Lisa is Back in Windhoek

Her Vacation is Coming To An End

I haven't updated in a bit since we lost power for a few days - the Northeast had quite an ice storm move through - 5 days later some are still without power - my Brother included. So I'll play catch up now.

Spoke with Lisa early this morning before her Dad headed off to work. She took the overnight bus late Sunday from Livingstone to Windhoek - arriving Monday. She caught 2 movies in Windhoek (The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Madagascar 2 Back to Africa) and spent some time on the computer in the Peace Corps lounge. After spending last night (Monday) there she heads back to Keetmanshoop tonight (Tuesday) on the overnight train where she'll stay with David (fellow PCV) till she gets a ride back to Aroab.

She keeps running into other Peace Corps Volunteers in Windhoek but most are just starting their vacations or they're heading back to the US if it's the end of their term of service. She sort of wishes she was doing either - she's not really ready to return to Aroab just yet. Vacations are fun! (GRIN)

She hasn't done the math yet as to how much this vacation cost her but she's decided not spending much money for a year allows you to spend tons on a vacation. She ate out just about every meal and splurged on nice places as well as cheap ones, took more tours than she planned to and bought more stuff than she knows what to do with. You'd think she'd lived under a rock all her 24 years - never spending money on anything always using  "do I really need it" as a guide to putting out $ etc. But she was very happy to have all that $ now. I think when she finally spent her $ she spent it very well indeed - that's from a Mommy point of view (GRIN)

 

What A Different Perspective A Year Makes

It was strange yesterday, about the time we were guessing she'd be crossing into Namibia the oddest thought passed through my mind - "Well at least she should be back on home turf now". Never thought I'd consider Namibia her home turf (GRIN). But after a year it sort of is at least more familiar territory.

And the currency is much easier to sort out! It's $5,085 Zambian Kwacha to $1 US - so she had to keep careful track of those decimal points! (SMILE) But I guess Zimbabwean currency is even wilder $731,425 New Zimbabwean Dollars (Z$) to $1 US and each New Z $ is worth 10 Billion old Z $. Now that's inflation! She didn't really need to use that info but since Zimbabwe was right across the river she heard about their money woes. In comparison the Zambian currency was a breeze to figure out. (GRIN)  I guess the local joke is that you use old Z$ to paper your walls since they are cheaper to use than wallpaper would be.

Lisa ended her vacation in Livingstone on a cool damp note - but that was OK since she had fit a lot in already. She managed to finish several books which was very relaxing! In addition to the animals she saw which I mentioned in previous blogs - she said she saw a lot of alligators - which  were pretty impressive when viewed from her cruise boats!

 

Life Imitating Art

I gather she liked her Hostel - Fawlty Towers very much but they were in the middle of remodeling (isn't that always the way things work out) so things were a bit discombobulated. But not nearly as chaotic as in the British TV series by the same name. (GRIN) Compared to her Aroab place it was great though!

 

Elephants

She gave us more details of her Elephant Safari - where they rode the Elephants with a guide - most had 2 plus the guide she was alone with the guide. They were in a a basket sort of thing I guess. They were warned that if they ran into wild Elephants (which didn't happen that often) they would fire off a gun to frighten away the wild ones since the trained ones were used to the occasional shot and wouldn't run. The wild ones can be very dangerous since after all they are huge and powerful!

Well they didn't run into any wild elephants but her elephant ignored the guide and decided to go away from the path and have a snack then he decided to race back to join the others who had moved on ahead. A very exciting "jog" from Lisa's point of view (GRIN).

That's where the comment in a previous blog came from about the elephants being like her learners - always hungry and not prone to listening to those in authority. But boy it was memorable and as she said has provided her with one heck of a story to tell! (DOUBLE GRIN)

 

Odds And Ends

Now she has 3 weeks back in Aroab, then she has to travel to Windhoek again for Peace Corps training then back to Aroab to start her second year of teaching. With all the learners and most of the teachers gone (except for those who live in town) it will be very quiet. Hope someone invites her over for Christmas!

Lisa will get to do nice things she never gets to - having tea and meals with local families, and  socializing with them. That's one Peace Corps activity she hasn't spent enough time on - community involvement beyond her "job" ie teaching and school related activities. As she moves into her second year she's supposed to do more in the community. She'll have more time to read and catch up on her journal too. And she wants to start a garden while she's around to water it. Yes it's hot there - summertime in the southern hemisphere!

She'll also get to the stuff that we all put on the bottom of our lists, cleaning, mending anything that needs mending, prepping for next years classes, finishing off a little bit of paperwork for last terms classes that didn't get done before her vacation etc.

It's been a long year without her but in a little over a year she should be back! I can't wait! Till then I'll just keep blogging for her - heck when she gets home she'll be able to do what she wants to with this blog so maybe I'll have to start my own blog - can you make a New Years Resolution over a year in advance? If you can that will be my resolution for next year!

Take Care

Susan Rothman