2nd week!

I am still in such awe of how much I have done in the past 10 days. I am still in the 'honeymoon stage' as they called it at IES meaning you are so happy and in love with everything and although I know there will be many bumps along the way, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be living in Argentina and having these experiences! It seems like I still have so much time (which I do) but it seems so recently since all of the Europe girls got there and began classes and they about half way done!! Anyways so this is what I have been upto this week...

Monday was by far one of the most exciting days of my life. Well during the day at IES we rode the subway out to plaza italia (where I had been less than 12 hrs before) and explored around there and then I ate lunch at a little parrilla. This are cheap restaurants with basic Argentine food. I am officially in love with empanadas and I know I will miss them when I get back to the US. The highlight of the day was the Wofford game. I was unsure of whether I would even be able to get coverage on the internet but then the Wofford people realized that El Alamo, an american sports bar, had ESPN2 and was going to show the Wofford game! Even though I hadn't planned on going out there was no possible way that I would miss the game! It was one of the most memorable nights of my life. It was all of the Wofford people glued to the tv, drinking Quilmes beer, and enjoying the fact that we were able to cheer on our team and watch them WIN all the way in Argentina. There is no other word to describe us than happy. We were in a beautiful city in South America and were able to make a whole bar full of Argentine people become enthralled in American college basketball. By the end of the game everyone was into it and we all were standing up cheering hoping that the terriers could hold out until the end! It was the best feeling to be able to be around friends from home, enjoy an exciting game, and be in South America all at the same time! I bet that even at the end of the semester this will still be a highlight of my trip.

Tuesday morning was a bummer. We had to take a placement test to see which Spanish level we are going to be in. It was pretty hard and took almost 3 hours. I probably placed into the lowest level but at least I won't be the worst in my class! After lunch I went to visit IUNA which is where I am going to take tango class. It was very interesting and seemed more of a dance studio than a university. It is definitely going to be an adventure to say the least! I rode the subte home and got out alone at my stop and although I should have been only a few blocks away from home I got completely turned around and had no idea where I was relative to my apartment. Then as I was already getting upset my sandal broke and I couldn't walk! I ended up having to get a cab to take me home. This was the first real time I realized that I am alone in a HUGE city and am not always able to adequately say what I need or want to. I was scared and crying but I learned a lesson that it'll be ok, just call a cab and make sure you have cash! You aren't supposed to tip cab drivers here but I tipped that guy! Then on Tuesday night we went out for Amanda's birthday who turned 21 on Wednesday. I can't believe it'd been just a week since mine!

Wednesday IES only had for us planned to go to the Museo del Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. It seemed like MOMA in the United States. Some of the art in there was very interesting and unique and I was able to see a painting by Frieda Khalo and Fernando Botero, both famous South American painters. After we got back from the museum Megan, Daniella, Meagan and I headed to lunch and then to the zoo! But before we met to go to the zoo I dropped off my laundry for the first time!! I figured that I should get it done before my first week of classes. I didn't know much of the vocabulary to talk to the lady working at the lavanderia but I managed to drop it off and learn that it would be ready the following day. The zoo was beautiful! Lots of trees and open land and lots of cool animals! There were these small animals that looked like a mix of a rabbit and a dog and something else and it turns out that they are called Patagonian hares so it all made sense! I got to see elephants and giraffes again but it was nothing compared to Africa! Still a fun way to spend an afternoon in beautiful weather!

Thursday morning we went to La Bombonera which is the Boca soccer team's stadium. Soccer (or football as they call it) is a HUGE deal here. All the kids play soccer or rugby and the biggest rivalry in town is Boca vs. River. Boca's colors are yellow and blue so everything near the stadium was those colors. I've never really been into soccer, but after visiting the stadium I am now a Boca fan! Even my host mom Sandy loves soccer and Boca and she is not the type of lady that you would think would love sports!! Yesterday morning while we were visiting the stadium we made a decision that we definitely wanted to go to Mar Del Plata this weekend. Lots of other IES students were going and it is starting to be the end of summer so we don't know how many more warm weekends we'll have. It took some work to get bus tickets and hostel reservations since we were so last minute, but there are 4 boys and 7 girls staying in a hostel so it will be an adventure!! Last night IES had a dinner for all of us at La Bisteca in Puerto Madero (the most upscale part of town) as an ending to orientation since we start classes Monday! Great food, good wine, good conversation, and lots of excitement about the weekend!

