Last night we went to dinner with the U.S, Ambassador, Thomas Daughton. It was very nice. The dress was smart casual so I did not have to wear a long gown or go too fancy. The Ambassador's home is lovely, filled with all kinds of beautiful art. The State department provides art in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art to the embassy homes. We even got a booklet with pictures and descriptions of some of the works. Mr. Daughton is from Arizona and in keeping with a desert theme, requested southwestern art for the exhibition here. It beats the map I have of Namibia hanging on my wall!
The dinner was equally impressive with china embossed with the embassy seal. It was a bit more upscale than what I usually fix, if you can believe that. The three Fulbright scholars and some embassy officials were there. The conversation was wonderful and we learned a great deal about Namibia politics and issues. All and all it was a very nice evening hobnobbing with the rich, at least richer than we are. I also got a few leads on volunteering at schools and ideas about promoting children's literacy and culture sharing with schools here and the U.S. Now I just need to start to work on that.
So the next time you sit down to a three course dinner with roasted pepper soup, fruited couscous, chicken cutlets with avocado cream and lime citrus sorbet, think of how we are roughing it here in Africa.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
I really do have to work - life at the NUST (the university)
Karen has been keeping everybody abreast concerning our experiences here in Namibia. However, some may believe that I am on some type of extended vacation since the blog has add very little information concerning the real purpose of my Fulbright Scholar grant at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. The university has approximately 15,000 students with undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering, health sciences, natural sciences, tourism and hospitality, and the like. It just recently transitioned from a Polytechnic to a full university several years ago so they still have a very applied, vocational type focus although they are building their research capacity.
The campus is very compact with very little actual green space. It has an actual upper and lower campus. We live on the upper campus and I have to walk down a hill to the lower campus for work. Most of the facilities are pretty modern. I work in the Engineering Building No. 3 which is the newest building on campus. A picture of the building is below.
The building is off-the-grid and would be what we would call a LEED certified building in the States. I work on the 4th floor (really the 5th floor but they number the floors differently here). The government is currently experiencing a fiscal crisis, so many of the offices, conference rooms, etc. have very limited and sparse furniture as you can see in the pictures of my office and departmental areas below.
I have been invited to work on a NASA sponsored project that is studying atmospheric climate change in the southeast Atlantic. My involvement is looking at correlations with precipitation patterns and rainfall amounts in Namibia or something like that. I still not exactly sure what I will be doing on the project. I also hope to pursue my own research interest into the water resource management practices Namibia utilizes in their water-scarce environment. They are just now coming out of a severe drought and it rained here in Windhoek for the first time in three years a couple of weeks ago. So, water is a big deal here.
Below are a few more buildings on campus (the last one is the library).
Below is a picture of part of the upper campus taken from our apartment. The building with the red roof is the main administration building (the chancellor and provost offices). It use to be a hospital and is one of the oldest buildings in Windhoek (built in 1906).
I have been introduced to most of the university's administration. For some reason they think I am some type of eminent scholar. Anyway, they have treated me really well although it took almost a month for me to get completely set up in their IT systems. Most of their systems don't draw off a common database, so you have to go by each department or area and setup separate accounts. ID card, security card, library, Moodle, etc.
Security on campus is a big deal and the campus is surrounded with fences, including some with razor wire. There are security guards at all the main entrances and I have to use a biometric scan of my fingerprints to get into my building and office. Parking is free but very limited. Most students take taxis to school.
So, yes I really have been working.
The campus is very compact with very little actual green space. It has an actual upper and lower campus. We live on the upper campus and I have to walk down a hill to the lower campus for work. Most of the facilities are pretty modern. I work in the Engineering Building No. 3 which is the newest building on campus. A picture of the building is below.
The building is off-the-grid and would be what we would call a LEED certified building in the States. I work on the 4th floor (really the 5th floor but they number the floors differently here). The government is currently experiencing a fiscal crisis, so many of the offices, conference rooms, etc. have very limited and sparse furniture as you can see in the pictures of my office and departmental areas below.
