Archive for the ‘Books by Jeremiah Allen’ Category
A Reason to Celebrate! My guide book to Namibia
The moon shined down upon the homestead like a large spot light. I dug my feet in the sand watching the shadows dance off the fire’s glittering glow.
A sharpened high-pitched ululation sang out into the night’s air, “lelelelelelelelelelelele.” I remembered the first time I heard this distinctly African trait. It had put chills down my spine, just as it had done once again.
Women howled between the choruses they sang, during moments of happiness, in brief spurts of joy, and in times of celebration.
Tonight, the women’s “lelelelelelelelelelele” rose, then fell wavering in a long sweet sound to celebrate the union between a man and woman.
For the next three days we celebrated honking our kazoos, singing into the open skies, and dancing the night away. The men and I slaughtered the bull, as the woman prepared the feast. We drank. We laughed. We celebrated!
In the village, there were many reasons to celebrate. A child came home with good grades and a chicken was slaughtered. Birthdays, the long anticipated visit from an old friend or surprise stopover from family, we would celebrate. The birth of a child, or a wedding, the celebrations were bigger and longer.
However, when my book was published last Friday I could already see the men congratulating me with a hug and the woman throwing their hands up in the air and letting out their cry of happiness “lelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelele.”
And when a good Owambo friend of mine said “Owa longa nawa tate Jeremy. Kalunga ne ku yambeke” I knew she flicked her tongue in ululation.
It was great to have a Namibian, an Owambo, approve of my book and celebrate with me. Worlds apart, I responded “Ito ligola, ito li!” or “if you don’t sing, you don’t eat!” simply meaning if you don’t join in the celebration than both of us will starve.
You see there are many reasons to celebrate life. It just so happens this week I celebrate because after 10 long months of tackling a task so daunting, such as writing this book, it was finally published and caused reason to celebrate.
To travel the world had been a goal of mine since I was little. When I finally stepped out into the world, I found myself evolving, discovering new dreams, and one of those dreams was to write a book.
I have now both circled the world and wrote a book. And guess what?
Just because my goals have been completed, doesn’t mean the dream is dead. I will never stop traveling to distant lands and am in the middle of writing another book, continuing to live the dream.
They say the first time is always the most difficult and I would have to agree. My first trip overseas was overwhelming. I didn’t know how to communicate to people who couldn’t speak my language, or how to listen and learn to speak theirs. I was fearful of getting lost, even when I was lost. I had fears of getting sick, of being robbed, and the list went on.
However, the second time around it made more sense. The third, much easier; and now a distant land thousands of miles away, such as Namibia (a place I now call my second home), is only five minutes away inside my head.
If we never challenge ourselves, how will we ever fully develop as an inspirational human being?
To making life a Safari “journey,”
Jeremy
P.S. My Namibia Guidebook is full of detailed descriptions of the many clans of Namibia, cultures, traditions, histories, geography, and much more! Even if you’re not planning to visit, this is one book that will inspire the dream! Get your copy today – http://www.otherplacespublishing.com/namibia.html
P.P.S. Safari is a Swahili word meaning journey.
Something Exciting, Young, and Wild is About to Occur!!
Coming Soon!
