on the edge of Vic Falls, then swam in a natural pool about 1.5 meters from the edge of the falls. And then, the most insane was that we legit hung off the edge of Victoria Falls. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. So after that we went back home and just marveled at what we had seen.
Thursday most people went to the Falls again to do the Zip Line, but I decided to save money for Friday's activity instead. So I hung out with Dan, from Canada, and we decided to just walk around Livingstone. That was when we found ACTUAL Livingstone, and not tourist Livingstone, which was wonderful to see. For some reason there were a ton of couches and sofas along the side of teh road being sold by people. There was also a group of school children who ran up to follow Dan and I, probably because there were never many white people in the area. Because of that I also got a ton of attention from the men in the area, which made me more thankful that Dan was with me. We were just able to explore and it was wonderful.
Then that was the Sunset Cruise. It was really just a cruise with an open bar and a few animals. So it was just an epicly hilarious night, which ended up with me yelling at someone who was being mean to my friends and telling a lot of stories about the one elephant that we saw.
However, the next morning was Friday and we woke up around 6:30 to get ready and leave for Chobe in Botswana.The first amazing thing that we did was that we stood on the spot where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia meet. It was so wonderful to be at that spot cause that is one spot that I was hoping to get to, but I didnt think I would ever get to. So basically we had a boat safari, which was amazing followed by a land safari. We saw A TON of animals, and were very close to them. I looked at a hippos and started opening and closing my mouth, trying to get it to do the same, but instead the hippo just started to charge our boat. It was pretty hilariously wonderful. We also got really close to elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, buffalo, and a ton of kudu as well. And one of the other coolest things that we saw was a decaying elephant being eaten by vultures. It was so intense to see nature take its natural course like that. After that long day we headed back to the backpackers to just enjoy our last night.
The next day was Zambian Independence Day so while we waited for our bus we watched the parade, which was a ton of fun. And then we got on the bus for about the next 22 hrs and got back to Windhoek, went back home and I passed out and just finished up some work to get back into the habit of classes and internship.
So after the few days of relaxing there was a lot of exploration that happened. On Tuesday morning we went to Victoria Falls. While there we walked around the park, and then met up with some locals who we knew who took us over to the top of Vic Falls. This was insane. First I sat on the edge of Vic Falls, then swam in a natural pool about 1.5 meters from the edge of the falls. And then, the most insane was that we legit hung off the edge of Victoria Falls. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. So after that we went back home and just marveled at what we had seen.
Thursday most people went to the Falls again to do the Zip Line, but I decided to save money for Friday's activity instead. So I hung out with Dan, from Canada, and we decided to just walk around Livingstone. That was when we found ACTUAL Livingstone, and not tourist Livingstone, which was wonderful to see. For some reason there were a ton of couches and sofas along the side of teh road being sold by people. There was also a group of school children who ran up to follow Dan and I, probably because there were never many white people in the area. Because of that I also got a ton of attention from the men in the area, which made me more thankful that Dan was with me. We were just able to explore and it was wonderful.
Then that was the Sunset Cruise. It was really just a cruise with an open bar and a few animals. So it was just an epicly hilarious night, which ended up with me yelling at someone who was being mean to my friends and telling a lot of stories about the one elephant that we saw.
However, the next morning was Friday and we woke up around 6:30 to get ready and leave for Chobe in Botswana.The first amazing thing that we did was that we stood on the spot where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia meet. It was so wonderful to be at that spot cause that is one spot that I was hoping to get to, but I didnt think I would ever get to. So basically we had a boat safari, which was amazing followed by a land safari. We saw A TON of animals, and were very close to them. I looked at a hippos and started opening and closing my mouth, trying to get it to do the same, but instead the hippo just started to charge our boat. It was pretty hilariously wonderful. We also got really close to elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, buffalo, and a ton of kudu as well. And one of the other coolest things that we saw was a decaying elephant being eaten by vultures. It was so intense to see nature take its natural course like that. After that long day we headed back to the backpackers to just enjoy our last night.
The next day was Zambian Independence Day so while we waited for our bus we watched the parade, which was a ton of fun. And then we got on the bus for about the next 22 hrs and got back to Windhoek, went back home and I passed out and just finished up some work to get back into the habit of classes and internship.
