aquí aquí aquí!!!

Hello All,

I’ve made it to Madrid.

Mi familia es muy bonita!

Bea speaks wonderful English and Samuel is much better than he let on. I’ll be working with the boys each morning teaching them English for an hour. David the oldest is 9, Pablo or Paul is 7, and the youngest Marcos in 3. There is also Bianca the daughter of the housekeeper Zulma, who is 8 years old. She doesn’t speak a word of English, but is very sweet.

Basically I speak in English with the oldest two for an hour or two. Then we head to the pool or play football (soccer). The weather here is absolutely wonderful, fortunately I beat the 100 degree heat!

Another thing that is absolutely wonderful: the food. I will elaborate more on this later. But let me just say it’s wonderful.

I am headed to the store to get a cheap phone so I can communicate with new friends and various couchsurfers in the area- as well as my host family, that way when I get lost in the middle of Madrid, they can rescue me.

More soon!

Much love!

Nat

On route to Madrid

Hola mis amigos y familia! (<-- look Spanish!)

I’m currently on layover in Frankfurt. Seven+ hours, it’s only been four. I’m still convinced it was worth the saved cash… but ask me again in two hours ;)

I’m not really sure what to expect. My mother is convinced I’m going to be sold into sex slavery after watching a clip of some documentary on au pairs in Spain and talking to a friend. She tends to be right a lot, but I’m praying to God she’s wrong this time. She’s praying too!

I’m seriously not worried at all though. Well maybe a little… but only that I’ll be forced to get up in a few minutes to pee after drinking four cups of this free coffee ;)

My flight was 9 hours to Frankfurt from Detroit, which was a breeze after my 18+ hour African flights. I successfully slept most of the way, waking up just in time for each meal (which never happens.. I mean the sleeping part does but I always end up missing the best meals.)

I have another two-hour flight to Madrid. That is if I don’t fall asleep in the terminal in these next few hours and miss my flight..

I must admit that not one human in my terminal is speaking English, and it’s a tad bit overwhelming. I am surrounded by five or six different Spanish conversations, my only clues to understanding being their body language and the few words I remember from my time in the DR (three years ago!)

This is only a small taste of what I’ll be experiencing this next month in Madrid, teaching children who do not speak English.

Yet, I’m really excited. I must be insane, right? There’s no way I’m going to survive.

Well I guess we’ll find out ;)

All is calm; All is bright.

So after three consecutive flights: (9;16;2). I'm finally home. And it's my favorite season!

When I wasn't watching an endless selection of Disney movies (thank you Emirates!) or playing with restless flight babies, I spent my time looking back on my seven month journey recollecting the beautiful places, crazy adventures, and wonderful, wonderful people! My realization: I have the fondest of memories and quite a few life lessons not worth losing sight of.

Here are just a few things I learned from my African adventure:

#1) PATIENCE is a 'virtue':

Okay, so this is one I was specifically made aware of during my time in Tanzania. Arusha specifically, where they're notoriously known to do everything incredibly SLOW. I learned to accept that when someone said they'd be there in ten minutes they actually meant an hour and that a meeting that was supposed to take place at 10am, never actually started till after eleven! Of course when it came to work, I was perfectly fine with this amplified Michigan time and the ability to be a half hour late to every affair! However, when it comes to important things like catching a flight or, I don't know, delivering a baby, sometimes it's necessary for things to take place when they're supposed to! (post script: I did not have any babies nor deliver any babies! -- this was merely an observance)

This leisurely lifestyle was presented to me in Kenya and Namibia, as well, although Cape Town fortunately was a bit more hasty! Even though at times this 'slowness' was frustrating, I learned to accept that things would happen when they happened and there was no point in stressing over it. As a matter of fact, it became something that I learned to love about these cultures.. as life in 'The States' is characteristically fast paced and punctual, it's rather gratifying to have time to breathe and enjoy the little things. Really, there's no point in rushing around and blindly going through your daily responsibilities and not taking the time to stop and talk to people and enjoy the time in your day! I love that people would take the time (actually go out of their way!) to make conversation with me, and that everything wasn't rush, rush, rush, get to where you need to be, screw everyone else, eat a rapidly made burrito, the end. 

