Namibia – Valpo Voyager

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The breathtaking Victoria Falls

Over the River and Through the Air

20+ hour bus ride: Hour 1

Over spring break, a group of seven of us traveled on a 20+ hour bus ride from Windhoek, Namibia to Livingstone, Zambia to visit Victoria Falls. The bus ride was not nearly as bad as you would expect (sleeping pills are a life-saver). Crossing the border was an interesting experience as there was little communication of what we needed to do. We filed out of the bus and got exit stamps on our passports from Namibia. We then had no idea where to go, as the bus was now empty and everyone from our bus was nowhere to be found. Eventually, we discovered that we were supposed to cross the border on foot and walk to the Zambian border control where we were escorted to a tent. Inside, a lady sat us down in a row and shot a laser into our ears and handed us a piece of cardboard which supposedly showed that we were Ebola free. Wooo! Eventually, we made our way down the bumpy Zambian roads to Livingstone and our backpackers, Jolly Boy’s.

The bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe

Double rainbow over Boiling Pot

On our first full day, we traveled to Victoria falls and hiked around the park. We encountered many baboons who were very interested in our food. So interested in fact that they grabbed Emily by the backpack and pulled her backwards until they got a wrapper out of her bag. After recovering from this encounter, our group hiked down to Boiling Pot which is just past Victoria falls. We also hiked up to the falls themselves and got drenched in mist as we made our way to the world’s largest waterfall.

We made it down to Boiling Pot

Ready to Raft

Our second day was spent white water rafting in the Zambezi river along with our new friend and roommate Tom. The water was extremely high because of the rainy season so we couldn’t start under the falls but we did begin slightly downstream. To get to the river we had to “hike” (We mostly fell) down the gorge.

Our rafting began with a quick safety talk where we learned commands such as the “oh shit” command where we had to duck down and hold onto the rope for dear life. I assumed we wouldn’t need to ever actually use this but sure enough on the first rapid we were quickly told to duck as we hit a massive wave. After we came back down, we watched as the other raft capsized.

Rafting was incredible and we were subjected to some intense level 3-5 rapids. Our raft capsized twice and both times I ended up under the raft. The first time I was quickly able to work my way out, but the second time I was not only stuck under the raft but also Olivia. I had to kick and struggle for almost 10 seconds to work my way out from underneath her and the raft. I now know what it’s like to have your life flash before your eyes. That night we went on a sunset cruise on top of the falls where we could look over the edge and also see some hippos.

Bike tour of Livingstone

On Tuesday we went on a bike tour through downtown Livingstone and the surrounding villages. We visited various homesteads and markets as well as a local school that is funded by the profits from the bike tour. After biking, Luke and I explored the city, found some delicious food, and played some billiards in the park.

The Gorge and the Zambezi River

Wednesday brought with it adrenaline. Luke and I had the brilliant idea to book a full day of adventure activities at the Gorge just past Victoria Falls. We were driven out to the falls where we discovered that we were the only people in the entire place. This meant that we could do everything as much as we wanted without any need to wait around. They started us out with repelling down the Gorge cliff face as we slowly walked our way down and began to push off the cliff. We worked our way down to the bottom and then hiked our way across the gorge and climbed our way back up to the top. We then did the Flying Fox which is a zip line that spans across the Gorge. You harness in with the rope on your back and then you

The World Famous Gorge Swing

run off the cliff, diving forward, so that you can “superman” across the Gorge. This was pretty easy and was more like a relaxing break from what we would be doing next. The next thing we did was repelling again, but this time we did it “Mission Impossible” style which is face down so that all you see is the ground and you lay completely horizontal to the cliff as you push off. By far the best thing that we did was the World Famous Gorge Swing. You walk up to the edge of the cliff with not one but two harnesses on, hanging your toes off the edge. The guy then counts down from 3 and you take a huge step and the next thing you know is that you are falling over 100 meters down the cliff. The rope then catches you and you swing back and forth from one side of the gorge to the other. I did this swing three more times and it didn’t get any less terrifying. Walking up to the edge of a cliff and stepping off the edge makes you think about your life….

….Anyway, Victoria Falls was an amazing experience that let me witness one of the wonders of the world while also pushing myself far beyond the limits of my comfort zone.

One more look at the falls through the mist

My host brother Pini and I

Home Away From Home

April 26, 2016 / njuliot / 0 Comments

The path through the Mahangu leading to my family’s home

For over a week, I spent time living with the Uugwanga family in the rural village of Outapi in northern Namibia. Together, we lived on a farm growing Mahangu and raising chickens. I was the first student that my host family had welcomed into their home that they built themselves. The home is very modest but my family is absolutely amazing. Only my host mom spoke much English but that didn’t stop us from hanging out, telling stories, playing games, and getting to know one another.

