The Unknown Country of Namibia

Like many of you, I knew little if anything about Namibia before I found it on my Semester at Sea itinerary. Namibia has only become more popular in recent years because of the birth of Angelina and Brad's daughter here, but if that's all you know it for, research it a little and see what it has to offer. It is truly an amazing country. The people here are the friendliest and kindest people, and all were so happy we chose to dock in Namibia. In Semester at Sea's 97 voyages, this is the first time that the ship has docked in Walvis Bay (pronounced differently by many, but generally Walfish Bay.) Everyone I spoke to said that they know so much about America and are happy that people are coming to their country. They were very proud and everyone was very happy to have us. If I did not mention it, the exchange rate here is about 8 to 1 (7.92 Namibian dollars/South African Rand to one American dollar). That equals very inexpensive for an American. I have had some great meals since I have been here. The prawns were delicious at The Raft the first night here, as was my steak sandwich at a local cafe in Swakopmund (pronounced Swock-o-moond). Last night we went to a restaurant in town and I ordered seafood pizza. It had calamari, prawn, and mussels on it...a good sized pizza for about 8 or 9 American dollars. We found it funny when Brittney ordered her chicken pizza, that it cost the same amount. That is because seafood is very easy to come by here as the coastal waters are filled with both fish and shellfish.

Yesterday Rebecca and I left the ship at about 8am to make our way into town so we could catch a taxi to Swakopmund. We found it very difficult to find one. One driver told us 300 Rand, which is equivalent to 15 times the amount we were told we should pay! We decided to go to one of the banks in town because there are usually taxi drivers waiting there, and happened to find a tour guide van for SAS students doing sky diving with the company. The driver offered to take us for free since he already had 8 students to bring. It ended up working really well because it turned out his company specialized in quadding and he dropped us off there to rent an ATV. After a 1 minute briefing about the vehicles, we followed our tour guide Michael to the dunes. Let me just say, it was the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. You would think it is just mounds of sand, but the way the light hits the various sides and angles is extraordinary. There are various elements that make up the dunes, other than sand of course, and our guide showed us the magnetism of mica. While having this great adventure, all I could think was what an opportunity I had been given and I really felt like one of the luckiest people in the world. America is beautiful in its own right, but traveling around the world, with different culture, strange settings, various languages and native tongues...it is such a gratifying experience. And what makes me so lucky besides just studying abroad? I am visiting a new place every week or two all around the world. I really can’t explain it, but Africa is beautiful.

So anyways, after that we got dropped off at the booking agency for the catamaran cruise. After deciding on one we liked, we inquired about camel riding. Later in the day we called, and they were all booked for the day ? I didn’t get to go camel riding...I was very sad. Next we went to the market because I wanted to get souvenirs. Usually there are about 50 people out selling their things, but that day there were only 4. As we were walking over, they started jumping down and dancing...they were so excited! I bought things from 3 of them, and Rebecca bought something from the one I didn’t. I did great bargaining through the first two, and then I got to the last one. I had put a certain amount of money in my pockets ahead of time so I didn’t have to dig through my stuff, and I was left with 200 Rand (about $25 American). I only had it in 2 100 Rand bills, and they don’t like to give back change. I found 4 things as souvenirs for my family, and started the bargaining. I am generally a very friendly person, and my roommates insist that they all loved me and I flirted with them. I don’t think that’s true, I thought I was just being nice to these people, but who knows...I get good deals. So the last guy’s name was Kevin, and I told him I was looking for a souvenir for my sister and her husband, whose name is Kevin, and he was so excited. He told me it was a connection. Of course he liked me after that, but he still did not want to take my 200 Rand for what I picked out. I told him I was giving the things to my family and he softened a little but he wanted more. He asked me for something from America. Well I went through my bag and had very little in it. Laughing, I offered him a pack of tissues I had. He didn’t want that. I kept digging and I came up with a pen. Just an ordinary pen...not one of those cheap bic ones, but nothing special. He was like let me see that, and kept it...it was really funny. We had been chatting a lot at this point and he said, okay you can have them but bring us something sweet...and then he packed the things up in my bag. When I left I’m sure they didn’t think I was coming back, nor did Rebecca, but I marched straight to the grocery store and got 3 packs of these topper cookies we really love. These cookies are very good, especially custard. I was back to see them about 10 minutes later. They started dancing again and had Rebecca take like 3 pictures of us together on my disposable camera I got for the dunes (so sand didn’t get in my real camera). They were very nice and we all had a good laugh. I had thought about buying things in some of the African stores, but to me if they can afford the store, they can’t be that bad off. These men were so proud of their things and so happy to sell them. To me, not only was I receiving some cool things, but I was helping them as well. It was a good day and when Rebecca and I got back, we enjoyed dinner with Brittney and Tori. Brittney bought this horrendous looking figure we named Zulu to give to her best friend. She knows her friend is going to hate it, but she is going to make her hang it on her wall!

