'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again

So the last couple of weeks spent in Windhoek have been full of home work and assignments, but of course you have to celebrate your last little bit of time anywhere in the world and we are doin’ it up in style!

Last Thursday we went out to NICE, Namibia Institute for Culinay Education, a fancy schmancy restaurant. Since, it’s towards the end of the trip and I’m a bit broke I only got desert but it was delicious! I got profiteroles which were like eating a chocolate ice cream dream! Then we went to a bar called Dylan’s for karaoke! We had the most fun here, despite the slightly racist Afrikaaner vibe you can catch from the place. We sang Lady Marmalade, Benny and the Jets and so many more! We sang pretty much everyone else’s song too!

This past week has been our last week of classes and I’ve been excited and nervous to see them wrap up. This Friday was the last class I will ever have as a junior! It’s so exciting to enter senior year but nauseatingly scary to think about graduating and entering the ‘real world’!

On Wednesday for religion class we met up with Selma Sheavali who is a representative of the Council of Churches in Namibia. She showed us the office and the Diakonia in the City organization that funds and created some of the projects we saw that day. Then we journeyed into the informal settlements to see the two pre-schools that DIC helped create. The children there were very excited to see Selma, and sang “Grandma!” as she approached, which is a sign of respect and affection. They were so cute and sang for us! At the schools there is also a staff present that bakes bread and sells it in the informal settlements, where they cannot easily find bread otherwise. This project came out of community villages, which is what DIC set up with community members to identify their own needs and look at sustainable ways to meet them. The bread sales currently employ Namibians and sustain the school, which is crucial since the unemployment rate is between 30 and 50% here. Many of the DIC staff members studied community development in Dubuque, Iowa. After hearing the staff talk about the program and seeing the work done in the informal settlements I am very interested in this program for grad school, years down the line. I plan on making money! ; ) (Sarcasm, in case you didn’t get it.)

Thursday, we got let out of class early and ran off to the Namibian Art Museum. It was great to see Namibian art! There was a wide array of mediums from tapestry to etching to paintings to pottery and clay work. It was also very exciting because all of the work was done by Namibians and some was done by Namibian art students from Katutura. We were also allowed to buy this art, right off the walls! I bought TWO tapestries for under N$200! Normally I don’t talk cash but I want to explain to you, reader, that this was quite a steal. Most tapestries range from N$400-700 for just one! These two may have been my favorite buys for the whole trip! They are SO beautiful!

Anyway then we came back home for lunch just to jump in a cab to Northern Industrial to go on a tour of Namibia Breweries Limited. The brewery brews Tafel Lager, Windhoek Draught, Lager and Special, Club Shandy and Heineken, and only the last beer is not a Namibian beer! It was fun to see how the hops and barley was processed, stored, bottled and distributed. The brewery was founded 90 years ago, and is celebrating 90 years of brewing Namibian beer and 20 years of Namibian independence! At the end of the tour we got to have one on the brewery. I had a Club Shandy, which is a mix of beer and lemonade. I love sweet drinks!

That evening I went to the last Management Committee meeting for my internship at Friendly Haven. They said goodbye to me and thanked me for my good work ethic and cheerful and positive attitude. It meant so much to me as they all gave their input on my work and said their goodbyes. They wished me well and were so supportive of my future. I hope to see Friendly Haven be a sustainable shelter for women within the next couple of years, as it is their biggest and most important goal. My experience there has been an invaluable one and I hope to learn even more in the future, especially this summer at my internship in downtown Indianapolis with College Mentors for Kids.

Our last day of class, Friday, we went to Habitat Research and Development Centre, which is a government project that researches alternative sources of energy and waste removal. This centre was very innovative. Almost everything they used to build the architectural wonder was recycled materials such as tyres (as they spell it here), scrap metals, plastic, bags of soil, hay and styrofoam covered in plaster and even used fire extinguishers! They experimented with a lot of different building materials. They also use toilets that dry out the waste and only then need to e removed every 5 to 6 years. A fan that the wind blows eliminates the smell. It is truly ingenious! They use solar panels for all their energy needs and export energy to the municipality. They also have solar cookers that they sell in the north and a biogas project that collects human excrement and turns it into methane gas that people can cook with. The challenge of the biogas project is that it requires more waste than a single family can produce. Other challenges are that solar panels and energy is very expensive at first, and becomes economically viable after fifteen years which is difficult for Namibians to afford but is by far the most efficient ways to provide energy in sunny Namibia. They also lack funding for a lot of things because the government believes it should be sustainable after time and it decreases its funding each year.

