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!!