The Sheer Terror of Training

Officially, the training began on February 23rd 2009. I would say that as a group we were very excited and ready to begin. We had been anticipating this day for so long. We had been waiting for the experiences and all that Namibia had to offer for months, some people even years. We were eager PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees), chalked full of enthusiasm and energy. We were up early and after breakfast we were thrust straight into one of our first classes, Security and Safety.

The class covered many of the security issues relevant to Namibia along with stories to illustrate the need for caution. We were told how robbery is major concern in larger cities, especially the capital Windhoek. People will approach you and demand your belongings. Sometimes they will not have any weapon, sometimes they will have a knife, and thankfully less often they will have a gun. You can many times walk away untouched, at least physically, as the motive for robbery in Namibia is usually rooted in mere survival more so than in places like the US. Sometimes though, people are assaulted during the robbery.

From what I gather, muggings occur more frequently when you have somewhat organized crime. For example, criminals have started to fake taxiing services. So a person will get in a taxi alone, or with a group of men, be driven out to some scarcely populated location, robbed, beaten, and then left. A current PCV actually was the victim of such an event and still has a scar on his forehead from where one of the robbers stabbed him with a screwdriver.

Other things to be aware of include pick-pocketing and ATM card copying. The criminals are apparently refining their pick-pocketing abilities and beginning to work in groups, so extra vigilance is required. I have no personal experience with the gypsies in Rome, but from what I have heard it sounds a lot like the pick-pockets here are equally as skilled. As for ATM/Check card copying, it’s almost just not worth it to use your card in public. Restaurant servers will on occasion allegedly run your ATM card twice, as though your card was declined the first time, but in reality they are making a copy only to drain your bank account later.

As I was sitting in this very serious presentation, all of the excitement, the energy, the enthusiasm, all of the wanderlust and anticipation, everything was drained out of me, and all I was left with was a feeling of sheer terror. I had flashbacks to a blog I read from one PCT that consisted of three entries; in the first one he was robbed, in the second one he chased a burglar out of his house, and in the third one he was leaving to come home after only one month. I thought, “What the hell did I get myself into?” I actually contemplated coming right back to the states, but then…if I did that…I would have to pass through THE DREADED Windhoek. I WAS TRAPPED!!

Windhoek is apparently so dangerous in fact, and there have been enough incidences involving PCVs, that it is off-limits to volunteers except for official Peace Corps business. There is a silver lining to all of this though. By taking certain precautions, being extra careful, and remaining aware of your surroundings, you can avoid most of the dangers. And again, most of the criminal activity is rooted in survival and isn’t really malicious in nature, so rarely are people killed. So ummm, I guess that’s good news, right? Thank you Peace Corps staff for the encouraging presentation. Yay, let’s get started …I can’t wait……TO DIE!!!