Sunday, May 27, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Pictures!!
I said my goodbyes to namibia, and it was quite emotional... yet I am hopeful that I will be seeing Namibia again, one day.
These pictures are a bit random, but I wanted to show you a few of the things I've been seeing!
I am now in Cape Town for 10 days with my classmates. Here in Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here are some African Penguins (formally called "Jackass Penguins because of the crazy noises they make") And it's crazy to think that there are penguins in southern Africa
I am sitting at the southern-most point in Africa. The Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet here... how BEAUTIFUL!!!
These pictures are a bit random, but I wanted to show you a few of the things I've been seeing!
I am now in Cape Town for 10 days with my classmates. Here in Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here are some African Penguins (formally called "Jackass Penguins because of the crazy noises they make") And it's crazy to think that there are penguins in southern Africa
I am sitting at the southern-most point in Africa. The Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet here... how BEAUTIFUL!!!
We visited Robben Island, the famous prison where many political prison were sentenced during the struggle against apartheid. This is an incredible place, because the tours are given by former political prisoners. Our guide had incredible hope and forgiveness. He truly lived out hope and reconciliation, that he would be willing to put himself in the place where he experienced such humilation. Yet he is hopeful about the future for South Africans. This is Nelson Mandela's prison cell. Mandela spent 27 years in prison--23 in Robben Island, and many of those years were spent in solitary confinement. Yet he did not give up on the fight, and ultimately became the first black president of South Africa
Here is the beautiful Zambazi River, where I spent my spring break in Zambia. This is the river that I did a 2 day canoe trip on! And what a sunset!
Some buddies and I went to Sossesflei in Namibia, some of the biggest sand dunes in the world. We thought it would be fun to jump!
More to come!!!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Leaving
I leave Namibia in 3 days.
How is it that my time has gone so quickly here?
There are some things that I will never forget:
~hot weather in the middle of "winter"
~Getting almost run-over by taxis that do not yield to pedestrians
~Sunsets
~The Namibian Sky that stretches endlessly
~Children laughing and waving at me
~Aunty Clara
~Walking everywhere...
~Being surrounded by hope
Today we had group presentations (one of our last assignments), and one of the group did a hunger meal, which is a simulation that divided our class of 20 into three groups--the wealthy, middle-class, and poor. I was "lucky" enough to be wealthy. Because of my status, I was served a full course meal. The middle-class was served a meal of veggie, rice, and some meat, while the poor was left to eat out of one pot of porridge (corn-meal mixed with water... it's quite similar to cream of wheat and comprises the diet of many people in poverty-stricken homes).
As part of the simulation, we, as the wealthy, were not allowed to share with the lower classes. While I felt guilty because I was eating fine and elegant foods while some near me were eating merely porridge, I did find myself thinking about how similar this is to real life sometimes...
In all reality, as an American college student, I am wealthy in so many ways. Sure, I do not have a new car waiting for me when I return to the US or a wardrobe full of designer clothes, but I do have so much in comparison to so much of the world. (over 60% of the world is living in poverty). I have access to clean water, education, health care, food, clothes, and even some additional money for travel and entertainment. And with all of this I find myself wondering how often am I able but unwilling to "share my full course meal with those eating only porridge?
Sometimes it is easy to overlook those who are less fortunate, but here in Namibia, I've seen it first hand day-in and day-out (especially at my internship) This semester has been an eye-opening blessing as I've found so many opportunities to serve here in many different ways. Yet, it is often so easy to fall into our routine and forget about those around us (or an ocean away from us) who are struggling to get by.
At the end of the hunger meal I certainly had my expected feelings of guilt, but I do not desire to let guilt get the best of me. When I allow guilt to truly rule my life, I am paralyzed and unable to do anything helpful. I believe that guilt is one of the main feelings that completely prevents us from positively impacting the lives of those around us. When we are overcome by guilt, we become so burdened with such heavy stones, that we cannot even get up and move towards our neighbor to extend a hand of assistance.
Instead of being burdened by guilt, I desire to be moved radically to serve
it is my hope and desire to respond to the needs of those around me
to be moved to love radically and fully
to be moved to find the people around me who are lost, lonely, hungry, and naked.
and to be inspired by the beauty of the people I meet along the way.
If one thing is for sure, I have seen such incredible joy and beauty among Namibians here that I will never forget.
I truly believe that we are created to love and serve one another, and it is when we are doing this that we find the most contentment and joy. I experienced a profound joy the day that I assisted Aunty Clara with her feeding program that fed over 75 young orphans and vulnerable children. I experienced profound love and peace when I gave a 7 year old orphan a piggy-back ride.
I hope and pray that we may find ways of ridding ourselves of guilt so that we are moved to find love, joy, peace, and hope in the people of this world. And I am confident that we will find this in the moments when we are able to serve.
How is it that my time has gone so quickly here?
There are some things that I will never forget:
~hot weather in the middle of "winter"
~Getting almost run-over by taxis that do not yield to pedestrians
~Sunsets
~The Namibian Sky that stretches endlessly
~Children laughing and waving at me
~Aunty Clara
~Walking everywhere...
~Being surrounded by hope
Today we had group presentations (one of our last assignments), and one of the group did a hunger meal, which is a simulation that divided our class of 20 into three groups--the wealthy, middle-class, and poor. I was "lucky" enough to be wealthy. Because of my status, I was served a full course meal. The middle-class was served a meal of veggie, rice, and some meat, while the poor was left to eat out of one pot of porridge (corn-meal mixed with water... it's quite similar to cream of wheat and comprises the diet of many people in poverty-stricken homes).
As part of the simulation, we, as the wealthy, were not allowed to share with the lower classes. While I felt guilty because I was eating fine and elegant foods while some near me were eating merely porridge, I did find myself thinking about how similar this is to real life sometimes...
In all reality, as an American college student, I am wealthy in so many ways. Sure, I do not have a new car waiting for me when I return to the US or a wardrobe full of designer clothes, but I do have so much in comparison to so much of the world. (over 60% of the world is living in poverty). I have access to clean water, education, health care, food, clothes, and even some additional money for travel and entertainment. And with all of this I find myself wondering how often am I able but unwilling to "share my full course meal with those eating only porridge?
Sometimes it is easy to overlook those who are less fortunate, but here in Namibia, I've seen it first hand day-in and day-out (especially at my internship) This semester has been an eye-opening blessing as I've found so many opportunities to serve here in many different ways. Yet, it is often so easy to fall into our routine and forget about those around us (or an ocean away from us) who are struggling to get by.
At the end of the hunger meal I certainly had my expected feelings of guilt, but I do not desire to let guilt get the best of me. When I allow guilt to truly rule my life, I am paralyzed and unable to do anything helpful. I believe that guilt is one of the main feelings that completely prevents us from positively impacting the lives of those around us. When we are overcome by guilt, we become so burdened with such heavy stones, that we cannot even get up and move towards our neighbor to extend a hand of assistance.
Instead of being burdened by guilt, I desire to be moved radically to serve
it is my hope and desire to respond to the needs of those around me
to be moved to love radically and fully
to be moved to find the people around me who are lost, lonely, hungry, and naked.
and to be inspired by the beauty of the people I meet along the way.
If one thing is for sure, I have seen such incredible joy and beauty among Namibians here that I will never forget.
I truly believe that we are created to love and serve one another, and it is when we are doing this that we find the most contentment and joy. I experienced a profound joy the day that I assisted Aunty Clara with her feeding program that fed over 75 young orphans and vulnerable children. I experienced profound love and peace when I gave a 7 year old orphan a piggy-back ride.
I hope and pray that we may find ways of ridding ourselves of guilt so that we are moved to find love, joy, peace, and hope in the people of this world. And I am confident that we will find this in the moments when we are able to serve.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Hope Really Does Abide
Sometimes here I am overwhelmed by all that is around me… HIV/AIDS is truly a horrifying epidemic that is tearing apart families, communities, and countries.
Orphans are all over and they are hungry, begging for food, without shoes and wearing dirty clothes
Men and women are without work as unemployment in Namibia is about 40%, so many people—especially women—turn to the sex industry which only further perpetuates the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases Families who are living below the poverty line are unable to send their children to school even though education is "free" (in actuality, there are school fees and uniform costs that prevent many children from attending). Without education, poverty perpetuates… …and the list goes on…
Yet—lately I have seen so much hope.
I’d like to share 3 ways that I’ve seen hope:
~A week ago we met a woman named Patricia, who single-handedly began one of the biggest community outreach programs in Windhoek called Hope Initiatives. Patricia first saw a huge need for children in the informal settlements (homes made of scrap metal/cardboard and communities without electricity or free access to clean water) to be educated as many of them had either failed out of a grade or been forced to quit school because they could not pay the school fees. Yet before Patricia could educate, she saw that a bigger need was hunger.
By earning money from odd jobs, Patricia saved up and began a feeding program out of her own pocket. While working her soup kitchen, Patricia more thoroughly assessed the needs of her community, and she and her husband began tutoring students out of her home. Little by little the organization grew, and now it serves through soup kitchens, bridging schools, after-school programs, and adult education/ empowerment programs. Yet it all began with Patricia seeing a need in her community and her working hard in order to meet that need.
