Visiting Claudia's Family

Spoke with Lisa Saturday

We tried a few times to get through but her cell went to voice mail - eventually we got an e-mail from her that she was home and we called. It seems that she spent the whole day with Claudia (one of her learners) and her family.

The day started early - they picked her up at 7am  and she joined them at a family Tombstone Unveiling - which lasted longer than she had expected. Then they returned to Claudia's in town home and watched TV for a while (a real treat for Lisa) and just about when Lisa thought she'd be heading home for the day they took off for the family farm and had a Namibian Bar-B-Q (never can quite catch the Afrikaans word for it - sorry) So she didn't get returned home till 8pm. A very long day!

It's both nice and unsettling to be included in such family moments - like the unveiling. But being invited along does show she's considered part of the community.

 

More Vacation Details

Finally found out that Lisa wasn't able to use Julie's bus ticket to Livingstone. She had to pay for her own. I guess either Julie had to be there in person or at least had to be able to be contacted by cell phone to transfer the ticket and since Julie was on her way home and her Namibian cell wouldn't work out of country there was no getting in touch with her. Too bad she couldn't use the ticket but that's life. None of the Peace Corps finagling influenced the folks running the bus.

But if Julie hadn't started the ball rolling for Lisa with the offer of the ticket in the first place Lisa probably wouldn't have jumped through the hoops necessary to travel to Livingstone and see Victoria Falls etc. So  even though she couldn't use the ticket it still provided the incentive to take the vacation. I think if Lisa had been in Aroab the whole time with the learners and teachers gone she would have gone a bit crazy! (GRIN)

Lisa is still enjoying the warm glow of a vacation well spent. I hope she manages to go somewhere else on her Spring Vacation next year - it would be great if she could see more of Africa before returning home!

We asked Lisa what format her DVD was - the one from the Elephant Safari - and I gather it's in the proper format for US viewing. Which is a good thing -  it would have been too bad if she got it home and we couldn't watch it! It will be a year before we see her runaway elephant escapade but I think the wait will be worth it (GRIN)

 

Odds and Ends

Lisa talked about the heat and how she would probably spend New Years Eve celebrating with Claudia's family - I gather there is a big celebration with a Bar-B-Q and some sort of bonfire all evening.

She also discussed the economic situation both in the US and world wide. She keeps comparing it to a British science fiction character we enjoy watching on TV - Dr Who - she does a good job too! It's too complicated a comparison for me to put in her blog - you'll have to ask her about it yourselves next year! (GRIN)

We told her about a cool festival of trees that we went to in Pittsfield MA at the Berkshire Museum - where the theme was "Green" and "Recycling" and many of the decorations and even the trees themselves were created from used packing materials and assorted throwaway stuff. They were all very creative!

We'll probably post the next blog next year! GRIN on New Year's Day since we'll be attending First Night in Saratoga Springs and we'll be spending the night there. So unless something unexpected happens I'll blog again Next Year! Have a Happy and safe New Years!

 

Susan Rothman

Merry Christmas

Called and Wished Lisa A Merry Christmas this Morning

She was doing well. Told us she'd been "Church Hopping" this Christmas Holiday. Yesterday - Christmas Eve -  after attending Lutheran Services with Erna - Erna said the equivalent of "The night is still young" so they went to later services at the Born Again Church where her Principal is Pastor. She was wondering when "We Shall Overcome" became a Christmas song - and her Dad and I didn't have a clue as to that one! So she was in Church from about 6:30 to nearly 11:00. They almost attended more services at the Catholic Church but by then Lisa was much too tired. (GRIN)

This morning Christmas Day - she attended services at the Lutheran Church and was whispering/singing very quietly to herself when someone took her arm and drew her up to join the Choir - they were singing Joy To The World! -  in English! Then other hymns some in English, some in Afrikaans. She then was asked to do one of the readings - and since it was from one of the Bibles that was written in both English and Afrikaans she managed quite nicely with the English (Double GRIN).

It all reminded her of the various services she participated in at American University. She really misses all the friends she made there - and the wonderful group spirit of their Methodist Community. (Not to mention the pizza, cheese, retreats and movie nights - Ahh religion at college - it's quite wonderful! (GRIN) - )

She opened presents she had been saving from various packages she'd been receiving and was delighted and touched by them all. She managed to find a bag of chicken parts that included some breast meat (which she prefers to dark meat of any kind) so she managed to cook a few things "that came out OK" - to use her words. So all in all it was a nice Christmas for her even though she misses home a great deal.

