On the ground in Africa..first day

We made it to Windhoek without any major hiccups. Kelly may have a different story to tell about a 10-minute period of time at the check-in at Air Namibia in which we were first told that we would have to pay bookoo amounts for our extra luggage. But, we convinced them that we had already paid the excess poundage fees when we flew to London on Delta, and a very nice man (whom I have affectionately named Ralph) saved us a large amount of money (equivalent to several organ donations) by waving the bags through. We are not completely certain why Air Namibia has such small weight restrictions, compared to Delta and other US carriers. But, a word of warning to others following in our footsteps--it would go smoother to check bags all the way through to Windhoek from the US, so that you don't have to re-check them in London. We did enjoy our time in London, however, and Kelly has promised to blog about her favorite parts of that stop, if I ever get off the computer.

We were met at the airport by two Embassy officials who figured out a way to squeeze our luggage into their minivan, and we were off to look at our new house. First wildlife species were spotted on the drive from the airport, including a welcoming party of baboons, lined up on fence posts along the road.

First stop was at the gates of Polytechnic to get the house keys. Then, off to the house. Interesting turn of events when none of the keys fit. It turned out those were my office keys. And, we learned shortly that the house was not ready for us, quite yet. So, we're currently put up in the best hotel in Windhoek while the final touches are made on the house.

We remember the reminders from several folks who told us to be ready to say, "That's just the way it is" and roll with the punches. Actually, in the end, this was not a bad turn of events. We got a quick, hot shower, as well as instant access to phones and internet (which, by the way, you pay for by the minute). The Rector of Polytechnic actually met us at the hotel with his assistant, and they are very helpful. Universities vary in their support of Fulbright scholars, and we're glad Polytechnic has been through this dance several times.

Tristan already started to remove leaves from the pool, and we have hopes to be in the house sometime this week. For the moment, though, we are very happy in our hotel room and look forward to exploring Windhoek a bit more tomorrow. We get our car sometime early in the week, and will begin driving lessons....Kelly noticed an "L" in the back of some cars, which stands for "learner". Perhaps we will post 6-7 L's across the back of our car to make the point that we are not used to driving on the left.

More soon--just a quick post to confirm our arrival and the official start of Project Namibia for the Powell's. We have officially ditched our winter clothes and are looking for suntan lotion ASAP tomorrow.