So much to share, so much to share

Hey everyone

So, I'm trying out this pictures thing. Seeing if it works.  Anyways, it's been awhile, especailly since I've posted in a lot of detail, and about seven million awesome and interesting things have happened since then, so I'll try to give you a good rundown. I'm sure I'll leave some gaps, so please ask any questions. I was gonna break this into multiple post for ease of reading, but then I accidentally put all the pictures in here, and they took a while to upload, so sorry for the immense length of this. Feel free to skim if you so choose, or just look at the pretty pictures 

PART ONE--THE NORTH

My Rural Homestay family!

So I'll start with a little more detail than I left you with last time about the two weeks in the North. Here's a picture of my host family outside of our house. The littlest one (about 18 mo.), Gabes, is missing because he was being moody and didn't want to be in the picture.  But here you see my meme, Loinde, and the children Malakia (the big one, actually a cousin of some sort, but living with them) and then from left to right  Titus (11), Paulus(13), Cecelia (18) and Ignatus (7) (Ignatus and Gabes are also cousins, and there are some older children as well, but they live in Windhoek)

The homestay, as I mentioned in an earlier post was a really awesome learning experience. I loved being out there in the country and just hanging out with people who I would otherwise never interact with. I do wish I'd tried a little harder to have deep conversations with them--i think I was discouraged by the language barrier a little bit, but some other students did get a little bit more discussion going, although some families spoke better English. It was an awesome experience either way, and I think they got a lot out of it too--they were very excited about my being there, especially my meme, and we did have some good conversations going both ways.  

Me and the Governor of Omustasi Region

Also during the home stay we went and visited a lot of local interesting places, organizations, schools, etc.  Two of the most interesting things we did were visiting a border post with a free trade zone, and a school nearby, where we talked a lot about immigration issues, and a lot of what was said reminded me a lot of issues on teh Mexico US border. Angola is less privileged, and so a lot of them are coming over the border, and Namibians see them as taking jobs and resources from Namibians.  So it was cool to make that connection, and also to hang out with some kids at the school.  Another cool thing we did was going to the homestead of a traditional king.  Namibia, in rural areas, shares governance with traditional authoroties, so this king still had some power, and we got to see how he lives, and therefore how Ovambo royalty has lived for quite a while, which was fascinating. It took us a long time to actually see the king because there are a lot of traiditonal hoops one has to jump through to gain audience with him.  Briefly, other things we did: visit a NGO that raises fish and gives some to local farmers to promote aquaculture, a farm that employs a lot of local workers (although some of their practices are questionable), a lecutre from a local reverend, and talking to the governor of the region. It was my job to thank him and when I went to give him a handshake he gave me a big hug, which was pretty funny.

Jimmy somewhere he wasn't supposed to be

We left Outapi for Opuwo where we were to stay for a few days with the Himba people.  On the way we stopped at a dry waterfall along the Angolan border. We may or may not have gone across the border through a gap in the fence. And I may or may not have brought back some Angolan rocks as souvenirs.  Living with the Himba, when we actually got there was really really interesting. I promised some thoughts on the cultural tourism and the clash of modernity and  tradition a couple posts ago, so here are some brief thoughts. This might be boring if it's not your thang, so feel free to skip ahead to more exciting things:

Himbas trying to sell stuff to us

The Himba live very traditionally.  They live in clusters of clan-based homesteads, dress very traditonally--the women, for example, do not wear tops, and they cover their hair and bodies with a red clay and butter mixture.  The men are not usually traditionally employed, and spend their time following grazing land for the cattle.  The women are also not traditionally employed. Usually they run the homesteads, especially in the men's absence, but they also (very aggressively) sell crafts and goods to tourists, especially in town.  We also took a tour of their homestead which felt very intrusive and almost like we were in a zoo. We learned later we had made very detailed arrangments about this tour beforehand with the chief of the village, but during the tour itself, and even afterward still, i felt as though we were being very intrusive and disrespectful to the people.  This really made me question why we were there, and if it was doing more harm than good to the people. Sure they invited us, and sure they were making money off of selling us their goods and renting their campground to us, and sure their kids came and played with us after dinner (which was super fun) but it still seems to perpetuate their marginalization.  It's similar to when Native Americans sell their goods to white tourists who are just interested in them as museum pieces and for the purposes of cultural appropriation. So that's something to think about.  Also, we talked to a Himba man who was telling us about his culture, and how it was disappearing, but how that was fraught, since they were also modernizing and developing in positive ways.  He said education is necessary for advancement but also taht education was contributing to their loss of cultural identity.  So their caught in a very tough position trying to balance tradition and modernity, and neither they nor I have any answers for this, but it's an interesting problem 

While we were in the village, we visited a formerly-mobile school, which used to travel with the Himba when they were more nomadic--I also felt very intrusive there, and  a couple gov't orgs, including the Ministry of Health for the region and the protection of women and children wing of the local Namibia Police.  While we didn't learn all that much directly from the gov't orgs, we did learn a lot about how disorganized the bureaucracy  here is, because trying to actually get them to talk to us (or know what day it was) was a challenge.