 

A Time of Miracles - GRIN -

Lisa believes the Christmas spirit is alive and well in her container garden - she planted some seeds I had sent her this past Monday and as of this morning she's spotting tiny plants all over the place! Mostly radishes and other quick to germinate veggies but even so it felt miraculous to her - she's never had that much luck growing things outdoors. Germination in less than a week qualified as a miracle to her!

She'll see how it goes - with luck she can nurture them along well enough so when she heads back to Windhoek Jan 9th they'll survive without her watering them for a few days. The soil is almost pure sand so she isn't sure if she can create enough compost from her tea leaves and veggie parings to fortify it. As is much of life in Namibia - it will be an experiment.

If anyone wants to send her veggie seeds to experiment with she'd be delighted! Any extras beyond what she can use at home and in her classroom - she'll share with other teachers at school for use in their classrooms. Watching things grow is miraculous to most people the world over no matter what their age.

 

Life in her Kitchen

She managed to obtain some lemon juice and not having that much cooking experience she added I gather enough for several dishes at once. She tried to moderate the tartness but it was still very high on the pucker scale. So many of the quick fixes we have in our kitchens either don't exist in Namibia or are simply not available where she's living. The mommy in me felt bad that I couldn't present her with workable suggestions using ingredients she could obtain easily. It was so much easier to play "rescue chef" when she was in college just a college shuttle away from a lovely Whole Foods Store.

Oh, at some point some dear soul sent her some low sodium bouillon cubes and she's out of them - they were wonderful from what I gather - since the closest things she can find locally seems to be pure salt with hardly any flavor. If the bouillon sender recognizes their gift she would be delighted to receive more. It's truly amazing what constitutes a terrific gift when you're in Africa! (GRIN)

Lisa misses good pots and pans (that don't encourage everything to burn and stick to them) and the mere idea of a microwave, toaster oven, or slow cooker makes her heart go all a flutter. Ahh love in the kitchen. I didn't dare mention ovens, blenders, and broilers - it might have been too much for her! (TRIPLE GRIN) Why do I think the first things she'll want to do when she gets home next year are roast a turkey, broil a grilled cheese sandwich and veg out on the computer for hours staring at a screen bigger than her cell phones! She'll also probably want every veggie in the store as well as every fruit they have in stock!

 

Living In "The State of Denial"

She is pointedly not thinking about having to start a new year of teaching in January. This Vacation thing then time hanging with friends etc is very easy to get used to. In some ways she's lived a life that was always  busy with school, summer classes and projects, and spending time with family etc. She's never had a solid year of working without family/home time and her vacation pointed out to her how tough the past year was. It made college seem like a breeze in comparison.

But she is determined to continue her Peace Corps Service and she really hopes she's making a difference in her community. I don't think it's so much that she's not happy about staying as it is that she'd like regular access to visiting us in the US and better electronic toys and the ability to use them! Being so far away for so long is the tough bit.

 

Odds and Ends

She enjoyed talking about the Obama transition and her hopes for his new administration. And her delight in seeing Obama T-shirts popping up in Namibia, and Zambia. Everyone in Africa seems hopeful and excited about his election. She hopes it continues to be a hopeful sign to these countries for the foreseeable future. Right now it's "Fun to be an American" in Africa - everyone congratulates you when they discover where you're from.

Another note - in addition to AA batteries she could now use D batteries if anyone wants to mail a heavy package to her (GRIN) - the D's work in a wonderful battery powered fan she was sent by Laurie, Steven and Rachel. And while we're still digging out of snowstorm after snowstorm - Lisa is hitting a long hot spell!

 

So have a Happy Christmas, and enjoy the end of the year festivities. Take Care - and Till I have more news -  Bye

 

Susan Rothman

Home in Aroab

Spoke To Lisa This Morning

Lisa got back to Aroab Thursday Night. That was a very long vacation! - she was away for 15 days!  After catching the overnight train to Keetmanshoop Tuesday she spent Wednesday night there and spent Thursday arranging for a ride to Aroab. Erna thought she had arranged a ride for Lisa and told her to go to the Police Station and wait.  Lisa has spent more time in Police Stations in Africa than she ever would have believed - they seem like community centers where people meet up all the time. Or at least it seems that way (GRIN).

