Yom Kippur in Namibia

Yesterday after we returned from Swakop we had about 4 hours until Yom Kippur began. Naturally as soon as we arrived I bolted for the washing machine (only about 3 loads fit on the line outside, so you gotta get there before there is no space to dry your clothes) after that I needed to swim because I was so hot and sweaty from the 4 hour bus ride in sweltering heat all smushed together and asleep. Before I even knew what happened it was time for dinner, and then we found out dinner was soup. Well, soup just would not do, not to fill us up for over 24 hours. So, Me lizzy and leigh (the other two jews) decided to go out to eat on a sunday evening in a 95% christian country...clearly that was leading to disappointment. The only place opened was SPUR. Spur is a really tacky tex-mex/american food joint- it's logo is an Indian (Native American) CHIEF in full headdress... the whole place is so cheesy, and a bit gross, and I legitimately freaked out when we realized it was the only place open. I yelled at god... literally. I Said "If I have to eat my freaking dinner here I am going to eat a cheese burger before services!!!!!" and then we turned the corner to find a little cafe that was closed, but the owner offered to open it for us, and the cook reopened the kitchen for us! And they were so sweet and rushed around to feed us before sunset, they were amazing... So, even though eggs and cheese on toast are not ideal for starting the fast, it was better than the alternative. 

Then we went to services, which were the same as always, filled with secular and reform jews in jeans, with two orthodox guys leading, no singing, no kavannah/ruach, but everyone is very sweet and friendly which makes up for it. 

We met this very cool american lady who founded Catholic Aids Action, and does really interesting non-profit work in Namibia. She drove us home in her classic volkswagen BEATLE, with hand painted green and blue swirls all around the border... coolest car EVER and a super interesting woman. She also drove us home today and told us about the revolution she staged at shul where all the women sat downstairs during services, in the mens section, one time. We had an interesting discussion about how to make services more bareable, she told me  to be as defiant as possible and to stage my own revolution... I may just try to get a women's service together to sing carlebach tunes instead of chanting!!!

Now the fast is over, I broke at the shul and again when I came back to the house! I still mss bagels (preferably salt) and lox with cream cheese, but I'll survive.

All my friends here were super supportive and helpful throughout the day, and when I returned from services my roommate made me a card for the new year with candy!!!!! It was so sweet. So, as difficult as it may be to be away for the holidays it was an overall positive experience, and I'm glad I got to see the holidays in another part of the world!

Swakopmund

On Wednesday after internships we drove to swakop- on the west coast of Namibia. It was a LONG drive, like 3 and a half hours! I slept the entire drive with my head in anna's lap, and my feet up in the air against the wall of the bus. By the time we got there it was late so we went straight to dinner at this fancy lighthouse restaurant place, and CGE covered our meals! Then we went to where we were staying, these cute little pink A frame bungalows with 6 people per bungalow (we nicknamed ours the fungalow)! Then on thursday we drove to Walvis Bay which is the main port in Namibia and was ranked the safest port in Africa. We had a speaker explain the economic importance of Walvis Bay, we went to a fish factory and got a tour, and we toured an Export Processing Zone and had a speaker about EPZs. 

Export Processing Zones exist around the world and are also quite controversial. Essentially, in attempts to attract foreign investment and transnational corporations to a country the government will allow for EPZs: this means traditionally that there is a barbed wire/fenced in area that is considered an entity unto itself, apart from the country, therefore the company does not need to pay taxes and can avoid minimum wages. In addition, some EPZs have noted  only been known to be sweatshops, with poor working conditions, low wages, and banned unions, they have also imported foreign workers to EPZs to work for even lower wages. The EPZs in Namibia are not quite the same as the image I had painted. There are no fences or barbed wire, they are EPZs on paper only and not physically separated from the rest of the country. EPZs are all over Namibia, depending on where they get their materials from or where they send their final products. Because of the Harbor there are many EPZs in Walvis Bay. EPZs in Namibia are also forced to hire Namibian workers, so Namibia can benefit from their presence. They are still tax exempt, and there is no minimum wage for EPZs to avoid because Namibia does not have one- however the wages are considered before the EPZ is accepted and allowed to set up shop in Namibia. The EPZs are also Unionized. 