I teach in the Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This semester I am teaching one undergraduate course in Water Engineering and one graduate course in Environmental Fluid Mechanics. The undergraduate course has already started and I have 36 students while the graduate course is a two-week course that starts in May. Teaching facilities are comparable to the States and the students are well-prepared, polite, and fully engaged. I do have some difficulty, however, understanding their English at times, it is a real challenge to pronounce their names, and they think I speak with a funny accent. They like to correct my pronunciation as I don't speak the King's English.
Below is another picture of the interior of the building.
I have been invited to work on a NASA sponsored project that is studying atmospheric climate change in the southeast Atlantic. My involvement is looking at correlations with precipitation patterns and rainfall amounts in Namibia or something like that. I still not exactly sure what I will be doing on the project. I also hope to pursue my own research interest into the water resource management practices Namibia utilizes in their water-scarce environment. They are just now coming out of a severe drought and it rained here in Windhoek for the first time in three years a couple of weeks ago. So, water is a big deal here.
Below are a few more buildings on campus (the last one is the library).
Below is a picture of part of the upper campus taken from our apartment. The building with the red roof is the main administration building (the chancellor and provost offices). It use to be a hospital and is one of the oldest buildings in Windhoek (built in 1906).
I have been introduced to most of the university's administration. For some reason they think I am some type of eminent scholar. Anyway, they have treated me really well although it took almost a month for me to get completely set up in their IT systems. Most of their systems don't draw off a common database, so you have to go by each department or area and setup separate accounts. ID card, security card, library, Moodle, etc.
Security on campus is a big deal and the campus is surrounded with fences, including some with razor wire. There are security guards at all the main entrances and I have to use a biometric scan of my fingerprints to get into my building and office. Parking is free but very limited. Most students take taxis to school.
So, yes I really have been working.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
New land
We had a couple of "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore" moments yesterday. First, we drove on the wrong side of the road. It is a bit unsettling for the first couple of km. The turns are the worst part. You actually have to think about where to turn. It has been a while since I had to really think and concentrate on driving. It is just one of those automatic things you do.
Second, we drove out to the Daan Vijoen game preserve--think national park like Yellowstone. The game preserves are open, protected areas. The animals are wild and not fenced in. There are none of the big predators at Daan Vijoen so there are hiking trails. Anyway, we had just come through the entry gate and I was driving around a curve, when we came across a tower of giraffes both in the road and along side. Just like in Yellowstone, I immediately stopped the car for Bruce to take pictures. Unlike, Yellowstone, we were the only car around so it did not cause a traffic jam.
Second, we drove out to the Daan Vijoen game preserve--think national park like Yellowstone. The game preserves are open, protected areas. The animals are wild and not fenced in. There are none of the big predators at Daan Vijoen so there are hiking trails. Anyway, we had just come through the entry gate and I was driving around a curve, when we came across a tower of giraffes both in the road and along side. Just like in Yellowstone, I immediately stopped the car for Bruce to take pictures. Unlike, Yellowstone, we were the only car around so it did not cause a traffic jam.
Least you think I am very smart, I had to look up what a group of giraffes is called. A tower of giraffes is so appropriate.
We realized that this was out of our norm, but oh so cool! There were about six or so giraffes there. We then proceeded down to the main office of the park to pay our entrance fee. We decided to go on the 9.5km hike around part of the park. It was a nice day, not as hot as some. As we were hiking, we heard many different birds, but where unable to locate many. They hide very well.
I don't know what kind of bird this is, but it is the only one we got a picture of.
We also kept hearing a grunting, growling kind of noise and was not sure what it was. It seemed to be sort of following us. It was a bit discerning and we kept hoping that the guide books were right in that there was nothing in the park that would consider us lunch. About half way through the hike, we finally discovered that it was a troop of baboons. The pictures are not very clear or good, but this groups was maybe 100 yards away. They were yelling at us, at each other and generally making a bunch of noise. They climbed and played in the trees around. So now we know what baboon calls sound like.