Anyhow - that ride fell through and eventually Lisa got a ride in with a Town Councilman. Waiting she's gotten used to - but the biggest disappointment  was she had planned to do a lot of shopping for food before heading back to Aroab and she didn't end up having the time to do so. Oh well. It's just that she hardly ever gets to Keetmanshoop. But she is living in Africa so such things occur.

Speaking of food - she's discovering the growing seasons in Namibia - the local store has changed over from having lots of carrots to having lots of green peppers. Local seasonal eating is the normal routine there! It's amazing how "Green" you can be and how "Local" you can eat when you have no other options! (GRIN)

 

Quiet Time

After her busy exciting vacation in Livingstone, the quiet of Aroab is a great contrast. The Hostel is closed down (I'm just grateful she still has electricity in her place over the break) and is locked and the fence around the Hostel is also locked so Lisa has to hop the fence to get to her place since she couldn't get keys for either from the powers that be. I guess the fence is low at some places so it isn't too bad. The Mommy in me is disappointed - I was hoping she could get a key so she could get in and watch some TV over the break - just as a distraction. But it wasn't to be.

But folks have been keeping an eye on her place for her - just after she got back and she had opened some windows and turned on her one light she heard a voice call from outside "Lisa? Lisa? Are you home?" They were just checking! Didn't want anyone breaking in. Now that makes a Mommy feel a bit more secure! It's nice to know others are looking out for your kid.

 

School

The school is also locked down so she can't get in to get her classroom set up for next term (Assuming she has the same classroom) or use their TV either. Ahh well.

Lisa heard some statistics about the final exams - not very good ones at that. 11 out of 31 passed 10th grade. - Erna's son was one that passed! He's on to High School in January! From her Hostel among the 6th through 10th graders only 2 passed. I guess the other Hostels had more who passed.

Lisa is hoping that next term she's able to continue teaching her Life Science learners as they move up from 9th to 10th grade. Life Science was a real problem for this years 10th grade learners since as Lisa understands it they had a new curriculum and the teachers had no idea what was going to be on the test. (Sound familiar?) And it turns out that the material from 8th, 9th, and 10th grade was included. Would have been nice to warn the teachers.

Some of her current learners saw the test (I'm not going there) and said they thought it was easy - that she had taught them most of the stuff on it. So Lisa felt she was doing something right. She mentioned she wanted to teach that group next year but all the class assignments are up in the air and won't be finalized till right before the next term starts. Of course that's when Lisa will be in Windhoek for Peace Corps training so she'll find out what she's teaching when she gets back. Isn't that often the way things work out. (Sigh)

 

Time

So Lisa has about 2 and a half weeks before she has to return to Windhoek for training. She's not really supposed to be leaving her site during that time unless she takes more formal vacation time. But as she says it's almost impossible to get from Aroab to anywhere easily so she won't worry about it till she has to return for PC training.

She's decorated her place with Christmas stuff  and will spend the time cleaning, organizing, and finishing the paperwork from last term on the curriculum for each of her classes that she didn't complete before taking off on her vacation. She also has books to read, and journal's to fill, as well as a story she started to write to work on.

There isn't much Christmas music on the few radio stations she can pull in and she only has a few Christmas cassettes. She misses Christmas music 24/7 at this time of year - she can't download any on her cell phone - it just freezes up on her. Namibian cell service keeps us in touch with her but doesn't allow many of the other perks we're used to in our "Can you hear me now?" universe. But she's managing. There are are lot of things going on at the local Churches so her Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be busy.

 

Presents

It was lovely for her when she arrived in Aroab to find gifts from so many people at the Post Office - some Birthday (which she opened immediately -GRIN -) and some Christmas ones which she's saving to open on Christmas day.

Thank you's go out to :

Grandma Rothman - all the goodies are wonderful! as are the stickers, the book The Color of Water, and the book "Have a Green Christmas";

Laurie and Steven - the battery operated fan in particular is wonderful since it's so hot right now! And all the National Geographic magazines were a delight, as was the Magazine about elections around the world - it should be great for school! The book and edibles were lovely etc.- the Christmas gift she's saving;

Alice M - the 2 envelopes were a delight - with books, loose leaf paper for her learners, great music (she loves your taste in music! and yummy stuff;

and Mom and Dad - hey that's us! (GRIN) with magazines etc.

 

Odds And Ends

Thank you all for holding Lisa in your thoughts and prayers - it's an amazing time in her life and knowing you are all back home pulling for her helps her get through the rough patches. May your Holidays be bright ones and may Peace fill your New Year!

