Adventures Abroad

We landed in Cape Town when it was dark, but we could already tell that we were going to be experiencing a much different environment than we had been for the past 4 months. For starters, it was downright cold! After living in Nambia’s dry desert climate, Cape Town’s wet, windy ocean breeze chilled us straight to the bones, and continued to do that for the entire week. I wore, on average, two sweaters and a raincoat everywhere I went… definitely looking as unfashionable as possible in a very cosmopolitan and style-conscious city! Another difference was the sheer number of people, cars, and things surrounding us. Cape Town and the surrounding area has a population of 3.5 million, while the entire country of Namibia hovers at about 2 million.

A few highlights of the week included: visiting Robben Island, which is where political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela were housed during apartheid, a trip to Cape Point to see the farthest most south-west tip of the African continent and where the Atlantic and Indian oceans converge, wine-tasting in the fertile Cape winelands, and a brief visit to a penguin colony.

Another fascinating aspect of the week was learning about the “Cape Coloured” identity. When the area was just a colony, the Dutch East India company imported slave labor from the West and East coasts of Africa, as well as Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other South East Asian countries. After generations of intermarriage and intercultural blending, the result is the “coloured population.” During apartheid, they were given slightly more preferential treatment than the black population, but were second class citizens to whites. In the 1970s, the apartheid government razed the neighborhood of “District 6,” which was home to working class coloured people, because it was located in the desirable real estate of the city bowl. They moved the displaced population to an area called Manenberg, which was little more than a swamp land on the other side of Table Mountain. The effects of this move caused strain on families. Parents had a longer commute into the city for work and could not keep as close an eye on their children, and children had no safe places to hang out and play and began creating gangs and turning to drugs. We visited an organization that is working to reverse some of the problems facing the community by improving youth employment. While this provides hope for the future, the fact remains that people are still living in squalid conditions and unsafe neighborhoods, and that the poorest demographics are still largely separated by race, despite the end of legal sanctions enforcing racial segregation.

Overall, Cape Town was an interesting change from our lifestyle in Namibia. Lush parks, a beautiful harbor, fancy restaurants, and an abundance of white people, made us feel like we were perhaps in Montreal or Vancouver, BC. It was also a strange time of feeling as if we were in limbo. We had already had an emotional goodbye to Namibia, and we were carting around all of our possessions and living out of our suitcases. It definitely felt like a time of transition. On May 5th, we began our journey back to the states and after 38 HOURS of travel, I was back on campus at UPS. It’s good to be back!

The last few weeks in Windhoek were spent working on our final projects, trying to bargain for souvenirs, and eating out at restaurants we had always wanted to go to. Our integrative projects were designed to incorporate concepts we had learned in all of our classes by picking a topic and analyzing it from different “lenses,” or class subjects. I chose to focus my research on international trade in Namibia, and specifically the role of the Namibian Ports Authority in Walvis Bay. In February, we visited Namport, and I was still very fascinated about the role and strategic location of this port in attracting investment into the country. I discussed the history of the port tracing its roots all the way back to when the Dutch East India Company used it as a small stop off on the way down to South Africa. I also talked about the political diplomacy issues surrounding the port. When Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1990, South Africa made a concession that they still owned the Port of Walvis Bay, making trade much more profitable for them and much more harmful for Namibia. Since 1994, Namibia has owned the Port and is capitalizing on its location: companies use the port to import products to Zambia, Zimbabwe, the DRC, and Angola, as well as parts of South Africa. I also talked about future development plans– the port’s work with the Namibian universities to build capacity and future leaders, as well as an increase in trade with emerging strong economies such as Brazil, China, and India. All of us presented our projects to all of the staff and a few guests at a fancy conference room downtown, and everyone did a wonderful job. We covered a variety of issues, from land conservancy, to gay rights, to tribalism.
Another highlight from my last week was heading to the outskirts of Windhoek with the Young Achievers for Global Youth Day. They organized an amazing program for kids and adults living in the informal settlement of Kilimanjaro to discuss pertinent issues such as staying in school, having goals and dreams, safe sex and healthy relationships. I was so proud of my Young Achievers friends who organized such an inspiring outreach event. It was so wonderful to see Namibians helping fellow Namibians as well. Often times, outreach events are organized by NGOs that have ties with the European Union or a foreign aid organization. There was something very special about seeing local youth working to empower their peers.
I had some very heart-felt goodbyes with my Katatura host family, my dear fellow intern friend from the Ministry, my friends from Young Achievers, other locals I had met throughout the semester, and the CGE program staff. We cleaned and packed up the whole house and headed to the airport on April 29th. The drive to the airport was nice because we drove all the way across town, giving us the chance to say goodbye to favorite shopping centers, restaurants, and old hangouts.
Culture shock began when we entered the airport in Windhoek. When we landed there in January, I thought it was kind of a small, unimpressive place in the middle of nowhere. When I used the restroom those many months back, I even believe a roach scuttled across my foot. When we arrived this time, we were impressed by how slick and modern everything felt…there was even air-conditioning! The bathrooms felt luxurious because there was: a door that locked, a toilet that flushed, toilet paper, a sink with running water, SOAP, a mirror, and papertowels. Paradise! Usually, we found ourselves with some strange combination of those services, but never all at once!

