CAMPING to the max!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Learning How to Teach

So, the best way to start this one is think is to share an article that we read in Political Science today:

How To Raise A Superhero
I have discovered that children respond to how they are treated. If a child lives with criticism it learns to condemn. If they live with hostility, they learn to fight. If they live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. And if they live with jealousy, they learn to feel guilty. In a scientific experiment, a teacher was told that half of her pupils were exceptional, while others were just average. A year later, the pupils she was told were superior had improved beyond those she had told were only average. What's interesting is that all her pupils had the same intellect. The two groups were different only in the teacher's mind and how she treated them. The results were inevitable. Those she thought were exceptional became exceptional and those she thought were average became average. If a child lives with encouragement it acquires self-confidence. If a child lives with tolerance, it learns to be patient. If they live with praise, they learn to appreciate. If they live with approval, they learn to to like themselves. And if they live with recognition, they learn to be goal-oriented. Raising children is like pouring concrete to a foundation. A solid base must be well-prepared before anything else is done. Then, when the concrete is poured in it must be shaped before it sets because once it settles, the only way to change it is to remove what has already been formed.
by Revernd Jentile in the Sunday Soul 26.09.10


Ok, so i figured that this would be really nice to start with because for the past few days I have been very focused on my internship. Today I had to give a short presentation on it for my class, just because it is part of our curriculum. So basically here is the presentation that I gave so that not only my class clearly understands what I am doing, but all of you can understand as well.

First the name of my organization is Hope Initiatives Namibia, which is a part of Hope Initiatives Southern Africa. Therefore we share the same mission statement which is:


Hopes Initiatives Southern Africa (HISA) will improve the living standard of vulnerable children and their care givers living in informal settlements through:

provision of basic needs, education, health and nutrition and HIV and AIDS intervention

capacity building

Psycho-Social support

Strategic Partnerships and Networks

Micro Enterprise – Income generating activities to assist vulnerable children with financial support whenever necessary

Household food security and support to sustainable livelihoods (gardening)


This is interesting to know so that the we can hold the programs that we do to a certain goal. However we also addressed the history of my program. So, the history starts with Patricia and her husband John, who decided they wanted to start helping children in the informal settlements. They used to gather children up under a tree and teach them. Once many kids started coming they had a tent that they used. Then they were able to start renting a house and recently, around last december they moved into their own building, which is where we are now located today. We get funding from ANSA which is an American program that funds our Health and Nutrition portion of our mission. They give us money for food, and gas to transport the food, and to bring in a specialist to plant fruit trees, etc. The other main donor is Terre Deshommes Italy who gives us money for things through education such as books and salaries for teachers and also scholarships that we give our kids so that they can enter into main stream schools as well.

The programs that we have in Namibia are:

Health and Nutrition- Feeding and food provision, gardens, bakery, psychosocial support, HIV/AIDS

Education- Bridging School, Scholarships, Play grounds, After School Programs

Care Givers and Adult Support Groups- Adult Education, Micro Enterprise, Income Generating Activities


These are the three things addressed. And my specific part is seen in the Bridging School, the Library, the After School Groups, and also just everyday activities. So basically to get a better understanding it will be best to give an example of my day at HISA. So I get dropped off by Passat our driver and head to my classroom. This is usually after the children have already received their breakfast for the day. There my co-teacher usually just looks at me and says, well why dont you teach today. So I usually try to just come up with something random that is usually what they are also working on. Once I taught them math but I usually focus on English. The best one that I had was breaking them up to their reading levels, because there are kids ages 7-13 in my class, and gave them a book and had them read it with each other. Another important background fact. These children have never been to school, they are here to learn and to be able to get into another real school with the help of a scholarship provided by us. So we are not only teaching them academic basics but also basic social skills as well. So then these kids get a break around 10-10:30 and then all of the staff gets together and we all have tea and talk about life, which is always interesting and I learn so much form them all. Then we teach again until 12. At 12 they all get in line to wash their hands to receive lunch. After they eat they leave and the staff eats lunch around 1 and has a break until around 2. That is when the "main-stream" kids come in. These are children living in the informal settlement who come to us for their lunch. A lot of these children are slightly malnourished, but still bouncy and usually very excited to be there. We usually give out a ton of food, to maybe about 150 kids at this time, and recently we have been running out of food so we will see what happens. Sometimes we also get kids so young and weak that they cant feed themselves. This is important to look out for because other people will eat their food. So about a week ago a small boy, about 2-3 years old wouldnt stop crying so i sat down and started to feed him, airplane style if you will. And as soon as I sat down he curled up on my lap and stayed there until he was finished eating. It was very clear that all he needed was some TLC. Then after all these children leave we have a time for the youth to hang out for a little bit. Recently we have been reading books and just hanging out. Then at 3:30-4:00 I hop into the back of a pick-up truck and ride to the place where I get a taxi home. Yes, I am riding in the back of a pick-up, which is probably one of the most fun experiences of the day lol. But at the end of the day I go home dirty from all of the dust and food and exhausted physically and emotionally from everything that goes on. However it is also so rewarding that I wouldnt have it any other way. On monday I was teaching every student because the classroom i am in is in the process of being expanded, i hope, because we have way too many children. So after one other teacher used very harsh methods to teach I took over. It was a very interesting switch. While she was making kids stand up for not knowing anything and basically embarrassing I instead focused on what they had learned. I did it in a much more positive aspect and the children clearly responded better to learning this way. Also after class one of the volunteers came up to me and told me that he loved the way I taught the kids. It was just really awesome and I love spending my Mondays and WEdnesdays at this organization. At the moment I am now looking up some plays so that tomorrow I can have them preform them. Hopefully this will not only help them practice their english but boost their confidence a little as well. I guess we will have to see.