 

Susan Rothman

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

Busy Vacation Time

Lisa Has Been Very Busy

On Wednesday she saw Victoria Falls and wandered around seeing lots of baboons on the paths. Thursday she went on a walking safari and loved it!She saw a lot more animals - giraffes, rhinos etc. This bit - seeing all the animals is very impressive to her since she's living in the desert area of Namibia and except for bats and birds sees very few animals other than a donkey or horse. So now she feels like she's experiencing "classic Africa" and it's GREAT! She's taking a lot of pictures - but since she can't upload them onto a computer it will be over a year before we see them (sigh).

I think she's felt a little left out compared to other Namibian Peace Corps Volunteers who see (or at least hear) elephants or goats or other African wildlife every day. So playing catch up is fun. She hasn't mentioned any other animal misbehavior (beyond the elephants who were in a running mood) so she thinks maybe Africa has improved her luck with wild critters.

She's not sure what else she'll be doing - maybe something else on the water tomorrow then soaking up the sun by the pool Saturday before she heads back Sunday - first to Windhoek on the bus, then the train to Keetmanshoop - then whenever she can get a ride she'll head back to Aroab.  All in all this seems to be a great vacation for her.

When I hear more I'll blog more!

 

Susan Rothman

Lisa On Vacation

We Finally Got An E-mail Today From Lisa

As we expected her cell phone doesn't work from Zambia, and the Internet was down in her Hostel till today - she's not sure if it goes in and out a lot or not. But the important bit was that we got a brief up-date on her vacation.

 

Her Week So Far - The Weekend

She arrived Saturday and mostly rested  and got in a quick swim at the Hostel. Sunday she walked around town a bit and visited the Livingstone Museum which she found interesting. It was inexpensive (just $5 US) which is always good, and they had some of Livingstone's original letters which I gather were very hard to read yet still quite interesting. They also had part of a skeleton - now she doesn't explain whose skeleton so I'm just guessing it was part of Livingstone's. (GRIN)

 

Monday

Monday she was going to try and exchange some money at the local bank but after waiting in line for an hour without making much progress,  she was hot and experiencing a bout of dizziness - she guessed was from being dehydrated, she figured she had enough cash for meals and anything else she could charge, so she left the bank. This trip is the first time she's used her credit card since arriving in Africa! She's been a true blue Peace Corps Volunteer living off what they pay her.

She then went out on a 2 and a half hour cruise on the Lady Livingstone. She got a deal - it cost $50 US vs $60 US and she didn't know why -maybe exchange rates were new  - whatever - she was happy. She enjoyed snacks, chocolate truffles and the company of an interesting group of people -  2 from Briton, 2 from Germany, and 2 Americans who were former Navy people currently living in Texas and working at a nuclear power plant. The cruise was a lot of fun and very relaxing.

 

Tuesday

Today (Tuesday) she believes she spent more on a fun activity than she has ever done so in her life (as you will notice she's not used to spending vast amounts of money on herself -GRIN-) She rode an Elephant - it's some sort of Safari on elephant back - and between that and buying the $40 US DVD of her adventure to prove it happened - she spent about $200. I'd be far richer today if that was the most I had ever spent on a fun activity. Ahh well.

I loved how she described it "It was really Cool!! My elephant was just like my learners - hungry - and it would not listen. I ended up having it take off on a run - I don't know how fast but it seemed fast and a bit scary but not bad."

She also commented on her relationship with animals - she once had a "tame" goat at a petting zoo nibble her finger, while visiting her Grandparents on Long Island  a "tame" pig who "never bit anyone" bit her when she was feeding it a strawberry, and a hornet popped up from no where and stung her when she was on Long Island watering plants for her Grandmother. She feels she doesn't have a good track record with wild creatures (but her cat Lightning loves her!)

But you notice she doesn't give up - she still gave the elephant ride a shot! (GRIN - GRIN)

She ended that bit saying that while the ride was nice she couldn't imagine Elephants as a major form of transportation and she figures Hannibal must have been very silly indeed to do so.

 

Tomorrow

Wednesday she plans to visit Victoria Falls and she's not sure what else. There are a lot of things to do I gather!  Every day so far she's been reading, and swimming in the pool - she's getting to like this vacation life a lot. It's actually her first vacation on her own - she's gone places with family, or to visit family, trips with HS and College groups, and spent her college years in Washington DC,  but she's never taken off on her own before on a vacation. I guess when you're in the Peace Corps doing such things just comes naturally! (GRIN)

She's not sure when or if she'll get a chance to e-mail again but knowing how well things are going thus far has cheered the mommy side of me a good deal! If we hear more - I'll Blog more. Take Care!

