Stretch Zones

By Cameron Ingram, Brittany Nivens, and Danielle Veal

This week was a time of personal growth for all of us. We Continued our urban home stays with families in the city, and the only times that we saw each other were for classes or on our way to our internships in the kombi with Passat.

For me (Brittany) it felt like we were exploring Namibia as individuals, as opposed to be being a group of 24 American students. My particular home stay is with a family in Dorado Park, a neighborhood that was established post independence (1990) so my neighborhood is a very diverse middle class neighborhood. Prior to that black Africans typically lived in Katutura, the Coloureds, or people historically of German and black African descent, lived in Khomasdal and white Africans resided in the city. It has been a unique experience for me as an African American student because this is the first time that I have been in the “majority group,” appearance wise at least—the moment we begin to speak everyone can tell that we are not Namibian so we still feel like outsiders in a cultural sense. Surprisingly it’s not a new feeling. In my experience, there have been many times in the United States where I cannot necessarily identify with people who have the same skin color as me because we come from completely different backgrounds.

My experience with my internship has been amazing. Despite feelings of at first, of not knowing exactly where I fit into the picture, things have gone well. Over the weekend I took a little break from family time to go to my internship. An event was being held in the community to educate students and their parents about AIDS. The emphasis of the program was more on loving yourself and making the best decisions for you to stay healthy. I ended up doing an impromptu skit where I was in a relationship and my partner was pressuring me to have sex. I am not much of an actor but I really enjoyed performing. The forum was open to everyone so it was a different experience for me to be talking about an “adult” subject with children. But the reality of the situation is that roughly 20% of the population in Southern Africa has AIDS. That is 1 out of every 5 people and a lot of those people are children so you can’t afford to not talk about it with them. I wish that there was more dialogue on AIDS in the states especially with young adults because that is the demographic that is seeing the largest increase in cases.

As we sat in our first politics class one of the students announced that the Human Rights organization he is interning at was having a press conference about mass graves that they found near the border between Angola and Namibia. So we picked up everything and went in the middle of class, escorted by our professor. The unconventional learning style is one of the things that I appreciate most about this program. I mean, when could I do that in America? A child here said to me if you tell me something I may forget it but if you show me I will never forget it, and I think the same is true for us. We will never forget the things that we have experienced or seen in Namibia, but whether we will use the knowledge that we have gained is a different story. Perhaps that is the challenge that is now before us?

My (Cameron’s) homestay was spent in Katutura. My family was not a conventional patriarchal family. I had a mom, Hileni, a 16 year old niece, Pandu, an 18 year old nephew, Israel, and a 5 month old sister, Kadeshi. To be honest I was very nervous about my homestay. I’m pretty introverted and the idea of invading someone else’s house for ten days, not knowing a whole lot about their culture, what they were going to feed me, or what they expected to learn from me, was terrifying. Much to my delight I had an amazing time. Living in Katutura I had to deal with being a racial minority. This is one of the uncomfortable situations I’ve experienced while living in Namibia. Growing up in rural Maine I’ve never had to think about my race or ethnicity, as the majority of the population is white. So, the tables have turned and now I am the one getting the stares and hearing the whispers after I walk by, as I was the only white person in my area in Katutura. At times it is frustrating and I feel like an outsider, but I have come to realize that it is a good learning experience to be out of my comfort zone and for once not be the racial majority. Being the minority forces you to think about race issues from a new perspective, one that you cannot understand if you’ve been the majority all your life. While the colonial era has ended in Namibia its legacy lives on through the segregated nature of the different townships in Namibia. When talking with Pandu about her school she mentioned how the students self-segregate themselves according to their ethnicities, for instance, she is Ovambo and all of her friends are also of Ovambo origins.

This brought me back to some of the issues we have been grappling with in our classes, specifically combating racism, and how to address the inequalities resulting from the German and South African colonialism. How do you bring together a country that for the past 100 years has had to deal with being mistreated by colonial powers and have been treated as second-class citizens in their own native land? I unfortunately do not have an answer for this. Luckily for me, I have knowledgeable professors (two of them Namibian) that are giving us the opportunity to learn more about the unique history and culture of this country. The similarities between my own history and that of Namibia’s are striking, and the self-reflection that it has sparked has taken me by surprise. As an American I am reminded of our own history and how we treated the Native Americans when we first came across the Atlantic. For instance, the Germans practically exterminated the Herero population (one of the oldest tribes of Namibia) after they had tricked them out of their land and took their cattle. Is that not what we did with the Native Americans after we came across the Atlantic? The last thing I was expecting to be reminded of when learning about the history of Namibia was the history of the United States. Which goes to show that when traveling abroad one should not come with too many expectations. What I have learned in my short time here is to expect the unexpected (cheesy I know) and just go with the flow.

