Independence Day Weekend
March 21st is the day Namibia gained their independence from South Africa. It is a national holiday and as teachers we also have the 20th off so therefore we had a 4-day weekend. I decided to visit my friend, Pam in Swakopmund. Swakop is the main holiday (vacation) spot for many in Namibia. It is on the coast, the weather is cool (I wore jeans and a long-sleeve shirt everyday. It was wonderful), it is sunny and there are shops and restaurants and bars. I hiked from Reho to Windhoek in a Mercedes with a father and son. The boy’s favorite subject in school is writing. He likes to write stories. I then opted to take public transportation (a combi from Windhoek to Swakop.) I arrived that evening and proceeded to barhop and spend the night dancing.

On Saturday, after a breakfast of crepes at a café (Out of Africa), seeing a few of the shops, and feeling as though I was in Disney World, a few other volunteers arrived and we proceeded to catch up as smsing is not the most informative means of communication. After hanging out at the beach, we went for dinner at Cape to Cairo (the menu offers food from all over Africa) and then proceeded to suffer through the worst movie EVER- The New World. I still cannot get over how terrible this film was – no plot, little dialogue, no action, historical inaccuracies. There were absolutely no redeeming qualities to the film. We were still talking about it 2 days later…

On Sunday, after eating my second gelato in a waffle cone (they were so delicious and cheap and you know my feeling on frozen special treats…) and walking along the beach, taking in the salty fresh air and the view of the Atlantic, I had to wonder yet again where I was. Swakop is a beautiful place. It is referred to as little Germany. I could see myself living there because it has everything that you could want. Being a volunteer there for two years would be challenging mainly because the population with whom you are there to work is not the Swakop that I was experiencing. As is the case throughout much of Namibia, there is such a divide between people with money, opportunities, education and those who lack some of the basic things that we often take for granted. While I am grateful for the opportunity to have a place to go for a little getaway I would be very much interested to experience the less tourist-centered part of Swakop.
That night we all cooked together preparing a Mexican fiesta from scratch- tortillas, refried beans, salsa, a layer dip with guacamole, and pita chips. It was delicious.

On Monday after a homemade breakfast of scrumptious pancakes, followed by wandering around town and gelato, people began their treks back to their respective sites. I stayed and we
walked over to the sand dunes for sunset. I did not climb any but plan to return to climb Dune 7 which is the highest dune. We also watched Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie. Interestingly enough, by watching the credits we learned that the part of the film that takes place in Ethiopia was filmed right there in the dunes of Swakopmund, Namibia.

And on Tuesday, I had to return to reality. I managed to get a (free!) hike out of Swakop with 3 high school boys who had spent the weekend partying before their exams start, an entertaining ride. It was a wonderful mini-holiday and it felt nice to return despite the fact that I needed to lesson plan and set (meaning make-up/write) exams for the exam period that begins the 27th.

Much like I have moments where I wonder where I am and what I am doing I also have moments where I say to myself, “Am I really a teacher?” I was going through my class notes and old question papers (national exams) trying to decide what questions to use, what questions I needed to make, and how many marks (points) each one should be worth for both grade 11 physical science (only a one hour exam) and the grade 12 HIGCSE physical science exam (which is a full mock-exam in preparation for the national exam in October.) I just began to wonder. While it seems natural in some respects and on many days I do not think twice about it, I really sometimes have no idea what I am doing and yet just going along with it all finding my way as I go. Would I be more effective if I had more formal training? Maybe. Would it be easier? Maybe. At the same time, the only thing that can really prepare me for schools in Namibia is teaching here in Namibia and I cannot even say that I could teach at all schools in Namibia. There are different challenges at each one, and positions while on paper can look very similar, in reality, based on the principal, staff, learners, location, and available resources can create experiences for volunteers that are so contrasting in the challenges and rewards. It is equally dependent on one’s mindset and approach as it is on one’s placement. For the lack of something more profound, all I can say is that it is just such an interesting experience.