what happened? valpo happened.

this past weekend was spent exploring various campgrounds in southern namibia and studying the different paths and "levels" of development.

friday night we stayed in a state run campground that was perched next to the second largest dam in namibia (its not a myth! there IS water in namibia!). we went exploring with ambitions to swim in the dam but it was pretty impossible to find a way down there - and the water was this awful murky brown color (reminded me of china.. hmmph). however, the trip was not in vain because we discovered these rabbit/rodent like animals that would scurry about every which way. they were pretty cute.

the valpo kids shared a tent, much to everyone else's disgust- hhaha. it actually wasn't so bad, outside of brett farting all night. we played mafia late into the night. the accomodations weren't so bad at all- we actually had campsites and bathroom facilities!

we drove further south on friday to bearsava (for the record, i just typed that word phonetically. i wouldn't google it.) we heard a few speakers concerning sustainable development and ecotourism. we also learned about community run campgrounds and later got to experience it!

southern namibia is home to a unique (and huge) rock formation - it is almost a dormant volcano, but not really- as in there is lava underneath the ground that pushed the land masses up and up. it created this crater in the middle of it that miraculously is covered in vegetation. friday night we stayed at the community run campsite we learned about earlier; it was located next to this mountain. the CRC was a very rustic experience- echos of the rural homestay (thankfully. i never get enough of peeing outside in the wilderness).

friday night my tent was the victim of an AWFUL late night prank. they unhooked all of the latches that kept our tent upheld. so here we are, sleepy eyed grumpy girls fixing our tent in the pitch black of the night, cursing the boys as they're giggling in the bushes. UGH. ugh boots.

saturday we woke up with the sun and hiked up that great beast of a mountain. we saw the valley and the very top! it was beautiful. we were literally surrounded by NOTHING. its strange how small and infinite someone can feel simultaneously.

later in the day we hung out with a local hiv/aids awareness student club. we were to teach them new ways to teach their community about aids. it was strange, mostly because i felt very ill-equipped to teach about aids knowing not nearly enough myself. the students were very receptive and eager to teach us things themselves. it was a lovely afternoon of sharing. the students sang for us and it was so emotional. i wish i could capture that feeling and explain it.

saturday night we stayed in a fancy resort-lodge (as you can see, our accomodations spanned the spectrum). it was a really super nice place, we had a delicious dinner over the fire and an even better conversation during it. recounting old tv shows never gets old, and sharing individual highs and lows is such a great way to grow closer as a group.

saturday night also marked our retaliation. as soon as the boys left to go to the bar, my tentmates and i completed dismantled theres, hid the poles that hold it up in our professor's tent, and kidnapped their sleeping bags and pillows. MWAHAHA.

and so the prank war began.

sunday morning we all lounged by the resort's pool in the hammocks and played in the water- we even choreographed a syncronized swimming show, which may or may not include jason twirling like a ballerina spitting water out of his mouth - i'll leave it up to your imagination :)

back in windhoek. 3 weeks. yikes.