Sometimes things wont happen when you expect them to and sometimes they will be incredibly and unnecessarily slow! But they will eventually happen, and there are far worse things than having to wait (even if it's for six hours in a 15-seater van crammed with 30 people in 100 degree weather!) ---I'm not bitter at all ;)

But really guys, patience is definitely one of the virtuous things of life.

#2) One can always find beauty in even the ugliest of things. Or at least there's no harm in trying..

Although Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to and I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful people, a number of the circumstances and events happening around me were not exactly eligible to be considered 'beautiful' and as a matter of fact were far from it!

Despite the harsh reality that there are terrible, cruel people and awful circumstances and conditions that no one should ever have to experience.. and that sometimes it's hard to find hope and see light in all the darkness.. hope is always there and it's important to try and see the bright side of things, even when it truly is difficult.

Life can truly be beautiful and people unfortunately have the potential for evil and ugliness, but they also have the potential to do wonderful and amazing things, and can really exemplify true beauty! And there are beautiful things and places in the world, as well. So it's worth trying to see them, even when it's really foggy!

Table Mountain in the fog. Still beautiful. Can't deny it.

#3) I've learned that it's not always what you're doing but who you're doing it with that makes the difference. (gotta previous blog post dedicated to this one.)

In a city where there's a million of wonderful things to do at any given time and an unending to-do list of adventures.. it's hard not to feel guilty when you find yourself lying around doing essentially 'nothing'. HOWEVER,, I've learned that when you're with the right people, nothing can really become everything. And because I lived these past months with some of the most wonderful humans on the planet, I have zero regrets for the lazy days a plenty, and in fact am very proud of them and would not wish to have spent my time any other way.

It's the people you're with that truly make experiences the most rewarding, and it's important to make the most of your time with the people you love.. no matter what it is your doing.

This leads me to my last one. One that I guess I've always really known and lived by, but that has been further ingrained into my daily lifestyle during my time here in CT. This, of course, would be:

#4) FUN.

I think (well actually, I know) that when it comes down to it, after certainly {being kind to one another} the most important thing [EVER] is to have fun! Because really in the end that's all that really matters. If you're not having a good time, then you should... be having a great time! What good is life if you're not enjoying it?!

Let me quote the words of my favoritest poem:

 "If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans...  

 If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would pick more daisies." -Nadine Stair

My time in Cape Town was full of mistakes, mountains, ice cream, silliness, and dancing.  And it was the best time ever!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've of course learned a great deal more, and could go on and on about issues of development, Western supremacy, etc. but am feeling at a loss for words..

Thus, to conclude: Cape Town is the most beautiful place in the world, life is beautiful, people are beautiful, so dance, eat lots of snow cones, and hug the ones you love! 

To see me jump from the highest bungee bridge in the world, click the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T417lR7f5v0 

Tea and Avett Brothers. First time alone in this enormously beautiful but wholly empty house known as 7 Christow. Missing my famjam immensely but not completely hating this peace and quietude. (Although the complete inaudibility of human existence can be quite eerie at times.. our house has never felt so big!)

My solitude is, however, making me very aware of my approaching departure date and my fate to leave this beautiful city with its wonderful people and cheaply delivered sushi and wine.

With this nouvelle consciousness has come contemplations for those things I will most yearn for in the coming future.. or on the contrary, not so much, at all.

                      Things I wont miss signif:

-the multitude of creepy guys screaming, whistling, honking, hissing, etc.

