Hello TTS friends and family! Welcome back to the student blog! This is our second student blog and we are so excited to introduce you to our most recent adventures! Over these past few weeks we have come across some of the most unbelievable experiences and once in a lifetime sights. We have created a fun while still educational space for nature to express itself and people to build connections with the students here at TTS.
First, we will give a brief insight into our transition from our campsite at Elephant Sands into the city of Maun. We wrapped up our elephant observations on the morning of September 14th and headed out of town earlier in the morning than expected. Our early departure was prompted by the surprise daily sandstorms that I’m sure any student will tell you they do not miss after many nights of sand filled sleeping bags.
Elephant Sands Campsite, by Taran
Upon our arrival in our first big city, the only thing on our curiosity filled minds was what was to come. After a short two night stay in our Maun campsite, we headed off on a multi night stay on the Okavango Delta. Whilst on this trip, we saw tons of animals and built connections with so many beautiful souls that were open and excited to teach us about their culture and traditions. During a tea time talk, one of our guides, Philemon, stated “I can never forget the traditional experiences our parents taught us before”. When we asked Nickelback, another guide, about his favorite part of guiding, it was clear that he owes his knowledge and passion to his ancestors. He said:
“My favorite about guiding is the nature. I love walking. I love to teach a lot about the nature. I was born and raised here and my father and my mother and our heritage, they do it for us. It’s a business… They [referring to elderly people] give me and teach me a part of their heart. It’s my job. It’s Bayeyi history. They created our culture. We take this from them. They teach us about our history.”
By the end of the trip, many of us were able to relate to the love for nature that Phil and Nickelback had expressed to us. Betty noted that “The Okavango Delta trip was so incredible. We learned so much about the wildlife but also about the culture and history of the area.”
Okavango Delta, by Olive
TTS41 Charting Their Next Adventure, by Ellē
Following our once in a lifetime experience on the Delta, we were given the opportunity to speak with Thoralf Meyer, a researcher based in Botswana for 8 months out of the year and Texas for the other 4 where he teaches an environmental studies class at the University of Texas at Austin. He provided us with loads of knowledge surrounding the science of plants, agricultural wellbeing in the country of Botswana, and “changing climate conditions” as he prefers to say. He generously took the time to answer our questions and shared some words of wisdom. He told us to “always be open for the opinion of others and try not to be judgemental of what other people are doing because they are doing things differently”.
Over the next few days, we prepared Big Blue for our transition and spent every last Pula we had on snacks that, of course, did not last nearly as long as expected. We hopped on the bus and headed off on the longest, hottest, bumpiest, and most worth it bus ride (nearly 10 hours!). We arrived at Tuskers Campsite with a bus full of stomach issues and one tired team that desperately needed a snack and a nap. We got camp setup and introduced ourselves to the wonderful family of owners and their small puppy pack, a group of terriers that helped with pest control on the property by eating scorpions. After the rest and reading time, we packed up again. This stop was only a few nights and we were off on our next big adventure into urban Namibia.
Puppy Visit, by Olive
All Aboard Big Blue, by Taran
In our most recent days, we have explored the beautiful city of Windhoek and all the history that it has to share. We had a poetry reading class at the National Library of Namibia where we had the pleasure of viewing some national archives ourselves. These included the original Namibian Constitution and photos of San people from many years ago. To continue our exploration into the history of Namibia, we visited The Independence Museum. We were led through the museum by a man named Josiah Matengu who shared his very detailed knowledge concerning the history of Namibia and its’ fight for independence. Through him and the artifacts and stories displayed in the museum, we learned about things like SWAPO and its significance in the gaining of independence for the country. He shared with us that “history is written by the victor” and that the museum is trying to acknowledge the many people who were never given a chance to tell their story and give them a place of recognition for their efforts and accomplishments in the struggle for independence. After the museum visit, we had an amazing discussion on the lawn of the Namibian Parliament Building, and continued conversations about the role of traditional San people values in comparison to the modern post-colonial society built in Namibia today.
That’s all for this week, see you next time!
-Marina and Taran
Marina
Taran