My host family’s home and the pipe leading into the crops.

All of the water that my family used came from a spicket outside of the house. The spicket pumped water up from an underground well near the house. We used this spicket for everything in the house by filling buckets at the spicket and carrying them around the house. My family worked hard to conserve the water that they had. For instance, when my host father noticed that the spicket was leaking slightly, instead of letting it drip, he put a bucket underneath it and was able to gather a few bucket loads over the course of a day that would have been wasted otherwise. In order to shower, we filled a five-liter bucket with water and carried it into a small room in the house designated for showering. In order conserve the water that was used for showering, my host father actually installed a pipe that lead out of the showering room and into the crops behind the house so that the water would runoff into the field and water the crops.

Playing keep away with Pini

The interactions I had with my family were absolutely incredible and I quickly learned how to communicate without language. I did learn some Oshiwambo, which is the local language, but I mostly communicated through actions. My best friend on the trip was my 3-year-old host brother, Pini, who claimed me as his own. Pini and I developed our own language and spent almost all of our time together playing keep away or running around the house. Pink was also a troublemaker and never ceased to entertain me, whether it be his dancing or his obsession with my camera or his contagious laugh.

Traditional buildings at the family Easter celebration

My host family brought me to their church to celebrate the baptism of my 3-month-old host sister, August, and we also had a huge celebration at our home where I was able to meet the whole family. I also was able to attend Easter services with my family that were held at the cemetery in order to emphasize the idea of rebirth. After Easter services, there was a huge celebration at the home of some extended family where almost 80 family members attended. At the celebration, I was introduced to many people and was also given the honor of helping to prepare the meat. This meant that I had to help slice up the freshly slaughtered cow that was hanging on a wall. While it was probably one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever done, it also meant that I got to eat some of the most delicious steak I’ve ever had.

Oh and I ate some worms too.

Me and my host family. From left to right: baby August, Florencia, my host father David, Pini, Maggie, and Me

Saying goodbye to my family at the end of the week was extremely difficult because even though it had been such a short time, we had grown extremely close and had learned so much from one another. On the final night with my family, I gave them gifts and pictures of my family so that they could remember me. We also went on a photo shoot around the farm so that we could have pictures with each other. The next morning, my host parents wanted to give me something in return so they gathered up a picture of my host mother and her class (she is a preschool teacher) and my host dad gave me one of his traditional shirts. We then all had to say our goodbyes as Pini and my host sisters, Maggie and Florencia, walked me out. I’ll cherish my memories with them as long as I live and hopefully I can come back to visit again someday.

The beautiful sunset over the Mahangu

One Week in Namibia

April 20, 2016 / njuliot / 0 Comments

By Nathanael Juliot, Olivia Cook, Lia Wellen, Richie Wehman III
This blog post was written as a group of students studying in Namibia discussing the week of March 16th.

Up close and personal with some cheetahs

We are settling into our routine at the Center for Global Education and Experience here in Windhoek, Namibia. Most of our classes involve either speakers or field trips which enhances our learning and understanding of Southern Africa and most specifically Namibia in terms of history, politics, development, religion, and environment. In this post we will tell you about some of these engaging class experiences! We felt weird taking pictures of the speakers, but we have some pictures of the Environment & Sustainability class field trip, which is more exciting anyways!

San people describing their technique for producing fire

Following an incredibly rewarding week-long urban homestay, the CGEE students were ready to attack the new week. On Monday the Environmental and Sustainability class had the great pleasure of visiting the N/a’an ku se Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary, located just 42 km east of Windhoek. Upon our arrival the tour guides drove our group out to visit a San Bushmen family that periodically stays at the sanctuary to educate tourists about their traditional lifestyle. The San people took us around the land to showcase their traditional hunter-gatherer techniques, as well as the way they utilize plants for holistic healing purposes. It was a tremendous learning opportunity, but many members of our group felt conflicted about the implications of our experience as the San people were removed from their lands and are now considered the most marginalized community in Namibia, forcing them to commodify their culture to tourists. Shortly following the tour, our group was off to visit and learn about the Wildlife Sanctuary.

Wild dogs are skilled hunters who have many parallels to hyenas. They are also very loud and obnoxious.