I hope all is well at home and I will work on keeping things more updated.

<3

A Change of Pace

As many of you last read I was staying in a family in the colored section of Windhoek known as Kohmasdal. Unfortunately things there did not work out because of many factors, so halfway through the home stay time I moved to a new family. I am presently living in Katatura, literally meaning the place where you don’t want to live. This is because this is the black section of Windhoek where many people were forced to relocate to. A good story to explain the situation in Katatura is the experience I see everyday. Anytime I get in a taxi to come home the taxi drivers are like Katatura? You are going to Katatura? And I say yes I am. Then usually at least one person in the taxi will ask what I am doing there and I reply “staying” and they give me a shocked look. And I say that I enjoy it here, because I do. It is great to see how shocked people are when I am happy to be here. Another thing is the guys, who probably rarely see a white girl over here have very often welcomed me to Namibia usually by shouting that phrase at me any chance that they get.
So anyway, I moved into a wonderful family in a section of Katatura. I am staying with a family where both of the parents are teachers, and there are four children living here as well: A girl in 8th grade, a boy in 6th grade, and an 8-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. They always add a lot of excitement to my days here. There is also another friend of the family’s living here at the moment and I have the pleasure of sharing a taxi with her in the morning on my way back to classes. Life here has been wonderful. The children all go to school, which starts at 7 am here so my mornings are very early, usually with the kids out of bed at 5:30 and me finally out of bed around 6:07. The parents drive the kids to school and then I catch a cab into town around 7 am. This allows for me to get most of my homework done before classes start, which is nice so that I can spend more time with my family. My family is descendent of the Herero tribe, which were usually cattle herders and they are always so surprised by the fact that I do not eat meat, sometimes I think they think there is something wrong with me, but still they have been wonderful and accommodating to me here. We all eat meals together usually and then I will play with the kids and then do some homework once they go to sleep around 8. My younger brother, who wants to be a soccer player, is helping me practice my horrible soccer skills. The older brother, who is quieter, is now breaking out of his shell and we talk about his ambitions to be a vet, which he just knows as animal doctor. The older girl would like to be an accountant, but also dreams of studying in America someday. The young girl is just a laughing bundle of joy who rarely stops talking, even as we are trying to go to sleep. I am lucky enough to share a room with the two girls so we can quietly whisper some more when we are sleeping so I can learn more about them. Also my parents here are pretty awesome. They include me in all that they do and also answer all of my questions from how to take a shower and how to speak their language. (answers: we boil the water in the pot and then use that as water for our showers, which I like to call bucket showers, and I really am still working on the whole speaking Oshiherero thing…)

One of the many things that my family has talked to me about is politics. On Rosh Hashanah I visited a place called Alte Feste. It is an old German fort here and I was not sure what it was used for, but we learned that it was the location of genocide. When the German’s colonized Namibia they decided to wipe out the entire tribe of the Herero. It was Germany’s first genocide and they were never held responsible for it. The Herero people never got any reconciliation for the crimes committed against their people, which is something very hard to understand. When talking ot my family about it they told me that not only is it the problem of the German government providing reconciliation, but also of the Namibian government is not letting the Herero’s get it. This is because the government wants to spread the money out evenly and not just give it to the Herero people. It was something that helped me understand a lot more about the government here and it was very eye opening.
One last thing that happened recently was the epicness of Rosh Hashanah. I spent the days at the temple, which my host family so willingly drove me to and from for all the services. I also had dinner at the temple for both nights. It was neat to be a part of the huge community there and so it will be nice to have them to go to. However, the most at home here I feel is with my host family because of the ease that occurs when I am here. I can just come home at night and hang out and go to sleep. The best way to explain how at home I am here is by sharing one of the best nights here. So on Saturday it was decided that I would be cooking dinner. I made pasta with a mushroom and pea sauce, just something simple I whipped up. Unfortunately the pasta was a little overdone, but everyone claimed to like it. It was also weird for them to have a meal without any meat, so I don’t think I will be cooking again very soon. However, the best part is that while eating dinner the adults watched Twilight. Around the kissing scene the woman living here yelled “AYE! HE IS GOING TO EAT HER!” and went to bed. At every fighting scene my host father covered his face and then finally at the most dramatic scene said that he couldn’t take it any more and went to bed. But my host mom and I stuck it out and now she can’t wait to see New Moon. Yesterday when I came home with a pretty bad sunburn and I was down she suggested going out to get it, clearly exactly what I needed at that point. Unfortunately I was so worn out from all the work at my internship that I ended up just passing out, which is also nice here.
But that is about it for now. I am still at my host family because I was able to extend my stay until Friday morning so I am making the best of the time that I have with them. It is unfortunate that I only have time in the evening to spend with them, but still I will take anything that I can get. Also, I am sure to be visiting them for the rest of my time here this semester.

