Amandus in Namibia

Meet Amandus and find out why he decided to come to Okakarara and do his Voluntary Social Year here. He takes us into the local steps world and shares his activities and experiences that touched him.

1. Please briefly introduce yourself in a concise and meaningful way.

My name is Amandus Mechelk and I am 20 years old. I come from Buxtehude and lived there with my parents and my younger brother.

2. Why did you decide to do a Voluntary Social Year in Namibia?

A good family friend recommended the country to me because of its beauty, so I looked into it and watched a few videos, eventually coming to the conclusion: „I want to go there.“.

3. Which books, documentaries, films, or other pieces of content did you use to prepare for your time in Namibia?

Mainly I watched YouTube videos and talked with people in my circle who have already been here in Namibia were.

4. Are there tasks at steps that you particularly enjoy?

I especially enjoy working with the children in the Pre-School, but I think the most beautiful thing is doing garden work in Ongombombonde.

5. What has been particularly challenging on your journey or during your stay so far?

Getting used to things is challenging, because you really have to figure out where you stand. In fact, the stay depends a lot on taking initiative yourself, and some information is only shared later or you learn it by chance. So I would only consider the adjustment period fully over after about two months – after that, everything actually runs fairly smoothly.

6. Is there a special encounter or story that has stayed with you?

So far, the coolest thing I’ve done and that has stayed with me was repairing the water pump for the steps garden and skydiving in Swakopmund.

7. Which skills or knowledge have you already been able to develop or improve during your stay?

The skill that is being put to the test in particular is stress management – when all the children want ten different things from you at the same time.

8. What are your plans after your FSJ in Namibia ends?

Well, plans are a tricky thing… Actually, I’m also doing the Voluntary Social Year partly for orientation, so I can’t say that yet. But it will probably be something in the field of technology or in garden and landscape construction.

9. What has surprised you the most about your stay so far?

A lot, and yet little. At first, many things surprised me — things that have now become very real. Before, I had only seen life in southern Africa on television, and now I am right in the middle of it. It sounds a little strange, but that is roughly how it feels. What stands out to me most is that it is not as dramatic as it is portrayed in the media. There, in my opinion, the extreme cases are usually shown. Nevertheless, it is a different life with different standards of living and circumstances.

10. What absolutely must you try when you are in Namibia?

Etosha National Park has been my favorite so far. It feels as if you were driving through the setting of The Lion King — simply breathtaking.

11. What are you grateful for?

For my roommates, who are just as keen to travel as I am and want to see as much of the country as possible. I think that is great, because that is exactly what I plan to do, and you would not believe how quickly a year goes by when you have something to do every day.

12. I wish...

I wish that everything continues to go as well as it has so far and that the vegetable garden has a good harvest.