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Tag: Namibia (page 2 of 2)

View From the Skybar

A New View of Windhoek

March 10, 2014 / / 1 Comment

This week marks the halfway point in my study abroad experience, and to say it’s flown by would be a ridiculous understatement. Two months from today, I’ll be home. Whoa. Nonetheless, the weeks fly by. Each are packed with studies, but many adventures that make it all worth it. Though this week was crazy busy, it definitely marks one of the best weeks I’ve had thus far. On a high from skydiving and Swakop, being back in classes was a bit difficult, but I managed.

We had 2 birthdays in group this week, so we celebrated accordingly. On Thursday, after dinner we made a walk over to a place called 3 circles, by far one of my favorite places in Windhoek. It’s about a 20 minute walk from our house through the city and up a little hill, but once you get up it is absolutely breathtaking. The view looks over the mountains encircling us as well as all of Windhoek and Katutura. We made it just up in time as the sun began to set, and if you know me you know that sunsets are one of my favorite things in life. As I watched the sun go down, painting pinks and oranges in the sky, meeting the city lights and the tops of the mountains, I couldn’t help but smile. It was such simple, but surreal moment, and it felt so much like home.

The group looking over 3 circles

On a more solemn note, ever since arriving in Namibia, every time I’ve watched the news there’s been a new story of a violent killing of a woman, often by her significant other. Gender-based violence is a rising and very serious problem here in Namibia, and many citizens are beginning to take a stand. On Saturday morning a group of 12 of us headed downtown to “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes”, an event organized by some people in Windhoek to raise awareness of gender-based violence. Hundreds of men wore high heels as they stumbled down the busy street chanting things like “Don’t hit her, just kiss her” or “Stop gender violence” in order to show their support in the fight against GBV. As I marched down the street with all of the locals, I sincerely recognized it as one of the coolest things I’ve ever been apart of. To see all the men [and women] walking and supporting something so important was truly amazing; I got the chills as I looked around at the crowded street.

The men leading the way in heels

Crowded Streets of Windhoek at the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" March

The weekend just kept getting better and better as we headed to Skybar, a nice little restaurant/bar atop the Hilton in downtown Windhoek. As we climbed to the top we, again, got to see all over Windhoek as the sunset; an absolutely breathtaking view (this place seems to be full of those).

View From the Skybar

This week is absolutely busy to say the least, but the next 3 weeks hold numerous adventures; which includes our rural home-stay in the north, a safari in Etosha, and spring break in Victoria Falls. Buckling down on work is hard, especially when I know all the things I’d rather be doing outside. But nonetheless, I’m learning topics I’ve never learned before,which is a pretty awesome feeling. I should have one more post out before we leave a week from today, so stay tuned!

 

Thanks for reading!

All my love- xoxo,

Maddy

View on the way down

Coastal Living

March 3, 2014 / / 5 Comments

This weekend our group of 15 set out on a 4 hour road trip to a coastal town called Swakopmund- an area inhabited originally by locals, settled by Germans, and houses a genocide in its history known by few around the world. The four hour drive quickly passed through naps and a stop for some junk food at a rest station we passed along the way. Swakop greeted us with palm trees, and beautiful desert dunes meeting the Atlantic Ocean. Though I definitely could have gone for weeks longer stay, it was the perfect little taste of what the coast has to offer.

Desert meet coast

Our first day was spent touring the beach town, the local township Mondesa, and the informal settlement as well. During these tours we got to visit a traditional Herero woman, a Dama lady as well as the chief of the Damara tribe who is the first woman chief. While speaking with the Herero woman, we learned a little about the Herero genocide and the effect it has had on the survivors lives today. During the genocide from 1904-1907, 80% of the Herero population were killed by the Germans. . . Yet in the middle of Swakopmund stands a large statue dedicated to those Germans who lost their lives, while the Herero men, women, and children have just a small piece of marble dedicated to them on the outskirts of town.

German Memorial

OvaHerero Memorial

The following day we headed out to Walvis Bay, a short 20 minute drive from Swakop. Walvis Bay houses the large international port, NamPort, where goods are constantly being shipped in and out internationally. During our time, we met with a man who works for NamPort as well as a man who works for the export processing zones (EPZs). While in Walvis, we also got the chance to travel out to the Topnaar community. The Topnaar community grows a plant called the !Nara that sprouts melons, which they then roast the seeds and sell them. I actually got to try some of the seeds, and they were delicious!

