We're slowly settling in here in our "flat" in Windhoek. It's somewhat small, but adequate. Windhoek is a city, so coming to Africa to live in a city is taking a bit of adjustment. The kids are somewhat hardpressed to find things to entertain themselves. Our "garden" i.e. backyard is about as big as our living room back home. The kids are also a bit put out with us because we have refused to subscribe to satellite t.v. There are only 2 Namibian channels, so virtually everyone who can afford it subscribes to satellite. The system is all set up in our appartment and all we've got to do is take the card down to the place and have them "recharge" it. The card has a computer chip on it and then all one has to do is insert the card into the receiver device and he/she is all set to go. We told the kids that we didn't have satellite t.v. at home and we were certainly not going to have it here. Of course so much of the programming is American: Spongebob, Jimmy Newtron, etc. They're making up for their "loss" every time we visit the other Fulbright families here by parking themselves in front of the t.v. for hours.
The weather here has changed a bit since our arrival. Initially, it was very hot and dry. It's still hot, but the rains have come helping to ease the dryness. This morning the rains came very early in the a.m. When we took off for school there was the most magnificent rainbow any of us had ever seen. It was as if we could touch it. Unfortunately, none of us had the camera handy.
The kids are attending the international school of Windhoek. It's a marvelous place where children of all nationalities attend. When I step on campus to pick up the kids in the afternoon, I easily hear ten different languages walking from one classroom to the next as parents greet their children. It's truly amazing that despite all of their differences, the kids get along and are content to be kids whatever their nationality.
School starts at 7:20 in the morning and dismisses at 1:30 p.m. It's tough getting the young ones up and at 'em but it's the best way to handle things in this climate. Sports and other extra-curricular activities are usually held from 1:45-2:45, so we're easily home by 3:00 p.m. most days. Augustus has signed up for track and field and "football" (soccer here). The girls will do tennis. There's a variety of things to sign up for as well not just sports--crafts, yearbook, musical, extra tutoring, computers, etc. It's a refreshing change from all of that emphasis on sports back home.
There's a good deal of German spoken around here as Namibia was once under German influence. Most of the streets end in the ubiquitous ....strasse (German for street). There are a number of German supermarkets and I was even addressed as Frau the other day. So many of the products are labeled in German that we hardly know what we're purchasing sometimes. We've been eating things like "wienerschnitzle" and boerwoers. I'm even contemplating learning some German even though that is anathema to my Romance languages background. German is just not a very pretty sounding language!
We've purchased a vehicle, finally! It's a 1995 LandRover Discovery--diesel. It's got what they refer to as a bull bar in the front. Apparently, driving outside of the city can be pretty hazardous because of all of the wildlife. It is especially so at night. Many a vehicle has been on the losing side with an oryx. We shall nonetheless be prepared. We're going to outfit it with a roof top tent as well. Don't want the lions taking us in our sleep. So, if we can ever get out of the city, we'll be well equipped.
Reid's classes were scheduled to start yesterday. He showed up all eager to get things underway, but none of his students did. He returned again today for a different course and still no students. One of his colleagues said that the students won't arrive until after pay day so that they will have the money for fees. That's at the end of the month. The International Univesity of Management, where Reid is teaching, is located above and behind the DVD King on Bohnhofstasse. It's got an enrollment of about 1,000 students. Big change from LSU for the old Doc, but he's looking forward nonetheless to his teaching duties.
Hope to post pictures as soon as I figure out how to do so. I'm really having to go up the technology learning curve here. Cell phones, wireless internet devices, blogs--who knew!
The weather here has changed a bit since our arrival. Initially, it was very hot and dry. It's still hot, but the rains have come helping to ease the dryness. This morning the rains came very early in the a.m. When we took off for school there was the most magnificent rainbow any of us had ever seen. It was as if we could touch it. Unfortunately, none of us had the camera handy.
The kids are attending the international school of Windhoek. It's a marvelous place where children of all nationalities attend. When I step on campus to pick up the kids in the afternoon, I easily hear ten different languages walking from one classroom to the next as parents greet their children. It's truly amazing that despite all of their differences, the kids get along and are content to be kids whatever their nationality.
School starts at 7:20 in the morning and dismisses at 1:30 p.m. It's tough getting the young ones up and at 'em but it's the best way to handle things in this climate. Sports and other extra-curricular activities are usually held from 1:45-2:45, so we're easily home by 3:00 p.m. most days. Augustus has signed up for track and field and "football" (soccer here). The girls will do tennis. There's a variety of things to sign up for as well not just sports--crafts, yearbook, musical, extra tutoring, computers, etc. It's a refreshing change from all of that emphasis on sports back home.
There's a good deal of German spoken around here as Namibia was once under German influence. Most of the streets end in the ubiquitous ....strasse (German for street). There are a number of German supermarkets and I was even addressed as Frau the other day. So many of the products are labeled in German that we hardly know what we're purchasing sometimes. We've been eating things like "wienerschnitzle" and boerwoers. I'm even contemplating learning some German even though that is anathema to my Romance languages background. German is just not a very pretty sounding language!
We've purchased a vehicle, finally! It's a 1995 LandRover Discovery--diesel. It's got what they refer to as a bull bar in the front. Apparently, driving outside of the city can be pretty hazardous because of all of the wildlife. It is especially so at night. Many a vehicle has been on the losing side with an oryx. We shall nonetheless be prepared. We're going to outfit it with a roof top tent as well. Don't want the lions taking us in our sleep. So, if we can ever get out of the city, we'll be well equipped.
Reid's classes were scheduled to start yesterday. He showed up all eager to get things underway, but none of his students did. He returned again today for a different course and still no students. One of his colleagues said that the students won't arrive until after pay day so that they will have the money for fees. That's at the end of the month. The International Univesity of Management, where Reid is teaching, is located above and behind the DVD King on Bohnhofstasse. It's got an enrollment of about 1,000 students. Big change from LSU for the old Doc, but he's looking forward nonetheless to his teaching duties.
Hope to post pictures as soon as I figure out how to do so. I'm really having to go up the technology learning curve here. Cell phones, wireless internet devices, blogs--who knew!
wonderful hearing about your day to day life. congrats on your technology mastery. bises de bruxelles
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