Through the visitation of different animals such as lions, wild dogs, baboons, cheetahs and leopards, our class was able to get a much better idea as to how N/a’an ku sê has successfully been able to protect wildlife and their habitats. The sanctuary provides a haven and second chance for countless injured, orphaned, and abused animals. It’s the organization’s goal to release every animal free so they can live a natural life in the wild, but that sadly isn’t always the case. We learned that the release or rehabilitation is not always possible due to the severity of an animal’s injury or habituation to humans, all serving as a threat to their safety if they were to be released. One highlight of the trip was being able to witness Clarence, the male lion, soar into the air to snatch his dinner. It was extraordinary seeing him viciously mark his territory and establish his dominance.

Feeding C’earance the lion at N/a’an ku se game reserve

On Tuesday March 1st Mr. Phil Ya Nangoloh spoke in our History class, entitled “Race & Racism in Southern Africa and the U.S.”. Mr. Ya Nangoloh is a human rights activist and director and co-founder of NamRights. He described NamRights as a monitoring and advocacy human rights organization that can be compared to Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International, except that NamRights operates on a national, rather than international, scale. NamRights also gives paralegal services of which most cases are either people dismissed in the private sector or women seeking complaints against their male counterpart.

His task was to explain his understanding of discrimination and racism in Namibia and Southern Africa currently and historically. Mr. Ya Nangoloh claims that Namibia has historically been a victim of state racism, having undergone both German and South Africa occupation, the latter of which engulfed Namibia into apartheid. He spoke of how the Namibian constitution is extremely liberal and has very good human rights components, but that these laws are not effectively implemented in Namibia, if at all. The main point Mr. Ya Nangoloh made was that since the end of apartheid, and the liberation struggle, the way in which discrimination plays out has changed. During the liberation movement there was one common enemy to fight against, which was South Africa and the apartheid regime. Now, as this one enemy has technically been conquered, discrimination stems from wealth inequality, racism, and the scramble for scarce resources. Discrimination, now, he explained, comes from within societies or communities rather than from outside. He concluded on what I thought was a grounding note. He said that “racism is an innate and human nature, but there are good people doing things about it, like you and me”. We have been struggling with learning about all the awful disgraces of both the United States and Southern Africa, and it was nice to hear a “realistic” view on things, that there is discrimination but that there are people working to combat it.

On Wednesday March 2, we had a very interesting speaker visit our Development class. Herbert Jauch, a German expat and political activist in Windhoek, has spent the last couple years studying income inequality in Namibia. The beginning of his presentation explained key points of Namibian history and eventually evolved to explain how income inequality is a product of old historical systems still prevalent today. After setting the foundation for today’s inequalities, Jauch continued to explain a study that was conducted in hopes of alleviating poverty in Namibia. This social experiment, set in a small village south of Windhoek, focused on people who earn so little that basic necessities, such as education and health care, are inaccessible. A solution to these problems was an idea called a Basic Income Grant. This monthly grant of N$100 (US$ 6.25) was given out to every person in the area regardless of income or age in order to help cover basic costs of school books, registration fees, small health needs, or other costs that would help families access services and improve their quality of life. One staggering statistic Jauch shared with us was that in this community 60% of kids dropped out of school because they were hungry, but after the BIG was implemented, 95% of kids completed school. He also shared various benefits such as increased visits to clinics, and malnutrition dropping by half within a year of this grant. Unfortunately leaders at the time did not appreciate the success rates as much as Jauch and his organization did, and plans to continue this idea nationwide are at a standstill.

The idea of a monthly income grant fit well with what we have been covering in our Development class, specifically ideas of poverty alleviation and cases of well-intentioned development projects that do more hurt than harm. Jauch’s presentation was an interesting example of a poverty alleviation strategy and I was intrigued by the both the positive outcome and some ramifications such as the conclusion that programs like this are hard to implement regionally because of family members who migrated to the area to benefit as well. Another point Jauch made was that social welfare programs are generally stigmatized and by providing every individual with an equal grant stigmas are avoided and people are empowered to live healthier lives. Many people in the United States dislike the terms socialism and social welfare, but this speaker highlighted how these ideas can be helpful to society and gave me a case study I can use to support new ideas of aid implementation that I can share with others. Overall, I was very impressed by our speaker; his comments added insight into what we have been studying and local poverty alleviation efforts to combat a nationwide problem.

