The North

After a week at the rural homestay we left to drive further North. We did two days of Game Drives through Etosha- where essentially we drive in our busses through the park and stop a lot to take a million pictures. We saw lions, giraffes, elephants, two rhinos (one was dead), zebras, peacocks, warthogs, water buffalo, basically almost everything.  We even saw a dead giraffe and the lions that had eaten it were resting under a tree right next to it- it was crazy, disgusting, and smelly. While staying in Etosha we also got to visit a snake farm for a short demonstration on poisonous snakes- Then we drove further North, near the Angolan Border. We met with a few non-profit organizations like the red cross, and had a bunch of free time. We also went to visit a Dam on the border of Angola, where we got to hop over the border for a few minutes (I peed in Angola) and then we spent the rest of the morning rock climbing and hanging out at the Dam. We also visited an official border crossing as well, but we didn't have visas so we stayed in Namibia and looked at Angola. While we didn't really do much in the North it was pretty great because we stayed in gorgeous guesthouses with TV and air conditioning-so we were all happy!!! 

On the drive back down we stopped at a refugee camp, which I was very excited about. I requested at the beginning of the semester to arrange a visit for myself and any of my interested classmates to go to a camp, but in the end the director arranged for all of us to visit one in the north. We went to Osire which is a camp predominantly for Angolan refugees, but it also houses refugees from the DRC, Sierra Leone, Liberia etc. In terms of refugee camps it is relatively well established and has been around since the 90's- the school has been around since early 2000. We met with teachers at the school there who are all refugees and they talked to us about their lives there. They told us that being a teacher was one of the few jobs available for refugees within the camp and that refugees are restricted from leaving the camp regularly and can mostly only leave on day permits that can be difficult to obtain frequently. The teachers expressed a general sense of hopelessness about the lack of opportunity in the camps. We were also informed that their food rations had been cut in half and the UNHCR has been talking about shutting down the camp.

I was particularly taken aback by the dis-empowerment that took place by being preventing from making a living and relying solely on handouts from the UN and the government. It was so frustrating to talk to people who want to work and make a living and just have no way of doing so.  As sad as I was from this trip I was really happy that I had the opportunity to see firsthand such a controversial establishment that I have spent so much time learning and caring about.

Rural Homestay

The past three weeks have been so busy I can barely remember where to start... I'll go in order, but three weeks ago feels like a VERY long time since so much has happened. We left for the north and after a delayed start (CGE runs on a different time zone, its late even compared to Africa time...which is even later than Jewish time!) we were dropped off with our homestay families on their farms. They threw me out of the car with a first aid kit, a malaria net, and some food and before I knew what had happened I was alone with a new family, no electricity, or running water, staying for a week with them in their dung hut. Needless to say I was totally freaked out-not to mention the language difference. After four crash courses in Damara (a click language) I felt entirely unprepared for even saying hello nonetheless having a meaningful conversation.But by the end of the week I became fluent enough for
-Hello
-Hi How are you
-I'm good, you?
-Good, thank you!
haha, But to say fluent even for this would be a stretch because Iwould often respond to hello with "I'm fine, and you?" I guess clicklanguages are just not my forte-which isn not surprising considering Spanish is difficult for me. So, anyway life in rural Namibia was quite different than anything I expected. My host family shared their one bedroom hut with me- The mom and youngest son in one cot, me in the other- the other two kids were at school in town all week and did not come home until my last night there.The farm I stayed on is a government (communal) farm, so there were several other farm houses in walking distance that were housing my classmates. Most of the families had vegetable gardens, and livestock and or relatives working in the city. My hosts didn't have livestock on their immediate property but they did have some staying elsewhere on the farm. As for the gardens, those who don't already have them are reluctant to start them because their farm has been frequented by a herd of elephants recently and they have been destroying the gardens as well as property (and killing
people!). This tidbit was kindly shared with me before I ventured out to the "toilet" for the first time (as in before I left to take a walk, hop the fence, and pee in the bush as it is called here).
However, no elephants while I was visiting. Anyway, Life on the Farm: We woke up and started a fire, while water was boiling for tea and coffee I went out back to the tap and washed up. Then we had breakfast sitting around the fire. After breakfast we hung around a bit, then visited with other families on the farm and relatives. One day we got to go milk the cows, another I got to go play with baby goats. Then we would cook lunch over the fire and eat outside. After lunch is nap time til about 4 because it is too hot to think, and its practically too hot to breathe. So we just sit around in the shade and nap (it is also too hot to be inside the house because the roof is tin which makes it hotter) Then after the heat lessens a bit back to hanging out with the others, taking donkey cart rides, and walking around the farm. Then its dinner around the fire again, a bit of chatting til dark, and then to bed around 8- reading by the candle til 9 and going to sleep (or for me: Covering myself in bug spray and wrestling with my mosquito net for hours on end)
Clearly, life on the farm was very different from anything I've ever experienced before. It was much slower and more relaxed. I really had no sense of time at all, everyone just walks over and meets up instead of picking definite times for getting together. I enjoyed having the free time, and had some interesting political discussions with my mostly Herero and Damara hosts about the predominantly Oshivambo government and upcoming elections. It was difficult to adjust to the different pace of life as well as different culture and attitudes towards parenting and care for animals. But in the end I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot!

1 first aid kit, 1 needle set, 1 snake bite kit, and loads of medicine

That is what it takes for me to be ready for 5 days on a farm in rural Northern Namibia. That, and as much clothing as I could possibly fit into my hiking back pack!

In an hour we are driving 5 hours to damaraland, where we will be going separately to stay with families. After a week there we will travel to Etosha Game park, and an environmental center up north, and have several educational lectures for another week. Then after stopping in at a refugee camp (I wonder who was pushing that one...) I'll be headed off to Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Hopefully I can post between now and then- But if not, I'll return the last week in October- And HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tess, and Shira (in chronological order) Love you both and wish I was around to call... but this will have to do.

Can't wait to hear from everyone when I get back, and catch up on everything I missed!