Making Windhoek Home

This week there has been a lot of talk about feeling at home here in Windhoek. I think it is really easy to feel at home in a house with 23 other americans. It has been called "Little America" by many people here and it is clear why this house has gotten that nickname. I love living in "the White House" but sometimes it does feel a little secluded to the outside Windhoek, which makes it that much more important that we get out and have our home-stays and internships. With that in mind, this has been my goal this week to feel more at home here in this wonderful city.

Tuesday was our team building day, which was nice to get to learn about everyone else in this group and all have bonding time. The best part was probably when all of us participated in a three legged race, that ended up with us all tied together. It was fun to all be together and just hang out as a group.

Wednesday again my internship was not open so I stayed home and did some homework, not as much as I probably should have, but then again I also want to do things here as well. We then started with our Urban Home-stay prep. It was then that I learned I would be staying with Sannie (pronounced Sunny) a 60 year old woman who used to work for the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Her god son Bricato who is 22 lives with her as well. I was super excited to get the placement and learn everything. But right after that a group of us headed down to NBC (Namibian Broadcasting Company, i think) and did the most awesome unthinkable thing. So Kristin, the intern here, convinced us all to do this with here with the promise of free yoga. We show up in our awesome yoga attire and meet Mark who is the instructor and we set up in the broadcasting room with and epic rainbow back drop and get ready. We were recorded for the morning Yoga segments that appears Monday-Thursday mornings at 6:50 am on NBC, which is the channel that all Namibians have. Therefore, any namibian could turn their TV on and see a bunch of americans looking awkward and doing Yoga. We also then decided we should do this every week that we are able to. Later that night most of us went out to the Cardboard Box, our usual pick of places to go seeing it is right up the street, to spend one last night out together before our home-stays. It was a blast, and while it will be weird to not spend the night at the same house with everyone it is important to remember that we all still see each other everyday at classes.

Speaking of classes, they finally began Thursday! We had History class, and the subject is comparing Race and Racism in Southern Africa and America. I am super excited for this class. Some of you know that my classes are all four hours long. At first I thought this would be hard seeing that I can never stay focused for anything, but it is different here. We have a speaker, movie, or field trip almost every class. Our first class focused around the idea of what history is and also the history of Namibia. It was awesome and we headed out to our first museum which dealt with the people who are native to Namibia and their life. It was so neat to learn about the San, Herero, Nama, Damara, and all the other native people to Namibia. It is neat to see how things have changed and how now some people, esp the San are being exploited. One of my friends internships is to work with the San so that they know the rights of indigenous people. SO COOL! But while going through the museum I decided I need to re-watch Babies and decide what tribe the baby from Namibia came from. So that is definitely on my list of things to do now. We then went home and packed and sat around starting at 5 pm waiting for our families to pick us up. As most of us had already left Sara, our amazing and wonderful cook, came to find me and told me Sannie called and would be late. She pulled up and picked me up and it was amazing. She loves to talk and tell me anything I ask about. She also makes sure to tell me about anything that I dont ask about either, and is not afraid to tell me to do things on my own. Last night she had me go to the corner store by myself, while she watched by the car as any protective mother would do, as I went to get airtime (minutes for a phone). And then we came home and we talked and talked and talked and ate a little dinner around 9:15. Cato wasnt home for me to meet him, but I look forward to doing that another night. Sannie also speaks Afrikaans and told me that because I speak German it wont be hard for me to learn and that she will teach me. She also wants to take me to Rehoboth, which is a town about an hr from here to meet more of her family. It is so exciting to be living with her because there is always something going on. Last night she put on her favorite CD for me and danced around the living room. It definitely made everything feel a lot more like home. She also drives me to school and picks me up afterwards, because she doesn't want me to have to take a taxi. Living with her is definitely going to be a wonderful experience.

That brings us to Friday, which is today. Today was the start of Development and Social Change class. It was a great class and I cant wait to get more in depth into the subject. We started with all these examples of promotion for social change and help with development. Some of the great ones was the music video to Do They Know Its Christmas? If you know the song great, if not look it up and I am sure you will discover that it is familiar, like it was to me. However I had never read the words before and that was when I realized how terribly phrased that whole song is. One of the best examples is "The greatest gift they will get this year is life, where nothing ever grows, no rain nor rivers flow". Then we saw the Today Show interview with Angelina Jolie on the education system in Namibia. The whole time it was lightened up by the fact that she was pregnant with "Brad's Baby". It was really interesting to see all of this and then start to learn about development and social change. I am extremely excited to see where this class goes as well and to just get used to having all of my classes.

But that is it for now. I am going to try to do my homework now so that later I can spend more time with my host-family. Hope all is well at home!

