The past ten days have been filled with many adventures for me that it is crazy to think that February is almost over!  Though I’ve been enjoying (mostly) all of my experiences here, it is hard to believe that Spring Break is just around the corner.  Hopefully I will get the opportunity for many more exciting trips during my ten days off, but until then, I’m still reminiscing on my adventures of late.

Two weekends ago some of my friends and I took a little camping excursion to a campsite about an hour outside of Windhoek.  We were so excited to get out of the house for a bit.  After loading up on lots of food and water and grabbing our trusty, rusty tent, we were ready to go.  When we got there, we set up our tent and got everything situated.  The campsite was beautiful and sat right in the valley of some small mountains.  The weather was perfect and so we decided to take the hiking trail up the mountain.

I hadn’t been feeling too well in the morning, but I figured it would pass with time and water.  Well, as we started climbing up the mountain, I started to feel sicker with each step.  At about the half-way point I could hardly take 10 steps without having to stop.  It was awful.  My poor friend Helena waited and walked with me the whole way.  This supposed thirty-minute hike to the top ended up taking two hours.  When I finally got to the top, well, I actually did get sick, but after I let it all out, my stomach felt a whole lot better.  The view was beautiful and I was happy to be at the top.  When we finally made it down, everyone else was waiting for us and we were able to enjoy the res of our weekend cooking out and sleeping under the stars.

View from the top!

The following week we only had three days of classes because Thursday morning we left for the coast! Shortened weeks are always wonderful and when you top if off with a trip to Swakopmund, you can’t get much better than that!  We arrived in Swakop Thursday afternoon and spend the day touring the cities and the surrounding townships.  Friday we did the same in Walvis Bay all while soaking up the beautiful African sun.  During those two days we visited a Kindergarten, an informal settlement, met with a small business owner, watched a male singing group perform, ate dinner on a pier, toured NAMPORT, went to a halfway house for orphans and vulnerable children, saw pelicans in a lagoon, climbed Dune 7 (the third largest dune in the world!) picnicked on the beach, and swam in the ocean!!  It was one of the most fun “learning experiences” I’d ever had.

Climbing Dune 7!

Saturday was a free day and we were able to do whatever we wanted to during the day.  While skydiving was my first choice, I was quickly outvoted and had no one to go with.  So, I decided to go dune quading in the Namib Desert with everyone else.  I was not disappointed for long; IT WAS INCREDIBLE! We were out on the dunes for about 3 hours – half was spent 4-wheeling at up to 60 mph and the other half was spent sand boarding, basically sledding down the dunes.   Though it was not fun climbing up all the time, the view and the experience was so worth it.

Even though my past few weekends have been full of adventures, I am still so looking forward to the rural homestay in the north next week, our time in Etosha State Park, and spring break!  Then I only have one more month in this beautiful continent!  Time sure flies when you’re having fun!

X-TREME SPORTS! right before 4-wheeling on the dunes!

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Throughout this study program in South Africa and Namibia, I get to experience three homestays.  My first one was in Soweto, outside of Johannesburg, South Africa.  It was only for a weekend and my family was really boring, so was not that interesting of an experience.  My second homestay, however, was last week and it was one of the best weeks I have had since I have been in Namibia!

During this homestay, I lived with the Kadinda family in Katutura, a black township outside of Windhoek.  Though the parents had eight children and many grandchildren, I only lived in the house with the parents and their 16 and 18 year old daughters.  When I pulled up to the house, I was greeted with so many excited and smiling faces. Even though the house was small, the bathroom was outside, and the family didn’t have much, I really didn’t care.  Their joy for my arrival let me know that it was going to be a great week.

My House!

Our days were still spent at the house where we normally live because our classes are there as well. So, we would get dropped off in the morning and then picked up by our families after classes.  In my case, however, no one from my family could ever pick me up so I got very familiar with the taxi system.  I’ve become quite the pro – ready to take on NYC.  Anyway, every night when I came home my family would always cook a DELICIOUS meal for me.   Chicken, beef, noodles, rice, vegetables,  “pop,” everything! I was always served way before everyone else and so I never knew if I should start eating, but eventually I learned that they were always waiting for me to start eating before they got their food!

