thoughts on my urban homestay in katatura, a black "suburb" or windhoek.
Of all the things that I have learned about pre-colonial southern Africa and the European colonization of southern Africa, I am mostly impacted by the striking similarities to the United States’ history. The natives of southern Africa and the United States before the German and British colonization found common ground not only in the persecution each was subjected to. The natives of both nations seemed remarkably in tune with nature, and loved the land as a part of them, and not as an object. Each had a sense of community that is hard to come by in times today. It was not until after the British and the Germans came that everything began to change. In southern Africa, the Germans tricked the natives into signing treaties that only confounded their former ideas of their purpose in life – they were backed into smaller corners, forced to give up land, taken advantage of. What amazes me the most is that the Germans thought that it was okay to treat people like this. These people lived through the British subjugation of Native Americans. Did the thought ever cross the minds of the Germans that people should not be treated as second only to scum? That they are humans too?
During my time abroad, I have had multiple “aha” moments, particularly in my homestay, mostly from conversations with my older and younger brothers. Although a part of me would like to believe that race relations are improving in Namibia, I keep running into situations that challenge this belief. For instance, my first night at my homestay, my 10 year old brother Roberto asked me why I was white, and why I wanted to be around blacks. My 26 year old brother explained to me that he dislikes his job as a manager at a downtown sports apparel store because white people do not treat him well when they come shopping. My younger brother then again, after I invited him to come swimming at the center’s pool, asked me if it would be okay for him to be there since he is black.
Although there may be lingering realities to my older brother’s opposition, my little brother is still so young and impressionable. I feel like I did not even understand the idea of “race” at the age, especially as a means for judging others. There is obviously an overlying element of contempt between the peoples here, even though everything is portrayed as hunky dory post independence. Regardless that many of our readings contribute the separation of people today being strictly economic and that race segregation is an idea of the past, I am continually finding it difficult to believe. Walking through Kliptown, a township of Johannesburg plagued with poverty, truly opened my eyes to the realities of life for many blacks, even post apartheid and independence. From my general observations of the attitudes of real people and their perception of the opposite race, and their own race for that matter, it is hard to believe.
My stomach was tied into knots after seeing Alexandria and Standton in South Africa, especially in such close proximity. It is so easy for me to be in disbelief over the wealth gaps, and the fact that the wealthy of Standton do not feel called to help their poorer fellow citizens. But after careful consideration, I realized, I myself am guilty of ignoring my needful brothers and sisters. Who am I to point fingers when I am just as bad? These conflicting notions keep rattling my brain as I am exploring this beautiful country and learning from its children. Does my privilege lend itself to a responsibility to help others? Why was I born a wealthy white American? Should I feel guilty? Is it really my fault? All of these ideas I have been wrestling with, and although I am learning so much from the various speakers, events, and readings, I feel like the most important lesson I am going to learn is about myself.
I love the history of southern Africa because I feel like I am experiencing it as it happens, like it is alive. The countries of South Africa and Namibia are so young, and their futures have so much potential. It is easy for me, as an American, to sit back and say “Do not do it like this, it does not work. Do it this way. This is how we did it, and look at our admirable progress.” But I think the beauty of developing countries such as Namibia and South Africa is their ability to make their own history, to follow their own course, free of the influence of said “developed, proper” countries. I think the biggest healer for a lot of these country’s difficulties with race relations is time. It still stings those who experienced it first hand, and there is still hate cultivated among their children. It will take generations to heal the pain.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
fall break 2008: "i'll tell you when you're older"
friday night, me and 8 other hopefuls started our fall break adventure with a 20 hour bus ride to zambia. the bus was late, the men in the parking lot kept harassing us, and the local gas station was out of coke light. we should've known it was going to be a long trip!
we had to get out several times to step on a spongey-square soaked with chemicals or something, it supposedly helps stop the spread of foot and mouth disease, i didn't really know or understand?
we were about 200 km from our final destination, victoria falls, when.............. the bus flippin broke down. we sat in the zambian afternoon heat for 3 hours waiting for a new bus, which turned out to be entirely too small for the 30 some people getting dropped off in livingstone. womp womp.
but we made it!!!!! our hostel was awesome, it had an amazing pool+hot tub combo plus tons of giant, squishy pillows all over the place, perfect for a quick nap or a good read. that night we went out to dinner and i had HUMMUS, it was a lovely reunion, and reminded me of my everyday lunch at good ol' valpo. (it was so good i ended up going back to the same restaurant later in the week!)
sunday morning we woke up early and went white water rafting down the zambezi, the river that the falls fall into. it was INTENSE! the hike down alone was an adventure, climbing over jagged, slippery rocks on a steep incline. our rafts flipped in the rapids various times, and it was so much fun! we got to go swimming in the river, and it was a gorgeous deep jade color. our raft guide asked us to refer to him as babyface, so we decided to call ourselves team babyface usa - we were AWESOME. we had an entire day of rafting, rapids 1-24, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. ;)
monday we did a walking tour of the falls. we were walking on rocks that are normally completely covered in water during rainy season. we got to look over the edge into the gorge - yikes, a long way down! we even got to swim in the water, and jump into the "devil's swimming pool" -- a natural pool right at the edge of the falls. we literally jumped in, 5 feet from the edge, cannonball style. when our guide first did it, i'm pretty sure we all freaked out and thought the next time we were going to see him was when he was going over the falls. we got to hang over the edge of the falls, and it was incredible. i even did it upside down which actually made my heart skip a beat out of fright! it was SO COOL.
