Mother Africa

I’m not sure what the term is called, I think maybe biophilia? But, there is an inevitable, natural feeling of affection towards the land that I think would be hard for anyone to deny. It could be a part of human instinct or evolution (since humans originated in Africa) that I feel a love for this land. And this feeling totally defies rational thought. The country is dry, scruffy and dusty. What’s the beauty in that? Yet the appeal is undeniable. Calls to the most basic human roots. Just driving between towns, along the road, one sees many animals, in their natural setting. Giraffes, wart-hogs (arguably the ugliest animal in Namibia), kudu, spring-buck, monkeys, etc. [No wonder the rate of road accidents is so high in Namibia, due to the high likelihood of hitting an animal while driving!]. Animals aside, the low-lying trees, beautiful flowers that I find in unexpected places (clinic parking lot?), scraggly bushes, sunny, cloud-free skies, miles of land in all directions broken only by small mountains and rocky outcrops. It is truly beautiful. And I haven’t even gone to any of the natural reserves, parks or tourist destinations yet! I have only been traveling between towns for work. I am writing this at the risk of being ridiculed as a romantic, but I really am not! I highly encourage everyone to visit Namibia, or at least Africa, at some point in their life.