Me with the !Nara melon

Last but not least, the adventures began. We set out to climb Dune 7; the tallest dune in Namibia and if that’s not cool enough, it’s the oldest desert in the entire world. The climb up took about 15 minutes, and was definitely way more tiring than it looked. As the sand slips underneath your feet, you feel like you’re getting no where, but alas, we made it! And the view from the top was worth it a million times over.  Our weekend was also comprised of nights spent on the beach, and dinners spent watching sunsets; I can’t complain!

Atop Dune 7

But the highlight of my weekend, and so far marks the best day of my life was when I decided to fly 10,000 feet in the air and jump out of a plane. Because 2 out of 4 of us were getting our jumps filmed, we had to split up. I was last, but to say I was excited would be a ridiculous understatement; my biggest fear being the tiny little plane I had to go up in, not actually jumping out; I’m not quite sure how I justified that one in my head. But nonetheless, I watched the altimeter climb up by thousands and the nerves kicked in quite a bit once we got to 9,000 feet. As I lifted my legs out of the door and let my feet hang out into the whipping wind, it suddenly became real. Head back, hands on the harness, move as one, ready.. set.. go!! I began to fly. As I free fell for 30 seconds and descended down for 5 minutes I looked out at the beautiful coastline; the only place in the world the desert sand dunes meet the ocean – absolutely breathtaking seeing the earth curve and feeling like I was just apart of the sky. And oh my gosh, I wish I could put it into words, but I truly believe it’s physically impossible. No, my stomach didn’t drop, no it wasn’t scary, it was literally human flight, and I would do it a hundred times over if I could. And.. come to think of it I just might have to.  So as a little plug for all the crazies out there, if you’ve ever considered skydiving, do it. And even if you haven’t, do it. Don’t think about it, don’t question it, just do it. It will be the greatest thing you will ever do. Hands down. Because I can’t put it into words, I’ll leave you with two quotes they left me with.

View on the way down

“You must jump to know. No words can describe the incredible rush when the wind invites you to play. You are one of the few, for a brief moment you doubt but the doubt is short lived. As gravity pulls you from the safety of the plane you understand, this is freedom. No turning back now but who would want to? the dream of human flight. you know what it means to skydive.”

Free fall

“Once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

Thanks again for reading,

Xoxo

Maddy

 

1 Month Down, 3 More to Love

February 20, 2014 / / 1 Comment

To live alone with a family for a week that you know very little about is something not many would describe as “comfortable”. At our first homestay in Soweto, each of us were placed with one other CGE student, but not this time. I was picked up by my host mother Johanna last Monday and the adventures began. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but we were told this was all about stepping out of our comfort zone.. or as I’d describe it.. jumping. As a few hours went by, my nerves quickly subsided as I was welcomed by a lovely family who made me feel right at home. And hey, I can’t complain because I got to eat traditional Namibian food all week, which included eating my weight in pap .. and I’m totally okay with that. (Pap, pronounced pop, is a dish made from the grain mealy meal, which I like to describe as a hybrid between mashed potatoes and rice, totally delicious)

Chicken and some PAP!

Throughout the week my host mom took me back and forth between home and our Center for Global Education (CGE) house for classes or to be taken to my internship. Throughout the week I lived with my host mom, Johanna, host dad, Harris, host cousin, Martin, and host Aunt, Irene. They live in Khomasdal which is a small area in Windhoek. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I got to spend with them, getting to know more about Windhoek and Namibia in general. On Saturday, Johanna and I made a trip to her eldest daughters house who has a 2 year old son and a brand new 1 week old baby. Maybe or maybe not one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. Sadly enough, I didn’t bring my camera so I don’t have any photos to show you of the little one. On my last night, I was taught how to make pap which I will definitely be bringing back to the states with me. It was sad to say goodbye to my family, but I’m planning on meeting up with them again before I leave to Cape Town in May.

My Wonderful Host Family

Classes are in full swing here at CGE, and our group is finally realizing that “study abroad” actually entails reading, studying, reading, and some more reading. By far my favorite part of my trip so far is still my internship. Working with the little ones twice a week is great and I love seeing the progress they’re making. I zoned in on one little guy named Johnathan who stole my heart. Cute as a button and quiet as a mouse, I couldn’t stay away for long. While working with Johnathan on his numbers and letters, I began to notice that between each letter or number he wrote, he would look up at me to make sure he was getting it right. I would simply nod and he would smile and go on to the next digit. I quickly fell in love with the little guy, but just yesterday I received the oh so bittersweet news he wouldn’t be returning to FHS but instead would be starting at a new formal school. It’s awesome that he’s moving up in his education, but I’m sad that I won’t be there to see him progress.

