Nil2500
Nil By Mouth Joined: September 20th 2008
Logged in: May 12th 2009
Logged in: May 12th 2009
Travel Blog Posts
It’s not easy being a heathen…especially in a country as evangelical as Namibia. Religion - well specifically Christianity - is often a topic of conversation. Overall people are tolerant of different religions but just very curious about what denomination you are (most Namibians are Lutheran thanks to German colonization). My face usually wrinkles up when people as me that question and I tell them I’m not Christian. Then they get really excited and say “oohh you must be Muslim…you know we have Muslims in Namibia now too!” Then my face gets even more puckered as I proclaim that neither am I a Muslim. Then these poor Namibians look so confused, “Are you Jewish?” they ask as a last resort. I bite my lip and shake my head no. Finally, I let them off the hook and ... read more
I’m having a really good time in Namibia. I met another Canadian intern and we were talking about how lucky we are to be in Windhoek. A lot of interns have been sent to small remote towns and villages while the two of us are sitting pretty in a big city, shopping, hitting up restaurants, cafés, and concerts. I really am not for want here. Everything I need, I can find in terms of shopping. All the familiar brands are available. I’ve had harder times finding items such as toiletries, food items, shoes, etc… in bigger cities like Istanbul and Quito. Here, Windhoek is all about convenience. I live in the suburbs and it costs a flat rate of NAM $7.50 (about CAN $1.00) to take a taxi to town. Taxis are not private vehicles here. ... read more
The Parade
I was invited to the opening ceremonies of the /Aë //Gams (ya go head and pronounce that) Arts and Cultural Festival. The Prime Minister of Namibia was there to open the festival and he said something I quite liked, "With culture, we are all equal". It was a pretty fun time with all of Namibia's ethnic groups represented in song and dance. Even German (colonial) culture was celebrated. There were also other countries in Africa represented as well as Indonesian folk dancers and crazy Chinese acrobats (they were a real crowd pleaser). There was also a traditional dress contest which was cool for me because I got a little sampler of all the different styles. It was a rather small event by big city standards, but having worked in cultural planning I could really see how ... read more
So I’m living in a home-stay in Windhoek. The family is really nice. The mother, whom I call Aunty, takes pretty good care of me, making sure I’m fed and clean and such. It’s quite the pampering I must admit. I have all the luxuries of home except for one thing - no showerhead - and it’s killing me! Bathing is gross. I have yet to figure out how to properly clean yourself in a bath. I feel like I'm bathing in your own filth. Any tips on how to bathe effectively, I’d much appreciate it. Aunty has three children, one daughter who’s away at university so I haven’t met her yet, a second daughter who is about my age and a son who is 14 years old. Aunty’s nephew is also living here - he’s ... read more
Fidel Castro Street
It has been a week since I arrived in Windhoek Namibia. The journey from Toronto, via Washington DC, via Johannesburg via Narnia, was tiresome to say the least. Huddled in my cramped seat, I pondered various medieval torture techniques and how they held up against a 16-hour plane ride in coach. As I wiggled my toes relentlessly trying to stop the onset of deep vein thrombosis, there weren’t enough in-flight Ashton Kutcher movies and assortment of nuts that would convince me that I wasn’t stuck in some horrible Sartre-esque type hell. But alas, I’m not one for dramatics. My first night in Namibia was rather uneventful. After two days travel and a 6 hour trip into the future, I landed at the airport at about 8pm and was met by the CEO of my Namibian host ... read more