Being far away from my (Danielle’s) family and not being able to communicate with them has made me a little more homesick that I thought I would be. However, the urban home stay has really helped me deal with the feelings of loneliness and separation that I began to feel. The family that I am staying with for my 10-day home stay (which I have decided to extend for a longer visit) is full of such wonderful people. My Mom and Dad are Eddy and Michelle Williams. I have two host sisters, Marshall (18) and Micheddy (12), and a little host brother, Franco (10). Over the past week, they have made sure that my every need was taken care of. I have slept, eaten, and danced more that I ever have before, which is a pretty good life in my opinion. I've been very comfortable with my family from the very beginning, laughing and joking with my little siblings from the first day on. I was even able to cook a traditional southern-style dinner for my family, full of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn, and cornbread. They loved it!

When given the opportunity to stay longer on the home stay, or return to the house with 24 other American students, I quickly opted to remain with my family. I figure I will only get this chance once and living with a Namibian family is my way to truly submerge myself in the culture and learn first-hand how the people live everyday.

Although my home stay experience has mostly been good times and laughter, I have also been challenged in some ways since arriving. My first challenge was deciding when it was appropriate to ask all the many questions I have wanted to ask since arriving in Namibia. A part of me wanted to jump right in with questions of politics and HIV/AIDS in Namibia, but the other part just didn’t feel it was appropriate when I only knew the family for a few hours. That was another reason that I decided to extend my home stay because now I feel comfortable enough to ask questions without feeling like the timing or context is inappropriate. Another conflict I dealt with was feeling that I may have been overstaying my welcome. I am currently sleeping in my home stay sister’s room and she is sleeping in another room while I am there. Sometimes I feel that maybe I am interrupting the routine of things in the household, and that it would benefit the family more if I were to just return to the CGE house. This bothered me so much that I asked me home stay sister Marshall how she felt about me staying longer, and she reassured me that I could stay as long as I wanted and that I was not interrupting her at all. J

This experience has also allowed me to gain a Namibian perspective on HIV/AIDS. While doing a strategic listening project for my Development class, I learned that the youth in Namibia recognize that the disease is a major problem, and would like to get involved with the fight against it. One thing that I found surprising is that some girls feel that even if they did want to get involved, they don’t believe that there are many outlets for them to actively participate in any movements. I am not sure if this is true, but if it is, I think that the youth should have a much larger role in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Even though this is the last week with my home stay family, I am positive I will keep in touch with them while I am here in Namibia. I have already promised my little home stay brother and sister that they can come to our house in Windhoek one weekend and swim in the backyard. And I know that when I get tired of living with 24 Americans, they would definitely have me back.

This past week proved challenging to many students but at the same time gave us the opportunity to enter into our “stretch zones”. We were tested on how well you can react to those uncomfortable questions and stares or how well your digestive system can handle unfamiliar culinary dishes that many families served throughout the week.

Picture Captions:

1) History discussion outside of University of Namibia
2) Cameron and her little sister Kadeshi
3) Danielle and her home stay family

Team Building, Family Building and Class Building!

By: Melissa Crowley-Buck, Latrease Davenport, and Michelle Munger

!Gai tses! (Good Day!) Week three in Namibia was full of emotion, learning and unique experiences, caused by the retreat, start of internships, classes and home stays.

In an effort to try and create a team with the students and staff members, we ventured outside of the city to a beautiful camp for a day long retreat. We began the day by playing team building exercises, which included a trust walk, egg relay race and the communication web (which is shown in the picture). These brought us together because at one time each individual was vulnerable and had to trust other members of the group. It was a really fun way to bond. Every person presented a roadmap to the group, explaining the reasons behind their values, religion and experiences with race, prejudices and class. This activity was very helpful in preventing any misconceived notions that could have potentially created problems within the group. There were many tears shed and comforting hugs. Many people shared a lot more emotion than expected, proving how close we have already become. It was clear that we all had a lot in common, but had come from different backgrounds to make us into who are today. As the sun set on the mountains, the fantastic day drew to a close with great a braai (African equivalent of a BBQ), made even better with the deeper connections made. The landscape was amazing as well as the food; nothing compared to the lasting relationships that were formed.