Patricia did not wait around for someone else to "fix" everything; instead she proactively involved herself in the community and served some of the greatest needs…
~A friend whom I’ve grown quite close to is named Taura. Taura is a bit older than me, and her life has been filled with struggles and hard times. While I would think that her life experiences would make her hateful and calloused, Taura has become quite the opposite… She is one of the most loving people I have ever met, and her smile radiates a joy that transcends the pains of her past and looks forward in excitement of the future. Currently Taura’s main source of income is the small salary she receives from teaching 18 three-four year olds at a mission school in one of the poorest areas of Windhoek. Clara pours her heart and soul into her kids, and when she’s not at school or preparing her lessons, she’s volunteering at an after-school program in another part of town. Taura is passionate about children and the youth of this country, and her dedication in serving and educating them is incredible.
~My internship the last couple of weeks has definitely had its ups and downs. For a few weeks, I became quite frustrated, as I began to realize the hoops that one must jump through to register as an official non-governmental organization/ a welfare organization.
Additionally, to qualify for grants, there is so much paperwork, and even after all of that paperwork is filled out, it does not guarantee any money. Aunty Clara is doing so much for her community, yet without outside support, her personal income runs out quickly, and she is forced to quit the services she is providing. Two weeks ago, Clara shared with me how discouraged she was, and that week and the following week, I became frustrated as it seemed like my internship was merely comprised of me babysitting Clara’s grandchildren. Yet this past Wednesday, I had an incredible day with Clara. The school students here are on their winter break right now (yup, it’s approaching winter in the southern hemisphere!). Because many students in Clara’s neighborhood come from homes without much money, during school holidays, the school children are left to fend for themselves during the day. Clara recognized the needs for children to have fun things to do during breaks, and organized a dance team. On Wednesday 75 girls between the ages of 4 and 16 came over to Clara’s home for dance team lessons. After some really fun dancing, Clara proceeded to feed all of these girls in addition to other children from the neighborhood soup and bread.
Watching this procedure: lots and lots of children everywhere all requesting soup and buttered bread was INCREDIBLE! For a while it seemed like Jesus and the feeding of 5 thousand, yet instead of some fish and bread, we had 2 pots of soup and 11 loaves of bread. Clara’s heart is big enough to fuel her to do the incredible things that she does. I truly believe that my opportunity to work, talk, share, and grow with her has been the most beneficial and encouraging opportunity in Namibia.
As these people whom I’ve encountered have shown me, we can make meaningful differences in our communities! What I’ve learned is that we must first find what makes us passionate, and then serve in the ways that seem fit from there. As individuals, we can impact our communities, and as small communities of dedicated individuals, we can positively impact our cities, countries, and world.
A question to ponder: What is your greatest passion and how does that fit into the needs of this world?
Orphans are all over and they are hungry, begging for food, without shoes and wearing dirty clothes
Men and women are without work as unemployment in Namibia is about 40%, so many people—especially women—turn to the sex industry which only further perpetuates the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases Families who are living below the poverty line are unable to send their children to school even though education is "free" (in actuality, there are school fees and uniform costs that prevent many children from attending). Without education, poverty perpetuates… …and the list goes on…
Yet—lately I have seen so much hope.
I’d like to share 3 ways that I’ve seen hope:
~A week ago we met a woman named Patricia, who single-handedly began one of the biggest community outreach programs in Windhoek called Hope Initiatives. Patricia first saw a huge need for children in the informal settlements (homes made of scrap metal/cardboard and communities without electricity or free access to clean water) to be educated as many of them had either failed out of a grade or been forced to quit school because they could not pay the school fees. Yet before Patricia could educate, she saw that a bigger need was hunger.
By earning money from odd jobs, Patricia saved up and began a feeding program out of her own pocket. While working her soup kitchen, Patricia more thoroughly assessed the needs of her community, and she and her husband began tutoring students out of her home. Little by little the organization grew, and now it serves through soup kitchens, bridging schools, after-school programs, and adult education/ empowerment programs. Yet it all began with Patricia seeing a need in her community and her working hard in order to meet that need.
Patricia did not wait around for someone else to "fix" everything; instead she proactively involved herself in the community and served some of the greatest needs…
~A friend whom I’ve grown quite close to is named Taura. Taura is a bit older than me, and her life has been filled with struggles and hard times. While I would think that her life experiences would make her hateful and calloused, Taura has become quite the opposite… She is one of the most loving people I have ever met, and her smile radiates a joy that transcends the pains of her past and looks forward in excitement of the future. Currently Taura’s main source of income is the small salary she receives from teaching 18 three-four year olds at a mission school in one of the poorest areas of Windhoek. Clara pours her heart and soul into her kids, and when she’s not at school or preparing her lessons, she’s volunteering at an after-school program in another part of town. Taura is passionate about children and the youth of this country, and her dedication in serving and educating them is incredible.
~My internship the last couple of weeks has definitely had its ups and downs. For a few weeks, I became quite frustrated, as I began to realize the hoops that one must jump through to register as an official non-governmental organization/ a welfare organization.
Additionally, to qualify for grants, there is so much paperwork, and even after all of that paperwork is filled out, it does not guarantee any money. Aunty Clara is doing so much for her community, yet without outside support, her personal income runs out quickly, and she is forced to quit the services she is providing. Two weeks ago, Clara shared with me how discouraged she was, and that week and the following week, I became frustrated as it seemed like my internship was merely comprised of me babysitting Clara’s grandchildren. Yet this past Wednesday, I had an incredible day with Clara. The school students here are on their winter break right now (yup, it’s approaching winter in the southern hemisphere!). Because many students in Clara’s neighborhood come from homes without much money, during school holidays, the school children are left to fend for themselves during the day. Clara recognized the needs for children to have fun things to do during breaks, and organized a dance team. On Wednesday 75 girls between the ages of 4 and 16 came over to Clara’s home for dance team lessons. After some really fun dancing, Clara proceeded to feed all of these girls in addition to other children from the neighborhood soup and bread.
Watching this procedure: lots and lots of children everywhere all requesting soup and buttered bread was INCREDIBLE! For a while it seemed like Jesus and the feeding of 5 thousand, yet instead of some fish and bread, we had 2 pots of soup and 11 loaves of bread. Clara’s heart is big enough to fuel her to do the incredible things that she does. I truly believe that my opportunity to work, talk, share, and grow with her has been the most beneficial and encouraging opportunity in Namibia.
As these people whom I’ve encountered have shown me, we can make meaningful differences in our communities! What I’ve learned is that we must first find what makes us passionate, and then serve in the ways that seem fit from there. As individuals, we can impact our communities, and as small communities of dedicated individuals, we can positively impact our cities, countries, and world.
A question to ponder: What is your greatest passion and how does that fit into the needs of this world?
Monday, April 23, 2007
Life this past month!
We finally have internet access in this house that is consistent, so I hope to be able to post on my blog a few times during the next week and a half...
I cannot believe that I leave Namibia in 10 days, and then I get to spend 10 days in Cape Town with my classmates, and then an additional two weeks in Cape Town with Dan! It seems like so recently that I was overly nervous about getting on a plane to fly to Johannesburg, and now the end is in sight. Yet I am not allowing myself to dwell to much on that, or else I won't enjoy the time I still have!
Since it has been a while since my last post, I will write a few highlights, and some things that I have been thinking about lately.
~I just wrote a paper on how HIV/AIDS is deeply related to poverty in this country. While the disease does not discriminate based on economic status, it surely is affecting poverty-stricken communities the most. In talking with Namibians, especially Aunty Clara from my internship, I've come to realize that the most affective way to combat and prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading is by seeking to alleviate poverty. So often the government and international aid agencies seek to treat the symptoms of HIV/AIDS through education and campaigns about getting tested and knowing your status, but they fail to really fight HIV/AIDS at the source--and a major source--in my opinion--is poverty.
So often with problems in life we just like to fight the symptoms, and we do so much of this fighting from the top down. Yet, to really get to the root of the cause, we need to fight from the bottom up. Sure, that often takes more work, but in the long run it pays off. In regards to HIV/AIDS, poverty stricken areas are plagued by high unemployment, lack of social opportunities that do not revolve around alcohol and promiscuous behaviors, and lack of access to education. Also, as people are literally starving, they may be more willing to sell their bodies for money... and these problems all lead to the spreading of HIV/AIDS.
What if the government and other agencies really sought to alleviate poverty? Would that slow the spread of HIV/AIDS? I certainly hope so, and I believe that through programs that seek to create jobs and positive social opportunities for young people, to make education truly available for all people, and to improve sanitation, the spreading of HIV/AIDS will slow down.
While this process is not quick or easy, it is not impossiblem, yet it will not happen on its own...
~Today I went to a restaurant and a meal that included Zebra, Kudu, Crocodile, and Ostrich. Who would have thought that I'd be eating the animals that I got to see in the game reserve earlier this semester?
~I got to spend Easter weekend with Aunty Clara--from my internship--and her family at her parents' farm. I was blown away by the hospitality. Firstly, Aunty Clara and her husband serve so many people in the community that money is usually pretty tight for them. They also have not been back to the farm since 2003... When they invited me to go along, I was humbled that they would see me as part of their family enough to join them for an entire weekend! Aunty Clara, her husband Moeshe, me, and 11 children and teens--some of whom are her children and grandchildren, and some of whom she's adopted over the years, crammed into a pick-up truck and headed west to the farm. Talk about bonding times! I was blessed to be able to spend a weekend relaxing, climbing some beautiful neighboring rock mountains, swimming in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean with Clara's entire family, and seeing some of the most beautiful stars in Namibia. Yet the highlight of this weekend was feeling adopted by a second family. While I have felt close at least in some level to all of my host families, this weekend I felt the most accepted. I was even offered to slaughter a sheep for dinner, but politely refused (while Namibia has shaped me a lot, I still can't cut an animal's throat open!)
