Following a week of lectures to the nursing students they thanked us with some songs!

Bat hunting!

The proposal!

So, for those of you who haven’t already heard the tale of Ant’s proposal, here it is!

It was Thursday 27^th January and I had just returned from a 4 day stint in Okakarara.  Whilst I’d been busy at work during the days, the evenings had been quieter with only my Kindle and podcasts for company.

Ant decided that we should have a ‘date night’ on our return and was preparing to cook me a surprise 3 course meal.  With a glass of wine poured and starter being served, I had no idea that this was going to be anything other than an evening at home with good food and good company.  After we’d finished our starter Ant suggested we go out for a drive to a place that he’d found to take some good scenery and sunset photos.  He wanted to try out the new monopod that he'd bought in Singapore and, despite several attempts, we’re not very good at low-light shots yet.  I agreed although I questioned how much of the sunset we would actually see as there were heavy grey clouds…Ant remained very optimistic though, so I reluctantly agreed to go.

We drove about 15 minutes out of town, eventually down a dirt road leading to a farmhouse and empty campsite.  It just so happened that Ant had sussed this out before and knew that there was a good spot through a field of cows where we could sit and ‘get some good photos’.  Sure enough, it was a lovely view across the African bush with hills in the background.  Still totally unsuspecting, I went for a quick loo stop in the bushes whilst Ant nipped back to the car to fetch the surprise 4^th course to our meal and with the cool box….

Bent down on one knee, Ant opened the cool box to reveal some champagne on ice, glasses and a little white box.  At that point I though blimey, I think he might be going to ask me, but I didn’t want to give it away, just in case it was a necklace or something else and he then felt bad.  However, a moment later he popped the question and of course I said of course!  Several tears were shed in the moment along with long-arm photos of ourselves whilst drinking champagne.  We did try to take some sunset shots (fairly unsuccessfully) but this was not the main objective after all.  

The ring is beautiful, and it apparently took Ant several visits to the jewellers in Singapore to select the right one...who'd have thought the netball tour was a decoy?!  Being a gentleman, he'd sneakily asked my dad's permission first whilst paying the bill at the telecomm shop, so of course my mum and sister were in on the secret as well.

We’re waiting until we come home to the UK before having the wedding, so plenty of time to plan all the details (I didn't fancy a tribal wedding, apparently you have to slaughter at least 6 cows for it).  It's looking like it will be December 2012….very excited!!! xxxxx

Optimism for 2011

We have started the new year at work with increased optimism. By no means does this mean that our resource will not continue to be underutilised or that our placement will in any way be cost effective, but we do now have more opportunity to make some progress with some of the projects we have identified.

January saw the end of the region’s transport budget for this financial year with two months to go. This represents an improvement on last years budget management in which the funds available for transport were spent by October. Funds are now only available for essential activities, of which rehab unfortunately is not one.

However we have both been able to conduct outreach exercises by hitching rides with colleagues whose work is deemed of higher importance. Julia has been back to Okakarara and spent a week undertaking service delivery, supporting Eben, the CBR volunteer who is still diligently turning up to the clinic everyday to support the community, and organising the acquisition of some donated wheelchairs. She will be returning next week for an event to present the wheelchairs to their lucky recipients and will hopefully be able to continue monthly support visits. This should also give her an opportunity to keep her Otjiherero up to scratch as it was getting a bit rusty. (Afrikaans is more useful in Otjiwarongo).

I have been to Otavi, a small town an hour north of Otjiwarongo. Rachel, a Peace Corps volunteer, has been doing a great job supporting community members with disabilities by establishing a disability committee and gaining much needed donated wheelchairs. Unfortunately Rachel does not have a rehab background, nor is she supported by a Ministry of Health rehab worker or with any rehab equipment. I visited to address a rather politically sensitive mess regarding donated wheelchairs. Without going into details all is now sorted and I am hoping to perform monthly support visits and to engage the disability committee members in some training. The main language spoken here is Damara Nama. I’ll give it a go but I think the clicks might be beyond me! Further benefits of my visits will include a great lunch spot and fresh veg market.

