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ALEC Abroad

Different Yet the Same

July 24, 2012 by o4valenzuela Leave a Comment

by Brandy Dangelmayr

Being at the University of Namibia’s Ogongo campus has been quite the change for all of us. Traveling through Namibia from the Neudamm campus to Gobabeb to Etosha, we had not had a lot of one-on-one interaction with people from Namibia, until we got here!

The campus was quiet the first day we got here, but as the students got back from their four-week holiday, there has been constant music, basketball and soccer games, talking, and laughing. 

Don’t get me wrong. We have been blessed the whole time we have been in Namibia. The hospitality has been wonderful! BUT it is nice to finally talk to college students who are going through the same everyday things that we are.

In Ogongo, we have learned quite a bit! We now know that it is rude to simply say “Hi!” when passing someone. Instead, you should great each other with a “Hello, how are you?” and from there start a conversation.

They even taught us one of their games, netball, which is only played by girls. They explained that “it’s the opposite of basketball,” though I’m not quite sure what that means.

I could name about 50 differences between students in the United States and students here in Namibia, but instead I want to focus on one specific similarity, which is that we are all trying to become better versions of ourselves. It doesn’t matter what language we speak, what village we are from or what food we prefer; it boils down to our end goal. 

As I talked to a fellow student, I quickly learned that we are looking toward our future and trying to learn as much as we can in the little time we have in college.

All of us have a passion for agriculture and the benefits and opportunities that it offers. That is one huge surprise that I have found on this trip, and it is probably the most comforting. 

We don’t need to be intimidated of each other, because, hey, we are in the same boat. It’s really amazing how people from across the globe can be different yet the same!

Filed Under: COALS Study Abroad, Namibia Tagged With: Namibia, University of Namibia

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