The local kids teaching us to dance.

This past weekend was definitely one to remember. Early Thursday morning we all headed to the Namibian coast town of Swakopmund, also called Swakop. We were all super excited to get out of the house for a weekend and Swakop did not disappoint. When we drove into the town, I felt as if I had just entered a beach town in Florida. There were palm trees lining the streets, cute cafes and shops, and sand galore. As per usual, this was not just a trip to relax, but to try and learn more about the Namibian culture. Prior to coming to Swakop, we had learned about the German-Herero Genocide that took place in the early 20th Century. This genocide is one that is rarely acknowledged, however the Germans implanted an “ethnic cleansing” of the area and ended up killing 65,000 Herero people, leaving about 15,000 as refugees. The area of Swakopmund was the site of the concentration camp that the Hereros were sent to, and many of the dunes that surround this beautiful town became mass graves to those that are long forgotten. Swakop’s past is one that has been full of pain and heartache, but we all had the opportunity to see how far the town has come.

On the Thursday that we arrived, we were given a tour of the city and it was amazing! It started off with a cappella performance by the local group called Vocal Galore. They were amazing and it was such a treat to hear them sing. We then went to visit a kindergarten in the township where the students sang to us and taught us traditional Oshivambo dances. They were so full of energy and excitement that every single one of us could not wipe the smile off of our faces.  That evening we walked along the ocean and ate dinner at a restaurant on the pier. It was already a fantastic start to the weekend

Climbing up Dune Seven.

On Friday we had numerous presentations about the inner workings of both Swakop and Walvis Bay, which is a neighboring town. We then visited three different places to get more of an idea about economy and the role that it plays there. The first place was a factory that had products shipped from Germany here and then the Namibians would add a simple thing such as a bolt, and then ship it back. It seemed as if the factory was not a necessity, but it was still awesome to see the machines at work. Then we headed to center for people with disabilities and had the opportunity to see the how here in Namibia, there has been nothing put into place to help those with disabilities. The tours of the day ended with the viewing of a fish packing factory. We were put into big lab coats and taken into the factory where we were able to view how everything worked. This factory in comparison to the one we had seen earlier was more of a well-oiled machine. While all that was extremely eye-opening, the best part of the day was getting to climb Dune Seven, which is massive 100-meter high sand dune in Swakop. It was quite a feat to tackle, but the view from the top was breathtaking. All in all it was a fabulous day.

Relaxing by the ocean with my friend Jessy

 

Saturday was a free day for us, and everyone split up to do different activities. Some went sand-boarding and quad biking, while others decided to kayak with seals and dolphins. I decided that I just wanted to chill, explore the town, and sit on the beach by the ocean. Which is exactly what I did. Two of my friends that I have made in Windhoek drove down to hang out. There is nothing like sipping a glass of wine and watching the waves of the ocean crash onto the beach.  It was the perfect end to an trip that I will not soon forget.