monday evening we went on a sunset cruise on the zambezi, and it was beautiful. i had my first hippo sighting!! (seriously happiest moment possibly of my life). hippos have always been my favorite animal, i even wrote a story about them in 8th grade with two of my best friends. we met a lot of really interesting people on the boat, people who decided to take years off of work and just explore and travel the world. I WANT THIS LIFE. we even had our white water rafting guides on the cruise with us, they were like our friends for the week :) i also decided that aussies are seriously the coolest people in the world, and pledged to visit there asap.
tuesday we ventured into BOTSWANA. we had to ride a ferry in, and it was at the cool junction where namibia, zambia, zimbabwe, and botswana met. it reminded me of the 4 corners in the us of a. anywho, in botswana, we went to chobe national game park. we got to do a traditional safari in a range rover, it was definitely way cooler than driving around in our cge combies all day. we saw a TON OF ELEPHANTS, really close too. there were over 30,000 in the park alone! they were splashing in the water and swimming. we even saw a dead one- and it smelled FUNKY. that doesn't even do it justice (mom- it reminded me of the time our garage freezer broke and the turkey in it went bad, and we tried cleaning it out by tying long socks over our faces. HAHA).
we then got to go on a river safari, which totally made the trip worth it. i was literally less than 10 feet from elephants! AND MORE HIPPOS! it was a joyous occasion. the chobe is really beautiful, and actually green, which was a nice change from dry etosha.
wednesday morning we woke up early and traveled to the zimbabwe side of the falls. i really enjoyed the zimbabwean side because you could actually see the falls, where as on the zambia side you can really only hang off of them. :) there were so many rainbows and lots of mist, it almost felt like rain! and it looked like a rainforest, lots of exotic looking plants and flowers. so beautiful!
we caught a bus at noon and made it back to windhoek at 8 am on thursday morning. it was so good to be back in windhoek after such a long 3 weeks. it felt like home. :)
the rest of my fall break has been spent watching sex and the city on dvd, reading book 3 of the twilight saga, facebooking hardXcore, playing freecell, and .... doing homework. :) kind of. :) it rained for the first time yesterday and all of us were playing outside, and then jumped in the pool! it reminded me so much of "lemmings to the sea!" at camp pendalouan (but what doesn't bring me back to those sweet summer days on big blue?) i went and saw a movie for the first time in theaters since i've been here, and of course i wouldn't waste such a momentous occasion on anything but HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3. it was amazing, they had salt&vinegar toppings for the popcorn, and i couldn't be more convinced that zac efron needs to be in my arms.
and now i'm on to the final stretch, only 5 weeks left in namibia and 6 til i set foot in good old o'hare once again. i can definitely not deny my homesickness any longer, i cannot wait to see my family, my new dog, my friends, my wife, my boo, the christopher center, chipotle, el charro, etc. i'm hoping in these next few weeks i can slow down a bit, make the moments last forever, dance in the sweet african rain, embrace the warmth of the sun... and hopefully not get too stressed out over projects and homework. :)
we had to get out several times to step on a spongey-square soaked with chemicals or something, it supposedly helps stop the spread of foot and mouth disease, i didn't really know or understand?
we were about 200 km from our final destination, victoria falls, when.............. the bus flippin broke down. we sat in the zambian afternoon heat for 3 hours waiting for a new bus, which turned out to be entirely too small for the 30 some people getting dropped off in livingstone. womp womp.
but we made it!!!!! our hostel was awesome, it had an amazing pool+hot tub combo plus tons of giant, squishy pillows all over the place, perfect for a quick nap or a good read. that night we went out to dinner and i had HUMMUS, it was a lovely reunion, and reminded me of my everyday lunch at good ol' valpo. (it was so good i ended up going back to the same restaurant later in the week!)
sunday morning we woke up early and went white water rafting down the zambezi, the river that the falls fall into. it was INTENSE! the hike down alone was an adventure, climbing over jagged, slippery rocks on a steep incline. our rafts flipped in the rapids various times, and it was so much fun! we got to go swimming in the river, and it was a gorgeous deep jade color. our raft guide asked us to refer to him as babyface, so we decided to call ourselves team babyface usa - we were AWESOME. we had an entire day of rafting, rapids 1-24, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. ;)
monday we did a walking tour of the falls. we were walking on rocks that are normally completely covered in water during rainy season. we got to look over the edge into the gorge - yikes, a long way down! we even got to swim in the water, and jump into the "devil's swimming pool" -- a natural pool right at the edge of the falls. we literally jumped in, 5 feet from the edge, cannonball style. when our guide first did it, i'm pretty sure we all freaked out and thought the next time we were going to see him was when he was going over the falls. we got to hang over the edge of the falls, and it was incredible. i even did it upside down which actually made my heart skip a beat out of fright! it was SO COOL.
monday evening we went on a sunset cruise on the zambezi, and it was beautiful. i had my first hippo sighting!! (seriously happiest moment possibly of my life). hippos have always been my favorite animal, i even wrote a story about them in 8th grade with two of my best friends. we met a lot of really interesting people on the boat, people who decided to take years off of work and just explore and travel the world. I WANT THIS LIFE. we even had our white water rafting guides on the cruise with us, they were like our friends for the week :) i also decided that aussies are seriously the coolest people in the world, and pledged to visit there asap.
