Part 1: Finding the Beach
On our first full day in Cape Town, Amanda, Kayla, Olivia and I decided we would walk to the Camps beach from our guesthouse. The problem was that it was a few miles away across the entire city, but we figured it would be a great way to explore the city. We began our journey at a hidden café that was far too fancy for our group but we went there anyway. We then kept walking towards the beach using the occasional sign as a guide. As we walked, we could see an amazing view of the city. The city is extremely beautiful on its own, but the backdrop of Table Mountain brings it to a whole new level.
View of Cape Town from walk
The first 2/3rds of our walk were spent traveling uphill, but the beauty of the city distracted us enough not to care. At one point I ran off to go explore the trees nearby because they were so cool that I couldn’t help myself. We then walked down the winding streets that work their way down to the beach and met up with the rest of our group.
Winding roads to Camps Beach
View of Camps Beach
At the beach, the water was a bit too cold for swimming and there was an intense wind that sent sand spiraling in all directions. I escaped to an outcropping of rocks and climbed up. I spent nearly an hour just staring out at the ocean and at the mountains that surrounded me.
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The clouds roll in over Table Mountain
Part 2: Bishop Desmond Tutu
On Friday morning, I woke up early and went to a Eucharist at St. Georges Cathedral where I got to take part in a service led by Bishop Desmond Tutu. He was an extremely kind and loving person. Bishop Tutu went around and tried to learn the name of every visitor and made sure to inquire about the status of each of his regular members. It was truly a blessing to be in his presence.
Some members of our group with Bishop Desmond Tutu
Part 3: Climbing Table Mountain
It’s a long story. But basically we did not plan well. But we still didn’t die.
View from Table Mountain
Part 4: On My Own
On one of our free days, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I ended up just walking out the door and picking a direction. I ended up walking through the park and around downtown until I ended up at the train station. I walked up to the guy at the main desk and asked him where I should go for the day. He asked me if I wanted to go to a beach and I said “sure!” So he said, “alright! There’s a train leaving in 5 minutes at gate 6”. So I left, not really knowing where I was off to. I watched as Cape Town flew by my window and the countryside appeared. I ended up at Muizenberg beach which is about an hour away from Cape Town. My experiences were very unique but it was well worth it. I met interesting people and got to have a day for one for the first time in a long time.
Muizenberg Beach
Part 5: Adventure Day
On our last day in Cape Town, Olivia, Luke, Taylor, Dashawn and I went out on a day full of adventures. We started out by going to Signal hill and went paragliding. I hooked up to the parachute with my guide and he told me to run. We ran forward together as he got a gust of wind and ran right off the cliff. We flew around for about 10 minutes and got a fantastic view of the city and Table Mountain. I even saw a whale!
Paragliding!
After paragliding, I went surfing for the first time! I was able to stand up a few times but I definitely am not good at all. It was still a fantastic time and our instructor was extremely helpful and entertaining to say the least.
Surfing!
All in all, Cape Town was an amazing experience full of adventures and learning. I was able to push myself to try new things and explore my own thoughts and beliefs about the world.
South Africa. It’s a country that has been constantly pushing forward trying to overcome its past. Its land is vibrant and beautiful and its people are the same. Our first weeks in this program were spent studying this country, its people, and its history that has changed its landscape forever. Coming into this experience, I didn’t know a whole lot about South Africa or its history. I knew about Nelson Mandela and had watched Invictus, a film about how Nelson Mandela used the South African National Rugby team to unite the country, and had heard a bit about the word apartheid, but I had barely scratched the surface of what this country had in store for me.
Me in front of Nelson Mandela’s home
In our first week, we traveled through the city of Johannesburg where we met with many different historians, economists, and people who had lived through Apartheid. What I quickly came to learn was that Apartheid was not some scarred event in South Africa’s past but it is very present in the everyday lives of South Africans even today. Apartheid had officially ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president during the first open elections. This ushered in a new constitution that created political freedom for all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The contradiction here, though, is that although everyone received political freedom, they did not gain economic freedom. South Africa is the most economically divided country in the world where the top percentage of the population owns most of the land and resources in the country. I noticed many similarities between the struggles of South Africa and that of the United States. With the US Presidential elections around the corner, the issues of divided wealth and political corruption have been at the forefront of the debates. Even though South Africa is on the other side of the world, they are dealing with the very same issues.