Traveling Through the North
After leaving our homestays we drove through Rucana Falls, which were actually dry, but it was still neat. We were basically in Angola, but not legally. Still it was awesome, and I had added Angola to my list of places. That night we stayed at one of the most awesome places I have ever been to. It was a room but in a tent. We had a toilet and a shower!!! It was the first shower I had had since the rural homestay. However I did end up showering after sunset, bad idea when there is no electricity, but showering having to use a headlamp was also a pretty hilarious moment. Also the place completely messed up our reservations and assigned us rooms based on last name, meaning Fleck and Farrar. So Kevin and I were totally the most ballin roommates that night. Also we did scope out the best tent seeing that outside our door we had two awesome lounge chairs. It was a great night, and for part of it I spent time laying on the grass (yes! there was grass!) with Jimmy and we saw two shooting stars.
And that night was just super awesome and we had a bed, so it added to the awesome. But the next night we headed out to set up camp right outside of a Himba Village. If any of you have seen the movie Babies, the family that is filmed from Namibia is a Himba family. We were welcomed into their community and shown their traditions and their lifestyle. It was amazing. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to the first wife in her hut when she was showing us how they color their skin, and she helped me to color my skin as well. I left her hut with my arms completely Himba colored, which was an amazing experience. At first I felt like I had been exploiting their culture rather than learning from it, which was a very difficult experience for me. So while I was working on trying to wrap my head around the concept I went a little bit away from the campsite to journal. While there a Himba woman was passing me and I had greeted her, the way that I learned was appropriate. She came and sat down next to me and we had a wonderful conversation using our hands and signs for each other. She was looking at my hair and I looked at hers, because it is covered in a clay. It was just a wonderful experience because she was able to learn from me, just like I had learned from them. That was probably one of the most influential moments of my trip through the north. Also one night Jimmy and I had to go out looking for two others, Kev and Alissa just because our fire was about to go out and we didnt want them to get lost. So I was walking through the Himba village yelling for Kev and that was when ALL the children in the Himba Village came to follow us. Jimmy and I would ask them, "Have you seen people who look like us?" and they would respond "yes" and we would say "where?" and they would say "yes". So it got to the point where I turned around and shushed them, and once we were all quiet I quickly yelled KEV! and we were able to find them, and they laughed at the search party that we had formed to let them know that the fire was going out. It was an awesome night, to just be living right next to the Himba's and being able to play with their kids at night and just to learn from each other. It
was a ton of fun and after that we headed over to Etosha National Park. It is the main National Park in Namibia. While I was able to see a ton of animals, the main thing that happened to us was the Plague. Apparently for a lot of people who come here there is a flu bug that goes around and it hit most of us traveling to Etosha and at Etosha. Still seeing a ton of animals was awesome and I have some pretty wonderful pictures of it. While in Etosha we did talk about whether the Himba's should develop more or if they should preserve their culture. And while i think that everyone has the right to develop, I also think their culture is something beautiful and it should be celebrated. But the main question that was left with me was that what gave us the right to determine whether they should develop or not? It was just an interesting idea, and I think that it is not my place to be the person to make that decision. Also one of the more amazing things that I saw was when Maggie and I went to the watering hole around 11 pm. We sat there alone for a while and finally a hyena walked up and we HEARD it drinking the water out of the watering hole. The next morning we left pretty early to head back to Windhoek, but the group of friends I went to fall break with and I were dropped off before we got home to catch a bus to head to our Fall break.