-the tendency for things to be significantly too sweet: coffee, cookies, candy, juice, you name it. They really love their sugar here.
-being a pedestrian with absolutely zero rights (it's actually a miracle I'm still alive, really)
-having to buy power.. and subsequently running out of power after lack of purchase.
-the inability to stream el videos. [On immediate return to my home after squeezing Winst and loving the fam/friends for a reasonably acceptable amount of time, I am locking myself in my room and submerging myself in the world of New Girl/Parenthood for seven plus days.]
-egocentric atms
-Did I mention the multitude of unwanted attention from creepy men? Ughhhh.

However, despite my obvious abhorrence for the things listed above,  I would easily tolerate these unpleasant happenings for a great deal longer as they are nothing compared to the countless list of things I adore and will miss momentously!

                              To name a few:

-7 CHRISTOW
-seeing Table Mountain everyday.
-seeing the scenic beauty that is Cape Town everyday.
-all of thee magnificent, lovely souls I've encountered.
-avocados on everything!
-minicabs and their diverse selection of deafening tunes.
-umbrella thorns
-the super attractive (and nice!) checkout guy at Woolworths.
-straws at the grocery store checkout line.
-grapetizers to go with my straws.
-7 Christow some more.
-and as I'm returning to Michigan in January, I'll miss this 80-plus weather and the vast array of beautiful beaches.
-ohh and AfriCAT, of course. Just look at him keep me company while all my friends are dispersed:

Not sure how this happened, but here I sit: The last one in our house. It's not my favorite feeling.

Really missing my Christow family today. Both #7 and #9 ;)

Aren't they just the prettiest?

Namibz.

This past week I went to Namibia with one of my friends Rosalia [Tuwilika] from UCT. To say it was an adventure would be an understatement. It was an eventful escapade!

After a 23 hour bus ride that ended up being 36 hours  ~thanks to a series of thirty-minute stops and a bus-fire[flat-tire] that took WAY too long to fix~ I made it to Windhoek! 

Fortunately, my excitement was still high; Unfortunately, the temperature was too!

90 plus. fuss. fuss. fuss.

Thank goodness for beaches!

We spent a few days with friends in Windhoek and then left really early for Swakopmund where we spent a day at the dunes:

After exploring Swakopmund with our delightfully animated guide Happy (Rosa's good friend [pictured above] who is from there), we headed north to Oshakati where Rosa and the majority of her friends are from! It was a 7 hour bus ride (and by bus ride, I mean large 15-seater van crammed with 30 people and no air conditioning!) But adventurous nonetheless ;)

When we finally arrived in the north, I met Rosa's family and they're absolutely wonderous! She is the oldest, with three younger sisters, and they all have the most colorful personalities and are absolutely gorgeous and talented (dancin' in da blood!). Her mother is one of the loveliest humans, and I learned so much about their culture and traditions.

She gave me Omawe, which are traditional beads women wear around their waists from  the time they are very young. I even got a traditional Oshakati name, Ndeshipanda, which means I'm happy for it/grateful. --And it's fitting, as despite the immensely long bus rides and melting death heat (excuse my dramatic tendencies), I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Namibia and spend time with Rosa and her family and see their beautiful home!

 I even had a chance to go to the homestead where her Grandparents live. Her grandmother still lives the traditional lifestyle and shared many of their cultural practices.  

Her grandmother brews traditional Namibian beer known as  omalovu giilya.  It's made out of pearl sorghum or the Oshakati word 'Omahangu'. She also had quite the personality and I had the most wonderful time talking to her and hearing all her stories!

At Rosa's home in Oshkati. This is her mom and Ethole ['she loves us'] one of the sweetest little girls ever! She barely left my side during my stay. Even when I showered (which happened OFTEN to survive the immense heat!) she would wait outside the door for me! I'm gonna miss her tons and her troublesome ways ;)

The dresses they're wearing above are traditional ones called Ohema Yeentulo. These ones in particular are from a recent family wedding. So much fun!

 

My Omawe, the traditional waist beads :)