This is a powerful part of Freedom Park. People come here to meet their former oppressors and seek apologies and forgiveness.
These problems in South Africa arise from their difficult past. Many South Africans lost their farms, homes, and livelihoods to the Apartheid government and after 1994 they did not receive any of that land back from the billionaires who now own it. This creates a severe contrast in living conditions between most white South Africans and black South Africans. In Johannesburg, we spent some time near the malls and in the affluent areas downtown. We were also able to experience the other end of the spectrum in Soweto, which holds between 3 and 4 million people in 30 townships. This area was the land that black South Africans were banished to during the Apartheid government and many have been unable to leave due to widespread poverty. Others choose to stay because they have become established in Soweto and feel a close connection to the land and its people. I spent a weekend living with a host family in the Orlando area of Soweto, where I got to experience the extent of poverty in South Africa firsthand.
View of Soweto in Johannesburg
Our host family had a fairly modern home but you could still see the difference just by taking a look out the window. The house directly across the street was a small home with a tiny yard. In that tiny yard, the family had rented out the land for ten different families. Each family resurrected a small one room shack for their family to live in. So this tiny little yard was home to over 45 people that could coexist in such poor conditions. That was one thing I noticed immediately about South Africa, the community. People would look out for one another, and if a fight broke out in the street, everyone in the area would run to the rescue to break up the fight. It was interesting to compare these things to the United States, where our focus is very much so on individual prosperity rather than supporting the community. If a fight were to break out on the street in the United States, people would not intervene but instead watch in awe or even encourage it.
The front of my Host Family’s house
My host family took me to church which was held in a small one room schoolhouse with about 25 people sitting in school desks. South Africans tend to have a different sense of time as compared to many Americans. Many do not put the same value on the phrase “time is money” and they choose to not rush through their day to day activities. Because of this, church becomes an all day event. The first hour and a half of the service, the pastor didn’t say a word. Instead, members of the congregation got up and said a few words or, more often than not, someone would randomly start singing a song and then everyone else would join in. This happened consistently for almost two hours and continued periodically throughout the pastor’s sermon. What I gained from this experience was that these people had a close-knit community that did not worry about rushing off to the next event, knew all of the songs off the top of their head, and they loved to interact with one another. I felt extremely welcomed and was even told that my sense of rhythm was, “unlike that of any white man they had seen before”, which I found rather entertaining. This was interesting to compare to what I know of church from my home congregation where people go to church just to check it off the list. People sneak in late and sneak out early and try to interact with as few people as possible. I can’t help but wonder how people at home would react coming into this new and exciting environment, full of love, community, and the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, I can bring some of what I learned from my South African friends and spread it to my own church community.
My host family’s church is inside one of the classrooms of the schoolhouse shown
All in all, South Africa is a place that has been scarred by its history and forced into a difficult position where there exists political freedom for all of its people, but many people cannot escape the insurmountable strains of poverty set down by the Apartheid state. Because of this, there are still very distinct boundaries separating whites from blacks and racism is still very prevalent in the everyday lives of South Africans. Even though it has been over 20 years since the fall of Apartheid, South Africa is still a time of healing and well-needed growth and restructuring.
No one said that traveling across the world could be easy, but there was no way I was expecting what it would take to make it to South Africa. It all started Wednesday night, three days before I was supposed to leave for Johannesburg, South Africa to begin my first study abroad experience. My brother Andrew asked us if there was something bad happening in Florida because he had heard about something online. My mother decided to check her phone to see what it was. What she found was something she was not expecting. The top story on CNN was a huge snow storm that was developing on the east coast. This storm was expected to hit Washington D.C. the whole weekend and it was going to hit hard. Predictions were suggesting that it could be the most snow ever recorded in D.C. Needless to say, we began to freak out. I was supposed to be flying out of Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon.