<3

Hopes Initiatives Southern Africa

This morning I woke up and hopped out of bed, which is usually quite a hilarious jump down seeing that there are no ladders for our bunk beds here. I got dressed, packed a backpack with some clothes to change into that could get dirty, went out had bfast, made my lunch and got ready for my first day at my internship. We all piled into the van that Passat drives to take us to our internships in and one by one people we dropped off. I was the last stop and Passat said to me, "hang on a sec" and goes in to check things out, comes back, does a signature "Passat move" signaling disappointment, gets back in the van and says, "your going home".

Therefore I now have plenty of time to update you on things here. First off, just seeing my internship place is insane. There was a clinic that was full, in fact i was over flowing, there were people waiting outside and inside looked insanely crowded. But as I said, my part was closed, which is the part that deals with the children. I have a proposed outline for my project, which is extremely vague but here is what I got. "When approached to discuss the Fall 2010 Internship, Hopes Initiative mentioned that they are interested in gaining support for their 'kids clubs'. The 'kids clubs' are youth groups that organize youth outside of classes of schools. HISA is also seeking assistance with the Play group and Bridging school. Overall, you have some flexibility in the direction you can go with your project. You can discuss your skills.interests with your supervisor over the coming weeks to determine a more specific project." Therefore I know I will be working with kids, but more than that I will have to wait till I get to my internship. Right now the kids are on their summer break, so once that ends I will be at my internship. My first day is September 6th and I am already super excited. We were also given a letter by a previous intern for our placements and my letter only led to me anticipating my fun there more. The most important part is when it ways that "most days you'll come home dirty and happily exhausted" and that this internship is guaranteed to be hard as well as fun because "its hard to see the children tired or sick or with fresh injuries". I am not really sure what this refers to, but I guess I will be finding that out soon enough.

One more thing for me to reflect on was the assigned reading for the internship. It is called To Hell with Good Intentions. And it really is just about making sure that you are not there to "help people" but to work. It is not a pity thing, and I am not there to teach them how to live like me, but to do what they ask em to do. One part that I thought was super interesting was pertaining to culture shock. "How odd that nobody ever thought about spending money to educate poor mexicans in order to prevent them from the culture shock of meeting you?" (Ivan Illick) And this whole idea is pretty interesting. I think it is just something I will have to keep in mind when I am working at HISA.

As I said in my last post classes havent started yet so there really isn't any type of academic stuff going on right now. We all made "identity maps" to present to each other tomorrow on Team Building Day, I got a great reading on my internship, and a huge packet for my Development class. So, ATT gave me THREE WRONG unlock codes. Today I decided to spend the money on a new phone, got home, and the battery doesnt work. So after I finish writing this blog I will probably be going back to the mall to get a new battery, because here it want to have a phone on me when I go out, and also for my internship. It is almost a sign for me to not have a phone, but I dont really think it would be all too safe without one. I am not saying that I am living in a really horrible place, because that is not true at all. I am just saying that I plan on having a way to reach people when I am out. As for now it is super hot outside and most people spend our afternoons around the pool because of the heat, and all we can think is that from here it is only getting hotter. So heres to fans and cold pools and sundresses. As for now I am going to go finish reading some packets and then going to get a new battery for my phone. Hope all is well on the home front and I should be on more frequent now that I am almost all settled in.

<3

A Brief Preview to Windhoek

So, i figured that it would be good to just give a little update now and fill you in on more when the time comes for me to have the time to write. I have moved into the Windhoek house. I am on the top bunk, which should be interesting, but I also COVERED my wall with pictures. Many people have walked into the room and said "oh wow" and i was just like yea its pretty nice lol. Also I am in the middle of trying to hanging up xmas lights to add more spunk to the room. We have been touring all corners of Windhoek and having team building activities, which is good because there are 23 of us living together in one house. But as for life here it is fine, things are of course different and we are a little more cautious, but it is all worth it.

Classes start on Thursday, so that will be something to look forward to, but we are already doing some reading for classes. I just want them to start up. However, tomorrow is my first day of my internship. Last week we had a seminar where we were informed that our first day was going to suck. And just in case we forgot, we were reminded three times throughout the meeting that our first day would suck. So apparently my tomorrow is going to suck, but i am entering it completely optimistically. It could go horribly, but in the end it will all be worth it.

Anyway that is it for now. Uploaded some pictures to facebook today, and hopefully ill be able to get on tomorrow and tell you some more about the internship.

