Hello everyone! I'm happy to share the first article in my blog. I will tell you here about my arrival in Namibia, my first impressions, and the organization where I did my internship. The publication dates of my blog may not match the dates of my stay because I was in a place with a poor internet connection and the conditions weren't suitable to upload at the time.
For my internship this summer, I decided to volunteered in an animal center for the protection of wildlife in Namibia. I traveled to the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary reserve and stayed for three weeks. I found this volunteer mission through the association Global ONG, which helped me prepare for and supported my stay. I've never been to Africa before, so it was a whole new experience for me.
I flew to Windhoek (which means in Afrikaans "place where the wind blows"), the capital of Namibia, after a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Because of covid-19, the first challenge was that I needed a compelling reason to leave France and be in Namibia. Fortunately I have been vaccinated, and my mission as a volunteer with an internship agreement was enough of a reason for my trip to be approved. After a flight of about 10 hours, as the plane was starting to land, I found a stunningly beautiful desert landscape before my eyes.
When I arrived at the Windhoek airport, there was a man holding a sign with several names on it, including mine. I changed my money into Namibian dollars (1 euro = 16.65 Namibian dollars) and bought a SIM card with an internet package. We waited for all the other volunteer, there were Czechs, Germans, Swiss, Dutch and Spanish of all ages. We then took a jeep and headed to Naansuke's reserve which was an hour's drive away. I was surprised to see people driving on the left and with the steering wheel on the right, like in England! What they called a road looked more like a path, and it was tough with lots of sand and pebbles. The car was bouncing around so much that I thought we were going to puncture a tire!
We then arrived at the reserve, the person in charge "Corné" explained all the rules to us. He showed us where to drop off our laundry, where to eat, where to find the recycling, our tents, how to access the Wi-Fi, the bar, etc... Meals were served at fixed hours and Wi-Fi was available during those same hours. We also had a presentation of the reserve and its history for all newcomers.
During our stay, we can choose to participate in additional ways to help. There are several options for which you must register in advance. For example, there is a clinic where we can help doctors treat the poor Namibian population, the Kanaan desert in the south, Neuras, the TimBila reserve in the north, a lunch at the Naankuse lodge, or an internship at the Naankuse school. Some of these programs require payment (around 70 euros) because we, as volunteers, need to pay for things like our transport by car.
Corné sent us the schedule by WhatsApp, and a form to complete. Our days were divided into two parts separated by lunch. During the morning, breakfast was served from 7am to 8am. At 8am, all the volunteers would meet and the managers would assign us each a group and a mission. We worked on this mission until 1pm, then lunch was served until 2.30pm. In the afternoon, we had another meeting where we were assigned other missions that lasted until 5.30 p.m. Dinner was served at 6pm, after which we chatted with the other volunteers around the fire until late at night. On Saturday afternoons, we had no missions but were free to do other activities organized by the staff. There was also a barbecue in the evening, which they called "Braai", with a tons of meat and lots of people, including the children of the Naankuse school and the founders of the organization, Marlice and Rudie. On Sundays there are no missions (except the preparation of animal food, which is mandatory), there are only departures for lunch at the Naankuse lodge.
After receiving so much information following my 10 hour flight, I then went directly to my tent to sleep. I was exhausted! Fortunately, as France and Namibia are almost on the same longitude, there was no jet lag and this makes it easier to adapt. Our tents were right in the middle of the savannah and the view was amazing. Next to our main tent, there was a smaller tent with a shower and toilet.
The volunteers who had arrived before us were very welcoming, in the evening we sat around a fire to talk and get to know one another. The group included Namibians working in the reserve full-time. Some taught and accompanied us during the different missions, while others worked in the kitchen to prepare meals and do the dishes.
When I walked to my tent to go to bed, I was surprised by the beauty and clarity of the sky. I could see so many stars and clearly see Milky Way with its various branches. It was very cold and everything was completely dark and without the city lights I'm so used to. To sleep, I needed my sleeping bag, a blanket and two duvets to keep warm.
This first day was very interesting, but I also felt lost because there was a lot of information to remember and I had a lot of questions that I couldn't articulate. I did not think it was too hard to express myself in English, but I still sometimes feel that I lack the needed vocabulary. While I was disappointed that my SIM card didn't allow me to call France, I could still call my family thanks to the internet package and WhatsApp but the connection was quite bad. I have rarely felt like I was in such a remote place in the world! During the day, the sun beats down hard and the wind is fierce, and during the night it's very cold (up to -5 degrees!) because it's currently winter in Namibia, since its latitude is opposite that of France.