Demonstrating new found Occupational Therapy skills... I'll be basket weaving next!

Last week we managed to visit Osire, a refugee camp about 90 minutes from Otjiwarongo. The majority of the refugees are Angolan, with others from Burundi, Congo and Rwanda, and the widely spoken language is Portuguese – another language to master! There are 6000 refugees and the camp is now in a process of repatriation for these people. We met the CBR volunteers and it was like a breath of fresh air. Three volunteers make up the committee providing rehab for 125 people with disabilities (they even had a record!). They get support from Diomede, a nice chap from Burundi with physio assistant training. They expressed the usual needs of support, resources, incentives and training, but in a much more optimistic way than other committees we have met. They are the only committee we have met that I would describe as active and it will be good to finally have an opportunity to work with a group that are motivated and receptive to training. We should have no problems with monthly support camping trips to Osire as transport is provided by the UN.

We have also been busy getting our fingers into some pies in Otjiwarongo with limited progress. Julia is providing clinical support to the rehab worker at the hospital here. I’m sure she would be a delightful lady if the world was not against her and people just got off her back. Unfortunately Julia’s progress has been slowed due to this ladies attendance at the hospital being affected by spending most of her time ‘working in the community’. We have had some meetings regarding other projects including providing disability awareness and rehab training on the Nursing diploma course. We are awaiting feedback from these meetings.

Me and one of our volunteer friends Toyah enjoying the rains last year

January also saw the most rainfall in Namibia since records began in the 1890s. After seeing one of the clay walls in our complex collapse and experiencing a few leaks in the house we did get a bit concerned about our clay home surviving the rainy season. However all seems ok so far and fingers crossed we make it through to the end of March.

Christmas adventures

Happy New Year!  Hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Years celebrations.

It’s our 6 month anniversary in Namibia tomorrow, and we’ve just returned from an amazing 3 week trip over the festive season.

So the trip…We were invited to join a group of other volunteers for an adventure through the north of Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana.  Quite a distance – over 4000 miles in all, and with relatively little prior planning.  I had done a fair amount of reading up and made some recommendations for our itinerary but most people were happy to leave the trip flexible which was wise with the various incidents including car mishaps, illnesses and rain that occurred along the way.  Despite, and perhaps because of these, it turned into a real adventure.

With the Rav all geared up for the adventure (2^nd spare wheel, planks of wood and zip ties at the ready) we set off with our Canadian friend, Jo, from Otjiwarongo heading north in Namibia to pick up others in convoy en route.   

We managed to make it all the way to Katima Mulilo at the far end of the Caprivi strip in a day, and were hosted by a fellow volunteer Physio, Jesse, in her house at Cheshire Homes (a residential unit for children with disabilities).  The change as you drive through the Caprivi strip is very noticeable.  There are loads more villages – mud houses with thatched roofs, lots more people and the odd elephant stood at the edge of the road.  We also heard our first hippos grunting at night from the Okavango river that runs through Katima which was pretty cool.

We were headed to Victoria Falls in Zambia to meet the rest of the group, making 9 in total with 3 cars.  The boarder crossing into Zambia was a challenge – seems crazy that there is so much traffic passing though but yet a real lack of organisation or process!  It was all a bit of a guessing game, but we managed to navigate the 5 different buildings (including a very rickety caravan with a hole in the floor) and numerous pieces of documentation to complete and fees to pay in order to be allowed entry to the country.  We encountered the first of the many foreign exchange facilities which consisted of guys wondering around with huge wads of cash competing to get your business.  Despite going against all anti-corruption principles, and being wary of getting ripped off, it was essential to do business with these guys as the fees payable were in 3 different currencies – this was a theme with all the border crossings.

