Living in Namibia for half a year. What has changed, and what hasn't 🇳🇦

Hello, I'm Molly, a JOCV volunteer in Namibia.
Before I knew it, half a year had passed since I arrived in Namibia 🌱

Out of habit from my time as a graduate student in the UK, I would unconsciously say "Hiya!" as a greeting,
but lately, I've started saying "Hi" or using local greetings naturally.
Haha.

"You must be completely used to life there after half a year, right?"

I sometimes get asked that.

The answer is both "yes" and "no."

I got used to life faster than I thought

I've always been someone who adapts quickly to new environments.

I was able to adjust to the dry climate, the groceries in the supermarket, and the culture of eating with my hands more naturally than I expected.

I didn't have much resistance to living in a new land.

So, I don't actually feel like "living abroad is tough."

But there are also things that haven't changed

On the other hand, there are things that I think "haven't really changed" over these six months.

One of them is my approach to work.

I used to work as a civil servant in Japan for three years.

Every day—or rather, by the minute—new cases, inquiries, and requests for confirmation (approval requests) would come in, and I would spend my days clearing one task after another while thinking about priorities, feeling like I was playing an endless game of Tsum Tsum.
(I only tried Tsum Tsum for about a month when I was in middle school, but since I don't really play games, it's the only one that came to mind... haha)

Perhaps because of that experience, the sense that "you work during working hours" and "you take responsibility for your own duties" is deeply rooted in me, as is natural in Japan.

Working at a local government office in Namibia as a volunteer, there are times when I feel that the work style and workplace atmosphere are different from Japan.
The flow of time and the sense of distance between people are also a little different from Japan.

At first, there were things that confused me.

The situation where I realize I am the only one in the office even though it is working hours happens so often... (still ongoing).

But now, half a year later, rather than thinking about 'which is correct' or 'what should be done,'
I have come to accept it as 'it's just a different culture'.

Even so, I haven't changed my own style of staying at my desk as much as possible during working hours
and moving forward with what I can do.

Even though the environment has changed, the work ethic I value
seems to have remained the same.

Meals, cleaning, staying true to myself

There are things like that in my daily life that 'haven't changed'.

In Namibia, dishes like braai (a type of barbecue) and
pap are very popular.

Of course, I eat them too, and I think they are delicious.

But for my usual meals at home, I find myself making pasta, risotto,
or Japanese-style side dishes—things that make me feel at ease.

When eating sliced bread, people here often spread plenty of butter on it
and put fillings in it without heating it, but
I can't help but toast mine.

Cleaning is the same.

Perhaps because I worked part-time at a city hotel in Tokyo when I was a student,
or because my mother is a neat freak, I have always been a bit particular about hygiene.

Even now, I clean my room thoroughly twice a week, wash the carpets regularly,
and try to keep it as clean and hygienic as possible.

So, when I see Namibians casually placing cooking utensils like tongs and ladles
all over the place—on tables or refrigerators that have definitely not been wiped down—
and then using those same utensils for cooking as if it were perfectly normal,
I have sometimes thought, 'Are you really going to eat that?' lol

When that happens in a nearby room, no matter how much I try to keep my own room clean,
visits from mice and insects never seem to end...

'Adapting' and 'changing yourself' are different

When living abroad, people say it is important to 'adapt to the local area'.

I think so too.

But after living here for half a year, what I feel is that adapting and changing yourself completely are not necessarily the same thing
.

Respecting the culture and values of others.

At the same time, cherishing the values you have held dear.

Perhaps living abroad is about finding that balance.

It has only been half a year of life in Namibia.

Over the next year and a half, there will likely be things that change, and things that do not.

If I read this article again in a year, I might have different thoughts.