For the past 2 weeks, I have been in Windhoek, Namibia (the capital) at a backpackers hostel for orientation. Each morning and afternoon we have ‘class’ with our field director to discuss the culture of Namibia, take a lesson on the language of the people I will be living with, and tour downtown Windhoek.
The city itself is pretty developed, with a few malls, KFC, hospitals, markets, nice hotels, all over the area. This past Wednesday we went to witness the racial and economic divide that still exists in Namibia. We first visited a former settlement/township called Katutura, which was set up by the Apartheid regime to keep blacks separate from whites. Even though it is 20 years since Namibia gained independence from South Africa, the area has changed very little. Home to a majority of the Windhoek residents with over 120,000 people; the houses consist of tin shacks, little electricity, and little water. We stopped off a local market where I was able to eat meat cooked on a bbq and dried caterpillars (yum). Next we traveled not more than 10 minutes to the hills over-looking the city. Comparatively, this area was mostly all white, had huge mansions, gated communities, nice restaurants, and BMWs, Lexus, and Range Rovers scattering the streets. Pretty shocking that in such a short distance, two very different worlds exist.
At night, we went to a Herero Tribe (a tribe in the North) Restaurant in Katutura. All the volunteers were greeted with goat heads, in which most of us ate the tongue, the skin, the ear, and the eyes (including me!). We ended dinner by drinking a traditional drink, aka sour milk and dancing with people at the restaurant.
On Friday, with the start of the World Cup, a few volunteers and I went to the mall to pick up some last minute items. Everyone was blowing horns, painted in South African colors, and music was blasting. Later in the day we went to a local bar to watch the Mexico v. South Africa game. Watching it with South Africans, Namibians, and other foreigners was unbelievable. The enthusiasm is contagious. The next night we went to another traditional restaurant, with food consisting of porridge, caterpillars, chicken, and spinach. Even this tiny restaurant set up a projector to watch the USA vs. England game. Amazing!
Now I am awaiting the next part of my journey. I will depart on Tuesday morning for Divundu, Namibia, a 12 hour car ride north of Windhoek. This will be my home for the next six months, as I will be teaching English class at Divundu Combined School to multiple grades. I will be living right on the Okavango River, which separates Namibia and Angola, O, and by the way, it is FILLED with hippos and crocodiles. The closest ‘big’ town is 2 hours away and Victoria Falls (one of the world’s seven wonders), is a 7 hour car ride. So, basically…I am far far away from everything. But, I am looking forward to this experience very much, and can’t wait to share it with all of you.
NEXT STOP: Divundu, Namibia
Keep me updated on all of your lives- skarrel10@gmail.com
-Scott
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