Today I had to be at IES at 10:30 to register for classes. I am going to take Spanish 300 M/W 11-1, Argentine poetry M/W 2:30-4, Service Learning M 6-8, tango T 6-10, and either History of Argentine Environment Th 1-4 OR Cultural Icons T 1-4. I will explain more about each one as I learn more!! The whole register for classes thing is pretty relaxed around here so I am glad to have that done!! In 30 minutes I am going to hop in a cab and head to Retiro bus station to get on my 4:25 bus to Mar del Plata. It is a 5 hour bus ride so we will all be anxious to get there and get our stuff in our hostel and head out on the town!! Keep your fingers crossed for beautiful weather and a great time!!

Hasta domingo! (until sunday...)

crazy first week!!

I cannot believe that I have already been here a week!!! I have seen so many things and am beginning to get a feel for this huge city! I have been meaning to update my blog more frequently, but IES keeps us so busy and most of the time I would rather do anything else but sit in my tiny room along. Before I arrived in BsAs I never knew how big this place is, but it seems even bigger than New York City! I will never know where everything is, but I can say that I have walked SO many miles, ridden the bus, taken multiple taxis, and even adventured in the subway! I am living in a totally different world than I am used to but I am learning so much and despite my tough first day I am loving this city and everything involved!

Since it has been almost a week since I have updated my blog so much has happened. One of the most exciting things was celebrating my birthday! I turned 21 on March 3rd, last Wednesday. Although it is not as big of a deal here because you only have to be 21 to drink and go to clubs/bars, it was still a great way to bring everyone together and have a great time! On the night of the 2nd all of the Wofford students went out together to a bar called El Alamo. It is an American sports bar, but we were surrounded by all Argentine people! Although I haven't mingled too much with native spanish speakers who are close to my age, it was lots of fun and I hope I will have many more experiences like this! At midnight I was officially able to say that I was 21!! Then the next day at IES they surprised me with a cake with candles and they (students and teachers) surrounded me to sing happy birthday. Supposedly they do this for everyone, but since I was the first one to have my birthday it was extra special. It was a great way to make me feel more at home even though I am so far away from Charlotte! Because we finished up classes early we headed to a wonderful lunch! There are so many cute places to eat around here! I can never remember their names but the food is always great! I spent the afternoon with Daniella and Megan and we went down to the water- rio de la plata. It has the dirtiest water and definitely no beach! It was pleasant walking around and a great way to spend my birthday! That night we headed to Plaza Serrano in Palermo and really got a feel for the Argentine nightlife!! It was not just Wofford people out to celebrate but lots of other girls and guys! It's great to meet people from other schools and I feel like I know some of them so well after only a week!

Thursday was a busy day at IES with classes regarding visas and adjusting to the culture. Then in the afternoon we went on a tour of Recoleta and rode the bus for the first time!! I decided that I much prefer walking to riding the bus. It is hot and jerky and walking is so much more pleasant. We went to the National Library, a couple parks, and finally to the cemetery which is very interesting with structures build almost like tiny 1 room houses that store the tombs of many wealthy Argentine people. We got separated from our group leader and had to wonder back alone, but it is all part of the adventure! Then I headed back home and went to sleep early.


Friday was definitely one of my favorites day so far. We spent the day at an Estancia which was similar to a park kind of. It had a pool, horseback riding, biking, soccer and lots of beautiful open land. However, it started off with empanadas and mate (a traditional Argentine drink similar to strong green tea) out on the lawn and then we moved inside for meat, meat, and more meat. We had salad and then a man came around with meat on this huge skewer and would cut it off straight on to your plate. I could only handle about the first to times around but the flavor was so rich and it was delicious! Then we had dessert which was amazing. It was ice cream inside of a chocolate shell. Of course my favorite!! A group of us then headed to ride the horses. These are like horses I have never ridden before. I was wearing shorts and flip- flops and the gaucho (cowboy) helped us get up and that was it! We were on our own! I was only on the horse for a couple of minutes though because there were so many mosquitos! I didn't realize there would be so many here, but my legs are covered in bites! Then we walked through this barn with lots of animals including armadillos! Always something new and different to see here! We rode bikes over to the pool and settled down for a beautiful afternoon in the sun! I cannot believe that I am actually able to sunbathe and swim in a pool while it is still winter in both the US and Europe. I honestly think the weather plays a role in how happy I am. I actually enjoy being outside even though half of the time I am sweating! It is just so beautiful!! After an hour and a half ride back to the city I grabbed a quick dinner with Tess and Jackie and headed to home to get ready for the night! We again went to Plaza Serrano but this time everything was so packed. We didn't get there until after 11 and people were just starting dinner! Their night life is so different. Clubs do not close until breakfast time!! We adventured in the square and then headed down the road to my first Argentine club called Kika! This place is like no where I have ever been before. It is so crazy; squished in between a thousand people with Argentine men trying to dance with you! It made me wish I was a boy in some ways! I left around 4:30 and it was still PACKED. I can't believe how late they stay out!! Friday was like a day in heaven. It is a day that was basically perfect (minus the creepy men) and Argentina really is a beautiful country!!

