To sum up my fall break:
5:30 Friday morning (16 Oct) we left our guesthouse in the North and drove until 1:30 pm (with a stop for picnic lunch) to Osire Refuge Camp. We toured the camp, talked to some teachers, and then those of us who were going to Zambia got dropped off in the town of Otjiwarongo to wait for our bus. Six hours later (10 pm) we got on the bus, and 18 hours later we were in Livingstone, Zambia. We checked into our hostel, which was the nicest and most fun hostel any of us had ever seen, and relaxed, then checked out the Zambian nightlife. Livingstone’s nightlife consisted of a single club – the hottest, most barfight-filled club I have ever seen. The music was good, though, and it was definitely very different than the places to which I go in Windhoek, so I was glad I went.
Sunday we went to Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. It’s dry season, which means the Zambian side has a significantly lower water volume than usual, but that also meant that we could hike out along the edge of the waterfall and literally look down onto the hugest waterfall in the world right below your feet. We had to run away from an attacking baboon, which was slightly less cool, if not any more terrifying.
Monday, I went to Zimbabwe. On the way I had to walk over the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, where all of the area’s bungee jumping is done. I happened to walk by just as a friend of mine was about to jump, so I stopped to watch her. I had also seen some other friends from across the falls the day before. They all swore it was great, but just watching them was enough to convince me I will NEVER do it. From my vantage point I could see what the jumpers could not – how close they were when they swung back up to hitting the underside of the bridge. From there, I continued into Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe side of the falls was INCREDIBLE – universally acknowledged as a better view than the Zambian side. The water was falling so hard that I was getting rained on from across the gorge, and as I got closer to the falls the landscape switched from typical dry season trees to actual rainforest – the mist from the falls is enough to maintain a rainforest year round. After spending a few hours walking around the falls, I went into town, ate some good food, and did some touristy window shopping.
Tuesday and Wednesday morning were dedicated to eating good food and enjoying Livingstone. The town is definitely most hectic and vibrant than Windhoek and is more of what I had expected an African town to be like. Windhoek is very colonial and European, while Livingstone is not. It was fun to explore, and I got some good presents at the craft market, but I definitely think Windhoek is a more relaxing city in which to live every day. Got on the bus at noon on Wednesday, and got back to Windhoek at 8 am Thursday morning.
Classes start again on Monday, but the rest of the week is all about relaxing, making lesson plans, catching up on school work, and going to fun places in Windhoek. Last night I went to a Cameroonian restaurant (delicious) and to karaoke at an Afrikaner pub (strange and hilarious). Today I’m going to the art museum and another art exhibition. Going to enjoy my last few days of freedom before I have to finish the semester.
23 October 2009
18 October 2009
Zambia
Arrived safe and sound, staying in a really cool/surprisingly luxurious hostel. Last night my dinner cost 20,000 kwacha (the local currency)...that equals about 4 dollars. It's crazy having money that's worth 50,000 of something. Today I climbed the lip of Victoria Falls. It's dry season, which means less water, but that makes it possible for people to get right on top of the falls and gives beautiful views of the gorge. It was amazing -- we spent several hours hiking during the hottest part of the day, but I almost didn't notice because everything was so beautiful. Out of internet time but will update more later.
16 October 2009
On my Way to Victoria Falls
My spring break (remember, the seasons are opposite from the Northern Hemisphere) has begun. I am currently in a town north of Windhoek called Otjiwarongo, waiting for a bus to the town of Livingstone, Zambia. Livingstone is the town nearest Victoria Falls. The bus ride is 16 hours there, and 22 back (because I'll be going all the way to Windhoek), so hopefully I'll do some awesome stuff and have a really good time. I'll only be there for about 4 days, and then back to Windhoek for the rest of my spring break, during which I'll be taking a much needed rest.
Two weeks ago, I did a rural homestay about 20 km outside of the town of Khorixas. Some highlights of my 6 days on the farm:
-living in a dung hut
-no electricity, plumbing, or running water
-an outhouse! (a great surprise -- other students weren't so lucky)
-cooking over an open fire
-seeing the Milky Way and more stars than I've ever seen before
-milking cows
-herding goats
-BABIES! Of the human and animal variety (goats, sheep, donkeys, chickens, cows, dogs, etc.)
