Cheetah Foundation

Last week, our group visited the Cheetah Foundation in Otjiwarongo. The foundation works to protect the cheetah and ensure its future on earth. Here are a few interesting facts I learned about the cheetah:

• originated in North America
• can accelerate from 0 to 84 km/hr in just 3 seconds!
• cannot roar, can only purr
• has distinctive black tear stripes from eyes to mouth to protect from glare of the sun

There are over 3,000 cheetahs in Namibia. When game is scarce, cheetahs turn to livestock. As a result, many cheetahs are killed by farmers. The Cheetah Foundation is working with local farmers to educate them on ways to protect their livestock without killing the cheetahs.

Check out the attached cheetah photos to see some closeups!

An Owambo Experience

The weekend of July 24, my colleague Jen and I were welcomed by a gracious host family who lived in a small town Ondangwa in Northern Namibia. My host family was Owambo and spoke the Owambo language of Oshiwambo. Martha, my host mother, was eight months pregnant with her second child. Her first child was Max, a small yet feisty 10 year old who loved to play soccer. Sophia was the 22 yr old house keeper, who cooked and cleaned in exchange for food and shelter. 

My host family lived in a simple one story house. The home had a large, sandy yard, where hens and chicks searched for food.The neighbors next store had what seemed like many, many roosters, which made the mornings quite interesting. We ate our meals at a small table in the hallway connecting the kitchen and bedrooms. The kitchen had a tiny range, but no oven. There was also an outdoor cooking area where Sophia roasted potatoes over the fire. Sophia, Jen and I shared a room, with Jen and I sharing a bed. We used the large mosquito bed net, especially the second night after I spotted a huge roach near our bags (luckily, Max came to the rescue).

Sunday was my favorite day, as Max took Jen and I to visit Kuku (Grandma, who happened to be named Anna!) and Christy (Max cousin, who is being raised by Kuku). Kuku did not speak English so Max and Christy had to interpret Oshiwambo. Kuku gave us a lengthy tour of the family home. We visited the various huts, including the old cooking hut. We tried several fruits and nuts from the trees in the yard. Kuku showed us the large, woven baskets where the millet was stored throughout the year. She taught me how to pound millet and how to separate the seeds from the flour using a sifting basket.

Overall, Jen and I really enjoyed our stay. We may not have loved the cold bucket bath nor the spiders and roaches, but it reminded us of all of the basic things we take for granted at home.  I hope to keep in contact with my host family--especially Sophia, Max, and Christy. Maybe someday I will return to visit again....

Etosha National Park

Amazing.

Etosha National Park covers 22,700 km and is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, and 16 reptile and amphibian species.

Etosha means "great white place of dry water." 600 million years ago, the Etosha Salt Pan was created by the compression and depression of a large glacier. Today, it is home to many beautiful animals.

Our group spent three days at Etosha. We saw oryx, kudu, wildebeest, eland, ostrich, cheetah, giraffe, warthog, jackals, zebra, elephant, red herdebeest, rhinoceros...the list goes on and on. We feared we would not see a lion. However, the last day of our stay, as the sun was setting, we finally sighted a lion pacing near the carcass of a baby elephant.

My favorite part of our stay in Etosha was visiting the watering hole at night. Our lodge was a short distance from this watering hole, and so one of the evenings I curled up in a sleeping bag and watched the beautiful and amazing giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and springbok as they came to quench their thirst.

High school in Windhoek

During the past couple of days, I had the opportunity to visit a high school in Windhoek, where I shadowed teachers, and talked to the students about teen life in Windhoek.The school I visited welcomed 1,200 students ranging in age from 15 to 21 years. All of the students were extremely polite to their teachers. Classes were large at 40 to 45 students. The most noticeable disadvantage was the lack of materials. One teacher explained that he had only 15 books for 93 students. Some students had notebooks, but others had nothing. The students were very curious about life in the US. Here are a few of the questions they asked:

-Miss, how much does it cost to take a taxi where you are from?
-Miss, what famous people do you know?
-Miss, may I fill your water bottle for you? Please, Miss.
-Miss, are you on facebook?

