Namibia: Week 6

Here’s the challenge: to sum up 7 days that brought me such a fullness of adventure and experience in a blog post that’s succinct enough to keep everyone awake… ne?*

Katatura has been on my heart and mind this week.  I found a new segment of Windhoek’s heart when I visited on Thursday, joined by a wonderful, fun group of teens from a church in Waco, Texas.   Katatura is Windhoek’s largest township, yet it’s name literally means “where one does not wish to live”.  Curious why..?  It formed in 1961 following the forced removal of Windhoek’s black population from Hochland Park, which is where I’ve been staying during this trip.

I actually found an article about Katatura on The Independent this week, written by a British woman who visited an American volunteer working in the centre of Katatura to help and support school children. The writer talked of the “cheerful chaos and beautiful laughing children… and the stories of their tough lives” and I can completely see where she’s coming from.  The Texans and I took a bus there in the morning to visit a lady known as Ouma**, who (on her own) feeds and cares for about 100 children (many orphans) every day when they are coming home from school.  Her house really isn’t a big place, but she has no fear of filling a room up to the corners with children from Katatura.  We all just went along to sing songs with the children and dance around the room with them, followed by a good 45 minutes of playing with them on the street outside.  One 13 year-old named Anna came up to me as I was standing watching the children playing in a big circle - she only came to say hi, but I wanted to know about who she was and what her life was like.  She was a quiet, reserved girl with a very good understanding of English and told me that she walks two hours to get to school each day.  I didn’t know how true this story was, but did it really matter?  She wanted to stand around with me and hug my waist, almost breaking my heart when she asked to hug me through the bars of Ouma’s gate as myself and the group were getting back onto the bus.  I feel that just ten minutes of conversation with Anna has exposed me to all the children’s lives in Katatura.  Though I don’t know how or if I ever could, so much of me wishes I could have walked home with some of these children, discovering where they were living, meeting their families and hearing all about their lives.  I wasn’t uncomfortable at all - I yearned to know more.

Katatura kids outside Ouma's <3

Myself, Anna and two other girls from Katatura

As we drove from Ouma’s, Bryan (my Namibia church pastor) drove us through the centre of Katatura - past Evelyn Street, only a 1km long road yet I was told it accommodates over 180 bars; past the never-ending informal settlements formed with tin and plastic where many of the children I had just met were travelling to; and past a shop where a woman was dragged from a taxi by seven men and bundled into a van (since we only drove by this incident though, it really isn’t right for me to say anymore - for all I know, this was a very drunk woman being assisted home).  I found it tough to believe there and then that this township could possibly be as joyous as the Independent writer described.  Yet when I think of Katatura, I’ll think of the children at Oma’s.  I’ll agree with the writer to a certain level… despite the hardship that is known to exist in these places, there really is a lot of joy too.  What an extraordinary thing. 

On a very different note, there seriously ain’t no party like a YWAP party… (S Club fans with me?  Anyone..?)  The youth group I’ve been going to had their ‘One Day’ event on Saturday with good food, incredible teaching and loads of crazy dancing to some new worship songs the Texas group introduced.  I had some helpful faith discussions with Dana in particular that day, who really helped me to look at some of my God questions in a different way.  I will treasure my YWAP One Day t-shirt for ever as a little memory of the day - and a shout-out to the Texas team: thanks for letting me hang out with y’all for a few days - you are genuinely inspiring people who have such a passion for Jesus and I have LOVED getting to know you and adoring Namibia with you.

Texas Team - can I come to Baylor with y'all?

And the last few days… literally don’t even know where to begin on this.  The SLM Student Project was awesome, in short.  I was so looking forward to hanging out with these students after not having seen them since Week 2 of the trip.  They took me in as though I were another Namibian student, taught me Oshiwambo, made me eat bone marrow (I’ll forgive them for that…), yearned to know about my life in Britain and the way I came to be a Christian, took endless photos with me, dragged me round with them as they danced and sang songs of worship around the campfire, helped me to understand  the culture of Africa as they explained tradition and heritage, shared some of their deepest thoughts, confided in me, comforted me, rejoiced with me… and so much more richness I can’t even summarise.

During my time away, I really enjoyed things that should have made me feel anxious -  travelling an hour outside of Windhoek with people that really, I didn’t know well; sitting on a hot bus with no seatbelt that truly looked as if it would fall apart; eating meat off the bone… this is a bit of silly one I know, but it’s always been a little worry of mine.  All I really felt the entire time was a deep joy, that I was still in Namibia and that I was able to completely immerse myself in the lives and culture of these people.  I have my friend, Tjino to thank for a lot of this.  She invested a lot of time in talking to me and loving me and I’m amazed at how similar we are despite our lives being so far removed from each-other.  She’s got a very big heart for God.

Two highlights:

1) Understanding.  The best part of the project was probably the time spent learning more about who God is and talking to each of the students about their own stories of faith.  I truly understood more of what it means to be a Christian over the last few days.

2) Prayer Mountain.  This is a mountain (aha - obviously…) just 10 minutes walk from Rock Lodge.  The whole team went there on our last morning to pray together, holding hands in a circle around three huge crosses.  The feeling of unity between us and the bursting of love for God from each of the students was something really special.  It was a moment of real hope for us all as we looked ahead to our next semester (or first term, in my instance) of university.  They’re a massively supportive and caring bunch that I so enjoyed being with.

Spot the white girl

Also, my bible finally came loose from it’s spine after ten years (*sob, sob*) - I have been loving reading it this week… a bit too much from the sounds of it!

The Shaves and I are now off to Swakopmund for a few days.  Help please… how am I supposed to spend another few weeks with these people?! (HA only kidding guys - you know I want to cry just thinking about leaving you all).  Swakop was a highlight of my family holiday 6 years ago so I’m excited.

Lots of love,

Charis

*check out my Oshiwambo language skills… “ne?” means “right?”

**Ouma means “Granny”, as Christine (her real name) is known by all the children.  I loved this.