On Friday March 4th, the Religion and Social Change class had a guest speaker visit named Reverend Gotthard Gurirab. Reverend Gurirab is a faculty member at the University of Namibia working with a focus in critical issues facing the church. His talk focused on African Traditional Religion and how it has been affected by colonialism. Specifically, he discussed the diminishing role of Ubuntuism in African culture. Ubuntu is an African word which refers to a universal concept where people value the good of the community above self-interest. Reverend Gurirab has seen that Ubuntuism is almost dead in cities and those people who live on the same street live as if they are in foreign countries. He went on to describe the relationships between people in the cities and it paralleled greatly with relationships between people in the United States. I found it extremely interesting to hear him describe in detail, American society and condemn it as ruining the Namibian people. Africa is constantly subjected to the effects of colonialism even to this day and it can be seen that western society has overwhelmed the traditional values of the Namibian people. Ubuntu has ideologies of sharing, compassion, peace, reconciliation, combating crime and violence, and poverty eradication. These ideologies have been cast away by the younger population for western ideologies of focusing on the individual. Reverend Gurirab called for a massive revitalization of African Traditional Religion in Namibia and throughout Africa. This will be an uphill battle, however, to remove the stains of imperialism that still exist within Africa and many Namibians do not have any desire to move away from the western ideologies that promise a path to prosperity.

Overall, we had a great week of learning through speakers and field trips. We hope you enjoyed following us along our journey!

Namib Desert

Environmental Sustainability in the Namib Desert

March 22, 2016 / njuliot / 0 Comments

Over the weekend, our entire group traveled to the Namib Desert and stayed at a camp called NADEET. NADEET is an incredible place that hopes to promote sustainable living and environmental consciousness. To do this, their camp is almost entirely sustainable and they bring students, parents, educators, and community members there to teach them sustainable practices.

Having a “sun-downer” on the dunes

Three of their main focuses are on water conservation, conserving electricity through using renewable energy, and recycling. To conserve water, they built the bathrooms with no running water. Instead, campers use bucket showers and use cups of water when brushing their teeth. They also utilize a toilet with no flushing capability because flushing a toilet can use almost 10 liters of water.

The sustainable cabins we lived in at NADEET

The electricity of the camp is powered by solar panels that take advantage of the hot, desert sun. To cook, they use solar cookers, solar ovens, and sustainable fire cookers. These options are far more sustainable than conventional ovens as they use less to no electricity or resources and are able to cook the food just as well.

Our group dune-boarding at NADEET

NADEET also emphasizes recycling and they do so by separating trash into compost, paper, glass and tin, and trash. By doing so, the amount of actual trash that goes to a landfill is dramatically reduced. A vast majority of the trash ends up as food compost and goes back into the soil and the garden while another portion is recycled in town and the paper is used to make fire bricks for he sustainable cooker as an alternative to firewood. This leaves only a small percentage of trash that is actually left as rubbish that needs to be thrown in a landfill or incinerated. In order to maintain this sustainability and to hold them and their campers accountable they will do an environmental audit in order to determine the amount of each resource they have used and how much waste they produce.

Namib Desert ft. an Oryx

One aspect of NADEET that I found extremely important was their emphasis on the fact that environmental education is important to everyone and has an impact on social and economic issues. Many times, it can be seen that the environment is thrown aside when a “bigger” problem arises within a community. This thought process is what has thrown the world into a chaotic spiral of destruction. What NADEET did an excellent job of describing is that many other issues can be resolved through environmental consciousness. NADEET also emphasizes the fact that environmental education does not need to exist solely in a science classroom but is something that can be taught in any subject. Specifically, in our environmental audit, we were shown how math can be taught through environmental education by having the students calculate their personal water usage or waste.

Me staring off at the desert and mountains

Overall, my experience at NADEET was incredible, I was able to experience so many new things and learn a ton about environmental sustainability. The Namib Desert is extremely beautiful and I was made truly breathless by the vast mountains and open desert as well as the stunningly expansive nighttime sky.

From hiking through the dunes looking at plants and animals, to making solar oven pizzas, I learned so many differently things about Namibia and sustainable living in general. I feel that many of the things I learned will help me to be more aware of the environmental impact of my everyday life. I also can bring back many of the practical ideas from NADEET and share them with my friends and family. Even though I might not use a solar cooker or buy solar panels, I can still find many practical ways to decrease my environmental impact. I also know that I will take what Viktoria said to heart about teaching environmental sustainability in any classroom, even my future math or physics classroom.

Sunset over the Namib Desert

*Many of these photos were taken by a member of my group Kayla Koterwski. Visit www.lenstotheliving.wordpress.com to see more of her work!

Three Down, One To Go| Why Africa?

April 8, 2015 / Katie Wilson / 0 Comments

This is one of the biggest questions I’ve gotten since I announced back in September 2014 that I was going to spend a semester studying, traveling, and interning in Southern Africa.