Today Rebecca and I woke up early to meet at the Walvis Bay Yacht Club to go on our dolphin and seal cruise. It was SO COLD! I was wearing long sleeves, a sweatshirt, and a fleece, and was still freezing. I found out that apparently you can still get sunburned in weather this cold...I’d like to say lesson learned but we shall see. We met a really nice older German man who was telling us about the history of the country and was the guide for the other catamaran. Our guide was so friendly and asking us all kinds of questions about the ship and about home. Within the first few minutes, the fun already began. I saw so many seals! There were seals everywhere...seal islands! We had seals jump on our boat! I will post the pictures of me with Fluffy and the one with Spotty. Spotty had been in a fight so he was a little banged up. They lived in the ocean but our guides know some of the seals so they jumped right up and we got to pet them and play with them. It was so much fun! And I saw so many dolphins too! I was so excited. I love animals more than anything so I was really in my element. I even saw 2 African penguins too! I also saw huge pelicans...one of them posed in front of a pelican tour boat, accidently of course ? The guides gave us a shot of sherry that was made by them and apparently combats seasickness pretty funny. They also gave us mimosas and sparkling wine. All before noon... The food was delicious! There were shrimp and some kind of fish rings and potato patties...a bunch of things I can’t even remember. And there were raw oysters! Oysters are famous here as there are oyster farms all over the place. I figured I had to try locally grown oysters... The first one I had without anything on it...it was very slimy and tasted like the sea. I did not enjoy it. I didn’t want to have another, but a Belgium man recommended I put lemon juice, pepper, and a drop of tabasco sauce on it. I tried it...and although it was better, I have learned that I do not like raw oysters. I prefer cooked seafood, although I do enjoy sushi in the fish category such as tuna ? It was so much fun today, I really loved it. I wanted to go camel riding when I got back but people were worried that we would get back too late and I couldn’t go alone... I am hoping to go in South Africa.

I am sure I am missing things I did, as always. I need to video camera my day to keep track of everything. It has been such an experience so far. I will be in South Africa in just 2 days! We arrive on Friday in the morning and I will be leaving for my safari this weekend!!! The world is a great gift to us and gives experiences we could only receive by traveling. After visiting only my third country, I am eager to see what else awaits. Alright well leave me questions you might have! Until later, I hope you all are doing well and thanks for reading!

Hugging a giant palm tree!

Primary school is Swakopmund! Huge with amazing architecture

View of the beautiful beach in Swakopmund

Nussbrezel ...a kind of pastry with nuts and I believe apricot? Different but very good

Tori, myself, and Rebecca on our way to Swakopmund

My home :)

Salt mound!

Salt crystallized to a pink liquid during the evaporation process

Salvador, Brasil

View from the Amazon Rainforest

Amazonian woman performing traditional tribe dance

Sun rising over the Amazon River

Beautiful Amazonian sunset

Life in Namibia and Other Things

I haven't written in a little while because not much has really been happening. I will try to catch up. I had my first exam the other day in my Philosophy class and I think I did really well. I was finished with fill in the blank, short answer, and a 4-5 page double spaced essay in 30 minutes. I have been kept busy by the clubs I'm in. With Students of Service, we put on a "So You Think You Can Dance" competition and raised over $500 for charity. It was a lot of fun and the dancers were great. I also went to my first Scriptures at Sea, which is like a Bible study, and really enjoyed it. The Ambassador's Intercultural club has kept me busy too. I met with the three Diplomats yesterday morning! It was amazing. I really really enjoyed it. I am thinking about taking the state exam when I graduate. I was talking to Frank is particular who is from Virginia and I believe graduated undergrad with a major similar to mine. He just came from an assignment in Bolivia and has only been in Namibia a month. He gave me his business card before he left. I am really interested in pursuing the Global Perspectives major, maybe instead of the Marketing one. The Diplomats were so friendly and helpful, it really was a great experience.