Johnathan counting with crayons

Today in our history class, we had the incredible privilege to hear Professor Kerina speak. Mr.Kerina was the first Namibian to travel to the United States for education where he attended Lincoln University. While in college, he spoke with the UN about Namibia’s need for independence as well as obtained personal support from John F. Kennedy when some in Southern Africa were trying to have him deported out of the US. If these weren’t cool enough things Mr.Kerina had done in his life, he also was good friends with Malcolm X and Maya Angelou. He oh so casually talked about his Friday lunches with Malcolm X as everyone in the room looked around at each other dumbfounded. But wait.. he gets even more awesome. He went on to be apart of the creation of SWAPO as well as, wait for it.. wait for it… he named Namibia. Yeah.. you read that right.

Our Group with Mr.Kerina

Things are getting exciting here in Windhoek, and my peanut butter addiction is growing daily. Planning for spring break has begun which entails Victoria falls, white water rafting, elephant rides, walking with lions, bungee jumping, canoeing or a sunset cruise. You mean I have to choose just 2? Swakopmund, Etosha and rural homestays are in our near future, and my first month in Southern Africa is officially complete. So with that, I leave you with a little video I made.. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for reading and thank you to everyone for your constant support!

xoxo

Maddy

Working and wading through water in Windhoek

February 9, 2014 / / 1 Comment

As the bus rumbled down the road, my eyes scanned each building intently for the words Family of Hope – the name of the organization I would be interning at for the next 3 months. To say I was nervous would be an understatement; but as I arrived, I was greeted with smiling faces, friendly hellos, and the nerves quickly subsided. Family of Hope Services is a nonprofit faith-based organization in Katatura, a former black township in Windhoek. In particular, FHS works with children and families who have been affected by HIV/AIDS through various programs which includes a remedial school program, before/after school program, feeding and nutrition program, parental support groups as well as a bicycle workshop which assists in raising money for the various projects because FHS receives no government funding.

A little one waiting for her lunch

In my 3 months with FHS, I will be mainly working in the feeding and nutrition program as well as doing what I can with the remedial school and after school programs. At first I was somewhat overwhelmed because I thought “I’m  supposed to teach these kids? I have absolutely no background in teaching, whatsoever!” But, after the first few days, I’ve learned a little from the women I’m working with and am having a ton of fun. Many of these boys and girls ages 6-12 have never been in school before so we are working to teach them the alphabet, counting, etc., so that they can eventually enter formal education systems and further their studies.

The classroom at FHS

Education is something we, in the U.S. take for granted without realizing how lucky we are to have the opportunities we do. Many of these kids have not been in school because they didn’t have their birth certificates  to enroll or were at home taking care of the cattle. With that being said, it is so much fun to work with these kids because they are so eager to learn. Along with my ‘accent’ being hard to understand, I’m also working with other ladies from Australia, New Zealand and Germany so that provides an additional challenge. I’m excited to work with these wonderful women over the next 3 months and cannot wait to see the kids grow in their knowledge, as they teach me so much simultaneously.

Weighing one of the FHS students before he's served lunch - as part of the feeding & nutrition program I'll be helping with

At the start of the week our group of 15, plus the CGE staff headed out to a little retreat for the day; time for team building and getting to know each other even further. With it being rainy season in Windhoek, of course a small rain storm was upon us. As we made our way back to leave at the end of the day, the small stream we crossed to enter the park was now.. a rushing river. A few brave souls started trekking first and we followed at about 3 at a time. Some phones went swimming, jeans were soaked, but hey, all in all it makes for a great story, and our “always say yes in Namibia” motto continues to hold true.

Fell in love at our team building retreat

River crossing

 

After about 2 weeks now, our classes have finally begun. I can’t complain though because studying consists of laying by the pool reading the required material. Classes are also held in our living room which gives us a well… comfortable feel. Again, I can’t complain. I’m currently taking Religion and Social Change, History of Southern Africa, Politics of Development in Southern Africa, my internship course, and yoga! For the first four weeks of the semester we are all also enrolled in a Language course. During our first class we learned the four clicks and basic elements like greetings, numbers, and family names. We couldn’t help but laugh when our mouths began to get sore after attempting to do the clicks properly. My first attempts were.. somewhat successful. It’s a lot harder than it seems, but it’s so exciting to be learning a new language that very few people in the world can speak.

