And so it begins...

And they are off!

Our final days in Lincoln were a lesson in procrastination. As in, you really shouldn't procrastinate. But, we are skilled purveyors of the sport, and it caught up with us. Living on a short amount of sleep, I will refrain from a long posting, as they say sleep-deprived driving is the same or worse than driving drunk. The same may apply to blogging.

We are half-way to Namibia, with a few days scheduled to enjoy our mid-way city over the New Years. We arrive in Namibia on Jan. 3.

Trivia question to tide you over until we have more to post (and catch up on sleep): which city are we in? Hint: see photo of Tristan.

Last minute questions and ponderings

Overheard at the Powell household during the last couple days:

What is the exchange between pounds and kilograms? Do you mean British pound?!
What is the exchange between Namibian dollars and kilograms?!
Where did you put that ______ [fill in blank with pretty much everything]?
So, this is why not everyone leaves the country for a year...
Do you think Joel would like this ______ [fill in blank with pretty much everything]? (Joel is our housesitter)
Boy, the house looks good when we clean it. Too bad we're leaving for a year.
Why doesn't Air Namibia pay someone to answer their phones on the weekend?
I thought you were going to write the Christmas newsletter.
What do you mean the mattress won't fit up the stairs?
Did you notice it's 2 a.m.? Is that Lincoln time or Windhoek time?
This is the most someone has ever gone through to get a couple weeks in England.
Remember, dear, I love you [dodging assorted items hurled through air]...
Remember, dear, the goal of the Fulbright program is world peace--think globally, act locally...please [dodging more items]!
Garbage man: "Holy trash cans, bat man...if they have this much stuff to throw away, I'd like to see what's left in the house."
Do you seriously think we can fit our lives into 9 suitcases?
Dad, can I go buy some more stuff to take?

Winter wonderland

The weather gadgets on the left side of our blog allow comparison of temps and precip in Lincoln, NE and in Windhoek. It's summer in southern-hemisphere Windhoek, and Mother Nature is helping to make the transition to Namibia as drastic as possible. In the past week, a mix of icy rain and snow hit Lincoln--enough to cancel Tristan's last day of school. Wonder how many snow days Windhoek has?!

Although is it theoretically possible to see snow in the Windhoek weather forecast (see here to see how it can be 71 degrees F and snow at same time), we're guessing we won't see our Windhoek house covered in snow and icicles.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to NTN readers. Next report will be from London or Namibia. We're headed to London for New Years Eve and arrive in Windhoek on Jan. 3. Imaginative readers can grasp the chaos that is actually happening inside this serene winter depiction of our Lincoln home--9 suitcases lying about with assorted piles strewn from one end to the other. On the flip side, my office at UNL has never been so clean.

The University and lint in your pocket

Readers of NTN will have to pardon a bit of reflection in this week's posting. For several reasons, this has been a week that has caused me to think about what it means to be a University professor. Obviously, I love my job--to see several photographic reasons, go here.

So, the past week's events and how they are all related...

First, it's been a week (or more) of good-bye's, which are fun and not-so-fun at the same time. Among the most fun of the events was the UNL Wildlife Club's Game Feed, which featured multiple dead animals cooked to tasty perfection by some great students. Students invited the advisors and their families, which was nice (considering we invaded a student party). And, they gave our family a going-away card with some funny thoughts about our trip to Africa. Advising the Club is a great adventure, and we'll miss UNL students and especially Wildlife Clubbers.

Second, it's been final exam week. I had fun with my exam this week--giving each student 1/4 of the exam and then having them work in groups to finish the exam and make sure the other 3 blokes (or blokettes) did their part correctly. A great learning exercise. I hate exams worse than students (believe it or not), so I had fun watching their interactions. Who cares if the average score was high? I bet they learned something.

