It's been 10 weeks of class with Professor Bob Siegel and several other Stanford students, and I have to admit I am so grateful for it. Freshman year, I took a 1 unit class before heading to Nicaragua in the spring. In this class, I learned absolutely nothing about the country, the people, the history, the problems, the economy, the biogeography -- nothing. I arrived in a country prepared to stay 8 weeks in, and I knew absolutely nothing about. I was taken aback having to learn everything about the country on the ground. I had to learn about voluntourism by doing it, about the food by picking it apart and sifting through it, about the history by skimming through Wikipedia late into the night, about the politics by observing the propaganda and watching the news every evening with my host families. I learned an incredible amount while I was there, but sorely regretted my lack of knowledge. Looking back, I can't believe I was naive enough to enter Nicaragua completely clueless; maybe if I'd known a thing or two, I wouldn't have been as frustrated by the problems, the government, the attitudes, and much more.
That's why I am certainly thankful to be going to Namibia so much more well-equipped than I was for Nicaragua. I have little doubt this will lead to deeper exploration and appreciation for the various phenomena we are about to witness. And hopefully, instead of a rant or a major upsetting surprise, I will have a story to tell, as Forrest described in class last week. I am glad for Bob's class; whether or not it actually prepared me will be put to the test in August. But it certainly has given me a background and piece of mind that I strongly value after what I went through last summer.
I beg for Namibia to bring plot-twists our way, because I know that while I can't say we are prepared for anything, we certainly have tried our best to be. And that, I hope, fulfills some sort of ethical requirement as foreign traveler.
-Michelle, 3/11
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