Blog number one

2/20/2011 So this is the first post I’ve been able to do on this part of the world. I hope everyone is well, I haven’t been able to be on the internet, much less hear what is going on outside of Namibia. This already has been quite the adventure. We figured out that it took us 38 strait hours of traveling and went 60+ hours without any sleep. There are less than 25 of us and only 4 (including me) are guys!

Namibia is such a beautiful place but nothing could have prepared me for this. (My travel book from my best friend, Chiara has been a big help though) A lot of times, it’s difficult for me to keep in mind that I’m in Namibia, let alone Africa. Before Namibia gained it’s independence from South Africa in 1989, South Africa put a lot into infrastructure and Namibia has done a great job keeping it up and expanding on it. It’s also very strange to see the Western influence. There is also a lot of western amenities that I can’t believe I’ll be having. In two week’s time, I’ll be able to have a cell phone and a USB modem with 3G internet that covers 95% of Namibia, even in the most remote regions of the county. I’m still trying to get a basic concept of the Namibian Dollar (as I am still trying to switch to military time and use the metric system) but they seem to be much more affordable than anything in the states. It’s cool cause they are both prepaid, with the credit being reloaded by these little blue cards. They’re about the size of a USB flash drive and even little kids sell them to try to make a quick buck.

Probably two of the biggest convinces I am enjoying right now is the fact that the water in Namibia is CLEAN, and Coca-Cola! Namibia has done an amazing job with the water! Any water that comes from a tap is clean and drinkable without any work! The only water that isn’t safe is a few rivers up north where you can’t swim. Now for my favorite thing in the world, COKE! I knew that they would have Coke here, but I had no idea how great it would be! It’s AMAZING. I’m sure my dad’s scoffing at this as he reads it, but it is so much better than American Coke. It’s made with real sugar and I swear the recipe is slightly off but in a good way.