And that night was just super awesome and we had a bed, so it added to the awesome. But the next night we headed out to set up camp right outside of a Himba Village. If any of you have seen the movie Babies, the family that is filmed from Namibia is a Himba family. We were welcomed into their community and shown their traditions and their lifestyle. It was amazing. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to the first wife in her hut when she was showing us how they color their skin, and she helped me to color my skin as well. I left her hut with my arms completely Himba colored, which was an amazing experience. At first I felt like I had been exploiting their culture rather than learning from it, which was a very difficult experience for me. So while I was working on trying to wrap my head around the concept I went a little bit away from the campsite to journal. While there a Himba woman was passing me and I had greeted her, the way that I learned was appropriate. She came and sat down next to me and we had a wonderful conversation using our hands and signs for each other. She was looking at my hair and I looked at hers, because it is covered in a clay. It was just a wonderful experience because she was able to learn from me, just like I had learned from them. That was probably one of the most influential moments of my trip through the north. Also one night Jimmy and I had to go out looking for two others, Kev and Alissa just because our fire was about to go out and we didnt want them to get lost. So I was walking through the Himba village yelling for Kev and that was when ALL the children in the Himba Village came to follow us. Jimmy and I would ask them, "Have you seen people who look like us?" and they would respond "yes" and we would say "where?" and they would say "yes". So it got to the point where I turned around and shushed them, and once we were all quiet I quickly yelled KEV! and we were able to find them, and they laughed at the search party that we had formed to let them know that the fire was going out. It was an awesome night, to just be living right next to the Himba's and being able to play with their kids at night and just to learn from each other. It
was a ton of fun and after that we headed over to Etosha National Park. It is the main National Park in Namibia. While I was able to see a ton of animals, the main thing that happened to us was the Plague. Apparently for a lot of people who come here there is a flu bug that goes around and it hit most of us traveling to Etosha and at Etosha. Still seeing a ton of animals was awesome and I have some pretty wonderful pictures of it. While in Etosha we did talk about whether the Himba's should develop more or if they should preserve their culture. And while i think that everyone has the right to develop, I also think their culture is something beautiful and it should be celebrated. But the main question that was left with me was that what gave us the right to determine whether they should develop or not? It was just an interesting idea, and I think that it is not my place to be the person to make that decision. Also one of the more amazing things that I saw was when Maggie and I went to the watering hole around 11 pm. We sat there alone for a while and finally a hyena walked up and we HEARD it drinking the water out of the watering hole. The next morning we left pretty early to head back to Windhoek, but the group of friends I went to fall break with and I were dropped off before we got home to catch a bus to head to our Fall break.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rural Homestay
So Monday morning we all piled into the buses to head up to the north. This was our first taste of the intense heat we were going to be dealing with. We were in the not air conditioned bus and at every stop we got off and bought a ton of cold water. So by the time we got to our families we were super exhausted. So we walked up to a circle of people singing to us and then they all called out our names and that was when I found Tate Joseph. He is an awesome old man with this epic walking stick who just found me and hugged me. I then met my eldest brother, his wife, and their son. They also were going to be housing another student, Christiana. So we all get into the back of a pick-up truck and drive off to our houses. We turn off the main road and right at the road was a house similar to a typical American house, then after driving about 4 minutes we got to Christiana’s house, which was using a generator for electricity. And we drove about seven minutes further than the road and we got to my house, which I first thought of as the “stick mansion”. And that’s when Meme Fina greeted me, singing and smiling and grabbing my hand to lead me around. Then my brother drove back to his house, so my family had no car. Also as soon as they left I realized most of my family didn’t speak English, except Tate who spoke a little bit. I also had three little siblings, two middle aged siblings, and one my age who was only around in the mornings while I was there. So I was led to my room in a concrete building that had a full bed and a dresser. It was wild to be there, considering my Meme and Tate were sleeping on a bed made out of sticks without a roof over their heads. So my first night was when I hung up my mosquito net and went to the area where we cook, yes over a fire. There is no electricity where I lived. Also on that note, the bathroom and shower. Showering was done from a bucket. The bathroom was like a good three minute walk from our house and was basically a hole in the ground, but during the night, when it is too dangerous to walk out there, you just squat in a corner of the place that is designated for showering. And showering there was insane. Standing naked in the middle of northern Namibia using a bucket full of water to wash myself