On Saturday we loaded up on buses for a city tour. I was unsure about what this would entail because we had already been a lot of places by foot. We began at Plaza de Mayo which is the historic center of town which was interesting but then we saw two neighborhoods that I had never been. We went to explore a neighborhood called La Boca. Although it is a working class neighborhood there are cobblestone streets lined with colorful buildings, tango dancers, and little stands of venders. It is so full of life and I can't wait to explore some more! We also went on to Puerto Madero which is the most upscale neighborhood right on the water. Although it is small, it is has a beautiful view of down town and many cute restaurants. We again drove through Recoletta and got off the bus to the cemetery. Daniella, Megan, and I walked around the area near the cemetery which has lots of trees and because it was a weekend there were little shops set up in a huge circle lining the sidewalk. There were some drum circles going on and people just lounging in the grass on hot Saturday afternoon. It will be a great place to relax in the future. For dinner on Saturday, Jim Allen and I ate at a cute Italian restaurant on Santa Fe which is huge road that we both live off of. After two hours we decided not to go on a Pub Crawl in San Telmo neighborhood with all the other IES people and instead went to meet up with a friend named Holly who goes to Washington and Lee and is studying in BsAs with another program! We met up at Milion which is a restaurant and bar. It is very upscale and I almost felt too casual in white jeans! It seemed to be an old house with lots of floors and after a few drinks we headed home since we were so tired from the night before!


Sunday was an adventure for me. I started off by meeting Megan and Daniella around 1030 to catch a cab over to the bike store because we were going on a bike tour around Buenos Aires. Despite the cab driver informing us we were only a block away from the store when he let us out, we proceeded to get lost and even had to ask a police woman for directions. I have never been on a bike tour of a city before and we were not just biking on sidewalks. We were in between cars and people all in a line of bright orange bikes! We were able to see some of the places that we had been before like Puerto Madero and Recoletta from a different perspective! It was hot and we were all starving by the time we got off the bikes so Daniella, Megan, Jackie, and I all grabbed some lunch around 2 and then headed back to our side of town. Although the others went to chill out and nap, I met up with Jim Allen to look around a mall and explore because that is always better for me than sitting in my room. After walking through a HUGE mall in Recoleta and Jim Allen buying some soccer shorts we decided to explore on the subway which is called the Subte. I have ridden many subways in my life but that was my first time in Argentina! We were in no rush for time so we decided to ride one of the lines all the way to the end. We walked outside of the subway station and pretty much turned right around. We ended up in a sketchy/poor/residential area with nothing special (and more likely dangerous) to see. It only cost 1.10 pesos to ride the subte so that is about 30 cents. We finally ended up in Plaza Italia where we ate some more Italian food. I knew that Buenos Aires was a very European city but I was not aware of how influential Italy has been. Restaurants everywhere serve Italian food but there has not been much Spanish food like I would have expected.

first days in buenos aires!

