One Summer Christmas

A Few Holiday Lights in Khorixas Town

So yeah just a reminder to all, all countries in the Southern Hemisphere have opposite seasons than the north. The movie industry is very biased to those above the equator. I mean during Christmas it is always snowing or at least cold for my Texas folks. While you guys were drinking hot cocoa and bundled by the fireplace, I was sweating in my sleep. I neglected to put sunscreen one day and burned my whole body. So now that I have set the scenery for you of the hot African summer holidays, there is clarification on a few things. Santa Claus does not exist here. There is no holiday music playing. There is not the traditional Christmas festivities held in America. Some children get presents, but many don't. Some don't even get to eat on Christmas Day. Since Santa Claus has not existed here before and children are now having television, parents are now faced with the struggle of children wanting gifts from Santa Claus. Similar to The States, December becomes a time of large expense with visitors passing through. In Khorixas, most residents go to their farms or go to Swakopmund at the coast. So the town is very empty or filled with many non-residents.

So what did I do for the holidays, then? Well, I toured the southern part of Namibia. Before Group 39 departed to our sites in May we decided to have Christmas in Luderitz and it would be called “LudaChristmas”. Well, we kept our word and most of us gathered at the coastal town to celebrate. We visited a ghost town which was established because of diamonds and deserted once there were no more diamonds to be found. I am always amused at the locations which  towns are established and developed. For Luderitz, there is only sand for several hours before you reach another town. There are people bulldozing sand off the roads daily. I never thought I would see such a sight! There is a large “Luderitz” sign like the “Hollywood” sign which we took pictures in front of. We took a boat ride to an island and saw dolphins and seals on the way out and on the island penguins and flamingos! And of course we ate as much seafood as we could: oysters, fish, calamari. Mmmm:)

Dolphins!

Penguins on Halifux Island

Yeah we Peace Corp Vols are creative!

Girls Night in Keetmans!

During the trip we also had a girls night out in Keetmanshoop which is always necessary. Basically we got to play American, going to a nice bar and talking without slowing our speech or censoring any content. We were free to embrace ourselves and our culture. It was very pleasant.


I also hopped on the Gordon Van! One volunteer’s mom came to Namibia for the holiday season. I got to ride in a car with an American driver and everyone spoke English! It felt like an American family road trip. It was nice to hear the mother-daughter family laughs, talks and quarrels. It was very refreshing. I also got to eat at some nice lodges and even went on a game drive where I got to see my first zebras, giraffes, and some other horned beasts.

Game Drive with the Gordons!

Now onto the emotional side…
Despite all the fun, this past December was probably the darkest time in my life. To thrive in a land so far away and so different from my own takes a certain kind of strength. With my Dad’s unexpected death shortly before departing The Great States, the most I could emotionally prepare myself for was getting on the plane. I have encountered and overcome other challenges upon arriving here. You can never really prepare for what happens in life. My world has changed and it will never be the same again. I have been reminded that the only stable and consistent in life is God’s love. He loves me even through my most wicked thoughts and actions. He loved me even though I refused to celebrate His Son’s birth. My heart ached so much. Just when I thought I was adjusting fine, I was reminded of my greatest loves I left behind. Moments I never imagined I would miss – I did. Over the years my family had created our own traditions we all came to love and respect so much. This year I didn't have that. This was my first Christmas away, my nephew’s first Christmas, my nieces first Christmas and all of our first Christmas without that roaring voice, big smile and open arms from my Dad. I couldn't even say Merry Christmas; I might of said it once. As I noted earlier, it is not very commercialized so it was pretty easy to ignore the day. It was too much to accept. Ignorance probably wasn't the best way to handle it, but it was my natural defense mechanism. I felt like a zombie, numb to the world around me. Life presented some precious moments which allowed me to feel such as seeing animals in their natural habitat which I had never seen before and the unity and togetherness of Group 39.

2011 Christmas Tree Cutting

2013 Family Christmas Photo

SOME MOMENTS I MISSED...

Stacy's (my sister) Pregnancy

Miranda's (my niece from Stacy) Baptism

      

Lil Whittaker Family

The Murphy's (my sister) Big Move

Waylan (my brother's child) is now walking!

After my travels, I was able to have time to mourn and accept that 2015 will be the first year without my Dad. I will also miss the growth and development of some beautiful babies in the family. I still struggle, but I am learning to embrace the good and have a different perspective. My service ends in May/June 2016, so this is my full year in Khorixas, Namibia. This is the year I can make the biggest difference and most positive change. God has given me the gift of a new counterpart who has the hard work ethic of an American with the love of Jesus to help people. He is just what I needed to stay committed to my service as it can be hard to be self-motivated. He keeps me accountable for my projects, respects the theories I work from and I value his feedback and support. I do believe we will be able to shift the mindset of Khorixas, at least a good handful or two of people.

The Man I Will Forever Miss - My Dad

FaceTime with Mom, Meme, Miranda & Stacy!
This gets me through the tough times!

My New Counterpart: Simbarashe