The Best & The “Worst”

I have 16 days left in Namibia and 23 left in southern Africa, WHAT? Crazy, right? So this past week was full of classwork and projects, so instead of telling you about that, I’ll give you a little glimpse into how I’m feeling as this last month of the semester rolls in – as hard as that is for me to admit. My semester has been 100% all I have ever hoped for and so much more. I’ve learned things I never would have even thought I would learn about myself and about the world around me. I ‘ve made new friends, tried new foods, seen beautiful places, gained family members, and fell in love with every little bit and piece of Namibia. I can say with my entire heart that Windhoek has become my home, and I know that when I leave, I’ll long to return.

As I was writing in my journal the other night, I was trying to make a list of what I’m excited for about going home vs. what I know I’ll miss about southern Africa. Seeing family and friends definitely tops the first list, but the latter? I could go on for days. I’ll try to make it as short as possible:

Things I’m excited about:
1.  Seeing Family & Friends –  This goes without saying, I miss my family and my friends like crazy. It’ll be awesome to see their smiling faces in person again.  Thank God for FaceTime.
2. Fruit – I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a fresh strawberry – scratch that how about an entire fruit salad. I’ve had plenty of apples for just about the rest of my life – but it’s all those good berries I miss.
3. Salad – You’ll notice a lot of this list has to do with food. My apologies. As one Namibian student put it here.. “You guys just eat leaves in America.. Is that even good?” YES.. yes it is. I’ll be having a nice fresh salad when I get home. (And some in-n-out)
4. Clothes Dryer – Don’t get me wrong, a clothes line works just fine, but there’s something so nice about knowing you can wash & dry your clothes in around an hour instead of 6… unless it rains. Then give it another day.
5.  A gym – Running around our neighborhood has been nice, but the same loop gets boring after a while. It’ll be nice to be back in a gym again.
6. Driving – If I even remember how or which side I’m supposed to drive on, it’ll be nice to drive again.
7 . Baseball games – Hey.. it’s baseball season.. I can’t help myself
8. The radio –Of course we have radios here, but it’s about a year behind the U.S. I couldn’t tell you one song that’s being overplayed on American radios right now. It’ll be nice to hear all the new stuff that’s been released in the past 4 months

Things I’ll miss:
1. Sunsets – if you’ve been reading my blogs, I’m sure you’ve caught onto this by now. Sunsets are by far one of my favorite things and in Namibia, they’re just about as beautiful as they come. The pinks, the purples, the oranges, the blues… nothing beats ’em.
2. Days spent laying by the pool – Pretty self explanatory, nothing beats a poolside nap. Have a ton of reading to do for class? Oh, I’ll just lay by the pool and do it. Can I do that at Valpo ? No.  Will I miss it? YES.
3. The mountain/sky duo – Oh my goodness… The picture perfect white clouds in the light blue sky meeting the green mountains that encompass Windhoek.. pure beauty right there.
4. The pap – Despite my hate for carbs that has been created by this trip, I really will miss the pap – eating it with our hands, and all the delicious sauce – ah perfection!
5. Non-stop beautiful weather– Again, if you know me, you know I don’t do well in anything but sunshine = aka Valpourainsnow can be torture at times. There’s nothing better than not having to look at the weather app,  just knowing that shorts and a tank top will do no matter what. (Or a bathing suit poolside)
6. CGE House- This house has become a home to me, no doubt about it. I remember getting here the first day and being like whoa this place is huge. It’s familiar now – especially after being gone for 3 weeks.
7.  $1 Taxis- Sure the taxi drivers are pushy and annoying at times, but what’s better than only paying N$10 ($1 USD)  to get wherever you need to be in the Windhoek area
8.  Nights out on the town – Whether it’s seeing a play, watching a sunset at three circles, staring at the city lights, or out at the club, nights in Windhoek have made for some amazing memories.
9. FHS- My heart breaks leaving this place, especially the people. I’ve made a family over the past 4 months at FHS and these people have touched me more than I could have ever imagined – those I worked with, and the little ones I taught every Monday & Tuesday. I long to see their smiling faces again, but I know God is constantly working in their lives.
10. The people- I’ve said it time and time again, but I’ve made a family here in southern Africa – in Johannesburg, in Windhoek, in Katutura and in Khorixas. Whether it’s my home stay families, my teachers, my coworkers or the group of 15, my trip would not have been the same without these amazing individuals. There’s not much more I can say besides that it kills me to know I may never see some of them again. And a huge thank you goes out to each and every one of them for touching my life in a way they probably don’t even realize.

I could go on for days, but I won’t.  I’ve never been happier than during my past 3 months I’ve spent in Namibia. I still think every day about how lucky I am to have been given this incredible opportunity, and thank you for letting me share it with you! But hey.. I still have 23 days, 7 of which include CAPE TOWN! So peace out for now.

This photo doesn’t do it justice, but see what I mean?

Here’s what my third month all around southern Africa looked like:

Thanks always for reading!
All my love,
xoxo
Maddy