tuesday we ventured into BOTSWANA. we had to ride a ferry in, and it was at the cool junction where namibia, zambia, zimbabwe, and botswana met. it reminded me of the 4 corners in the us of a. anywho, in botswana, we went to chobe national game park. we got to do a traditional safari in a range rover, it was definitely way cooler than driving around in our cge combies all day. we saw a TON OF ELEPHANTS, really close too. there were over 30,000 in the park alone! they were splashing in the water and swimming. we even saw a dead one- and it smelled FUNKY. that doesn't even do it justice (mom- it reminded me of the time our garage freezer broke and the turkey in it went bad, and we tried cleaning it out by tying long socks over our faces. HAHA).
we then got to go on a river safari, which totally made the trip worth it. i was literally less than 10 feet from elephants! AND MORE HIPPOS! it was a joyous occasion. the chobe is really beautiful, and actually green, which was a nice change from dry etosha.
wednesday morning we woke up early and traveled to the zimbabwe side of the falls. i really enjoyed the zimbabwean side because you could actually see the falls, where as on the zambia side you can really only hang off of them. :) there were so many rainbows and lots of mist, it almost felt like rain! and it looked like a rainforest, lots of exotic looking plants and flowers. so beautiful!
we caught a bus at noon and made it back to windhoek at 8 am on thursday morning. it was so good to be back in windhoek after such a long 3 weeks. it felt like home. :)
the rest of my fall break has been spent watching sex and the city on dvd, reading book 3 of the twilight saga, facebooking hardXcore, playing freecell, and .... doing homework. :) kind of. :) it rained for the first time yesterday and all of us were playing outside, and then jumped in the pool! it reminded me so much of "lemmings to the sea!" at camp pendalouan (but what doesn't bring me back to those sweet summer days on big blue?) i went and saw a movie for the first time in theaters since i've been here, and of course i wouldn't waste such a momentous occasion on anything but HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3. it was amazing, they had salt&vinegar toppings for the popcorn, and i couldn't be more convinced that zac efron needs to be in my arms.
and now i'm on to the final stretch, only 5 weeks left in namibia and 6 til i set foot in good old o'hare once again. i can definitely not deny my homesickness any longer, i cannot wait to see my family, my new dog, my friends, my wife, my boo, the christopher center, chipotle, el charro, etc. i'm hoping in these next few weeks i can slow down a bit, make the moments last forever, dance in the sweet african rain, embrace the warmth of the sun... and hopefully not get too stressed out over projects and homework. :)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
the lion sleeps tonight
week 2 of my 3 week adventure! we ended our homestays early monday morning, and it was a joyous reunion to be back with all the cool kids from the program. we all had pretty hilarious stories to swap about goats and bad food and the like. it was a quick drive to etosha, namibia's infamous game viewing park - its said that the park is as big as the netherlands! on our drive in to our campground alone we saw zebras, elephants, and giraffes! and various other deer-like antelopish things. i was SO excited to see the animals... and took an obnoxious amount of pictures, duh. i find it funny that upon my first zebra sighting i took like 500 pictures just in case we didn't come across anymore... but by the end of the day, the zebras were like squirrels at purdue! everywhere!
we stopped to picnic lunch at a campground built around a watering hole. it was so cool to see all the different animals chillin, coolin down and gettin hydrated. giraffes are hilarious when they drink water, bending over all awkwardly. everytime i saw a giraffe i couldn't help but think of "giraffes can't dance," the best camp story ever (after the giving tree and the skit apache did with all the deaths and the ketchup and the whatnot). (i heart camp pendalouan).
when we actually got to our campground, we were overjoyed to find a swimming pool, clean showers, and lots of free time. honestly, none of us had had a real shower for over a week, so lord knows we welcomed it all with open arms.
the next morning we went on a game drive at sunrise, it was so beautiful - we saw lions! a boy and a girl lion (nala and simba obviously) and they were drinking at a watering hole together. they were really quite sweet looking, and played together and rolled around just like regular cats. i was convinced if i wore my hair down i could approach them as one of their own and make friends, but sadly, my professor's didn't think that was the wisest idea i've ever had.
we had an amazing buffet dinner at the campground with an impressive selection of desserts. it reminded me of the part in jurassic park when the boy and girl get to pig out (but without the velociraptors making a guest appearance).
the next few days in the north were pretty laidback and hot. we went to the border of namibia / angola, which was really cool. crowds of angolans were trying to get into namibia (everything is cheaper here since the angolan economy is kapootz). it was almost like watching minors sneak into a bar; whenever a border post officer would look away, people would literally run in! it was crazy. there were alot of chinese shops on the border (selling goods for way cheap) and i enjoyed having conversations in chinese with some of the shop owners. i miss china!
we met the king of the various african tribes in damara land. i've never met a king before! he wasn't wearing a crown of many jewels or a cape of velvet, so needless to say i was a little disappointed, but it was still cool. we also got to go to a waterpark type resort for an afternoon! the pool tasted like saltwater, but really i was more interested in catching the bunnies hopping around the establishment. although becky's and my's bunny hunt was unsuccessful, it all still made me laugh til tears. bunny bunny! i want one. :)
paz y amore!
we stopped to picnic lunch at a campground built around a watering hole. it was so cool to see all the different animals chillin, coolin down and gettin hydrated. giraffes are hilarious when they drink water, bending over all awkwardly. everytime i saw a giraffe i couldn't help but think of "giraffes can't dance," the best camp story ever (after the giving tree and the skit apache did with all the deaths and the ketchup and the whatnot). (i heart camp pendalouan).
when we actually got to our campground, we were overjoyed to find a swimming pool, clean showers, and lots of free time. honestly, none of us had had a real shower for over a week, so lord knows we welcomed it all with open arms.