In the evenings, I would spend time talking to the family about their life, what they enjoy doing, how they like living in Namibia, their and it was really neat to get a broader picture then just what I would be experiencing in my week long stay there.  They were so open with me and loved talking to me about America as well.  However, also at night the daughters and I would have some dance sessions – probably my favorite part of the week. They were under the impression that white people can’t dance (don’t know where that comes from….).  But when we started dancing, they were quite impressed with my repertoire of moves and were awed that I actually could “shake it.”  I felt proud to represent my light skinned people.  Nonetheless, they laughed at me a lot attempting some of their crazy moves, but loved that I was trying.  It was so much fun and miss dancing with them!

My beautiful family!

My family was really religious and so the majority of our weekend was spent going to some type of church related function.  Friday night, I went with my two host sisters to their youth service.   It was at GTM (Gospel Tent Ministries) and it was basically a big party under a tent.  There was singing, dancing, rapping, clapping, and it was crazy! I was the only white person there so naturally I was called up to the front, had to introduce myself, and give a HALLELUJAH TO JESUS! Everyone cheered. It was one of most awkwardly wonderful things I’d ever felt in my life.

Then Sunday, my last day with the family, was basically spent entirely at church.  When they asked me if I wanted to go to church with them, I responded with an eager “yes!” However, I was assuming that church would be an hour, maybe two if I’m lucky.  Nope.  I got me four hours of Jesus.  It was, again, another big party, but it was so great to see how church was enjoyable to these people.  They love going because they get to sing and dance and rejoice.  The best part about going to church, however, was the fact that I got to wear a traditional Nama dress that my host mother made me.  All the ladies from her tribe wear them and I felt so special being apart of that group!

My host mom and I before church!

After living with my family for a week, I learned so much from them and was so thankful that they welcomed me as joyfully as they did.  It was such an enjoyable week for me and I will definitely never forget this experience. I cannot wait to stay with my next family when we travel to the North!

Last Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to go to a poetry reading at the Playhouse Theater in downtown Windhoek.  The theme for the night was “In the Beginning there was the Word, ” and it was such a neat experience.  I, being the emotional, expressive, free-spirited, dramatic person that I am, naturally enjoy doing things like that on a daily basis and knew that I could not miss this opportunity…NOT.  But I figured that hey, I’m in Africa; why not expand my cultural horizons even more?  One of the other girls volunteering at my internship was doing a piece and she invited me so I at least wanted to go support her.

I trudged over to the theater with my friend Cara not really wanting to be there, but by golly, by the end of it I was so happy that I went and it really got me thinking about some things.  When we got there the venue had all these neat lights and the place was packed.  There were probably 30 poets that stood up in front and performed their work.  Some were funny, while many were passionate, emotional stories.  Because the theme was “In the Beginning There was the Word” many of the pieces had to deal with birth, life, and the power of our words in everyday life for building others up or tearing others down, loving others or hating them.  All the poets did an amazing job and they really made me stop and think about how I use my words and how the people around me use words.

So often I am quick to judge people, insult people, or make ignorant comments, not even thinking about what I am saying.  My words are often full of egotistic comments and selfish wants and I rarely even realize it.  However, going to this poetry reading and being in Namibia in general has really made me see how I should be using my words.  Everyone here has been so loving and gracious to me.  The people here are so much more kind, so much more interested in who you are and what you have to say.  They are not in a rush all the time and they don’t snap at you.  It has really made me realize the harshness in my what I say and how I should instead strive to fill my words with kindness and patience and love.

I’ve especially noticed this as I am living with my homestay family this week.  The first time I met them they greeted me with such joy and excitement and they have constantly been full of kind, encouraging words.  Everyday they have told me how beautiful I am and they even gave me a new name that means “gift of God” in their native Damara language.  They always ask how my day is and if there is anything they can do to make me feel at home.  They always speak with such gentle, genuine words and it encourages me to do the same.

Having the Bible knowledge that I do, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the theme for this poetry reading was obviously John 1:1. And how that although in this night’s context “word” is being used literally, we can tie it all back to Christ as well.  The whole night I kept thinking that in the beginning was the Word, Christ.  He came down to die for us so that we might live and use OUR words to glorify him.  His words were perfect.  They were gentle and full of compassion.  Ours are not.   But thanks be to God that the Word did become flesh and gave us new life and a chance to change our words and our hearts and use them for good – to love others and glorify Him.