is one of the most epic and awesome experiences I will ever have and I will treasure for a long time. However, back to the first night. Dinner was awesome and after we just sat around and looked at the stars for a while. And at around 8 pm Meme Fina grabbed my hand and told me goodnight and brought me to bed. Lots of things go bump in the night and it gets super hot in a concrete room with a tin roof with one hole in the wall to work as a window. So the enxt morning I got up at 6:30 and had some bread with peanut butter and tea and left my house at 7:15 so that I could get to the road by 8. Days were spent this week talking to people, but the most important/influential things happened when I got dropped off at 2 at the road to walk back home. The walk was insane in the heat, and we had to dress modestly too so it became super hot. Christiana became pros at tying our dresses up as high as they could go without people seeing our butts. That day we were both headed to my house to “pound mohangue”. We got some nut kind of things and a big wooden pole and used the pole to crush these nuts into a consistency of flour, which involved a lot of sifting and repounding. We then used that flour substance to make dinner that night. The entire process must have taken about 6 hrs. That night in bed all I could think about was how earlier this summer Nate and I opened a coconut. Which was a lot harder than I had thought it would be. We ended up using a drill to open it up and in reality it didn’t take much time at all. And after we opened it I remember thinking that it took forever. But after spending 6 hrs to be able to make dinner, for one simple dish it was just insane to realize that I had thought that just opening a coconut took a long time. It was just a lot to think about. The next day I learned how to make a traditional plate/basket out of palm leaves which was a ton of fun to do as well. That night after dinner the two middle children and Tate and I sat around a candle and we used my shoe to make the dirt/sand smooth so we could draw pictures in it. I learned a lot more Oshindonga that night. Spending time with them was amazing. I even began to serve dinner, which is done in a very specific order based on their traditions. Tate then Meme, then boys then girls. One night I went to Christiana’s house for dinner and we all sat around the TV and ate, which was really weird after being used to having no electricity at all. It was really weird to see how globalization and development was affecting this area through small ways such as people getting electricity to be able to watch TV at night. Also, one night Christiana and I decided to share our customs with them in the form of smores. We sat them all down around the fire and taught them all about our silly American tradition and they loved it, which was just super fun for us to share with them. Another significant thing for me was the last night there. We were very close at that point and they taught me how to say “I am not leaving tomorrow” and that night I walked around the area in the pitch dark, not even afraid, just comfortable and secure in my surroundings. The next morning was very hard to leave. Meme Fina had finished the plate that I started and Tate Joseph gave me two beautiful stones and leaving them was the hardest thing I have done in a long time. But still I will always treasure and be thankful for everything they taught me, both big and small life lessons that I picked up throughout the week.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
A Schedule for the Next Three Weeks
Ok so these next three weeks are going to be hectic, awesome, insane, and wonderfully full of adventure. There will also be a lack of internet, and a lot of times electricity as well. So here is the game plan:
Early monday morning we depart for "the North" and are being dropped off at our host families. The drive will be about 8 hrs to the north so we are leaving around 6 am so that we can have a good day with our families. And the exciting news is I KNOW ABOUT MY FAMILY!!! and I am sharing it too!!!!! Ok so I am staying with a mom and dad, but the dad could be working at Swakop and send money home to the family to have something to live off of. There are five girls in the family ages 4, 5, 12, 20, and 20. There are also two boys ages 12 and 30. (Please keep in mind sometimes these are wrong so it could be a little different when I come back to report on it all.) And the other category we were told about are the domestic animals that they own!!!! So my family has "Cattle, donkeys, 4 dogs, 4 cats, goats, chicken, and sheep"!!!! I did quite a joy dance when I read this. I am so excited to be living with this family and so thankful that they are taking me in. I will be with them from Monday till Sunday. During the week we will all be picked up from our houses at 8 am till 2 pm so that we can see speakers and learn some more things. Apparently while we are at the house we will be doing a lot of chores, which I am excited for. I also will get to use my awesome Oshidonga skills. While we were at class this week I had to do a play with Jimmy and we did it on bathing. So now I am great at saying "Onida pembwo oshiyoga na othewa" which means I need a shower with soap. Good thing to know I think. So then I will be there for a few days, and I am kind of sad I wont be there longer but I am excited for everything that I am going to experience.
When we are picked up on Sunday we will be driving to Etosha, which is one of the big game parks here so I am super excited. We will be camping in the area so that we can walk to view the watering hole at night and during the day to see the animals there! We are also sleeping with another small village of people, which should be super interesting because we will be able to learn all of their customs and lifestyle. I am super excited.
