An African Wedding and more Pictures!

Good Evening!

Last Saturday night I was given the privilege of being invited to a wedding reception. My host Mom, Tully, took me to her cousins reception at the Vocational Training Academy Hall in Khomsdal. The reception was suppose to start at 5pm but we are in Africa so it started at 7. One of the best parts of the reception was that half of the people were in traditional dress. Each tribe has its own dress and they are all beautiful! When the bride and groom, an American from Chicago, finally made their entrance they were proceeded by the 'elders' waving brooms and chanting their traditional songs. It was remarkable. The food was served buffet style and was typical Oshavambo fair. My favorite was the curried carrots! They were awesome! I can not wait to bring them back to my family.

The rest of the week I was shown how a Namibian family in Windhoek lives. They work very hard and have very little free time. Tully works full time at Standard Bank and Bjorn is a plumber during the day and delivers food at night. His typical work day is from 7am-10pm. I did not get to see him very often. I was able to watch Sports Center and ER on their TV which was great! They have 2 little girls named Inga and Erna. Inga, who is 8, was not pleased to be sharing her house with me but the Erna was thrilled. They also have a 'live in nanny' who just came to Windhoek from the North. I do not believe she is paid anything but is given a place to sleep, bathe, and is provided food. It was interesting to see the interaction between her and Tully. Namibia was just ranked the most unequal society in terms of wealth in the world. Class is a very large barrier that is defined by race, ethnicity, and geographic location.

The cost of food here takes up almost 60% of these families monthly income. A loaf of bread, in real dollar amount, would cost 13.59 in the USA and a 20 pack of diapers would be $76.00. I did not understand the impact the global food crisis is having on the poor until I arrived here.

Today, was on the best days! I came back from my homestay around 7:30 and went for a run before walking downtown to get some real coffee. If I walk far enough I can find freshly brewed coffee everyday! Whew...no more instant coffee! Well not all the time anyways! Then I came back and sat by our pool for hours reading The Economist and Newsweek. It was great to get my news fix for the week. I also was able to talk on the phone to my parents for about 1 hour. It was very refreshing to hear their voices and to realize that I am not as far from home as I thought I was. I can not thank you all enough for sending e-mails, commenting on this blogs, and making it known that you are following my adventure and thinking of me! Its wonderful!

I have uploaded some more pictures to my picasa web album. Here is the link http://picasaweb.google.com/kristinannehubbard/WindoekWeeks123 for the new album. You can also just go to http://picasaweb.google.com/kristinannehubbard at any time to see if I have updated my photos. Dad- just put that link in your favorites and it will be much easier!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!