The school day began at 7:30 am. I really liked that the staff started each day together with coffee or tea in the staff lounge. The principal would stop in to discuss the day and to announce any schedule changes. At 11am, students and staff had a 30 minute break. School ended at 1:15 pm. so that children could go home to eat lunch. There were no meals served at school, which meant that some of the children might not eat at all that day.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the spirit of the teaching staff. The educators were very welcoming and eager to teach me about the education system in Namibia. They were cheerful and patient with students and colleagues, despite the lack of materials, space, and technology. Thanks to these teachers and students, I have new perspective on overcoming the challenges that exist in US schools.

Katutura

On July 17th, we toured Windhoek by van. The most remarkable neighborhood, in my opinion, was Katutura. Katutura means "the place we do not want to live."

Katutura township was created in 1961, when blacks were forced to leave Old Location neighborhood and relocate farther from Windhoek's center. Under apartheid, Katutura residents could not leave their homes from dusk to dawn. The township was divided by ethnic group. To this day, some of the houses are marked with a letter and number, with the letter indicating the ethnic group inhabiting the home.

Driving through Katutura, we first saw small concrete homes protected by gates and barbed wire. Our guides Shamani and Urbanus explained that most of these homes have a small concrete toilet room separate from the house. To this day, some of the homes lack electricity and running water.

As we made our way toward Northern Katutura, we came across shantytowns, where women and men were building shacks out of sheet metal and plywood. The structures were maybe 6'x12' and housed entire families. Women were hanging out freshly washed clothing and cooking meat on old grills. Little children ran barefoot through dirt roads, while stray dogs scavenged for food. This was by far the most devastating sight in Katutura, as people were packed together in extremely poor living conditions. Health care facilities and schools were few, leaving people isolated from basic services.

After visiting the shantytowns, we met with the Young Achievers, a group of young Katuturan adults who meet every Saturday to discuss goals, challenges, and successes. I was touched as I listened to these students. Here they were, living in very poor conditions with limited access to basic education and health, articulating how they would become psychologists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.  They spoke with a passion about love, hope, and a desire to bring goodness to the world. The Young Achievers recently published a book and are trying to find funding to print more copies. I hope to obtain a copy before I leave, as we will have an opportunity to visit them again in several weeks.

In a country with over 270,000 orphans, a fifty-one percent unemployment rate, and a fifty percent high school dropout rate, I am humbled by the resiliency and hope of this community as well as their willingness to support one another. Please check out the Katutura photos to see images of the neighborhood and the inspiring Young Achievers.

Johannesburg

Finally, Africa!

Our first stop was Johannesburg, where we visited Soweto, a township where the ANC rose to power during apartheid. We saw the homes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and visited the Apartheid museum. We also met a political activist, Molefi Mataboge, who discussed his involvement in the liberation struggle against apartheid. He also told us about the South African public education system. I was surprised to hear that public school begins for children at age 7. Pre-primary school is only available to those families that can afford to pay tuition.

Yesterday, we flew to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. After a solid night of sleep, we traveled to the Namibian Institute for Education Development and met with curriculum design teams to discuss the national education system. Then, we learned about the history of the Herero people, who were persecuted by the Germans beginning in the 1900s. After eating a delicious West African meal of maize, fish, chicken, beef, and shrimp curry, we learned about the Community-Based Natural Resources Management Program, which has helped increase the animal population, manage wildlife, and create jobs and revenue.

Our days are packed with speakers and visits; we are learning so much! The one downside has been the weather. It has been very chilly. I wore four layers the other day including two wool sweaters and was still cold! So much for all of the warm weather clothing I packed!

Atlanta Training

I arrived at Emory University in Atlanta two days ago, where I met the 12 other educators on our Fulbright team. Since then, we have been preparing for our journey by discussing Namibian history, choosing curricular areas, and reflecting on privilege, racism, power, and oppression. I am very excited to work with such seasoned educators.

Today we visited the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site. We paused at the reflecting pool, which holds the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. King. I especially enjoyed our guided tour of the home in which King was born.We learned that Dr. King and his two siblings were born in the house. Rev. King hired a doctor from the north to temporarily live with the family and deliver the children, as white doctors in the south refused to deliver black babies. I left the historical site feeling deeply moved and inspired.

After, I ate a delicious meal of turkey, ribs, greens, squash, and cornbread at Thelma's Rib Shack. The ribs were by far my favorite. I've really enjoyed my stay in Atlanta, although I'm not sure I could live through the humidity on a daily basis. I am now waiting to board our 15 hour flight to Johannesburg. Stay tuned for more...