For starters, why not? Africa is beautiful and it has beautiful people. To be honest, Africa has held an allure to me for as long as I can remember and I’ve had it on my bucket list for a long time. Many people I know put Europe or Asia first on their list of places to travel, but mine has always been Africa. Something about the culture, the environment, the mystery had me completely smitten. When I started surfing a few years back then the amazing surfing culture in South Africa also caught my eye. Some people might view Africa as this untamed place, almost wild, and that’s what hooks me. I loved the prospect of being in a culture that was so different from my own Western world and being with people who I knew could teach me new viewpoints and a way of thinking. I loved how historical and influential Africa had been on the rest of the world. Part of the mystery and pull Africa had for me was the fact that I would be so out of my element like nothing else in my life and I relished that challenge. I knew that no matter what, I’d be in Africa (whether volunteering, working, or just on my own crazy backpacking whim) the very first opportunity I got.

When I started college, I knew I wanted to go abroad. I was willing to do whatever possible in order to make it happen. Interestingly enough, one of the colleges I looked at had a study abroad program in Southern Africa offered to students sophomore through senior year. I would be lying if I didn’t say that was one of my main deciding factors when I finally choose a University. Freshman year rolled through and I kept talking about eventually going to Africa without really knowing how to put my plan into action or what it would really mean or what would actually be involved– I just really wanted to go! Then sophomore year rolled around and I experienced some major life changes. It was in a very blah night that I decided I needed a life change and right then and there I decided I would follow my heart and the desires that had been rooted there for so long and try to go to Africa that spring. I went to my parents and my academic adviser the next day and that started the giant ball rolling. Surprisingly everyone was SUPER supportive and encouraging and the more I found out about the Southern Africa study abroad program, the more I realized it was a perfect fit for me and my academic studies. Africa really was perfect for me.

During the final month I spent stateside and after I made my travel plans official I had a lot of people come up to me and ask about my trip. I got a variety of responses but some common ones were “Oh good for you”, “Are you going to work in an orphanage?” “Aren’t you afraid of Ebola?”. The stigma and misconceptions surrounding Africa are huge but I knew that I was going to be taught. What I’d be taught was a little more obscure but I didn’t care. I was completely willing to be open to this new experience and whatever was thrown my way. I wanted to be broken down and remade. I was fearless in traveling to Africa because I knew deep down that it was exactly what I was suppose to be doing with my life.

So it’s now three months into my travels through and studies in Africa and I can happily say that each of my desires have been fulfilled and are continuously being fulfilled every day. Africa has been challenging, heartbreaking, miraculous, and beautiful all in one. It has given me everything that I hoped and provided so much more than I could have ever imagined. Things have happened where in the moment I didn’t know I needed and I’d spend a lot of time confused or making gripes, but looking back I realize it was exactly what I needed. During my first two weeks here, I learned more about life and humanity than I learned in thirteen years of school. And in three months, I have learned more about myself and what I am capable of and I am so thankful. Not every day here is easy and not every day is happy, but what matters is how each day is taken in side and each day is a chance to discover a little more about yourself and the world around you. Coming to Africa has been a blessing and with one more month left to love, I can’t wait to see what other joys are coming.

(Spending the day with my Host family’s little ones.)

Pretoria and Welcome to Namibia!

January 23, 2015 / Katie Wilson / 0 Comments

To say our final thirty-six hours in South Africa, were bittersweet is an understatement. While all of us weary travelers were exhausted and home stays had given us a teasing taste of finally being settled in again, Johannesburg was beautiful and no one was ready to leave South Africa yet. Our final day full day we packed a ton of activities in, which also was tribute to the intense academic and adventuring schedule that had occurred for the past nine days. We woke up as the sun was starting to come up and headed out to Pretoria — which is the capital of South Africa– to visit the United State’s Embassy, Freedom Park and Voortrekker Monument. The drive to Pretoria takes about an hour so I took advantage of that time to doze back off but woke up in time to view Pretoria as we passed through. First glance, Pretoria seems a lot cleaner than Johannesburg, it’s also notably smaller in size and population. I wish we could have spent a day or two exploring Pretoria because aside from it’s tourist and historical monuments and elements, it looks like a fascinating place to be.

Pretoria from the Hills

The visit to the Embassy was educational and is home ‘base’ to approximately 28 Government departments and agencies. Part of this can be contributed to the United State’s strong business and trade partnerships with South Africa. As of 2010, the United States was South Africa’s third largest trading partner falling after Germany and China. The US is also the largest source of foreign direct investment in South Africa and the Embassy regularly holds workshops on entrepreneurialism, small and medium business management, and financial planning for businesses. It was an interesting visit as the traditional blanket role is to protect the American individual overseas, but the Embassy reveled to me that it’s also any American investments and accessories. It also put somethings in perspective for me since I have considered professions within the International Government sector and the trip shed some more light on what that would actually be like in practice.