We went to Etosha from there and it was amazing, but I described that already. So, on to:

PART TWO--FALL BREAK

After amusing ourselves somehow for 11 hours in Otjiwarongo, and for 20 hours on a bus, we arrived in Livingstone, Zambia.  Livingstone immediately felt a lot more African than Windhoek does, which was pretty awesome, and then we arrived at our beautiful backpackers: Jollyboys, which is the number one rated backpackers' in the country, and pretty much deserves it, and it's only $8US a night.  It really was awesome. (http://www.backpackzambia.com/backpackers.php, I'm just putting the link up because their pics are nicer than mine, and then I don't have to upload any more pics, so you can check that if you want) They helped us plan all of our adventures, and had a lot of really cool people there for us to meet--some students and volunteers, and also a good deal of people just traveling Africa or the world trying to "find themselves." They were all really cool to talk to. Apparenlty not everyone there was awesome though, because some of our thigns did disappear from the room that we shared with 10 other people including my cell phone, Lizz's iPod and some of Christiana's cash. And while that was kinda shitty, it didn't manage to put a damper on our awesome trip.  That does mean however, that you can't call me here anymore, because my phone is now being sold on the Black Market in Zambia, which is kinda cool, actually.

Now, I hear you all crying "What did you actually do, though?"  Well, friends, thanks for asking.  We did a lot of just lounging by the pool which was super relaxing, and also found a couple of fun restaurants to go out and visit, including a Mexican place (who would have guessed?!) which was actually pretty decent.  Monday night (we arrived on Saturday afternoon, and just relaxed til then) we went on a sunset/booze cruise on the Zambezi River which was absollutely beautiful, and we saw a plethora of hippos as well as an elephant just chillin on the bank.  So that was really fun.  

The next day we decided to go visit the Zambia side of Victoria falls (the falls span the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, they're almost a mile long!) Which was really pretty.  Now we'd heard of this pool at the top of the falls called Devil's Pool, and after we'd had our fill of looking at the falls' beauty were ready for some adventure so we sought out a guide.  It turns out that going to Devil's pool is really expensive so we found a guide who we'd met at Jollyboys, who's name was Jimmy, by the way, and he took us along the top of the falls to some places kinda like Devil's pool but a little less intense.  We had to climb thorugh the river and over a bunch of rocks to get there, but it was worth it.  Along the way, we sat on the edge, and took some pictures

Here's the group, on the brink!

Me on top of the falls

 

Me in the falls, don't worry I'm being held up

 

I thought that this would be scary, but I was actually a lot more calm than I expected. And we were to go a lot more crazy shit before we would leave Zambia.  After that, and after swimming in  a pool that was near, but not quite on, the edge like Devil's Pool is, we stopped at a small cataract on the way back.  On the hike over their I'd put my flip-flops in the water bottle holder of my backpack.  I heard a plop and saw a flip flop floating towards the edge. I snatched it up, thining the other one was safe in my bag, only to see the one I thought was in my bag still floating over the edge of the falls. So that was pretty itneresting.  I guess I had to sacrifice a shoe for our safety--a sacrifice I was more than willing to make.  Anyway, we weren't completely clear on where we were going, but then our guides stopped at a small cataract, much like many of the others, and told us to hop in. Now this was right on the edge of the falls, and they was a very tiny pool where water collected before going over the falls at a very fast pace.  Then they told us we were getting in.  That was a pretty scary idea.  It didn't help all that much that there was a deeper part where you could "safely" stand, and that one of the tour guides held you in by your feet.  It was still terrifying.  But once you get in it's absolutely amazing.  You can't tell from the picture very much, but the view from there is stunning.  Looking down is terrifying, but also really, really cool.  On the way back to our hostel, the cab that 5 of us were crammed into got a flat.  The perfect end to a very African day of adventure