 
I had an awesome day yesterday. Namibia is beautiful! I like it so much more than Brazil already. I went to the Salt Mines yesterday with my art class and it was beautiful. The salt crystallizes into a bright pink. Usually there are flamingos but we were told that they come and go, and that they were everywhere the day before, but had just left ...partly because of the wind. Namibia is the windiest place I have ever been. Luckily I was wearing sunglasses to mostly block the sand from my eyes, but when I came back during the day I had sand caked on my face, in my ears..it was crazy. We found a grocery store too. We were really happy about that because we got to buy some snacks. I got multiple packages of cookies, a Namibian candy bar, and a box of cereal ...it was only 51 Rand!!! That equals out to only about $6.50 here! Everything is so so cheap here. We went out to the most delicious dinner at this place called the Raft which was recommended by one of the local guides for having great seafood. I got prawns and breaded crab claws with a girl named Carrie that I came with. A glass of wine was only one American dollar! The semi-sweet white wine was very good. I spent 100 Rand for that amazing dinner...and that's only about $13 USD! I went with 7 other girls ...my roommates Rebecca and Savannah, the girl we're good friends with across the hall (our fifth roommate) Tori, Marcella (the girl I met the first day here boarding the ship), her roommate Carrie, and two other girls, Tristan and Catherine. It really was such a fun time. Half of Semester at Sea showed up at the Raft because there was a bar there too so it was fun mingling with everyone. There are a lot of Germans in Namibia! If you look up the history of the country you will see why. But we were told everyone loved our business there! After that we went to a club which was again filled with Semester at Sea people. They played all American music! So I can't remember if there's anything else I'm missing, but today we are going to Swakopmund which is supposed to be really beautiful as well. We are hoping to check out the dunes soon. No country is ever how you really picture I don't think. Well at least from what I have experienced so far. The ports we dock in don't even seem like the continents we're on. Africa really is beautiful. A lot of the architecture in Namibia has German influence; everything is very well kept up. We went down a street called Millionaires row, beautiful houses and architecture and right on the water...the houses are all at least a million ...Rand..this equals only about $130,000 USD! I might be moving here :)

Alright that's all for now. I need to shower so we can go see the sights! This continent is amazing and I am so excited to go to South Africa next week. I truly am a lucky girl! Thanks for reading, and leave any questions you might have for me!

My Surprise Picture from the Amazon :)

Day 16 at Sea

Back to classes again... Mine are pretty interesting so I don't really mind them at all. I was finished at noon. We got dinner on the deck tonight, my first time. I got a pepper and onion pizza. It was good but my stomach has shrunk so I couldn't eat very much. I snuck out the other pieces in my Brittney's cheetos bag! I just had my Ambassador's Intercultural meeting. It was pretty cool cause I got to lead the whole thing. I feel like I'm doing something important and learning about things that can help me with my career. Nothing is really new here. We lost an hour last night, and we lose another tonight. As of tonight we will be 3 hours ahead of EST with another 3 to lose in the next 5 days to Namibia.

I figure I’ll add in some of what I wrote to Matt in an e-mail as well...
I am doing set-up for the So You Think You Can Dance competition that is raising money for charity for the Students of Service club I'm in ..so I'm decorating! Also we were learning about this woman from somewhere near Cambodia who was a victim of an acid attack...it was so sad and I think we are going to contribute money to her to get surgery. An acid attack is done mostly to young women in developing countries, and usually because the man believes she has committed an infidelity of some sort or something else and is trying to punish her for life. He throws acid on her face and it completely disfigures her. One woman in particular is missing a large patch on the top of her head of hair that will never grow back and is blind in both eyes, as well as having severe burns. If 700 students participate that's a lot of money and all goes to good causes. When you see people as poor as even the ones in Brazil, peeing on streets, no shoes on their feet, ripped clothing, you realize you can spare a few dollars. I'm glad to participate in it and I realize I have a lot more resources than many people...even people on the ship. I feel lucky I can go on pretty much any trips I want or buy the souvenirs I want without worrying. MANY THANKS to both of my parents for all of their support, both financially and otherwise... On a side note, my digital camera has a spot on the lens that seems to be inside and it is driving me crazy..I might buy a nice digital like my manual in one of these countries because I need to get good pictures :(