Victoria Falls was awesome (I’ve been hanging around with too many Americans).  We only saw the falls from the Zambian side – apparently the Zimbabwean side is even more impressive but we’re saving that for the next time.  It’s only really the start of the rainy season so I imagine they are even more impressive when the river is even higher.  There are loads of adrenaline sport options available and Jo did a zip wire across the ravine…I think white water rafting may be an option next time.

From Vic Falls we headed straight through Zambia, quickly passing through Lusaka, the capital, which was chaotic – heavy traffic  with people selling everything from tennis rackets to phone chargers to sling shots amongst the queues.  The Zambian countryside was beautiful and we headed into the mountains for a long stretch where it was raining and misty.  Along the roadside people were selling huge mushrooms that pop up all over the place in the rainy season, mangoes, tall piles of coal and tomatoes.  We stopped to stock up with fresh mangoes and got a full bag for about 20p - they were delicious.  

Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi was our next main stop.  Malawi is even more picturesque.  Loads of small villages, and hundreds of people just around and about.  Bikes seem really popular here and it’s common to see 2 people on one bike, with a huge pile of firewood balanced on the back, cycling uphill.  The women carry EVERYTHING on their heads, from buckets of water to a basket of live chickens.  We even saw someone carrying their handbag and a small water bottle on their head which seemed a little unnecessary, but I suppose once you’ve mastered the art then why carry things in your hand!

Lilongwe was a busy town and we bartered at the craft market to buy some carved wooden souvenirs – we came away with a game called Bawo which involves moving lots of beans around a grooved wooden board.  We had a lesson from the vendors at the market which got quite competitive, it’s a bit like chess in that the better you get, the more moves ahead you can start planning…plenty of time for practice in Namibia!

From Lilongwe we headed across the windy mountain pass to Cape McClear on the shore of Lake Malawi for Christmas.  Only one slight hitch that there was no fuel available in the whole of the capital.  We resisted the temptation of the black market – we’d been warned of the risk of diluted fuel which would have been a disaster.  A guy at the empty petrol station knew of an alternative garage off the main route out of town and agreed to show us the way so that he could get a lift and buy himself to sell on the black market.  The route was somewhat dubious – a rocky, muddy, potholed road into the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed.  40 long minutes later we arrived in a village that I don’t think had seen white people ‘musumbas’ before, as we were gawped at by everyone.  Miraculously in this very remote Malawian village there was fuel – if not we’d have been spending Christmas with the locals – and people were filling up fanta bottles with petrol when we arrived.  We joined the locals to celebrate our find with some street food consisting of barbequed corn-on-the-cob, roast pork and fat cakes.

Needless to say, when finally arrived, the lake was beautiful.  Clear, warm water and sandy beaches.  We spent a good few days there relaxing, swimming and generally enjoying time out of the car.  We spent Christmas Day on a boat trip to an island in the lake where we snorkelled with the Cichlid fish and had barbequed fish and rice on the island for Christmas lunch – very surreal.   

The evening felt far more festive as we decorated the table with tinsel and a Christmas Shitenge (African sarong).  We exchanged our secret Santa gifts and had home made mince pies – a novelty apparently for the non-English in the group.

The plan was to head across to an Island on the northern coast in Mozambique for New Years eve so on the 27^th we made the border crossing into Mozambique.  Immediately after entering the country the roads changed drastically.  Up until that point we’d been driving on well maintained tar roads – a few potholes but nothing too challenging.  The ‘main secondary road’ into Mozambique was something else – like a muddy farm track with huge potholes, and due to the rain, huge ponds/ rivers in the road. 

It was a good job only the 2 Ravs had ventured on this leg of the journey as Celia’s 2 wheel drive would never have made it.  Our maximum speed was 20mph and we were progressing slowly but surely until Matt’s car had a fairly major issue.  One of the bolts connecting his steering mechanism to his front wheel had come off meaning he could no longer steer to the right!  Everyone out of the cars to search for said bolt, and we were joined by a group of local villagers in the search.  Of course it was raining and eventually Ant found the bolt but it couldn’t be re-attached so we resorted to using 3 plastic garden zip ties to fix the steering mechanism (thanks to our friend Mike for making the recommendation to bring them along as we’d already fixed our winscreen wiper with one!).  Feeling a bit vulnerable we crawled along to the first border town called Cuamba to find a mechanic and somewhere to sleep.

