We are settled now into the home we are renting in Otjiwarongo. It was lots of work as we really only came with what you would take on a longer vacation. Figuring out where to buy all the things you need and then just figuring out what you need was a process. I know all the stores very well in Otjiwarongo now! I am grateful that you can find everything you need here. There is actually 5 furniture stores here and several stores to buy other goods. The shopping is definitely better than Invermere or even Cranbrook! Cassia and I did make a trip into Windhoek (the capital city and the only real city in Namibia) before Christmas to get our outdoor furniture and do a little Christmas shopping.
Windhoek is a very modern city with all the amenities you could possibly want. The shopping malls are very good. The one thing I found strange though is you can still smoke anywhere here so walking through the mall smelling and seeing people smoke was weird. Getting around Windhoek is not the easiest city to drive in. I think I pulled over 10 times to look at the map before we found the B & B we were staying at. I decided to park the bukkie for the next two days and hire a cab to get us around. It's a complicated city to drive in as well as focusing on staying on the left side of the road.
Judy getting her first Christmas present!
Mildred receiving her first Christmas present ever!! They were both very excited and appreciative!
I actually took to driving on the left side pretty good. I have only driven on the right side once and I soon realized it and got to the left before there was any problems. Luckily I had that slip up on a quiet side road. I still go to get in the bukkie on the wrong side on occasion. It's amazing how programmed my brain is to that. Vaughn says it is the same for him and most of the guys at work that are from the right side driving of the world!
We are enjoying our new home. It is very roomy and nicely laid out. My favorite part of it is the lapa outside and the swimming pool.
I think after living in this home for almost 6 weeks now I have finally figured out the pool maintenance! The home owner really didn't give us good instructions as she really didn't know herself how to do it.
An after work swim with Dad!Cassia is getting lots of swimming in and we have come up with some good games to play in the pool. Keeping Cassia occupied has proven to be a little bit challenging at times. We arrived mid November and she doesn't start school until Jan 21st. We moved here just as the schools were closing for summer holidays so she never got a chance to meet any kids. The whole month of December things really slow down here. They take their Christmas holidays very seriously here and family time is very important. Some businesses close down from Dec 20th till Jan 6th. For the most part Cassia and I keep busy. We made 3 big puzzles over the holidays and did lots of baking! We have been teaching Judy and Mildred how to bake!
I have joined the gym here! I am so impressed with the facility. They don't have any fitness classes but the equipment and facility is big, spacious, clean, bright and well laid out. They are really into rehabilitation and get lots of refferals through physio. There is a diverse demographic that goes to the gym and I am starting to get familiar with some faces!
We have two great ladies helping us with the house as you can see from the pictures. Our intentions were to just have one but it was divine intervention why we ended up with two. Judy who we initially hired is 34 year old single mom who was looking for domestic work. She has turned out to be great. I enjoy the conversations we have as she gives me a different perspective of life here that as an outsider you would never get to see or hear. Mildred is the other woman that through divine intervention is helping out with all the outside yard work. So why do I feel it is divine intervention?
It is a bit of a long story. After we moved into the house it was about 1 week before I had internet so I was going to the lodge that we stayed at the first two weeks to check my emails and stay connected. My last visit to the Eagle's Nest to check my email the security guard (Mildred) that we got to know a little bit was there. I asked how she was doing and she started to cry. She had been accused of stealing from the grocery store that she was guarding at the day before and was fired from her job. was to be the last day of work for her with the company. I immediately knew that I wanted to help her! It was all meant to be that way because the first day I met her before all this happened I sensed I was going to be involved in her life somehow. You know when you just get a feeling! Without even a hesitation I told her she could come help in the garden/yard at our new house. She was just so thrilled and happy it made me cry!! The next day she started work at our home and I am so thankful I listened to my heart and intuition. The story gets even more interesting now!!! Bare with me.....
