Today (Saturday) was our tour of seeing the beautiful city of Windhoek. It wasn't the typical tourist route. We went way off the beaten path and visited the locals and their neighborhoods. I would think a chronological account would be the best way to approach this.
We started out at the Old Location. No really, it is called Old Location. It's a cemetery for fallen Namibian heroes from the 1959 enterprise (I will get the exact details later). The cemeteries are different from ours. The Namibians believe that the dead should not be disturbed. And so their cemeteries don't have grass or flowers on gravestones. They want the dead to rest.
Next we headed to Katatura which is a suburb of Windhoek. The homes reminded me of Argentina some. They have actual walls and some really low cost living. They were so inviting and we of course stuck out-- you know, large group of white people walking around taking photos.
Which by the way, kids loved to pose for us. Even some of the men would do some rapster pose for us. Things got a little sketchy when we were walking down this passage between homes. People would wave to us and say "hello" and welcomed us to Namibia. Where it got sketchy, was when people started to come over to us and swarm us a little. We quickly went to the open market across the street. The guide told us that locals get a little uneasy, so it was best if we didn't stay too long in one place.
In the open market there were little shops and there were these huge slabs of beef. Further down you could see them grilling them and getting ready for the locals to get them for lunch time. Seeing them hack away at that meat kind of made me consider being vegetarian. Then I realized that's crazy talk and I ate a piece of what they were grilling.
Afterwards we went to Paduka. This is a place where disabled women make crafts and have made a living off of those. It's a nice compound and they export some of their crafts to Norway. They take used glass bottles (beer, coke, sprite etc) and break the glass and melt it down into beads. They then use them for necklaces and things.
It's amazing the stitching they use on their table clothes, hand bags and napkins. Oh, by the way, Jon made this mistake. He asked someone to pass him a napkin at lunch. Namibian's refer to napkins as a product females need at certain times of the month. They're called serviettes.
Afterwards we went to the informal settlements. That is a nice way of saying shantytown. The homes are very small, like the size of a master bedroom. They are made of corgated tin and have wood posts to act as frames. There is fresh water there. They are these water spouts that are regulated by a key card that is government issued. People take these large water jugs and fill them up and carry them back to their homes.
I was amazed how large of an area these shantytowns cover. I would try to put an acre reference, but we would go over a hill and there would be more homes and then more after that.
The people were so welcoming to us. If we weren't the center of attention already, our cameras took the show. I pulled out my camcorder and i flipped the viewfinder around. The kids were in awe of seeing themselves on camera. They mobbed to all get a look of themselves! They sang for the camera and the songs they knew were Christian songs.
I would be down and taping them and they would push each other to get a look at themselves. I had a couple of kids touch and feel my hair to see how it felt. I showed them how to high five, but they were gentle and just wanted to touch my hand. They said for some, we were the first white people they have ever met and spoken with.
They made us a traditional meal and that was very humbling. We had carrots, beans, spinach, mystery sausage and porridge. The porridge was a cornmeal but seemed very gritty. I had to swallow that one down. Usually followed by a swig of coke.
The school is a simple school. The woman who runs it is in need of supplies. She goes to local businesses and asks for their paper that they throw away. That way, the kids can use them to draw or do their ABCs on. She is in need of tables for the kids to work on. They work on the floor, and so something simple as a table would be incredibly helpful.
It's amazing that only $70 American dollars can help out 89 children. Needless to say, we are going to see what we can do about getting them basic supplies like paper, crayons and pencils.
What's funny is that with the people that genuinely need it, there are those that would take advantage of us. I had a woman ask me, "My daughter cries because I can't afford to send her to kindergarten, what should I do?" (it costs $50 namibian dollars a month to keep theschool running-- $7 US) She wanted me to give her money of course. You have to be careful, because there are some that would abuse this and buy alcohol instead of tuition for their child.
We all want to do a service project for this kindergarten. We found out later that the woman running this school is a widow, it's amazing how she is helping shape these children's lives. We were extremely touched by their hospitality and this whole experience today.
Despite their meager circumstances, everyone is so gracious and respectful to us. They are open and generous and I was continually honored to be in the same room as them.
Tomorrow, we may get to visit an LDS church. There are two congregations here. A 9 o'clock session and an 11 o'clock session. I am hoping to do the latter (I need a good nights rest).
Cheers and goodnight.
Em
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