N is for Namibia

Twenty four hours ago I had never heard of Namibia. I mean there was this one time in my African Civ. class where I took a map test and correctly placed its geographic location, but I don’t really think that counts. But it was in African and I knew I would be moving there and that was all my mind was prepared to comprehend.

African in general was a mystery to me. With no expectation, I didn’t really know or think what to guess. A professor whom written a letter of recommendation for me had served in Kenya and had told wonderful stories of his time there. Or the poet Maya Angloue had eloquently described here time in Ghana. I’d seen Hotel Rwanda, Jumanji, the Last King of Scotland, and Casablanca as the frame work for my film references. This is my understanding, impression, and idea of Africa, therefore the selection was hard to comprehend. No base. No knowledge. No information. No preconceptions.

NAMIBIA. Namibia.… unfortunately my memory failed me, and I rushed to the atlas to locate it. Northwest of South Africa, drat it didn’t refresh any deep seeded knowledge. So I researched and what I learned from Wikipedia:
• Former German colony
• Second least densely populated country in the world, after Mongolia
• 15% of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS
• Gained independent from South African (who took control after WWI) on March 21, 1990
• Official language is English. Others include: Afrikaans, German, Oshiwambo
• 80% Christian Lutheran
The best way to describe my feeling was perplexed. I’d wait nearly 9 months for this information to be revealed to me however I found no comfort in the newly gained information. What would this mean for the coming twenty seven months of my life? What does the trees look like there? What makes people laugh there? Will I still get to eat meat? Will I get malaria? Will they like me? Will I make it?

Today I do not know. Yet I look forward to answering these questions for myself. I find in life I normally expect answer right away. When applying to college you knew precisely what you were getting into and could roughly image what your life would be life. This life change however yielded no light for what was to come.

I am going to write to explore these and as many question as my pretty little head can define. I want to grow and learn. Ask and explore. Change and open my eyes. I am ready, willing, and able…I am invited to serve in the United States Peace Corps in Namibia. N-is for Namibia.