After that we have our one week of fall break. So there was a lot of confusion with what I was going to do, but at the moment the plan is to go see Victoria Falls. On friday I attempted to get a visa for Zambia and miserably failed due to a lot of lack of communication, a story to be told later. But it resulted with a really rebel like CANCELLED stamp in my passport. But I will be getting my visa at the border. On Friday, after we leave the North, I will be dropped off at a city where I will be catching a bus to Livingstone, Zambia. I am going with 5 other people and I am so super excited. Our bus ride is about 16 hrs and we will get there and decide what to do once we are there. So again, I will have to tell all of these stories once I get back.
It will be super weird to be without contact with most people for this long of a time but I am still super excited for all of the fun I will be having. I hope all is well at home and that I will be able to tell all of the stories once I get back!
<3
Early monday morning we depart for "the North" and are being dropped off at our host families. The drive will be about 8 hrs to the north so we are leaving around 6 am so that we can have a good day with our families. And the exciting news is I KNOW ABOUT MY FAMILY!!! and I am sharing it too!!!!! Ok so I am staying with a mom and dad, but the dad could be working at Swakop and send money home to the family to have something to live off of. There are five girls in the family ages 4, 5, 12, 20, and 20. There are also two boys ages 12 and 30. (Please keep in mind sometimes these are wrong so it could be a little different when I come back to report on it all.) And the other category we were told about are the domestic animals that they own!!!! So my family has "Cattle, donkeys, 4 dogs, 4 cats, goats, chicken, and sheep"!!!! I did quite a joy dance when I read this. I am so excited to be living with this family and so thankful that they are taking me in. I will be with them from Monday till Sunday. During the week we will all be picked up from our houses at 8 am till 2 pm so that we can see speakers and learn some more things. Apparently while we are at the house we will be doing a lot of chores, which I am excited for. I also will get to use my awesome Oshidonga skills. While we were at class this week I had to do a play with Jimmy and we did it on bathing. So now I am great at saying "Onida pembwo oshiyoga na othewa" which means I need a shower with soap. Good thing to know I think. So then I will be there for a few days, and I am kind of sad I wont be there longer but I am excited for everything that I am going to experience.
When we are picked up on Sunday we will be driving to Etosha, which is one of the big game parks here so I am super excited. We will be camping in the area so that we can walk to view the watering hole at night and during the day to see the animals there! We are also sleeping with another small village of people, which should be super interesting because we will be able to learn all of their customs and lifestyle. I am super excited.
After that we have our one week of fall break. So there was a lot of confusion with what I was going to do, but at the moment the plan is to go see Victoria Falls. On friday I attempted to get a visa for Zambia and miserably failed due to a lot of lack of communication, a story to be told later. But it resulted with a really rebel like CANCELLED stamp in my passport. But I will be getting my visa at the border. On Friday, after we leave the North, I will be dropped off at a city where I will be catching a bus to Livingstone, Zambia. I am going with 5 other people and I am so super excited. Our bus ride is about 16 hrs and we will get there and decide what to do once we are there. So again, I will have to tell all of these stories once I get back.
It will be super weird to be without contact with most people for this long of a time but I am still super excited for all of the fun I will be having. I hope all is well at home and that I will be able to tell all of the stories once I get back!
<3
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Swakopmund
So first. An apology for not writing more often. Work has been a lot here, and at the moment I am really just procrastinating from writing my paper about how Globalization has affected the Sex Trade and Human Trafficking, which I am actually super excited about. I also had my presentation on my internship today which added to everything to work on. However, from this past Wednesday till Sunday I had some epic adventures at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. These are both costal cities of Namibia, and the coolest part of it is this is where Desert meets Ocean. It is one of two places in the world that this occurs, and I am pretty sure that the other place is in South America somewhere. Anyway, on wednesday morning I skipped my internship so that I could pack and leave Windhoek and we left around 1pm and hit the road. First epic moment was seeing giraffes out of the window of our kombi, which is a bus here, that is basically like a VW van, which of course I am in love with. So that was awesome and we basically watched as the mountains of Windhoek slowly disappeared and then all the trees, and bushes, and then finally it became desert. Then we were able to see the ocean as well. It was such an amazing sensation to be able to see huge Sand Dunes of the Namib Desert and the Ocean at the same time.