Last weekend, CGE took us down south for a long weekend to learn about community-based natural resource management and tourism. We stayed at three different campsites for one night each. After driving about an hour out of Windhoek, the landscape changed dramatically. The lush, rolling hills were replaced by a dry, flat desert landscape. The first night, we stayed at a community run campsite that overlooked the very dried out Fish River and, in the distance, the Brukkaros Mountain. They had been given funding by the European Union in order to establish bathrooms and camping facilities. The community cooked us a delicious dinner of lamb, bread, and a variety of salads. We later found out that we were the first visitors to ever stay at their campground! It was quite an honor, and the whole experience was wonderful, with the exception of an infestation of “needle snakes,” who were the size of worms that had a very poisonous bite! The next day, the community leader took us to a nearby natural hot spring and a waterfall, which was quite a treat. If only the campsite had access to better marketing materials so that more tourists could know about this hidden gem!
The second night we stayed at another, more established community run site at the base of the Brukkaros mountain. We met with the community leader who was a school teacher and the former mayor to the nearby village. He arranged for us to climb the 1800 foot mountain with several dozen of his high school students. After a BBQ dinner, some stargazing and a night of sleeping snugly in our tents as a thunderstorm rained down on us, we arose at 6am to conquer the mountain. The trail was rough at times, and definitely involved some clambering over boulders, but after a few hours we all reached the summit. It was worth it. As far as the eye could see in all directions was flat desert landscape untarnished by human settlement. After being physically challenged by the trek up, seeing the stunning view for the first time was a simultaneously refreshing and invigorating experience.
The last campsite we staying at was run by a company that owns a chain of mid-scale lodges throughout the country. Most of the managerial staff there were South African expats. Because they are a well established business, have higher quality amenities (read: reliable tap water and toilet facilities), and can afford to market themselves, they receive about 24,000 tourists a year. The two community run sites we visited were lucky to get 50 people a year. It was a very real way of learning about the challenges and competition that fledgling community run tourist attractions must endure. It was a bit depressing because I greatly preferred the first two campgrounds, they had must more natural beauty and local charm, yet so many travelers do not even know they exist. A highlight of this visit was sampling coconut flavored marshmellows, and making a delish s’more with them!
We all returned to Windhoek on Sunday, a bit smellier, but very pleased to have gotten to experience such a different and distinct part of the country. This week, we finished up our internships and are preparing our final projects. I’m sad to say we only have 10 days left in this beautiful country.

While traveling on spring break, I had a few people tell me that by living in Windhoek, I was not experiencing “real Africa.” And when I returned to Windhoek after living in the North and traveling to a few different countries, I started to internalize that sentiment as well. I started feeling like living here wasn’t challenging or exciting anymore. It is true that many parts of Windhoek are well-developed and westernized and easy to live in. However, I also forgot to give myself credit for how well-adjusted I have become to the differences here. It is not just the fact that Windhoek is a “unAfrican city,” (a snobby and untrue statement) it’s the fact that I have been living in town for three months and have gotten used to various cultural nuances here. It took a solo trip to the mall to fully realize that.
I only had my internship for a half day today, so on my walk home from downtown I decided to do some clothes shopping. Malls are very popular in Windhoek, and on my walk home I pass by two shopping centers. I had planned this out and was looking forward to it because the malls close at 2pm on weekends and are so crowded it is unbearable. Usually only one cash register works at a given store and so even if you manage to try something on, the wait in line is easily a half an hour. Wednesday afternoon was a much more relaxed atmosphere, the only other people around were those shopping on their lunch hour, or a trickle of high school kids out for the day. I visited Mr. Price, Legit, and Jay-Jays, all South African owned stores that offer cute clothes for reasonably cheap. Since it is turning to Fall here, there were a lot of winter coats, boots, and sweaters…it actually does get chilly here! I caught myself humming along to some of the music in the store, it was mostly American music but there were a few Namibian ones thrown in that I knew the words to. While purchasing a very cute dress (for only $16 USD) I was aware that the woman standing behind me was very close, so close that she was leaning on the counter by the register as if we were buddies and she was waiting for me to finish paying so we could leave together! It reminded me that personal space bubbles are much smaller here. I have gotten cut in line a few times because I have not been standing close enough to the person ahead of me to “mark” my space. Leaving the store, like at all stores, I was asked to present my receipt to the guard and she checked my in my bag to make sure the items were accounted for. Upon entering the next store, my bag was taped up so I could not sneak any items into it. As I was walking through the mall to exit, I looked around at the other white people. Now, it is so obvious for me to spot the white Namibians from the tourists. The tourists were not dressed as well, were stopping to look at the souvenir trinket stands, or were clutching their purses. Sometimes I look like a tourist and other days I look like a local. Today, people treated me like a local because I was dressed professionally and I was by myself, not in a herd of American students. I don’t clutch my purse because I rarely keep my money in there, I keep it in my shirt and then take out the amount I need when I am in the dressing room. Oftentimes people assume I am German, the newspaper sellers on the street usually start waving to the German/Afrikaans newspaper when they see me walk by.
On my walk home, I was bombarded by taxi honks…I remember our first week in Windhoek we thought they were honking at us and we were a bit horrified. We quickly realized that they honk when they see any pedestrian because it signals that their cab is available for passengers. Cabs charge by the individual seat, so it is common to share a cab with strangers who happen to be going the same way. After saying “no, thanks” to the cab drivers, I continued my walk home, past the Polytechnic University and down the hill to my house. I had missed lunch and most of it was eaten, so I had a meal of leftovers: pap (porridge made from maize meal, I think), some veggies, and “dessert yogurt” (cherry flavored with chocolate sprinkles).
Tomorrow, we go to the south for a weekend camping trip and a seminar about community based tourism and natural resource development. Should be fun!