the next morning we went on a game drive at sunrise, it was so beautiful - we saw lions! a boy and a girl lion (nala and simba obviously) and they were drinking at a watering hole together. they were really quite sweet looking, and played together and rolled around just like regular cats. i was convinced if i wore my hair down i could approach them as one of their own and make friends, but sadly, my professor's didn't think that was the wisest idea i've ever had.
we had an amazing buffet dinner at the campground with an impressive selection of desserts. it reminded me of the part in jurassic park when the boy and girl get to pig out (but without the velociraptors making a guest appearance).
the next few days in the north were pretty laidback and hot. we went to the border of namibia / angola, which was really cool. crowds of angolans were trying to get into namibia (everything is cheaper here since the angolan economy is kapootz). it was almost like watching minors sneak into a bar; whenever a border post officer would look away, people would literally run in! it was crazy. there were alot of chinese shops on the border (selling goods for way cheap) and i enjoyed having conversations in chinese with some of the shop owners. i miss china!
we met the king of the various african tribes in damara land. i've never met a king before! he wasn't wearing a crown of many jewels or a cape of velvet, so needless to say i was a little disappointed, but it was still cool. we also got to go to a waterpark type resort for an afternoon! the pool tasted like saltwater, but really i was more interested in catching the bunnies hopping around the establishment. although becky's and my's bunny hunt was unsuccessful, it all still made me laugh til tears. bunny bunny! i want one. :)
paz y amore!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
call me farmer freakin !jane
it is hard to sum up all of my experiences from the past few weeks into a simple blog entry, but i will try my darndest to do the best i can.
rural homestay top 10:
10. DREAMS. One of the 50 million potential side effects of my anti-malaria medicine Malorone was messed up dreams/nightmares. I pretty much dreamt about the most random events, including people that I have not seen/thought about for years. I usually woke up laughing. Sometimes crying because 1. it was so dark with no electricity and only 1 candle and 2. because I would dream of deaths or the like. Most of the time it was laughing though. I would recount all of my dreams in detail but I tend to not remember them at all, even though I wake up and remember them initially and pledge to not forget them...
9. VALVUCA AND !OTHEMA. My older sisters. They were a riot. They were such trouble makers together and reminded me alot of Jenny and my's shennanigans. I feel like the resident BA's on the farm. !Othema had alot of attitude and was very outspoken, it was usually really funny! Valvuca was a saving grace because before we met I only had a 15 year old boy on the farm who spoke English. She had a good sense of humor and loved reading trashy magazines. She was awesome.
8. the HOSS. After walking to the watering hole with my older sister Valvuca, we stopped at a little shop to get some cold drinks. There was a precious not quite kitten not quite cat sitting on the floor, and I asked the worker if I could hold it. He picked it up by its face and practically threw it at me!!! I was VERY angry by this. Poor cat! Then my sister said we should take it home, so we did! We kept her! I fed her milk, petted her, loved her. I named her the Hoss because the city we were staying in was called "Khorixas" (pronounced corey-hoss). She was so much fun- then the dogs scared her away and she skidaddled when I wasn't around. Sad state of affairs!
rural homestay top 10:
10. DREAMS. One of the 50 million potential side effects of my anti-malaria medicine Malorone was messed up dreams/nightmares. I pretty much dreamt about the most random events, including people that I have not seen/thought about for years. I usually woke up laughing. Sometimes crying because 1. it was so dark with no electricity and only 1 candle and 2. because I would dream of deaths or the like. Most of the time it was laughing though. I would recount all of my dreams in detail but I tend to not remember them at all, even though I wake up and remember them initially and pledge to not forget them...
9. VALVUCA AND !OTHEMA. My older sisters. They were a riot. They were such trouble makers together and reminded me alot of Jenny and my's shennanigans. I feel like the resident BA's on the farm. !Othema had alot of attitude and was very outspoken, it was usually really funny! Valvuca was a saving grace because before we met I only had a 15 year old boy on the farm who spoke English. She had a good sense of humor and loved reading trashy magazines. She was awesome.
8. the HOSS. After walking to the watering hole with my older sister Valvuca, we stopped at a little shop to get some cold drinks. There was a precious not quite kitten not quite cat sitting on the floor, and I asked the worker if I could hold it. He picked it up by its face and practically threw it at me!!! I was VERY angry by this. Poor cat! Then my sister said we should take it home, so we did! We kept her! I fed her milk, petted her, loved her. I named her the Hoss because the city we were staying in was called "Khorixas" (pronounced corey-hoss). She was so much fun- then the dogs scared her away and she skidaddled when I wasn't around. Sad state of affairs!
7. BRAIDING. I got my hair braided. I looked like a bonafide African woman! (Especially after the donkey cart ride in the high sun, my tan was ridiculous!). Valvuca did it for me, and it took over an hour. Later, Maizy (little sister) changed her hair to match mine. We were quite a pair. I kept my hair like that for 5 days and felt disgusting (my sister said Maizy only changes hers about once a month!)
6. FAT CAKES AND ELEPHANT EARS. Fat cakes are a traditional bread made here in Africa, the best way I can describe it is a condensed elephant ear - very greasy (but delicious) soft bread. Here, instead of being flat like elephant ears, its more of a roll, and the people eat them with EVERYTHING. My Ma was teaching me how to make these fat cakes over the fire, and I decided I needed to introduce them to the glory that is elephant ears (it was very katie keilman of me). I mixed some cinnamon and sugar on a plate and gave them each one, and they loved it! I never saw my Ma smile so big. They continued to make elephant ears for the rest of the time I was there. It was so cool. (It definitely proved a positive of globalization - the exchange of ideas. Even if it was for just a treat.)
