Here goes nothing...

So here I am, two days in Africa. I’ve only just arrived in Swakopmund, where I’ll be living for the next year. It has been a while since I left the States, my flight itinerary kept me busy for about 30 hours. I can’t complain much about that experience, though. The domestic flights left something to be desired, but I enjoyed my 15 hour halfway-around-the-world leg. Many movies, interactive chess and tetris kept me busy. My advice, steer clear of Johannesburg airport if you like your luggage. Both of my bags are still missing, and only one has even been located as of yet.

After arriving in Namibia, I had a short stay in Windhoek, the country’s capital. It is a charming city hidden in the hills of central Namibia. Rob Myers, the president of MYO, showed me around a bit and took me along to a few meetings while we were there. The first thing that struck me about the area was how different it appeared from what I had expected. I guess this is to be expected considering the usual picture that one’s mind conjures when Africa is mentioned. The usual urban mix of restaurants, service stations and traffic lights (among other things) did not seem much different from a small European city. Unfortunately, none of the townships or other poorer areas were on my list of travels, but I hope to visit the township of Mondesa outside of Swakop (as the locals call it) and be able to give a better idea of how the poorer segment of this society lives.

I guess I should briefly explain MYO, or Mondesa Youth Opportunities, the organization for whom I will be working. We are basically an after-school program for young children from Mondesa. The program focuses on three tiers that promote overall development for the students involved. The first area encompasses education. Students will be either re-enforced in the subjects they are currently learning in school or given extra teaching if they are lagging behind in the curriculum. We also focus on sport training. Tennis takes the primary position as of right now, but an intramural sport system is in the works to provide more options and opportunity for the kids. Finally, MYO works in life skills mentoring since most of the students have not been able to develop certain skills that will help them succeed as they progress through the program and through the rest of their lives.

I had better get to bed if I want to get a head start on my jet lag. I hope this inaugural message/post/entry finds everyone well. This opportunity that has been given to me is very exciting, and although I my family and friends, I really believe this year will reward me in so many ways—and hopefully the students as well. Keep in touch everyone.

Beau

P.S. The two other volunteers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so far—Casey and Alexis—are lovely people. The house should be a lot of fun this year!