I just hope to live out the warmth, love and hospitality that Aunty Clara and her family lived out to me... They are incredible people and I am so blessed to have known them.
~In classes we have been talking about the reconciliation process which has been exceptionally necessary in Namibia after the painful history filled with colonialism, apartheid, and a violent liberation struggle. One of the readings we had expressed how reconciliation seeks to face the problem square in the eyes, and then deeply cleanse it from there. We cannot merely sidestep the problems, for then they will continue to linger.
How incredible would it be if we sought to live reconciling lives? Lives where we sought to find healing and wholeness in the relationships around us instead of merely ignoring our problems and letting them fester...
I must go to bed! But more thoughts to come!!!
also, unfortunately our internet at the house does not allow me to upload pictures on this, so we'll have to wait til I'm back in the States for some pictures :)
peace and love from Namibia :)
I cannot believe that I leave Namibia in 10 days, and then I get to spend 10 days in Cape Town with my classmates, and then an additional two weeks in Cape Town with Dan! It seems like so recently that I was overly nervous about getting on a plane to fly to Johannesburg, and now the end is in sight. Yet I am not allowing myself to dwell to much on that, or else I won't enjoy the time I still have!
Since it has been a while since my last post, I will write a few highlights, and some things that I have been thinking about lately.
~I just wrote a paper on how HIV/AIDS is deeply related to poverty in this country. While the disease does not discriminate based on economic status, it surely is affecting poverty-stricken communities the most. In talking with Namibians, especially Aunty Clara from my internship, I've come to realize that the most affective way to combat and prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading is by seeking to alleviate poverty. So often the government and international aid agencies seek to treat the symptoms of HIV/AIDS through education and campaigns about getting tested and knowing your status, but they fail to really fight HIV/AIDS at the source--and a major source--in my opinion--is poverty.
So often with problems in life we just like to fight the symptoms, and we do so much of this fighting from the top down. Yet, to really get to the root of the cause, we need to fight from the bottom up. Sure, that often takes more work, but in the long run it pays off. In regards to HIV/AIDS, poverty stricken areas are plagued by high unemployment, lack of social opportunities that do not revolve around alcohol and promiscuous behaviors, and lack of access to education. Also, as people are literally starving, they may be more willing to sell their bodies for money... and these problems all lead to the spreading of HIV/AIDS.
What if the government and other agencies really sought to alleviate poverty? Would that slow the spread of HIV/AIDS? I certainly hope so, and I believe that through programs that seek to create jobs and positive social opportunities for young people, to make education truly available for all people, and to improve sanitation, the spreading of HIV/AIDS will slow down.
While this process is not quick or easy, it is not impossiblem, yet it will not happen on its own...
~Today I went to a restaurant and a meal that included Zebra, Kudu, Crocodile, and Ostrich. Who would have thought that I'd be eating the animals that I got to see in the game reserve earlier this semester?
~I got to spend Easter weekend with Aunty Clara--from my internship--and her family at her parents' farm. I was blown away by the hospitality. Firstly, Aunty Clara and her husband serve so many people in the community that money is usually pretty tight for them. They also have not been back to the farm since 2003... When they invited me to go along, I was humbled that they would see me as part of their family enough to join them for an entire weekend! Aunty Clara, her husband Moeshe, me, and 11 children and teens--some of whom are her children and grandchildren, and some of whom she's adopted over the years, crammed into a pick-up truck and headed west to the farm. Talk about bonding times! I was blessed to be able to spend a weekend relaxing, climbing some beautiful neighboring rock mountains, swimming in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean with Clara's entire family, and seeing some of the most beautiful stars in Namibia. Yet the highlight of this weekend was feeling adopted by a second family. While I have felt close at least in some level to all of my host families, this weekend I felt the most accepted. I was even offered to slaughter a sheep for dinner, but politely refused (while Namibia has shaped me a lot, I still can't cut an animal's throat open!)
I just hope to live out the warmth, love and hospitality that Aunty Clara and her family lived out to me... They are incredible people and I am so blessed to have known them.
~In classes we have been talking about the reconciliation process which has been exceptionally necessary in Namibia after the painful history filled with colonialism, apartheid, and a violent liberation struggle. One of the readings we had expressed how reconciliation seeks to face the problem square in the eyes, and then deeply cleanse it from there. We cannot merely sidestep the problems, for then they will continue to linger.
How incredible would it be if we sought to live reconciling lives? Lives where we sought to find healing and wholeness in the relationships around us instead of merely ignoring our problems and letting them fester...
I must go to bed! But more thoughts to come!!!
also, unfortunately our internet at the house does not allow me to upload pictures on this, so we'll have to wait til I'm back in the States for some pictures :)
peace and love from Namibia :)
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The last three weeks!
I returned from our trip to northern Namibia for our rural homestay, Etosha National Park, and southern Zambia to see Victoria Falls... and what an incredible three weeks it was!
I'm in a time crunch, but I wanted to share a couple highlights, and more (plus some pictures) is to come!!!
During my rural homestay I lived in a village that totally redefined simple living. We did not have electricity or running water, and all of our meals were cooked over a fire. I could only communicate with my 34 year old sister, as she was the only English speaker, yet I learned to communicate with my three and 5 year old newphews with lots of tickling and laughing. I also learned to appreciate sitting among Hereo (the particular Namibian trip) women as they wore their traditional dress and spoke in Otjiherero. I also learned to really appreciate going to bed with the sun and being blinded by the brillance of the stars at night. I will never forget these seven days that I spent in rural Namibia... nor will I forget the morning I was sitting by the fire writing in my journal when my host uncle brought over a goat and slaughtered it right before my eyes... and then 4 hours later we were eating grilled goat...
From there we went to Etosha and saw every African animal that I could imagine. I've decided that giraffes are my favorite because their necks are so long and awkward, but they are so cute nonetheless! At one point we saw 2 giraffes, an elephant, a hippo and some springbok, and it totally reminded me of scenes from the Lion King with all of the animals living in harmony.
Victoria Falls (except for the 17 hour bus ride to get there!) was incredible! It's high water season so the falls were big and powerful. SOme buddies and I went on an overnight canoe trip along the Zambazi river right along the Zimbabwe, Zamiba and Botswana borders. We ever saw hippos and elephants as we canoed!
Life is beautiful here and so are the people I am meeting. I look forward to sharing more, but I must go for now!
Peace and love
I'm in a time crunch, but I wanted to share a couple highlights, and more (plus some pictures) is to come!!!
During my rural homestay I lived in a village that totally redefined simple living. We did not have electricity or running water, and all of our meals were cooked over a fire. I could only communicate with my 34 year old sister, as she was the only English speaker, yet I learned to communicate with my three and 5 year old newphews with lots of tickling and laughing. I also learned to appreciate sitting among Hereo (the particular Namibian trip) women as they wore their traditional dress and spoke in Otjiherero. I also learned to really appreciate going to bed with the sun and being blinded by the brillance of the stars at night. I will never forget these seven days that I spent in rural Namibia... nor will I forget the morning I was sitting by the fire writing in my journal when my host uncle brought over a goat and slaughtered it right before my eyes... and then 4 hours later we were eating grilled goat...
From there we went to Etosha and saw every African animal that I could imagine. I've decided that giraffes are my favorite because their necks are so long and awkward, but they are so cute nonetheless! At one point we saw 2 giraffes, an elephant, a hippo and some springbok, and it totally reminded me of scenes from the Lion King with all of the animals living in harmony.
Victoria Falls (except for the 17 hour bus ride to get there!) was incredible! It's high water season so the falls were big and powerful. SOme buddies and I went on an overnight canoe trip along the Zambazi river right along the Zimbabwe, Zamiba and Botswana borders. We ever saw hippos and elephants as we canoed!
Life is beautiful here and so are the people I am meeting. I look forward to sharing more, but I must go for now!
Peace and love
Thursday, March 8, 2007
life!
So our internet is not working in the house these days, so it may be a while before I can post some pictures!
but here are a few announcements:
~last weekend (my final weekend with my Katatura host family) I made home made pizza with my brother and sister, and it was super fun... get excited for some of those pictures!
~Today we heard from the first Namibian prime minister!
~This weekend I'm going to a nearby game reserve, so hopefully I'll see some fun animals!!
The real announcement is that on Monday (March 12), I'm leaving for Northern Namibia for 3 weeks! As a group, we are going to the coast, then we are completing our third and final homestay in rural Namibia... get excited for some crazy stories from that experience! Our group is then spending a bit of time at Etosha National Park which is the biggest game reserve in Namibia! From there we have a week-long spring break. Over half of the group is going up to Zambia to see Victoria Falls!
I probably won't be updating until we get back, and that will be in early April! It's crazy that I've been away from home for about 6 weeks now, and when I get back from spring break, my time in Namibia will be over half over!
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your prayers.
More to come after I've seen a lot more of Southern Africa!!!
but here are a few announcements:
~last weekend (my final weekend with my Katatura host family) I made home made pizza with my brother and sister, and it was super fun... get excited for some of those pictures!
~Today we heard from the first Namibian prime minister!
