My Trip to the Moon aka Swakopmund! (Part 1)

Okay so I didn't really go to the moon....this past weekend was our trip to the coast of Namibia to a town called Swakopmund. I swear it looked like what I pictured the moon would look like though. On our 3 hours bus ride from Windhoek I fell asleep in the city and woke up to just desert all around me. It was legitimately only desert, sky, and mountains in the distance for miles. It really was one of the strangest looking places ever but then again it was my first time in the desert. I dubbed it to look like the moon and we all joked about how we were staying on the moon for the rest of the weekend.

The view for miles...looks like the moon right?

The trusty CGE van in the middle of the desert

Swakopmund is a city on the northwestern Namibia about 170 miles west of Windhoek. The city is situated in the middle of the Namib desert and has about 42,000 inhabitants. It was originally founded in 1892 as the main harbor for German South-West Africa (now Namibia) and has a very significant German influence and a large part of its population today is German. We arrived at our guest house and it was the cutest thing ever. It was bright orange and purple and we stayed in mini houses. It was also a 5 minute walk to the beach! Walking around in this area really made me feel like I was back in Rhode Island. I was getting emotional and even more homesick but I still found comfort in being back near the ocean again. We even had our weekly yoga class by the beach! It was extremely relaxing but I really enjoyed being able to put my hand and feet in the sand and really feel the earth below me.

The guest houses we stayed in

The walk to the beach from our houses

Margaret jumped right in, the water was beautiful!

I still love RI beaches but these were a close second

We were all so happy to be back near the water :)

Our first day in Swakopmund we took a tour of Mondesa, a township originally for black residents of Swakopmund. It is still the poorest district with high rates of unemployment but is also the fastest growing area in terms of population. We took a tour of the area and walked around the streets observing the houses and talking to the locals. I found Mondesa to be very welcoming and I did not feel as awkward or out of place as I did in other places like Kliptown from my Johannesburg experience. We were greeted by an a-Capella group from the neighborhood called Vocal Galore and they sang a couple of songs for us right in their backyard. They were awesome and all such nice people. I bought a CD of theirs to bring back home to the US. Afterwards, we met with Josephina, a local Damara woman who has lived in Mondesa for a lot of her life. She was the cutest and sassiest old woman ever and made us all laugh so much even though we did not speak the same language. I was amazed at how we were all able to communicate and understand each other despite our differences. Laughter and smiles really are the universal languages of the world. She taught us about local Damara traditions and symbols of their culture. This was really interesting and super helpful because when we do our home stays in the North we will be living in Damara villages.

A street in Mondesa

Our group with Josephina

Traditional Damara cultural objects

After exploring Mondesa, we moved on to the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC), a slum area of Swakopmund which was northeast of Mondesa. The DRC was a place that the government in Swakopmund used to try and push the poorest people further away from the city center and now is home to many problems such as poor sanitation, overpopulation, and high levels of disease. We visited a kindergarten where about 25 children were all lined up. As soon as we walked in they started singing and sang us about 4 songs they learned in class. It was one of the most adorable things I have seen in awhile and they were all so happy. We sang with them as well and played around with the children. When talking to the teacher in the one room school building we asked about what the biggest challenge she faces with these children is. She said that it is really hard for her because the children will all come into school in the morning sick and hungry, probably without food for the whole night. This affects their health and ability to pay attention and learn at school but she does her best and the school provides a meal for the children. She also mentioned that some of the children believe the kindergarten is more their home than their actual homes because of safety issues in the neighborhood. We even witnessed a young boy cry as his mom came to pick him up and forced him to leave the school and the rest of his friends. It is always hard for me for see situations like this and not have an emotional reaction. The kids were so incredibly happy in that kindergarten but at the end of the day most have to go home and face the reality of living in poverty. As we were leaving all of the children ran up to us and gave us hugs and even followed us out of the school building. As we continued on our tour we walked through the streets and lots of the children even ran along with us. Everyone felt so welcoming and I will not forget my trip to Mondesa and the DRC.

The kindergarten we visited

Each street in the DRC has one of these water pumps and it costs
10 Namibian dollars to pump 250 liters of water.

A view of the DRC from far away. You have to walk through the desert to get
there from Mondesa, this was intentional placement.

