Greetings from Windhoek and Gobabis

I am back in the capital city of Windhoek after spending 4 days in the small town of Gobabis, where I did my research.  My goal was to talk to residents, government officials and with representatives from the NGOs who work with the residents and I was very successful.

First a note about travel in Namibia, where transportation options are limited.  If the Netherlands is on one end of the scale in terms of providing public transportation, unfortunately Namibia is on the opposite end. In order to travel to Gobabis, I had to take a "public taxi", which is nothing more than a guy with a car (most often a 10+  years-old used compact Honda or Toyota), which he then proceeds to fill with 4 passengers - 5 people in total -  three squeezed into the back seat, for a harrowing 2 hour drive at 75MPH for 120 miles.  As we barreled along on that straight road out of town, I swore I would find another way back to Windhoek - until I later found out that the 'public taxi' is the ONLY option.  So go with the flow!

Here I am in the back seat with one travel buddy, who is dressed in her native outfit.  The hat signifies a cow's horns - Gobabis is in 'cattle country' and cows are a big part of their culture.

The people in the settlement were a bit shy when talking to me, some of them spoke English and others did not. They speak local dialects plus Afrikaans, with some of them actually speaking as many as four or five languages.  Some have built what they call 'brick houses', usually made of stucco, but because they are so poor, most are still living in shacks or 'zincs'. as they call them - corrugated metal.

They have their own plots, many with gardens and some interesting planters.  They are all very proud of the fact that they now own their property, although they are still paying installments to the municipality for the roughly $150 price of the plot - and that takes 5 YEARS!! at the rate of a few dollars a month!.  Some have their own water tap and flush toilet and others do not, since they cannot afford the hookup to the water and the purchase and installation of the toilet.  And everyone is waiting for electricity.

I had a guide while I was there, a young man named Robson, who works for a German NGO called GIZ.  He was so helpful and supportive - I could not have done any of it without him.  He arranged meetings with residents, local municipal officials and even arranged a translator for me.  I am going to write a glowing recommendation to his boss.

Back in Windhoek, the weather got much colder, with temps only going as high as 55 during the day and 28 at night.  And there is no heat in Namibia.  AC yes, if you are lucky, but no heating systems. So I bundled up.  

Next stop is Swakopmund, on the coast.  Ester and I are taking a few days off to go to the beach, though I hear that Namibians do not go into the water - too cold for them, but I am going to try it!