-practicing DamaraNama (the click language)
-slowing down my pace, enjoying tranquility
After my rural homestay, I spent 2 and a half days in Etosha, the big national park/game reserve, and then on to the north (and a bunch of towns that start with O and are difficult for me to pronounce). A good couple of days. Unfortunately for my mom and others who want pictures, I haven't been taking any. Especially on the rural homestay, and throughout the semester, I have felt like having a camera has prevented me from really seeing, experiencing, and interacting with what's around me. There are 23 other students on this program who are much more attached to their cameras, so I will rely on them to have photos to share. I think the memories I gain from not using a camera will be more valuable than the pictures I could take.
Hope all is well with everyone at home!
Two weeks ago, I did a rural homestay about 20 km outside of the town of Khorixas. Some highlights of my 6 days on the farm:
-living in a dung hut
-no electricity, plumbing, or running water
-an outhouse! (a great surprise -- other students weren't so lucky)
-cooking over an open fire
-seeing the Milky Way and more stars than I've ever seen before
-milking cows
-herding goats
-BABIES! Of the human and animal variety (goats, sheep, donkeys, chickens, cows, dogs, etc.)
-practicing DamaraNama (the click language)
-slowing down my pace, enjoying tranquility
After my rural homestay, I spent 2 and a half days in Etosha, the big national park/game reserve, and then on to the north (and a bunch of towns that start with O and are difficult for me to pronounce). A good couple of days. Unfortunately for my mom and others who want pictures, I haven't been taking any. Especially on the rural homestay, and throughout the semester, I have felt like having a camera has prevented me from really seeing, experiencing, and interacting with what's around me. There are 23 other students on this program who are much more attached to their cameras, so I will rely on them to have photos to share. I think the memories I gain from not using a camera will be more valuable than the pictures I could take.
Hope all is well with everyone at home!
12 October 2009
Just Checking In
At an internet cafe with ridiculously long lines, just wanted to post quickly. Finished the rural homestay, went to Etosha, in the North now and still doing well.
29 September 2009
Swakop and One Africa
I am starting to get into the bulk of the semester, which means travel, schoolwork, and lots of projects for my internship. I’m beginning to miss the first few weeks in Windhoek, where I had the free time to go into the city whenever I wanted. I am definitely learning a lot, though, and starting to understand a lot more of what’s going on in Namibia, so it’s a fair trade.
Last week I travelled to the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. These towns have some of the highest densities of Germans in Namibia. Correspondingly, there is a lot of wealth. Walvis Bay is Namibia’s primary port and one of the economic centers of the country. It was definitely different from being in Windhoek – the towns have really high unemployment rates, but there is a lot more separation of socioeconomic groups, so it’s easy not to notice the poverty.
I had a great time in Swakop. I learned a lot about Namibia’s economy, toured a fish processing factory and uranium mine, and visited some community development programs. On the less academic side, I spent a lot of time on the beach and made my first ever visit(s) to a casino. I also ate a lot of delicious food and met a ton of people from all around Africa and the world.
Back in Windhoek, I’ve been writing papers, listening to speakers, and continuing my literacy program. My internship just keeps getting better. I went to a community outreach for unemployed youth whose vocational training and education my organization is funding. I was so impressed by their stories that I talked to a friend who works for One Africa. Now the youth, my organization, and I are going to be on the news! We should be on tomorrow night. Hopefully I will be able to get a copy of the segment and can post a link on the blog.
I’m especially happy about this news segment because it was something that resulted because of my own initiative and because of the channel on which it will be played. The major tv station here is Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). They are completely funded (and unofficially controlled) by the government and therefore the ruling party, SWAPO. A lot of people express discontent at the censorship that NBC imposes. One Africa was developed as an alternative means of delivering news and as an independent broadcaster. I’m glad to support them and to have their support at my organization.
My computer is currently out of commission and starting on Monday I will be travelling in rural areas for about three weeks, so expect my blog updates to be less regular. I’ll try to keep everyone updated, but for now I’ll give you my tentative schedule. Classes and internship for the rest of the week. On Monday I leave for my rural homestay in Khorixas, where they speak Damara (they speak in CLICKS). My homestay will be on a farm without electricity or toilets, so it’ll probably be both the most difficult and the most fun of my homestays. From there I travel to Etosha National Park – hopefully I’ll see some cool wildlife – and then to different points in the North of the country. I’m not really sure what we’re doing in the North, but I think I may get to go to Angola. Afterwards, I have my spring break. My plans are pretty tentative, but I’m currently planning to go to Gaborone (the capital of Botswana). Then it’s back to Windhoek where I’ll stay for the rest of my time in Namibia, with only a short interruption for a long weekend in the South. Should be good.
