Last Homestay

This past weekend, I was paired with Tandy for our last homestay experience in a rural part of Namibia (near Khorixas). I LOVED this homestay! Our experience was unique because 3 other pairs of girls were also staying on this large, family-owned farm. Each of our houses made up the four corners of the farm, and all of our familes were related in some fashion. The windmill in the middle was our meeting spot, and the big herd of dairy cows and goats would frequently roam the farm. We arrived and met our particular family- Ouma (grandmother) Christaline and her grandkids- Inseline (6), Marcella (10), and Salvanus (17). Salvanus was our translator because none of the other people in our house spoke English. We lived in a mud/dung 3-room house, and Sarah and I studied by candlelight. Everything we ate was cooked over a pot and a tiny fire outside the house. There was also an excessive fly population...! Our family owned goats, and we tried goat's milk the first night as we looked up at the entire milky way! So beautiful :) I loved playing with our little girls, and the other children on the farm would frequently come and play with us. Throughout the two days, we got to play in the "river," which happened to be a really big pond (lol), milk cows (it's harder than you'd think...), ride horses (bareback!), and climb the nearby mountain. Ouma also taught us how to make fat cakes, which are delicious. Also, there happened to be a lot of rain in the afternoons, so Ouma would lock us in our room to keep us from getting wet. After one of the rainstorms, there was a complete double rainbow- it was BEAUTIFUL! The time passed fairly slowly, and yet we were always doing something. I loved the restfulness on the farm, and I miss our family already! They were so inviting and welcoming :) From here, we leave for Botswana on Wednesday and won't have anymore communication until we're back in the US.... See you guys soon!!

2nd Homestay

This past weekend, Catherine and I were paired together for our second homestay with the Lawrence family. They spoke Afrikaans and lived in the upper-middle class region of Windhoek. Randolph, the dad, owned a butchery that he had created from the ground up. Margareth, the mother, was a sweet and shy woman who frequently held my hand when we went to places (so sweet!). Marilize, our 15-year-old sister, was the most outgoing girl I've ever met, and she was adorable! She was so talkative, and she modeled for Apple Bottom Jeans. Llewellyn, our 26-year-old brother lived in the flat behind the house and helped his dad run the butchery. We had a really relaxing weekend with them and spent a lot of time resting our rooms, by the pool, or watching rugby. Our siblings took us on a night tour on Saturday, which was really fun! We also got to go to their church on Sunday, and Catherine and I loved being able to worship with them. We went back to Penduka on Monday. Yesterday, we heard a variety of speakers throughout the day, and then we visted the orphanage! I pretty much clung to a little girl, Rebecca, who I got to wash and hold for most of the 2 hours. She was precious :) Today, we've driven almost the entire way to our last, rural homestay. Sarah Tandy and I are partners, and we're pumped for meeting our family tonight!

Windhoek, Namibia

Ok, sorry it's been awhile since my last post! The rest of Monday was pretty chill. We took our laundry to a local store, and a group of us bought dinner at the local grocery market. We walk everywhere, and the local dirt roads are extremely wide. Laura made us a perfect college-style dinner on our bungalow's hotplace- scrambled eggs with veggies. After we joined another bungalow for dinner (they made mac and cheese), we all did homework together in our kitchen. The next day, a group of 4 of us went running by the beach and through the town. It was really fun to explore with these girls, as well as run with a team of believers. We had a morning class in an open classroom before heading off to visit an afterschool program called MYO. This organization provides after-school care for 25 kids per grade. There were 6 teachers, and the classes ranged from computer skills, math and english, to music class. Schools in Namibia are in session from 7:30 to 1:30, so there's a lot of time afterwards that can be filled. We got to eat our picnic lunch with the kids and just hangout. After this, we visited the Medi-Clinic. We took a fairly exhaustive tour of the place, which included seeing the room where Angelina Jolie birthed her latest child, Shiloh. Our group became instant tourists as we began taking pictures of the room and the thankyou note they both signed. Wednesday, we drove to Penduka, near Katatura, Namibia. The place is really inspiring- they employ disabled and diseased women to make tapestries, glass jewelry, and other various crafts. We stayed in hostel-style rooming, complete with insecticide nets to cover us while we sleep. We took a really sweet tour of Windhoek on Thursday, and we visited various markets, a cemetary, and the informal settlements. There is an indescribable amount of poverty in Katatura... Friday, we visited Sister Namibia, a local feminist organization. This was by far one of my favorite places we've visited so far! The two women who spoke with us were so incredible, sharing their goal for the voices of Namibian women to be heard. After this, we went back to Penduka (which is located by a lovely lake of sorts) and rested before our second homestay family came to pick us up!