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I finally arrived in Namibia on Wednesday from South Africa and I love every minute of being here.  When our flight landed, we exited the plane and it smelled like summer, felt like summer, and looked like summer!  From the airport it seemed like we could see for miles.  Beautiful mountains and a bright blue sky greeted us we arrived and I couldn’t wait to get to the city!

After our drive from the airport we made it to the white Center for Global Education house on Simpson Street.  I was surprised to discover how big and lovely it was! I share a room with four other girls and we get the luxury of having our own bathroom and showers.   The house has a kitchen and dining room in which we are served all of our delicious meals.  The living room is relaxing as well but the best part of the house is the pool in the backyard!  Upon arriving to the house, my friend Helena and I jumped right into the pool.  It felt so good to finally be at our home.

The rest of the week was relaxing as we just walked around the city trying to find our way around.  Thursday we took a walking tour and saw all of the cute shops and places to go around the city.  It has great theaters as well as lots of clubs and things to do at night.  Walking around made me very excited for the rest of the semester; I highly doubt I will ever be bored….

Friday we toured Katutura, the mostly black township of Windhoek.  Our group was divided into smaller groups and we were each instructed to visit different parts.  My group got to see the art school there and we learned about all the opportunities they have for students if they want to go into digital media, fashion design, painting or anything like that.  Though it is a very small school and only graduates about thirty students a year, it provides so many opportunities for kids to succeed and is gaining more and more popularity.

The Office, anyone??

The weekend brought more sun and pool time, as we had no commitments to go anywhere or do anything.  Friday evening some of the other students and I had a bonfire by the pool and danced to Coldplay all night.  It was perfect.  Saturday, I spent some serious time working on my tan and later went shopping around town.  I’m finally getting that summer glow (that I will hopefully have for eight months out of my year J).

Internships start Monday so stay tuned to see what I get to do with Vision Life Namibia!  Until then, life is good, Windhoek is great, and people are crazy.

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Life is good.  After enduring the seventeen hour plane ride from Washington D.C., I finally arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa with the fifteen other students from around the country last Monday evening.  Since my arrival its has been a long week filled with touring and traveling Johannesburg and the surrounding areas but nevertheless I’ve been learning and experiencing so many new things and I am loving it.  Due to my lack of internet connection at the place we are staying, I haven’t been able to write yet, but here is the brief lowdown on what I did during our first week.

Our first two days were spent touring Soweto.   This stands for SOuth WEstern TOwnships and is most commonly known for the student uprisings that took place there in June of 1976 to fight against the apartheid regime.  The first day we visited the Hector Pieterson Museum.  This museum is named after one of the first students to be killed in the uprisings and is not only a tribute to him, but to the many, many other students who lost their lives.  We were able to meet Antoinette Sithole, Hector Pieterson’s sister, as she recalled the day her brother died and gave us a more personal, emotional, and real picture of what happened during the uprisings.

Later that day, we visited Nelson Mandela’s house and were given a brief history of his life, his philosophies, his rise to presidency in 1994, and his great influence in ending apartheid, which was very inspiring as well.

The next day in Soweto we visited the Regina Mundi Catholic Church.  Latin for “Queen of the World,” it is known as the “people’s church” and can seat 2000 worshipers while having space for an additional 3000 to stand! It is the biggest Catholic church in Soweto and played an important role in ending apartheid, especially during the Soweto uprisings.  Many people took refuge there, but there is still evidence of police storming in and chasing people out (bullet holes, broken altar, etc.) (Fun fact: after apartheid had been done away with, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosted their hearings at this church.)

After touring Soweto and learning about its history, I was so surprised how a township, though very large, can be so impacted and shaped by a single event in history.  The 1976 uprisings had such a huge effect on the places and people of the township that almost everything in someway can relate itself back to that time in history.

We also visited Kliptown, a town outside of Soweto.  We saw the Freedom Charter monument there, but the thing that was most impressionable to me was when we toured the slums.  The houses were basically shacks without toilets, showers, running water or anything like that.  Almost all of the people there were unemployed and after talking to the people and getting a little taste of their lives, I learned that the South African government has not really done anything positive to help them.  It is basically always trying to do what they think will help solve the people’s problems, but they fail to assist the people in what they really need or what would most benefit them and end up wasting a lot of money.