For those who don’t have our schedules memorized from front to back: First of all shame on you! What could be more important? Secondly, we began our internships and volunteer work. Now the range of the work we find ourselves in proves to be all over the spectrum. Internships include working with low-income housing, women, the environment, refugees, HIV/AIDS, child development, and Namibia’s political system. However I cannot attest to the “first week on the job” experiences for everyone. So I (Melissa) thought that I would talk about my first week because I have a sneaking suspicion that we are all feeling degrees of the same thing: Panic. As with all new circumstances we find ourselves hanging in the wind a little bit. Just trying to get our bearings and tasks set and all the while hoping we are not doing more harm than good. For example, I am working at a soup kitchen/daycare center for kids in Okahandja Park, which is one of the informal settlements on the outskirts of Windhoek. For me, the biggest question I have been wrestling with is, “How do I take it all in?” The conditions in the settlement are awful. Most of the kids that come to us are street children who will not get any other food all day. I don’t really know how to deal with the injustice of it. The advice I always seem to get is to just “separate yourself.” “It’s two different worlds,” or, “You can’t feel it all,” are also common comments. But I’m not sure about that. It seems as if there are only two ways to deal with it: To feel nothing or to feel everything.

But which is the right approach? Surely there is no shame in needing to separate yourself from what would otherwise weigh on your mind all day. Even the strongest of people would go mad right? But to feel it all, is, if nothing else, simply bearing witness to the tragedy of the plight of others. Even if it hurts you and sits on your shoulders maybe you are bearing a little of it all with them. Maybe by doing so, I can enjoy the happiness and liveliness of the children a little more. I wonder if it’s just a balance of those two approaches. It’s something that could apply all over, do we allow ourselves to become too jaded by the sad things we hear, or do we allow ourselves to feel it, even if it’s just for a little bit? It seems like a disservice to those we are all working with to not sit with these troubles as much as we can. I guess we’ll see as time goes on.

Time for the academic, semi-conventional studying part of this adventure; classes started this week. Thursday was the start of Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the United States Struggles against Colonialisms, Apartheid and Segregation, and the investigation into “Why study history?” and “What parts of history are purposefully not investigated?” What facts or information do the books leave out or what happens when the quotations end? How does that change what we think? Next class was on Friday, the Development Process in Southern Africa. Every student is coming from a different major with different interests. It has been really interesting to see how this affects classroom discussions; we are learning a lot from one another. For example, a few students have strong economic backgrounds, where some others have a difficult time telling the different between Adam Smith and John Keynes. Everyone can offer some insight from pervious classes. The questions about development are very difficult to truly understand and define. Is there anything you can say without expressing a value statement? The most difficult question we have been tackling is what poverty is, and what makes some countries poor? There are never any easy answers, and can be very frustrating to try and fathom. To try and help adjust to the culture we also have language class. The first one was Damara/Nama, which involves a lot of clicking sounds; which proved to be very difficult for many of us. We did not get discouraged though, as we learned greetings and introductions. !Gaise ha re! (Stay Well!)

To end a busy and already exciting week, we began our home stays on Friday. Being away from the house and our peers was a bit frightening at first but after being embraced by my (Latrease) family those preconceived notions soon vanished. Conversations have sparked many interesting topics, liked life before Independence, cultural differences and problems like HIV/AIDS. Though I may have to wash the dishes or clear the table, I appreciate being treated like part of the family. I love to eat so I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen along with my host-mom, who loves to cook creating a perfect match! The food has been fantastic and I anxiously await trying goat-head! I also got the chance to attend church on Sunday! The service was in three languages, and although I could only understand a small percentage of what was being said, I took what I could from it.

My host family speaks English, Afrikaans and Nama. The only time my family speaks English is when they are talking to me. At times it can be annoying but I have definitely gotten used to it. I asked why they did that, and she simply stated that it is easier to get the point across in their native tongue. During my stay, I have been trying to disprove some of the stereotypes of black women in America that many people in Namibia hold.. Stereotypes are generalizations that are often not true and lead way to misconceptions and prejudices. Why should I try to disprove a stereotype? Is it my responsibility? Am I losing my individuality in another country trying to prove that we are all individuals?