Wednesday, we just had a chill day, although the power went out a few times at the hostel, which was kinda cool.  We needed the relaxation, though, because Thursday was to be what we called out "Jumpy, Scary Shit Day. "  Before you freak out, no, we did not go bungee jumping.  But we did do some things that were remarkably close.  The day started off relatively mundanely, for a day of jumpy scary shit, as we repelled down to the bottom of the gorge (not quite at the Falls, but in a gorge created by them.  It was really beautiful despite not being able to see the Falls themselves).  It was still pretty scary having to put yourself over the edge though, but it was pretty fun, and certainly relieving when you got to the bottom.  Unbeknownst to us, though, going to the bottom involved a pretty intense hike back up, but it was really really beautiful in the gorge, so it didn't matter much at all.  We then did what is called the Flying Fox, which is where they harness you in to something a lot like a zip-line, and then you just run and jump off the edge and fly like Super-Man and/or Peter Pan across the gorge until your momentum stops and they reel you back in (see below left).  This was one of my favorites because it allowed you to really stop and look at the scenery, once you got over the fact that you were dangling a few feet over a gorge. We did that a couple of times, and then we went back to the repelling area, and did that again, but there was a catch.  This time instead of doing it the normal way, you faced down and bounced perpendicualr to the wall. Kind of like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, climbing down that wall. That was pretty terrifying.  It's one thing to repel down a cliff when you can face that cliff, and a completely different thing when you face your impending doom the whole time.   After another long hike, they told us that it was time for the Gorge Swing.  Now a gorge swing is different from bungee jumping in that it ends up with you swinging Tarzan-esque, as opposed to flying upwards at a high velocity and with lots of snap, but it is similar to bungee jumping in that it involves, well, stepping or falling backwards over the edge of a cliff to fall for 53 meters before the swing actually kicked in. Both times I did it were equally the scariest things I've ever done.  Standing on the edge of a cliff and someone counting to three until you have to step off is an experience unlike any other.  I only knew that the fall lasted the 3.5 seconds they said it was was by how many expletives I got out on the way down. Apparently I was flailing like  something that flails an inordinate amount (what flails a lot?) on the way down as well.  Despite, and probably due to the terror of the fall, the actual swinging, especially as you slow down and have time to just (literally) hang out and enjoy the view was some of the most serene I've ever felt. After you finish swinging and sit there for a minute, they lower you down the rest of the way to the bottom of the gorge.  So after the first fall we hiked our shell-shocked butts back up the gorge and had ourselves a delicious lunch which they provided for us, before preparing to hurl ourselves over the edge again.  This time, despite the fact that I thought it would be a lot scarier than going forwards, I decided to do what they call the "death drop" and basically just lean backwards over the edge (see bottom right)  While initially this was scarier, especially when I was still at the top, I think the fall was if not more manageable, at least more fun. Probably because I'd done it before.  But it was just as big a thrill ride for certain, and still probably the craziest shit I've ever done.  So after one last hike up the gorge we decided to end our day with another round of the Flying Fox, and head home exhausted, sore, and still reeling from our preposterous adventure. 

2nd star on the right and straight on 'til morning

Bombs away!

Lots of water

So on Friday we went to the Zimbabwe side of the falls, which was absolutely stunning.  You can see much more of the actual falls from that side and it was just beautiful.  To the left is a picture of what could be an astonishing waterfall in and of itself, but that's really just a small section of Victoria Falls, albeit the most watery part at this stage of the dry season.  Also, what you can see is probably only about 2/3 of its height. So, we could definitely see why it's one of the Natural Wonders of the World. Also, there were monkeys there, and that made me happy because I like monkeys
Saturday we went on an absolutely amazing safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana. It included both a river safari and a driving safari and we saw tons of animals on both.  So many hippos and elephants which were right there in front of our faces--if you're so inclined, remind me to tell you sometime about the elephant with the "extra" trunk...  Also crocodiles, warthogs and a bunch of antelope.  We also saw two dead elephants (probably the worst smell ever smelt on Earth) One of whom was being eaten by  vultures, and we were so close to it that you could hear the vultures biting it.  So that was pretty amazing and was a wonderful capstone to our trip.

We got back on the bus Sunday afternoon with a bunch less money and a few fewer items (for some of us)  than what we started with, but we returned to Windhoek after three whirlwind weeks having gained an enormous amount of amazing experience and having three new stamps in our passports (and rocks from a fourth country, to act as substitutes for stamps we didn't bother to get...)  So I"ve now been to six Southern African countries which is pretty awesome. The busride was fine, and didn't seem like the 21 hours it lasted, which was a plus.

This week in Windhoek has been pretty mundane. Pretty much the usual stuff, a bunch of little assignements, really shoddy internet, hanging out by the pool.  It's not a very difficult life--which still kind of disturbs me every time a stop and think about it, but I think I'm just not going to think about it that much, at least right now (is that okay?)  We did have a really itneresting speaker today who had views we hadn't really heard before, both from the radical feminist perspective taht she was speaking from, and from her very very critical views on religion and the Church, which is definitely not something you ever hear in Namibia.  It was refreshing to hear a new viewpoint on things, even if I didn't agree with everything she said.  It was also refreshing to have a speaker who I really enjoyed and respected who was a black Namibian woman.  So far I'd felt bad because the two speakers I'd been drawn to most were both white Western-educated men (although they were both from the region) and that had unsettled me a little bit that those had stood out to me most. So I enjoyed that presentation on a number of levels
Had a good night tonight.  Went to temple, then out to a bar, and then home for a quick dip in the pool and some skypeing with Ethan and Adrienne.  Now I think it's time for some much needed rest.