Life in the PC/Nam Time Warp

I'm embarrassed that it's been nearly THREE months since my last blog update. Time here seems to move simultaneously slow and at super-speed. After that happy patch of Namlife that I stumbled upon back in April, I stumbled upon a not-so-happy patch of life, but I survived it, and the end of the term. Group 30 re-reconnected in Windhoek for a couple of weeks, and then I went on a whirlwind tour of some out of the way spots in northwest Namibia. Now, almost halfway through term 2 and nearing the 11-months in country mark, I figured I should post SOMETHING to let people know that I'm still here. :)

I've been working on a more thorough update to post, because alot of important things happened in the last 3 months. Hopefully, the next time I can come up for air, I'll be able to get it posted.

In the meantime, I'd like to thank everyone who has generously sent care packages my direction. They really mean alot! A special shout-out goes to Frank Sanders, owner of Devils Tower Lodge and climber/guide extraordinaire, for sending HUNDREDS of pens and pencils and erasers along with some books. The stationary is being sold at my school to raise funds for the library. Thanks, Frank!!!

I've finally fallen back into my old groove of cooking as a form of relaxation. Nam cooking is different, everything here is salted or full of MSG, and finding good spices is hard (most are available in Windhoek, and being so close, you'd think I'd be there more often... but, getting there andd back is a hassle, not to mention expensive) and when you do find them, they tend to be quite pricey. Along that vein (is that namlish? proper english? hmmm) I'm adding the following to my list of things I'd love to unpack from a carepackage:

Nutritional yeast
Cumin
Cardamon pods/seeds
Fenugreek
Raw (untoasted/cooked) nuts
dry chickpeas/blackbeans
large tupperware containers (can be packed and then packed into a box)

When I returned from holiday, I found that my food cupboards had been… invaded, either by mice, or large outdoor cockroaches. The result is the request for large Tupperware (no larger than 9”Hx18”Dx16”W) for food stuffs to be kept in.

The other exciting update is that I’ve now got a 4-legged, furry roommate (also a result of the rodent issue). His name is Chico, and he’s a 7-week (ish) feisty farm kitten. He’s possibly the cutest africat ever.

I shall continue chipping away at the other blog, and hope to have the motivation to post soon! Hope you’re well, wherever you are.