Flight to Jo-Berg and Arriving at the Wadadee House!

8:12am June 1st

Danny and I are sitting on the plan next to each other. Slept for about the first 8 or 9 hours which was great thanks to the South African Airways complimentary eye mask, Oh and not to mention a special apology to my Mother who for weeks has been telling me to buy a neck pillow for the plane. How typical of me, I refused. I caved in and purchased one at the airport--possibly the best purchase ever. It was comfortable I was practically wearing it as a scarf around the airport before we departed and almost fell asleep standing up, I was exhausted.

I woke up with about 9 hours left until arrival and did a lap around the plane with Danny to get our blood flowing. There are about 314 people just passed out sleeping and snoring on this flight(the plane was a "Beaute" as Danny says). Browsing through the channels, I found a Liam Neeson movie called Unknown, it was incredible and recommend it to anyone who is reading this. There was action, mystery, romance…what more could a girl want on a 15 hour flight to Africa? Hahahaha.

I also watched “Ideas that Changed the World” for a while, kind of wishing I had a way to tell Vadim to put it on back home.

We were served salami sandwiches with mustard(and surprise pickles!)…this must be my lucky flight!

Only 6:44 minutes left until we arrive in Johannesburg at this point. Dr. Nicholson and I were discussing possibly trying to see at least one sight in Jo-Burg since were going to be there over night. With that being said, I put some Dave Matthews on, sit back and enjoy the ride(…and take another nap).

June 2nd

We have finally arrived at the Namibia Airport! It was actually like the movies where there is nothing in sight but the dessert and we walked off the plane right onto the airport runway/aircraft area! It kind of made us all feel famous LOL.

Sean and George our guides drove us through the city of Windhoek which had very gorgeously built buildings, shops, and restaurants. This city is VERY German which I was not aware of. We made our way down Independence Road to the outskirts of town where we will be working at the after school program(meaning 1pm-5:30pm) which is actually located in Catatura, Namibia.

Even though it was around 4:30pm and the center closes at 5:30pm we went for an hour and met Mary Beth Gallagher the woman who runs the center. Mary Beth was ecstatic to see us because we are not only volunteers but we are actually certified teachers which she does not have come through very often. She is truly an inspiring person and I know I will be learning so much from her as a teacher and a person. Even though I can already see many of the virtues of a great teacher within her, one that stands out after having a group conversation with her(at the BBQ that the Wadadee house members so kindly cooked to welcome us),is zeal. I can tell that she wholeheartedly goes the extra mile for all of the children in Namibia, especially those who voluntarily attend her after school academic program. She loves all of the children as if they are her own and would do anything to insure them of an education that they deserve. We will begin giving lessons and organizing with the other volunteers on Monday, I can't wait!

At first sight of the smiling children at the center playing in the courtyard, I already know it is going to be difficult to leave.

Tomorrow we are off the Etosha National Park, a six hour drive a head of us but I'm sure it will be worth it!

I am beginning to realize how far away from home I am...

So by the previous posts, you've all heard about the 12 hour delay and that we're finally safe and sound in Namibia at the Wadadee House! On our way to the house, we stopped at the Bernard Nordkamp Center, where we'll be volunteering to meet the kids. The children opened the gates and immediately greeted us with hugs and compliments. At that moment, I broke my mother's cardnial rule: DON'T FALL IN LOVE IN AFRICA. Sorry Mom, I fell in love in Africa... with about 100+ beautiful children!

Wer're leaving for Etosha around 5am, so I'm sure we will all have exciting posts after this weekend! Miss you and love you <3

Laura

We Are Here!

HI MOM AND DAD!

(and everyone else's mom and dad...and all the other followers...)

We finally made it to Windhoek, Namibia and are safe and comfortable in our guest house, the Waddadee House, and are about to have a traditional Namibian style, meat-filled BBQ. After our 12 hour delay in New York and our 15 hour flight to Johannesburg, we spent the night in a Jo'burg hotel and met some amazing people (and tried Jo'burg brewed Castle for the first time as well). We left the hotel this morning to get to the airport and then made the 2 hour flight to Windhoek (which, after the 15 hour flight to Jo'burg seemed like NOTHING). The sight of Namibia when we got off the plane was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and we were immediately picked up by Shaun, who owns the Waddadee House, and driven to the Centre where we met the kids for the first time. We are already completely in love with them and looking forward to teaching them for the next week and a half. Tomorrow morning we are leaving at 5 to make the 6 hour drive to Etosha, which is where we will go on safari during the day and sleep in tents at night. Yes, dad, me...in a tent...in the African wilderness. So we are running down to the BBQ now but we love you and miss you and hope you're keeping the home fires burning!

xoxo

And We're Off...