Tomorrow marks the start of my urban home stay. I think the group has all around nervous energy going into this because it’s a week long and we’re all on our own this time, but I’m sure I will love my new family and all the things I’ll learn from them throughout the week. The bugs out here are eating me alive, although the hours and hours spent by the pool probably aren’t helping much. Oh well! It’s better than the Indiana winter I’m missing out on.

 

Thanks again for reading,

xoxo,

Maddy

 

 

 

This Is Home

February 2, 2014 / / 3 Comments

To finish up our final days in Johannesburg, we visited St.Martin’s high school in Soweto. This was by far one of my favorite parts of our time in Jo’burg because we got to casually interact with kids around our age, give or take a few years. They were all so eager to ask us questions about America or our views and opinions of South Africa. By far my favorite question was when I was asked if I personally knew Dr.Dre because I lived in California. One thing I admire most about these young kids is their knowledge and understanding of politics, not just in their country, but around the world as well. They were also so sweet and welcoming to us, it was sad to say goodbye.

Group photo atop the Voortrekker Monument

Some of us with the St.Martin’s High school tour guides

 

I arrived at my first home stay where I’d be staying for the weekend. It was nice to sit back and relax for a few days as I got to know my new family. My host mom Nthabiseng is the sweetest lady and was so welcoming! Subah (my roommate) and I were made delicious home cooked meals that we got to eat with our hands. I’ve come to love pap with just about everything! Visiting Credo Mutwa Village during our home stay was definitely one of my favorite parts. After climbing, well.. a few stairs to the top of a tower, we had a 360 degree view stretching all over Soweto.. definitely breathtaking. On our last night at our home stay, we were fortunate enough to go see Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom in theaters at the local mall. It was such an honor to be able to watch this film in the country where Mandela changed so much. Our goodbyes were sad as we sent Sandile and Loyiso off to school the next morning, but we exchanged emails so I will definitely be keeping in touch with them!

View over Soweto

My wonderful host family

As we arrived later in Pretoria we settled down in a beautiful new guest house, that had a pool. WOOHOO! While in Pretoria we visited the U.S. Embassy , Freedom Park, the  Voortrekker monument, and the Capitol. Visiting these places, especially the U.S. Embassy made me really think about what my future holds. Surely not with the Embassy, but it solidified my thoughts on wanting to travel the world, hopefully working as a nurse. Windhoek, Namibia welcomed us with a downpour and a long line of customs. We were so excited to finally get here, that in fact it didn’t really matter. Seeing monkeys crossing the road and one sitting on top of a street sign filled our bus with shrieks and laughter; definitely something I won’t forget.

Our big, happy family

The highlight of being in Windhoek so far was visiting an orphanage in Katatura (a former black township).  Within a minute and a half of meeting the little ones, they grabbed our hands, asked to be held, and wouldn’t let go. Many of them are HIV positive but are healthy and getting treatment. Once they got a hold of my water bottle, there was no way I was getting it back, they were in heaven figuring out how it worked and taking swigs too big that poured out of their mouths. I couldn’t help but have joy in my heart knowing these little ones were being taken care of so well despite what may have happened in their past. There were 4 little houses with very clean living conditions and many of the older ones were off at school. It was incredible to see the differences these “moms” and “dads” were making in the lives of some who couldn’t help themselves. My heart broke when we left as some of the little ones began to cry. I wish I could go spend time with them every single day.

A little one with my water bottle at the Orange babies orphanage

Settled in Windhoek now for a few days, it’s beginning to feel like home. This city is absolutely beautiful, and our group of 15 students who hardly knew each other 2 weeks ago have become a little family. It’s crazy to think I’ve only been here for 2 weeks now. I begin my internship tomorrow, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but excited at the same time knowing the opportunities that await.