The ‘university town’ was more potholed than ever, with no proper shops but a selection of 2 hotels.  We made the wrong choice the first night and stayed in a disgusting hovel that smelt of wee.  Matt tried to get the car fixed the following day with limited success as it was making some ominous noises, so back to the so called mechanics for another look, scratching of head and pidgeon Spanish/Portuguese to establish the problem.  The mechanics had the car balanced on a log and piece of metal pipe, dismantled the wheel , breaks and steering mechanism and then got a hammer out to try and fix the problem. 

During this time Spencer had become unwell and was making frequent trips to the hole in the ground looking greyer and greyer as time went on.  It became obvious that we were going nowhere and so we booked into the other hotel in the town, a fading 1960’s building that at least had aircon.  Spencer was admitted to hospital later that evening as he was getting too dehydrated.  The hospital was horrible – like one of the older wards in Okakarara – smelly, dirty with screaming kids on the main ward.  Poor Spencer had to stay in overnight and begged to come home the next morning having had sufficient fluids.  Matt managed to get a lift with a guy on a scooter to the local Garnet mine to find a more legitimate mechanic to fix his car and most of the others came down in sympathy with Spencer so spent the day in bed…so much for Mozambique!  After 3 nights in the town and lots of card games, Matt’s car was patched up enough to continue so we made the wise decision to turn back to the safety of Malawi to celebrate New Year (the further 400km to the coast on those roads was not appealing).

We made a brief stop at Liwonde National Park on the way back through Malawi and had our first glimpse at a hippo on a canoe trip into the park.  Another full day of driving and we were at Nkata Bay at the northern part of Lake Malawi for New Years Eve.  A hog roast on the beach was waiting for us and we celebrated the African and British New Year drinking and dancing in the beach bar.

After all the trauma we decided to stay put for a few days and make the most of what the lake had to offer.  Ant, Matt and I did a couple of dives including a night dive.  That was an amazing experience – everything being pitch black except for the beam of your torch.  We saw Dolphin Fish hunting the Cichlids, Catfish and plenty of crabs.  The 500 varieties of Cichlid are strange fish that mouth breed and when their babies hatch they swim back into their mothers mouth at any sign of danger.  Also, the females change into males so no male fish are ever born –all very weird.

Heading back towards Namibia we went back through Lilongwe and Lusaka again.  Rather than repeating our tip through Livingstone and Vic Falls, Ant, Jo Lindsay and I diverted through Botswana to Chobe National Park.  We were on a mission to see Hippos and Crocodiles and we succeeded.  Stayed in an amazing lodge and indulged in the excessive buffet (we’d had enough of rice and beans or chicken on offer in Malawi).  The 3 hour boat trip into the Chobe river allowed us to see loads of hippos on land and in the water, a couple of herds of elephants and plenty of crocs – amazing.

A quick stop off in Namibia at a place called Ngepi which is an eco-friendly restcamp that prides itself on its array of outdoor ablution facilities.  You could have a bath overlooking the river and sit on ‘the throne’ atop a tower looking into the bush…very novel, and definitely a place to recommend to others.  Namibia seems very civilised with petrol available at every station and convenience stores selling more than coke and bread!

Back to reality now.  Ant and I have made a New Years resolution to view work here in a different light.  We’re going to stop putting as much pressure on ourselves to achieve lots of progress and just go with the flow a bit more…so far so good.  Had a great trip but it feels good to be back in Namibia!

Our clay house in Otjiwarongo

Our little 3-room clay house.  The compound where it's situated makes the bricks, clay tiles and long-drop toilets for houses in the local settlements

Our outdoor COLD shower - all fine now but in the winter it's going to be chilly!