However this is still controversial because these large tax free corporations are saving money in their large scale operations and perhaps preventing local businesses from flourishing. On the other hand they are training locals who have in the past branched off and started their own smaller businesses in the same field. 

So after the discussion about EPZs we went to a granite manufacturer, which was pretty cool and full of beautiful huge slabs of granite (which is essentially tie dyed rock!)

Then we climbed up dune 7 which is 100 Kilometers and insanely steep. 

On Saturday I went paragliding, but the wind only cooperated for a few minutes, so I only got to fly for 45 seconds- but it was really fun while it lasted!

Now it's back to Windhoek for a week before our next trip!

Rosh Hashanah in Namibia

On Friday Saturday and Sunday I attended services at the Windhoek hebrew congregation. Friday night was "packed" between 25-30 women and around 20 men. I got to see the Israeli families I had shabbos dinner with two weeks ago, and exchanged contact information with them. There was a dinner after services and we ate with this cute older couple and their mother who is 85 and quite the character. After dinner they drove us home because they said it was not safe for two beautiful young girls like us to take a cab home. Then they invited us to a braai (BBQ) and told me they would get kosher chops! HaHaHa they were beyond adorable. Then saturday services ended around 12:30 and the lunch after was MEAT. I mean, no kosher brisket or anything, and nothing that compares to grandmas sweet potato pie with marshmallows!! Also, the matzoh balls were hard and sticky, not light and fluffy... pretty disappointing. On Sunday I brought a few of the non-jews I live with to services as well, to hear the shofar and sort of just see what we do. They were quite confused to say the least. Not to mention there were two chabad yeshiva students (not rabbis) there to lead services, which TOTALLY added to the experience!

Also this weekend I went to a braai at this dam outside of the city. It was gorgeous and super fun. Everyone started drinking around 10 AM (not me I was at services!) and basically kept at it into the night (I left after sunset). But, it was really cool, there were tons of people and food and all sorts of random stuff going on in addition to the amazing water/mountain scenery.

At my internship this week we worked on banners to hang up at the windhoek show booth where we will be selling the sewing projects of the women at the shelter. And we dyed towels, which means my hands are crazy bright blue.

Then today I wrote a paper at 6 am, and then went to parliament and took pictures in the prime ministers seat. 

Tomorrow we leave for Swakop, where I'll be para-gliding and sand-boarding !!!

First Full Week Living at the house

So this week was the first week where we had classes and were all living in the house together, and boy was it busy. I had to do a power point presentation in my internship class about my organization, a paper in history class about the urban home stay experience, and I have a paper  due tomorrow on my goals for my internship. 

I wrote my history paper on pre colonial, colonial, and post colonial tribal relations, essentially using German divide and rule tactics and South African apartheid policies to explain on going ethnic tensions, and tribal intolerance. There are several tribes in Namibia, the San, Oshivambo, Herero, Damara, Nama, Tswana, and a few others I can't remember. (As a side note we are learning Damara for our rural home stay, which is a super difficult click language!) So I talked a lot about how my encounters with Namibians of different backgrounds showed a gap in the tolerance and understanding  between people from different tribes. 

 Tomorrow I'll be going in an extra day for my internship because they want to have a meeting with me about helping ad creativity to a craft show they are participating in. After that Synagogue for the entire weekend! Can't wait...

Mural!