That's it I think. I feel pretty tired but tonight will be busy because I have Scriptures at Sea at 7 and our Yellow Sea social at 9. Have a good night everyone! :)

My Trip to the Amazonas

I arrived back in Salvador and back to the ship yesterday at about 1pm from my trip to Manaus, Brasil and the Amazonas region. (Manaus is pronounced Muh-Nouse) Let me start at the beginning. The night arriving into to Salvador I didn't really get any sleep and watched the sunrise come up over the city. It was beautiful and very exciting to see land. We got off the ship at about 10am and spent the day wandering around the city. Some buildings were beautiful, but many parts of Salvador are very poor. The streets smell like urine and we saw countless people doing their duty on the streets. I did not enjoy that part one bit. Sunday, September 7th, is Brazil's Independence Day. We saw a parade which was fun but there were so many people, we really had to watch our bags. As you can imagine, a lot was closed in the city because of what day it was. We mostly just did a little shopping, and we also got lunch at a Brazilian restaurant where they spoke only Portuguese. We were trying to get some authentic Brazilian cuisine, and were trying to communicate with our waiter... After we tried to order one thing and they were out, we settled on something with the word "frito" in it. This means fried if you were wondering. So anyways, can you imagine what food we ended up with??? French fries!!! Way to be American... We laughed quite a bit but they were delicious anyways. We also saw two men performing capoeira. This is a mix of a form of karate as well as dancing. It's very interesting; it's like an art form. We also got suco, which is juice...and we settled on orange, and it happened to be very good. We were concerned they might use Brazilian water but we didn't get sick so it was okay. We planned on going to dinner that evening but things closed early (6pm!) Later that night I went out with a bunch of friends to the beach and we tried a capourenina (wrong spelling). Basically it is lime juice, sugar, and a sugar cane alcohol. It was pretty good but a little strong for my taste. It's the traditional drink of Brazil though so it was interesting to try. We had a good time...there were 10 girls including myself and 2 guys looking out for us so it worked out well.

 
At 4am the next morning, we had to get up for our flight out of Salvador. We were all so exhausted, but luckily I fell asleep on the plane and I think in the airport too. We arrived in Manaus on Monday at about noon or so where we met our guides for the next few days. Enilson, or as we fondly referred to him, Ennie, was amazing. He is maybe 5 feet tall, speaks both Portuguese and English and is hilarious. We had a great time with him and he taught us everything we could hope to know. We took a bus from the airport to the river where we boarded our riverboat. We gad 30 hammocks strung up maybe an inch from each other! The boat was nicer than I thought actually, although the bathroom was not and the shower was in the same room so the water drained in the floor. I only took a shower once because it was so gross and you kept wondering what was splashing up on your leg... On the riverboat headed down the river, we saw the Meeting of the Waters where the Rio Negro and Solimoes Rivers meet. The Rio Negro is black and the Solimoes is a brownish color, and because of their temperatures, densities, and acidies, they never mix. Then...much to my excitement...we saw dolphins!!! We saw at least 15 dolphins within the first half hour of the trip! Not only did we see gray dolphins...we saw the elusive pink dolphins which I have heard are very rare. They are a very light pink color and I was ecstatic at this point. Next we went to Lake Jacaures to see the giant lily pads. We also saw some howler monkeys in the trees. It's so hard to get pictures of wildlife in nature because it's not like at a zoo where they pose for you and aren't hidden in the trees. We saw a caiman (alligator) on a lily pad and he actually did seem to be posing for our pictures. It was beautiful there. On the way to our next activity, there were locals on a canoe going down the river. Two of them were holding sloths (I think they're very cute) and another local was carrying a bag. Out of the bag he pulled out a huge anaconda!! It was so cool, I wish I had gotten to see it closer. It turns out another group got to hold both the sloth and the anaconda!! Next we docked the boat at some trees and went piranha fishing with bamboo poles. I didn't get anything - I got a few bites - but two people in our group did. When it began to get dark, we were in search of caimans. When our guide found the eyes of one with a flashlight, he dove out of the boat, grabbed it, and hopped back on. It happened faster than I knew what he did. The alligator was only maybe 2 feet long but he was really cool. I have a surprise picture to post soon.... :) When we got back to the riverboat they had dinner waiting for us. The food was better than I thought it would be, and everyone would agree that the pineapple was absolutely delicious!