Later in the week we had sessions with the African National Party (ANC) as well as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and were introduced to the politics of South Africa and heard ideas of their plans to boost the economy and continue to positively rebuild the nation.  Though I’m not that into that sort of stuff too much, it was still interesting to see differing perspectives.  We also met with the South African Council of Churches and learned of their efforts in ending apartheid and trying to bring peace to South Africa.

I spent the weekend with my host family and that was quite the experience. (more to come on that later)

Finally, during our last two days we went to the U.S. Embassy where we learned about some of the workings of international relations, the Voortrekker Monument where we got a better understanding of the Dutch Afrikaaner history in South Africa, and the Apartheid Museum.  The apartheid museum was especially moving and took us from the very roots of the problem to the current state.  Pictures and videos played were graphic, but gave a better understanding of how truly horrible blacks were treated during that time.  They also had a special Nelson Mandela exhibit which highlighted his efforts as well.

Though the week was busy, it was lots of fun and I’m glad I got to experience the things I did.  I’m really enjoying spending time with the other students on the trip as well and I cannot wait to finally head to Namibia later this week!

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This is a blog that I wrote with another girl on the program, Emma Russell. We wrote it for one of our classes… Hope you enjoy!!

This past week we embarked on our final community trip before we depart for Cape Town in. On this trip to Southern Namibia the focus was on our development class; specifically community-based natural resource management and “sustainable” development. We stayed at various campsites, some run by the community and others by the private sector. We also paid a visit to the heart of a community initiative to sell Namibian crafts and painted the walls of a secondary school under renovation along with some of its students. Overall, it was an incredible three days that were full of fun and, as true of any development class, full of questions. While we ruminated over the pros and cons of Namibia’s community-based natural resource management initiatives, our reflections on the trip also fostered some bigger questions that have seemed to permeate the entirety of our experiences with CGE thus far.

The paramount question on our minds that kept resurfacing throughout the weekend was the concept of definition, as in who ultimately defines the things that inform the way development occurs, and the way we live in general. This has been a recurring theme throughout the program as we study things like globalization, colonization, need, and identity. However, this weekend we were able to put it into direct context with what we were experiencing. For example, we first discussed how even defining “sustainable” in terms of development could have such a variety of meanings; it depends on the lens of the individual and what is valued under certain circumstances. For example, at the Brukkaros Community Campsite and the school we visited in Berseba, it was evident that the emphasis was placed on advances that would help to preserve community and education. However, we also visited the Gibeon Folk Arts Center which not only centered on sustaining community, but also on preserving culture through art and the livelihood of the artists who worked there. Our final stop was the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge where the focus was primarily on environment and resources (as it was situated in a National Park) as well as economy through tourism. These different perspectives encouraged us to discern what is most crucial to be sustainable and how that influences the overall development for Namibia in particular.

Getting ready to raft

As a part of the program here in Namibia, we are allotted one week of travel on our own. Our group here did a variety of things including visiting Victoria Falls, traveling to the Skeleton Coast, and some decided to road trip around Southern Africa. I decided that I wanted to do something that was stress free. So four friends and I headed to the border of Namibia and South Africa and rafted down a river for a week.

Jumping off a cliff

The river is called the Orange River and it is nestled between two mountain ranges; one in Nambia and the other in South Africa. We rafted for four days and saw somuch. The first day on the river we climbed a massive rock and jumped off of it into the river. Later in the week we rode down rapids with just a life jacket. My favorite part of the trip though was every night we would set up camp on the river bank and literally I would fall asleep looking at the stars. When I’d wake up in the morning I would see the sun rising above the mountains. Never in my life have I ever been surrounded by pure untainted beauty.

Sitting in the back of the raft

Lions drinking at a pond

One of the many things that I have learned while being here in Namibia is realizing how skewed my perceptions of Africa were and how people at home still have a skewed view. Growing up my two ideas of Africa came from The Lion King and those infomercials with starving African babies. However, that is not the case at all. While there are children who are hungry here, there also children that go hungry in the United States. There are lions here, but they don’t roam the continent as I once assumed they did. I can’t even begin to count the times that friends and family back home have asked me if I’ve seen a lion yet. I am staying in the capital city, Windhoek, so the only way that I can see a lion is if I go to the zoo just like at home.

