Okahandja, Otjiwarango, and Tsumeb (Say that three times fast)
Two blogs in one day... you all must be so happy to have so much distraction in one day at work.
There were some interesting experiences before and after Etosha that are worth noting. About an hour north of Windhoek on the way to Etosha is a little town called Okaukuejo which is notable because they have a strip of tents selling woodworks, baskets, and carvings from Namibia. Well, they say they are Namibian but for all I know they could have been imported from New Jersey. The whole experience is interesting because it involves bartering back and forth with the sellers. MB warned us about this and told us that we should be firm and not be too soft. So I approached the tents with ice water running through my veins, ready to do business with the natives. I walked into the first tent, and looked at a cool little carving and a man approached me. The following is a fairly accurate account of what transpired...
"Hello, my friend, you like? I sell for $200" (Namibian dollars are 1/6 an american dollar)
I looked at the guy and feeling guilty about trying to cut a deal a poor Namibian blurted out "How 'bout $250?"
"Sold!" he shouted as he took my money. I am sure I was the first person he came into contact with who actually bargained for a higher price.
Though it wasn't quite like that, the truth is I did feel guilty about bartering. But with some encouragement from MB, I got pretty good at it and bought a few gifts. It is definately a cool cultural experience. We stopped here on the way back from Etosha and spent about an hour going from tent to tent. They are somewhat aggresive in their sales approach- as you pass their tent they practically grabbed you by the arm to check out their wares.
Another place we went to was Otjiwarango for a pit stop on the way back from Etosha. This is another little town and MB stopped there because there is a little German bakery. The bakery was very quaint and the town was quiet and simple, but enjoyable. These little towns off the highway have less poverty than parts of Windhoek, but every town has its poor.
Finally there was Tsumeb, a town about 96km south of Etosha. MB has a friend from the UK named Debs who works for the VSO (Volunteer Service Org, a British equivalent of the Peace Corp only a non-gov't agency) Debs is about my age and is the only European working in her area in the schools. She and MB are kindred spirits who are both very enthusiastic about their work. We stayed in her TINY flat Sunday and Tuesday nights. Her flat is so small that the toilet and shower are right next to her bed which was a little uncomfortable... I made a point to go to the bathroom before arriving out of fear of stinking up the whole place. MB, Suzie, Kristen (the German girl from our house) and myself all slept on the tile floor of Debs' little living room. Needless to say it was not the most comfortable place to sleep but you can't complain about free lodgings.
Tsumeb is an old mining town with a decent quality of life. I may actually go back up there for a week before returning home as Debs may need some help with the teaching.
Staying in a little flat with four women exposed me to high concentrations of estrogen. I have never been to a slumber party before, but I am pretty sure I experience one in Tsumeb. We talked about feelings, life, listened to girly music -which despite my best efforts i enjoyed. The slumber party stopped just short of a pillow fight, curlers in my hair, and talks of menstrual cycles. Tuesday night we made beef fajitas. Mexican food in Namibia. They were actually really good- but then again we had been eating apples and cheese sandwiches for two days.
The whole trip to Etosha and back was loads of fun but getting back to being with the kids was even nicer. They are so beautiful and so loving. Soon enough I will talk in detail about the center.
Last night we were at home and we ate dinner on the porch which was very nice and then drank a few beers with the housemates. This weekend there are two birthdays so we will be going out. Suzie leaves Friday which is too bad because she has been so much fun to be around. That is it for now... hope all is well with you and keep the emails coming- (jmcken82@hotmail.com) it is nice to hear so many of you are reading along. Till next time...
There were some interesting experiences before and after Etosha that are worth noting. About an hour north of Windhoek on the way to Etosha is a little town called Okaukuejo which is notable because they have a strip of tents selling woodworks, baskets, and carvings from Namibia. Well, they say they are Namibian but for all I know they could have been imported from New Jersey. The whole experience is interesting because it involves bartering back and forth with the sellers. MB warned us about this and told us that we should be firm and not be too soft. So I approached the tents with ice water running through my veins, ready to do business with the natives. I walked into the first tent, and looked at a cool little carving and a man approached me. The following is a fairly accurate account of what transpired...
"Hello, my friend, you like? I sell for $200" (Namibian dollars are 1/6 an american dollar)
I looked at the guy and feeling guilty about trying to cut a deal a poor Namibian blurted out "How 'bout $250?"
"Sold!" he shouted as he took my money. I am sure I was the first person he came into contact with who actually bargained for a higher price.
Though it wasn't quite like that, the truth is I did feel guilty about bartering. But with some encouragement from MB, I got pretty good at it and bought a few gifts. It is definately a cool cultural experience. We stopped here on the way back from Etosha and spent about an hour going from tent to tent. They are somewhat aggresive in their sales approach- as you pass their tent they practically grabbed you by the arm to check out their wares.
Another place we went to was Otjiwarango for a pit stop on the way back from Etosha. This is another little town and MB stopped there because there is a little German bakery. The bakery was very quaint and the town was quiet and simple, but enjoyable. These little towns off the highway have less poverty than parts of Windhoek, but every town has its poor.
Finally there was Tsumeb, a town about 96km south of Etosha. MB has a friend from the UK named Debs who works for the VSO (Volunteer Service Org, a British equivalent of the Peace Corp only a non-gov't agency) Debs is about my age and is the only European working in her area in the schools. She and MB are kindred spirits who are both very enthusiastic about their work. We stayed in her TINY flat Sunday and Tuesday nights. Her flat is so small that the toilet and shower are right next to her bed which was a little uncomfortable... I made a point to go to the bathroom before arriving out of fear of stinking up the whole place. MB, Suzie, Kristen (the German girl from our house) and myself all slept on the tile floor of Debs' little living room. Needless to say it was not the most comfortable place to sleep but you can't complain about free lodgings.
Tsumeb is an old mining town with a decent quality of life. I may actually go back up there for a week before returning home as Debs may need some help with the teaching.
Staying in a little flat with four women exposed me to high concentrations of estrogen. I have never been to a slumber party before, but I am pretty sure I experience one in Tsumeb. We talked about feelings, life, listened to girly music -which despite my best efforts i enjoyed. The slumber party stopped just short of a pillow fight, curlers in my hair, and talks of menstrual cycles. Tuesday night we made beef fajitas. Mexican food in Namibia. They were actually really good- but then again we had been eating apples and cheese sandwiches for two days.
The whole trip to Etosha and back was loads of fun but getting back to being with the kids was even nicer. They are so beautiful and so loving. Soon enough I will talk in detail about the center.
Last night we were at home and we ate dinner on the porch which was very nice and then drank a few beers with the housemates. This weekend there are two birthdays so we will be going out. Suzie leaves Friday which is too bad because she has been so much fun to be around. That is it for now... hope all is well with you and keep the emails coming- (jmcken82@hotmail.com) it is nice to hear so many of you are reading along. Till next time...
posted by Jim | 3:37 AM
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