We finished our class there. During reflection a lot was brought up. Namibia is very interesting and complex, in ways I never could have known before coming here. I’m sure I have so much more to learn, even though my time is up. I’ve also come to understand development on a deeper and more complex level. It’s a very challenging thing and every project, initiative or campaign must be questioned and carefully examined.

On a lighter note, that night we were invited by Imam Shafi, the imam at the Islamic Cultural Centre, to a Muslim dinner. The Imam and his colleagues were very hospitable. We ate delicious Muslim food and questioned the Imam about issues in the Islamic world, the Islamic Center, and Islam in Namibia. The imam was a very dynamic, charismatic and fun-loving leader. I learned quite about Islam that night.

I feel so many different emotions related to the rest of my time here and the adventure that presents itself in front of me when I come home. I’m so excited to come home and see the faces of those I love so much! Excited to start a new adventure, with a new internship and my last summer as an undergraduate in college. Scared to begin senior year and the “real” world. Sad to leave behind this beautiful country I have come to know, like the back of my hand, and the people that made this trip worthwhile. Poised on the tip of the edge, ready for the next adventure to start.

Trip to the South 2.0

Our trip to the south 2.0 was focused on environmentally sustainable development. We first drove to a lodge by Hardap Dam in Mariental. We set up camp and had a delicious meal by the fire. The next morning we had class outside in the hot morning sun. Southern Namibia is very hot! By 10 a.m. you are burning up! On our way into Mariental we stopped to see Hardap Dam which was beautiful!

One thing I will miss so much about this country is the beautiful scenery. The nature here is so extreme, varying and breath-taking. The dam water was a solid bright green and on the other side of the dam pelicans lazed about, on slightly clearer water. The most beautiful aspects of southern Namibia are the mountains. Browns and golds that jut out of the rocky land.

Next we went to Brukkaros Community Campsite and set up camp in the blazing hot sun of the afternoon! Then we listened to Petrus Fleermuys talk to us about Berseba, the small town that ran the campsite. It is a very small town that is looking to use Brukkaros Mountain to increase tourism to the campsite.

That evening at the campsite we explored the beautiful rocky terrain. Andy and I walked through a dry river bed. The stones were smooth and terra-cotta colored. It got so deep you might think the river bed could swallow you whole, at certain points. It was amazing! We walked back as the sun set, which is one of the most beautiful things to witness in Namibia.

For dinner Friday night we had mac’n cheese, spinach feta cranberry salad and for desert banana boats, which are DELICIOUS!

The next morning we woke up early to explore the mountain. The walk up was tough but so worth it! The scenery was incredible. Although it was slightly dangerous I was proud of how far I got up the mountain, which was not all the way. The natural scenery of the south is ineffable.

We came back down the mountain, struck our camp and met up with a youth group in Berseba to plant trees at the camp site. The kids were very talented and kind high school students. They sang many songs for us and sounded fantastic! They could harmonize like no one’s business! It was an incredible time!

Then we went to their school where we had lunch together, after a musical exchange! After lunch we left our friends in Berseba for the last leg of our trip in Mariental.

We arrived at Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge and set up camp, again! That night for dinner we ate chili buy the boat load, along with fruit and cheese as an appetizer and s’mores for desert! There are some excellent chefs amongst our bunch!

The next morning, Sunday, April 11, a representative of from the lodge came to talk to us about the lodge. He said that the lodge was part of a bigger enterprise that has several lodges all over Namibia. Their philosophy is based on the African pot that has three legs. One leg stands for financial viability, another for community involvement and responsibility and a third for environmental responsibility. He said that the company looks at all three of these aspects and look to enrich Namibia. He presented a strong argument for his company and made our eyes light up with love for the tourism industry and the Namibian life.

Later we reflected on our whole trip and I thought about, and discussed, privilege. The man from the lodge ran a private company and was a white Namibian which undoubtedly made him very privileged. Upon comparing the community-run campsite with the lodge, these two were night and day. The community-run campsite offered us a latrine and a couple of patches of shade while the lodge offered soft sand, fully functional bathrooms with showers, a kitchen, stoves and a fire pit. Development is not always what it seems and the lodge company’s efforts are not always socially responsible, especially when it comes into conflict with being economically viable. It’s also crucial to examine where the money comes from, how it can be used and how it is inevitably linked back to apartheid and post-apartheid white privilege.