…to JFK International Hotel. Our 11:40am flight has been delayed to 11:59pm tonight! We will be spending the day at the hotel, as well as, tomorrow night in Johannesburg, birth city of my main man, Dave Matthews. I think subconsciously I wanted to spend more time in Jo-Burg for this reason alone, but you know what they say, “be careful of what you wish for.” The wait will make arriving at our final destination that much better!

Ironically, the De La Salle “Virtue of a Good Teacher” that I chose at random this morning is that of “Reserve”(Self-control). De La Salle wants teachers to control themselves and show restraint in the face of annoyance.

In the hotel, we plan to take advantage of the few complimentary meals and review some of the children’s books we brought along that we plan on teaching with; my favorite being The Grouchy Ladybug, of corse. How fitting. Everyone is planning on taking naps and just hanging out around here. Becca and I went on an adventure and unfortunately, the pool's closed:(

After all, the journey is the destination, right? Here we go!!!

A Message from Br. Ray

This is a reprint of the e-mail that Br. Ray sent each of us today:

To our Missionaries,

Tomorrow, you will begin your long-anticipated journey from Manhattan College to Namibia! This global awareness adventure will impact your lives, the lives of your future students and the schools you will be teaching at in the future. This trip will not only broaden your horizons as a future educator but it will also promote within you a sense of global awareness and global thinking - a MUST for highly effective teachers of the 21st century.

I have faith that each of you are ready for this life-changing experience. It will be an exciting adventure! I have no doubt you will bring the charism of De La Salle and the Ideals of Kappa Delta Pi to the young people of Namibia by reaching out and "touching their minds and hearts." You need only to bring the essentials: a willingness to get your hands dirty and a desire to help others who are less fortunate than you.

I hope you bring your small "mirrors" with you as a reminder that you are going to be "reflectors of the light" - the light of knowledge, truth, understanding, and love to the people you encounter on your journey.

Sometimes we get angry at God when we see poverty, hunger, conflict, violence, etc. and ask Him, "Why do you permit this stuff to happen? Why don't you do somthing about it?" I would expect his answer to be: "I certainly did do something. I MADE YOU!" Each of us is truly one of God's angels on earth. He has given us everyting we need to make a difference. You can also be sure that God has gone to Namibia to prepare for your arrival and will be with you and protect you as you do His Work. He will give you the strength to carry out this mission.
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I wish I could be with you - I know you will all do well! I especially would love to be there for the sessions of reflection on your experiences. I'm sure that the Owl of Minerva will be with all of you. I especially want to thank the Dean, Dr. Nicholson, Br. Augustine, Dr. McCarthy, and the members of the group who worked hard and came to all the meetings in order for this trip to become reality.

I celebrate you, your generosity, and your courage to volunteer to help these young people of Namibia! We will pray for you each day.

Enjoy the Journey!

Brother Ray

So soon!

Words cannot begin to describe how excited I am for this trip. I cannot believe how soon it is! I have been stressing out about all of the packing and the little details but once I think about our arrival in Namibia and how incredible of an experience it will be, it all seems more than worth it! This is a once-in a lifetime opportunity and I am so thankful that I was able to take part in it!

One Step Closer

There was a special feeling that I used to get that would take over my mind and body when I used to lace up my sneakers for a basketball game. It was a feeling that I got when I had faith in myself and in my teammates. This feeling let me know that we had prepared ourselves as best as we could for those four quarters spent on the court, to do what we had set out to do. Everything was silent in a noisy high school gym, but I stayed focused and could feel the composed energy of my team lifting me to believe that anything was possible at this instant. This feeling only lasted a few moments at most, but in those quick blurs, my mental preparedness and confidence meant everything, not only to me but to my teammates as well. Once I graduated high school and no longer played basketball competitively, I lost this feeling, this rush to do what I was so ready to do and so passionate about. I spent the first three years of my college career trying to find this alternate state of consciousness in other things. I think I finally have found it...

As I sit here trying to organize and reorganize my thoughts, nerves, apprehensions, excitement, and my luggage(yikes!) to prepare myself for this journey, I realize something that is key. It is within these wee hours of the night that I begin to feel that rush take over me as if I were stepping onto the basketball court once again. My body goes off to another place, my mind follows, and it is only my team and I taking action together, reaching for our common goal. This full body and mind experience is at first unfamiliar. But immediately, I bring myself to the conclusion that teaching and learning is what my team and I have spent years on opening our minds to and working to perfect, this is what we do best. This is our passion.

We have not left the USA yet, but I am already learning so much about myself as a teacher and how I want to be a life long learner. I am so ready.