Judy and Mildred got along right away with one another and Cassia really likes both of them. There aren't any real standards for how much you have to pay workers here but the basic rate is 70 Namibian dollars/day. This translates to approx. $7 CAD. Not nearly enough to survive on here! We are paying twice that amount for half the amount of hours to be worked. This is still really not very much but a lot more than what most domestic workers are getting. Judy told me that some domestic workers are only getting paid $250 Namibian/month which is only $25/month!!! That is illegal but people get away with it here!! Both Mildred and Judy are very happy with their salaries as it is more than either of them have ever made before. Mildred is a 30 year old single mom who has had a lot of challenges in her life. Her stories and what she has been through amaze me. The saying is true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!! They are both hard working mothers just trying to provide for their families and survive. They are both already concerned for when we leave back to Canada as they have never been treated so nicely and fairly. My goal is to empower them with confidence and some new skills so they can both be more employable. I will help them with further education if either one of them wants to gain other skills.
Cassia holding Mildred's little girl in the back of our bukkie. Aren't they so cute!!
So now the really interesting part of this story. Yesterday Mildred and Judy show up at the house and say guess what we just figured out? It turns out they are actually first cousins. Mildred's dad and Judy's dad are brothers. Mildred has never met her father as it is believed he had an affair with her mother and didn't and couldn't have anything to do with her. Judy knows her father well and says he is one of her favorite uncles! Well she is not so sure now? After Mildred mother died she tried to contact himfor the first time but unfortunately his new wife didn't like that and changed the number. Mildred's father can't read so she thinks his wife may have erased the text messages and then changed the number so she couldn't reach him again. Judy knows him well and is going to do what she can to unite them together. I am hoping Mildred can find out the true story from her father and forgiveness can be made. Mildred has been through a lot and didn't have any family to support her but now she does. I really hope it turns out well as it sounds like Mildred's father is a good man.
So this is why I say divine intervention because I wasn't even planning on checking my email the day I saw Mildred at the Falcon's Nest and out of all the women I could have working they end up being relatives that can help and support one another! Divine indeed!! It will be interesting to see what happens with that whole situation.
Mildred and Judy's first swim in our pool. This was Mildred's first time ever in a pool! She took to it very well. Now on really hot days after their work is done they take a swim!! Cassia loves it when they go in with her!
The weather here is about what I expected! Hot! We have climatized well though and now 28 degrees feels cool to us. LOL! When it rains here it pours and that is no exaggeration! We have a tin roof and when it rains you can't hear the person next to you or the TV! We had a bit of a down pour last night but it didn't last long enough. We had one rainfall 3 weeks ago that was by far the most rain I have ever seen in a 24 hour period. I think we got 110 mm and most of that was within a 2 hour period. We had a lake in our back yard and our pool was almost over flowing.
We really do need more rain and I am told that Jan and Feb are the rainiest months.
A nice rainbow out our front yard!
I had to take Cassia to the dentist yesterday. I actually just went in to see if I could make an appointment and I got in the same day! That is unheard of in Canada. The dentist was awesome and quickly filled Cassia's small cavity! It cost $60 for the visit and the filling. There are the private clinics here and then the public hospitals if you need to visit the doctor. You pay very minimal at the public hospital and a bit more at the private. Vaughn has a physio appointment at the end of the month and I am sure he will get the treatment he needs!
Some other things that I find different so far;
Personal space especially if you are standing in a line-up. You don't get any personal space! People don't mind being a bit pushy and it doesn't appear that this is considered rude??? Actually I have been budged in front of a few times now.
Stop signs don't really mean stop. More just slow down a bit. You only really stop if there is someone coming. I still stop but I have been given some dirty looks for doing so.
Namibians love having dogs. I have seen up to 5-8 dogs in one yard.
The whites like their pure breeds and the blacks usually just have the fox tail type like we have!
Cassia picked out Gerry from the SPCA! They had a great selection of dogs. I was very impressed with the overall facility and organization! The dogs there are all very happy!!
Stay tuned for more adventures from Namibia!
