"The Cultural Adjustment Phase"

An important part of the first few months here is cultural adjustment. I have to be open and respectful of the Namibian culture. I am not one to judge; I am here to be immersed in the Namibian lifestyle completely. As a volunteer and an outsider, I have to be conscious of how I am perceived by the people around me whether it is in the community, my learners, or my colleagues. This cultural adjustment has proven to be a two-way street though. These first few months in Namibia have been a mixing and exchanging of two cultures. I learn about the Namibian ways and the people I have met have begun to learn some of my American ways or in some cases my Irish ways. In this post, I would like to fill you in on some of the things I have learned about the Namibian culture and what I have taught the Namibians.
First of all, thanks to my generous aunts, I have received many packages including various types of American candy that my colleagues have now fallen in love with. Here, they call them sweets, but the word “candy” has caught on. There have actually been a couple of arguments in the staff room when a colleague sees I have given someone a sucker and not them. Last week, I gave a demonstration on how to eat FunDip. My learners also appreciate the cookies or biscuits as they are referred to here. I have decided that the Namibians have a different taste bud for sweetness. They think the cookies are “too sweet” and some candies that I think are not sweet at all are too sweet to even to eat. They are not big fans of Starburst because they feel like it coats the throat with sugar. I have started the “what’s up?” trend. When I first greeted people like that they had no idea what I was talking about. Now a few colleagues respond correctly but I still get a lot of “goods.” Some people even say “What’s up?” before I even greet them. A couple of weeks ago, we had a going away party for two colleagues who were leaving the school. It was fun. There was a lot of dancing and then I was pressured to show them an “american dance.” It was the week before St. Patrick’s Day so I told them I would show them an Irish dance. I did a jig for them and they rolled on the floor in laughter. After I was finished, they all mimicked me and tried to copy the dance. To this day, colleagues randomly bust out their imitation of the dance in the staffroom and it brings on howls of laughter. One day on the way to a conference, I experienced a surreal “wow, I’m in Namibia moment.” I was sitting next to the oldest Meme at Haudano in the school bus. I was teaching her how to place solitaire on the iPhone. By the time we arrived at the conference, she had figured the iPhone out and walked around showing off to people. It was a weird moment for me realizing not only the generational difference between the two of us, but also the cultural one. As Americans, we are so focused on technology that we often forget the simplicity of things.
I have also learned a lot about the Namibian superstitions or cultural beliefs. My favorite one I think is about my hair. I was told once that my curly, red hair is equivalent to someone being born with a full mouth of teeth. Meaning that that is how rare my hair is here. If I was born in Namibia with my hair, I would be a queen. One day I was walking with a friend and I was whistling. My friend turned to me and asked me if I knew what that meant in Namibian culture. I said no and asked why. She said in Namibia women are not allowed to whistle. I asked why again. She said because if a woman whistles that means she wants all of her brothers to die so that she can be the man of the household. I have never whistled in public again. They also have many beliefs about animals. I have seen two really cool looking chameleons. They have these crazy feet that change directions when they climb up trees and these eyes that seem like they can move 360 degrees. The first time I saw one I was with three other volunteers and we were really excited about it. We told one of the locals about it and he said in Namibian culture chameleons are not liked. The Namibians do not trust them because they are deceitful animals and can change colors. They change their appearance and deceive people so they can not be trusted. Another animal they despise is snakes. I agree with this one. Snakes are evil creatures and are humans enemies so they must be killed. I was at a shebeen (a bar) once with 2 friends. I saw a small, black snake and did not think anything of it. After a while I pointed it out and said look there’s a snake. I had the entire bar up in arms. Everyone jumped out of their chairs and shouted “where?” One of my friends took a plastic chair and immediately killed it. I found out afterwards that it was in fact poisonous. They also have cultural beliefs about pigs and I have to be honest I do not completely understand this one. Apparently pigs here are sacred. Even though they are smelly and dirty animals, they are very respected. It is said if you have sex in front of a pig, all of your pigs die? I still need to ask more questions about that one.
Another fascinating belief is feet. The first few weeks I was here, I would get compliments on my feet. I did not understand at all so I would be polite and say thank you. I got some many comments that I finally asked why people were complimenting on my feet. I was told that when people compliment me on my feet, they are hitting on me. In a way, they are telling me they want me to be their wife. In pre-colonial Namibia, one way to pick a wife was by her feet. By looking at a woman’s feet, a man would be able to tell what kind of wife a woman was going to be and what kind of profit the man would have. The feet are connected to the success of the couple’s cattle. After learning this I had a friend analyze my feet and why I would be a good wife in traditional Namibia. A woman needed to have small feet which I have. I was told my feet were a good size. I also have a space between my big toe and my second toe. This is unique and a very wifely characteristic to have. The space represents the pastures meaning that the family would have a lot of land for the cows to graze. My feet are not ugly and in proportion meaning that I would be able to deal with the pressures of the family. I was cracking up. It is funny, but it is the culture and I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained.
The staple of Namibian food is mahangu. It is a grain that is made into both food and drink. One food I love is porridge although until recently I did not know the history of it. There are different types of porridge but the primary type of porridge I eat here is mahangu porridge. It is known as pearl millet in the English language. One pounds it in order to make it. It is kind of grainy and at times you feel like you are eating sand. I recently found out that it is in fact sand that I am eating. Mahangu porridge is pounded on a floor covered with termite mounds. This knowledge does not phase me. I still enjoy eating it. The consistency is kind of like mashed potatoes. You do not use utensils. You form it into small balls using your right hand (it is not proper to use both hands). You then dip it into soap (gravy) and eat. The soap and the porridge are my favorite, but you are supposed to eat it with some type of meat, chicken, or fish. Mopani worms are another traditionally Namibian food. I have not tried this and have no interest in eating them. They are basically caterpillars. People love them. They sell them on the streets and can be bought live. I held one once and can not imagine eating them. I have had some of the traditional Namibian drinks. I enjoy oshikundu which is basically a moonshine. It is made with marula juice and then fermented until it is alcoholic. One can drink it as a juice or as an alcoholic beverage. You actually do not what kind you are drinking until after 3 classes. I like it, but I can only drink one glass. It is very vinegary. Another alcoholic drink is Amarula which is made from marula fruit into a creamy liquor that tastes like Kaluha to me.
I am sure I will learn much more as the months go on, but I wanted to fill you in on some of the things I have learned thus far. It is the beginning of our first holiday. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Windhoek for our midservice training and then will be traveling to South Africa with four friends for the holiday. After South Africa two friends and I will be continuing on to Lesotho, a little country inside South Africa. I will be back in a month and will update you all upon my return :)