<3

Pretoria

Sorry about the lack of entries, but Internet has been scare in my time. But today and yesterday we were in Pretoria. We did visit the US Embassy and it was neat to see everything that they do there, and how they apply US foreign policy to South African policy. It would be really neat to work for them someday I think. Also today we were able to visit the Parliament building. It was amazing to see it and it was really neat to just hang out there for a little bit and sit on the lawn. This morning we also saw a very controversial monument called the Voortrekker monument. It depicts the Afrikaners concurring the Zulu people, and also shows the Zulus as savages. It is important to remember that the Zulu were the native people of Africa and are still very present in the African society. It was really weird to see this and I was also very surprised that it existed. That was when I started to realize many things. The settlers of America did the same thing to the Native Americans. So how are we any better? I think that this society is still struggling with this problem whereas there are so few Native Americans left that this is not a problem for the American society. Sometimes it is hard to think about the terrible things that are going on here but it is weirder to think that it is almost the same as what occurred in America. With all these thoughts in my mind I am now trying to go to sleep early so that I can actually wake up for my 4:45 AM wake up call. Tomorrow I fly to Namibia! It will be awesome to finally settle in to our home for the semester. But for now its time to sleep so I will have energy to do all the things I want to do tomorrow.

Welcome to Ma Chanza's

Friday around 5 pm we started driving around Soweto and dropping kids off at houses, and as we continued to drive around I was eagerly looking out the window yelling up to Passat, our driver, telling him that he should drop me off next. He would just laugh and keep on driving. But finally we got to a white house and I saw Kritsin, the girl who was at the same home stay with me, get out of the other van. I hopped out of the car and there was a wonderful woman smiling from ear to ear. I went up, introduced myself and hugged her. She then looked at Linda, our program director, and said “is this one of my babies?!” and at that moment I knew this was going to be an amazing weekend. I then met the rest of the family staying there. Nthabiseng, an 18 year old girl, and Refiloe, a 20 year old girl. Also with us for the weekend was Wazi, a four year old boy. My mother was Ma Chanza, a 72 year old woman who was still full of life and love and charisma to keep my weekend filled with excitement. On the first night we just hung out and got to know each other. It was then that I realized that Ma Chanza’s was not only a home for me, but also for all of her friends in the community. It was almost as if the door was always open because there would always be new people sharing their stories with us and letting us ask them all of our questions. Also, Ma Chanza is an award-winning cook in Soweto. The awards caught Kristin and my eyes and we were instantly thrilled and couldn’t wait for her to cook for us, and that she did. I ate more this weekend than ever because of how much she wanted us to eat. There were many instances where I would get food on my plate and she would say “oh no!” and grab my plate and fill it up more. But it was all worth it, we ate some of the most delicious things I have ever had.
So, the first day was very hectic. There was a big Rugby game here in South Africa and there was a group of people who wanted Ma Chanza to cater for them before the game. Ma Chanza was in the kitchen from about 6 am till they were gone around 3 pm. She made delicious food such as Chakalaka and Chicken and Beef Stew. She also made us some Pop, which is very common here in South Africa and is served with dishes just like rice would be. It is just like polenta, except just a little more white and less of a corn flavor. It was pretty awesome. That day Refiloe and Kristin and I went to the store a lot to get stuff and juts explored the area. It was nice to be so close to the people in the family, and anytime we went outside for a walk we were questioned about everything. We answer them and just continue on our way, because there was so much work to be done. Nthabiseng also showed us where her high school is, but she is not attending it at the moment. There is a HUGE strike in South Africa right now. The teachers are all striking, so there is no school. The hospital workers are all striking as well, so there is a lot of commotion, and the workers are blocking people from coming to the hospital at all. Ma Chanza told me that eight patients have died because there was no one there to take care of them. There are private hospitals, but it is a lot of money to go there, so there is just a huge problem at the moment in South Africa. I was lucky to be with people who were able to talk to me about it and how it affected them. Earlier in the day we went to an organization talking to us about Women’s Rights because it is Women’s Month in South Africa and it was nice to see people becoming empowered and there was also a HIV awareness talk which was also exciting. But Saturday was super busy and we then ended up having a ton of people over to the house that night as well. We were all up pretty late until I ended up passing out around 2 am.

Sunday morning I had planned to go to church with Nthabiseng, but she and I both overslept. It was ok though because we had a chill day and were able to hang out more. We went to watch a soccer game that Refiloe’s uncle Molefi was playing in and just hang out there. Then we went back to the house and Ma Chanza taught us how to make dumpling! Dumpling is just a steamed bread, but it is sooo goood. Now I know how to make it and plan on making it once I have a kitchen again. We even brought some of the dumpling to Moho’s place for dinner, where two other students were staying. The other students loved our cooking, and we now have to make it in Namibia and teach them how. After dinner we went back to the house and Ma Chanza showed us all her pictures and talked about her past. She also showed such an interest in our lives and made us show her pictures of everything, which was a ton of fun. There was so much I learned from Ma Chanza, and so many things that she caused me to question as well. The experience of living with a family was wonderful, and I am now looking forward to the next home stay so much more.

Today we drove to Pretoria, and went through Sandton. Sandton is a very wealth city and it was interesting to be in a city like that again. We were supposed to drive through Alexandra as well, but due to the strike we couldn’t. It was very violent there and we had trailers on our vans to carry our luggage and if we had to stop at a red light they would have easily been destroyed. But now we are in a hotel, which will be nice, because on Wednesday I will move into my room with five other roommates. But first we tour Pretoria tomorrow and there will be more questions answered and more questioned raised. This semester is not only going to be the most educational, but it will be best because it has caused me to question so much more about what I already know. And from here it only gets better.

