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| Monica, Home of Good Hope |
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| Home of Good Hope |
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| Home of Good Hope |
After the trip with my parents I spent some more time in Namibia. At
Chameleon Backpackers, I found friends, who are living since several
months in Windhoek and also work here. Surprisingly, there are quite a
few pilots here, who either work in Windhoek or in Swakopmund like
Etienne and Jerome from France or are looking for a job as a pilot like
Mohamed from Egypt or Dave from England. Then, there is Hendrik, the
German doctor with his huge enthusiasm and his unlimited love towards
Africa and its people in spite of all the crime and sad stories
he
experiences every single day in Katutura hospital he is working in.
Besides the hospital, he works also for his NGO, where he looks after
HIV patients free of charge in Okahandja 70 kilometers north of
Windhoek. As his work in Katutura hospital is not well paid (sometimes
not paid at all) and the other job with the HIV patients is for free
anyway, he works also at the bar in Chameleon. It is amazing, where he
gets his energy from, everyone else would have despaired long before and
would leave to sick African people to the Africans… From next year, he
is going to build up 12 new clinics all over Namibia. This new project
is sponsored by Wilderness Safaris and a mining company. There will be
even jobs for pilots to fly Hendrik around. And finally, there will be
also money to pay a doctor properly! There is also Nicole, the wife of
Mohamed, originally from Australia and Caroline from Sweden, girlfriend
of Hendrik, who helped Monica at the soupkitchen since october and was
one of the Swedish ladies who were building up the house, where the
kitchen is situated now. Not to forget Mohsine, actually, in Windhoek
for a couple of weeks to build TV and other towers, do threatening
climbs on top of these towers to repair things there. He was never too
tired even after a long hot day at the construction site to prepare
tasty Moroccan food for the whole crowd in the evening after work. Now,
he is back to Morocco for a well earned holiday.
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| Home of Good Hope |
I was not completely lazy in Windhoek. I took a few days of rest
after the 3-week Namibiatour with my parents. After that I was again
ready to work in the mornings in Katutura at Monicas soupkitchen. The
children here are 2 to 16 years old. Monica provides once a day a meal
for them. This is often the only meal of the day. So, first in the
morning there is singing, dancing and praying with the children, then we
distribute the food, clean the place including the dishes. After that,
there is always time to play with the children. The smaller children are
quite crazy on body contact and want to be carried around as long as
possible. Blond hair is something special of course and absolutely
exciting. Quite a few girls on my arm use the chance to play around with
my curls, so most afternoons I have to fight to get of the new knots in
my hair…..
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| Home of Good Hope |
I also had a very unpleasant experience in Windhoek going back from
the supermarket by myself, when I was threatened and robbed by two men
in the middle of the town on an open street in the afternoon. The men
were following me and that is why I walked faster, then both of them ran
after me and they had a knife…. Well, I did not plan to play hero just
because of a backpack, a phone, the equivalent of 15 Euros in Namibian
dollars and 2 bottles of soft drinks. The backpack was gone. Thank god
nothing bad had happened to me personally. Friends from the hostel came
just the very moment by car when it happened, but could also not prevent
the attack and were even threatened by knife, when they wanted to help
me. I noticed only, how shocked I was, when I was again at Chameleon and
safe.
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| Home of Good Hope |
The next few days, my friends took great care of me. They did not
want me to go out by myself anymore. But after some days I had to go
back to normality, as I am by myself and travelling alone through
Africa, so I must be able to walk again by myself in the streets of
Windhoek. Some days back I got the news, that Shahid finally got his
Angolan visa in exchange for a small additional donation to the Angolan
Embassy. So, he will probably arrive here soon. So, soon it will start,
the adventure West Africa, an area, which was already for a long time an
unlived dream with Shahid as well as with me. The visa for Angola was
always difficult to get, but that we have it now both in the pocket or
better in the passports, equals somehow a miracle. Angola, both Congos,
then Gabon, which will most likely seem rather civilized then after
crossing the Congos…. Well, one can see, I am really excited about this
trip! It is also time to move on, as I am now in Windhoek since 3 weeks!
People keep asking me, when I will return to Germany. Well, good
question. Probably sometime in april, that is at least the plan. Well, I
spent a lot more time in Namibia then I estimated and planned before.
So, I must see how realistic all that is. However, I do not worry about
it now, it makes no sense to rush through the next countries, because
the roads in Angola are in a very bad condition, besides, it is rainy
season, which usually does not make gravel roads any better. Christmas
eve I spent with my friends from all over the world at Chameleon
Backpackers with a nice fish braai. Next week, wednesday, we will be
probably on the road towards the Angolan border. I have no idea about
internet access and phone network in Angola and the Congos, but I will
try to send signs of life in one or the other way. Greetings from
Windhoek and thanks a lot for all the Christmas greetings.