Again, I had to look up what a group of baboons is called. One of the funniest "fake news" items about baboons said that a group was called a congress, and doesn't that explain a lot. However, it is not true, and we should not continue to insult baboons by referring to them as a congress. One site said, "But the fact remains that a gathering of baboons is not a "congress." When a troop of baboons gathers it usually accomplishes something useful."
That was about it for seeing wildlife. The park is well known for different antelope and zebra populations, but we did not see any. Lots of scat and evidence that they were around, but this is the closest we came....
All in all it was a wonderful day. We were very tired at the end of the hike when we had to climb out of a dry river bed up onto the top of the ridge. They should not put steep climbs at the end of a hike. It is just mean. We also learned to take more water than what you think you will need. The sun is hot and you just kind of dry up quickly. Here was just some pictures of the landscape.
City of Windhoek in the distance
Just to prove I was there!
Friday, February 17, 2017
New Car!
We finally have a car! Yeah! We are heading out to Daan Vijoen Game park tomorrow. This is the smallest of Namibia's game parks and does not have any large predictors, so you are allowed to hike trails. It is noted mainly for birds and terrific views of the country side. I am very excited to get out of the city for a day and see more of Africa.
We have begun to notice how wealthy we are compared to the majority here. We live very comfortably, but not what the U.S. would call affluent. However, listening to the local news last night, we learned that half the population of Namibia live in temporary housing. That basically means a corrugated tin shed. Some are supplied with power, but many just run extension cords to have access to electricity. When shopping for laundry detergent, I found the isle mainly contained detergent for hand washing. It took a bit of looking to find automatic laundry detergent. It is the little things like this that has made me realize the poverty here. Due to a lack of a car and transportation, we have not really seen and been exposed to that poverty. The average retirement income was just raised to $N1,200.00 a month. That doesn't seem bad until you realize that a $N1.00 is worth U.S. $.07. So that is about $92.00 U.S. We have found the prices of food and such to be about the same here as in the States. We pay about 2.00 U.S. for a loaf of bread. It is sobering to think about.
We have begun to notice how wealthy we are compared to the majority here. We live very comfortably, but not what the U.S. would call affluent. However, listening to the local news last night, we learned that half the population of Namibia live in temporary housing. That basically means a corrugated tin shed. Some are supplied with power, but many just run extension cords to have access to electricity. When shopping for laundry detergent, I found the isle mainly contained detergent for hand washing. It took a bit of looking to find automatic laundry detergent. It is the little things like this that has made me realize the poverty here. Due to a lack of a car and transportation, we have not really seen and been exposed to that poverty. The average retirement income was just raised to $N1,200.00 a month. That doesn't seem bad until you realize that a $N1.00 is worth U.S. $.07. So that is about $92.00 U.S. We have found the prices of food and such to be about the same here as in the States. We pay about 2.00 U.S. for a loaf of bread. It is sobering to think about.
Monday, February 6, 2017
In some ways, it is hard to believe another week has gone by. We are still carless, which means we have not been able to get out of the city yet. In order to access our funds in our American bank, we need to open a Namibian bank account. For that, we need to have our passports stamped with a work permit. Bruce applied for a work permit in August, but it was only approved last Friday. So, to make a long story a bit shorter, we must go to immigration and have them update our passports with a new work permit that is valid for one year (we entered the country on a 90 day permit). Then we take our passports, a letter proving where we reside, and Bruce's work contract to the bank. Hopefully we will then be able to open a saving account. At least that is what we think the process is. I am still not convinced that English is spoken here.
So anyway, I am still walking down to the store every day and lugging water jugs uphill. (why, oh why couldn't the store be uphill from our apartment resulting in going downhill lugging the water jugs?) I guess that it is a good work out, but it is tiresome.