The End of Joburg

So, it has been a while since I have written so let me do a quick sum up of the rest of the Joburg tour. We were just crammed with a ton of speakers. We talked to the main political parties, the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) and I learned so much this week. For example, Jacob Zuma the president at the moment, a member of the ANC party was appointed, not voted for. At the moment he has four wives and is also adding to the HIV problem in this country. He made a public statement claiming that he was not infected with HIV because he showered after sleeping with a woman with HIV. The things we learned were just shocking and eye opening about how things here work. Also, South Africa has one of the most inclusive constitutions calling for freedoms that no one else has, including the right for same sex couples to be married. However this is not seen in their society at all, because they are having a huge problem with “corrective rape”. There are just so many different contradictions that come up in our everyday learning here that it keeps challenging me to continue learning more about the issues and how they can be influenced by our presence here.
The four other highlights of the third and fourth day was the Apartheid Museum, the Khulumani Support Group, the Market Theatre, and the Treatment Action Campaign. First off, the Apartheid Museum: It was made by the same person who made the Holocaust museum so I had high expectations. Unfortunately I feel that they might have been too high. The museum was amazing and influential, but the end of the exhibit was missing, which put a huge damper on the museum. It was missing the section on the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation) which was a huge part of the forgiveness in South Africa and I feel like it still hasn’t solved all of the problems that were caused by Apartheid. Lucky, after the museum we headed over to the Khulumani Support Group, who share the same opinion that I do. They are a non-profit who tries to get more support for victims of Apartheid. Their goal is to turn victims into survivors of Apartheid. It is amazing how much they are finding that people need, such as education and clean water. Their organization is one that I would love to be able to intern with some day and get the experience of working for a non-profit like that. Later that night we went to the Market Theatre, which was mostly exciting because we were finally getting out and able to see something more of the present culture of South Africa. The play was about women who found strength in themselves and stopped giving into the system during Apartheid and started standing up for their rights, so it was very relevant to everything we had been doing but still entertaining. Finally we also met with the Treatment Action Center. This was super exciting for me because of the work that I do with Choices. This man came in and told us the struggles of being HIV positive in South Africa and how the government was shoving the issue under the carpet and how now finally things are getting a little better. It was interesting to hear his story and has me so much more excited for my internship in Namibia.

Day One and Two

So, it seems that this semester is going to be by far the most life changing thing I have ever gone through. It all started off at 5:30 AM when I woke up to some birds chirping outside of my window. I was not able to fall back asleep at all. The first reason being the birds chirping, the second being too much excitement and anticipation for the day ahead, the third being that I finally realized that I left my book light at home, and finally that silly Shakira song was still stuck in my head. Anyway I was laying in bed for a while, and had a pretty good bfast and was then ready to start the day. The day of course started with the meeting about Health and Safety, so no worried. I am now briefed on all the things again, for about the millionth time, and will be super safe while I am here. That is when the actual learning kicked off. During our break I was outside watching a bird weave its own nest with its beak, by far one of the most talented things I have ever seen an animal do. I am sure there is much more of this to come. That was when Molefi, one of the most amazing people, came to share his time with us. He told us all about the history of South Africa and the role that he played in Apartheid. He was 12 years old at the point and was alive for the most violent period of Apartheid. His experiences opened our eyes to prepare us for a day full of learning.

We went out on a drive through Soweto. We learned that Soweto actually stands for South Western Township. We were able to see the houses that were for the white people, or the coloreds and then the shacks that were for the blacks who were there to work. It was interesting to see that there as such a difference in housing just on two opposite sides of a road. After we drove to a Regina Mundi. This is a famous church in Soweto. There were many meetings held there to plan for ways to end Apartheid, and when police found out about it they attacked people while they were in the church. While inside we were able to see where there were bullet holes in the ceiling and broken pews. There was also a collection of photos from the events that happened. It was weird to see pictures of people being shot in a place where I was standing. After that we went to lunch at a simple shopping mall where I ate some delish chicken pita thingy. It was just nice to get out and be on our own for a bit. But little did we know that after lunch things would be so much more difficult.

We left the mall and headed to Kliptown. It started at a monument that honored the Freedom Charter. The Freedom Charter is the new constitution that South Africa has established. It is known as one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. It was so nice to see a monument honoring such a wonderful document. Our tour guide, Shipo then took us to a museum that honored the creating of the document. And it became obvious that people were not talking about how it was in affect today. That was when Shipo told us that he would show us how affective the Freedom Charter was. We walked outside, and crossed metro-link tracks. That was when we we brought into another world. There were shacks, no houses, and children running around on thier own with a few drunk adults stumbling around the place. There were small dirt paths separating the roads and in the paths there was a stream of water, that was filled with trash and polluted. It was poverty beyond any of us had ever seen before. As we were walking though people began to stare at us and yell hi to us and it was almost as if they were seeing us as people looking at them in a zoo. It was extremely uncomfortable. Then some little boys came up to us and grabbed our hands and walked with us. Many of them would grab two peoples hands and jump up and flip themselves over. One little boy took the silly band off my wrist and ran around with it to show his little brother, who was too young to even form words. We ventured deeper and deeper into this settlement. There was no electricity and of course no plumbing and sanitation was not existent. There were condoms and trash all over the ground, that little kids would pick up and put in their mouths. The government put in porta-potties, but only empties them once a year. It is all intense and there was even a woman who told us that she needed our help and we had no way to help her. This whole tour started the intense learning of this semester. We were all suddenly put into the place of what can we do. While it is natural for us to feel guilty for not being able to help them, and almost helpless in our own way to not help them. It is also now so much more important to learn how to confirm systemic change to being help to these people.

