Nawrockis in Namibia Part II: Coming to Khorixas

The next day, after a serious shopping trip at the local Super Spar, we left for Khorixas. I convinced my parents to make a quick stop in Outjo to not only eat breakfast, but also to meet Rosa, one of my favorite learners.

Rosa used to school at Eddie Bowe, where she was a member of Youth Leads and our Girls Club. Last year I watched her go from a tiny rough and tumble troublemaker to just about the kindest kid I’ve ever known. She graduated Grade 7 at the end of 2008 and has been schooling in Outjo ever since. (Lucky for me, I can visit Rosa whenever I pass through Outjo to see Dar, and I'll get to spend a week with her in August when she attends Camp G.L.O.W.)

I warned my family that this tiny Herero girl might be a bit shy—especially when surrounded by a loud, fast-talking, American family that was still pretty new to Namibia (and definitely new to her). Still, I think they enjoyed seeing her school and taking her to the local bakery for breakfast. And while it may have been difficult for them to see, I could tell Rosa really liked my mom, dad and brother. She laughed often and asked them to repeat things when she didn’t understand. She loved watching footage of the Cheetah Conservation on our camcorder and she was in total awe of just how tall my dad was.



We said goodbye to Rosa and drove about 130 kilometers to Khorixas. My family had already been in Namibia for a couple of days, but up until this point, they'd seen only shiny and developed towns. The road to Khorixas proved all was about to change. The closer we got, the more traditional the houses became, and my family realized they were about to enter someplace entirely different.

We arrived at my house (which is part of a school hostel) just in time for lunch. About 300 male learners lined up in front of the school hall and took turns shaking my dad’s hand before sitting down to eat. Like Rosa, I doubt they’d ever seen a white man (or any man, for that matter) so tall. It definitely drew a crowd outside our door.



A few minutes later and they were all inside.



Jessica’s family happened to be visiting, too. They’d already been in Namibia for a couple of weeks, so just as my family’s big adventure was getting started, theirs was winding down. They’d spent the first two weeks touring the country before settling in Khorixas to apply a fresh coat of paint and a new set of curtains to the school library. After some brief introductions we walked over to check out their handiwork. I was amazed at how much better the library looked!



From there, we headed to the Dungerhoek—an area just behind Eddie Bowe where some of the poorer families in Khorixas stay. Katrina, one of my learners, volunteered to take our family on a tour of the place where she lives. She was excited to meet everyone, and I thought it was important for my mom, dad and brother to see what most people don’t when they’re on holiday: the way people really live.



Namibia has the highest economic disparity rate in the world. Coming to Khorixas after visiting Otjiwarongo and Outjo made that fact abundantly clear. The houses in Dungerhoek, which are made of mostly scrap metal and refuse, were an eye-opening sight.





But meeting learners like Katrina and seeing the smiling faces of children who paraded around behind us proved to my family that even in the poorest of circumstances, people here are still living. And living well. They are happy and they are healthy and they are making it work.

Even when it’s a challenge.



That night, we prepared a traditional braai for our families. It seemed like the perfect way for them to experience one of our favorite things about Namibia—the people. Plus, it gave them a chance to taste the local food and meet our friends and colleagues, too.


Benjamin Cooking


Me and the Girls from the Hospital


Katrina and her Mother


Gino, Richel, Lani, Dar and Chip

They left with full stomachs (thanks to Jessica's dad who slaughtered the goat, Marianne who stirred the pop, Isabel who marinated the Chicken, and Gino, Speech, Lani and Benjamin who cooked the food). But most importantly, they left with a real sense of why it is we're so happy to call this place our home.