A street in the DRC

Our second day in Swakopmund we drove out to Walvis Bay, a town near Swakopmund that lies on the bay. It is a very industrial area of Namibia because of the many exports and imports they take in from the Bay. We visited the Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone and NamPort, Namibia's largest commercial port that has become a gateway for international trade. We took a tour of NamPort and its facilities and it is incredible how many things are imported and exported from Walvis Bay. It made me nervous though because this huge industrial section was located in the same bay, basically right next to, some species of sacred birds and a huge seal population. NamPort is also planning on trying to drill for oil so what will this do to the surrounding sacred environments? Industry is good for the economy of course but I couldn't help but think of how this all impacts the beautiful water and habitats that call Walvis Bay home.

NamPort's scary oil rig ready to drill...

After we did some industrial and economic touring of the area we got back on the bus to drive to see the Topnaar Community. The Topnaar are a branch of the Nama people and they mostly reside in the middle of the Namib desert in the area around Walvis Bay. Now when I say the middle of the desert...I mean the middle of the desert. We were driving for a lot longer than I expected and it was EXTREMELY bumpy. I was all the way in the back of the bus just bouncing around as we drove down a sand and gravel road for miles and miles. We finally arrived at the JP Brand Primary school in the middle of the desert. This is a boarding school where students live in dormitories during the school year because of its extremely remote nature. There were tons of kids just running around the school yard and we met with the principal and some teachers who told us about the school's history and challenges they face because of location. I cannot even describe how intense the location of this school was. We drove so far out and there was nothing for miles. I find it hard to understand how this school survives in such extreme conditions. They have a lot of communication problems and are basically cut off from the rest of the Walvis Bay community. They still manage to provide quality education for these students but have problems finding teachers who want to come all the way out to the school and live in such exclusion. The staff and students were all very enthusiastic and welcoming though despite the extreme heat and little shade available (this is what I struggled with obviously). The extreme differences in environments all throughout Namibia just continues to amaze me. A day before we were by the water and then we transitioned into extreme desert...it really is mind-blowing.

Outside of the school

One of the school buildings

Sand, sand, sand everywhere around you

A shack located near the school

The view around the school area

After the school visit, we went to visit some of the Topnaar people at their homes. We were extremely lucky and got to see a family processing the !nara melon. The !nara melon is a thorny desert plant and is the primary source of income and primary element of the Topnaar diet. The process is a long and strenuous one but you ultimately end up with just the seeds of the fruit. They taste almost like pumpkin seeds and I really enjoyed them actually! It was so kind of the family to let us observe the process and even try our hand in mixing the pulp of the fruit and separating the seeds.

Me stirring the pot of !nara pulp and seeds.
It was really difficult! 

The pot and fire that they use to cook the melons.

The finished product. Very delicious!

The melons before any processing has been done.

The pulp and seeds in the pot do not look so appetizing.

The house of the family we visited.

Our first couple of days in Swakopmund were so educational and I will never forget some of the experiences I had. Sorry this entry is so long but we just did so much, I had a lot to say! I still am going to write another blog post about some of the other awesome things I got to do while we were at the coast. I am still amazed at the amount of history in these areas and all that I am blessed to be able to learn about. I find it fascinating with all the different cultures, the political struggles, the economic divides and the social problems that exist here due to the rich histories. It is mind blowing to be driving through the city, then into townships and slums, then through mountains, straight into the desert for miles and miles, and then back at the wonderful coast. Namibia is absolutely beautiful and everyday something else makes me sit back and be thankful for how lucky I am to be here.

Enjoy some more pictures from the first part of our weekend! :)

Relaxing on the docks 

Flamingos were all over the bay!

This is all salt! There were huge salt flats and
we may have gotten out to taste the salt....

Flamingos everywhere!

Just some donkeys chilling by our bus

Are you sure we aren't on the moon?

The group roaming through sand sand sand.

Desert shacks

Me and Anneke with our donkey friends!

There was legitimately nothing here...

The road we drove down for miles and miles

To all of you who have made it to the end of this blog post, you win! Thank you for taking the time to read all the way through! It makes me really happy :) Stay tuned for another blog post in the coming days about climbing Dune 7 and kayaking with seals which were both some of the highlights of my entire trip so far!