So we got there Wednesday night and had the first awesome experience with our hostel. The best part of it is that is was legit only a 4 minute walk from the ocean, so clearly the perfect location. Except they did our rooms all different from what we expected so it was just a scramble for beds. But the best part is that my door was broken. We were constantly crawling in and out of the window all trip to get in and out of the room, making the whole trip much more of an adventure.We ended up having dinner at a lighthouse that night and it was so gourmet and delicious and amazing to be right on the ocean. Also, something that I was not really prepared for. Everyone told me that Swakop was cold, and I was like oh silly Africans I know cold, I can handle that. Woah. It was sooo cold. I had pants on and a hoodie all the time. I even slept in a hoodie. Which was also good because sand was EVERYWHERE. When I left I found sand still in my belly-button. It was probably the most sandiest I have ever been just because of everything that we did. Which I should probably get into.
So Thursday morning we wake up and have home made bfast made for us at the hostel and then left to talk to the Mayor. It was really interesting to hear about the role that their government plays in the regional government. We then headed out to see all of the rest of Swakopmund including the informal settlements of the area. We had lunch on our own and i went to this awesome place called village cafe, and I really hope that someday I will get back there. After that we went to the Mondesa Youth Trust where they take the best of each class and help them excel even more. It was weird to think about because I am working with the kids who really need the help, not trying to help excel those who are already in a position that are better off than others. I however only feel that way because of the internship that I have. Then after that we went to the Rossing Foundation. This is a community system that allows people in the community to benefit from learning materials that our provided at this center. One of the main focuses is their math learning system, which they provide for children through a computer program. It is also important to mention that these facilities are also available for the teachers so that they can implement the methods from the program in their own classrooms. The other big program that they have running is their library, which is open to everyone in the public, not just the people registered for the math class. The people attending the library are even allowed to check out books to read on their own in their free time. So that was neat to see, and then we were free and I had awesome adventures and I got a patch of the Namibian flag for my backpack! So I can start sewing on all the things I have for it. Really just the Nam Patch and my Peace Patch, so it should be awesome.
Then Friday we went to Walvis Bay and met with people who talked to us about EPZs, Export Processing Zones. It is really interesting because in Namibia people can trade here without paying any tax at all. And it is apparently prosperous for the country because it creates jobs for Namibians when countries come to establish their own factories. We went to a German factory that works on making parts of many European cars. It was interesting and I am still establishing how I really feel about the EPZs because while they do crete jobs I think that it would be best for Namibians to be employed by people who are not really exploiting their work. It has been said that if you give a man a fish he isnt hungry for one day but if you teach him how to fish he wont be hungry his whole life. And I think that these people are just being given a job and not really being taught everything that they should be taught. However after that we went to Dune 7. It was amazing. It was a huge sand dune that we were just able to climb and it was wonderful. We ran down it and it was so much fun. Many pictures were taken but still nothing will be able to justify the view that we had on the sand dune. And the more amazing part was 40 minutes after we left the dunes we all ran into the ocean, which was freezing. It was so neat to see the difference from the sand dune to the ocean. It was such an amazing experience.
Saturday was our free day. Originally I was going to do sea kayaking with seals and dolphins. But I wasnt able to do that, so instead I found something AWESOME! A few friends of mine and I went SANDBOARDING! Yea it is like snowboarding but on SAND! It was so super awesome and a ton of fun. I will have to get some pictures up soon. But after we just had an awesomely relaxing day and I was able to get some of my work done before going out one last time saturday night. There was an awesome German-ish club that was a ton of fun. So we went there and then fell asleep and left early sunday morning to come back to Windhoek when it was just back to work.
While it was a great week I am excited to get a lot of work out of the way this week and...START MALARIA MEDICATION! because I leave for my rural home-stay in a week. There will be more to come on that the more I learn about it. And hilariously enough I already have a suspicious looking bug bite on my leg. But then again I had a suspicious bug bite on my leg this summer too so it is honestly nothing to worry about. But on that note I am going to go back to researching Sex in Namibia.