 

Susan Rothman

Quick Up Date

Hi all - Just a quick Up-Date

Lisa sent a 4 word e-mail yesterday "The Bus Is Leaving" so we knew she managed to get on the bus to Livingstone. And this morning I woke to a brief e-mail - "In Zambia : )".  We then tried to call her but couldn't even get through to her voice mail so she may be out of communication for a while. But it sounds like things are working out for her.

Thank you to everyone who responds to my e-mail up-dates where I link to this blog - It keeps us all connected and it's good to know my messages are getting out!

 

One Last Thing

If you get a chance go to the website of the Peace Corps Namibia blogs -

http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/wa.html 

a few listed at the top are from the new Volunteers - after a year of blogging about Lisa's experiences it's fun to see Namibia with fresh eyes from the brand new crop of PCVs. Very nostalgic - Lisa is half way through but they are all just starting out! What an adventure they all are on! Much luck to them all!

 

Susan Rothman

Livingstone Here She Comes

Quick Call

We made a quick call this morning to Lisa before her trip to Livingstone / Victoria Falls since we weren't sure her cell phone would work when she moves into another country. She gave us a fast update on things.

After several days of no luck finding a ride to Keetmanshoop no matter who she asked - she lucked out and on the spur of the moment caught a ride there with a member of the Town Council - so she was then able to catch the overnight train up to Windhoek.

Thursday was spent getting her Visas, exchanging money, trying to sort out her bus ticket to Livingstone etc. she still doesn't know if she can get her friend Julie's transferred to her or not - she may have to pay for another one - Ahh well. She was told to show up to get the Visa at 2 but the guy didn't make it to the office till 4 - From something I saw on line he may have had an excuse - I think he was driving around Namibia's Founding President whose Mother died and will be given a State Funeral tomorrow (Saturday). Lisa agrees that assignment was more important than arranging her Visa (GRIN).

She ended up leaving Aroab in a hurry so when she got to Windhoek she discovered she forgot her camera - but since there isn't anything to spend money on in her town other than a bit of food - she had enough in her bank account to buy another camera for the trip. It cost about $1,600 Namibian (about $160 USD including a memory card) She still expects to have plenty of money to enjoy herself on this vacation but will then join the rest of the world with a lean mean bank account.

 

She Feels Like Her Vacation Is Finally Getting Started

After getting most of the paperwork done, and getting her camera she's finally starting to relax and get in the vacation spirit. In Windhoek she saw the latest James Bond movie - she said she got to a point where she felt sorry for the buildings and cars since everything seemed to be getting destroyed. It seemed to be one long car chase with a few brief interruptions for something resembling a plot. She also made the observation that in recent "super hero / adventure movies it sucks to be a good guy". Interesting - (sorry if this info spoils things for those who haven't seen the movie yet -GRIN-)

She picked up a few books for her trip - and got some guide books for the area too. She brought her backpack and that wonderful multi pocketed tote my cousin Diane sent her and she thinks they will work perfectly for her adventure.

Right now it's sunny and hot in Windhoek - which is a good thing since it's the start of the rainy season so she's got her fingers crossed she'll have decent weather this week!

 

Not Sure When The Next Update Will Be

Since we won't know if her cell works out of country and if she'll find Internet access from the Hostel where she'll be staying - and in 2 weeks when she'll be back in Aroab we'll be visiting her Grandparents on Long Island it may be a while till I can let you all know how her vacation went! But whenever I know something I'll post it here!

Boy am I spoiled - we get to call Lisa every week and the prospect of going 2 or more weeks without talking to her seems like forever! I didn't speak to my parents for over a year when I taught in Finland in the 70's! No one in my family would have even considered making an overseas phone call - it was far to expensive - and there was no Internet.

Of course I wrote weekly and they wrote to me - and Lisa has sent us 1 (one) note from Africa - and that was over a year ago when she let us know she was moving from Mozambique to Namibia - But I'm not complaining - just commenting. (GRIN - GRIN) The phone calls are nice - if expensive. Of course we pay for them - this is probably why she has money for this vacation - hmmm - well she deserves it after a full year of teaching! Anyhow I'll stop rambling here and let you all get back to your holiday preparations! Have a great week or so!

 

Susan Rothman