5. MAIZY AND ETHAN. My little brother and sister on the farm. They were aged 5 and 7 and were so much fun. We swung from the trees in the yard, threw goat poop in the arm and danced under it, chased the cows and goats. Maizy did not know any English but Ethan knew a little bit, we often practiced writing numbers and letters in the sand. I taught them how to play hot hands and rock, paper, scissors. We had so much fun. I really enjoy the company of children.
4. DONKEY CART RIDE. The only form of transportation that is available in the north for most rural families is a donkey cart. They hitch up 2-3 donkeys, hop in, grab the reins, and go. It makes for a very long trip, I felt so bad for the donkeys because it is so hot out, and the gravel roads cannot be very soft on their feet. We took about a 13 kilometer ride to visit an agricultural school for boys. Thats like 6 miles each way! In the hot afternoon sun. Poor donkeys.
I later got over this pity for the donkeys when they decided to "ee-ah" all night long. I wanted to punch a donkey.
Even so, the donkey cart ride was so cool. I kept thinking along the way, "I wonder what my friends back home are doing," and then I wondered if they ever thought the same about me, and if the thought of me riding in a cart pulled by donkeys ever crossed their minds.
3. FAREWELL PARTY. On the last Sunday of my homestay, the other students from my program who were staying on the same farm and I all got together to prepare a traditional meal over the open fire for all of our families. We all got dressed up for the occasion in authentic handmade Damara/Nama dresses (which made the heat all the more a pleasant experience) including traditional headdresses. We looked very... little house on the prairie. I loved my dress, it was pink with blue and purple flowers on it, and was so thankful because my family decided to give it to me to keep! It is a wonderful souvenir. We cooked chicken and rice and potato salad and all the food was gone before we even got a helping ourselves. It was so much better that way. We even had a church service at our house which was really informal and cool, basically everyone sings and dances in circles and truly enjoys their praise and worship. It was fun!
2. GOATS. I love goats now. Who knew they were such entertaining animals? When I got bored with my family, I usually wandered out to where all the goats hung out, and named them (oftentimes after friends and family from back home). I named my favorite goat of all time FUNNY GOAT because well, he was funny. He would run really really fast and then jump into this rusting bathtub that was randomly in our yard. And then just hang out in the bathtub. It cracked me up. My family slaughtered a goat in my "honor" before I arrived (they didn't make me watch since I am a veggie...) Still, the goat hide was lying around in the yard and the saw that they used to hack off its head hung in the kitchen with dried blood on it. Awesome. But its okay, because I also saw a goat being born when I was there!! So really, its the circle of life (cue first of many references to the Lion King). We had a few baby goats on the farm and they were all very precious, I particularly loved Newborn because I got to see her first steps :)
1. LIFE ON THE FARM. I really loved the low key, laid-back ness of it all. Fall asleep after sunset, wake up at sunrise - work only in the morning and then stop because it gets too hot. It literally was SO hot, a heat only a Trock could love. I loved all the sounds of the farm, the moo's and the cock a doodle doo's and the quiet of the twilight bonfire. The ground covered in different animal prints and different animal poops. Bathing in the animals' water troughs and drinking water from a big tin can (with random things floating in it). Only candle light! It all was very surreal and very slow. I enjoyed it so much. I think I could get down on the farm for a long time.
Hope this summed up my last homestay in a not-too-boring way!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
under the namibian sun
another fantastic weekend. can it get any better?
friday me and 5 of my friends rode out in our combi (van-ish "allibian!" type vehicle) with our driver joe in search of the world's tallest dunes in the namib desert.
the drive in was absolutely stunning. the sun was low and shining on the mountains in all the right places. we saw lots of wild baboons and they scattered up the mountain like spiders. it was so cool!
we decided to set up camp in a game park (makes sense) but we didn't want to pay for an actual campsite, so the side of the road looked pretty promising. (i like to think all the animals were hanging out in our campsite in the middle of the night). after we pitched the tents and made a bonfire, we were lucky enough to see a beautiful sunset over the mountain ranges, and pledged to wake up for the sunrise in the morning.
...
the alarm went off around 5, i think we mozied out of the tents around 6. we didn't exactly see the sunrise as planned, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
we ventured into sossusvlei park, home of the world's largest sand dunes. after driving the 20 km inbetween mounds and mounds of red sand, we had to park the car because the combi lacks the 4 wheel drive. we walked the last 5 km to the main dunes. it was quite a hike. we finally reached our destination and picked a dune to climb. it took us a good 3-4 hours to get to the top at noon (during the high sun. thanks heat). we had a picnic lunch at the peak and enjoyed the sights from up so high. we were surrounded by nothing but sand! literally, the desert. and it was so big! (which is crazy because the sahara is supposed 30x its size!)
we ran down the dune and it took us a good 5 minutes! (thats how flippin tall it was). we ended our jog down in "dead vlei," which is basically a dried up lake from 10s of thousands of years ago. lots of dead trees are in it and its almost like a ghost town. it is so eerie and cool and surrounded by so many sand dunes. it was an awesome sight! (until we tried to climb the trees and got tons of splinters. cool.)
becky and adela decided to pay teh N$60 to get a ride back in a safari vehicle to our car. just as the rest of us cheapies were about to embark on the long 5km walk back........ an angel came in the form of a friendly polish couple who offered us a ride. YES. the stars were aligning. we rode back and saw lots of animals along the way, included gemsbok, antelope, ostriches, and oryx! it all worked out so well. becky and adela even learned from their driver that we climbed the tallest sand dune in sossusvlei! the world's freakin TALLEST sand dune. sup.
