Fourth of July Festivities

This past Saturday marks the first Fourth of July that I’ve spent outside the country. While I missed the watermelon and fireworks, I did manage to attend two parties sponsored by the American Embassy.

The first was a “Fourth of July Community Celebration” open to all Americans residing in Namibia. I registered with the Embassy when I arrived in Namibia, but didn’t make it on to their mailing list for some reason. Fortunately, at this point I know enough Americans to hear about the event anyway.

It was held outdoors at a local elementary school and the weather was typical for Windhoek this time of year – high 60s, perfect sun, no humidity, light breeze. The fee was N$100, about $12 USD. Interestingly, the organizers used a ticket system: your fee included one ticket for a hot dog, one ticket for a hamburger, and one beverage ticket (either a soda, water, or beer). Several women behind the buffet table served the food for you – which felt slightly awkward for a “traditional” picnic. The food, albeit portion-controlled, was quite tasty – someone was telling me the organizers went to great lengths to get genuine eats for us – which apparently means importing hamburgers from Germany (apparently German meat tastes more authentic than anything we can buy here?). The organizers also imported ketchup, mustard, and relish… maybe the expenses from importing was the reason behind the food rationing? For dessert, they had several white cakes decorated with the American flag, brownies, and fruit salad. Drinks were also “local” – Coca Cola Light, Tafel & Windhoek lager (local beer), Savannah (cider) instead of Diet Coke and Budweiser, which was good… I would have been concerned if they went as far as importing liquids to the middle of the desert.

I was pleased with the afternoon entertainment – a DJ blasting CCR, a softball game, and sack races for the kids. Joining me for the picnic were Marybeth’s American interns, Amy and Alexis, and Kaylan. Several of the girls we met at the Wine and Cheese reception (the Air Force cadets and Megan) were there, so it was fun to chit-chat with them a bit more.

The second Independence Day party was sponsored by Gail Dennise Mathieu herself (the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia). This party was invitation only – and though I wasn’t technically invited, my boss Willem was, and since he had no interest in going, he suggested I go and represent the LAC in his stead. Excellent.

The Ambassador’s Independence Day Celebration was a complete 180 from Saturday’s picnic. Held at the posh Safari Court Hotel, a 4-star hotel and conference centre just outside the city, this Celebration was held from 12:30 – 14:30 Thursday afternoon. The embossed invitation was personally addressed to Willem in calligraphy, and looked quite impressive. I was feeling too cheap to pay for a private car service (since the address was outside the city centre, they usually charge $70 each way (around $9USD, remember this is enough for an entire entrée at a really nice restaurant here). I found an empty cab, and after deflecting several marriage proposals from my barefoot cab driver, found myself awkwardly outside the large gates surrounding the Safari Court Hotel. Apparently, public taxis do not go in the entrance, so I had to dodge several fancy-looking cars and buses to make my way to the guarded entrance. I’m not sure if the guards thought I was innocent / cute or insane / a security threat, but one led me through the back of the security post (there was no entrance for people on foot) and walked me to the reception area. Immediately greeted by two people in suits, I was escorted through several spacious, marble-tiled hallways to the back of the Safari Court Hotel.

After handing my swanky invitation to one of the staff (I’m sad I couldn’t keep it), I was lead through a receiving line of well-dressed Americans. I’m pretty sure most were diplomats, but they identified themselves by name, not title, unfortunately, so I’m not quite sure exactly who I met. I really wish I had a better memory. Happily, I recognized the Defense Attaché Lt. Col. Rantham from last week as soon as I walked in – it was nice to see at least one familiar face right away. An enormous, fully-stocked bar also awaited… no charge for anything at this reception. It was a working day, though, so I stuck to Coca-Cola Light.

A little after 1pm, the speeches began. In Namibia, it is a sign of respect for each speaker to individually say the name of each figure of authority in the room. This takes quite some time. I didn’t find any of the speeches particularly inspiring, mostly general commentary around the importance of free and fair elections (Namibia has elections coming up this November), both countries’ shared commitment to democracy, freedom, and equality, and everyone’s excitement about Barack Obama (he’s hugely popular here). I did enjoy the performance of the American and Namibian national anthems by a local school group.

The food selection seemed rather “American” but is all pretty common in Namibia as well; it included a variety of cold salads (cole slaw, potato salad, tomato and cucumber salad, green salad), beef in some type of thick sauce, rice, collard greens with onions, a type of fish I didn’t try, and also some distinctly American fare, including sliders (mini hamburgers), and mini-hot dogs wrapped in a croissant.

As far as elbow-rubbing goes, I met two HIV / AIDs workers from Zimbabwe, a reporter for the Namibian (newspaper), a teacher from Angola, and a member of the Namibian Parliament (!!). I hope I didn’t violate any protocols when chatting with him; we met in the food line and I didn’t realize who he was until we has passed the salad. A little embarrassed for not realizing who he was sooner, I decided I’d done enough to represent the LAC, found Megan and the Air Force cadets, and enjoyed the rest of my lunch.