After reflection and lunch we went into the city to talk to Catherine Boois, who works at the Mariental Municipality. She spoke to us about the challenges the city faces, as it sometimes floods (which is hard to imagine in the dry south!) and their attempts at increasing cultural tourism as people stop going to and from South Africa and Windhoek.

We arrived at our home in Windhoek in the afternoon. I lamented over this being our last trip CGE would take us on before Cape Town which is our last stop on our journey home. Although it is our last CGE trip in Namibia I am squeezing in a third and final trip to the south with my sister Britt!

A Weekend Adventure in Fish River Canyon and Sossusvlei

So to celebrate Easter in style we decided to take a trip to the south to see Fish River Canyon and Sossusvlei and the world famous dunes and mountains there. We hopped in a van we rented from CGE, or more like squeezed as it was very tight.

The drive down was very long, but so beautiful. We saw mountains and rock outcroppings that brought me to a reflective state. It was so beautiful and amazing, it makes it hard for me to believe, writing now, that we will have to leave this incredible country. We also got to watch the sunset in this beautiful natural setting. Unfortunately this also meant night driving, which I came to find out it one of the most dangerous things a traveler can do in Africa.

In the south it is completely pitch black dark. Because of this the night obviously brings with it cooler temperatures. With these lower temperatures comes animals. They are not active during the day because it is too hot. Days in southern Namibia are very hot so the animals wait until night to come out. We hit and killed an impala! The van managed to be fine, with no damage. We saw a lot of animals. The scariest was a gemsbok. To hit a gemsbok would mean certain death for those sitting up front. It was very scary. Somehow though, we managed to make it safely to Ai-Aii. This campsite and national park was pretty nice, with a bar and restaurant, and taps to fill up on water.

The next morning we headed out for Fish River Canyon. Once we arrived we got to see the depth and breadth of this amazing canyon! It is the second largest canyon in the world! There was a small amount of water at the bottom! It was so beautiful!

Then we were off again for another long day in the van and a dangerous bout of night-driving. We arrived in one piece, without having hit any animals! We camped outside the national park that held Dune 45 and other dunes. In the morning we got up and headed for Dune 45. This dune was amazing! I absolutely loved it! It differed from Dune 7 in that the sand was ed and there were many more dunes and mountains surrounding the area. We climbed it in the morning and celebrated Easter atop a famous Namibian dune!

We got back into the van and drove home! Although there had been many challenges to our long weekend it ended up being one that was well worth the trouble. The sheer beauty this country encompasses never ceases to amaze me.

Passover in Namibia: Who Knew?

Wednesday, March 31st I celebrated Passover in Namibia! I was feeling a bit blue not celebrating with my family when the opportunity arose to celebrate here! A few other CGE students and I went to the only synagogue in Namibia, which just so happens to be a ten minute walk from our house! It still amazes me that this synagogue exists considering more than 95% of the Namibian population is Christian.

Although the temple is orthodox and my family is reform I had a wonderful time. We had a service. The men and women were separated, which was new for me. The service was done entirely in Hebrew, so I couldn’t get too much from it. We met a nice Israeli couple that were in Namibia studying biology. They helped us navigate through the service and dinner. There was also a rabbi from Pennsylvania there. He must have sensed our relative inexperience and walked us through the dinner.

It was so nice to read the Haggadah under the Namibian night sky! I was reminded of my family and the time we spent together every year at Passover. I also learned some new things about Passover which I Had not known before.

Most of all, the food made me so happy! I got to have all the good Jewish food, such as matzoh and gifilte fish! It made me so glad to celebrate this important holiday. It was a night to remember!

Also did you know that the first grave of a European in Namibia, is in Swakopmund, of a Jewish lady who was stolen by Europeans and forced into prostitution. Late she became the Madame of the brothel!

Spring Break on the Skeleton Coast

Upon our arrival to our home in Windhoek West we all collapsed with exhaustion, after making a mad dash to the washing machine to wash our deplorably dirty clothes. As hectic as our night was I was so excited to begin our adventure on the coast.

We headed out for Swakopmund early in the morning on Saturday March 20th. Although our bus stopped on the side of the road for no apparent reason, we arrived safely, though somewhat late. We rented a car from a nice couple who own a 4x4 car rental and dealership. Got groceries for the trip, a quick lunch and then we were off!