Dolly, our adopted cat.  I took pity on her whilst Ant was away and started feeding her as she's really skinny - we named her Dolly (Parton) due to her oversized breasts

It's nearly Christmas!

Well we’ve been here 5 months now – nearly a quarter of our total time here – and it feels strange.  In some ways it feels like a long time since we left home and we are missing friends and family, especially as it’s getting close to Christmas.  On the other hand the time has gone quickly, and I’m not sure from a work perspective what we’ve actually achieved.  The ‘settling in’ period has surely got to end some time soon?!

We’ve moved into our little clay house in Otjiwarongo with its long drop toilet and outdoor shower (proper African) and have made it look homely.  It’s set in an NGO compound where they make clay tiles and bricks amongst other things to build affordable and insulated housing for people on low incomes. We have a lovely outdoor garden area and are eating outdoors most evenings when there’s not a thunderstorm - the lightening is absolutely amazing!  It’s pretty hot, ranging from 35-40 degrees most days – can’t believe how much snow you’ve had at home. In the absence of such festive weather I’ve been baking Mince Pies to get myself in the mood.  They do have some Christmas lights up in town, but I’m not convinced the locals even know what a snowman or holly are!!

As Ant mentioned before, although we are in Otjiwarongo we don’t have an office or anywhere to base ourselves yet.  However, we have managed to attend our first regional management team meeting, the purpose of which was for members to feedback highlights in their activities in the past month and communicate their plans for the following month.  It was quite enlightening as several activities could have involved us, however, as per usual, poor communication meant that nobody had thought to tell us!  The meeting was helpful to find out where transport can be shared and we have volunteered ourselves to contribute to some management training on basic communication, leadership and team working skills in one of the districts so hopefully that might materialise early next year. 

I stayed out in one of the settlements, Coblenz, last week to help facilitate the International Day of People with Disabilities.  It was last minute planning by the CBR committee who were writing the agenda the night before the event.  Surprisingly the event only started an hour late, which isn’t bad by Namibian standards and there was a reasonable turnout of about 70 people including many with disabilities.  The purpose was awareness raising in the community, ensuring people are aware of their rights and what support is available.  I had wanted to do a training session with the committee, but this could not take place as I was reliant on a lift from a colleague who instead of getting us to Coblenz by lunchtime, made several social stops on the way, stopped for food, gave various people lifts and generally faffed around so got us there by 4.30pm…grr

We went up to Epupa Falls and Opuwo a couple of weekends ago which was our first trip to ‘Himba Land’.  For those of you not familiar with Himbas, I will upload some photos.  The Himbas continue to wear their traditional dress amongst others in the town wearing western clothes.  They have spiritual beliefs based on contacting ancestors and a reliance on traditional medicine and witchcraft.  The hospital and most other public buildings are painted ochre up to head height as whenever a Himba comes in contact with the walls they deposit some of their colour!  Epupa falls was very pretty, set amongst mountain ranges on the border of Angola.  Not as dramatic as Victoria Falls, but worth a visit as we were in that neck of the woods.

Ant’s been down to Windhoek for a few netball sessions leading up to the big trip to Singapore.  He’s away until the 14^th December and then we go on our Christmas trip to Malawi and Mozambique on the 17^th – bearly worth going back to work!  I’m out all week in a district called Grootfontein with the Chief Social Worker and another colleague.  It should be a good opportunity to familiarise myself with the CBR committees there and make a plan for next year.  I’m taking some training material with me just in case I get the opportunity as who knows when I’ll be able to get transport to the district next.

I can’t wait for our trip away over Christmas.  The vague plan is to spend Christmas at Lake Malawi and then New Year on the northern coast of Mozambique, with a number of places in between.  I’ve been preparing the car for the adventure – spade, extra spare tyre, extra fuel can…the list goes on…don’t want to get stuck in the wilderness.  Expect some dramatic photography from our adventure in the next blog instalment!

So have a Very Happy Christmas! Enjoy all the celebrations and wishing you all the best for 2011.  Miss you all!  Julia xxxxxxxxxx