There are members of the shipboard community younger than our next port-of-call. The country of Namibia, a state not much bigger than Texas on the Western coast of Africa was given independence on March 21, 1990. In the US, Namibia would just be getting its drivers license.
Namibia has come about through compromise. After the atrocities of colonialism on the continent, thousands of tribes were left wondering what to do when their invaders left. The country that would later become Namibia decided the only way to have a functioning political entity would be to put the past behind it entirely. It adopted English as its official language, claiming “it was the only language without blood behind it.”
Namibians are young. The average age of its 2 million citizens is 20 years of age. They are, according to one lecturer this evening, eager to join the world marketplace and welcoming to their country. Tourism is building in Namibia, but not huge. Last semester, in Fall 2008, the MV Explorer called on the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia for the first time. We will be doing the same on Saturday. Unbelievably, between the two shiploads that the Explorer is bringing to the Namibian coast, Semester-At-Sea counts for 10% of American tourism to Namibia. I’ll repeat that. SAS has contributed 10% of annual American tourism to the country of Namibia. Amazing.
Namibia is a land of amazing natural wonders. The coastal town of Walvis Bay is small, but a gem on an otherwise skeleton-coast of Africa. To the east lie Namibia’s most famous landmarks, the towering sand dunes of the Namib desert. These skyscraper-high sand dunes are result of millions of years of red-sand storms, and offer natural habitats for thousands of unique organisms, as well as a lot of fun for tourists looking to ski, sled, and 4-wheel down them. To the north and east is “the bush,”the African highlands home to the big game. Within it, is Etosha National Park, where I’ll be heading.
Namibia’s concern for the environment is unspeakable. It is the first country in human history to include care for the natural habitats into its state’s constitution. Additionally, 14% of all available land in Namibia is a national park.
The country is not without hardship, however. 50% of Namibians make less than USD $2.00 a day, and food shortages are widespread. Still, speakers who have spent time in Namibia and our interport lecturer insist that the spirit of the people is alive and well and ready to continue to work to build a better country. I’ll let you know how I think they live up to their reputation.
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Today was great, I took my first Biomedical Ethics exam and watched a really sad movie called Wit about living with cancer. I highly recommend it. It’s with Emma Thompson and Christopher Lloyd, and most of the class was in tears by the end of the film. I also spent a bunch of time finishing my first ‘culture packet’to be sent to Mrs. Berman’s 6th grade class in Virgina. I don’t want to spoil anything for them, but there is a DVD included!
Also, for valentines day, a bunch of our friends got together and exchanged names of eachother. By tomorrow, we have to come up with a nice valentines day gift: poem, song, card, etc. Whatever is liable to be the most embarrassing and most fun at the same time. Tomorrow, after logistical pre-port we are going to get together and exchange.
Everything is amazing here on the explorer. Things are moving a bit faster than I’d like, but that’s how it tends to work, I guess. Namibia’s right on the horizon and S. Africa is right after.
Oh, and we crossed the Prime Meridian today. We are now in the South-eastern hemisphere! We advance one hour tonight, and are now EST + 6 hours.
Love,
Greg.
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