Last, Kelly and I heard this week that one of our undergraduate professors from Graceland passed away. Dr. Gaylord Shaw was our Histology instructor, as well as Anatomy and Physiology. Suffice it to say we stayed long hours in his lab watching slides and memorizing tissues until it was very dark outside. He was also the professor that encouraged us to 'petition' if we thought we got a question on an exam right--but we had to do it in writing and prove we were right. I am not sure I ever won a petition, but I do this with my students, now. Professors have a way of living on in the lives of their students, and Dr. Shaw (right) is no exception. Lots of us Histology students out there. Kind of like lint in your pocket--you may not remember where it came from, but it stays with you.

Professors and students. It's what the University is about. I'm looking forward to experiencing Polytechnic's environment--for comparison. We'll sure miss our UNL friends and family. But, just like professors that leave us, friends and family have a way of staying with you when you leave them. Like lint, but a bit sweeter memories.

I warned you. Next post will not be so reflective. I might even swear if packing is not going too well. It turns out there's a lot to do to get ready to leave the continent.

Where are the Powell's going?

I'm rearranging the blog today to get rid of too many gadgets and help it load faster. This has been posted before as informational gadget to the left. Here is the information in 'post' form:

You're not alone if you didn't know where Namibia is. It wasn't an independent nation until 1990, so when we 40-year-olds were in school, it was called South West Africa and was administered by South Africa. Before 1915, it had been a German colony, and was called German South West Africa. My mom found National Geographics from the 1980's that have stories 'pre-Namibia.' Evidence of our changing world. Learn more about Namibia by clicking on the image.

See our previous post about 'how we got to this point' to answer the question, "Why are the Powell's leaving the US?"

Background about the Namibian flag:

The main colours were taken from the flag of SWAPO (South West African People's Organization), the most important liberation movement. That flag was adopted in 1971 and comprises diagonal stripes of blue-red-green, the most important colours of the Ovambos, the largest ethnic population. The national flag combines the colors of the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), which liberated Namibia in 1990, and those of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, another Namibian political party. The gold sun, which is similar to that on the flag of Taiwan, represents life and energy. Red, white, and blue were the colors of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, and blue, red, and green the colors of SWAPO.

Milking the Rhino

My research in Namibia will focus on decisions made by landowners, including habitat management decisions and decisions made by landowners and land users to work together in collaborative efforts, termed 'conservancies.'

Conservancies represent a new way of looking at wildlife and conservation--deriving benefits from wildlife from ecotourism and other sources. For a preview of a good, independent documentary about conservancy-style conservation in Namibia and Kenya, check out:



More info at: http://milkingtherhino.wordpress.com/

Preparing our taste buds

A fun-filled feature of the year-to-come on the NTN will be periodic recipes from Namibia, Land of the Brave. As could be guessed by many readers familiar with dinner time at the Powell's, we couldn't wait to travel to start cooking a little.

This past weekend, we had a Namibia Preview with our friends the Pegg's and the Hygnstrom's--who will be coming to visit us in May/June. We watched "The Gods Must be Crazy" to get in the mood, and we cooked up a great feast. We got a little American-ized view of the brai (Namibian BBQ) with Mark's tasty deer steaks marinated in some secret Namibian seasoning and dove/prairie-chicken rolled in bacon with a bit of cheese for that last artery that needs coating. Great!

I downloaded some recipes from the only web site I could find with Namibian recipes. We tried a mango chutney ("great with light meals or as an accompaniment to meat dishes" says the chef) and a light cake called "Apple Caramel with Custard." I'm not sure where the caramel part comes in, but it's light and tasty--would be a great summer cake in the US.

Mango chutney
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine vinegar
3 cups (750 ml) peel/diced mangoes
1/2 onion chopped (I used purple onion)
1/4 cup sultanas (raisins)
2 T (30 ml) grated ginger
1 garlic clove
1 tsp mustard seed, whole (I used powder)
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes

Directions: combine sugar and vinegar in large pot and bring to boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes, stirring whenever you remember. It will thicken. Cool, and serve with grilled steaks. This was really good stuff. A guy/gal could double/triple it for a big crowd or for continued eating during the next week.

