From Windhoek to the World

Monday, November 7, 2011

The peace and quiet of Sunday evening has given way to a Monday morning bustle in Windhoek, as it does in many cities. We fan out in all directions, seeking gifts for those back home, or maybe a late-morning ice cream as the sun climbs higher. We bump into each other, and into a few crew members from the Jewel of the Desert, as we wander. Our two weeks of wonderful memories are an unspoken bond we all share.

But it is time for us to head to the airport and our next destinations. Some are taking Road Scholar's extension to Victoria Falls and Capetown. Others are traveling to Madagascar in search of lemurs and more new experiences. Most of us, though, are heading back to the United States, whether it's through Frankfurt, London, or Dakar, Senegal. Hanging out in airports and jetliners are a small price to pay for yet another adventure of a lifetime. 

Some of us described it by way of analogy. Our program was like summer camp for adults; Namibia's nature parks were the closest thing to Jurassic Park, the movie. In the desert, we were Lawrence of Arabia. But mostly, we have been ourselves, made much happier by the goofy struts of ostriches and guinea fowls, the curious look from the top of a giraffe's tall neck, or the sideways sway of elephants walking toward us.


It's impossible to sum up the experience

in a few words. But, as it turns out, there are words that come close to capturing the inspiration of it all, and they can be found at the very first place we visited, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. In the Veld Garden, a place of contemplation after the museum's many stories of struggle and triumph, a plaque stands with a message written specifically for South Africa. But its final sentences will always mean much more to me. 

"Take a moment to walk and contemplate the beauty of this, our country. Think of what has gone before and what is still to come. And then walk away free."