Housing

CGEE – Namibia owns a large house in Windhoek for its semester study programs. This will be your home base during the program. The CGEE – Namibia center is located in the residential neighborhood of Windhoek West, just four blocks from the Namibia University of Science and Technology and a 10 - 15 minute walk to downtown. The CGEE – Namibia house has four large bedrooms, all of which have bunk beds, closets, and a table. You will probably share your room with 1-2 other students. There is also a common living space and dining room for classes, meals, study, and leisure time. The center has two bathrooms for student use in the house, and a shower block adjacent to the house. A washing machine that can be used during the evening is also available. Finally, the premises include a large yard, a nice patio, a small swimming pool, and a veranda adjacent to the lounge. Meals are cooked for you by site staff, but students are allowed to use the kitchen upon request.

Address of CGEE-Namibia: 5 Simpson Street, Windhoek West, Windhoek

House Rules and Expectations

These rules are recommended by our on-site in Namibia in the interests of your own safety as well as that of your fellow students.

• Visitors are only allowed in the common areas. No visitors shall be allowed within CGEE premises between 10:00pm and 10:00am on any day.

• During weekdays (Sunday through Thursday), students are expected to be and to remain within CGEE premises after 11:00pm, and on weekends (Friday and Saturday), after 12:00am (midnight).

• Students shall not be allowed to spend the night outside CGEE premises on weekdays (Sunday through Thursday). On weekends (Friday and Saturday), students may be allowed to spend the night out, provided they notify the management staff and provide the name/contact information of the person they are staying with. (We strongly discourage extended stays outside of the study center or family stays. We have an obligation to your home schools, and the expectation is that, unless otherwise noted, you will be housed in program-provided facilities. To allow otherwise would be a deviation from that obligation and we would have to notify your home school. If you choose to, you will need to sign the Independent Living Waiver.)

• No alcohol allowed in the study center

• Drugs are strictly prohibited, and students found in violation will be sent home at their own expense.

In South Africa

During the South Africa seminar, you will stay on modest guest houses:

• In Johannesburg:  Melville House, 37 1st Avenue, Melville Johannesburg 2092.

• In Cape Town: St. Paul’s Guest House, 182 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001 

Namibia (outside of Windhoek)

Your semester in Namibia will include in-country short travel seminars to different parts of the country. Accommodations during these travel seminars are arranged at established accommodation facilities such as Guesthouses and Hotels. The group will also camp at some points during the semester.

One of the most rewarding and challenging parts of your semester will be the time you spend living with Namibian and South African families during homestays.  You will have three homestay families: one in Soweto, South Africa, one in Windhoek, and one in a rural Namibian community, however, CGEE Southern Africa has not re-introduced rural homestays as yet, after Covid.

Our host families go through a close screening process before they are chosen.  Some of the families will have hosted CGEE students in the past, and some will be new, as we are continually recruiting new families to replace those that move away, that are unable to host, etc.  

All families, old and new, are required to attend an orientation conducted by the Homestay Program Coordinator before the homestay program. In that session, families are briefed in general about the home-stay program, its objectives, logistical information, health and safety, as well as other general guidelines.     

Students are matched by the Homestay Program Coordinator early in the program. Matches are made with a mind to personality and any special needs, whether the student’s or the host family’s. As with the families, an orientation is also provided for students before the program to similarly brief students in general about the homestay program, its objectives, logistical information, and guidelines.  At that session, students will receive other important information as well as have the opportunity to ask further questions about the program.

Objectives of the Homestay Programs

• Develop an understanding of the diverse realities of life in Namibian and South African urban and rural settings.

• Compare and contrast your own family structure with Namibian family systems.

• Understand the nuances of culture, community life, and gender roles and the relationship with the history, politics, economics, and development of the countries.

• incorporate real life experience with academic work.

• Establish meaningful relationships with members of Namibian and South African society.

Soweto Homestay

Occurring during the first week in South Africa, the homestays with families in Soweto provide an invaluable insight and experience with the history of apartheid in South Africa.  Soweto was the former black township outside of Johannesburg, and is almost a city unto itself, with three to four million people. Students spend the weekend with the families, doing whatever the family has planned. This may include visiting a park, shopping, visiting friends, etc. The stay usually lasts one full weekend beginning Friday afternoon and ending Monday morning.  Students are placed two students to a household.

Urban Homestay  

The second family stay will be with a family in Windhoek. It occurs within the first three weeks in Namibia. Referred to as the Urban Homestay, the home-stay generally lasts approximately one week.  During this time students will attend classes during the days, and spend evenings and weekends with their family. Students are placed one student per household. The Urban Homestay Program has proven to facilitate comfort within the greater Windhoek community as well as provide opportunities to learn from and experience the great diversity within the capital city and create lasting friendships.

Rural Homestay (not reintroduced yet after Covid)

The final homestay program will occur with a family in a the village of Outapi, and will occur a few weeks after the Urban Homestay.  Referred to as the Rural Home-stay, this homestay generally lasts between five and ten days, again depending on the semester program schedule. Students are mainly matched with families on homesteads outside of a rural town.  As with the Urban Homestay, students are generally placed one per household. This experience often proves to be the most challenging, and most rewarding of the whole semester.

Logistical Information

We are providing you with the following information so you can anticipate some of the details for this part of the program:

• Orientation sessions prior to each Homestay Program will be conducted and will include information on cultural patterns and practices, as well as basic information related to inter-cultural activities and issues in the context of the community in which you will be residing.

• The group will receive basic language training to facilitate communication in the local language for the rural homestay.  This is not a full language preparation program; the focus here is more on cultural orientation.

• At least one family member will speak basic English

• Most families will have few of the conveniences common in other parts of the world such as telephones and vehicles, and in the rural areas, running water and electricity.

• Vegetarian and restricted diets can be accommodated.  However, we encourage you to be flexible and eat what the families prepare.

• A CGEE - Namibia staff member will be in regular contact with each family or student at least once every two days.

Cultural Adjustment

The cultural context and family structures of the Namibian families you will be staying with during the home-stays will likely be very different from your own. At times you may feel uncomfortable with the accommodations, differences in food, and social interactions. These characteristics may cause you to feel pushed past your comfort zone. They may also cause you to feel isolated and alone. In general, in preparation for this part of the program, we ask that you open yourself up to the experience, accept the good, the bad and the unavoidable awkward moments, remembering that different is not better or worse, just different.  Below are some suggestions to help confront such feelings…

Suggestions to help you feel more at home and part of the family:

• Walks – Take walks with one or more family members. Visit neighbors, go to church or to the market, and get acquainted with the area.

• Homework – Help the kids with their homework. Have them help you understand their culture.

• Talk – Ask about neighbors, weddings, funerals, etc. Learn common words in the local language, and practice some English/local language.

• Work – Be willing to help out. Most families appreciate it when you show interest and assist in their daily tasks—tending to fields or livestock, fetching water, pounding grain, food preparation, crafts production, etc.

• Play – Play with the children in the family and in the neighborhood.  Play soccer, shoot marbles, share songs, learn traditional dances, juggle, fold paper toys or play games.

• Photos – Photos from home are great conversation starters and means for sharing about family, school, work, etc.

• Cook – Learn to prepare traditional dishes.