After the embassy, we went to Freedom park and took a long walk around. Freedom Park is a beautifully constructed tribute to those who lost their lives in South Africa’s turbulent history. There is a wall of names which dedicated to all those who were killed during the South African Wars, World War I & II, and during the Apartheid.

Wall of Names

The museum part of the Park hosts elements from the beginning of Africa’s geological conception, 3.6 Billion years ago all the way to recent years where it serves as a means of symbolic reconciliation where past elements can be laid aside in order to heal.

Following Freedom Park, we went directly across the hills to the Voortrekker Monument which memorializes the opposite side of history. The Voortrekker Monument pays tribute to the other side of South African heritage.

The inside was pretty spectacular. It is called the “Wall of Heroes” which is decorated by 26 hand-carved, marble, Italian mural like works that chronicle the Afrikaner assent into South Africa and the pioneer history that the country has. The large circle opening is where the Cenotaph in the Cenotaph Hall can be viewed.

Wall of Heroes

But the most incredible part of the Voortrekker was the view from the very top of the monument. You could see for miles in every single direction. It was absolutely breathtaking to see Pretoria in this fashion. I’d also say that for this reason, the Monument was my favorite thing we did that day.

It was really fascinating to see Freedom Park and the Voortrekker in the same five hour time span. Both cover vastly different sides of history and it’s very interesting to see how each side has been memorialized and celebrated by the South African people. After a long day of running around, our group had dinner in Mandela Square and I got to take a picture under the giant dancing Mandela statue with my friend Jordan.

Mandela Square!

The next morning we flew to Namibia and got to see our new home! The house is beautiful and I’m feeling so blessed to be here. The last ten days have flown by fast and it’s crazy to realize the first leg of my adventure is over. I still have 102 days of adventuring left and I plan on taking advantage of every second.

Soweto, Guateng, South Africa

Welcome to Johannesburg!

January 15, 2015 / Katie Wilson / 0 Comments

Greetings from South Africa! It’s been a crazy last couple of days since arriving late on the 11th of January. The weather is warm, the sky is blue, and my heart is open to everything around me. The beginning of our trip (Jan 11-21) kicks off with ten intensive days in Johannesburg, South Africa and the surrounding area. Believe it or not, the flight here wasn’t horrible. The journey started with leaving home at 5 in the morning, flying out from O’Hare at 9, landing in Washington Dulles and hanging out there for six hours and then boarding South African Airlines. We also had another layover after seven hours of flying in Dakar, Senegal but most passengers did not deplane. Finally, after a few take-off delays we landed in Johannesburg at 7pm (which is 11am CST). Everyone was pretty exhausted so we ate some dinner and toddled off to bed.

Flying South African Airways

The first two days were spent learning about the South African liberation struggle and the Apartheid. We had an incredible speaker and guide named Moleffi who was personally active in the liberation struggle. The culture here in South Africa is something to be embraced, and I am so excited to absorb every second of the next four months. We traveled around Soweto which is the largest township in South Africa, home to 32 communities and estimated 4.5-5 million people.

Soweto, Guateng, South Africa

We also visited many sites that are significant to the liberation struggle such as the Hector Pieterson Museum and Kliptown where the Freedom Charter is inscribed. The Freedom Charter is a set of core principles “made for the people and by the people” that the South African Congress Alliance developed and contains such statements such as: ‘The People Shall Govern’, ‘All Shall Be Equal Before the Law’, ‘All Shall Enjoy Equal Human Rights’, and ‘There Shall Be Peace and Friendship’. Yes, it is an idealist document but a revolutionary one at that.

Looking up in the Freedom Charter monument

Hector Pieterson Museum

We also drove around Kliptown, which is one of the oldest communities in Soweto. It’s beautiful and resilient here and I’m getting use to being stared at as our big bus drives by. Most people are super friendly though and if you gibe a smile, you’re guaranteed to get one back.

One of my favorite places we traveled to was Orange Farm. Orange Farm is small in land, but large in community with an estimated one million people which makes it one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa. While we were there we visited a rycycling center which is a source of many women’s income. It’s awesome to see a community creating and developing an eco-conscious program which directly benefits back to it’s community.

We also visited the local preschool and since it was the first day back to school for the little ones, we got to visit them too (yay!). In talking to some of the lovely women who run the preschool, it was great to hear how passionate they were about these children and providing them with an education. After visiting Orange Farm, I’m walking away with a new appreciation for how much I have but also an appreciation for the Human resilience and determination. The hearts and hopes of the people we met there are bigger than the sky, which is incredibly inspiring, and they do so much within their community from the recycling plant, support groups, and the preschool.

