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A couple of weeks ago, we had a farewell braai for an intern that was leaving Gobabeb. Braais are a fairly common occurrence over here, and are thrown to celebrate a birthday, welcome or bid farewell to someone, or just as an excuse to cook good food and dance. The setting is almost always The Slums (although we're not officially allowed to call it that anymore). On the walls are colorful depictions of chameleons and zebra, abstract renditions of the desert, and painting of the water tower (the unofficial symbol of this centre), all hand-painted by anonymous Gobabebians from years before. The walls shelter us from the chilling wind of the night, and the stars shine bright above. After an incredible dinner, we were all standing around talking and laughing, and I stopped to look around me. I was talking with a German hydrological engineer, a drilling technician from South Africa, an Austrian librarian, a Namibian college student, an American couple that's lived for thirty years in Botswana, a geologist from
the UK, two Namibian researchers, and a Bajan (as in, from Barbados). The fact that I was surrounded by an incredibly diverse group of friends was amazing, but even more amazing, was that I felt completely and totally at home. I had been here for a little over two months, and it felt like the most natural place in the world for me to be.
Last night, a few of us drove to Mirabeb, a large rock outcropping about 30 K away. It's a spectacular sight, to see a huge rock island (or inselberg, as they're called here) jutting out from the ocean of flat desert surrounding it. We walked around for a while, and then sat in the back of our truck and shared a bottle of wine and watched the sun set. Driving back, Nadia and I talked and laughed, and I was again struck with this overwhelming feeling like this was where I was supposed to be. It's a feeling I can't quite describe, but I know that I will always remember driving home from Mirabeb that night, and how perfect everything seemed.
There are moments like that out here, where I am simultaneously shocked at where I am and what I'm doing, and yet overwhelmed by the feeling like this is exactly where I should be and this is what I should be doing.
The past three months have been extraordinarily amazing. Working at the Gobabeb Centre for the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia is an incredible experience, one that I feel very lucky to have. The DRFN is a dynamic organization, and working for it has already given me insight into how NGO's succeed, why they sometimes don't succeed, and how important they are in countries such as Namibia.
My position here is varied and diverse. My primary responsibilities, as the Research and Information Technology Assistant, are to assist visiting researchers and maintain the computer systems and Information Technology aspects at the station. I am also the logistics coordinator for the Summer Desertification Programme, a highly successful 10-week training course for Namibian college students.
The Gobabeb Centre often hosts international researchers, and part of my job is to help them with various aspects when they arrive, or help them organize details before they arrive. This is a great function, and means that I get to meet and work with a lot of different people from all over the world, and learn a bit about what they're doing out here. I've also had the opportunity to work with film crews that visit the station; giving them information about animals that they are interested in, and helping them film.
The Summer Desertification Programme is a field course for Namibian college students that runs through summer break (November-January down here) and serves as a training course for students near the end of their education. It's incredibly successful, and draws hundreds of applicants for only a few positions. My role in SDP is logistics coordination, including making sure we have enough supplies and field equipment. I am also participating in the planning of the course, and will document the entire process, eventually compiling all the information into an occasional paper that is published every year by the DRFN.
The other major component of my job here is to maintain the computer systems, in coordination with another research assistant. We are both responsible for maintaining the network servers, downloading email, and general computer maintenance around the station. I had no qualifications for this, other than the experience I gained from using my own computer, but after three months, I'm amazed at how much I've learned, and am quite impressed with the skills that I've picked up.
The past three months have been amazing. I have already learned so much about the environment that I'm living and working in, the country, the culture and the work that the DRFN and GTRC do. I applied for this fellowship because I was interested in the work that's going on here. But I also wanted the experience of living in southern Africa for a year, and wanted to be able to take this year and think about where I want to go from here. I've worked for a governmental development organization in Africa, and wanted the opportunity to work for a non-governmental development organization. I wanted to observe and learn more about what goes on here, and I wanted to think about where I now want to go with my education and career.
But I also applied for this fellowship because I wanted to get away from it all for a while. Living out here for the past three months has taught me so much about my self, my priorities, my goals, and my country and culture. From here, I can take a look at where I've been and what I've done (professionally, personally, emotionally), and also think about what lies ahead. It gets busy out here, but somehow, I find that it's really conducive to thinking and reflecting and taking a step back from everything that I was immersed in back in the States.
This fellowship is difficult, though. The DRFN is an incredible organization, but it's sometimes frustrating to work in. Sometimes it seems like you spend your days working your ass off, and nothing gets done. Miscommunication and non-communication are commonplace, funding is never enough, and I sometimes feel like I'm running from crisis to crisis, never actually able to work on some of the more long-term projects. Working with the IT around here makes this especially so. But a lot of the difficulties I've experienced in the past three months have been issues that I would bet most people encounter in their first job. It's difficult, coming from Grinnell, to accept that you won't be informed of every decision made, and you're opinion will not always be asked for. There will invariably be people who you don't get along with so much, but you'll have to work with them anyway. You can't just change lab groups if you can't stand your project partner here. One of the toughest aspects of this job is not taki
ng it too seriously. It's very easy to get wrapped up in a project or an issue and get too involved. It's very easy to work 15 hours a day (although not much more, since we only have 17 hours of power/day), and to spend all your time thinking about work. I'm here not just for the work, but also the entire experience, and I make a conscious decision to get done what I can get done, and not stress about it too much.
Communal living is another challenge. Living and working here creates a very intense environment, just as in Grinnell. Living, working, eating with, and socializing with the same people can get tiring after a while, especially if you talk about work all the time. I deal with it by running. My every-other-day jogging sessions really help me clear my mind and get away from it all for a while. Plus, it's beautiful to just run full force into the gravel plains. You just have to do something to get away, even if it's only for twenty minutes. Nadia and I also make a point of talking about non-work related things as often as possible. It really lightens the mood to have everyone over for dinner or drinks and to talk about things completely unrelated to work.
As challenging as this fellowship can be at some times, the joys of living and working here make it all worth it. I have learned more in the past three months than I ever imagined possible. I love my job, even with all the stress. It's fascinating working for an NGO like the DRFN, and has given me so much insight. The projects I'm working on are incredible, and I really think that eventually they will contribute to making a difference in this wonderful country. Living out here is such a great experience, too. My front yard is the oldest desert in the world, my backyard beautiful gravel plains and inselbergs. I can walk in a different direction every day of the week and find completely different, amazingly beautiful scenery surrounding me. I am working with incredible people. The staff at GTRC really is wonderful, and it's fun to meet all the visitors that come in and out of this place. I can go to Windhoek if I'm craving a big city (although big is relative), and I can go to Swakopmund if I want to just w
alk around a nice little town. As the year passes, we'll get more time to travel and explore the rest of the country, and I have faith that it's just as incredible and beautiful as what I've already seen. The friends and memories I've already made here will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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