Apple Caramel with Custard
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
125 g butter
2 eggs
3 peeled apples
2 cups of self-raising flour (1 cup flour, plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: Measure out the ingredients. Mix the dry and the liquid ingredients and then mix together well. Grease a baking tray (I used a 9x13 glass dish) and bake it at 180 C for 35 minutes.

Sorry--looking up the amount of butter in 'cups' and the temperature in F is part of the game, Yankie! But, I'll tell you it's a fairly common temp for cooking cakes. And, your butter comes with grams written on it in the US--you just never looked. See what a wide, wonderful world we live in.

So, we have now determined that we can exist in Namibia for a year--even if we have to eat grilled game animals with mango chutney and apple cake every single day.

A different world in which to travel

I've been through several elections. My candidate has won sometimes and lost sometimes. But, I always have seen the result through a fairly narrow viewfinder.

I've been concerned about the way Americans' perception by the world has changed over the past 8 years. Planning to travel abroad has heightened the awareness that we Fulbrighters wear "American" on the back of our jersey. Perception makes that label look good, neutral, or bad to our world audience.

According to our expert panel at the Fulbright orientation this past summer, America's image in Africa has remained stronger than in other regions. Investment and aid to the region appear to have kept the connection strong. A bright spot in the Bush Years (sorry, did I just let this blog wander politically...?) has been the continued support of AIDS programs in Africa. So, the 'American' label has not been tarnished as much in Africa. Another reason to go there.

You know what it's like to wake up on the day after an election. Every election has an influence on the next few years. So, that fresh feeling on the morning-after has always been there--an excitement of what is to come. Even if my guy lost.

But, this year is different. Our impending out-of-country experience makes me realize the global implications, as well. And, Africans are excited about Obama. It's a different world. And, we'll be traveling in it. Bully!

P.S. for a great description of the US' election night/morning-after in Windhoek, Namibia check out the blog of a current Fulbrighter in Namibia:
http://lightfootline.blogspot.com/2008/11/us-elections-in-namibia.html

Care packages...

We will be in Windhoek on Jan. 3, 2009.

Here are our mailing addresses in Namibia. Trivia: Namibia has no residential mail delivery system. People and businesses have PO boxes.

Here are two ways to send us mail:

1. Our PO Box in Windhoek for anything (letters/packages/cookies/etc.). Contact us before sending anything really valuable. Stuff disappears from shipping to Africa every once and awhile. These packages/envelopes need to have international postage/air mail. Stuff should get to us in 7-10 days. So, more expensive than next option, but more flexible in terms of what kind of mail you can send.

Address to:
Larkin, Kelly, and Tristan Powell
PO Box 31072
Pionierspark
Windhoek
Namibia

2. Just Letters--no packages (even flat packages). Only first-class letter mail! Maximum of 1 pound. You can use US mail to send the letter to the Namibian Embassy near Washington DC. They will send it through the US State Department's diplomatic pouch to us in Namibia. We pick it up from the US Embassy there. They are VERY strict about the policy of ONLY first-class letter mail! A bit like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld...we've been told. They will reject anything other than first-class letters. Benefits of this--it's cheap--just a US postage stamp. Gets there in a week or so.

Address (FIRST-CLASS LETTER ONLY) to:
Larkin Powell (do not use Kelly or Tristan's name--they only have Larkin's name on file)
2540 Windhoek Pl.
Dulles, VA 20189-2540

How we got to this point

Several people have asked us, "Why are you going to Namibia?" Or, "How did you choose Namibia?" Or, "Are you coming back to Lincoln?" Or, "How does this sabbatical thing work?" Or, "Are you nuts?" OK--let's chat.

We can start with the last question. Yes, we are a little crazy. As a family, we've never played completely by the rules, and we've made some big decisions over the last few years. Coming to Lincoln. Staying in Lincoln. Now, taking a break from Lincoln. But, we enjoy adventure and new opportunities. Tristan is a great age for exploring the world: young enough to not mind (too much) leaving friends for a year, and old enough to participate fully and remember the adventure.

