"But what will I eat?"

 In November of 2012, I interviewed for the Peace Corps. At the end of the interview, the recruiter asked if I had any questions. “Will I have enough to eat?” I enquired, envisioning emaciated Ethiopians in news magazines. The recruiter took a deep breath that seemed to say “Oh sweet naïve American.” Instead she assured me that yes, I would have enough to eat, and that Peace Corps would supply me with vitamin supplements (chewable dinosaur supplements, as I would come to discover).

The point of this post is to answer my own question from that interview. I do have enough to eat. My diet is rich and varied. I even feel much healthier here than I usually did in the US.

During undergrad, I usually spend about $40 USD per week on food. In Namibia, a similar amount can buy the following:

box of granola bars

package of toilet paper

loaf of bread

chocolate bar

soup mix

candles

cheese

bananas

peanut butter

trail mix

cucumber

apples

cooking oil

yogurt

ground beef

potatoes

oatmeal

a newspaper (to feed my mind)

Total: N$397.99 Namibian dollars = about $34 USD

I also bought a bag of green peppers and oranges from a vendor for another $1.50 USD. Bringing my weekly total to $36 USD. Food costs take up the heartiest chunk of my monthly $200 USD pay check. Transportation costs make up the second largest portion. Luckily, I traveled only 10 miles to buy all this food.

However, I am not limited to food I can buy at the grocery store or grow on my host family’s farm. In the large nearby towns, I can find restaurants ranging from seafood to Indian to fried chicken.

Indian food in Windhoek, about 500 miles from my village.

Chicken in Oshakati, about 60 miles from my village.

Salad in Eenhana, 10 miles from my village.

Wild antelope steak in Windhoek, about 500 miles from my house.

Eating pizza in Ongwediva, 60 miles from my village.

Cake in Otjiwarango, about 300 miles from my village.

Even my friend's Namibian cat has a balanced diet.

While I do have a number of culinary options in Namibia, I spend an embarrassing amount of time daydreaming about food in the States. Weirdly, IHOP is near the top of my list. Crispy hash browns and stuffed French toast dance in my dreams. Fortunately, I will return to the US on October 9^th. I haven’t lost too much weight, so my family shouldn’t have any trouble recognizing me.