Hello Lovely Readers,
Let me update you on a few things that have gone on the past few months. I wrote the last time that I would be going to Swakop for a trip. Just prior to my trip I stepped on my laptop and broke the screen. Go me. I think Africa is the worst place on Earth I could have done something like this..and yet...there are obviously worse things so I've let this go.
My trip was very nice I was able to spend most of my days sitting on the beach and watching the sun go down with my toes buried in the sand. I don't think that there is anything in this world I enjoy more than that. It seems that each long vacation I've had here my main aim has been to relax off the grid for a while and just take in the beauty of the beach scene.
I was also able to eat in some nice restaurants which was a treat. I spent some time wandering around the shops just looking at things. Swakop is a nice town in Namibia that is much more modern than a lot of other places here. I finally found my African charm for my necklace which I now wear everyday. I had been searching for one since last year so I was super excited to find it. I was walking by a shop and was past it and had this strange urge to turn back around and walk in. It was one of the first things I saw when I walked in. If that wasn't fate, I don't know what is.
The trip was pretty low key so there isn't much to really say about it. Let's move on. I posted about this on facebook but I feel it is worth repeating. One day I was sitting outside the market and a lady was selling meat. I asked my friend what kind of meat it was and she said it was dog meat. I laughed and said that was a good joke until she pulled out a piece that was clearly the paw of this animal. I then began to freak out. After I had calmed a bit I was sitting while others were eating the meat. What really got to me was when they were throwing the bones for other dogs to eat after they were done with them. I'm sorry I have been in this culture for a year and a half but I will never get used to that.
Another shocking experience for me happened the other night when I was sitting around a fire while my same friend from the market was cooking porridge for dinner. We heard a man screaming at a woman and then we heard the terrible sounds of him beating her to the ground. I immediately wanted to run over and help this poor woman but thought otherwise because I would probably have gotten hit as well. My friend explained that the man was yelling "Where were you last night?! I know you have someone else!" She then further explained that this man was another girl's boyfriend. A girl that I knew that worked at the market a few months back. So in short, he was beating another woman for cheating on him when in all reality he had another girlfriend. When I was talking to some men and women about this occurrence later they explained that it's mostly acceptable for men to cheat but as soon as a woman does it, it's a terrible offense. Um, excuse me? Some things here I don't think I can tolerate. Even talking about the way men treat women here is enough to make me get up and leave the table of conversation.
This past weekend I visited my friend Indira that was my housemate from last year. Her mother had made me a traditional Vambo necklace which is absolutely beautiful. It was interesting when she put it on me there were mixed reactions. Most said it looked nice with my skin but one girl disapproved because she apparently doesn't like traditional things. I personally find them wonderful. It's nice to have such a rich culture.
Until next time...
Peace and Love,
Chels
