February 11, 2011
The trip up the Skeleton coast was amazing and then we had some down time until it was New Year’s Eve. So much had happened in 2010 that I almost needed it to be over so I could begin grasping the fact that I am indeed going to live here. It was strange knowing that only months before that time I was living in New Baltimore sipping wine by the pool. Then to think that only a few months before that, I was at my Commencement with the Jungle and their families and my family and all of my best friends. Then thinking about how still that same year we were holding keg parties at the Jungle and going to Senior Nights at Tilt. At the same time I was taking my Electricity and Magnetism mid-term and scraping the ice off my car every day instead of sweating all night long. 2010 NEEDED to be over. I am not studying abroad; I am not missing one semester and then coming back. College is over. I am living and working in Namibia!
Some people went to Dune 7 and partied. It sounded like it was an unbelievable time, but I did not feel like spending the money. Swakopmund is expensive! So I stayed by the beach with a lot of others and partied at the Tiki Hut by our campsite. It was 30 Namibian dollars to get in and we did not want to pay so we went around the bar by way of the beach to where the bonfire was outside. Some late-comers were drilled by the thunderous waves and lost their footing and their phones/shoes in the process of sneaking over to the bonfire. At 11:48 pm I gathered Allie who had fallen asleep at the campsite and we ran to the massive bonfire which was ignited at 12 Midnight. So that was like watching the ball drop on TV in Newbie, except a little different because I watched a tower be burned to the ground on a beach with the waves crashing up against the bar and then snuck into a huge dance party in the bar and danced with random strangers until I backed up into Allie by accident who was also dancing with random strangers.
New Year’s Day was our last day in Swakopmund and so we tried to live it up. We relaxed and played ultimate Frisbee in the park , and then we made reservations at this nice sushi restaurant, knowing that we would not have sushi for a long time. We showered and went to this modern looking sushi bar and had pleasant conversation for about 1.5 hours and then we ate. It was a good last meal before we “went back to Africa” the next day.
Going back to the North was exciting. I got to visit Ryan’s homestead which was cool because he lives with Kwanyamas, which is another dialect of Oshiwambo. He is learning Oshikwanyama, I am learning Oshindonga but I live with Oshikwambi-speaking people, another dialect of Oshiwambo. He has the hook-up in comparison to my place (electricity, his own building, refrigerator, etc) but to each her own. Then my two friends Lisa and Brian came to visit my homestead for one night which was also so awesome. Having visitors is really exciting, because it gives you a very homey feeling. The next morning I left with them and went to visit Allie’s homestead which is also really nice. She has her own building with two rooms, one for her kitchen/dining room and one for her room, and she decorated it tremendously. It looked like home. She also has a shower and a flush toilet, which I do not have. Allie, Lisa, Brian and I made the best Pad Thai I have ever had. The mosquitoes were merciless, but the food and company made that concern dissolve.
Allie’s place really inspired me to come back to my room and start to make it my home. I still had pictures that my sisters had put up on my wall, my bed took over my room and I had all my clothes sitting in a suitcase and I really envied the work that she did. So I came back to the village and asked for help moving things around. I have one room for my kitchen in one building where the boys sleep and one room for myself where the girls sleep. My kitchen is still not nearly what I want it to look like but I switched my bed that was in my room with the bed the Ministry of Education got me, which is smaller and has a terrible mattress. However the space is what matters most! I put my big wardrobe in my room and now can fit all my clothes in my wardrobe! No more suitcase. Then I took down the pictures that were there before and only put up my pictures. I have twice as much room now. My mosquito net is not taking up my whole room and I can hang my clothes. I hooked up my gas stove so now I can cook! I bought some kitchen utensils to use as well, like a cutting board, a bowl, plates, knives, colander, pots, cookie sheets and essential items like flour, pasta, rice, salt, ramen noodles. The problem is that the Ministry has not given me the tables they promised they would give me. So I put everything on the ground or on the cardboard box the stove came in for storage. I have about 8 anthills in my kitchen that cannot be swept away but generally the ants stay away from my bowls and things. The ants just encourage me to push for these tables. Also it is not fun to eat off your lap once you cook something the way it is fun to eat off a table. Soon they will come though. Also, I might be putting an electric fridge in one of the bars that is like 0.5 miles away from me if it is approved by the Ministry who should pay for the electricity. Then my bag of tomatoes will not spoil in one day!
That is the update on my housekeeping. Sorry if it was boring but I wanted to share how I live because I have a hard time putting pictures online. Iyaloo! (Thanks!)
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