Here's how this all happened. In the academic profession, there is an opportunity every 7 years to complete a 'professional development leave'. These used to be called sabbaticals (where the every-7-years comes from). Now, we call them development leaves, so that people don't think we're sleeping during the entire leave. The idea is for faculty to get energized with new ideas to bring back for classroom and research use. In a way, the University is betting that I'll get a lot of ideas and experiences that will benefit the University more than if I just stayed at UNL all year and did my normal teaching/research routine. The unique thing about these leaves is that you remain a university employee while you're gone, and your job is waiting for you (so I've been told, at least...!) when you come back. So, yes: we are coming back.

So, I applied for a leave from UNL. Initially our goal was to go to England, where there was a research center that had offered me some desk space and a data set to analyze. But, England is expensive and there was no money for travel, housing, and such. I started searching for a way to fund this trip to England, and discovered the Fulbright program. It's a program supported by the US State Department and annual legislative appropriations. It provides travel funds and other support funds (housing, transportation, etc.) for faculty and students to travel abroad and exchange ideas. The goal of the program is to improve world relations through scholar exchange. That all sounded pretty good. Our family likes the idea of world peace. Maybe we can help.

Next step was to select a country to apply to--Fulbright requires you select one country and target your application. So, England was our target. But, there were only 8 awards to be given out England-bound scholars, and the competition was open to every academic discipline. Physics, literature, biology, chemistry, ... The odds seemed pretty low, and the awards to England would barely pay for Larkin's plane ticket and a couple months of housing. Cross England off the list.

We're lucky enough to have some good friends. One set of good friends are the Pegg's. Larkin and Mark keep bees together. Mark and Sue Ellen have been to Namibia previously for some hunting trips, and Mark led some UNL students to Namibia for a Southern Africa Ecology course in 2007. During that trip, Mark made contact with faculty at Polytechnic of Namibia, one of two universities in Windhoek, Namibia. As it turned out, the 2008 calls for Fulbright positions included a specific position at Polytechnic. It listed 'natural resource management' and 'grazing animals' as areas of research and teaching that were desired. Seemed to fit Larkin's research program fairly well, with his work in the Sandhills of Nebraska with birds and grazing. And, even better, the awards to Namibia included housing, transportation, and other funds. We could actually do this without going bankrupt. Things seemed to be falling together. Of course, Kelly was still hoping England would decide they needed a grazing/wildlife specialist.

We applied in August of 2007. Contacts at Polytechnic were very helpful in writing a research proposal (have you ever tried proposing a project when you haven't been to that continent before?). Initial response in November of 2007 (while Larkin was in Colombia) indicated that we'd made the short list. And, in March of 2008, we got the official word. We were Namibia-bound.

We didn't go looking for Namibia. But, we found it. And, we're excited about the adventure ahead. Hopefully that gives you an idea of how we ended up having plane tickets to Namibia. And, those plane tickets include a stop in England on the way over and the way back. Everyone is happy.

So, our family is happy. Now, we'll start working on making the world happy.

Tickets purchased

Must be getting closer. Plane tickets are now reserved. 3.5 months to go...

Fulbright Orientation: Washington, DC

Our family traveled to Washington, DC in early June 2008 to attend the orientation session for Fulbright scholars. Over 150 people (faculty and student participants) attended the orientation--specifically for those headed to subSaharan Africa in the next academic year. It was held in the Wyndham City Center.

We met the two students and two other faculty families that will be in Windhoek, Namibia. One faculty member will be at the University of Namibia (UN)and the other will be at the International University of Management. Both students will be at UN. Our posting is to Polytechnic of Namibia. Great to have other folks with similar concerns and questions--all heading to same place. We also enjoyed the opportunity to converse with a former Fulbrighter who had been at Polytechnic two years ago.

Larkin attended classes on logistics, security, US State Department policy, and general information about Africa Fulbright experiences. Kelly and Tristan explored Washington, DC during Larkin's meetings. We became experts on the DC Metro. A great experience as we make preparations to spend 11 months in Namibia!