Namibian Ingredients

There are certain ingredients that make living in Namibia so special… I would love to take some home with me…but some I'd rather leave in Namibia :)

Having a big “Braai” (BBQ) with family and friends with “Poikie” (hotpot that has to cook for 6 (!!!) hours on the BBQ made of potatoes, Boereworst (sausage), veggies )

The Boerewors (a long, spicy sausage that is rolled together in a circle) as a starter .. everyone just picks a piece of wors from the BBQ

The Amarula .. creamy liquor that tastes a bit like Bailey’s but has a slight flavor of lemon

The Savanna Cider… it’s lovely for warm summer evenings

The Ostrich, Oryx, Springbok steak- juicy and wild !

The Butternut… a sweet pumpkin that you cook with cinnamon or nutmeg

The Sundowners: you select a nice spot in the nature and celebrate the sunset with a drink and some snacks

Driving an old, big, rusty truck around never-ending roads

The spectacular lightnings and thunderstorms you get here every time (!) it rains in summer

The colors of a sunset- they’re different everyday

The fact that people are celebrating rain

The smell in the desert after a heavy rainfall

Endless, wide, open landscapes.. they just give you a true feeling of freedom and peace

People from the Ovambo tribe singing and dancing traditionally.. It’s pure passion & fun

The fresh oysters and crayfish at the coast

Dogs, dogs, dogs

Saying "Kak!" and "ne man!" without being rude

Calling each other "sister" or "girlfriend" (the girls)
...

The long distances you have to drive to any kind of grocery store

The fact that there is almost no water coming out of taps around midday

Snakes, scorpions, red wasps, ticks and mosquitoes

The fact that electricity breaks down after a heavy rainfall or thunderstorm

Having to worry about draught and lack of water all the time

The fact that you greet people with a kiss on the mouth, even if you've only met them once before

Job & People

In the course of my first year of tourism management studies at Inholland hogeschool, I decided to do my five months internship at the holiday lodge of “Klein-Aus Vista” in Namibia. For more than three months, I have been living in the settlement of Aus and working at the family business of Klein-Aus Vista.

The job.


The internship at Klein-Aus Vista involves looking into the various departments of the business including guest relations, HRM, Marketing, Finance and Planning and Development. Thus, I get a very good understanding of how a medium tourism enterprise is actually set up, managed and operated. The fact that the business is family-run makes it easy for me to communicate with all departments because all the managers have close relationships with each other. Even though, I am dealing with tasks concerning a mixture of departments, the main focus of my placement lays on staff training and planning and development tasks. Teaching the employees German lessons and basic computer skills is a very enriching and fulfilling job as it gives me the chance to also get to know the “lower layers” of the organization as well as the local culture. Furthermore, most of the staff is very enthusiastic and motivated about the classes and about learning something new, which is why it is very enjoyable educating them.
Regarding my role in the department of Planning& Development, I am assisting my company tutor with the creation of an Environmental Land Use plan for the company’s farm land which counts 51,000 hectares. Currently, we are doing secondary research on topics such as Eco-tourism, Tourism Planning, Sustainable Tourism and Game Farming in order to collect a usable set of guidelines which can also be applied to Klein-Aus Vista. Moreover, we look at the resources of the farm (water, energy, flora and fauna) and evaluate how they can be managed in the most eco-friendly way. Concrete plans for waste management, water management, tourism management etc. will be written by us and signed by Klein-Aus Vista’s owners so that the company consequently integrates a more sustainable and environmentally friendly concept of management. Besides these major tasks, I am regularly helping with the stock management of the curio shop (counting sales and stock, buying new stock etc) and work on creating a data base of direct booking customers. From time to time, I am also working as a waitress in KAV’s restaurant. The direct contact with employees and guests in the restaurant improves my ability to communicate with tourists and strengthens my relations with the staff.

The people.



In January, I was welcomed at Klein-Aus Vista’s management with open arms and by now, I already feel like a part of the family. As I am staying at the house of Klein-Aus Vista’s co-owner Piet Swiegers and his wife Christine (my company tutor), I already developed a close relationship to the two of them. Actually, they are not just my superiors and co-workers but also my host family. During birthday parties or “Brai”- evenings (Barbeques), I also spend leisure time with the rest of the Swiegers family. Hence, I am not only working with the managers of the company but I am also involved in their personal lives. For instance, at the weekends, I regularly come together with the Swieger’s family to work with the company’s horses as we all share the love for horses. Additionally, my company tutor and I use some of our afternoons to do decorations and handicrafts for the lodge, especially intended for events such as Easter or Valentine’s Day. Not to forget, Christine often takes me to other places in Namibia for personal or company purposes. For example, we went to Namibia’s capital Windhoek to talk to company’s suppliers and to do numerous purchases for Klein-Aus Vista. However, on various occasions, she also took me to other lodges in Namibia as this enables me to compare tourism business and to see a bit more of Namibia’s natural and cultural resources. Generally, Klein-Aus Vista’s managers often offer me the opportunity to “test” their tourism product myself. Thus, I took part in various farm drives, stayed at the holiday accommodation and accompanied Piet to trips with clients around the farm land. Thanks to my direct involvement in the products of the organization, I can evaluate the company’s services more easily and understand their mission and vision.

All in all I can say that I am having a really inspiring and interesting time in Nambia. I very much enjoy my work at the lodge and also get the chance to get to know the local culture through the employees of the company. Despite I am sort of dependent on my host family in case I want to travel somewhere (I use their car) and even though there are not a lot of possibilities for young people to spend leisure time independently, I instantly fell in love with this place and its people. Therefore, I am looking forward to living here for three more months and when I am leaving this country in July, I know that I will certainly come back one day.