Side note: The bad “thing” happening in Florida was that Donald Trump was visiting the state.
So this began the saga of the disappearing flight. Thursday morning we found out that our group was planning to reschedule our group flight to Monday. I called in to United Airlines to set up my connecting flight from Chicago and all seemed well.
The storm hit Washington D.C. hard and they got two feet of snow! All of D.C. was shut down Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday. During this time, I drove back to school to pick up Maddie and bring her home. I celebrated my travels with my family and had one of what would become the first of many “last suppers”. We played games together. Of course we had to play Ticket to Ride Africa.
Going out to eat with my family before I flew out
Sunday came and with it, I began to say my goodbyes. I went out to breakfast with Maddie and we said our goodbyes. Later that day, my family went out for another “last supper” and as we headed out for the meal I tried to check in for my flight on my phone to find that it had been canceled! I immediately started trying to call United Airlines and STA travel to figure out a solution. The problem was that everyone was trying to call in due to cancellations so I was put on hold for almost an hour! At one point I was asked to check my ticket from an automated service. It kept asking me for my last name and then it would pause and say… “Is your name… K…I…M?” No, I don’t think my name is Kim. “Oh lets try again”, it would say. “Is your name…W…A…L…A…B…A…L…O?” My name is als not Walabalo. Eventually it worked out so that I would fly out Tuesday morning instead and would now have to catch the Tuesday afternoon flight to South Africa instead.
But this was not the end of the story. Monday morning I once again tried to check in to my flight to find that it too was canceled! So I had to call United Airlines… Again. This time, I was stuck on hold for almost two hours and let me tell you… I now know why people can go crazy and it is because of hold music. Eventually I worked it out to fly another airline at the same time on Tuesday.
About to fly out
The first flight went smoothly out of Chicago to Detroit and I said my goodbyes with my family. I then landed in Detroit and met another student named Taylor who is going to be traveling with me to South Africa.
Flying out of Chicago
So you’d think this would be the end of the story… but it’s not. A few minutes after boarding our plane we were told we would have to deplane due to a major issue with the plane’s systems. We got off the plane and waited for information on the repairs. Eventually we were sent to a new gate and were met by a new plane. The problem, however, was that this plane was also broken! At this point it had already been a few hours past our original departure time. The clock continued to wind and the departure time slowly turned farther and farther back. At this point, the five-hour cushion had shrunk to less than two hours and we were beginning to get restless. Just when I was about to request a different flight, they finally allowed us to board and take off.
From that point on it was smooth sailing. Taylor and I arrived in D.C. and picked up our bags making sure to pet any dog we got the chance to along the way. We then checked our bags and trekked through security where we eventually were able to meet up with the four other members of our group flying out that day.
Finally meeting the group!
Our flight has been problem free so far and we’ve gotten the chance to get to know one another. All in all, I’m excited to finally get to Johannesburg and jump right into the adventure that is ahead of me. After all the speed bumps this trip has already taken, I’m ready for whatever can get thrown my way. I’m not going to wait on hold any longer! Let’s go!
We’ve been in Namibia for a little over a week and a half now. A lot of it has been settling into our new home and doing the (necessary) safety talks and orientation like activities. One of our activities was exploring Katutura, the nearby township, with local college students. The students are part of a group called the Young Achievers and are just an incredible group of people. Our tour guide/student person turned out to be a really cool kid who was also a ton of fun to hang out with during the week and whatnot. So far, minus a few moments of strangeness, adjusting to the city has been both exciting and easy; I’m glad I finally have an address to call home.
Overlooking the Townships
This week we started our internships as well. I’m currently working in the Ministry of Education with FAWENA, a non-governmental organization, that helps address the educational challenges girls face in Namibia. FAWENA stands for Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia. One of their biggest initiatives is to provide financial support to girls in order to encourage their continuation of schooling. They also partner with communities to create supportive community initiatives to encourage young children to stay in school. To be able to travel throughout Namibia and study in Southern Africa is such a blessing; but to be able to gain experience working alongside Namibians and learning more about their educational policies is extremely fascinating.
