 |
| Hiking at Daan Viljoen, outside Windhoek (Hannah, Hanna, Margaret) |
Perhaps it is strange to compare foliage
and people, but there are many similarities between Namibians and the
free-growing, dry plants here. Unlike
the closely-landscaped yards in the U.S., desert plants are left to grow freely
and naturally. Similarly, we have
observed that people’s attitude towards life here is more relaxed and
free-spirited. People are friendly,
curious, and genuinely interested in getting to know others, and there is always
something new to learn. We are excited
to have the opportunity to embrace this attitude, and so this past week we went
out to explore the more natural side of Windhoek.
This week in History class, before we
physically went out to explore the landscape, we learned about the Herero
genocide that happened throughout Namibia.
The fact that this event also took place right here in Windhoek hit home
for many of us, and is therefore something that has been on our minds this
week. Many of us had not known about
this genocide, so it was a sobering history lesson. We grappled with the fact that this is such a
tragic part of Namibia’s history and yet so few people have ever heard of it. We have been trying to understand all that
has happened in our new home, and that process includes both class discussion
and our own physical excursions.
So this weekend, two groups of us embarked
upon hikes in the greater Windhoek area!
Four of us made our way through downtown
Windhoek and arrived at Aloe Trail after a rather long walk. The trail is located behind Parliament
Gardens, on the other side of town, and sits atop a mountain that overlooks the
rest of the city. Although it is more of
a nature walk than a hike, it provides both an intimate experience with the
local flora and fauna and also various views of the city and nearby mountains. It was great to be surrounded by natural
growth and to temporarily spend time away from the city itself. We had the chance to sit on a rock for a
little while, just tossing ideas back and forth and reflecting on our time in
Namibia so far. We discussed how we
appreciate the opportunity to experience the balance between urban rural life
here in Windhoek, and struggled with the idea of spending so much time in the
city. We also talked about how excited
we are for our upcoming rural homestay, which will expose us to yet another way
of life in this country.
 |
| Taking a break along the Aloe Trail in Windhoek (Joe, Holly, Sara) |
Another seven of us went on a bit of a
more rigorous hike, experiencing unique plants and animals such as baboons,
ostriches, spiders, and even a pet warthog.
They talked about similar reflections, such as sitting on rocks for long
periods of time, enjoying the scenery and trying to take in all of Namibia all
at once, and feeling a strong sense of peace out in the wilderness. They reported back that they were all
extremely happy to be there, and excited at the chance to get out of the city. This group drove past the informal
settlements in order to get to their hiking location, which was a reminder both
of the long history of inequality here and also of how prevalent it still is
today. It’s hard not to be aware of the
inequality when it is so visible everywhere we look. It sparks internal struggles such as the knowledge
that we are privileged enough to go on a nature hike and that we have the
necessary resources to do so.
We are starting to realize how much
everything is tied together – what we study in class and what we experience on
our own in Windhoek. By embracing the
easy-going and curious mindset we have encountered, we now feel more
comfortable immersing ourselves in local culture. We have also come to learn how this land can
provide people with such a serene sense of inner peace and also hold such a
complicated history.
No comments:
Post a Comment