22 00 S, 17 00 E :: Just the Facts

According to the latest email from the Peace Corps: Namibia is a land of wonderful contrasts and untouched beauty. Game parks, giant sand dunes, flood plains, deserts and waterfalls all call Namibia home. Approximately fourteen tribes inhabit this land, and life here can be as varied as the landscapes. Namibia is a vast country, with very few people to fill its spaces, but those that do represent a wide range of cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and languages. Volunteer life can be extremely varied as well. Some volunteers will live in the flood plains of the north, some will live along the barren but striking coast, others will live in the desert of the south, and others in the lowlands north of Botswana in the Caprivi.

Not knowing which of these varied volunteer experiences I’ll have makes trying to pack a bit of a hassle (especially since I have to carry it all on my back). Knowing other members of Namibia 27 are facing the same challenge, and that volunteers before us have too, makes it seem like just another step in this heinous and hilarious process.

Latey I’ve been doing my best to learn all I can about the country where I’ll be spending the next two-and-a-half years of my life. I’ve always thought that you learn more, appreciate more, and retain more when you have some kind of context for how experiences and information fit into the bigger picture. With that in mind, here are a few interesting things I’ve learned so far:

o Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1990

o It was the first country in the world to incorporate environmental protection into its constitution (This makes Al Gore very proud)

o Namibia is the second least-densely populated country in the world, with just 2.5 people per square kilometer. Only Mongolia ranks higher (or lower, depending on how you look at it)

o English is the national language, but it’s spoken by just 7 percent of the population. About 32 percent of Namibians speak German. Afrikaans is the most common language. Namibia is also home to the "clicking language"

o 86 percent of Namibians are literate

o Less than one percent of the country’s land is suitable for growing crops

o Namibia has one of the highest infection rates for AIDS and HIV in Africa. More than 30 percent of the population lives with AIDS

o The life expectancy for the average man is 45 years old. For the average woman it’s just 41

o About 55 percent of the population lives on only $2 per day (From what I hear we'll be making $24 a month)

I realize these are just the facts you can learn from a book. They’re numbers and statistics and I’m not sure how much they mean. I do know that in 27 months, when I try once again to present “just the facts,” they’ll be more complete and more accurate. Just like my understanding of this land of wonderful contrasts and untouched beauty.