It took some getting used to but Anna proved to be a pro on our first day of driving, especially since it was her first time driving on the right side of the road! The drive was a long but exciting one. We got to see a preview of what we would see once inside the park of the beautiful sand dunes that stretched for miles on one side of us and the Southern Atlantic Ocean on the other side. We also saw a big shipwreck of a boat called the Zela, before getting to Mile 108. Finally we arrived at our campsite, Mile 108 outside of the park, just in time to see the amazing sunset over the ocean. Then we set up camp and ate a delicious stir fry meal cooked over an open fire. It is very cold and windy, so Anna and I huddled by the fire and had a moonlit chat. Then we went to bed and the sound of the ocean lulled me to sleep. I have never slept so soundly while camping!

We got up early enough to watch the sunrise over the sand dunes, which was beautiful. We set out early the next morning for the Skeleton Coast National Park. We arrived and spent a day in the park driving up from the entrance to Terrace Bay, which is the farthest point north that one can drive. After that you can only fly!

Words cannot even begin to describe the beauty, eeriness and vast expanse that is the Skeleton Coast. But I can make an attempt anyway!

Before we entered we had to buy a permit at the office which was full of animal bones! Then we took a picture in front of the gate which had a skull and cross bones on it, quite fitting for the rest of the park! Once we entered we passed through a river delta. You might assume that there was a lot of water, what with it being a river delta and all, but there was no water, only a lot of strange-looking low-lying green plants. We drove for more or less three hours, one way, and saw one shipwreck and many beautiful natural sights.

We drove past another river delta. They seemed to be the only places where life could be sustained. And we did see life as Springbok jumped by us!

We saw a lagoon that supported a flock of birds. They lived on it despite its close proximity to the ocean! It was green and beautiful. I also spotted some interesting animal tracks, possibly a sand lions?

We spotted a lone gemsbok, herds of springbok and birds. At one point we found the carcass of an animal and large tracks in the sand. We thought we might have been close to a brush up against a sand lion. Although we didn’t see any rhinos, lions and elephants live up there, as well.

We drove past the Salt Plains which were eerie and white. The wind blew the salt and sand giving it a silent beauty and awe.

There were small clumps of vegetation clinging to the sand for defense against the harsh wind. These little clumps were so odd looking they could have walked right out of Dr. Suess’ works!

There were large rocks and small sand dunes that reminded me of elephants. Lumpy elephants lying in the sand.

The large sand dunes to the east were so beautiful. And the ocean to the west took on calm blues and greens and angry whites and grays.

We stopped to visit an abandoned oil rig. This was by far the eeriest site on the coast. Remnants of civilization, daily chipped away by the strong sandy wind.

Amidst all this it must be noted that the weather grew progressively angrier and angrier. The wind became colder and more intense as we traveled further north.

I tried to imagine what it might be like to live out there, or even work. It must be a demanding, lonely, simple and isolated life. So few people are up there. We might have been the only group of people not fishing! Another strange thing we encountered outside of the park were small tables that stretched for at least a half mile, along the road. We finally stopped to investigate and found chunks of pink salt rocks, signs with prices for the small and medium sizes and jars in which to pay for the sand. We bought some and marveled at how someone could live out here and sell salt on the honor basis!

No words or photos can fully describe the experience that is the Skeleton Coast. The trip was surreal. Much like being underwater you feel like you’ve left planet Earth for a new strange and beautiful planet.

At Terrace Bay we encountered civilization again! After so long of the four of us in our little bubble this was indeed a little strange. It’s a small outcropping for fishermen. On our way back down we saw the shipwreck Wilson, just outside of the park and sang songs all the way home.

One of the things I’m proudest to say about my spring break 2010 was that I learned how to drive stick shift! It was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be and the park is a perfect place to learn since there is no one, or nothing to hit!

Upon our arrival to Mile 108 we found our tent on its side with rocks on it. It seems the wind had blown it over and other campers had brought it back and weighed it down with rocks. Since the earth was too hard we ended up tying the tent to 2 poles and the back of the truck! It was pretty funny looking!

The next morning March 22nd, we got up very early and drove to Dune 7. We had breakfast at the bottom of the dune and then climbed it. Climbing the dune in the morning was amazing! There was no sand blowing in the wind yet and it was cool. Anna and I sat upon the top of the ever changing Dune 7 and talked about life. How relaxing!
Then we drove into Swakopmund and grabbed lunch before saying goodbye to Nick, who had to go back to work the next day. Then we checked in at Desert Sky Lodge (if anyone is in Swakopmund I absolutely recommend this place, cheap and VERY nice!). Anna and I explored the city and then came back and we all ate a home cooked dinner.

Anna and I met up with three other girls from CGE spending their spring break in Swakopmund and we saw “An Education”, which I also recommend.

