By Jay Bongey (Northland College)

 

Hi everyone! Jay here at Round River Namibia. So it has been our first week here and I can tell you it has been AMAZING.

It officially started at the Namibia airport where everyone involved in this trip arrived. It was there that I met up with our instructors Rebekah and Vehi as well as my fourth classmate Sam (I had already met up with Becca, Taylor, and Karissa in Johannesburg). We spent the next two nights at the Chameleon Guest House to gather some last minute supplies and explore the city of Windhoek…then it was off on the road to Wereldsend.

The drive to Wereldsend took most of the day but that’s not to say the trip was boring. Among the things we saw included some large termite mounds, one or two troops of baboons, and my personal favorite a ROCK MONITOR LIZARD! Yeah, I love reptiles. Exactly what happened next is a bit of a blur since I took a quick nap but we eventually stopped at a massive sand dune that we students tried to climb. I couldn’t reach the top unfortunately but MAN was that fun. After passing by kudu, springbok, ostrich, and Ruppell’s Korhaan (an endemic bird species), we finally made it to camp. We each settled into our own tents, had dinner, went over a few rules and then went to bed. We would get a full debriefing the next day.

Sleep was a little rough for me but I’ve become acclimated since then and I’m sure the same can be said for everyone else. After a nice breakfast of oatmeal we thoroughly went over safety and behavior protocols then we got a full tour of Wereldsend camp. We were also introduced to other things from animal tracks to giant nocturnal grasshoppers. That night we were told we would be sitting in on an Annual General Meeting at Torra Conservancy, a conference where a local community would gather to discuss current political issues; the Namibian government leave numerous things in the hands of its people such as wildlife conservation.

This gave us a good taste as to what Namibian communities are like. I’ve concluded that I love these people. Such admirable democracy, and hospitality like nothing I had ever experienced. We were merely observers and yet they offered us a delicious full course meal. I made sure I wasted nothing.

I wish I could continue to the day I write this but seeing that my memory is imperfect and that this blog is already running late, the time to draw closure is near. In this first week in Africa I have already experienced an endless majesty. From sleeping to a jackal’s melody to seeking rhinos on a point count. This is a raw and glorious adventure and we’re learning all throughout. Mom, Dad if you and the family are reading this, I’m alright and I love you. There will be more to come from me and everyone else.

P.S. While writing this blog I CAUGHT MY FIRST NAMIBIAN LIZARD!!! SO CUTE!!!

 (photo above by Sam Wasserman: a rock monitor lizard)