we then drove to sesriem canyon, we put our swimsuits on and were all ready to jump into the water and rinse the sand out of hair (or at least try)... little did we remember that it is DRY SEASON. there was not a drop of water in the canyon. why are we blonde? it actually worked out though because we got to climb down into the canyon and creep around in the caves, have close encounters with baboons, and later snuck into a lodge's pool and swam before they kicked us out.
we camped out on the road again, this time in an area that was unfamiliar to all of us (including our driver). we heard jackal's howling in the night. and of course, after me and emily specifically told joe not to put the rain block on our tent so we could look at the stars through the roof, it rained in the middle of the night.
mind you, it has not rained a lick since we got here.
so funny.
after emily jumped out of the tent, grabbed the rain guard, and put it on, it stopped raining.
go figure.
:) this morning we traveled about another hour to a lodge with BIG CATS. we got to get up close and personal with 5 cheetahs, a leopard, and a caracal. i love cats in a way that is borderline obsessive. and these ones were no different! there were 2 wild cheetahs that we could stand about 5-10 ft from, the leopard was too wild to be in the same area as, and the caracal was chillin in a tree when we stopped by. then we had the chance to play, pet, snuggle 3 tame cheetahs- they licked our hands and sucked our thumbs and nuzzled their cute little heads. it was... AWESOME.
photographs: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2001155&l=180a0&id=1166100002
and now a 3 week adventure lies ahead of me. my rural homestay starts on tuesday, which includes a week of no electricity, no toilets, and houses made of dried dung. can't wait to get down on the FARM! :) and week 2 we are traveling to etosha, the infamous game park in the north. hopefully i'll make friends with some giraffes, elephants, and zebras! and then week 3 i am going to victoria falls in zambia/zimbabwe, and to botswana for hopefully hippopotamus sightings.
i'll be back on oct 27. i won't have any access to internet or communication... so talk to you then!
love!
friday me and 5 of my friends rode out in our combi (van-ish "allibian!" type vehicle) with our driver joe in search of the world's tallest dunes in the namib desert.
the drive in was absolutely stunning. the sun was low and shining on the mountains in all the right places. we saw lots of wild baboons and they scattered up the mountain like spiders. it was so cool!
we decided to set up camp in a game park (makes sense) but we didn't want to pay for an actual campsite, so the side of the road looked pretty promising. (i like to think all the animals were hanging out in our campsite in the middle of the night). after we pitched the tents and made a bonfire, we were lucky enough to see a beautiful sunset over the mountain ranges, and pledged to wake up for the sunrise in the morning.
...
the alarm went off around 5, i think we mozied out of the tents around 6. we didn't exactly see the sunrise as planned, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
we ventured into sossusvlei park, home of the world's largest sand dunes. after driving the 20 km inbetween mounds and mounds of red sand, we had to park the car because the combi lacks the 4 wheel drive. we walked the last 5 km to the main dunes. it was quite a hike. we finally reached our destination and picked a dune to climb. it took us a good 3-4 hours to get to the top at noon (during the high sun. thanks heat). we had a picnic lunch at the peak and enjoyed the sights from up so high. we were surrounded by nothing but sand! literally, the desert. and it was so big! (which is crazy because the sahara is supposed 30x its size!)
we ran down the dune and it took us a good 5 minutes! (thats how flippin tall it was). we ended our jog down in "dead vlei," which is basically a dried up lake from 10s of thousands of years ago. lots of dead trees are in it and its almost like a ghost town. it is so eerie and cool and surrounded by so many sand dunes. it was an awesome sight! (until we tried to climb the trees and got tons of splinters. cool.)
becky and adela decided to pay teh N$60 to get a ride back in a safari vehicle to our car. just as the rest of us cheapies were about to embark on the long 5km walk back........ an angel came in the form of a friendly polish couple who offered us a ride. YES. the stars were aligning. we rode back and saw lots of animals along the way, included gemsbok, antelope, ostriches, and oryx! it all worked out so well. becky and adela even learned from their driver that we climbed the tallest sand dune in sossusvlei! the world's freakin TALLEST sand dune. sup.
we then drove to sesriem canyon, we put our swimsuits on and were all ready to jump into the water and rinse the sand out of hair (or at least try)... little did we remember that it is DRY SEASON. there was not a drop of water in the canyon. why are we blonde? it actually worked out though because we got to climb down into the canyon and creep around in the caves, have close encounters with baboons, and later snuck into a lodge's pool and swam before they kicked us out.
we camped out on the road again, this time in an area that was unfamiliar to all of us (including our driver). we heard jackal's howling in the night. and of course, after me and emily specifically told joe not to put the rain block on our tent so we could look at the stars through the roof, it rained in the middle of the night.
mind you, it has not rained a lick since we got here.
so funny.
after emily jumped out of the tent, grabbed the rain guard, and put it on, it stopped raining.
go figure.