March 23rd we met a friend of Jenna’s who lives in Swakopmund and is from the U.S. Marcia, is such a great lady and we had the best time at Village Café! It is always interesting to hear an Americans perspective on living and working in Namibia. These breakfasts with Marcia became a tradition for the rest of our time in Swakopmund.

We shopped and bummed out on the beach, which was relaxing and fun. We had dinner at the Grapevine which was heavenly!

Then we jumped back on a bus to Windhoek and relaxed there, until spring break was over and it was time to get back to the grind.

Etosha: The Heart of Sub-Saharan African Wildlife

Upon leaving Opuwo and the Himba we set off for Namibia’s largest national park, Etosha! Within five minutes of entering the park we saw zebras and ostriches! We went on two afternoon game drives and a morning game drive during our time in Etosha. It was amazing! We saw so many giraffes! And often they were very close to the road or to our van even! We saw many many zebras and their calves. We saw some birds, like the Lorrie bird, which we were informed by our tour guide is a “go away” bird. It is black and blue. We saw many springbok, gemsbok and blue wildebeest! It’s fun to watch the springbok jump away, you can understand the origin of their name! We also saw jackals and hyenas! We also saw oryx, kudu and a small fox type of animal.

It was so incredible! In something that resembled a zoo we saw snakes, including the cobra, the python and the Black Mamba snake. All are highly poisonous and indigenous to Etosha.

Words cannot describe how incredible this experience was! For me it was the highlight of the north and one of my favorite national parks, out of all the ones I have seen here in Namibia.

We stayed at bungalows and ate our meals there. Our first night we had dinner at a lodge in Etosha, called Namutoni. It was one of the most delicious buffets I have ever eaten at! Namutoni is a nice lodge that reminds me of a castle in the middle of this African wonderland. It’s big, with white walls and a great look out to catch the sunset or animals visiting the water hole. Also there are many of these small mongooses that just run around outside of the entrance. They are very cute and remind me of squirrels.

The highlight of Etosha was when we got to see a rhinoceros! It was so amazing! And I’m proud to say that I was the first one to spot him!

Sadly we couldn’t spend more time in Etosha and we headed back to Windhoek for spring break. With the departure from Etosha I began a new adventure to another national park, called Skeleton Coast Park. To be continued…

Two days in Opuwo

We arrived in Opuwo in the afternoon. We stayed at a nice hotel and got to shower! Which I was a bit excited about, I must admit! We had a delicious dinner at our hotel by the pool.

Monday, March 15th we visited a Mobile School. These are government schools that migrate with the people that migrate for cattle and such. They teach their kids in schools underneath the shade of a tree and in a big tent. The teachers live in tents. Many of the kids have no school supplies and write on a broken table on the floor, or on their knees under the tree. It’s a very interesting concept, a school that travels with its students! Most of the students are Himba and some are Demba, indigenous groups in the region.

Then we left for our camp site which was on the Himba’s land. The Himba are indigenous people who have kept their traditional ways. They showed us how they live. Cattle are an essential part of their lives, as well as the family. All that the Himba women wear symbolizes things about their families, like how old they are, how many children they have, and whether or not their father is alive. They also have a Holy Fire which the man must always tend to. It’s very sacred and all important events happen at the fire. No woman is allowed to touch it, unless she has not come of age, which is when she menstruates. The Himba women use okra and cow butter to spread on their skin to protect them from the sun. It gives them a reddish hue. They also braid their hair and then put clay over it to keep them cool. At the end of our presentation the women made a large circle and sold tourist goods to us. It was very intense as the women competed quite energetically to sell their goods. It was fun but pretty high pressure to buy!

That night we camped out under the stars. Unfortunately we did so with the donkeys, cows and dogs who were quite noisy, all night long.

The next morning Tuesday, March 16 we listened to representatives of Medicos del Mundo talk about their work in Namibia. They mostly focus on HIV/AIDS, but also tuberculosis and other diseases in the country. Then we visited the Red Cross and spoke to a Peace Corp volunteer who worked there. He ran a project that partnered with BEN, Bicycle Empowerment Network, which provides people with transportation. His honesty was greatly appreciated and he seemed to be doing good work in Opuwo.

Then Maggie, Kristin, Kate and I went back to the mobile school we had visited and gave the school balls and jump ropes to play with. We had SO much fun! We played soccer, hand ball, volley ball and danced and sang.

We returned to our camp site exhausted from our afternoon with the children in the hot sun. That night, around our fire we told scary ghost stories! It was so fun!

The next morning we packed up and headed off to Etosha National Park!