So now I have traveled pretty much all the way across the world to experience another summer! It is so hot and beautiful here... barely a cloud in the sky during the day! It is so nice to be wearing summer dresses while I know everyone back home is walking through snow! I had a little bit of a rough start for the first couple hours after I got here. It was more of a shock than I was expecting to move into someone else's home for 4 months. I knew it was going to be different than the US and my house, but I did not realize how different it was going to be until I walked into my TINY room. My bed takes up about half of the room and I had to leave about a third of what I brought in my suitcases that were taken to be stored in my host mom's mother's apartment upstairs. Needless to say, I am now more appreciative of the space that I have at home and even in my dorm room at school!! My host family is nice but obviously very different from life with mom, dad, dorothy, and sallie! My host mom's name is Sandy and she is probably mid-50s and then there is a daughter named Martina who is 22 and a son who is 18 named Felipe. They keep to themselves and I keep to myself but it works. We always eat dinner together and between their english and my spanish we manage to communicate! I know I need to start speaking more spanish so I am going to try and start pushing myself more. We all share one bathroom which is a struggle, but one plus is that they have a cat named ramon! He is nothing compared to Sunshine and Shadow but I'm glad to have him around! So in general I am starting to get settled in and I will post a picture of my room when it is looking a little neater... it is just hard to organize a room that is this small!

Yesterday was our first day at IES. We just had some get to know you time with all of us being put in a room and expected to socialize. I am in the advanced program due to how many semesters of spanish I have taken and I would guess there are 80 people in this program. There is also a beginner/intermediate program but due to orientation schedules I haven't actually met any of them yet. I wasn't sure before we arrived how it would be with 9 Wofford students, but I know for a fact that I would be having a much harder time if there were not some familiar faces nearby. In time I am sure I will get to know everyone else better but I am really benefiting initially from already having some friends!! Pretty much everyone except for the nine of us go to school and are generally from up north. We would definitely be considered the southerners around here! There are bunches of students from George Washington University and Penn State but it is interesting that because those schools are much bigger than Wofford they do not even know each other! We then went on a tour around the area near IES which is right on the biggest road I have ever seen! It is pretty much 4 roads all together and I have to cross it everyday to get to school! Today we had some more orientation presentations and ice breaker games so things are coming along!

I am off to go celebrate my birthday a little early! I can't believe I will be 21 in just 2 hours (at least on Argentina time)

I will post more after I have more adventures and I will try and take some cool pictures!

Etosha: January 30-31

The whole trip we had been hearing about Etosha and the immense number of animals that live there, but it wasn’t until we arrived and began our game drives that I realized how true this really is. Until we got to Etosha we would see zebras far in the distance and would stop the bus, all pile on top of each other at the windows to try and use the big zoom on our cameras, and get so excited because we spotted this beautiful animal in the wild. Once we got to Etosha however, we wouldn’t have considered stopping for zebras that far away because we knew right around the next bend in the road they might be 15 feet off the road. I stayed in constant awe of the fact that we were seeing these animals in their natural habitat. They were untouched by humans and were completely living off of the land. Even if you drive all of the possible roads in Etosha you still only cover 7% of the total land. This means that the number of animals we saw is just a small portion of what actually exists.

I never understood the importance of a water hole until this trip. I always knew animals needed to get water and that some like the rhino needed to be even closer to it, but I didn’t realize how scarce it is. Water holes are like a restaurant in the center of a town where you go to see all of your friends (and enemies). Three water holes were a big hit for us. The first had about 12 elephants, 5 of which were babies, a bunch of zebra and some giraffe. It is amazing how these animals live in harmony, but if we had introduced a lion into the scene everything would have changed. Next we saw a bunch of giraffes down by the water and it is so funny to see them drink. They look like they’re about to topple over because they have to spread their legs out so much to reach their long necks down. Again there were zebra and some springboks too!

The last water hole where we saw a lot of activity was a 2 minute walk from where our tents were set up. Because it was so close we were able to see the action going on there after the sun went down and before the sun came up. Our first night in Etosha we saw our first and only lions. We could hear them for probably two hours before they actually showed up at the water hole. Of course while they were there no other animals were around. Three male lions had come to drink. In the same night we saw zebras and rhinos at the water hole. The following night we saw a whole bunch of giraffes.

During our game drives and at the water holes we were lucky enough to see: the blue wildebeest, springbok, oryx, elephant, giraffe, kudu, kori bustard, ostrich, zebra, African stork, black-faced impala, rhino, warthog, lion, steenbok, flamingo, guinea fowl, flapped neck chameleon, secretary bird, boomslang or black mamba, lappet faced vulture and many more animals!

Ongongo Falls: January 27-29

On our drive from Spitzkoppe to Ongongo Falls we really began to see animals. We had seen some zebras and some giraffes in the previous days, but we got to see one of the Big 5 on this drive, an elephant named Sebastian. We began seeing the animals up closer and I never thought that I would think “oh that’s another giraffe, keep driving.” Little did we know that once we got to Etosha animals would be everywhere and very close to our bus. We spent three nights at Ongongo Falls and we delved into the cultures surrounding us, but to me visiting the elementary school and meeting the Himba women impressed me the most.