:) this morning we traveled about another hour to a lodge with BIG CATS. we got to get up close and personal with 5 cheetahs, a leopard, and a caracal. i love cats in a way that is borderline obsessive. and these ones were no different! there were 2 wild cheetahs that we could stand about 5-10 ft from, the leopard was too wild to be in the same area as, and the caracal was chillin in a tree when we stopped by. then we had the chance to play, pet, snuggle 3 tame cheetahs- they licked our hands and sucked our thumbs and nuzzled their cute little heads. it was... AWESOME.
photographs: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2001155&l=180a0&id=1166100002
and now a 3 week adventure lies ahead of me. my rural homestay starts on tuesday, which includes a week of no electricity, no toilets, and houses made of dried dung. can't wait to get down on the FARM! :) and week 2 we are traveling to etosha, the infamous game park in the north. hopefully i'll make friends with some giraffes, elephants, and zebras! and then week 3 i am going to victoria falls in zambia/zimbabwe, and to botswana for hopefully hippopotamus sightings.
i'll be back on oct 27. i won't have any access to internet or communication... so talk to you then!
love!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
travel bug
i have woken entirely too early. 630 am? i think this is even before i would wake up during my dear old high school days. what has gotten into me!?
this has definitely been a good week thus far, save for the crapload of homework i keep hacking away at. i mean, i guess all my learning can't be "experiential," but come onnn.
sunday evening a boy in our group, jason, had the opportunity to play saxophone at one of the local theaters! it was so cool and jazzy and fun. he had met the band that was playing at a documentary viewing last week, and they offered for him to come and make a special guest appearance when they performed at the warehouse! he learned 6 brand spankin new songs in just two hours of rehearsal - talk about amazing. very lisa simpson of him.
monday i was able to meet with the Windhoek municipality and talk about housing plans. it was really interesting, and she was so hopeful and kind. she was trying to explain to me the government's involvement in the low income housing projects. it kind of frustrated me because the government thinks its okay for 400+ people to share 1 communal water tap and 1 communal toilet, which they don't even install for 2+ years because of the long process to get the plans approved. people here live without these needs turned luxuries for more than 2 years waiting on some signature? i think that is so wrong.
wednesday was just the same. i met with another group of shackers turned house owners and heard their stories. they are so tragic and beautiful at the same time. the settlements are so mind blowing. how can 5 pieces of scrap metal be a home? how can children play in dirt and litter and broken glass with no shoes?
in the afternoon, i was given the amazing opportunity to hang out with orphaned children and take them to the windhoek annual fair. it was all out of pocket, and we limited our spending to 10$ each, but i was willing to spend so much more for this little 7 year old girl. her name was mectilda (took me awhile to figure out how to pronounce that), and i tried to give her a 4 star experience. we looked at the huge livestock, got our faces painted, rode rides, jumped on the moon bounce, played games and won prizes! oh and ate cotton candy in excess. i could not think of a better way to spend the afternoon. i am going to try to volunteer at the orphanage more often (chi omega's- look for an article about this orphanage in the upcoming eulysius magazine!)
last night we attended a poetry slam/spoken word that is held the first wednesday of everymonth at the local cultural arts center. 5 americans from my group performed. danielle is a black woman with a lot of attitude and alot to say - you always want to be on her good side. she had two striking poems, one about the american government's apology for slavery, and the other about the stereotypes of a "ghetto girl." latrease recited her poem about "lyrical tissue," and how she is a phenomenal black woman, and how everything that comes out of her is worth writing down. both of them made it clear that no man is worth ruining their future for. melissa showed us a softer side. john made me laugh, talking about being "lost in katatura." heidi made me homesick for lakes and pine trees and cardinals. everyone did an amazing job, even if the namibians were kind of sore over our ample participation. meh. maybe they just don't speak up enough?
some of the other acts were definitely FLOWS rhymes spits whatever you want to call them, they were awesome... and kind of reminded me of mr. deeds and his greeting cards...
i guess i wish there were easy answers to all of this hate in the world.
go cubs.
this has definitely been a good week thus far, save for the crapload of homework i keep hacking away at. i mean, i guess all my learning can't be "experiential," but come onnn.
sunday evening a boy in our group, jason, had the opportunity to play saxophone at one of the local theaters! it was so cool and jazzy and fun. he had met the band that was playing at a documentary viewing last week, and they offered for him to come and make a special guest appearance when they performed at the warehouse! he learned 6 brand spankin new songs in just two hours of rehearsal - talk about amazing. very lisa simpson of him.
monday i was able to meet with the Windhoek municipality and talk about housing plans. it was really interesting, and she was so hopeful and kind. she was trying to explain to me the government's involvement in the low income housing projects. it kind of frustrated me because the government thinks its okay for 400+ people to share 1 communal water tap and 1 communal toilet, which they don't even install for 2+ years because of the long process to get the plans approved. people here live without these needs turned luxuries for more than 2 years waiting on some signature? i think that is so wrong.
wednesday was just the same. i met with another group of shackers turned house owners and heard their stories. they are so tragic and beautiful at the same time. the settlements are so mind blowing. how can 5 pieces of scrap metal be a home? how can children play in dirt and litter and broken glass with no shoes?
in the afternoon, i was given the amazing opportunity to hang out with orphaned children and take them to the windhoek annual fair. it was all out of pocket, and we limited our spending to 10$ each, but i was willing to spend so much more for this little 7 year old girl. her name was mectilda (took me awhile to figure out how to pronounce that), and i tried to give her a 4 star experience. we looked at the huge livestock, got our faces painted, rode rides, jumped on the moon bounce, played games and won prizes! oh and ate cotton candy in excess. i could not think of a better way to spend the afternoon. i am going to try to volunteer at the orphanage more often (chi omega's- look for an article about this orphanage in the upcoming eulysius magazine!)
last night we attended a poetry slam/spoken word that is held the first wednesday of everymonth at the local cultural arts center. 5 americans from my group performed. danielle is a black woman with a lot of attitude and alot to say - you always want to be on her good side. she had two striking poems, one about the american government's apology for slavery, and the other about the stereotypes of a "ghetto girl." latrease recited her poem about "lyrical tissue," and how she is a phenomenal black woman, and how everything that comes out of her is worth writing down. both of them made it clear that no man is worth ruining their future for. melissa showed us a softer side. john made me laugh, talking about being "lost in katatura." heidi made me homesick for lakes and pine trees and cardinals. everyone did an amazing job, even if the namibians were kind of sore over our ample participation. meh. maybe they just don't speak up enough?
some of the other acts were definitely FLOWS rhymes spits whatever you want to call them, they were awesome... and kind of reminded me of mr. deeds and his greeting cards...
i guess i wish there were easy answers to all of this hate in the world.
go cubs.
world on fire
i decided to post some of my journal entries from class assignments.
i am semi-productive inbetween all of the kayaking with seals and free cell games. :)
Topic: What challenges have you faced through your internship?
