Exploring Windhoek

We’ve been in Namibia for a little over a week and a half now. A lot of it has been settling into our new home and doing the (necessary) safety talks and orientation like activities. One of our activities was exploring Katutura, the nearby township, with local college students. The students are part of a group called the Young Achievers and are just an incredible group of people. Our tour guide/student person turned out to be a really cool kid who was also a ton of fun to hang out with during the week and whatnot. So far, minus a few moments of strangeness, adjusting to the city has been both exciting and easy; I’m glad I finally have an address to call home.

This week we started our internships as well. I’m currently working in the Ministry of Education with FAWENA, a non-governmental organization, that helps address the educational challenges girls face in Namibia. FAWENA stands for Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia.  One of their biggest initiatives is to provide financial support to girls in order to encourage their continuation of schooling.  They also partner with communities to create supportive community initiatives to encourage young children to stay in school.  To be able to travel throughout Namibia and study in Southern Africa is such a blessing; but to be able to gain experience working alongside Namibians and learning more about their educational policies is extremely fascinating.

Since classes and internships have started, I’ve had a more than a few reminders that I’m actually here to go to school and work. It’s really hard though when my classroom is a living room filled with comfy couches and there’s a tempting pool ten feet away. Also since settling in I’m getting to know my fellow travelers better which I’m grateful for. They are all pretty cool and this semester is going to be so much fun.

 

One day we did a Staff/Student retreat in order to get to know one another better. It was basically “emotional team-building” and it was interesting. Each of us got something different out of the experience but I think it’s safe to make the blanket statement that we all know a little more about each other (which was the goal so yay!). There also were horses and cats and some Baboons running around so that was pretty fun and I met a super great dog.

 

 

It’s been a good couple of days getting around Windhoek and on Tuesday (TOMORROW! EAK!) we are off to our Urban Homestay. I’m pretty excited and have high expectations after my last, incredible experience in Soweto, South Africa. It’s also kind of nerve-wracking since we are spending 5 days with these families and the staff keep stressing how we’ll be getting “out of our comfort zones”. Honestly, what that means.. I couldn’t tell you. I can’t wait to get to know my family and get to learn more about Namibian culture and life. There’s so many things to do and opportunities and I plan on taking advantage of every second. Stay turned for posts about my Home Stay, our Trip to the coast in a few weeks, and some more “Things I’m Learning”. I’ll leave you with this awesome double rainbow we saw after a rainstorm. Africa is the coolest.