Exploring Windhoek

I find it amusing that we so recently moved out of our apartment in Seattle, wiping our hands of that phase of our life for a time. And now we’re back in an apartment that is strangely similar: kitchen, dining room, and living room combined, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths (sort of: one has a bathtub, the other has a toilet, both have sinks), and a balcony. The views are better here, as we have an end-apartment that allows us to see both north and south, and to some extent east. We have to walk up a flight of stairs for unobstructed sunsets.

Someone else chose the furniture – thankfully, as it surely saves us both time and money. But I chuckle each time I look at the glass-fronted china cupboard that we will never use: only 2 50-lb checked bags for the 3 of us, so we brought only clothes and electronics, not our best china.

The apartment has an amazing number of appliances: toaster, coffee maker, tea kettle, beaters, television, even a clothes washer, but no clock. I’m not actually sure if the time is 3 in the afternoon or 2, as I write this. I wonder if this is a subtle hint to be aware of African time. Regardless, the days are long – in hours and because we’re still exhausted from travel and from unfamiliar heat.

This morning we spent about 4 hours walking north into a busy urban shopping area, where we began to pick up the few essential items that were too heavy to pack: sunscreen, antibiotic cream, dish soap, hand soap. Katie played for a while in the Zoo-park, which hasn’t had a zoo for decades, but has a fine playground. We had been warned that they’re a bit dangerous: all we discovered is that the metal parts are very hot in the sun (especially as Katie had bare legs), and some of the wooden boards are missing. It was more than made up for by the children there, who asked Katie to “come and play,” then picked her up and had her join in their adventures with a galloping 5-seated horse. Yesterday, we spent some time with 12-year-old Lisa, who is visiting next door. She was totally excited about a gift of stickers, fascinated by the animal flashcards, and amazed at how many toys Katie has (in fact, we only brought out a fraction of Katie’s full complement, which is dwarfed by the toys we left in Washington): this was my first truly eye-opening cultural experience. The second came when I realized Lisa didn’t know the term “mammal” and didn’t know continents on a map – although this may simply reflect language barriers. (A day later: the kids at Poly Heights, where we have our 7th floor apartment, have been equally welcoming to Katie. She is in heaven playing with them, much happier than when she's with mom and dad running errands.) I am beginning to think that, although English is the official language of the country, it is no one’s preferred or default language except for us. And, by the way, every storekeeper recognized us as tourists (clothes? accent?). We stand out enough that the guards at the Polytechnic didn’t even ask to see our ID cards when we returned from our walk.

Walking is easy for almost everything we can imagine needing (except a car seat). We are still wondering why the embassy employees took Alan by car to a distant shop for a few groceries last night - but we suspect it may have to do with what's "acceptable" for whites. We still have a lot to learn about race relations. But our logistics will actually be much easier simply by walking: within 4 blocks is a Pick and Carry for staples and household items, and a Fruit and Veg City for fresh produce, meat and fish, and some preserved fruit and nuts. The clientele is diverse. Walking has seemed safe, though we tried very hard to have nothing accessible, and Alan has been very particular about our path. We've been warned about some locations to avoid at night, because of property theft. But the days are long, and we have plenty of time to accomplish our initial goals of simply settling in.