Again I hope all is well at home!
<3
So we got there Wednesday night and had the first awesome experience with our hostel. The best part of it is that is was legit only a 4 minute walk from the ocean, so clearly the perfect location. Except they did our rooms all different from what we expected so it was just a scramble for beds. But the best part is that my door was broken. We were constantly crawling in and out of the window all trip to get in and out of the room, making the whole trip much more of an adventure.We ended up having dinner at a lighthouse that night and it was so gourmet and delicious and amazing to be right on the ocean. Also, something that I was not really prepared for. Everyone told me that Swakop was cold, and I was like oh silly Africans I know cold, I can handle that. Woah. It was sooo cold. I had pants on and a hoodie all the time. I even slept in a hoodie. Which was also good because sand was EVERYWHERE. When I left I found sand still in my belly-button. It was probably the most sandiest I have ever been just because of everything that we did. Which I should probably get into.
So Thursday morning we wake up and have home made bfast made for us at the hostel and then left to talk to the Mayor. It was really interesting to hear about the role that their government plays in the regional government. We then headed out to see all of the rest of Swakopmund including the informal settlements of the area. We had lunch on our own and i went to this awesome place called village cafe, and I really hope that someday I will get back there. After that we went to the Mondesa Youth Trust where they take the best of each class and help them excel even more. It was weird to think about because I am working with the kids who really need the help, not trying to help excel those who are already in a position that are better off than others. I however only feel that way because of the internship that I have. Then after that we went to the Rossing Foundation. This is a community system that allows people in the community to benefit from learning materials that our provided at this center. One of the main focuses is their math learning system, which they provide for children through a computer program. It is also important to mention that these facilities are also available for the teachers so that they can implement the methods from the program in their own classrooms. The other big program that they have running is their library, which is open to everyone in the public, not just the people registered for the math class. The people attending the library are even allowed to check out books to read on their own in their free time. So that was neat to see, and then we were free and I had awesome adventures and I got a patch of the Namibian flag for my backpack! So I can start sewing on all the things I have for it. Really just the Nam Patch and my Peace Patch, so it should be awesome.
Then Friday we went to Walvis Bay and met with people who talked to us about EPZs, Export Processing Zones. It is really interesting because in Namibia people can trade here without paying any tax at all. And it is apparently prosperous for the country because it creates jobs for Namibians when countries come to establish their own factories. We went to a German factory that works on making parts of many European cars. It was interesting and I am still establishing how I really feel about the EPZs because while they do crete jobs I think that it would be best for Namibians to be employed by people who are not really exploiting their work. It has been said that if you give a man a fish he isnt hungry for one day but if you teach him how to fish he wont be hungry his whole life. And I think that these people are just being given a job and not really being taught everything that they should be taught. However after that we went to Dune 7. It was amazing. It was a huge sand dune that we were just able to climb and it was wonderful. We ran down it and it was so much fun. Many pictures were taken but still nothing will be able to justify the view that we had on the sand dune. And the more amazing part was 40 minutes after we left the dunes we all ran into the ocean, which was freezing. It was so neat to see the difference from the sand dune to the ocean. It was such an amazing experience.
Saturday was our free day. Originally I was going to do sea kayaking with seals and dolphins. But I wasnt able to do that, so instead I found something AWESOME! A few friends of mine and I went SANDBOARDING! Yea it is like snowboarding but on SAND! It was so super awesome and a ton of fun. I will have to get some pictures up soon. But after we just had an awesomely relaxing day and I was able to get some of my work done before going out one last time saturday night. There was an awesome German-ish club that was a ton of fun. So we went there and then fell asleep and left early sunday morning to come back to Windhoek when it was just back to work.
While it was a great week I am excited to get a lot of work out of the way this week and...START MALARIA MEDICATION! because I leave for my rural home-stay in a week. There will be more to come on that the more I learn about it. And hilariously enough I already have a suspicious looking bug bite on my leg. But then again I had a suspicious bug bite on my leg this summer too so it is honestly nothing to worry about. But on that note I am going to go back to researching Sex in Namibia.
Again I hope all is well at home!
<3
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