Until Next Time Namibia

The last couple of days in Namibia were the hardest to deal with. I was on an emotional roller-coaster. As the days began to close you tell yourself "OK" 3 more days. In three days, there were still chapters that needed finishing, destinations that needed visited, and many friends that needed a departing hug. One of my final departing projects ultimately became one of my proudest moments. A common theme that I discovered during my first week at PAY through one-on-one interviews with 11-12 graders was that 100% of the learners were interested in attending a University when they complete high school. I also discovered that only 3 of the 12 students had been to a college campus. The next week and a half would be dedicated to making sure that all of them would have a college visit experience. The first step was contacting the University to see if hosting a group of 12 learners would be possible but with only a week and a half email and phone calls, I risked not being able to make the visit happen. I decided that it would be much more likely that I talk with the parties necessary to make this event happen if I spoke with someone directly. After a bit of walking around campus, asking anybody that knew of anybody that could help me, and exchanging information with any faculty willing to listen to my pitch I was told yes, the tour was possible.

The following day is when I received the ultimate confirmation. My initial email propose that I sent to the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) student services (SS) department had been responded to and cc’d to the director of SS. The director Dr. Donovan Zealand was immediately enthused to ensure the success of the event. Dr. Zealand was also one of the founding members of PAY in 2004. The following steps fell in place getting transportation was easy, PAY excused the students from their studies for a day, and NUST provided us 5 tour guides who were also apart of a student panel.

The event was amazing. Seeing the student’s interest as they went from the dorm rooms, to the library, to the engineering department reaffirmed how necessary it is to visit a university. I could hear them all speak life into their futures. Allowing them to physically be in the space, investigate the lecture rooms, and take a seat in the chairs where students who were like them sit, made their dreams closer to a reality. The panel was even more reaffirming. The students had so many questions for upperclassmen at NUST. At the conclusion of the university guide Dr. Zealand pulled me to the side and shared with me that he absolutely loved my idea. He shared with me the consensus that this event should be an annual activity, but he did not stop there, he wanted it to be a half day event in stead of the two hours that we had.

With his blessings I was able to create a university tour that I will continue to organize even if I am not physically there in Namibia. My last day at PAY was emotionally draining. I did not want to go, the students did not want me to go, and it hit really hit me that my time with them was up. After a celebratory showcase I performed with Dr. Hopson, many hugs and handshakes, and exchanging contact information I disappeared off into our car and sat alone holding back tears because I was going to miss the students so much.

The next day we were off to Cape town, South Africa. The Difference between cape town and Windhoek was almost like night and day. Cape town is a huge city with many more people. The city was busier than Namibia. The buildings and business were more modern, the people I interacted with were far less welcoming and way more aggressive. Homeless people would literally follow you in the streets asking for money. Everything was more money-centered, and there was a merchant on every street corner. Namibia which was more community-centered did not compare to the sightseeing in Cape town. There were so many beautiful landmarks in Cape town. Table Mountain towered in the distance, the cape where the oceans met was beautiful, and the wildlife was second to none. As a city boy from Chicago it was astonishing to see skyscrapers and sky-scraping mountains.

Returning to the U.S. I was prepared with gifts for my immediate family, countless stories for my friends, and a burning desire to return to Namibia next July. The biggest takeaway that I felt that everyone should know outside of tourist attractions were how knowledgeable the people of Namibia are in the way of the economy and politics. The most shocking and life altering thing for me however was how hard working the youth is. The reality for many Namibians is that within a 15-minute walk you can quickly go from an area of privilege to one below poverty in a small span of space, they are not discouraged, and there is little to no complaining that I heard from any of the people I met about their circumstances. For them opportunity is among the horizon. I’ll end with a poem entitled “Roses in Namib”. Now that the Namib sings and the tear of the Katutura child washed away, who will keep the fire burning?