Reflections on My First Official 6 Months at Site and 8 Months in Namibia

So for a while I have been compiling a list of things that I have not had, or done since moving to Namibia. Some of them were pretty obvious at the beginning but are now just part of my life. Others I really had to think about. I am sure I am missing many more differences but I think this is a good beginning.

Reflection on the past eight months living in Namibia

• I have not used a hair dryer
•  I have not used any hair product aside from shampoo
• No straightener or curling iron either
• All coffee here is instant coffee, and not nearly as good as something brewed.
• So that also means no specialty coffee
• While I am close to the capital and can realistically acquire most foods I desire, its never the same. Many pizzas here are made with just “tomato sauce” which is essentially ketchup. Not nearly as satisfying.
• No meat without bones. Namibians say that if it is not on the bone it is not meat. Some of them also don’t believe chicken or fish is meat.
• Cheese options: Gouda, maybe cheddar if you are lucky and in a big town. Also possibly cream cheese or mozzarella for a “high” price. This is sad L
• No fruit aside from apples and oranges, or the seasonal melon. No berries, grapes, etc
• I did just find out that seasonally there are other fruits available for example Mango and my favorite pomegranate (which comes straight off my coworkers tree. Apparently he cant eat them all himself, oh darn)
• No Netflix
• No Pandora
•  No personal vehicle. I am at the mercy of nice people who do not mind giving me a ride or picking me up on the side of the road.
• I use the same bar of soap to wash my body, my face, and my laundry. I could also use it on my dishes. Sometimes if my hair is really dirty I use it on my hair because it cuts through grease and oil wonderfully. Just think of how much money you spend on purchasing a separate product for each of those things. It’s a lot of money and packaging.
• No vacuum cleaner – this is surprisingly went unnoticed in my life for quiet a while until my friends realized that their carpeted flat (very rare) has been full of dog hair for the past two years. They had a dog at one point for a few months and it looks like it never left. Even without carpet though, the amount of dust and dirt that comes in is difficult to manage with an old broom and old fashioned mop.
• There really isn’t a “fast food” sector here. There is what Namibians call “take away” where you go into a market or shop and in the back is a small kitchen which will sometimes sell traditionally prepared meals or chips, chicken, Russians, or fish. In other words, soggy French fries doused in vinegar and spice, hot dogs, fried chicken (some places will literally sell half a roasted chicken for 30ND which is about 3USD), and fried hake. On a Friday night you wait in line for about 30 minutes or more, so it is certainly not fast. Occasionally restaurants in towns will also offer take-out but there is absolutely no such thing as delivery anywhere except the capital. Just the other weekend, my friends and I were in the capital and wanted pizza but it was too late to walk there by ourselves, we were disappointed we had not thought about it sooner until someone reminded us that they delivered. Needless to say, we were ecstatic.

Reflection on the past six months living in Schlip

• I have not had a shower – only baths, mostly in a bucket because I am too lazy to fill the whole tub
• Just beacause I cheated while I was living in Okahandja and used my host families washing machine, I have not had a washer or dryer in 6 months, just my bathtub and the African sun
• No TV. Some people here do have large flat screen TVs but no cable connection. So they all own like 15-20 mini USB sticks and watch movies
•  Only organic meat. Feed here is really expensive so most livestock eat what comes out of the ground outside my window. If I want meat I either purchase chicken that may or may not still be bleeding or I find someone willing to sell me parts of their sheep or goat. The same sheep or goats that I look at everyday grazing on the plants around Schlip. Ground meat may not be as organic but it is not as “pink” as it is in the US, more of a darker realistic color.
• Eggs are local and might come with little baby feathers on them. None are white shelled and they are all a rich color on the inside.
• No heating or cooling. No air conditioning unit anywhere. And no heating. This doesn’t sound like too much of a problem but when you prepared for “Africa” and didn’t bring many warm clothes, not having a heater kinda hurts sometimes
• Your choice is limited to what is available. If you go to the store in the village late, supply may be limited, also they may randomly not have what you need. So for example, if you really need milk for something, good luck. You may have a better chance of purchasing beer.
• No microwave. You don’t know how much of an integral part of your life a microwave is until you don’t have one. I’ve gotten by pretty well heating food up in the oven or on the stove but when your mom send you Easy Mac because she knows how much you love it and then you realize there is nothing easy about making it without a microwave.
• Transportation in Schlip consists of me only being able to go to town if I prearrange about a week in advance, check to make sure the driver is still going everyday and then coming back whenever they are. I have to work completely around their schedule, which may or may not be adhered to. I could “hike” out of town by standing in front of a small shop and seeing if people can squeeze me in somewhere, however coming back I would then find myself standing 50km from anything waiting for a car to turn down the road I need without any shade. No thank you, I will be at the mercy of other people’s schedules.
•  I have not sat on a couch since moving to Schlip, however this does not include the couch in my Peace Corps office. Many people own random pieces of furniture and most often, a bed is used as a couch.