~This weekend I'm going to a nearby game reserve, so hopefully I'll see some fun animals!!
The real announcement is that on Monday (March 12), I'm leaving for Northern Namibia for 3 weeks! As a group, we are going to the coast, then we are completing our third and final homestay in rural Namibia... get excited for some crazy stories from that experience! Our group is then spending a bit of time at Etosha National Park which is the biggest game reserve in Namibia! From there we have a week-long spring break. Over half of the group is going up to Zambia to see Victoria Falls!
I probably won't be updating until we get back, and that will be in early April! It's crazy that I've been away from home for about 6 weeks now, and when I get back from spring break, my time in Namibia will be over half over!
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your prayers.
More to come after I've seen a lot more of Southern Africa!!!
Monday, March 5, 2007
A thought
I'm going to post some pictures from the rest of my urban homestay pretty soon, but here's a thought I've been pondering...
A word that many of us associate with Africa is poverty.
No doubt about it, I've seen economic poverty in South Africa and here in Namibia unlike anything that I've seen in the USA... people living in small shanty houses without running water or electricity, orphans begging for food, slabs of cardboard and aluminum pieced together to make houses, empty stomachs...
Yet there is a spirit here that is not poverty-stricken. I have met some of the most faith-filled people here, and the fullness of life is incredible. Granted, I am making generalizations, for there have been people I have met who are struggling and are not hesitant to express those struggles. Yet, I have seen a beautiful life and hope here, too.
So a thought to ponder: What truly is poverty? Is it living without running water, or is it living without hope? Is it eating cornmeal mixed with water three meals a day or is it living without love?
Sometimes I wonder if poverty is more of an internal measurement, and less of an external measurement.
and by what I have seen in so many of the people here, there is wealth...
A word that many of us associate with Africa is poverty.
No doubt about it, I've seen economic poverty in South Africa and here in Namibia unlike anything that I've seen in the USA... people living in small shanty houses without running water or electricity, orphans begging for food, slabs of cardboard and aluminum pieced together to make houses, empty stomachs...
Yet there is a spirit here that is not poverty-stricken. I have met some of the most faith-filled people here, and the fullness of life is incredible. Granted, I am making generalizations, for there have been people I have met who are struggling and are not hesitant to express those struggles. Yet, I have seen a beautiful life and hope here, too.
So a thought to ponder: What truly is poverty? Is it living without running water, or is it living without hope? Is it eating cornmeal mixed with water three meals a day or is it living without love?
Sometimes I wonder if poverty is more of an internal measurement, and less of an external measurement.
and by what I have seen in so many of the people here, there is wealth...
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Homestay...
So I’ve officially been with my host family for about seven days. It has been quite an adventure so far! Going in, I thought that this homestay would be so similar to my one in Soweto, but it has been quite different…
This past weekend, let me start with Saturday… I actually did not leave the house the entire day! Unlike in Soweto where Thandi, my mom took me all over town, I stayed at home with my family. Saturday is typically a day for cleaning the house and relaxing. From talking to other friends in the program, many of them experienced a similar kind of Saturday without too much happening. For someone like me who is often too busy for her own good, just sitting at home was a bit of a challenge. By the end of the day, I became more at peace with it, and enjoyed the opportunity to play a lot of cards with my brother and sister! Also, lots of television is watched during weekends, which is an adjustment because as a busy college student, I never have time to watch TV!
During Saturday afternoon, I was able to help my 17 year old sister with some math work, which was actually quite fun. In Namibia, at the end of 12th grade, all students take a really large test. The results are posted in the newspaper, so many students feel extremely pressured to do well. Even though the test is not until the end of school year (which in Namibia is in November), my sister is already starting her preparations. The sad reality is that each year less and less students pass the test. There is a strong need for an education reform in Namibia!
We did leave the house on Sunday morning for church at a large Catholic church in town (the service started at 7:30am!). The service was in English, and lasted only an hour (unlike the 3.5 hour service at the Lutheran church earlier in the month!) It was interesting because the congregation is quite a diverse group and the church actually has three different services on Sunday mornings, one in English, one in German, and one in Portuguese! Even though I am unfamiliar with all of the aspects of a Catholic mass, I found so many similarities to my Lutheran church experience. We even sang the hymn “How Great Thou Art” which was exciting to sing with a pretty large congregation without any instruments except our voices.
After church I got to sit in during choir rehearsal since my dad, brother, and sister are a part of the church choir. I actually sang along with the song they were singing. This may have been one of my highlights from the weekend!
I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Namibian culture from my family. One thing I am still getting used to is the extremely patriarchal family structure. When in South Africa, my host mom was a single mother, so I didn’t see this side that is part of some of the culture. When at home, my dad is often waited on by his children, wife, and the maid to meet all of his needs… definantly interesting
On Sunday, I spoke with my parents for quite a while about the similarities and differences between Namibia and the USA. Even though it would seem like the two countries are quite different, both are struggling similar problems regarding inadequate housing and discrepancies within the education system. I was also able to learn about the courage and strength of my host mom who left Namibia when she was about 14 to be a refugee in the northern part of Africa. She ultimately ended up in Sierra-Leone to receive her education before getting married, and returning back to Namibia with her husband. I cannot even begin to imagine leaving at such a young age to an unknown place. Yet life in Namibia was pretty crazy prior to its independence, as military people from South Africa were killing many people involved in SWAPO (which stands for South West Africa People’s Organization and was a huge anti-apartheid organization that also worked towards achieving independence for Namibia) throughout Namibia. According to my mom, she did not feel safe staying in Namibia, so she and her younger sister took off for the north. They spent some time in a refugee camp in Angola before continuing their journey north.
This week, I spend my days at the CGE house (the Center for Global Education house where I normally am living) because we are still taking classes during this homestay. I am also becoming more accustomed to taking taxis to get around town. I often rely on a taxi to take me from the center back to my host family!
Additionally, yesterday Courtney, a friend from Valpo, and I visited a friend we made earlier in the month at the University of Namibia (UNAM). Yolekeni, our friend, took us on an extensive tour of UNAM and we met a lot of her friends. College life in Namibia seems pretty similar to college life back in the states. The highlight of the visit was when we visited the university radio station. We talked with the DJ for a while and before we knew it, he was interviewing us on-air! This was the Namibian radio debut for both Courtney and me!!!
Well, that’s about all for now! More to come next week!
This past weekend, let me start with Saturday… I actually did not leave the house the entire day! Unlike in Soweto where Thandi, my mom took me all over town, I stayed at home with my family. Saturday is typically a day for cleaning the house and relaxing. From talking to other friends in the program, many of them experienced a similar kind of Saturday without too much happening. For someone like me who is often too busy for her own good, just sitting at home was a bit of a challenge. By the end of the day, I became more at peace with it, and enjoyed the opportunity to play a lot of cards with my brother and sister! Also, lots of television is watched during weekends, which is an adjustment because as a busy college student, I never have time to watch TV!
During Saturday afternoon, I was able to help my 17 year old sister with some math work, which was actually quite fun. In Namibia, at the end of 12th grade, all students take a really large test. The results are posted in the newspaper, so many students feel extremely pressured to do well. Even though the test is not until the end of school year (which in Namibia is in November), my sister is already starting her preparations. The sad reality is that each year less and less students pass the test. There is a strong need for an education reform in Namibia!
We did leave the house on Sunday morning for church at a large Catholic church in town (the service started at 7:30am!). The service was in English, and lasted only an hour (unlike the 3.5 hour service at the Lutheran church earlier in the month!) It was interesting because the congregation is quite a diverse group and the church actually has three different services on Sunday mornings, one in English, one in German, and one in Portuguese! Even though I am unfamiliar with all of the aspects of a Catholic mass, I found so many similarities to my Lutheran church experience. We even sang the hymn “How Great Thou Art” which was exciting to sing with a pretty large congregation without any instruments except our voices.
After church I got to sit in during choir rehearsal since my dad, brother, and sister are a part of the church choir. I actually sang along with the song they were singing. This may have been one of my highlights from the weekend!
I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Namibian culture from my family. One thing I am still getting used to is the extremely patriarchal family structure. When in South Africa, my host mom was a single mother, so I didn’t see this side that is part of some of the culture. When at home, my dad is often waited on by his children, wife, and the maid to meet all of his needs… definantly interesting
On Sunday, I spoke with my parents for quite a while about the similarities and differences between Namibia and the USA. Even though it would seem like the two countries are quite different, both are struggling similar problems regarding inadequate housing and discrepancies within the education system. I was also able to learn about the courage and strength of my host mom who left Namibia when she was about 14 to be a refugee in the northern part of Africa. She ultimately ended up in Sierra-Leone to receive her education before getting married, and returning back to Namibia with her husband. I cannot even begin to imagine leaving at such a young age to an unknown place. Yet life in Namibia was pretty crazy prior to its independence, as military people from South Africa were killing many people involved in SWAPO (which stands for South West Africa People’s Organization and was a huge anti-apartheid organization that also worked towards achieving independence for Namibia) throughout Namibia. According to my mom, she did not feel safe staying in Namibia, so she and her younger sister took off for the north. They spent some time in a refugee camp in Angola before continuing their journey north.
This week, I spend my days at the CGE house (the Center for Global Education house where I normally am living) because we are still taking classes during this homestay. I am also becoming more accustomed to taking taxis to get around town. I often rely on a taxi to take me from the center back to my host family!
