Chinatown, Namibia

When I came to Namibia, I had no idea that the Chinese would follow me here. After spending 2 months in China and having a surrogate Chinese brother at home, I thought I would get a break from it all when I came to Africa. Boy, was I wrong. The Chinese are everywhere. In my opinion, the Chinese are the new-age Colonialists in Africa. They have their hands in everything. Each town and little village in northern Namibia has stores called simply, “China shops.” One can buy any random item you can think of in these stores. Many products sold in Namibia are Chinese-made including cell phones and the majority of electronics. The Namibians hire outside Chinese construction companies to come in and build these extravagant, aesthetically pleasing buildings instead of hiring Namibian companies. One Chinese construction company is building a health center directly outside the gates of my school. I have asked many people in Okalongo what they think about Chinese people being in Namibia. The answers are hilarious. Their favorite story to tell is about the missing cats. Before I came to Okalongo, there was apparently a large number of cats that lived on Haudano’s campus. Since the arrival of the Chinese, the large cat population has diminished. My colleagues attribute this to the construction workers at the health center. Close to our school is also a dirty river where people are not allowed to do any sort of activity like swimming, bathing, fishing, etc because the sanitary conditions are not the best. According to the people in Okalongo, this is where the Chinese go fishing. As the story goes, the Namibian Ministry of Health continues to tell the Chinese that this is not permitted. Instead, the Chinese just move up the river a bit until they get caught again. When these stories are told and I have heard them from about seven different people, the story teller cracks up. They can not keep it together. Whenever I tell people I spent two months in China, their first question is, “Is it true they eat cats and snakes?” In Namibia, snakes are seen as humans’ enemies. When you see a snake here, you immediately kill it, no questions asked. They can not fathom the idea that people could eat such evil creatures. The activities of the Chinese in town are part of the daily gossip in Okalongo. The stories and the gossip are often not told without mimicking them. The Namibians immediately put their hands to their eyes and pull out the corners to make the eyes squint. This is accompanied by the attempt to speak Chinese as they hear it, “Ching ching chong.” Many people I ask though have never actually spoken to a Chinese person. From what I have seen so far, there is not much interaction between Namibians and the Chinese on the local level. The Namibians perceptions of the Chinese is entertaining to hear, but fascinating to think about.
For Bernie’s birthday, we hiked to Oshikango, a border town to Angola. We had the intention of taking the day trip to Oshikango in seek of the said “best Chinese restaurant in Namibia.” Restaurants in the North are scarce and being waited on is quite the treat here. What we did not anticipate was finding ourselves in the literal recreation of China. We got dropped off at a place called Dragon City (aka Little China). It was surreal. We walked through these guarded gates and I felt like I was on the set of a movie. Everything and everyone was Chinese. It was like a little gated Chinese community in Namibia. We found the restaurant and I think both of our jaws dropped. With the decor, the arrangement, and the smell of the restaurant, you could have fooled me I thought I was back in China. We ordered fried rice and steamed dumplings. The Namibian waitress I think was impressed and confused at the same time when we told her we did not need utensils, but could use the chop sticks instead. The owners of the restaurant did not speak English and the waitress could not speak Chinese and I could not figure out how they were communicating. At one point the waitress had to ask us how to describe chicken fried rice because the owners did not understand the English on the menu. I walked out of there in awe. It was the epitome of a multicultural experience. I ask myself: what are the intentions of the Chinese living in Namibia? I have heard the Namibians’ views on it, but have yet to hear the Chinese side. They are two unlikely, vastly different cultures living and working in the same country. The Namibians do not seem to take a great interest in the Chinese, yet their products dominate the stores throughout the country. The Namibian government hires outside Chinese workers instead of hiring within. It seems like a complex relationship that I intend to question further.

A Typical Day in Okalongo

I want to apologize ahead of time for the multiple posts I will soon be posting. I have had terrible internet service and the posts have just been building up. Many people have asked what my typical day is like so I am going to describe my day to day schedule in Okalongo.
4:30 AM - The first alarm goes off for the learners. As I described before, the bell is very obnoxious and I often jump out of my bed upon hearing it.
5:30 AM - I roll out of bed.
6:20 AM - I am out the door before the sun rises.
6:30 AM - On Mondays and Fridays, we have a school assembly. The entire school meets outside underneath the flag pole and they sing the national anthem, followed by morning prayer. On Tuesday and Thursday, we have staff meetings.
7:00AM-13:48 PM - Classes are in session. At around 10:00 AM we have a tea break when the teachers chose to eat their breakfasts and the learners go to the cafeteria for tea. I do not have classes the full 7 hours so during my open periods I sit in the staff room. I usually read and then get asked a zillion questions about my Nook or I lesson plan for the next day. This week I was the test subject for the new school camera. I think there is at least 30 pictures of me on that camera by now in all different poses: standing up, sitting down, smiling, pretending to read, etc.
13:48-14:30 PM - Lunch Break. I go home and make myself lunch. Lately, I have been eating these really good samoosas I found.
14:30 PM - I return to the office for afternoon study. Learners are allowed to change out of their uniforms and then they return to the classroom to do their homework. Teachers are supposed to lesson plan and prepare for the next day, but typically everyone sits on the front steps and chats.
16:00 PM - I return home for the day. Learners go back to the classroom at 19:00 after dinner for evening study. I will eventually be on duty for this and have to supervise the classrooms, but for now I am usually not needed after 5. I have newspaper and debate meetings at 19:00 if they decide to have a meeting that day.
Typically after I am done for the day, I walk through Okalongo. The village is situated directly behind the school and it is great place to think. It is very easy to get lost in the windy trails though and provides many great hiding spots for snakes. For these reasons, I only walk that way before dusk. If I need to get groceries, I take a trip into Oshakati which requires getting a hike and usually ends up in an adventure. Colleagues often knock on my door at night asking to look at my American movies. They are all very interested in American movies and television shows and come to ask my opinion on their favorites. If there is a day when I am missing the States, I watch an episode or two of a television show that reminds me of home and I am set. I have already gotten into the routine of village life as they say and start getting ready for bed at 21:00. The schedule revolves around the sun here. People wake up with the sun and go out in the fields. When the sun goes down, many people do not have electricity meaning no light. This does not permit them to do any more work and they instead go to bed early. Hence, village life: the routine my body has gotten used to. That has been my typical day so far in Okalongo, Namibia. I am happy to say I am definitely in the swing of things now :)