I hope to be a teacher when I grow up so I have a great interest and sensitivity to education in other parts of the world. Warmquelle Primary School is very different in comparison with the elementary school that I attended. Perhaps the most unique difference is that there are students who live there at the school. I know plenty of people who have gone to boarding school as high schoolers, but that is completely different from students leaving their parents to live at a school as young as age 7. They really do not have any other options though because they live too far away to make a daily commute. About 360 of the 420 students are boarders and they live in hostels with women who live on site to take care of them. They must learn to be more disciplined and independent at a much younger age than children in the United States. Some go home on the weekends, traveling by donkey cart, but many children stay there all the time because their families live too far away. Another difference is that every child in my school had a desk and chairs, but the headmaster there said that they are lacking about 70 desks and chairs. It would make the learning environment so much more difficult in these conditions. Also, these children eat mealie pap very frequently, which is a white mush similar to grits. When I ate lunch or snacks at school we had much more of a variety than grits every single day. The children eat with their hands and do not always have a drink. They don’t bring a packed lunch from home with cookies from their mom. It is just a completely different environment at this school. Despite all of the differences, it is so obvious that it is a thriving learning environment. I was very impressed by the headmaster. He was well dressed, spoke good English, and was very passionate about the learning experiences and well being of his students.

Because we had about half of the money left over from the Charity Challenge we decided that the school would be the best place to give the rest of the money to. As in the case with the Nama family we were concerned with how the money was going to be used and whether the students would actually benefit from it. The headmaster told us that they are always in need of pens and paper and so we tried our best to get that for them. We went to the only nearby little store and bought some BIC pens. It cost $55 US to buy 150 pens. This is unbelievable and there is no doubt as to why they don’t have enough pens. They are so expensive relative to everything else in their stores. Bread can be baked easily so it is much cheaper where as the pens have to be imported and thus are much more expensive. So we gave them those pens and gave the rest of the money to the headmaster in cash and hopefully he will put that money to good use. Again, this just makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to have new pens and paper whenever I need them.

We also visited the Himba and the Herero people of this area. The Himba people live together in homesteads and live lives very similar to those of their ancestors. They wear very little clothing and cover themselves in a mixture of animal fats, herbs, and mud. They twist their hair and cover it with this mud mixture making it very heavy. They used to attach hair from the goat tail to the bottom of their twists, but now use artificial hair. The women wear goat ears on their head to signify that they are married which I thought was a very unique tradition. We got into an interesting conversation with these women about age. They were all between the ages of 21 and 35 and each had many young children. I think that they were surprised to find out that we were all around 20 as well and weren’t married and didn’t have any children. It is hard for me to understand why these people choose to live the way they do. I ask myself, why don’t they want to be westernized and have modern clothes and technology? I could not imagine living without full coverage clothes and shoes and having electricity and running water. I haven’t quite figured it out, but this is the way their families have lived for so long and they are content with continuing on the tradition. One thing that was obvious is how much these women love their children. There were probably eight or more little boys running around and they were all so helpful to their mothers and the mothers seemed so happy to be surrounded by the little ones. I could not picture a culture that was more different than the culture I live in. A culture like this would not be able to survive in the United States. At the very least they would be arrested for indecent exposure!

We also visited the Herero people which are closely linked to the Himba. Instead of goat ears on their heads, these women wore traditional Victorian long dresses. In the mid-1800s when the Europeans came to colonize Africa, the Herero women started to change their dress to reflect these people. They also adopted a headdress that is supposed to resemble the horns of a cow. These two cultures are very unique and are most prevalent in Namibia.

Between the school, the Himba women, and the Herero women, our nights spent at Ongongo Falls revealed many aspects of the daily lives of rural Namibians. We left Ongongo Falls to head for Etosha, the final highlight of the trip with all of the animals!

Spitzkoppe: January 26

After spending two nights in the bush at the Kuisab River and meeting the Topnar people we headed to Spitzkoppe. Yet again Spitzkoppe was a new landscape and absolutely beautiful. It was very open and climbing the rocks there gave a great view of the open landscape in surrounding areas. It was also my first night sleeping outside!!