Needless to say it has been a packed week. But thanks to the bonds we have formed we have already set the foundations to take advantage of our time here.

Photo Captions:
1. Brittany being lifted by the "web of support" (made from yarn!) during the team building day.
2. Melissa with children from her internship.
3. Students walking to class.
4. Latrease and her homestay Mom in the kitchen.
5. Sunset just outside of Windhoek.

We Made it to Namibia!

by Rachel Dahlgren, Kristin Hubbard, and Heidi James

This week we traveled to Windhoek to begin our exploration of Namibian development, politics, history, and religion. We also began the adventure of having 24 Americans in a single house living and learning together. The CGE house has a lot of space but there is very little privacy and it has been an adjustment for everyone to share two toilets and a single washing machine. Windhoek is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and reminds several people of Arizona and New Mexico. During our time here we will explore through our classes, volunteer work, and internships how this diverse and sparse country is building an inclusive democracy and the problems that Namibia faces.

On Thursday, our first full day in Namibia, we took a tour of Windhoek to see various historical landmarks and important areas. One highlight of the tour was a walk through an open market—a vital venue for many Namibians. At open markets such as this one, Namibians sell handmade and homegrown traditional foods and goods for cheaper prices than in chain stores. As we walked through the market, we were able to sample staple food and drink, which included fried tree caterpillars, or “mupane worms” (an excellent source of protein) and fat cakes (a very filling and decadent meal in itself). The fat cakes were a universal favorite, but the tree worms had few fans!

On Friday we were split into groups of three and, with a guide, completed the Katatura Quest of 2008. Each group was given the responsibility of meeting with a specific organization like an open market, a funeral home, churches, and an autobody shop. We were responsible for taking a taxi to Katatura and exploring the area after our meetings. Katatura means ‘the place we don’t want to live’ and is where the apartheid government drew the boundary between black and white.

At the SWAPO-Youth League three students were given the opportunity to discuss foreign aid, current politics, and the relationship between the United States and Namibia with the Secretary. During this discussion it was very difficult for us to hear the negative response to US foreign policies and it forced us to take a more critical look at issues affecting development and democracy building. It was also an empowering experience to realize that the youth can do remarkable things and have a tremendous impact on a nation.

Saturday afternoon was spent talking with students from the University of Namibia at the CGE house. It was really nice to talk to other university students about current social issues such as HIV/AIDS and Namibia’s traditional stance of intolerance toward homosexuality, what their lives are like, and where to go in Namibia to have fun! Hopefully we’ll get to spend some more time with our new friends throughout our stay in Namibia!

Some students spent their weekends exploring downtown Windhoek’s many shopping venues that exist within walking distance of the CGE house. Almost everyone made themselves familiar with the Pick n’ Pay, a convenient grocery store located in the Wern Hill Mall about 10 minutes walk from CGE house. Some people went to an orphanage and played with the kids, and some went on a hike. The hiking group had quite an adventure. First, they had to get out of town, which was difficult because there were fences blocking the way. Once they got out of town, they faced many thorny bushes, but they made it to the top of the mountain! It was all worth it to see the amazing view in the end!

On Sunday night, about 14 students attended a free concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Windhoek. The concert was a premier of the very fist Namibian Mass Choir piece, composed by a Namibian and performed in Afrikaans. Two combined Namibian choirs performed the concert beautifully, but the real highlight came in the form of the exit encore, in which the choir and audience filed out of the cathedral singing a well-known spiritual in four-part harmony. While few of the CGE students knew the song, we enjoyed witnessing the beauty and power of the passionate singing that filled the cathedral and the street outside.

It has been a whirlwind week in Windhoek, and we’re all looking forward to our semester full of experiential learning! All of us are anticipating the start of our 10-day urban home stays that start this weekend, and our first full week of classes.

