a journal on namibian wildlife.

Preconceived Notions about Namibia...

When I first read "bushmen" on Enkosini's website, images of men with loincloths filled my head. The gymnophobic in me was petrified to enter a culture with a 'clothing optional' rule. When I first arrived at the airport, I was shocked by the country's modernity and rusticity. Caught between primitive and modern times, the nice airport sat against the backdrop of the desert lined with dirt roads. My first impression of the bushmen was very similar. Where I was expecting loincloths and loud talking, I found N/a'ankuse jumpsuits and people singing to themselves, avoiding all eye contact. I expected a bold culture, but the country's people seem confused. What's more important these days? Teaching children how to identify cheetah tracks or sending them to school to learn English? For the most part, I found that San parents sent their children to school. Of course, the kids are taught tribe dances, songs, and traditions, but I was surprised by how large of an influence Western society has made on Namibia's bushmen. 

Throughout the entire month, more surprising cultural experiences surfaced. When I left N/a'ankuse to head to Harnas, I was disoriented by the traditional bushmen songs playing in the Toyota van. When I volunteered at the school, the kids were obsessed with the technology behind my camera.When I showed the bushwomen pictures of the kids at school, they seemed to know exactly where to click to see the next picture. 

Needless to say, there are other bushmen societies who adhere more firmly to their traditional lifestyles. However, I spent one month living among some of Namibia's bushmen, learning about who they really are beyond books, websites, and documentaries.

An Experience that Arose as a Result of My Education...

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Surgery on a donkey abscess...
Although I was surrounded by animal medicine throughout my time in Namibia, there were only a few surgical experiences. For one of them, draining a donkey's abscess and aspirating an unknown mass, only a few volunteers were selected to be present. The two vet student volunteers were obviously chosen, as well as one volunteer who had been in charge of the donkey's care. The vet tech in charge of the clinic asked me to be present, too, simply because she recognized my experience and thought I would be useful. Without my biology courses at Vanderbilt and my hours shadowing veterinarians, I would have missed the opportunity entirely to witness how vet medicine is adapted in the African savannah. I got to learn how to calculate anesthesia doses for donkeys and touch up on my knowledge of abscess treatments. My education, therefore, further propelled me into another educational opportunity. Even in a land where education isn't always regarded as significant, my education enhanced my memories and created a better Namibian experience.

An Experience that Arose as a Result of My Nationality...

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Volunteers from around the world...
I left Africa with a journal filled with memories and contact details for people from all over the world. Although a large number were from Norway and Germany, I met volunteers from almost all of the European countries, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and parts of the United States. I got into many UK v. America debates and learned more about other countries than I could have learned in books. I know to get the chocolate milkshakes from Harrods in London, visit the remote villages in India, and spend time on the south island of New Zealand. Once, when a European volunteer found out that I was American, I was immediately criticized for my narrow-minded, isolationist perspective on the world. After a long chat, I finally convinced them that not only is America a diverse collection of individual states (with diversity that rivals the diversity among European countries) but also that I am, in fact, a well-traveled citizen of the world. Americans are not always confined to state and national borders, contrary to stereotypes. Many make an well-intended effort to expand their horizons, seek new cultures, and always question life as they know it.