Namibia: Where the ocean meets the desert.

We hit a couple whales today. Not really, but it felt like it. The waters are bound to get rough as we head south.

Disclaimer: I will try my best to paint a vivid and accurate picture of life in Namibia, but the truth is, you should go ahead and book your flight. So, pull out the map, highlight the west coast of Africa, and give this hidden treasure some lovin’.

History? Check. Scenery? Check. Seafood? The best. Extreme sports? Absolutely! Affordable? Definitely.

I spent my second night in Africa under the stars…literally. I joined a group of about seventy SAS students on a camping trip in the Namib-Naukluft Park, one of the oldest and largest deserts in the world. Picture this: Tarzan and Jane’s campsite placed in front of the Lion King backdrop. We climbed the canyon’s walls and dug our toes into the pixie dust sand. After a gourmet dinner, we lounged around the campfire and waited for the evening skies to fully submit to the star studded darkness. Mosquito free. Pleasantly cool. No obligations. This was Africa.
A chorus of gentle humming grew louder as a shuffling train of 45 black Africans made their way through the luminary-lit campsite. Dressed in an array of traditional celebration clothing, the choir sang beautiful hymns of God’s beauty and generosity and African folk tales. The beat of the drum was faint. The rhythm of their steps in the sand was music in itself. They each made a different beat-box sound. Clicks, bird whistles, and deep water drop sounds put a smile on everyone’s face. The live Marimba music was entrancing. In English or Afrikaans…the message was the same. God is good.
Star gazing in the southern hemisphere was a little different then star hunting in the states. About 20 of us, the most adventuresome, drug our iron frame beds out of the tents and into the darkness. Lined up as if we were patients in a WWII hospital, we laid in awe. Shooting stars looked like dancing lasers. The Southern Cross took the place of the Big Dipper. Jupiter sparkled like a disco ball. It all looked so fake…like glitter on black construction paper. We stayed awake until the moon finally rose up from behind the cliffs. I so badly wish cameras could capture what exactly my eyes saw.
Swakopmund. Go there! It is a quirky little town that still looks like the German colony it once was…Namibia + Germany = good food, lots of shopping, and extreme sports. Sandboarding is my new love. I wish it were an Olympic sport. I would dominate! The dunes look like golden mountains of snow. No fear, I was first of the group to jump on the masonite board and slide down the 120m mountain at 80km/h! SO MUCH FUN! The jaw-dropping backdrop of golden dunes meeting the blue ocean, made the steep hiking worth it. I think I will move to Swakopmund and be a sandboarding instructor…forget the snow, this is tons better! I’ve got pictures and a DVD of this adventure, so plan for a viewing party in December. Dad, I think sand dunes would be a great addition to the new house. We’ve got the natural slope, and think about, you wouldn’t have to mow! Sand would be a great Christmas present…
Swakop made the perfect movie set…literally. The movie, The Prisoner, was being filmed in the open market. The 1950s set was amazing. The cast wore whites and tans. There were old Mercedes convertibles and buses. We sat on park benches and watched the filming. Who would have thought that in Namibia, a country of only 2 million people, I could stand on the edge of a movie set? I was barely 10 ft away from the actor who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.
Let’s talk food. Besides having the best seafood of my life, I also ate banana, garlic pizza, springbok, and I even tried Mopani worms and Oshifima porridge!
I spent my last day in Namibia in the township Kuisebmond, the “projects”. I visited a kindergarten, multi-purpose center, and community health center. Even though these people were still fighting poverty, Aids/ HIV, and aspects of the apartheid, they were hopeful and remained family centered.
Tomorrow we arrive in Cape Town. All of my classes have been focusing on the causes and effects of the apartheid. We’ve listened to Nelson Mandela’s and Desmond Tutu’s speeches. The readings have been powerful, and the lectures are passion filled.
Also, Mbeki, the prime minister of South Africa, resigned on Sunday. So I cannot wait to pick up a local paper in the morning. No worries, it is still a safe and stable country…it’s just making history.

Did you know:

Namibia is only 18 years old.
English is the official language of Namibia.
South Africa will be the home of the 2010 World Cup

Tot Siens! ( Goodbye in Afrikaans.)

Life on the Other Side of the Equator

“The world is a book and those who do not travel real only a page.”-St. Augustine

Oh man, where do I start?!

Reader’s digest version…no hurricanes, no pirates, and no seasickness! The first leg of the journey went swimmingly well. The MV Explorer arrived in Salvador, Brazil right on schedule, and now, we are on our way Namibia.