Additionally, yesterday Courtney, a friend from Valpo, and I visited a friend we made earlier in the month at the University of Namibia (UNAM). Yolekeni, our friend, took us on an extensive tour of UNAM and we met a lot of her friends. College life in Namibia seems pretty similar to college life back in the states. The highlight of the visit was when we visited the university radio station. We talked with the DJ for a while and before we knew it, he was interviewing us on-air! This was the Namibian radio debut for both Courtney and me!!!
Well, that’s about all for now! More to come next week!
Friday, February 23, 2007
conflicting times
Well first let me say that we all just started our second homestay. This time we are staying with families around Windhoek, and we will actually be with them for 10 days! We attend classes during the day and then spend evenings and weekends with them.
Last night I met my family: my dad, Henry; my mom, Leah; my 14-year old brother, Emmanuel; and my 17-year old sister (who I am sharing a room with), Rebecca.
My mom and dad actually met in Sierra-Leon during the 80's because my mom was a refugee during the Namibian struggle for independence there and my dad was born there. I know that I have so much to learn from them, and from what I can tell after just one night, it is going to be a really awesome experience!
I played Uno and Spoons with Rebecca and Emmaunel last night and had a blast... I'm sure that we'll be playing lots of cards :)
I'll have more comments, I'm sure especially after my first weekend with them!
So that's the happy side of the story. To be completely honest, I am struggling a lot with many of the things that I am seeing and hearing day in and day out. Namibia is absolutely beautiful! From a visitors perspective this country is gorgeous. But this country is struggling, significantly. As we've now been in classes for two weeks, I've learned a lot more about the struggles not only in Namibia, but also in this world.
Here are some thoughts, and facts that we've been presented with:
~Out of the 2.2 billion children in this world, over 1 billion live in poverty.
~the richest 50 MILLion people in Europe/ North America have the same amount of money as the 2.7 BILLion people in the rest of the world. Put another way: The wealth of 1% of the population equals the resources/ money of the poor who make up 57% of the population.
~basic education for all is estimated to cost 6 billion dollars
~clean water and sanitation for all people is estimated to cost 9 billion dollars
~basic health and nutrition world wide is estimated to cost 13 billion dollars
YET
~according to statistics gathered in 1998, in one year, Europe spent 105 billion dollars on alcohol, and 50 billion on cigarettes
~and the USA for the 2007 fiscal year estimates 462.7 BILLION for defense/ military expenses.
I know that it takes more than just merely re-allocating money, but really what does it take?
Sometimes it just seems so much easier to just remove myself/ distance myself from the situations that are around me...
...to distance myself from the reality that as I was getting a ride from my host dad today, I saw hundreds of young women walking to the textile factory, where they will work at least 12 hour days (some would argue that these women are fortunate to have jobs, which is true, but what can be said about quality of life?)
....to distance myself from the fact that rape is running rampant in Namibia and much of Sub-Saharan Africa.
....to distance myself from the reality that Aunty Clara, at my internship, has to send begging children away from her house sometimes because her family has run out of food while I never worry about going hungry
.... to distance myself from the fact that 30% of Namibians are HIV positive and it continues to spread despite many efforts to change that.
Coming here, I knew there would be these uncomfortable times. I knew that I would feel overwhelmed, guilty, and defeated. And I know that while there is lots of pain, I am seeing lots of beauty as well among the people here. Yet, it is only fair that I share with you some of the struggles.
I find myself asking:
How was I able to be born into a family who is encouraging, supportive, and able to meet not only my basic needs, but also provide so many additional things for me , while their are children who walk around barefoot, dirty, and hungry without family members or any form of a support network?
Individually, trying to take it all on and "solve the problems of this world" is impossible, but that doesn't mean that we ought not to seek to make positive impacts on the small communities around us. Also, positive things can happen when we join together with those around us and seek to meet the needs of those around us.
Too often though we become overwhelmed and paralyzed, unable to do anything.
Yet, as I am motivated by my faith, I know that the pains, heartache, and problems of this world do not have the final say. God is God and God will continue to be God. And God’s love for his people is vast enough that he’d send us a Savior. Yet, I do want to ask and challenge us to think about, how can we, as his children, seek to love his children around us? Can we find ways to practically and radically love those around us?
We are called to be agents of love, grace, mercy, and joy… even when the places we are seem completely devoid of these things. It is my prayer that we may respond to the needs around us…and not be discouraged along the way.
Last night I met my family: my dad, Henry; my mom, Leah; my 14-year old brother, Emmanuel; and my 17-year old sister (who I am sharing a room with), Rebecca.
My mom and dad actually met in Sierra-Leon during the 80's because my mom was a refugee during the Namibian struggle for independence there and my dad was born there. I know that I have so much to learn from them, and from what I can tell after just one night, it is going to be a really awesome experience!
I played Uno and Spoons with Rebecca and Emmaunel last night and had a blast... I'm sure that we'll be playing lots of cards :)
I'll have more comments, I'm sure especially after my first weekend with them!
So that's the happy side of the story. To be completely honest, I am struggling a lot with many of the things that I am seeing and hearing day in and day out. Namibia is absolutely beautiful! From a visitors perspective this country is gorgeous. But this country is struggling, significantly. As we've now been in classes for two weeks, I've learned a lot more about the struggles not only in Namibia, but also in this world.
Here are some thoughts, and facts that we've been presented with:
~Out of the 2.2 billion children in this world, over 1 billion live in poverty.
~the richest 50 MILLion people in Europe/ North America have the same amount of money as the 2.7 BILLion people in the rest of the world. Put another way: The wealth of 1% of the population equals the resources/ money of the poor who make up 57% of the population.
~basic education for all is estimated to cost 6 billion dollars
~clean water and sanitation for all people is estimated to cost 9 billion dollars
~basic health and nutrition world wide is estimated to cost 13 billion dollars
YET
~according to statistics gathered in 1998, in one year, Europe spent 105 billion dollars on alcohol, and 50 billion on cigarettes
~and the USA for the 2007 fiscal year estimates 462.7 BILLION for defense/ military expenses.
I know that it takes more than just merely re-allocating money, but really what does it take?
Sometimes it just seems so much easier to just remove myself/ distance myself from the situations that are around me...
...to distance myself from the reality that as I was getting a ride from my host dad today, I saw hundreds of young women walking to the textile factory, where they will work at least 12 hour days (some would argue that these women are fortunate to have jobs, which is true, but what can be said about quality of life?)
....to distance myself from the fact that rape is running rampant in Namibia and much of Sub-Saharan Africa.
....to distance myself from the reality that Aunty Clara, at my internship, has to send begging children away from her house sometimes because her family has run out of food while I never worry about going hungry
.... to distance myself from the fact that 30% of Namibians are HIV positive and it continues to spread despite many efforts to change that.
Coming here, I knew there would be these uncomfortable times. I knew that I would feel overwhelmed, guilty, and defeated. And I know that while there is lots of pain, I am seeing lots of beauty as well among the people here. Yet, it is only fair that I share with you some of the struggles.
I find myself asking:
How was I able to be born into a family who is encouraging, supportive, and able to meet not only my basic needs, but also provide so many additional things for me , while their are children who walk around barefoot, dirty, and hungry without family members or any form of a support network?
Individually, trying to take it all on and "solve the problems of this world" is impossible, but that doesn't mean that we ought not to seek to make positive impacts on the small communities around us. Also, positive things can happen when we join together with those around us and seek to meet the needs of those around us.
Too often though we become overwhelmed and paralyzed, unable to do anything.
Yet, as I am motivated by my faith, I know that the pains, heartache, and problems of this world do not have the final say. God is God and God will continue to be God. And God’s love for his people is vast enough that he’d send us a Savior. Yet, I do want to ask and challenge us to think about, how can we, as his children, seek to love his children around us? Can we find ways to practically and radically love those around us?
We are called to be agents of love, grace, mercy, and joy… even when the places we are seem completely devoid of these things. It is my prayer that we may respond to the needs around us…and not be discouraged along the way.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Pictures, take 2
Isn't Namibia beautiful? This is at Oanob Dam in Rehoboth. Out on the rocks we saw animals that looked like penguins... unfortunately they weren't, but they were still cute little birds!
Look at that crazy cactus!
Kim, Courtney, Me, Jess. Don't worry, I'm not really that much of a giant, I'm just standing on a rock!
It's true, this is one beautiful country!!!
Camping in Namibia!
So this past weekend, 11 of us decided to go camping! We settled in Rehoboth which is a really small city famous for it's natural hot springs (nothing beats really hot water in a pool during the summer days in Namibia!). Rehoboth was only 80 km (yup, it's all about the metric system here in Africa) south of Windhoek.
We loaded our stuff and had 2 drivers from our program drive us to what we thought was our camping site. Unknown to us, we were at the wrong camping place, as the sites we found were in a field, right next door to a neighborhood. Looking out the flap of the tent, we saw a large cement wall that separated us from the neighbors! On the flip side, one nice part was that our spot was really close to the hotsprings, which we found to be quite relaxing and comfortable to swim in during the later evening. At first when I thought of hotsprings, I thought it would be like the hotsprings at Yellowstone National Park out west, but in Rehoboth, the hotsprings provided the hot-water for a large indoor pool that looked a bit similar to the ancient Greek baths houses. It was quite an experience!