Photo Captions

1. Excited to have touched down at the Hosea Kutako International Airport, just outside Windhoek.

2. Mass grave in the "Old Location" cemetery for early activists in Namibia's liberation struggle.

3. Open market stalls in Katutura.

4. University of Namibia and CGE students at the open forum.

5. Hiking crew makes it to the top!

360 Jo'burg: A City Not So Different

By: Emily Johnston, Jason Koele, Megan Lee and Paul Theiss

Arriving in Johannesburg we were met by our CGE staff, led to our kombis (vans) and headed off down the poorly paved streets of the other side of the world. No sooner had our adventure begun, we encountered swarms of malarial mosquitoes, stampeding elephants, and packs of rabid street dogs. Thank goodness that everybody back home had warned us of these dangers and equipped us with ample medication…

While the former descriptions are often those ingrained into American heads—through the media, through a general lack of education on sub-Sahara Africa, or through exoticized travel brochures—we actually found ourselves in a modern city of cell phones, congested traffic and large shopping malls. Johannesburg, at first glance, is a city not so different from our own.

After arriving in Johannesburg, we spent the first few days learning about South Africa’s recent liberation struggle from the former Apartheid regime. We visited many museums, and heard from various speakers of differing perspectives in order to build a more complete picture of issues such as the government, Apartheid, life growing up, and so on.

With the weekend came our first home stay, which we found was not much different from life back home. Our stay with our first host families was much like weekends in the US, filled with chillin, chicken and church. The families that we stayed with in Soweto, a township ofJohannesburg, were similar to our families back home.

However, Soweto is a township that was formed during the Apartheid government.

This system separated people by race and was a “modern form of slavery.”[1] We found that the families we stayed with are people just like us trying to make it through life and maintain hope. Topics of discussion ranged from politics, cars, music, history and life in general. In talking with our home stay families, we found an uncontested allegiance to the African National Congress (ANC), the current ruling government party instated in 1994 at the end of the Apartheid Regime. The ANC had great intentions coming to power, but has been faced with many challenges leading to corruption and lack of progression for the needs of its people.

As we drove further into the city, we discovered another township called Kliptown. Here we found widespread poverty, unsanitary conditions and congested housing. Running through the rain cut paths were many children eager to hold our hands, play games and meet these strange visitors. We were reminded of our younger neighbors and siblings as these kids were curious and fun-loving—unaware of the ongoing struggles their parents face. Rather than drinking from a drainage ditch, the people fought for their humanitarian right to clean water. Just recently, the South African high court ruled in favor of the anti-privatization of water. There is a saying that comes from South Africa that states, “When Soweto sneezes, the rest of the country catches cold” [2] Kliptown, being a part of Soweto, rose and fought against the government decision, and South Africa has certainly been swept into a furry of discussion. It is a small but necessary step to building a better future for this young developing country.

Even though South Africa is a developing country, in the grand scheme of Africa, it is a driving force economically and politically. Much like the US, South Africa spends much of its energy trying to stabilize neighboring countries. They are an African superpower and everyone wants a slice of the pie.[3] Many refugees from the north are coming in looking for work and a better life. This is quite similar to the situation in the US with our neighbors to the south. And both our families, here and at home, have mixed reactions to the influx of people into their respective nations.

Although differences exist, the similarities between our two nations are much stronger . In our short stay in Johannesburg, it is the personal connection, rather than materialistic fervor that has made our stay wonderful. A real sense of community within the neighborhoods we stayed and the love of family in which we were cared for centered our new understanding of African life. It wasn’t the things that our host families or the speakers gave us, or what we gave them, but the passion, caring and love they showed which made our stay welcoming and experiential. We have discovered a home away from home, a world not so different than our own, and memories which will last forever.

Photo Captions

1. Former power plant cooling tower, now iconic symbol of Soweto.

2. Antoinette Sithole, sister of Hector Pieterson (who was killed in the 1976 Soweto Uprisings)

3. Homestay house.

4. Megan cooking dinner during her homestay.

5. Peace for Soweto graffiti

6. Drainage ditch in Kliptown (the runoff is from an upper class neighborhood). Children sometimes play/swim here for lack of better facilities.

7. Kliptown youth and CGE students.

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[1] Sithembele “Stakes” Khala, former liberation struggle activist and Robben Island. Johannesburg, South Africa. prisoner: conversation on August 19, 2008 in

[2] Molefi Mataboge, former liberation struggle activist, conversation on Aug. 18^, 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa

[3] Journalist during liberation struggle, conversation on August 19, 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.