Very close to an elephant!

However all of that aside I finally got a chance to see the side of Africa that so many think of. I went and camped out at Etosha a Namibian National Game park. It was one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had. As a kid, I used to love to go to the zoo, yet it always made me a little sad to see all of the animals in cages, when I felt that they should be able to roam free. Well in Etosha, the animals get to.

The moment we drove into the park, we saw a herd of wildebeests (that’s the animal that killed Mufasa for any of you Lion Kind gurus). That day I got to see Lions, Elephants, Zebra, Giraffes, Cheetah, and some rhinos. We camped on the grounds of the park and as I drifted off to sleep at night I could hear the elephants blowing their trunks in the distance. The next morning we went on an early game drive and got see a group of lions feeding on the remains of an elephant. While the whole dead elephant thing was a little gross, it was still so cool to see the lions. There is so much more to Africa than lions and the like, but I think is something that everyone should be able to see in their lifetime.

All the animals lined up

These past two weeks have been such a blur for me, I have done so much and seen so much that I feel like I can’t get my mind to sit still for a minute! But I can’t wait because tomorrow I am heading to raft down the Orange River and I know it will be so relaxing and just the break that I need. Until next time!!

Watching zebras at the watering hole at sunset

The chicken coup in our compound

One of the things that drew me to this program was the homestay aspect. I have already told you that I have stayed with two families, one in Johannesburg, South Africa and another in Windhoek. While I was excited for both of those experiences I was most excited for my homestay with a family in Northern Namibia in a rural setting. For a week we stayed with families in the town of Outapi, which is close to the Angolan border. I was a little nervous and didn’t really know what to expect because I knew that it would be such a different experience for me. And now looking back, it has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. My host family consisted of my Meme (mom), my sister, Secilia, and my four brothers, Ignatius, Titus, Lucas, and John. The moment that I meant my Meme she ran over to me and hugged me and picked me up… mind you this is a woman in her mid sixties!

My little brother John and me

The moment I got to their home I was made to feel like one of the family. Our house was very far in the brush and it took about 40 minutes to walk to the nearest road every morning. My family has a large herd of goats, numerous chickens, a pig and four dogs. We don’t have electricity so once the sun goes down; you have to rely on the stars and the moon for light. The bathroom consisted of the good ole outdoors, because there was no plumbing. And bathing was done with a bucket of water. Now you might be saying all of those things do not sound to fun… but I actually loved it. You never realize how much water you waste with the flush of a toilet or a ten minute shower.

A normal day with my family consists of getting up at dawn and starting chores, such as letting the goats out to pasture, feeding the chickens, waking up the small children, starting a fire for breakfast, along with many other things. At 7:00 I would then walk about 40 minutes with my brothers and they would go to school and I would meet up with the other students and we would go to our scheduled activities for the day. I would then head back to be with my family around four each day. Every night I would help start the fire and then my sister and I would cook dinner… the most memorable dinner was when I killed a chicken, plucked its feathers, cooked it and then ate it. It was one of the craziest things I have ever done. But I figured it would pretty hypocritical of me to eat meat that other people have killed but be willing to kill it myself. So the choices were kill and eat a chicken or become a vegetarian… I chose meat 🙂

Making a basket with my brother Titus

Over the weekend, my family and I just hung out at home. My meme and I wove a basket, I played soccer with my brothers, and made jewelry with neighbors. It was such an amazing time! On Sunday morning I went to church with my sister. It was very interesting, but very long… it lasted for 4 hours. Then that afternoon all the host families and students came together for a party. My meme dressed me in traditional Oshiwambo dress and made sure I looked just right before we left.

In traditional Oshiwambo dress

As the weekend came to a close I couldn’t help but think that this family had really claimed me as one of their own. Meme called me daughter, Secilia and my brothers all called me sister. I was living with a family that hardly spoke English yet I felt so loved and so welcome. On my last night we all layed out under the stars holding hands, singing, and even were crying because our family had to part. I will forever remember my Oshiwambo family because they have a piece of my heart.