On Saturday, we made our way to Oanob Dam--which was where we were actually supposed to camp. Oanob was beautiful! When the computer works a bit better I'll load up some pictures! Some people went canoeing, and I went on a hike around the lake. Hiking outside with the African sun beating on your neck but in some of the most beautiful scenery, is a perfect day in my mind!
Here are some other random highlights from the weekend trip:
~getting locked in the bathroom on the first night of camping and having to climb over the wall into the next stall to get out!
~seeing wild horses and donkeys while hiking around the dam
~eating lots and lots of peanut butter since my buddies and I were skeptical of bringing in lots of food and were trying to live simply for the weekend
~smores with sugar cookies since there aren't graham crackers in Namibia
~making friends with Namibians on Saturday night who lived in the area. They invited us to hang out, talk, dance, and eat grilled goat sausage with them. The next morning, 2 of the women took us on a short hike to see some big rocks and water where some people like to swim
~seeing a couple baboons while driving back to Windhoek
Overall it was a wonderful weekend... I got to relax, enjoy nature, and feel closer to friends on the trip. Namibia is completely beautiful and I look forward to more exploring!
Later this week, I'll more out of the house to stay with a family in the Windhoek area. After the fun of the last home stay in Soweto, I'm really excited!
I'm not so excited about the amount of reading that I have to do... so maybe I'll get on that!
peace out and more to come :)
We loaded our stuff and had 2 drivers from our program drive us to what we thought was our camping site. Unknown to us, we were at the wrong camping place, as the sites we found were in a field, right next door to a neighborhood. Looking out the flap of the tent, we saw a large cement wall that separated us from the neighbors! On the flip side, one nice part was that our spot was really close to the hotsprings, which we found to be quite relaxing and comfortable to swim in during the later evening. At first when I thought of hotsprings, I thought it would be like the hotsprings at Yellowstone National Park out west, but in Rehoboth, the hotsprings provided the hot-water for a large indoor pool that looked a bit similar to the ancient Greek baths houses. It was quite an experience!
On Saturday, we made our way to Oanob Dam--which was where we were actually supposed to camp. Oanob was beautiful! When the computer works a bit better I'll load up some pictures! Some people went canoeing, and I went on a hike around the lake. Hiking outside with the African sun beating on your neck but in some of the most beautiful scenery, is a perfect day in my mind!
Here are some other random highlights from the weekend trip:
~getting locked in the bathroom on the first night of camping and having to climb over the wall into the next stall to get out!
~seeing wild horses and donkeys while hiking around the dam
~eating lots and lots of peanut butter since my buddies and I were skeptical of bringing in lots of food and were trying to live simply for the weekend
~smores with sugar cookies since there aren't graham crackers in Namibia
~making friends with Namibians on Saturday night who lived in the area. They invited us to hang out, talk, dance, and eat grilled goat sausage with them. The next morning, 2 of the women took us on a short hike to see some big rocks and water where some people like to swim
~seeing a couple baboons while driving back to Windhoek
Overall it was a wonderful weekend... I got to relax, enjoy nature, and feel closer to friends on the trip. Namibia is completely beautiful and I look forward to more exploring!
Later this week, I'll more out of the house to stay with a family in the Windhoek area. After the fun of the last home stay in Soweto, I'm really excited!
I'm not so excited about the amount of reading that I have to do... so maybe I'll get on that!
peace out and more to come :)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Namibian life and internships
I’ve now been in Namibia and it is truly beautiful! I tend to get up early in the morning and either run or walk around just to see the beauty of this place. It’s been pretty darn hot, around 80-90 degrees during the day, which is hard to fathom considering it’s snowy in Cincinnati and Valpo these days!
SO yesterday was my first day with my internship! I’ll be working with Vision Life, which is an organization run out of a home. Aunty Clara, an incredible woman is in charge of Vision Life, and even after just spending a day with her yesterday, I realize she will teach me so much. Clara has a heart for her community and is all about meeting the needs of the community. A few years ago, she and her husband started making more affordable uniforms for children in the area (since uniforms, which are required for all children to go to school, can be a financial deterrent from education). Within the last 6 months, she has opened her home to about 10 children under the age of 6 who come during the day (from about 8am until 6pm) to have a safe place to stay since they are too young for school. Many of the children are orphans, so without Clara’s intervention, they’d be spending time with other family members, many of whom are struggling themselves with unemployment, poverty, illness (especially HIV), and other living pains.
Within 30 minutes of arriving at Clara’s house, she left me with the children because she had to run some errands. I was to attempt to teach these energized kiddies things like numbers, shapes, and the like. Now, I’ve worked at camp for the last 2 summers, so I’d identify myself as someone who loves kids, yet I did find such a young age group a bit out of my comfort zone! I’m sure that as time passes, I’ll learn effective was to interact with these children, because they certainly are adorable! (even when it’s “nap time” and they are all running around the room!)
Clara also opens her home to many older children who are orphaned. Part of my internship will also be helping these students with their homework. Clara said that she has about 20 people living at her house, and I’m pretty sure that only one of the teens living with her is her own child!
Aunty Clara is an inspiration and a giver to her community. She expressed feelings of exhaustion (as I can only begin to imagine), but her spirit is strong and her love for those whom she is serving is evident! I look forward to growing with her and those she serves.
One interesting thing: I’m pretty sure that Aunty Clara receives no funding for any of the services she provides. She and her husband to earn money through making the uniforms, but her work with the children is completed funded out of her own pocket. I hope to brainstorm some with Clara about ways to receive funding, because her resources for her “pre-school” are pretty limited.
This will truly be an incredible experience, and I’ll be sure to share more stories as they come!
But one quick moment: As soon as I exited our kambi (the 15- passenger vans that we are transported in with the program), 3 of the kids run up and hugged me. What a beautiful example of love and joy from these children!
Oh, I plan to go camping this weekend, so get excited for some fun animal stories early next week :)
Peace and love from Namibia!!!
SO yesterday was my first day with my internship! I’ll be working with Vision Life, which is an organization run out of a home. Aunty Clara, an incredible woman is in charge of Vision Life, and even after just spending a day with her yesterday, I realize she will teach me so much. Clara has a heart for her community and is all about meeting the needs of the community. A few years ago, she and her husband started making more affordable uniforms for children in the area (since uniforms, which are required for all children to go to school, can be a financial deterrent from education). Within the last 6 months, she has opened her home to about 10 children under the age of 6 who come during the day (from about 8am until 6pm) to have a safe place to stay since they are too young for school. Many of the children are orphans, so without Clara’s intervention, they’d be spending time with other family members, many of whom are struggling themselves with unemployment, poverty, illness (especially HIV), and other living pains.
Within 30 minutes of arriving at Clara’s house, she left me with the children because she had to run some errands. I was to attempt to teach these energized kiddies things like numbers, shapes, and the like. Now, I’ve worked at camp for the last 2 summers, so I’d identify myself as someone who loves kids, yet I did find such a young age group a bit out of my comfort zone! I’m sure that as time passes, I’ll learn effective was to interact with these children, because they certainly are adorable! (even when it’s “nap time” and they are all running around the room!)
Clara also opens her home to many older children who are orphaned. Part of my internship will also be helping these students with their homework. Clara said that she has about 20 people living at her house, and I’m pretty sure that only one of the teens living with her is her own child!
Aunty Clara is an inspiration and a giver to her community. She expressed feelings of exhaustion (as I can only begin to imagine), but her spirit is strong and her love for those whom she is serving is evident! I look forward to growing with her and those she serves.
One interesting thing: I’m pretty sure that Aunty Clara receives no funding for any of the services she provides. She and her husband to earn money through making the uniforms, but her work with the children is completed funded out of her own pocket. I hope to brainstorm some with Clara about ways to receive funding, because her resources for her “pre-school” are pretty limited.
This will truly be an incredible experience, and I’ll be sure to share more stories as they come!
But one quick moment: As soon as I exited our kambi (the 15- passenger vans that we are transported in with the program), 3 of the kids run up and hugged me. What a beautiful example of love and joy from these children!
Oh, I plan to go camping this weekend, so get excited for some fun animal stories early next week :)
Peace and love from Namibia!!!
Some pictures, finally!
Me actually being adventerous and trying some good ole South African food! Too bad I didn't get a picture of the ox tongue!
This is my Soweto host-family! Mom: Thandi,
18 year-old brother: Karabo, 8 year-old sister: Kayisa.
This was my first African family!
This is me and some of the really great kids whom I hung out with during the homestay in Soweto! We played lots of fun games like marbles, tag, Red Light, green light, etc! (I'm not sure what Sunji, in front is doing with his hand!!!)
Here I am with with some of the girls at a crazy weird monument that the Afrikans made for themselves in Pretoria, South Africa. Kesem, Kim Hover (fellow Valpoite), Jess, Me, Rachel
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Church in Namibia!
We went to the largest non-white Lutheran Church in the world today. It is located in Katatura, Namibia. Four of my buddies and I decided to try our best at hailing our own taxi to take us to the church, but found that we only knew the name of the church, not the location. After first winding up at the wrong church, we hailed another taxi (you get better at this the more times you do it!) and made it to Macedonia Lutheran Church. The church was pretty large, but the inside was packed with people. We were told that the service would be around 2 hours… from about 11:00am-1:00pm. We made our way out of the service at around 2:15 (so much for 2 hour services!)
