Change Has Come

The word ‘change’ now seems somewhat of a cliché post-2008 Obamamania election, but it is a word that I think really defines my time here in Namibia. As most of you know, I volunteered in central Swaziland in 2007, and now 3 years later I have returned and I am currently sitting in the same room that I occupied at that time in the Ezulwini Valley in the central region. I chose to revisit the Kingdom of Swaziland for my final travels because it represents the turn-around that has occurred in my life and the ultimate reason that brought me back to Africa. Swaziland taught me that yes, change can happen, but what is needed is constant determination, constant perseverance, and constant patience to see it through. In 2007, I did not possess those fundamental elements and I ended leaving this country with regret.
I chose to go to Namibia not because I was delaying my career or I was running away from life, but to try and finish what I started- making a difference. With the genuine support from friends back home, the continuous confidence boosts from family, and the will power to see something through to the end, I can finally say with great happiness that change has come to Divundu, Namibia. On Wednesday, I left the village that I now call my second home, weary eyed, haggard, and exhausted, but also joyful. My final exit took place in the brand new Divundu Combined School Library, complete with 2 brand new computers, new bookshelves, new tables, new chairs, new couches, new bulletin boards, new paint, new books, new whiteboards, new dictionaries, a new DVD player, a new fax machine, a new printer, and a new digital camera, but more importantly a new spirit. A spirit that only existed when they watched tv or saw pictures of schools in Windhoek. Change happened all over Divundu. Change happened for all the donors who now have a connection to people thousands of miles away from home. Change happened for all the possibilities that could be used with the library. Change happened with the new found hope for the school. Change happened for a local entrepreneur who will now be teaching computers at the school. Change happened to people I know back home, who never knew about Namibia, but now can name some facts. Most significant though, is that change DID happen. I left Divundu proud and honored that I could be a part of such a transformation. It was not a one-man act, it was a joint contribution scaling 2 continents.
Besides the physical change, there was one thing I hoped to achieve on a more physiological scale. Since the beginning of my stay, the color of my skin was addressed at every possible moment of the day. Whether it was people calling me Mukuwa (white man), people staring at my skin turn red in the sun, people telling me the difference between a white mentality and a black mentality, people addressing my wealth because I am white, people confiding in me that they want to be white, or people pointing out the actual physical differences between a white man and a black man. I knew I could never solve any racial prejudgments, but I thought I could try. I did my best to break every stereotype- walking into the bush where some have never interacted with a white person, eating local food whenever I had the chance to show that my stomach can handle it (even if it couldn’t later in the night), danced at the local shebeen when most white people go to their own bar and most black people go to their own bar, and learned the Thimubusku language to prove that a white man can learn a local language (many of the elders didn’t think it was actually capable for my tongue or my mouth to learn it). At my goodbye party, I went around the room reiterating that there is no difference what-so-ever between a black person and a white person. While I don’t think I convinced everyone, I do believe that a slight change happened in the mentality of some of my colleagues- that all white people are not the same or all black people are not the same.
Finally, change also happened for me. My friends and family know that I went into this experience nervous, reluctant, and scared that I would regret going for six months. I leave now more confident than ever that I made the greatest decision I have ever made. I left Namibia, attached to a small community of wonderful people for the rest of my life and the clear accomplishments that were made.

I will finish this with my favorite quote and a quote that we painted in the new library:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”

Cheers,

Scott