JP in Namibia: My New Home (Away From Home)

I am all settled in my new home away from home. For my Mom’s sake, I cannot just say it is my new home because as she has said many times before, “Home is where your mom is”. Regardless, I have fully moved into my place in Swakopmund.

My house is situated in The Location. Essentially all towns in Namibia have what is referred to as The Location. This is where the blacks lived during Apartheid and it still where the majority of blacks live today. For the most part, the housing is formal with cement or brick houses on designated plots of land. They are on the grid with running water and electricity. On these plots of land however are many informal houses. These are typically tin or wooden shacks that are used as living quarters or just extra space. There are informal neighborhoods where the majority of houses are shacks with no running water or electricity. These neighborhoods spring up out of necessity.

The Location in Swakopmund is called Mondesa. It is a pretty large area that is just outside of town. From my house it takes 30 minutes to walk to town (at a decent pace). There is a Woermann Brock by my house. WB is a Namibian grocery store chain. Most groceries here are South African. There are also a lot of other informal stores around which include hair salons/barber shops, tuckshops (mini convenient stores), kapana (grilled chopped up meat), shebeens (bars), and other random stores. Most of these informal stores are set up on the person’s property. There are also schools and churches in Mondesa.

My house is a 1 floor split unit in my landlady’s backyard. The other unit is occupied by Justin a fellow PCV. My unit is one big room and a bathroom. When you walk in the kitchen area is on the right, bathroom is on the left, my bed is in the back right of the room. It’s not much, but I can’t complain. I especially cannot complain because I have hot water. It actually gets chilly in Swakopmund, so a hot shower is quite the luxury. Namibians say that you will experience all 4 seasons in one day here. This is somewhat true for them, but definitely not for a New Englander. On the outside there are clothes lines to hang my hand washed clothes (there is a laundry bar in town which I plan on going to at least once a month). Justin and I also hope to up our gardening game as well as get or build a braai stand (grill).

My commute to work is about a 15-20 minute walk depending on my pace. Once I get a bike it will be a breeze. I still have to get to know my neighbors, but I seem to be surrounded by some good people. There is my landlady, Vicky, who is very friendly. She has a son, Eddy, who has way to much energy. One neighbor is Justin’s supervisor, Michelle. Another runs a sandboarding business, so I’ll make good friends with him. On the other side is a guy getting his master’s degree online.