Life in Nam: Week 16

Are we fine?

I’ve returned from Namibia and am blogging from home. Nothing quite “wild West” about the ‘burbs of Northern Virginia, except for the cowboy boots I’m wearing. Traveling from full-on summer and sunshine to short days of winter was something of a shock to the system. Crisp days are certainly more festive and not as jarring as snowflake streetlights on a sweltering, 34 degree C day.

Four months was long enough to have time and space to think, to become acquainted with a place, to observe interactions and take part in a process, and to meet amazing people and travel to stunning landscapes. Four months is not long enough to walk away with a sense that I’ve contributed. I was leaving just as I was beginning to form friendships in a meaningful way, settling into a routine, and connecting friends and colleagues to each other. From a workplace perspective, it was difficult to walk away when the process was incomplete, the same problems plagued the group, an enormous public health issue still looms and when donor funding is in “transition.” No, you can’t solve it all in 4 months. It is about the journey, and one hopes to give a bit and take something in return. Hopefully, this will not be my only chance to visit and contribute to a country I’ve come to love.

There are plenty of things I will miss: the sunsets, stars and sense of community with a small town feel. The phrases: “is it?!” “babbelas” “are we fine?” and “floozies” (for your dearest friends, of course). I will miss the people. Eric, the taxidermist now taxi driver of Tswana descent who I befriended. Lovely Lerine, who has a heart of gold. Some of the dedicated and passionate people I met through work, particularly the CDC folk. 2 Canadians a Brit, the lawyers/interns who never ceased to amaze with their talents and borderline inappropriateness. And the accomplished and uber-competitive women in my running group (may they cross the finish line strong at Comrades)!

Namibia strips away the pretenses, forces you to contemplate, lays bare your deepest longing, and reminds you to enjoy it all along the way...

Life in Nam: Week 15

The Power and the Glory

December 1st is World AIDS Day, and so on Wednesday night, the US Embassy and a group called Spoken Word co-hosted a poetry slam. An impressive turnout of talent and recent stardom (which included the newly crowned "Mr. Gay Namibia." Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go for tolerance of the gay community in Namibia: http://www.informante.web.na/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9180&Itemid=1&PHPSESSID=bbfca61f1633f0cd4dd9e288223c3509).

The evening was quite different than previous song nights at the Playhouse Theater. A poetry reading seemed the perfect way to express the complexity and impact of the epidemic on individual lives. It was an evening of bravery, honesty, and raw emotion.

5x7 Folded Card

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Life in Nam: Week 15

Figuring it out.



The perfect road trip weekend. Two gals hit the road heading west to Swakopmund. We threw our bags and bikes in the back of Andrea’s VW “kombie” (with a Grateful Dead sticker on the back), Paul Simon and John Lee Hooker on the cassette player, and the car, nicknamed “Shanti” (or White Lightning III, as I referred to her), drove a steady 100km/hr. All of this in order to swim, bike, run...

It was a typically overcast coastal morning. We stood on the beach near the Jetty, waiting for our turn to swim through epic swells in 16 degrees C. The 2011 Desert Triathlon was not exactly on my “to do” list when I arrived in Namibia a few months ago. But when I met up with a group of hard core runners here, they quickly convinced me to step outside of my comfort zone for the open water (ocean!) swim. So I joined the group of other insane wetsuit-clad athletes and proudly finished, albeit slowly. (I blame flat tires and the ridiculously challenging swim conditions: http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/december/article/murphy-wins-desert-triathlon/)


If this is not figuring it all out, then this is pretty damn good.

Weeks 13 and 14

Le temps passe vite!

It's true what they say about Cape Town being Africa's "mother city." One instantly feels at home. The Cape offers everything - amazing food, wine, people, art, culture, beaches, shopping... and all with the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain.

If the dunes of Sossusvlei bring to mind the gates of hell, then the Saturday farmer's market in Cape Town is a little piece of heaven. If Namibia is famous for its desolate beauty, then Cape Town is it alter ego. Stunning in saturated color and eclectic in everythingness, for me, Cape Town was love at first sight. The highlights: hiking Table Mountain, driving to Cape Point, hanging on for dear life as Dad drove us down Chapman's Peak, watching the sunset from Signal Hill, touring Robben Island, finding an art studio hidden in a castle, checking out a hipster bar in Kloof.

The city - and its history - are works in progress. Huge areas such as District Six where blacks were forced from their homes are still virtually uninhabited. While it is progressive, dynamic, colorful and thriving, there are always two sides to every story.

Life in Nam: Week 12

The Game of Life.

Something about visiting the world's oldest desert brings people together like family. The dunes at Sossusvlei are visually stunning, and I was fortunate to share the experience with my Dad and brother, Max, who are visiting for a few weeks.

Sossusvlei ("source of water") is nestled in the Namib desert, in a pristine national park approximately 4 to 6 hours (depending upon how many flat tires) southwest of Windhoek. We camped just outside the park with a group of twelve fascinating and surprisingly outgoing travelers from Canada, Finland, Ireland, Israel, America, and Japan. Together the group ventured into Dead Vlei (see photo), a place captivating and beautiful in its simplicity. Yet it's what one imagines the gates of hell might look like, with desolate, cracked earth, and where the most dynamic things are the shadows. I felt far, far away from DC or NYC. There are no pretenses in the desert. (Well, except for some of the 5 star lodges catering to wealthy tourists along the way)

Between hiking the dunes, sightings of springbok, ostrich, and desert zebra, and my Dad giving "free advice" to the youngsters on the trip, we had a great time with our very memorable group. One fellow traveler introduced us to the game of life. If you ever say the word mine you're subject to 10 push ups. And the game never ends. ever. for life.

A simple lesson, in the simplest of surroundings, about sharing. This experience was ours.

Life in Nam: Week 9

There are plenty of characters in this town, and many were out in full cultural splendor during the Oktoberfest/Halloween weekend. Oktoberfest in Windhoek is similar to, but much smaller than, the one in Germany: day drinking, live music, supersize beer steins, lederhosen, dirndls, a mechanical bull, and drunk old men.
Following a few hours at Oktoberfest, I accompanied Lerine and Charene to Kiepie’s, the late night Afrikaner bar. Imagine a roadhouse in Oklahoma (á la Scooters) with a band playing 80s hits and entertaining a crowd of couples two-stepping and those on the brink of a bar brawl. Lucky for me, a Rod Stewart look-alike wanted to teach the unteachable American how to two-step.

Wednesday was song night at the Playhouse Theater, featuring some incredible local talent. I went in support of my new friend, Gloria Song. Quite possibly the most authentic stage name ever. Preferring, however, to go by “Gloria Guns,” she’s a Korean-Canadian who sings country and plays the guitar. Not so typical here in Windhoek. After her performance, Gloria was approached by a recording studio! One only hopes she’ll become the biggest thing to hit Namibia since Westlife.

On Sunday, I found a great excuse to dress up and celebrate Halloween with a group of “hashers” who hike the trails (of which there are many) in and around the city. Given his ties to Namibian history, I felt it appropriate to dress as Fidel Castro, with a tin foil beard. Creativity comes with limited resources...