On Friday, I departed for my first homestay in Soweto with Maddie another girl from my group. We stayed at a B&B (Bed and Breakfast) and had the most incredible time. Friday Maddie and I both were sick (which was really unfortunate) but our Hostfamily was incredibly gracious and understanding. When we were feeling better, we spent most of the weekend hanging out with our host-sisters, going for walks, hanging out in the park, going to the mall, and just getting to know eachother.

Maddie and I with our beautiful host-sisters.

We had a ton of amazing conversations and I loved asking my host sisters and their friends questions and answering their questions in return. Just in conversation alone, I learn so much about the culture and the daily life that goes on. We also visited some of the other people in our group that were staying with their host family to have lunch. I’m pretty sure I could have died completely happy that day from the amount of fantastic food MaChanza made for us.

Homemade Bread with MaChanza and Abbie

For me, it’s an amazing experience to be immersed in such a beautiful country that is rich in both history and culture. Each place we visit is not only historically significant in regards to the Apartheid and liberation struggle, but often also a juxtaposition between what used to be and what currently is. There’s so much to look forward to this semester and this is only the beginning so stay tuned!

Hugs from around the world,

Katie

Introduction: Margaret Prunty in Windhoek, Namibia!

August 18, 2014 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

Deciding to study abroad was not a challenging decision for me. Growing up, I knew I was interested, and it was highly encouraged in my family. My mom lived and studied in Europe during her college years and after graduation, she moved to Japan for a year to teach English. To this day, she is still enthusiastic about her experiences and I believe that this is what triggered my own desire to study abroad, although it was ultimately my decision.

I was fortunate enough to travel to other countries such as Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. Canada was my first time outside of the United States and although I enjoyed it, it almost felt like I had not left America, because we were just over the border. A few summers later, my parents said we were going on a cruise which is when we went to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. After seeing part of Mexico, I quickly realized that the world is a very large and unique place and it’s important to acknowledge that it is so much bigger than who we are as individuals. I was happy to be see these places even if I didn’t see everything and grateful for the lessons that I learned and memories that I made. Fast forwarding two years later, I got to see Costa Rica where I embraced a culture different from my own as my family and I lived like locals. We ate the same foods and stayed in a home similar to that of the residents. Living like this was an eye opening experience by taking on daily life in another part of the world, and makes you very appreciative of what you have, which is why it’s important to see new places.

Although my mother is an advocate of traveling, it was my own experiences in the countries I have been to that made me want to go abroad. These vacations gave me a thirst for new sights, adventures, memories, and lessons, which can be satisfied by studying abroad, in my opinion. Overall, I chose to study abroad to enrich my college experience and my perspective on life in general.

The Best & The “Worst”

April 17, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 1 Comment

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

Missing my little Marvelous already

Love, Laughter & Lessons Learned

April 3, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 3 Comments

My apologies for the lack of posts recently – I’ve been out of internet touch for a little while now. So bear with me as this post will be quite long. These past weeks have been some of the greatest of my life, ones I will absolutely never forget. We left from Windhoek on the 18th, en route for our last and final home-stay on a farm in northern, rural Namibia. We set out for Khorixas and once again, to say I was nervous to meet my new family would be an understatement. Knowing there was only 1 guaranteed English speaker in each home, and my lack of success speaking Damara, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d navigate through the week. I was placed on the Inhoek farm about six kilometers from the town of Khorixas with five other students- each of us with a different family to call our own. (We were on a family farm so most of the houses were all related to each other in one way or another.) My nerves were quickly forgotten as I was welcomed by my host mom Dena, two sisters (Buyela 23, Immseline 9) and three brothers (Sydney 17, Delvin 14, Marvelous 3).

My host siblings - minus Marvelous

One of the beautiful sunsets

As the week went on, all of the young kids on the farm spent time together – whether it was sitting around talking or dance parties at night, I constantly found myself smiling and laughing uncontrollably. Each morning when I woke up and went to use the bathroom (a bush) and brush my teeth, I’d hear the pitter patter of footsteps behind me. Every time I turned around, I saw Marvelous running up behind me and as he got closer his little hand reached up and grabbed my two fingers. Marvelous didn’t speak or understand a word of English, but he’d always greet me with a smile and we’d walk hand in hand (or hand and finger) everywhere we went. This happened every morning and each time, I couldn’t suppress the large smile that overcame me. Needless to say, as the days passed I came to love this family as my own. We spent days playing soccer, going on hikes, playing volleyball over the clothes line, riding in donkey carts, learning new games, telling stories, milking cows, herding goats & sheep, and whatever else we could think of. The sunsets each night were absolutely breathtaking, unlike any I’d ever seen before. I found myself dreading the day we’d have to say goodbye.

