For my final homestay, I had the pleasure of staying with Rebecca, her daughter, Rena, and Rena's three year old son, Rio on their farm in Khorixas. This is an area in the North where people from the Damara tribe live. It is where my urban homestay family in Windhoek has family and where they will move to when they retire.
Our farm was called Waterfall and 5 students stayed there with different families. Most of the families living on the farm were related. We had goats, sheep, and donkeys. Unfortunately, all of their cattle had died in the recent drought, which is a current issue in the area.
On Wednesday, October 11th, I had breakfast with the family and they introduced us to the goats. During the week, my school group would pick us up and take us around to see different sites and go to talks. We went to hear the local Red Cross talk about what they do. It sounded like they have many issues with funding. They showed us where they run their soup kitchen in one of the poorer areas. They did not have enough money for firewood that day and were unable to serve the people. It was terrible standing there while hungry people started to gather and we had nothing to give them. Later, we had a driving tour of the city. When we returned to the farm, we played “handball.” Basically, we ran around trying to keep the ball from people on the other team. That night I got to see the sunset and the stars in all their glory. Without the heavy light pollution I am used to, the stars feel like they are encircling you. It was incredible to stand under them and just see stars everywhere around you.
The next day, I played football (soccer) with my little brother before we left for the day. Then we visited the local high school and talked to some of the older students. They told us about their experiences and living in the hostels. It was great to hear kids who were motivated about their future plans to be doctors, engineers, historians, etc. These dreams weren’t limited by gender norms either. The girls were as passionate about pursuing becoming a doctor or engineer as were the boys. It was interesting to see what we had in common but to also compare what was different between the education system in the United States and Namibia. For example, at grade 10 students must choose which track they want to study already- agriculture, science, social sciences. The students also sang us their school song and it was beautiful. They had different parts for the boys and the girls. It was honestly the prettiest school song I have ever heard. Later, we went to the traditional courts. This where people will take their domestic disputes. They can receive compensation in the form of livestock. They told us how the “crime" of being a homosexual or lesbian costs 2 cow heads. While it was nice to learn about the culture of the court, we were concerned about this law in particular and how it oppresses and marginalizes people. Often if someone is part of the LGBTI community they do not report other crimes to the traditional court for a fear of being outed and penalized. At home, I helped my family with dinner and we chatted around the fire as my brother fell asleep in my arms.
On Friday, we headed off to Twyfelfontein, a region with ancient rock engravings. However, we got a rock in our tire and had to head back to town. Eventually, we headed home and ended up having a s’mores party with our farm instead. It was fun and they really loved it even though we had to modify them a bit, like with melted chocolate spread on. On Saturday, we successfully drove out to Twyfelfontein. First, we went to the Damara Living Museum. Each tribe has a living museum where people live how their people used to in an effort to preserve their culture. It was interesting to learn about their culture, even though it felt like it was on display. The attendees of the museums were only white tourists, despite the fact that part of the museum’s purpose is to preserve the culture for the local people to visit, especially the younger generations. We headed to the rock engravings, which were very interesting. Most of the carving are animals but some of them also include circles that are waterholes. They used the engravings as maps for water, which is impressive. After lunch, we went to the Petrified Forest. We got to see the wood, including some that was crystallized and another one that was hollow. There were also the mountains in the background and it was breath-taking. At home, I had my nightly routine of playing with Rio, eating, and chatting until bedtime.
Sunday, our last day on the farm, was a big party. This is a tradition in the program. The families let us borrow traditional dresses and cook a big meal to celebrate the week together. In the morning, we had church under the tree. There was lots of singing, mostly in their language of Damara. It was fun trying to sing along and keep up with them. The hardest part was hitting all of their traditional clicks, but it was a good challenge. Church was a joyous event with lots of singing and dancing. I loved the passion and energy. My host sister, Rena, was the one who read the Bible verse and told us about how we should give generously without looking for credit. It was a proud moment to see her speaking in front of the group and sharing this message. We hung out all day; playing cards, talking, and trying donkey cart rides. This is their mode of transportation so it was good to try, but I was definitely holding on tightly. Later, we ate dinner as the sun began to go down. Again, there was music and dancing, which I really enjoyed. One of the girls around our age kept trying to get us up and dancing. It was really nice for me to have the chance to dance and follow again. Overall, our week at the farm was a memorable experience. We didn’t have electricity, indoor plumping, or Internet. Instead, we had quiet nights under the stunning stars and the experience of a simpler lifestyle. It was different than anything I’ve experienced before, but I’m really glad I got to and had the chance to learn more new lessons from some of the Damara people.