After this experience the rest of the day was almost a daze. We got home and went to bed after all talking to each other about the affects the day had on each of us. It was all interesting and helped to allow us to be comfortable with what happened. Having all the people in this group is awesome because we are all here to support each other with the overwhelming things that we are all experiencing. I went to bed still sorting out my feelings and trying to prepare for the next day of intense culture immersion.

And we woke up the second day prepared for anything. We left for the Hector Pieterson museum. Which memorialized the death of the students who participated in the march on June 16th, 1976. It was amazing to see the affect that the youth had on the government and how much of a catalyst this march was for the end of Apartheid. Now June 16th is Youth Day. It is nice to know that young people can have such an affect on the government. We then went to an amazing lunch at Robbys, which was my first South African food. It was amazing. I cant wait to experience more of it. I even ate chicken off the bone. It was very impressive. We then went back to St Peters to listen to Dale McKinely talk to us about the current government and social and economic system in present South Africa. It was insane to hear of the things that are going on, such as the lack of the Freedom Charter's affect in Kliptown and also the rising hatred towards the gay community. There is a rising religious party who wants to take control and so much inequality. South Africa is the most unequal nation in the world. It was so intense to hear him talk and have him tie so many things together for us. I am so excited for tomorrow because we will going to the Apartheid Museum, which was designed by the same person as the Holocaust Museum in DC.

As for now im going to try to get some rest after my roomies and I watch 10 Things I Hate About You. It is a good detox after such intense days.

<3

The Flight

After a long long long day yesterday I am sitting in Rosettenville, which is suburb of Jo'burg.

After a long few days of reacting to my yellow fever shot and saying many goodbyes and a few hard night I departed for the airport at 9:15 from my home. After checking in my bags, all the way through Jo'burg I got my boarding pass and sat around a while with the fam before heading into the actual airport. I sat around and got on a super small plane headed towards Washington-Dulles. On the plane while I was sad to be leaving, the guy next to me told me to just enjoy the time I had, which I will do. Because it already feels like this semester is going to go by so fast.

One thing that didnt go fast however was the flight to Jo'burg. After boarding the plane and finding my seat, 50G, I tried to get situated. The getting situated took quite a while seeing that sitting for a 17 hr flight was not very exciting for me. The first stretch included dinner and many many movies. They had movies such as Valentines Day and Sex and the City and Just My Luck and some other ones as well. And we also got food, which was pretty ok. It was chicken curry with rice and some veggies. After that I also tried to sleep and it was really just one long restless night. However the plane was quite wonderful in the fact that they gave us a blanket and socks and a toothbrush and toothpaste!!!!! I have all of these things too, and am def looking forward to getting them on the flight back. We did stop in Dakar, Senegal and it was a beautiful 5 in the morning their time. We stayed on the ground and walked around the cabin a bit. We then had an early bfast of delish french toast, which was just what I needed. Then the cabin lights were dimmed and I passed out for the remainder of the flight when I was just tossing and turning back and forth. Then we landed in South Africa, which was extremely exciting. We all got off the plane and entered the country after having a thermal heat scan, which i think would tell if we had a fever or not, but I could be completely wrong. We then all got our luggage and headed off to St Peters where we are spending the week. It is almost like an old dormitory for nuns, says one of the girls in my room. We ate a small dinner of food which wasnt too appealing to me, hopefully tomorrow will be better. And then we played some silly ice breakers and have since showered and broken into groups and have just been hanging out. Tomorrow is a tour of Soweto and we are trying to get to be not jetlagged. So that it is for today and tomorrow should be interesting and there should be more to come then!

<3

Packing

Tonight has been hectic to say the least. After a rushed decision to go out to eat, which was pretty delish, it was declared time to head home to perform the daunting task of packing. Now there have been many times I wished that my suitcase was one I picked up at Hogwarts or even that I had a wand to be able to command everything to pack itself, but tonight seemed to out do them all. I knew that trying to pack for a semester would be hard, but that was before I got the glorious news from South African Airlines. Their 44 lb limit. Thank you for that one. Therefore this was the first challenge. The second is that I need a smaller bag for weekend travels, meaning that I started to attempt packing one big suitcase and one smaller duffel suitcase. I figured it wouldn't be too hard as I made an expansive list of everything I own to take with me for Africa. After much help from my Mom we crammed a lot into the first suitcase, in fact almost everything I wanted to bring. Weighing that suitcase brought my hopes down to reality as the scale showed huge red numbers reading 46 lbs. Therefore it was time to repack, questioning everything I was bringing and if it would really be worth it. This is where the program manual came into play.