Because the rock mountains of Spitzkoppe are erected in the middle of a very flat and dry plain they can be seen from miles and miles away. So as we were driving to our campsite Burger pointed them out. Little did I know that we would be camping right at the base of the rocks. Although Spitzkoppe is not the highest mountain in Namibia it is the most famous. It is over 700 million years old and is known for its views of the sunrises and sunsets. Over our three weeks in Africa we saw beautiful sunsets and millions of stars every night, but the night we spent at Spitzkoppe is one of the most memorable.

Once we arrived at the camp and got situated we all climbed up a rock to have a better view of our surroundings. All of the boys and a couple girls put their sleeping bags up there and didn’t even set up a tent, but sleeping up there on a rock that large seemed a little too risky for me. Amy and I settled for a smaller rock that seemed perfect for us to sleep under the stars. We even named it “pride rock” just like in the Lion King. Sleeping and climbing on these rocks was so different than the past few nights and it was a welcomed change. The weather was even a little bit cooler!

The sunset was amazing to say the least. One thing I noticed in general about African sunsets and sunrises is the amount of colors in the sky. Maybe there are some places in the United States where every evening the sky is lit up with bright pinks and oranges and blues, but no where that I have ever been. The way the sun disappeared behind the rocks allowed for a shadow to be created between the rocks. After the sun went down all of the stars started to appear. The lack of light from humans allows the stars to be much more obvious and they created a depth in the sky that proves there is not just one layer of stars as it often appears in the United States. As Amy and I were lying on our rock to fall asleep I just kept looking up and was in awe of the magnitude of stars.

Sleeping outside at Spitzkoppe was a unique experience that I wish I could have experienced more. Most of the other campsites, in my opinion, were too close to wild animals (like jackals) or had too many bugs and my tent just seemed more comfortable, although some people felt differently. It was invigorating to breathe in the fresh air and not worry about any pollution. It was not too hot and a pleasant nights sleep! The next day we were off to Ongongo Falls for three nights.

Sesriem: January 22-23

We arrived at Sesriem campsite and were surrounded by a much different landscape than the past three nights that we had spent beside rivers. We were not near any natural running water and there were many less green trees. Another big difference is how nice this campsite was. I can assure you I have never been happier to see flushing toilets and big showers. It was a much-needed break after bush camping for 3 nights.

My first day started off very early when I woke up at 4:00 am. We had to get up well before sunrise in order to allow us time to drive to and hike up ‘Dune 47’ in time to see the sun come up over the huge red sand dunes. Once we arrived the dune looked even bigger than I imagined. It looks like a big hill made purely of sand; no rocks, no trees, and no footsteps. It seemed so untouched, just like snow before someone walks in it. But soon there were lots of footsteps on a specific ridge of the dune as all of us wanted to make it as high as possible. Some scurried up all the way to the top while others of us struggled a little more and settled about half way up which was plenty high for me. We all sat on the ridge with the wind blowing and I never thought I’d be so glad that I had on a long sleeved shirt in the desert!

On my last Interim trip to Egypt we climbed Mt. Sinai very early in the morning in order to see the sunrise as well. It was interesting to compare these two sunrises that I climbed to see just a year a part. Both times I was partially on my hands and knees and both times I was seeing the sunrise in a completely different way than before. Mt. Sinai was very rocky and Dune 47 was just the opposite with no rocks. I doubt that wind had a very big impact on the creation and movement of Mt. Sinai while the wind has a daily impact on the sand dunes of Sesriem.

After climbing down from our spot where we sat to see the sunrise we had some breakfast and then headed into Sossusvlei. We all hopped into 4WD trucks to drive through the sand because I doubt the bus would have made it. We walked around and up and over the dunes and Burger helped us explore and learn about some of the animals and plants that are actually capable of living and thriving in this harsh environment. We saw the shovel-nosed lizard who can dig under the sand in order to protect himself from the extreme heat. Burger warned us about the blister beetle who excretes a highly poisonous substance that burns the skin. We also learned about the oryx who can go his life without drinking. Burger also pointed out a spot in the sand that was dried oryx urine and the fact that it was still there proves the lack of water and excess of waste in their urine. We also saw the nara plant which is very common in the dunes landscape. It is a very thorny plant without leaves and it produces a fruit that has enabled the existence of many species of animals throughout the years.