Marvelous and I on our morning walk

On one of the days, we decided we’d pass the time by walking into town. We rode in on one of our host dad’s trailer because he figured we wouldn’t want to walk all the way there considering the heat. We spent a little time in town eating ice cream and just walking around. On our way back we took a “short cut” that ended up being more of a long cut, but it left us laughing later that night. Every night after dinner we’d all gather at one house and have a dance party under more stars than you could ever imagine; we’d dance for hours until we couldn’t dance anymore. As I was admiring the stars one night, one of the girls asked me if we had stars in America. I laughed a little and told her we did, but we don’t get to see them like theirs. We told the story of Cinderella and Goldilocks and they told us a few of their traditional stories. All of the young kids our age spoke great English and they made an attempt to teach us more Damara. I think I can successfully count to 10 now. Much to my dismay, the days passed, and the Monday I was dreading finally approached. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have to fight back tears knowing I may never see these people again, but I can’t help but be filled with joy knowing I got to spend a week with such an amazing group of people, filled with joy knowing I’ll always have a family in Namibia.

Missing my little Marvelous already

After our week in Khorixas, we spent three days camping and going on safaris in Etosha. On our multiple game drives we saw zebras, giraffes, an elephant, cheetahs, lions, rhinos, wildebeests, warthogs, a hyena, and lots and lots of springboks! Following Etosha, we headed even further north to a guest house for the next two nights. Though the previous weeks were incredible, I have never been more happy to see a bed in my entire life. We visited a few museums in the most northern part of Namibia before we made our way to Tsumeb to catch a bus to Victoria Falls for spring break.

Giraffes!

…But before that could happen we had a 9 hour wait for our bus to arrive. As we sat and waited we wondered why everyone was staring, until we realized there was a group of 14 of us sitting in a median under a tree with lots of luggage. To pass the time, we walked to the grocery store, climbed the tree and played cards. Much to our surprise the time passed quickly and we made a mad rush to the bus when we finally saw it arrive. 12 hours later we were at the Namibian/Zambia border and spring break was officially beginning. Another two hours passed and we finally arrived to Vic falls. Most of the group stayed in Zambia for two nights before heading to Zimbabwe but myself and two others went straight to Zimbabwe. Little did we know the walk from the border to the customs office was about a mile or so from the border. Not so bad until you remember you have to carry your 30 pound bag in the heat of the day.

Once we finally arrived to our hostel the activity planning was immediately in order. The hostel we stayed at was absolutely beautiful and just a 15 minute walk from town. Our first night in Victoria Falls we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river, and to add to our list of animals we saw hippos and crocodiles. The next few days included a trip to see the falls, elephant riding, zip lining, and canoeing on the Upper Zambezi. It’s no surprise why Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Seeing the millions of gallons of water pour down minute after minute, creating rainbows every where you looked was awe strikingly beautiful. We spent a few hours admiring the falls and got absolutely drenched from the rain the falls created. Knocking one more thing off my bucket list, elephant riding was amazing too. Sam and I rode on a 24 year old girl elephant named Star. She was pretty small compared to the others and had a short trunk because she was attacked by a lion when she was just a baby. After the hour long ride, I got to sit on her leg while she knelt and feed her some pellets. An elephant is a lot more comfortable to ride than you would imagine, and it was a funny feeling when she sucked the pellets through her trunk off of my hand. Of course, nothing compares to skydiving, but zip lining over the gorge was stunning as well. Canoeing down the Zambezi was loads of fun and very peaceful at the same time. Sam and I got caught in a few rapids but it definitely made it more exciting.

A day at the falls

As I sit on the 24 hour bus ride home to Windhoek, I’m sad to say my spring break is coming to an end, but I know it will most likely be the best of my entire life. I look back on these past two and a half weeks with great memories, so many new faces met, and so so so much happiness. I learned so much about myself and the world as a whole especially in my first week with my family. The week I lived with in Khorixas vs. my life in Claremont and Valparaiso are obviously different, but I’ve come to love so many aspects of each. No way of life is better than the other, none right or wrong – just different. It’s hard to believe that a month from today I’ll be in Cape Town. Time to make the most of my last month in Windhoek.

Elephant Ride

Thanks for reading.

Xoxo

Maddy

Ps- since I was gone and not able to post it, here is what my second month looked like:

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World