A wonderful thing about having IDDS in the middle of the Kalahari Desert is that every night we get to witness a brilliant panorama of stars. With no air pollution or streetlights in sight, constellations are bountiful. The other day a family staying within the D’Kar community even invited us to use their telescope for a 2-hour star gazing session. We were able to see Saturn and its rings! We finished the night with an intellectual conversation and lecture on the history of constellations.

If we are not busy start-gazing in the evenings, we are eagerly sharing stories and laughing at the campfire. Being in the middle of the desert means that it is absolutely freezing in the evenings…fortunately, this encourages us to all congregate in one place, close to the fire. Thus far we have watched the process of charcoal making, heard traditional San stories, practiced West African dance, and even played board games together all while sitting around the camp fire. It is here that friendships are created and solidified.