Coming into my internship, I was very excited for the opportunity to meet and talk with real Namibians about the lives they lead here. I pictured myself visiting various settlements and low income housing projects around Windhoek, marching right up to some friendly strangers, and engaging in conversation about what they have overcome in their past, the challenges being faced in the present, and their hopes for the future. I was convinced that it was going to be the most enjoyable assignment of my life.
How silly I was to overlook potential obstacles, particularly concerning communication, (the part of the project I felt I had down pact before coming.) As if the general communication gap is not big enough, I am being exposed to people of impoverished histories, people whose right to attend school as children was not met. Their English skills are lacking if not non-existent, and I must use a translator in conversations.
I have only interviewed one group of people thus far, the Indeleni B Savings Scheme of Okahandja Park, and I have already learned so much about the beauty of interacting with humans face to face- the art of raw communication. In this day and age, I would be lying if I said I would love to chat with you in person, or even call you. Not hiding behind text messages, instant message, and e-mails? That idea sounds almost foreign to me. Everywhere I turn the internet is in my face. Online job applications are becoming even another avenue for the utilization of technology. Self check out at major superstores, online banking. The personal bubble of the average American is growing exponentially. It seems to increasingly be the norm to do things holed up in the privacy of your own home, and I have never really been one to notice or understand the detriments this lack of personal communication can have on a society. Then I come here, a place where community is prioritized and beautiful, where a bubble is practically fictional. Suddenly my individual comfort is confronted; I must break down these walls that our increasingly weighted online world has built.
As if improving my basic conversation skills is not enough, I am trying to do it with a culture where English is not the mother tongue. Recognizing the lack of familiar body language and expressions associated with casual conversation in the United States alone has made me fear for the worst- their dislike of me. I have oftentimes gotten a vibe of irritation from the people in regards to my presence; I pray that it is not because of my skin color, or my good intentions (is there such thing?). These people were forced to live in these awful slums because of white people like me, and their decision to promote their imposed superiority.
How wrong I was. The groups that I spoke to did not even want me to leave when I intended to- in fact, they offered for me to stay and share a cold traditional African drink with them. That is the funny thing about communication. It can be interpreted in infinite ways. These unfamiliar stepping grounds I am experiencing are not enough to make me think I am in over my head, but they are enough for me to accept the challenge, and to peruse forward with my head held high.
i am semi-productive inbetween all of the kayaking with seals and free cell games. :)
Topic: What challenges have you faced through your internship?
Coming into my internship, I was very excited for the opportunity to meet and talk with real Namibians about the lives they lead here. I pictured myself visiting various settlements and low income housing projects around Windhoek, marching right up to some friendly strangers, and engaging in conversation about what they have overcome in their past, the challenges being faced in the present, and their hopes for the future. I was convinced that it was going to be the most enjoyable assignment of my life.
How silly I was to overlook potential obstacles, particularly concerning communication, (the part of the project I felt I had down pact before coming.) As if the general communication gap is not big enough, I am being exposed to people of impoverished histories, people whose right to attend school as children was not met. Their English skills are lacking if not non-existent, and I must use a translator in conversations.
I have only interviewed one group of people thus far, the Indeleni B Savings Scheme of Okahandja Park, and I have already learned so much about the beauty of interacting with humans face to face- the art of raw communication. In this day and age, I would be lying if I said I would love to chat with you in person, or even call you. Not hiding behind text messages, instant message, and e-mails? That idea sounds almost foreign to me. Everywhere I turn the internet is in my face. Online job applications are becoming even another avenue for the utilization of technology. Self check out at major superstores, online banking. The personal bubble of the average American is growing exponentially. It seems to increasingly be the norm to do things holed up in the privacy of your own home, and I have never really been one to notice or understand the detriments this lack of personal communication can have on a society. Then I come here, a place where community is prioritized and beautiful, where a bubble is practically fictional. Suddenly my individual comfort is confronted; I must break down these walls that our increasingly weighted online world has built.
As if improving my basic conversation skills is not enough, I am trying to do it with a culture where English is not the mother tongue. Recognizing the lack of familiar body language and expressions associated with casual conversation in the United States alone has made me fear for the worst- their dislike of me. I have oftentimes gotten a vibe of irritation from the people in regards to my presence; I pray that it is not because of my skin color, or my good intentions (is there such thing?). These people were forced to live in these awful slums because of white people like me, and their decision to promote their imposed superiority.
How wrong I was. The groups that I spoke to did not even want me to leave when I intended to- in fact, they offered for me to stay and share a cold traditional African drink with them. That is the funny thing about communication. It can be interpreted in infinite ways. These unfamiliar stepping grounds I am experiencing are not enough to make me think I am in over my head, but they are enough for me to accept the challenge, and to peruse forward with my head held high.
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