Koda! It is so amazing that we’re finally in Africa!!! We started off in Windhoek, and the Polytechnic guesthouse we stayed at was beautiful! The best part was the tiny gecko I found in our bathroom.
One night we met up with Dr. Walt Schacht and his wife, Carol, at Joe’s Beerhouse; some people had fish, Ben and Tanner had the “Game Knuckle”, which contained enough kudu meat to feed the two guys and about ten of their friends! A couple of us tried a kabob that had several types of meat on it, including ostrich, kudu, zebra, crocodile, and chicken. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the meat and would recommend Joe’s to anyone traveling through Windhoek.
The next day, we met Uapii, a Polytechnic student and an assistant of Drs. Schacht and Powell. Uapii is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He even surprised Dr. Powell with a cake since it was Dr. Powell’s birthday. Uapii might have been concerned about making sure we had a good time, but I don’t know why; the whole day was really cool. He gave us a tour of the Namibian community of Katatura. Katatura’s history is paved with oppression and violence; in its early years, the community was the site of a massacre, and a human rights holiday exists today because of that carnage. Major acts of violence are not seen there today, and it was very interesting to see the shantytowns and observe people in their day-to-day routines, but it was also sobering; I felt somewhat guilty about being a rich white tourist driving amongst extreme poverty, and I could leave Katatura whenever I wanted; the people that live there have no choice. However, the children of the community lightened the mood; they were very cute and came to meet us when we stepped out of the vehicle. They loved having us take pictures with them and then showing them the pictures on the digital screens. One girl, Desiree, told me to come back the next day with the photos; I felt really bad because I knew that actual photographs would be trophies for those kids, but I would not be returning. I let them have one more look at the pictures I had taken, and that was the best I could think to do. Without a doubt, the visit to Katatura was the most intense and fascinating part of our stay in Windhoek.
I know that this adventure will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Courtney
what is a kudu?
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