Last week I travelled to the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. These towns have some of the highest densities of Germans in Namibia. Correspondingly, there is a lot of wealth. Walvis Bay is Namibia’s primary port and one of the economic centers of the country. It was definitely different from being in Windhoek – the towns have really high unemployment rates, but there is a lot more separation of socioeconomic groups, so it’s easy not to notice the poverty.
I had a great time in Swakop. I learned a lot about Namibia’s economy, toured a fish processing factory and uranium mine, and visited some community development programs. On the less academic side, I spent a lot of time on the beach and made my first ever visit(s) to a casino. I also ate a lot of delicious food and met a ton of people from all around Africa and the world.
Back in Windhoek, I’ve been writing papers, listening to speakers, and continuing my literacy program. My internship just keeps getting better. I went to a community outreach for unemployed youth whose vocational training and education my organization is funding. I was so impressed by their stories that I talked to a friend who works for One Africa. Now the youth, my organization, and I are going to be on the news! We should be on tomorrow night. Hopefully I will be able to get a copy of the segment and can post a link on the blog.
I’m especially happy about this news segment because it was something that resulted because of my own initiative and because of the channel on which it will be played. The major tv station here is Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). They are completely funded (and unofficially controlled) by the government and therefore the ruling party, SWAPO. A lot of people express discontent at the censorship that NBC imposes. One Africa was developed as an alternative means of delivering news and as an independent broadcaster. I’m glad to support them and to have their support at my organization.
My computer is currently out of commission and starting on Monday I will be travelling in rural areas for about three weeks, so expect my blog updates to be less regular. I’ll try to keep everyone updated, but for now I’ll give you my tentative schedule. Classes and internship for the rest of the week. On Monday I leave for my rural homestay in Khorixas, where they speak Damara (they speak in CLICKS). My homestay will be on a farm without electricity or toilets, so it’ll probably be both the most difficult and the most fun of my homestays. From there I travel to Etosha National Park – hopefully I’ll see some cool wildlife – and then to different points in the North of the country. I’m not really sure what we’re doing in the North, but I think I may get to go to Angola. Afterwards, I have my spring break. My plans are pretty tentative, but I’m currently planning to go to Gaborone (the capital of Botswana). Then it’s back to Windhoek where I’ll stay for the rest of my time in Namibia, with only a short interruption for a long weekend in the South. Should be good.
19 September 2009
18 September 2009
Texas Hold 'Em with Afrikaners
OK, I only have a minute to update because I DESPERATELY need a shower (I haven’t been bothering to shower so regularly because I have just been wearing dirty clothes anyway, but my laundry is clean and dry – I’m so excited). I’ve had a good couple of days. A little slower pace than before, which is nice. I’ve finally (mostly) gotten over the flu and cold symptoms I’ve had for the past couple weeks.
So Tuesday morning I had my politics class. We discussed the education system in Namibia. The lack of education is considered by some to be Namibia’s primary obstacle to development, and is a topic I am seriously considering for my senior thesis. After lunch, I had my internship class. We are all doing presentations over the next few weeks about our host organizations, and watching the first presentations gave me some good ideas for my presentation. Tuesday night was pretty quiet at the house – we had our first papers due (2 in my case) so we were all spending the night working.
On Wednesday I had religion class. This is probably going to be my favorite class because it’s so different from my other classes. There are only 12 students with a whole range of religious beliefs. We went to a guest speaker’s house. This man is a retired Lutheran pastor and I think the only way he can be described is as an “old quarterback.” I was unknowingly the honored guest because his oldest child is also named Margaret. The speaker’s hour long talk was not even close to the topic he was supposed to be covering, but I really enjoyed listening to him. He clearly knows a lot and just kept getting distracted by his own ideas. I could have sat on his fluorescent striped couches all day, eating peanuts grown on his farm, listening to him talk. Wednesday afternoon I went to my internship and did some lesson plans for Monday’s class. Wednesday night was a lot of fun. The nightlife here is primarily centered on clubs. That’s not really my scene, since I’m such a terrible dancer. I’ve been going out and I think I have a pretty good grasp on all the clubs in Windhoek (though I’m still working on discovering the Katutura clubs), but I have also wanted a change of pace. On Wednesday I got it…I spent the whole night playing cards with some Afrikaners who had some very...interesting…views on politics and life in Namibia. A totally different viewpoint than those I’ve heard, a viewpoint that most would probably consider offensive, but still something that I’m glad I heard. I am really trying to understand how all different groups of Namibians feel about the current political and economic situation, since I think that will make my ideas a lot more valid.
