My Time in Windhoek

Sunrise over Windhoek

I have now been in Windhoek for almost a month. Highlights include my internship at the Peace Centre, urban homestay and various cultural experiences. I will touch more light on these three subjects in future blogs. My time with the other 22 students - from different parts of the U.S. - has been enriching. These students (20 girls, 2 boys) come from extremely diverse backgrounds and bring valuable perspectives and experience to the table. I take classes in history, development and religion with them.

   

Parliament Gardens, Windhoek 

In history, we are studying race, the first genocide in the 20^th century (the Herero Genocide) and the legacy of apartheid. We have heard from a descendant of the genocide and visited a national tribal museum in Windhoek. In development, we have assessed development theories, looked at the various perceptions of development and had someone talk to us about the Basic Income Grant (BIG) campaign. In religion, we have heard from each other’s different spiritual backgrounds and compared traditional African religion to Christianity. I helped facilitate the last class on the subject, Namibia and the church. We were fortunate to gain two valuable perspectives about the role of the church in Namibian society by visiting both German and Inner-city Lutheran churches. Materials and ideas from these 3 classes have coincided well with things I have learnt at my internship, urban homestay and at other cultural events. Some of the activities that I have done over the last few weeks in Windhoek include:

Katutura

     - A tour of Katutura (traditionally the black township by Windhoek)

     - A women’s soccer game (Namibia vs Botswana, ending up with 0-0 in pouring rain)

     - An informal dialogue session with Namibian university students

      - A meal at XWAMA restaurant (traditional Namibian cuisine), dishes include whole chicken including the claws and all bodily organs, dried oryx and dried fish- I had the chicken

      - A meal at Joe’s Beer House (I tried zebra, kudu and oryx)

      -  Inner-city Lutheran Church service (including a baptism of a young boy
-    Going out in town with a couple of Namibian friends

I feel like I am getting a real experience of the Namibian way of life. It has been a truly enriching time. I have just got back from the coast, where I spent a few days in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. A blog on these experiences will come in due time. PEACE FROM NAMIBIA!