I had to

Thanks for reading,

xoxo

Maddy

First Week in Johannesburg

January 23, 2014 / / 2 Comments

So we’ve officially settled in Johannesburg at a guest house which was a former seminary training school (where Desmond Tutu went, pretty cool)! When we arrived the first night the  group of 15 of us were pretty jet lagged so we just dinner, played some icebreaker games to get to know each other and then tried to get some sleep. I was successful for about 3 hours when my body woke me up telling me it was only 4pm, but it was actually 2am in Johannesburg. Breakfast began at 8am and then we were off for our day.

Before we toured the town we had a guest speaker named Mowlefi come and speak to us about the Apartheid and history of South Africa. This was exciting to me because to be honest I didn’t know much. He spoke about his personal involvement in the student uprisings and the impact that it made on the change to come. This was inspiring to me to see young people so passionate about change that they’re willing to step in to make a difference. Following the discussion, he then took us on a tour of Soweto, which is a black township in Guateng province of South Africa. Soweto alone has a population of about 3 million people! (the whole country of Namibia only has about 2 million). While touring Soweto, we visited Regina Mundi Catholic church which was a church that allowed students to gather during the uprisings. In this tour we saw bullet holes and broken banisters that were left that way to show the damage done when police invaded the church. We also got to sign the same guestbook Nelson Mandela did a few years prior as well as stand in the same spots he did, so awesome.

Inside the Regina Mundi Catholic Church

South Africa feels a lot like home, a lot less foreign than most would imagine. Despite people driving on the left instead of the right, and the currency change,  most areas don’t seem much different. Though, when we were walking around the mall after we got lunch, we got many stares because we were about the only white people walking around the area. I felt like we had a sign on our head that said ‘not from here’ but that’s okay, its funny! When we were driving we also even heard a guy yell to his friend “Hey look, white people!!” We all got a kick out of that.

Following the tour of Soweto we visited the Hector Pieterson museum, a museum dedicated to the student uprisings, and named after the first young boy who was innocently shot by police on June 16, 1976. His older sister paid us the honor of telling us the story of what happened. It was awesome to me how remarkably positive she was about the entire situation despite losing her baby brother. My best guess would be that she knows the impact and legacy that her brother and many other young individuals leave, so I suppose there is a certain peace that comes with that.

A blown up photo of the moments following Hector Pieterson's death, as his shaken sister runs beside

Tuesday, we headed out a bit earlier for our trip to Orange Farm. Going into this I didn’t really know what to expect, we were not really briefed on it beforehand so it was a surprise when I looked out the window as we drove over dirt roads, noting the shacks people call home on the side of the road. Orange Farm is a community small in size but had a population count of a bout 1.7 million in 2007. I’ll give a brief overview of what we saw in Orange Farm so you can get a feel for it. First we visited a recycling center and were given a tour by a wonderful lady named Gladys. She showed us around the area, explained the process a little bit and took us by the little daycare center they run as well (too cute!!). The recycling center is many people’s only form of income because so many are unemployed. While in Orange Farm we stopped by a specialty school where individuals of all ages (17-75) take classes learning basic life skills like cooking, computer functions, and woodwork. These individuals pay to go to these specialty classes so that they can have a degree so that they can have a better opportunity to get a job and better improve their lives. While in Orange Farm we also had the privilege of visiting a project center focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, teaching,healing and support groups. I especially loved this because of the passion people have for helping those who are positive, or have been effected by people who are HIV positive. After my visit to Orange Farm I couldn’t help but think about how incredibly blessed I am to have the opportunities I’ve been given. These people of Orange Farm have very little materially, but they do have hope and hearts bigger than you could ever imagine. Their desire to help those in need by providing services like HIV/AIDS education and support groups, counseling/lawyers for domestic violence victims, or recycling centers that allow people to make money is so inspiring and humbling at the same time. They just want to make a difference. And they are.

Plastics smashed together to be sent off

On Wednesday, we went to the province of Guateng’s capitol building where we met with the two major political party groups, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC). Since 1994 the ANC has had control of 8 or more of the 9 provinces in South Africa, and with the election coming up in May, things are getting pretty intense. I was really interested in learning about how the South African government runs as opposed to the U.S. The best thing to me about the South African government system is the fact that there are many, many political parties, and even though ANC has had control for the past 20 years, statistics are changing and the smaller parties are even making a difference. Wednesday night we were privileged to see a play in downtown Jo’burg which was based on racist stereotypes in America. I liked being able to see people’s perspectives here in Africa of us back in the U.S.