Even though this was by far the longest Lutheran service I have ever been to (and maybe the longest one that I will ever go to), and the first Lutheran church service that was not in English, I found my experience quite interesting. During the service, I did not understand all of the words spoken (or any for that matter) but the spirit that brought us all together and the same God whom we were all praising was alive and well. I was really excited to recognize the tunes of many of the hymns they sang, as well! This church was amazing because there was no piano or organ, just the loud and beautiful voices of the congregation. During what seemed to be random silences to me, one person in the congregation would start singing a hymn in one of the Namibian native languages, and before we knew it, many had joined in.
My four friends and I were the only whites in the congregation, so we did stand out a bit. During the announcement part of the service, the pastor invited us up to the front to introduce ourselves and share what brought us to the congregation. Even though it seemed as though many of the congregation members were timid around us before the service, we found that at this moment they warmly welcomed us. Then during the sermon portion of the sermon, one of the pastors who wasn’t preaching came and joined our pew (we barely all could fit in it together, but we squished tightly!) so that he could interpret the sermon for us into English. What an incredible sign of hospitality and unity of believers!
After the service, various members of the congregation and some of the elders came and greeted us and I found myself smiling from ear to ear to be in such a beautiful community! We befriended a young woman, Loraine, who is from Namibia, but studies in the UK, and she took us to her home for a few minutes before walking us to the market so that we could have lunch in the Katatura market.
Random thoughts:
Wouldn’t it be crazy if we always tried to greet strangers with such hospitality?
Hymns sung a cappela by a church full of Namibians are beautiful!
I haven’t eaten any ox tongue lately, and I’m okay with that!
Even though this was by far the longest Lutheran service I have ever been to (and maybe the longest one that I will ever go to), and the first Lutheran church service that was not in English, I found my experience quite interesting. During the service, I did not understand all of the words spoken (or any for that matter) but the spirit that brought us all together and the same God whom we were all praising was alive and well. I was really excited to recognize the tunes of many of the hymns they sang, as well! This church was amazing because there was no piano or organ, just the loud and beautiful voices of the congregation. During what seemed to be random silences to me, one person in the congregation would start singing a hymn in one of the Namibian native languages, and before we knew it, many had joined in.
My four friends and I were the only whites in the congregation, so we did stand out a bit. During the announcement part of the service, the pastor invited us up to the front to introduce ourselves and share what brought us to the congregation. Even though it seemed as though many of the congregation members were timid around us before the service, we found that at this moment they warmly welcomed us. Then during the sermon portion of the sermon, one of the pastors who wasn’t preaching came and joined our pew (we barely all could fit in it together, but we squished tightly!) so that he could interpret the sermon for us into English. What an incredible sign of hospitality and unity of believers!
After the service, various members of the congregation and some of the elders came and greeted us and I found myself smiling from ear to ear to be in such a beautiful community! We befriended a young woman, Loraine, who is from Namibia, but studies in the UK, and she took us to her home for a few minutes before walking us to the market so that we could have lunch in the Katatura market.
Random thoughts:
Wouldn’t it be crazy if we always tried to greet strangers with such hospitality?
Hymns sung a cappela by a church full of Namibians are beautiful!
I haven’t eaten any ox tongue lately, and I’m okay with that!
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Namibia
namibia is a country of contrasts...
Today we took a tour of Windhoek. First we left our "posh" neighborhood and went to one of the highest places in the city to view the city. From where we stood, it looked like a beautiful, well-off city. Yet as our tour continued we entered into a very different side of the city. It was called Katatura. Katatura is a home to many black Namibians who were originally forced to live there when apartheid plagued South Africa and Namibia.
How can people live in tin shacks with inadequate water, schooling and health care live so closely to people who have so much?
this is a struggle we all must wrestle with..
Today we took a tour of Windhoek. First we left our "posh" neighborhood and went to one of the highest places in the city to view the city. From where we stood, it looked like a beautiful, well-off city. Yet as our tour continued we entered into a very different side of the city. It was called Katatura. Katatura is a home to many black Namibians who were originally forced to live there when apartheid plagued South Africa and Namibia.
How can people live in tin shacks with inadequate water, schooling and health care live so closely to people who have so much?
this is a struggle we all must wrestle with..
Soweto, Ox Tongue, and Forgiveness
I am now safely in Namibia!
Since so much has happened since I left the US, I will try to depict some of the most relevant times. Please feel free to email me or contact me if you'd like more details :)
First, a population lesson: Namibia certainly has a different feel than South Africa, as the population is 2 million for the entire country (compared with 45 million in South Africa, and over 11 million in the greater Johannesburg area where we spent most of our time while in SA).
One other random note, South Africa has 11 languages and most people we encountered spoke at least 5 of them. I found myself thinking about how I can only speak English and a bit of German? These people are brilliant, and I can teach me so much!
Time in South Africa was very interesting... we went to a lot of museums that brought the history of SA, apartheid, and the end of that struggle to life and challenged me as I saw actual pictures of the horror of apartheid. This truly was a dark time for South Africa, yet as my time in SA showed me, the darkness no longer has dominion. Obviously in the 13 years since apartheid ended not everything has been improved (as we can recognize also in our own history, as racism still is thriving in the USA even after the victory of the civil rights movement in the 1960s).
Yet, improvements certainly are being made. One specific improvement as that since the end of apartheid, the government has been pouring money into making low-cost housing. These housing units are certainly not luxurious, by any stretch of the imagination, but they are much more humane than the tin-shack shantytown homes that lack running water and electricity which are still plaguing parts of South Africa.
The most enriching experience of my time in South Africa was my 3-nigh homestay in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa. Soweto has about 5 million people, and is a community in itself. During this time in Soweto, Rachel, another student from the program and I spent time getting to know Thandi Dube, our host mom, her 18 year-old son Karabo, and 8 year-old daughter Kayise.
The Dube's home was simple; in fact, it had 3 bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a living room with a couch and TV, yet there was no carpet, no paint on the walls, and no kitchen table/chairs. We found that for many living in Soweto, watching television is a common way to spend the day. Thandi did not have a car, so we relied on her trusted friend to drive us in his taxi and other friends to drive us places. Thandi was so excited to have Rachel and me, and her hospitality overwhelmed us. She was also so proud to show us and share with us her house, which while it was not fully finished and scantily furnished, was quite an accomplishment for a single mom.
She was constantly checking in with us to make sure that we were well fed, comfortable, and having an overall good time.
I found that one of my favorite parts of this homestay was getting the opportunity to play with Kayise and her friends. There were about 6 neighborhood kids whom we played with and we played all sorts of games...from marbles, to tag, to red light green light (after I taught them). These children had little material toys, but had so much joy and life. We laughed despite the sometimes apparent language barrier. We had so much fun playing outside, without playstation, Nintendo, computer games, etc. There was so much joy in the simplicity.
My other highlight of the weekend was worshipping with Thandi at a church that probably had 3,000 people in attendance. The service was mostly in English, but many of the songs were in the native languages. At one point in the service we sang the contemporary praise song "Above All" and I found my tears welding with joy as I thought about how this was one of the most beautiful visions of unity I had seen. Even though Rachel and I were probably 2 of the only white people worshipping that day, we could join with people who had been so oppressed by whites, and still join hands and worship our creator together. This truly was an incredible experience and words cannot truly do it justice.
Oh, and I can not forget the fact that for our second dinner, Thandi served us one of South Africa's delicacies: ox tongue! I'm not sure if I'll ever have to eat that again, but I can now say that I have eaten an ox tongue!
One final thought because I know this journal is long...
On our last day in South Africa, we heard from a man named Stake, who was a part of the opposition to apartheid. Even though he spent 10 years in prison for his opposition, this man embodied a hope and life that was incredibly encouraging.
One of my favorite quotes of his was:
In this world we have gone great distances to bridge gaps between us and things very far away. We have travelled to outer-space, landed on the moon, etc. Yet too often we fail to bridge the closest distance between us and our neighbor.
May we all seek to bridge those gaps and love radically and genuinely even if our neighbour seems completely different than us. The spirit of South Africa and the power of forgiveness in this country are incredible.
The power of community is also unbelievable as we walked around Soweto and were greeted by people all around us who were curious to hear from us and share a bit of their life with us. White people in Soweto are rare, so many of Thandi's neighbors were excited to meet Rachel and I and greeted us with such hospitality. I hope that this concept of community is one that I can strive for in years to come, for we are a people who were created to live with one another and to share joys and challenges.
May we live in forgiveness, peace, hope, community, and love with one another.
Since so much has happened since I left the US, I will try to depict some of the most relevant times. Please feel free to email me or contact me if you'd like more details :)
First, a population lesson: Namibia certainly has a different feel than South Africa, as the population is 2 million for the entire country (compared with 45 million in South Africa, and over 11 million in the greater Johannesburg area where we spent most of our time while in SA).
One other random note, South Africa has 11 languages and most people we encountered spoke at least 5 of them. I found myself thinking about how I can only speak English and a bit of German? These people are brilliant, and I can teach me so much!
Time in South Africa was very interesting... we went to a lot of museums that brought the history of SA, apartheid, and the end of that struggle to life and challenged me as I saw actual pictures of the horror of apartheid. This truly was a dark time for South Africa, yet as my time in SA showed me, the darkness no longer has dominion. Obviously in the 13 years since apartheid ended not everything has been improved (as we can recognize also in our own history, as racism still is thriving in the USA even after the victory of the civil rights movement in the 1960s).