Thursday was history class, with 2 of the best speakers we’ve had. The first was Paul Helmuth, one of the primary players in Namibia’s liberation struggle. We seem to get really impressive speakers – last week we heard from Professor Karina, who was the Namibian who spoke in front of the UN for independence and an even more important part of the liberation movement. Helmuth was great – we spent twice as much time with him as we were supposed, and he still had so much more to tell us. A theme with our speakers seems to be that they are surprised by our time constraints. There is a definite difference between my sense of time and what is commonly referred to as “African time.” After Helmuth, we heard from the national coordinator of Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS). BWS is an advocacy organization that is seeking recognition from SWAPO (the ruling party) of the torture and illegal detainment that occurred during the liberation struggle. Since we had just heard a very positive account of the liberation struggle, the second speaker provided an enormous contrast as she told us her story of being tortured and detained in a dungeon for three years. This happened because she was falsely accused of being an enemy agent and tortured into confession. She is one of among more than 2000 who faced similar treatment under the hands of SWAPO, and since independence no recognition or reconciliation has occurred. Thursday night was pretty low-key. I watched a movie and sat on the roof looking at the stars.
Today, I am going to hear a speaker from Basic Income Grant (BIG), going to my internship, writing a paper, and going out with some friends to Katutura. Tomorrow I have a big meeting for my internship’s youth economic empowerment project at 8 followed by a braii. Should be a good couple of days.
So Tuesday morning I had my politics class. We discussed the education system in Namibia. The lack of education is considered by some to be Namibia’s primary obstacle to development, and is a topic I am seriously considering for my senior thesis. After lunch, I had my internship class. We are all doing presentations over the next few weeks about our host organizations, and watching the first presentations gave me some good ideas for my presentation. Tuesday night was pretty quiet at the house – we had our first papers due (2 in my case) so we were all spending the night working.
On Wednesday I had religion class. This is probably going to be my favorite class because it’s so different from my other classes. There are only 12 students with a whole range of religious beliefs. We went to a guest speaker’s house. This man is a retired Lutheran pastor and I think the only way he can be described is as an “old quarterback.” I was unknowingly the honored guest because his oldest child is also named Margaret. The speaker’s hour long talk was not even close to the topic he was supposed to be covering, but I really enjoyed listening to him. He clearly knows a lot and just kept getting distracted by his own ideas. I could have sat on his fluorescent striped couches all day, eating peanuts grown on his farm, listening to him talk. Wednesday afternoon I went to my internship and did some lesson plans for Monday’s class. Wednesday night was a lot of fun. The nightlife here is primarily centered on clubs. That’s not really my scene, since I’m such a terrible dancer. I’ve been going out and I think I have a pretty good grasp on all the clubs in Windhoek (though I’m still working on discovering the Katutura clubs), but I have also wanted a change of pace. On Wednesday I got it…I spent the whole night playing cards with some Afrikaners who had some very...interesting…views on politics and life in Namibia. A totally different viewpoint than those I’ve heard, a viewpoint that most would probably consider offensive, but still something that I’m glad I heard. I am really trying to understand how all different groups of Namibians feel about the current political and economic situation, since I think that will make my ideas a lot more valid.
Thursday was history class, with 2 of the best speakers we’ve had. The first was Paul Helmuth, one of the primary players in Namibia’s liberation struggle. We seem to get really impressive speakers – last week we heard from Professor Karina, who was the Namibian who spoke in front of the UN for independence and an even more important part of the liberation movement. Helmuth was great – we spent twice as much time with him as we were supposed, and he still had so much more to tell us. A theme with our speakers seems to be that they are surprised by our time constraints. There is a definite difference between my sense of time and what is commonly referred to as “African time.” After Helmuth, we heard from the national coordinator of Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS). BWS is an advocacy organization that is seeking recognition from SWAPO (the ruling party) of the torture and illegal detainment that occurred during the liberation struggle. Since we had just heard a very positive account of the liberation struggle, the second speaker provided an enormous contrast as she told us her story of being tortured and detained in a dungeon for three years. This happened because she was falsely accused of being an enemy agent and tortured into confession. She is one of among more than 2000 who faced similar treatment under the hands of SWAPO, and since independence no recognition or reconciliation has occurred. Thursday night was pretty low-key. I watched a movie and sat on the roof looking at the stars.
Today, I am going to hear a speaker from Basic Income Grant (BIG), going to my internship, writing a paper, and going out with some friends to Katutura. Tomorrow I have a big meeting for my internship’s youth economic empowerment project at 8 followed by a braii. Should be a good couple of days.
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