My First Full Day Back
I had trouble falling asleep the first night I landed in Windhoek- seems jetlag took its toll and I laid in bed for an hour or two staring at the ceiling. It's a nice ceiling, some cobwebs in the corner and patches of peeled paint, but all in all, it's as nice as any other ceiling I have stared at.
The house still serves as temporary residence to expatriots and volunteers- most of whom are here for only a month or two. After years of use and abuse by dozens of vagabonds, the house is showing signs of wearing out. The bathrooms are SCARY, there is no hot water, and the living room has piled up with boxes and boxes of donated goodies. The red couch that has sat on the front patio for years has long since lost its color, the fabric is ripped apart, and it is being held up by brick and beer bottles.
As for the city of Windhoek, everything remains the same. This is my first time here during their winter. The weather hits the low 70s during the day but dips down into the low 40s at night. When I am in the sun I am quite comfortable but the night gets cold!
I feel like everything is the same here but somehow different. The kids are still beautiful and fun, just a few inches taller. I am happy to reconnect once again with Esme, Salome, Wendy, Dora and the rest- to see what they are doing and how they have grown.
Last night was enjoyable. We (all the housemates) went to Taura's house where she was opening up her own restaurant. Taura is a young Namibian woman about my age who volunteers her time with the kids, teaches in a preschool, and now has opened this restaurant to generate her community projects. The gathering was nice, some of the kids were there to sing, and I spent time catching up with Ajay and met another American , Josh from Rhode Island. He is in his last year at Hobart and doing work with UNam Law School. The menu was local food- I don't know what was in it- maybe that was for the best. All I know is there was a cat at the house when I arrived but it was no where to be found when I left.
Last night I slept better and I ran some errands this morning (keys made, new inner tubes for the tire, etc.) and I am off to the center soon. In many ways I feel like I never left!
Apparently there is no USB port in this computer so I cannot upload pictures at this time... Hopefully I can get some up soon!
The house still serves as temporary residence to expatriots and volunteers- most of whom are here for only a month or two. After years of use and abuse by dozens of vagabonds, the house is showing signs of wearing out. The bathrooms are SCARY, there is no hot water, and the living room has piled up with boxes and boxes of donated goodies. The red couch that has sat on the front patio for years has long since lost its color, the fabric is ripped apart, and it is being held up by brick and beer bottles.
As for the city of Windhoek, everything remains the same. This is my first time here during their winter. The weather hits the low 70s during the day but dips down into the low 40s at night. When I am in the sun I am quite comfortable but the night gets cold!
I feel like everything is the same here but somehow different. The kids are still beautiful and fun, just a few inches taller. I am happy to reconnect once again with Esme, Salome, Wendy, Dora and the rest- to see what they are doing and how they have grown.
Last night was enjoyable. We (all the housemates) went to Taura's house where she was opening up her own restaurant. Taura is a young Namibian woman about my age who volunteers her time with the kids, teaches in a preschool, and now has opened this restaurant to generate her community projects. The gathering was nice, some of the kids were there to sing, and I spent time catching up with Ajay and met another American , Josh from Rhode Island. He is in his last year at Hobart and doing work with UNam Law School. The menu was local food- I don't know what was in it- maybe that was for the best. All I know is there was a cat at the house when I arrived but it was no where to be found when I left.
Last night I slept better and I ran some errands this morning (keys made, new inner tubes for the tire, etc.) and I am off to the center soon. In many ways I feel like I never left!
Apparently there is no USB port in this computer so I cannot upload pictures at this time... Hopefully I can get some up soon!
posted by Jim | 7:33 AM
5 Comments:
well well Jim it has been quite a long time. Im glad to see that you are enjoying yourself in Namibia. Im sure you are blending in with the natives quite nicely, as you always have. I will try to stay updated on your blog since i am on a computer for 75% of my days now. Look forward to your next post. Love always,
your ty bear
Hey Jim---
Missing you here in NY. David says hi. Love your blogs. What a great writer you are! You do such a great job of painting pictures with words. Just reading your entries takes me there. Glad you're having fun. I so admire the work you do with the kids. Wish i could go there some day.
See you in September :)
Lorraine
You're a gift to everyone!
i'm glad you made it over safe. your blogs are very enjoyable. i can't wait to see all the pictures when you come back. we will miss you at softball tomorrow! post more when you can.
sue (rizzo)
Hey Jim!
I am so jealous!!!
Great that you are back again.. I had the same feeling when I came back last year, like things didn't change! Jump on the bike and everything is like it was before..
Give the kids and Marybeth a big hug from me and enjoy your time there!!!! How long will you stay?
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