Yet, improvements certainly are being made. One specific improvement as that since the end of apartheid, the government has been pouring money into making low-cost housing. These housing units are certainly not luxurious, by any stretch of the imagination, but they are much more humane than the tin-shack shantytown homes that lack running water and electricity which are still plaguing parts of South Africa.
The most enriching experience of my time in South Africa was my 3-nigh homestay in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa. Soweto has about 5 million people, and is a community in itself. During this time in Soweto, Rachel, another student from the program and I spent time getting to know Thandi Dube, our host mom, her 18 year-old son Karabo, and 8 year-old daughter Kayise.
The Dube's home was simple; in fact, it had 3 bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a living room with a couch and TV, yet there was no carpet, no paint on the walls, and no kitchen table/chairs. We found that for many living in Soweto, watching television is a common way to spend the day. Thandi did not have a car, so we relied on her trusted friend to drive us in his taxi and other friends to drive us places. Thandi was so excited to have Rachel and me, and her hospitality overwhelmed us. She was also so proud to show us and share with us her house, which while it was not fully finished and scantily furnished, was quite an accomplishment for a single mom.
She was constantly checking in with us to make sure that we were well fed, comfortable, and having an overall good time.
I found that one of my favorite parts of this homestay was getting the opportunity to play with Kayise and her friends. There were about 6 neighborhood kids whom we played with and we played all sorts of games...from marbles, to tag, to red light green light (after I taught them). These children had little material toys, but had so much joy and life. We laughed despite the sometimes apparent language barrier. We had so much fun playing outside, without playstation, Nintendo, computer games, etc. There was so much joy in the simplicity.
My other highlight of the weekend was worshipping with Thandi at a church that probably had 3,000 people in attendance. The service was mostly in English, but many of the songs were in the native languages. At one point in the service we sang the contemporary praise song "Above All" and I found my tears welding with joy as I thought about how this was one of the most beautiful visions of unity I had seen. Even though Rachel and I were probably 2 of the only white people worshipping that day, we could join with people who had been so oppressed by whites, and still join hands and worship our creator together. This truly was an incredible experience and words cannot truly do it justice.
Oh, and I can not forget the fact that for our second dinner, Thandi served us one of South Africa's delicacies: ox tongue! I'm not sure if I'll ever have to eat that again, but I can now say that I have eaten an ox tongue!
One final thought because I know this journal is long...
On our last day in South Africa, we heard from a man named Stake, who was a part of the opposition to apartheid. Even though he spent 10 years in prison for his opposition, this man embodied a hope and life that was incredibly encouraging.
One of my favorite quotes of his was:
In this world we have gone great distances to bridge gaps between us and things very far away. We have travelled to outer-space, landed on the moon, etc. Yet too often we fail to bridge the closest distance between us and our neighbor.
May we all seek to bridge those gaps and love radically and genuinely even if our neighbour seems completely different than us. The spirit of South Africa and the power of forgiveness in this country are incredible.
The power of community is also unbelievable as we walked around Soweto and were greeted by people all around us who were curious to hear from us and share a bit of their life with us. White people in Soweto are rare, so many of Thandi's neighbors were excited to meet Rachel and I and greeted us with such hospitality. I hope that this concept of community is one that I can strive for in years to come, for we are a people who were created to live with one another and to share joys and challenges.
May we live in forgiveness, peace, hope, community, and love with one another.
Monday, February 5, 2007
South Africa is amazing!
I just returned from my first homestay... I spent 3 days in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa!
I will give more details as soon as I settle into Namibia... because then I will have email resources beyond internet cafes!
Love to you all, and thanks for the prayers,
peace,
Kim
I just returned from my first homestay... I spent 3 days in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa!
I will give more details as soon as I settle into Namibia... because then I will have email resources beyond internet cafes!
Love to you all, and thanks for the prayers,
peace,
Kim
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Recommended book: Kaffir Boy
Before arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa, each of the students was asked to read 3 books to help prepare.
One of the books was called Kaffir Boy written by Mark Mathabane. Kaffir Boy is Mathabane's autobiography of his life growing up during the apartheid in South Africa. He recounts the terror and horror of living in Alexandria, one of the largest townships for blacks in South Africa. I did not know much about apartheid before reading this book... I did know that it was government-enforced segregation in South Africa, but I did not how truly inhumane it was. I did not realize that for many of the blacks living in the segregated ghettos (which are called townships) fear was a way of life. FEAR was all they really knew. Author Mathabane talks about living in fear as the police would invade his house, physically abuse he and his family members, and take the little money that his family did have for no justifiable reason (at least to me as the reader).
The most fearful time I can recount is one time when I was home alone and was sure that I heard footsteps upstairs. Yet after being scared for about 20 minutes, I fell asleep and woke up realizing nothing had happened. For Mathabane, those footsteps (like the ones that I thought I heard) were a reality day in and day out, not just a figment of his imagination as they were for me. Those footsteps for Mathabane warned of the coming of the dreaded police--which meant an even harder life for Mark and his family. Those footsteps meant that there was a large likelihood that Mark's father would be taken away as a prisoner for not having his pass book (a government booklet that was used to regulate and monitor those living in the townships) in complete order. Those footsteps meant that his already starving stomach would ache even more. Those footsteps meant a sharp fear that sends chills down one's spine and takes one's breath right out of them. Fear destroys... and it works from the inside out.
Needless to say, I truly do recommend this book. It was one of the most difficult reads I've had to do, yet it was a story of survival--a survival during a truly dark time in South Africa. And this book forced me to ask the question time and time again, "how was this going on in South Africa, even during my life time, and we knew so little of it...?"
As I am in South Africa, I am sure that we will spend a great deal of time seeing some of the aftermath of apartheid. I will keep you all posted on what I learn, but it is my prayer that we can all find ourselves not asking, "How is it that I did not know this happened?" and instead we can ask, "Since I know this (insert world event...) is happening, how can I speak out against it and speak for justice, love, and peace?"
God's peace
One of the books was called Kaffir Boy written by Mark Mathabane. Kaffir Boy is Mathabane's autobiography of his life growing up during the apartheid in South Africa. He recounts the terror and horror of living in Alexandria, one of the largest townships for blacks in South Africa. I did not know much about apartheid before reading this book... I did know that it was government-enforced segregation in South Africa, but I did not how truly inhumane it was. I did not realize that for many of the blacks living in the segregated ghettos (which are called townships) fear was a way of life. FEAR was all they really knew. Author Mathabane talks about living in fear as the police would invade his house, physically abuse he and his family members, and take the little money that his family did have for no justifiable reason (at least to me as the reader).
The most fearful time I can recount is one time when I was home alone and was sure that I heard footsteps upstairs. Yet after being scared for about 20 minutes, I fell asleep and woke up realizing nothing had happened. For Mathabane, those footsteps (like the ones that I thought I heard) were a reality day in and day out, not just a figment of his imagination as they were for me. Those footsteps for Mathabane warned of the coming of the dreaded police--which meant an even harder life for Mark and his family. Those footsteps meant that there was a large likelihood that Mark's father would be taken away as a prisoner for not having his pass book (a government booklet that was used to regulate and monitor those living in the townships) in complete order. Those footsteps meant that his already starving stomach would ache even more. Those footsteps meant a sharp fear that sends chills down one's spine and takes one's breath right out of them. Fear destroys... and it works from the inside out.
Needless to say, I truly do recommend this book. It was one of the most difficult reads I've had to do, yet it was a story of survival--a survival during a truly dark time in South Africa. And this book forced me to ask the question time and time again, "how was this going on in South Africa, even during my life time, and we knew so little of it...?"
As I am in South Africa, I am sure that we will spend a great deal of time seeing some of the aftermath of apartheid. I will keep you all posted on what I learn, but it is my prayer that we can all find ourselves not asking, "How is it that I did not know this happened?" and instead we can ask, "Since I know this (insert world event...) is happening, how can I speak out against it and speak for justice, love, and peace?"
God's peace
Monday, January 22, 2007
Well here it is Monday...
and I leave on Saturday...
not to mention that it's an 18 hour plane ride to Johannesburg, South Africa....
I can not believe that I am actually getting prepared to leave the country for 17 weeks. I've been thinking about studying abroad since freshmen year, and now here it is!
For all of you reading this, I hope that this journal is a way that we can take this journey together. I've never done the "blogging" thing before, so it shall be interesting!
I really don't have much to say other than I'm a bit of a bundle of nerves, as to be expected.
Never have I been overseas, let alone for about 4 months...
But I am excited about the journey ahead. I know that there will be difficult, emotional, beautiful, painful, joyful, laughter-filled, and tear-afflicting moments...
Yet even in the discomfort, I know that God is faithful, and that is all i need right now.
God bless, my friends
and I leave on Saturday...
not to mention that it's an 18 hour plane ride to Johannesburg, South Africa....
I can not believe that I am actually getting prepared to leave the country for 17 weeks. I've been thinking about studying abroad since freshmen year, and now here it is!
For all of you reading this, I hope that this journal is a way that we can take this journey together. I've never done the "blogging" thing before, so it shall be interesting!
I really don't have much to say other than I'm a bit of a bundle of nerves, as to be expected.
Never have I been overseas, let alone for about 4 months...
But I am excited about the journey ahead. I know that there will be difficult, emotional, beautiful, painful, joyful, laughter-filled, and tear-afflicting moments...
Yet even in the discomfort, I know that God is faithful, and that is all i need right now.
God bless, my friends
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