 
The next day we woke up at sunrise (maybe 5:30 or 6am?) and got ready to go on a trek through the Amazon rainforest. We spent a few hours exploring the area and honestly it was so hot and we were so tired, it's hard to remember exactly what happened from this point to the end of the trip. Let me just say the Amazon rainforest is nothing like you might imagine. It is very different from what I imagined as a child. First of all, it is not misting like pictures seem to depict. And more importantly, there are not animals everywhere. In fact, there are really not any visible animals anywhere. We heard monkeys and birds but they are not perched on trees like I expected. Contrary to what I expected and dreaded for the last 3 months, there are no tarantulas to be found! Not on the trees, not on the ground, not falling onto my face. Not one. The most I saw was a spider smaller than a golf ball that was actuallu quite cool looking. It was bright orange and black. However, the girl in front of me squealed and I was sure she saw a tarantula. So I kinda yelled and ran away only to realize it was just a little thing! We saw a few bugs here and there but honestly there were not that many. And there were mosquitoes, but not in the rainforest. I really can't explain it, but the Amazon is nothing like what I thought, yet I still had an amazing time. It was an experience of a lifetime and I can say with almost certainty that I will never go back. Although I do miss Ennie and if you ever decide to go and want to see for yourself, find him with the company Brasil Nuts. I can guarantee he will provide you with an amazing time. Later on we went to a village and played soccer with the Brazilians...native inhabitants of the Amazon. It was amazing and we got to interact with a variety of people as well as the cutest and most friendly children you can imagine. They were so happy to see us and loved seeing the pictures of themselves. We went to bed very early both nights we were in the Amazon ...they really wore us out. I do remember they had a cookout for us on the beach with lights strung up and a great barbeque. The next day we went to a caboclo, which is a small settlement where people do not buy anything and only live off the land. A woman made us traditional pancakes of the Amazon, which are really not pancakes at all, and have a sort of jelly consistency. They live off manioc root found in the jungle and the fruit ascii, which we had actually tried in the juice form. We visited local beaches later in the day and you cannot imagine how hot it is. I am developing a nice tan. That night they had a big party for all of the Amazon groups (about 180 students). An Amazonian tribe performed a traditional ritualistic dance. It was absolutely beautiful. The costumes were elaborate and colorful and there was a story behind all of it. I can't really explain it but I did take a video of some of it so if I will upload it if I can find a way. I actually got split up with my roommate Brittany because even though we were both in group B, we had to be split in half an alphabetical. Even though I missed her, it forced me to branch off and meet new people. I met so many nice, interesting, cool people and had a great time. Marcella (my friend I met the first day) was also in my group and we were both thrilled we did not see spiders! :)

 
Alright so I am sure there is a lot more that we did, and if it comes to me I will update or add another post. As you can see, this was very long, so if you took the time to read it, I hope you found it interesting. All in all, Salvador has helped me to appreciate what I have as I seem like a millionaire compared to many of its inhabitants. Their living conditions and standards are so different compared to ours. I am glad I got the chance to experience the culture, and I am happy I stayed safe as I have heard that it was the most dangerous port we were docking in. As for the Amazon, again, it was nothing that I expected. But somehow it was more. I don't know Portuguese, and although I know some Spanish, it didn't matter. You can interact in a way that goes further than the language, and even the attempt of a simple "Oi" (hello), "Obrigada" (thank you), "Tchau" (goodbye) puts a smile on their faces. The most you can do is try and out of respect, I think it goes a long way. A simple smile to a local, whether an old man or a little girl, lets them know that you care, and that you are interested in their culture and lifestyle. I got the chance to experience something most never will, and I will appreciate it and cherish it for life.

 

Pictures from Brasil

My direct roommate & I at our beach party at the end of our trip in the Amazon

One of the guides who made the headband you see out of Amazon tree leaves ...he picked me to give it to!
The adorable puppy we found in the Manaus village ...there are cuter pictures of him, but none with me in it :)
This little girl was adorable...she lived in the village and loved being twirled around and seeing her picture after it was taken

Me in the rainforest along with one of our guides...he only spoke Portguese and carried a machete!
The riverboat 30 of us called home on the Amazon River

View of our ship from the port in Salvador, Brasil!