Silvia Navarre (nee Kliem)

After graduating from HMB, I spent one last blissful summer at home on the Kwa-Zulu Natal South Coast before embarking on my “life-out-there”. That journey began with a BA Honors in English at Stellenbosch, 1988-1991. After the initial shock of “ontgroening” (initiation), things settled down and were quite pleasant. I made many new friends through the Church and so on.

In 1992 I took a year off to travel to Europe, first as an Au-Pair to a 12 year-old acquaintance of ours in Bielefeld, then as an ESL teacher at the Inlingua language school in Dresden, formerly East Germany. The latter was fascinating; the country was just emerging from years of Soviet rule. I made a new friend in Jane from England and together we rented a little cottage right next to Schloss Moritzburg. It was still very primitive. Peasantlike, we had to shovel coal for a fire every night, but quite the adventure. I visited Peter Futterknecht in Vienna and met him again in Prague. At the time he was studying science, I think, at a university in Vienna but was thinking of going into the Hotel industry.

Upon my return I was a little disoriented at first, then decided to go to UWC for my MA, an historically Black University in Cape Town where my uncle Friedrich Wittenberg and cousin Hermann were also working. This turned out be an adventure as well. It was interesting to be in the minority on campus. A professor there encouraged me to try for a scholarship to an American university for a PhD and, with his backing, I was accepted at Rutgers in New Jersey. After a brief 6-month stint as an English teacher at Evangel Christian school to bridge the time, I set off into the unknown in 1996.

My first impression of America was positive. Everything seemed so efficient and abundant. The college had great amenities. Of course reality has since set in and one does find things to be critical of. There may be a certain naiveté and lack of curiosity when it comes to learning about other countries, but overall Americans really mean well and their heart is in the right place. I have been received so generously by kind people throughout the country and they are very accepting of other cultures and races. I managed to get home in 1997/1998, and we are planning another trip next year.

At Rutgers I met my husband Roy Navarre, a molecular biologist who grew up in Edinburgh but whose father is American. His family lives in Louisiana near New Orleans where we spend Christmases. (Louisiana reminds me of home during the summer – humid climate). When it came time for him to find a job we decided to move cross-country to the scenic Pacific Northwest, Washington State. We got married that summer, 2001, in Louisiana and then moved. After renting a small house for 2-3 years, we finally bought our own place in the country.

In 2004, Luke was born, followed (unplanned) by Dominic the very next year! I also still teach English and German at a small local high school while finishing that endless dissertation, hopefully by 2007. We like to go on walks in the nearby Cascades (mountains) or shopping in Yakima, the nearest city, but mostly our time is spent looking after and playing with our boys and German shepherd Ulrich (Uli). Our house is surrounded by vineyards and orchards, and we have a view of Mount Rainer and Mount Adams, two snow-covered volcanoes. We live in the rain shadow, which means lots of sunshine and little rain – the entire ag. industry is supported by a network of canals and irrigation, turning dry sage brush (like the Karoo) into a fertile valley. On the other side of the mountains it is rainy and wet (Portland and Seattle).

Of course, I miss my family. It is hard when you sit by as a Grandmother passes away and elderly parents need medical attention. My parents, both 70, still live on the farm and brother Erich is doing well – he is working as a golf pro at Stellenbosch Golf Course, coaching a lot of German tourists. Collectively, they have visited me in the States three times.

I found the blog fascinating – read everyone’s entry twice (thanks Holger!). Please send more pictures and info.and I will be sending photos of myself and family shortly.

Tschüss
Silvia

BTW – 80s fashion is back here among the younger crowd (the retro-look). Makes me feel really old!

silvia_navarre@yahoo.com