Forum for African Women Educationalists in NAmibia
Since classes and internships have started, I’ve had a more than a few reminders that I’m actually here to go to school and work. It’s really hard though when my classroom is a living room filled with comfy couches and there’s a tempting pool ten feet away. Also since settling in I’m getting to know my fellow travelers better which I’m grateful for. They are all pretty cool and this semester is going to be so much fun.
My lovely friend Winnie
One day we did a Staff/Student retreat in order to get to know one another better. It was basically “emotional team-building” and it was interesting. Each of us got something different out of the experience but I think it’s safe to make the blanket statement that we all know a little more about each other (which was the goal so yay!). There also were horses and cats and some Baboons running around so that was pretty fun and I met a super great dog.
Dog Friend
It’s been a good couple of days getting around Windhoek and on Tuesday (TOMORROW! EAK!) we are off to our Urban Homestay. I’m pretty excited and have high expectations after my last, incredible experience in Soweto, South Africa. It’s also kind of nerve-wracking since we are spending 5 days with these families and the staff keep stressing how we’ll be getting “out of our comfort zones”. Honestly, what that means.. I couldn’t tell you. I can’t wait to get to know my family and get to learn more about Namibian culture and life. There’s so many things to do and opportunities and I plan on taking advantage of every second. Stay turned for posts about my Home Stay, our Trip to the coast in a few weeks, and some more “Things I’m Learning”. I’ll leave you with this awesome double rainbow we saw after a rainstorm. Africa is the coolest.
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.
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!
The past two weeks have been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. The final week and a half in Namibia were filled with final projects and papers, but also tearful goodbyes. After all of our projects were done, the fifteen of us cooked dinner for all the staff that made our four months in Namibia what it was. We got a chance to go around the table and say our thank yous. A lot of the group mentioned how awesome it was that in a group of 15 of us, we all got along really well and how uncommon it is for that to happen. I couldn’t agree more. Living with three guys who go to polytechnic of Namibia, we were able to really get to know them and it was a rough goodbye. I know I’ve said this time and time again, but Namibia has become home to me, and my heart broke leaving.
Inside Robben Island prison
Despite the sadness, an excitement filled the bus because our long awaited trip to Cape Town was finally here. Throughout the week, we visited various museums, churches and heard from many different speakers. My favorite of which was Robben Island where we got to tour the prison, hear from a man who was imprisoned for five years, and see Mandela’s solitary confinement cell.
Throughout the week we also got to to non-academic actives like visiting Cape Point, Boulder’s beach and hiking Lion’s head. Cape Town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. On the hike up Lion’s head — unfortunately we weren’t able to hike Table Mountain while we were here because of weather — we were able to see all around the coast for miles with Table Mountain and Devil’s peak on one side and the twelve disciples on the other. It was an incredible view, photos don’t even do it justice! Cape point was breathtaking standing on one of the southernmost points in the world seeing two oceans joining together. Great white shark cage diving was planned for me and Sam, but the weather and time scheduling didn’t permit it.. I guess I’ll just have to come back for that one!
Cape Point
Despite all the fun activities that have been happening this week, it’s not easy knowing I’ll be back in the U.S in 48 hours. The best way I can describe it really is simply bittersweet. It will be nice to be with family and friends, but I am so not ready to be leaving southern Africa. Every day, I’m reminded just how special my time spent here was. There is no doubt in my mind that I am no where close to the person I was when I left Claremont, CA on January 18th. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve seen and the places I’ve been have shaped me in ways I never imagined possible. God has worked in my life these past four months in pretty incredible ways that I’d have to take way longer to explain to you — if even possible to explain. I’m leaving Namibia and south Africa with a very heavy heart, but a heart filled with memories and experiences that I am infinitely grateful for. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be back in two years with my BSN. Thank you southern Africa for the most amazing time of my life, and thank you to each and every one of you who reached out to me with words of encouragement every step of the way. I am beyond blessed.
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:
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!
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.”