The group in front of the capitol in Gauteng

Visiting the Apartheid museum was very emotional but so full of so much new information. I especially enjoyed the Mandela exhibit; it was an incredible tribute to an incredible man. One part that stuck most with me that I learned was that Mandela took up a foreign identity, traveled to many countries all over Africa and got people to join the movement for freedom and equality. Last but not least, we got to visit the Wits Art Museum and learned a lot about African art and all the different forms. We were so lucky and got to go into the storage room, where many of their collections are kept. I especially loved the pottery because I can appreciate all of the hard work and patience that goes into creating and perfecting each individual pot.

This weekend I depart for my first home-stay in Soweto, with a family that has a 5 year old little boy and 11 year old boy. You could say I’m a little excited.

 

Thanks for reading, stay tuned!!

Xoxo

Maddy

A day lost, a lifetime changed

January 23, 2014 / / 0 Comments

This is kind of my catch up post, stuff I’ve written over the past 3 days, but I haven’t had internet to post. Enjoy!!

To start out, I’m Madison, mostly known as Maddy. I’m currently a sophomore nursing major at Valpo and a member of Pi Beta Phi.

Well.. The journey has officially begun. I’m off, and I can hardly believe it!! I feel like I have waited my entire life for this opportunity and it’s just started to feel real within this past 24 hours (as I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight). Packing was.. well as packing normally goes; stressful, procrastinated, etc. But hey, I made it! Imagine your most stressful 6am morning possible at an airport, that’s kind of how mine went. Ticket didn’t show up, bag was too heavy, no one to help, but I made it to my flight, even without sprinting through the airport in my flip flops. Now that all the stress is done, the nerves and excitement are finally kicking in.. Well the excitement has been here for months on end, but still.

For those of you who don’t know me or my story, I’ll give a little background. I have dreamt of going to Africa for literally as long as I can remember. Whether it was a mission trip, a safari or just to travel there, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. So when I found out Valpo offered an abroad program in Namibia & South Africa, I was sold. I began planning quickly after my freshman year begun, because I knew that the nursing program had strict requirements. The people and unfamiliarity is what drew me to Africa specifically. Everyone has an idea in their head of what it’s like, what the people are like, how they live, etc., but you never really know until you experience it. So that’s what I set out to do.

As I took my last views of the California coast and Pacific Ocean, reality began to sink in. This is real. The 17 hour flight to from Washington Dulles to Johannesburg begins now. Lets just say the flight consisted of constant rustling around, a few cat naps, sleeping limbs, 3 movies [42, Great Gatsby & Jobs], sudoku, and lots and lots of Solitaire. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant ride, and went by a lot faster than I thought it would. After we stopped in Dakar, I got to watch my very first African sunrise as we flew over the island of Senegal. It was beautiful to say the least, very lion king-esque. I was one of the few students who sat next to someone other than a fellow student on our flight. As i observed the man sitting next to me, I noticed his worn hands, and as he spoke I could hear his accent. I began to wonder what his story was, where he was from, how many times he’s made this flight, how often? But, he had his headphones in, so I guess I’ll always wonder!

7 hours later we start to make our descent into Johannesburg. As I stare out the window, I see the city pass below me and then open plains. I notice cars driving on the left instead of the right, and I just can’t help but smile as I realize one of my lifelong dreams is coming true in that very moment. And now.. it’s real.

As we waited in the customs line at the airport a 7-9 year old boy begins to walk by stopping at each and every individual in line, asking in very broken english “hi you, where you from?” and would move on to the next. We later found out he was from Zimbabwe, as he made his way back down the line saying goodbye to everyone.

This next week has many adventures and lots of learning about Johannesburg’s history in store. So stay tuned!

I promise the next blogs will have more excitement.

xoxo

Maddy

Always an Adventure Part I: Exploring the North

March 24, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I do not even know where to start, so these past 2 1/2 weeks will be split into 3 posts.

I am now back in Windhoek after 12 days in the Northern regions of the country and another 5 days in the South on the Orange River.  Some of us drove the length of Namibia in two days and it was all worth it.  This first post is all about the first week or so in the North where we did a rural homestay and traveled around to different schools and speakers.

Some highlights:  Ruacana Falls. Cattle in the road. Juiced marula fruits. Donkeys in the road. Ate a caterpillar. Goats in the road. Woke to the sound of roosters. Slept under mosquito nets. Wore more bug spray than ever. Sat through an 8 hour bishop installation service. Saw President Pohamba in person. Stepped foot in Angola. Learned how to pound and cook mahangu. Witnessed multiple beautiful sunsets and sunrises. And saw SO MANY amazing animals!