Yesterday we returned from our homestays and had a pizza party, went out to celebrate moving back into the house again, and then had a bonfire (where I was lifted up, carried over, and thrown into the pool)! I really enjoyed my homestay and loved the family I stayed with, but I missed all my housemates, and needed to get home to do some (actually very little) work. Then today I had my internship, and my friend and I started the murals we have been designing! I posted the pictures on facebook- Not only do the murals look great, but the kids actually helped us paint them, which was so fun! They really enjoyed it, and it made me so happy to see how excited and creative they were! We did 4 or the 5 murals we had already planned, and have one new mural that my supervisor just asked us to do. I'm very excited to finish the last mural, and see the entire finished garden, and move on to fixing the swing set and building a toy shelf! In other news I have two papers and a presentation due this week, but I've been putting off work thus far and really wish I didn't actually need to start. Plus, every time I try to work another bug flies in to the dungeon (my room, thats what we call it) and the bugs here are HUGE! Like ants on steroids, spiders the size of a silver dollar, mosquitoes the size of your fist! EWWWWW. Anyway that gets to be quite distracting... Clearly I'm roughing it here, living in the great outdoors, sort of not really (my bedroom opens to the outside so all the buggies get in) But the internet situation has proven to be unfortunate, seeing as whenever I try to skype it goes on the fritz. But to be honest, I'm not complaining, I still love the house, my housemates, and my roommate! 

Coming up: I'll be searching for a place to spend Rosh Hashanah, and trying to cope with going to services three days in a row without knowing anyone!!!! HaHa, It'll be an adventure, that's for sure! Wish me luck! 

Homestay in Windhoek

On Thursday I left for my homestay with a family in Windhoek. So far I've been having a great time, both parents work for the government, their daughter is 14 and their son is my age. They are super nice, and have been trying their very best to cook vegetarian food for me. Saturday the son took me all over town. We ran errands in town center, at the mall, then went to a football game (soccer) and then to a 21sy birthday party (still a big deal here, but not the same kind of 21st you are thinking of!) Then we went to the informal settlements to chexk out the bar he just started with a friend. Essentially its amidst a bunch of shacks, and there isn't running water or sanitation or anything. It is made of the same tin roofing material as the shacks but built slightly better, and is just a tiny one room bar. It was cute and nicer than I expected. I was the only woman there, and the only white person too. But I'm actually starting to get more used to that!
Then sunday we all slept in, did some homework, and went backto the CGE house to go swimming and hang out. Another girl brought her host family for a swim so we all hung out. And one of her host brothers is a 7th day adventist, so we talked about that- turns out they go to church on sundays!! He was thrilled when I told him I'm Jewish, and we talked a lot about it.
Then today I have my internship, I had a friend come to help with the mural but there still were no supplies so we just drew rough drafts for the 5 small murals we will do, and then hung out with the kids!

Leaving for the urban homestay

So tuesday we spent the day outside the city, by the gorgeous mountains, which we can see from the city! It was beautiful, and we spent the day playing silly group games and races and doing team building activities. It was super fun until we did the backwards egg races and I fell backwards into a pile of rocks. I was fine at the time, but later on I realized my neck was really hurting. To make a long story short it kept feeling worse so today I went to the doctor. I just pulled a muscle in my back and he gave me anti-inflammatory medicine to make it feel better until it heals. So, thats goods news I guess, nothing too serious other than my own stupidity. 

As for my internship, I went back yesterday and we had a meeting where I had a chance to propose the projects I'm interested in pursuing while I work there. They really appreciate my initiative, and the shelter manager told me I took what was in their hearts and put them into a plan of action. Anyway I so excited! I proposed to fix the swing set, organize all the toys, paint a huge mural in the garden, start composting, and involving clients in the sewing (income generating) projects. For example let kids decorate cloth and then have adults sew place-mats or quilts! Basically I can start with whatever I want and just get moving with it on Monday. So Monday I'm bringing one staff member from the house to consult with the shelter about composting, and I'm bringing another one of the students- he'll be helping me to design the mural and drawing it since I can't draw.

Today was the first day of class- History of racism and resistance in US and Namibia- It was ok, I think it will get more interesting, but to be honest I'm just not in the right mindset for school. And tonight is the start of our homestay in Katatura, which is a township, where we'll be staying for the next ten days! I'll fill you in on the family tomorrow when I get back to the house for class!