For those who don't know, I got a wonderful spiral bound book with the insight to everything I should know about this program, including a packing list. I sat down and compared the list I had made of what I was bringing to their recommended list. The list states:

3-4 pairs of pants
2 shorts
4-5 short-sleeved shirts
2-3 long sleeved
"Going Out" Tops
3-4 skirts or dresses (for women)
Underwear
Socks
5 shoes (each a specific shoe: tennis, flip flop, sandal but not flip flop, comfortable dress shoes, and walking shoes)
Hat
Fleece Jacket and sweatpants/sweatshirt

To the person who made this list: I realize that you are doing this for the best, and you probably want us to have room to bring things back, and not to bring too many thing with us, etc. But for real?! You are addressing many college age girls, who have more than 4-5 short sleeved shirts and more than 3-4 skirts/dresses. So of course, I will be brining more than this recommended list, but after three attempts my mom and I closed up my suitcase and weighed it and it was 43.6 lbs!!!! (the time for the happy dance occurred then, however it was more of a sigh for relief. packing is far too stressful an activity to enjoy, however I was presented with the idea that packing is getting to chose my favorite things and putting them all together..it is an idea I will have to work on) However, the sad news is that I am not done packing. There are a few things I need to pick up tomorrow and then I can pack them up and hopefully be done and able to move onto other things.

One last thing for the night: I think an explanation of the title of this blog should be explained. When I was confronted with the idea of writing a blog I was pretty opposed to the idea, feeling like it would be silly to write about myself and things I do, being all narcissistic and such. But instead I decided it would be easier for people to follow and it could be fun. The original idea for the blog was WWHG. It stands for What Would Hillary Gleason? And I thank her for the super support throughout all my times with her and will of course miss her, but I figured that many of my family members following would be more than confused with that title (sorry HGlee, you know I love you). So that meant I had to find something else that was a little more understandable by most people. Therefore it lead to the idea of moist towelettes. Yes, those little things that you get at restaurants when you are too messy, and most people never use other than that. Well, the first packing list I had suggested that I bring moist towelettes. That was when all of the fun started. I began receiving gifts of these damp cloths from many people and of course kept them. It became obvious that this would be a fun start to a great semester, and hence the blog was named after such an epic item of necessity. At this moment I have eight moist towelettes in my possession for eight moments that I am sure will be documented this semester. Now Im off to finish preparing for these moments to come.

<3

And here we go

After countless shots, months of preparing, two books, and one malaria pill, it is finally sinking in that in five days I will be on a plane to South Africa. At the beginning of last semester I was applying for this great opportunity to study abroad for a semester and ever since I got accepted I have been slowly preparing. Now that everything is about to start up, it seemed time to find a method to keep everyone informed about my adventures to come.

So lets start with the basics. I will be spending the majority of next semester in Windhoek, Namibia. There I will be living in a program house with 23 other participants of the program and the staff as well. I will have my classes in the program house. The three classes I am taking are:

Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the US
Political and Social Change
The Development Process

and instead of taking a fourth class I will have an internship. Recently I just got the information on this awesome organization called Hopes Initiatives Southern Africa, and I am lucky to be interning with them next semester!!! :D (When I got this news there was a happy dance that occurred) This was in the recent email I got from Namibia:


History of Organization:
Hope Initiatives is a community-based organization working to support vulnerable youth and families through education, empowerment and skill-building activities. They have three locations throughout Windhoek and conduct many projects at their sites. The Ombili Bridging School hosts the head office of the organization. Approximately 76 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) between the ages of 10-18 who have dropped out of or are over age for conventional schools attend this school in order to make up the necessary skills to be mainstreamed back into school. The Okahandja Park location hosts the community offices and many other programs, including: a play group (“kindergarten”) for children aged 3-7 years, a support group for women living positively with HIV, a caregivers program which gives information to parents about basic hygiene and discipline, a feeding program for children and a program for youth which gives them information on HIV/AIDS and organizes sporting activities. Hope Initiatives also has a feeding program in the Kilimanjaro settlement.

But now, back to what's happening in the present. Tomorrow I do some last minute shopping, and I hope to finish packing as well. Tomorrow I also get my last shot before I travel. YAY being safe from Yellow Fever!! I also need to read the last of three books that were assigned for reading to be done before travel. So these next five days will be pretty jam packed with last minute things, but I will try my best to keep things updated as I get new information. One final thing I have to share is my flight itinerary, but that is it until my next update. Thank you for deciding to follow my travels on this blog!!

Departing StL at 1205 and getting into Washington-Dulles at 314
Departing Washington-Dulles at 540PM and arriving at Johannesburg at 510PM
On this flight not only will we all get our own personal TVs but we will also stop in Dakar Senegal in order to refuel out plane. Much excitement is yet to come! If you want to know more about Namibia's local news check out this website: http://www.namibian.com.na/ Maybe it can hold you over till I have more news on my next post!

<3