Although I never would have thought of how rich this landscape is with plants and animals, I learned that life really is abundant in the extremely harsh environments. The dunes go on for miles and miles and you feel that the sand is endlessly surrounding you. Sossusvlei is a memorable place that is different from anywhere I have ever been or seen.

Fish River: January 20-21

We left the Orange River to head for the Fish River. Our experiences at this campsite with the Nama family and at the Nama school are unforgettable and definitely highlights of the trip. At the Fish River we were again without running water and had to bathe in the river, but it was all part of the adventure! Also, this campsite was probably the hottest of the entire trip- 110+ during the day in the sun!! We were all so happy to have the river to swim in and it’s hard to believe that that river is not even there sometimes due to the lack of rainfall.

On our full day at the camp some people chose to hike a volcano in the early morning, but 9 of us chose to stay back and have a lazy morning. The previous day on my way down to bathe in the Orange River I lost my footing and cut my big toe pretty badly and had a very bruised toenail so I thought it was best for me to not go on an intense hike. But it was a great morning because we slept in some and had a nice swim in the river without many people around. Later that afternoon, around 4 when it was finally starting to cool down a little bit, after all of the others got back, we set out to visit the Nama family.

We first met Jackson, a 17 year old boy who spoke good English because he had studied it in school. Jackson failed grade 10 last year and by law, he was not allowed to attend school anymore unless he started to pay and clearly this Nama family and many others do not have the extra money to pay for continued schooling. Then we met a woman, man, and 2 younger children. The woman, India, was relatively young and wore a pretty pink dress, but had very old and worn out shoes. She had the beautiful almond shaped eyes and high cheekbones that are characteristics of the Nama people. She was not actually Jackson’s mother but because Jackson’s mother had passed away, India was serving in her place. The man was named Old Frans and he was much older than India; we learned that he had to be older than 65. The two other children were Elena, 10 months, and Nelson, 2 years. They were so cute and it was obvious that even though they were not biologically Jackson’s siblings he loved them so much. There are also two more children in this family who are Jackson’s biological siblings. They are 15 and 16 and are still in school. They board at their school and live in a hostel during the week and each Friday, Jackson takes the donkey cart to the school to pick them up for the weekend. He said that he misses them during the week and is always excited for the weekends. We visited them on a Thursday so he was going to pick them up the following day!

What is unfathomable to me is that this family lives off of $400 Namibian per month, which is about $57 US. I cannot believe that they are living off of basically nothing and have a family of 7 to support. If Old Frans was not older than 65 and did not receive money from the government, they would have a monthly income of nothing. They told us that they used to have 30 goats and in Namibia goats are essentially the same thing as a bank account in the United States and each goat can be worth between $400-$600 Namibian, but that all of their goats had been stolen. I was expecting them to say that their goats had been stolen just a few months ago, but it has been 5 years since they were taken meaning they have basically been living on nothing since well before either of the young children were born. Our group had such an immediate connection with this family realizing how raw their suffering is and that they were not lying to us or trying to make their lives sound worse than they are. Although the Nama family was struggling however, they did not seem too sad or depressed. I guess they just tried to pick up the pieces and move on to live with what they had which seemed to be a loving family. Burger invited the family to come eat dinner with us that night which was a treat for us and them! We had a typical meal for us of chicken, pasta, and squash, but to them it was a feast and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me realize that I need to be more grateful for the things I take for granted, like a hot meal, because there are so many people in the world who do not have that.

Not only did we have dinner with the family, but we also gave them a gift. Thanks to the Charity Challenge and the money given by Wofford faculty we were able to help this family out in the best way we saw possible. We realized that if they had new goats then that would be a start to a brighter future. Although we wanted to give them actual goats so that we knew what the money was spent on, it was impossible for us to have goats in our possession before it was time to leave so we ended up giving the family about $200 US which would be enough for about 3 goats. They were all so happy with this gift but Jackson was the most excited because he will be the one to take primary care of the goats to raise them and to breed them to hopefully build a big herd again.

The next day we took some of our leftovers to the Nama family and Old Frans who had not shown too much emotion the day before had a smile all the way across his face. It was obvious that he had woken up and realized that they truly were going to be able to have a better life. Then we drove to a Nama school in a nearby town. It was recess so there were kids everywhere in their blue school uniforms. They were so excited that we were there to take their pictures. They loved posing for us and then looking at the picture on our digital cameras. This was our first of two school visits. Then we set out driving again to the sand dunes!