My homestay was a good experience; my family was warm and welcoming and I stayed in a home that was an

The Marula Fruit!

interesting mix between traditional and modern.  It was actually the biggest house I have stayed in yet, but their homestead also included traditional huts and buildings for cooking and storage.  My parents and one of my sisters spoke english pretty well, but another woman in the house knew little more than “good morning.”  However, I felt very accomplished when we were able to communicate while working together even if we didn’t understand the language.  I

Traditional storage hut at my homestay.

was really excited to help them juice the marula fruits which are only ripe and ready at this time of year and I was even more excited when I got to drink the juice we made!  I was also taught how to pound a very popular grain called mahangu which is a staple in the diet of the Ovambo people.  Pounding it is a workout and I only did it for a few minutes!  Afterwards, they usually make it into a porridge using boiling water and some flour and it is served with almost every meal.

Yes, I did say I ate a caterpillar.  They are popular here and it wasn’t just a little thing, it was a fat juicy green one.  They cook and season them, but I still couldn’t quite handle it.  One bite was enough for me, I gave the rest back to my host mother! At least I can say I tried it…

Everyday really was an adventure.  Aside from the streets of Windhoek and the main roads through the country, the majority of other roads are informal and unpaved.  This meant that getting to our homes in the rainy season required maneuvering through fields and puddles and hitting some major bumps.  We liked to cheer on our CGE drivers every time they made it through a difficult spot; and of course my homestay family was equally skilled in driving through the dirt and mud.  The livestock in the North kind of graze freely and that often meant that they decided to stand in the middle of the road, creating yet another obstacle for drivers.  We all found it pretty humorous though.

Our time in the North was definitely a different experience for all of us.  We all learned some lessons in traditional Namibian life like the importance of extended family and how to deal with gender roles.  In my home, there were about 6 people under the age of 20 but none of them were my immediate brothers and sisters; they were all what we consider extended family.  They are treated just the same though.  It was also clear in my house that women fulfilled a very traditional role when it came to cooking and housework and that this was just the norm for them.  It was not difficult to take part in, but it was definitely a change from what most of us are used to at home.

Sunset overlooking my homestay.

I could go on, but as usual, I could go on forever.  So if you have more questions about what we saw or did then feel free to ask!  Next up is Etosha National Park…

Pretoria and Windhoek…finally!

January 26, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Monday morning after we left our homestay and had a reflection session, we hit the road for Pretoria which is the capital of South Africa.  Pretoria is much smaller than Johannesburg, but quite beautiful.

Tuesday morning we first visited the Voortrekker Monument.  It is a very large dedication to the Voortrekkers, who were Dutch colonists that decided to leave the cape for the interior of the country when they got fed up with the British presence.  They encountered numerous challenges and especially clashed with the Zulus.  The monument is 40 meters high and 40 meters wide and sits on top of a hill overlooking the city.

Next up was Freedom Park which sits about 2 hilltops away from the first monument.  The park is still under construction, but what is done so far is a beautifully designed dedication to the past struggle and present freedoms of all peoples in South Africa.  From the highest point in the park we could see many important representations of the new South Africa.  The Voortrekker Monument could be seen in the distance as well as two different forts, downtown Pretoria, and two universities.  It is peaceful and symbolic and looks like it will be even more impressive when the work is done.

We finished our day with a stop at the U.S. Embassy.  We spoke with two women who are career foreign service officers about their jobs and the embassy’s role in South Africa.

This morning we got up too early to get to the airport and fly to NAMIBIA!  I was very ready for this.  South Africa was more wonderful than I could have imagined, but I was ready to stop living out of a suitcase and start settling down a little.  Of course, these next 3 months are still filled with travel and sight-seeing and homestays, but now we at least have a constant place to call home here in Windhoek.  The drive from the airport was beautiful; very stereotypical Africa.  Rolling hills of green with small trees and bushes and some mountains in the distance.  We sounded super touristy when we all yelled in excitement about the baboons and giraffes we saw on the side of the road!  I’m so happy to finally be here!

I wanted to post pictures in the last post, but I ran out of internet time.  However, now that we’re in our house I have lots of free internet!  So go check out my Picasa to catch up my South African adventures!

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