We were all stir-crazy by the time we finally got to Salvador. Nine days on a boat seemed like eternity, especially, since we were still in orientation mode. On September 5^th, we crossed the equator. The whole ship was exempt from classes in honor of Neptune Day. Neptune Day is celebrated by sailors when their vessel crosses the equator for the first time. The crew woke us with a percussion parade. Our professors greeted us on the pool deck dressed in mythological costumes. The festivities began with the captain shaving heads! As tempting as it was to escape the restraints of tangled hair, I opted for the second option…a shower of fish guts followed by a big wet kiss from a dead fish. (The shaved heads made it easy to spot SAS students on the streets of Salvador!) I am no longer a land-lover, but now a shellback.

As for my classes…all is well. I like my professors. They are all very unique and incredibly knowledgeable in their specific fields. There are only 8 people in my Local Religious and Food Systems class. The reading is heavy, but the discussions are great. I’m experiencing the best of both worlds. In my Relgion, Politics, and Society; Global Studies class, there are 380 student! My Music and Dance in World’s Religions class is focused on personal and spiritual growth. My religion professors from SMU have definitely prepared me well. So far, I have been able to hold my own in these comparative religion classes. My favorite class, hands down, in Global Textiles. (Go figure!) The textbook is beautiful and the assignments are all hands on. I have become quite the knitter!

Yes, the boat does rock, but not enough to faze me. Actually, I think the subtle sway just makes me sleepy. And yes, I study in my swimsuit and bask in the sun for countless hours while the cabana boy brings me Shirley Temples. Ha! This is school, not a leisure cruise, give me a break!

I’ve been adopted by the IT guru and his hippie wife. They both have long grey ponytails and wrinkles that tell of their worldly adventures. I also have two sisters and a brother. We eat dinner together about once a week. Oh! Oh! Oh! I almost forgot the highlight of my shipboard life. I have earned a position on the Voyage Book team. (aka-yearbook) I am the in-port photo editor. WOO HOO! I can only imagine how this opportunity will benefit my potential future in photojournalism.

Enough of the logistics…let’s get to the good stories- my first port!

Mouthwatering seafood, rich culture, colorful colonial architecture, and artistic dancing all mask the underlying corruption of Brazil. While Tori went to Rio, and my other friends went to the Amazon, I stayed in Salvador, the heart of the Afro-Brazilian district of Bahia. The cobblestone streets were flooded with vendors selling handmade jewelry, hammocks, paintings, etc. Traditionally dressed Candomblé women would tie prayer ribbons on our wrists. It was hard to pass the circles of locals playing capoeira. Capoeira is a dance that resembles fighting, require incredible strength, and features endless acrobatic tricks. These barefoot performers were so effortlessly graceful. Kids, teens, men and women will train in capoeira for years. I had an opportunity to go to a professional capoeira performance one evening-breathtaking. I consider it an “organic” Circ du’ Sole.

At night, percussion troupes would parade the streets, and we would follow along repeating the dances led by the locals. Afro-Brazilian dancing is not scandalous like American hip-hop and it isn’t as physically intimate as Latino dancing. It’s a mix of ballet, modern dance, and line dancing. Imagine the cast of Cool Runnings doing the choreography of West Side Story! I loved it! I could write about the dancing and the locals I made friends with for hours…but if I tell you everything now, no one will want to listen to me when I get back. HA! So, be sure to ask me about my nights of Brazilian dancing. The pictures are great too.

I spent one day in Cachoeira, a smaller colonial town set in the heart of the oldest farmlands in Brazil. It was the center of the sugar and tobacco booms that were the sources of the early wealth on the colony. My class visited an experimental cacao farm and toured the MST commune. This farming community originated as squatters and now is a part of the national popular movement for agrarian reform- “The Movement for Landless Peasants.”

Did you know??...

The best public universities in Brazil are free? Cool, huh? There’s a catch. Acceptance to the university is ridiculously competitive, and the good prepatory schools are incredibly expensive. Also, voting is mandatory for all citizens 18 and up and optional for 16 and 17 year olds. If you think our election process is flashy, deceiving, frustrating, or vague, you should check out the Brazilian way…

The people I encountered will forever hold a special place in my heart. I envy their passion, simplicity, and carefree pace of daily life.

Next stop, Africa-ca-caaaaa! I cannot wait! It is hard to refocus now that I’m back on the ship. It’s like having Spring Break every other week. I’ve made friends from all over-LA, Columbia, Venezuela, New York, and even Alaska.

My time on the internet is limited; however, I do have a free shipboard email account. Please keep my in your thoughts and prayers. I hope to do a better job blogging. mjmccall@semesteratsea.net

Ciao!

“Watch, stand fast in faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14.