On the bright side, my beloved took me out to dinner on Saturday night. We found a lovely restaurant just next door. It is NICE (Namibia Institute of Culinary Education). StudIents work and train here in culinary arts. I had oryx steak. I am not a huge meat eater, but when in Namibia... It was very good. In case you are wondering, here is a picture.
The Namibian diet is very meat and game centered. The quality of meat is good.
As many of you already know, our eldest daughter, Kelda was in a car accident yesterday going home from church. I do not know many of the details, but I guess a vehicle lost control and flipped over onto her car. I know that the Lord answered our prayers that we offer everyday to keep our children safe. It could have been much worse than it was. She suffered a cut above one eye and will be bruised and sore, but thankfully was not seriously harmed. I doubt that she will appreciate me sharing this photo, but after getting the news of her accident, seeing this picture calmed my troubled heart and it is now my favorite of the week. Sorry kiddo! I spent several hours pacing around the apartment and hating that I was selfish enough to be half way around the world when my child was harmed. I am so grateful to my other children who handled the situation much better than I did, our dear friends who checked up on Kelda for us, and our church friends who made sure that she had a Priesthood blessing and that all of her needs were meet.
So anyway, I am still walking down to the store every day and lugging water jugs uphill. (why, oh why couldn't the store be uphill from our apartment resulting in going downhill lugging the water jugs?) I guess that it is a good work out, but it is tiresome.
On the bright side, my beloved took me out to dinner on Saturday night. We found a lovely restaurant just next door. It is NICE (Namibia Institute of Culinary Education). StudIents work and train here in culinary arts. I had oryx steak. I am not a huge meat eater, but when in Namibia... It was very good. In case you are wondering, here is a picture.
The Namibian diet is very meat and game centered. The quality of meat is good.
As many of you already know, our eldest daughter, Kelda was in a car accident yesterday going home from church. I do not know many of the details, but I guess a vehicle lost control and flipped over onto her car. I know that the Lord answered our prayers that we offer everyday to keep our children safe. It could have been much worse than it was. She suffered a cut above one eye and will be bruised and sore, but thankfully was not seriously harmed. I doubt that she will appreciate me sharing this photo, but after getting the news of her accident, seeing this picture calmed my troubled heart and it is now my favorite of the week. Sorry kiddo! I spent several hours pacing around the apartment and hating that I was selfish enough to be half way around the world when my child was harmed. I am so grateful to my other children who handled the situation much better than I did, our dear friends who checked up on Kelda for us, and our church friends who made sure that she had a Priesthood blessing and that all of her needs were meet.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Herero Woman
I saw a Herero woman at the grocery store today dressed in her native clothing with a cloth horn hat and Victorian style dress. I was unable to take a picture, so I found one that is very similar. (middle picture) She was absolutely stunning and appeared very regal in the native attire. Here is a bit about their culture taken from the web:http://www.saymag.com/wpsay/the-indigenous-people-of-namibia/
"Migrating to Namibia from East Africa in the middle of the 16 century, the Herero are a pastoral cattle-breeding people. Many Herero women in Namibia wear traditional Victorian-style clothing which was brought to the country by German colonialists over 100 years ago. The hats worn by Herero women represent the horns of cattle. Their style of dress continues to be passed down through generations and often is worn as every-day clothing. Wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman's place in the society. It openly broadcasts who they are as a people and the identity of the Herero is created through the dress. The Herero women take enormous pride in their outfits."
"Migrating to Namibia from East Africa in the middle of the 16 century, the Herero are a pastoral cattle-breeding people. Many Herero women in Namibia wear traditional Victorian-style clothing which was brought to the country by German colonialists over 100 years ago. The hats worn by Herero women represent the horns of cattle. Their style of dress continues to be passed down through generations and often is worn as every-day clothing. Wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman's place in the society. It openly broadcasts who they are as a people and the identity of the Herero is created through the dress. The Herero women take enormous pride in their outfits."