WOW! I am in love with this country already.
After 30 hours of travelling, I arrived at my Hotel, the first thing I saw was the Hotel security – a young man carrying a rifle. Strangely, it didn’t make me feel all that safe (although that’s not what I told Mum). I passed out for about 12 hours. When I woke up I decided to go for a wander and get my bearings. I asked the security guards at the front to point me in the direction of an ATM. They talked in Africaans amongst themselves for a few seconds and then one of them put down their rifle and started walking out with me. He ended up taking me on an impromptu tour of the city, all the while we passed about 4 ATM’s. As we were walking up a hill towards the statue of the first President, I suddenly realised how humid it was. I was sweating and puffing when my spontaneous tour guide started laughing at me. “Very hot today!” YES! He asked if there were black people in Australia. He seemed surprised when I said the first Australians were black. After today, I did start feeling safe with the ‘rifle man’.
Day 2 – Well Jetlag is definitely a thing! I woke up ridiculously early today and decided to go for another walk, by myself this time. Before leaving the Hotel I got butterflies in my stomach, I really am out of my comfort zone here. Lots of people stare at me, maybe it’s obvious I’m a tourist? I love when people say “Hello Sister”, I may be a tourist but this small greeting makes me feel accepted.
Day 3 and 4 – Every time I leave the Hotel I feel more confident. I have realised I am obsessed with what African women wear, everything is colourful, flowing and beautiful. I’ve been trying not to shop, given that I will not be earning anything this year, however a bright green skirt caught my eye. I left about an hour later with 3 skirts, a pair of shorts, a dress, a top and 2 necklaces – whoops! Luckily everything here is cheaper than Australia, it cost me N$649.95, which is only about $64 Australian dollars. The security guard (whose name I realised I never asked) has not been very friendly – maybe I was supposed to tip him for the tour?
Day 5 – One of my dreams came true today. I went on a safari at the Okapuka Ranch, just outside Windhoek. They call it a farm – it’s where they look after animals, in the natural environment. My smile didn’t leave my face for the entire afternoon, we saw rhinos, giraffes, crocodiles, warthogs (which are horribly ugly animals), ostriches, zebras, kudu, springboks and wildebeest. The songs from the Lion King played on an endless loop in my head. The man who drove me to and from the safari was lovely, motivated and very passionate about Namibia. He offered to take me to a local restaurant that served many of the animals I had just seen, unfortunately I was very tired, I will make sure I go at some point.
Day 6 – My love for this country is growing. Today I went on a history tour of Windhoek and the surrounding villages. I was lucky enough to be the only person on the tour, so I learnt so much! I can’t believe how much these people have been through – they only gained their independence from South Africa in 1990. My tour guide was in his 30’s – from the way he spoke I would assume he remembers some parts of the Apartheid. As he said “We have forgiven, but we will never forget.” Though I loved hearing about Namibia’s history, my favourite part of the tour was when we went to the market and met some locals. Small girls were getting their hair braided for school – they looked beautiful. Another group of children came running when they saw me taking pictures, it was so amazing to interact with children who were amazed by small things, such as seeing themselves on camera. Their smiles were beautiful! Just this small interaction made me realise how lucky I am to be able to teach here soon – I can’t wait to get started!
Aussie in Africa 