Our second week in Windhoek was a relatively slow one. Polytechnic doesn't start back to classes until first week in February, so their faculty are mostly on holiday until this coming Monday (19th). We had a bit of time to get settled and find our way around town, as well as getting the house arranged as we wanted. Tristan has changed bedrooms, finding windows (with breeze) to overpower the Strawberry Shortcake theme of the room with the windows. The astrona
ut-themed room did not have much breeze and it's been in the high 80's and low 90's here--our house is like most without AC or furnace. Kelly has rearranged the living room furniture, stored most of the Egyptian-themed pharoah ornaments from the room (kind of spooky always looking at you with that odd glare), and has really shaped up the kitchen as we continue to figure out we don't have a certain item.
ut-themed room did not have much breeze and it's been in the high 80's and low 90's here--our house is like most without AC or furnace. Kelly has rearranged the living room furniture, stored most of the Egyptian-themed pharoah ornaments from the room (kind of spooky always looking at you with that odd glare), and has really shaped up the kitchen as we continue to figure out we don't have a certain item.My week has mainly focused on the pool. Never thought I'd write that in a blog, but we have a small pool in the backyard. Problem is that it is not heated or covered. The temp gets up to about 79-80 during the day, which is bearable now. But, it slips to 74 in the morning. The pool also loses lots of water through evaporation, and water is expensive (and scarce) here in dry Windhoek. We started the week working on a cheap idea for a water heater. Fellow Fulbrighter Reid had an idea to pump water through dark pipes, as the Namibian sun is brutally hot and direct--certainly the best place on earth for solar power, as there are rarely clouds (but read below). So, we went to the store and bought 25 meters of dark blue pool hose. The ingenious system pumps water from the pool, through the coiled hose (where the water is warmed), through the filter, and back into the pool. We can report limited success--the water returning to the pool is definitely warmer to the touch, and holds promise. But, the 5-6 degree (F) slippage in temp at night will never allow our crude little solar heater to hold its own. We went to a pool store to look at pr
oper covers and they wanted US$500 for on that fits our pool. Not in the budget. We've purchased a tarp, and will report on the success of this system in later blogs.
oper covers and they wanted US$500 for on that fits our pool. Not in the budget. We've purchased a tarp, and will report on the success of this system in later blogs. Our first meal in our house was a BBQ-type meal, with chicken kabobs purchased at the store and grilled on the infamous Lark-0-Matic Beach Grilling System. For those of you who are not familiar with this device, it's time to become informed. Essentially, it is a aluminium pan made for roasting turkeys that is transformed into a portable grill--the kabobs are placed across it and the charcoal inside. Go here to see more information on this system--it was developed in Puerto Rico when Larkin had $200 worth of chicken and vegies and no grills on the beach with which to cook. We have now spread the Lark-o-Matic to Africa, and hope to have all continents in play soon.
But, admittedly, the Lark-o-Matic did not live up to expectations of the locals, who tak
e BBQ'ing to its fullest extent that I've ever seen. BBQ here is called 'braai' and it is all open-flame. Can be used as noun or verb or adjective. Attend a braai. Braai out. Buy some braai meat. In most backyards, is something that comes close to looking like a BBQ pit at a large state park in the states. Ours is housed under a thatched roof, which comes in handy when it rains and the braai must go on. Our first use of the braai was last night, and we cooked lamb chops and some bread called 'toasties'. Specifically sold for the braai, the 'toasties' are little squares of bread that come pre-buttered in the middle; ours had sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary as well. Tasty treats. The lamb was good, as well. May be hard to leave our braai in a year--it comes with a in-braai light so you can braai in the dark. We used charcoal for our first braai, but will go to the commonly used firewood for our next braai. Every grocery store sells firewood in packets a bit larger than you'd buy at a gas station in the states.
e BBQ'ing to its fullest extent that I've ever seen. BBQ here is called 'braai' and it is all open-flame. Can be used as noun or verb or adjective. Attend a braai. Braai out. Buy some braai meat. In most backyards, is something that comes close to looking like a BBQ pit at a large state park in the states. Ours is housed under a thatched roof, which comes in handy when it rains and the braai must go on. Our first use of the braai was last night, and we cooked lamb chops and some bread called 'toasties'. Specifically sold for the braai, the 'toasties' are little squares of bread that come pre-buttered in the middle; ours had sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary as well. Tasty treats. The lamb was good, as well. May be hard to leave our braai in a year--it comes with a in-braai light so you can braai in the dark. We used charcoal for our first braai, but will go to the commonly used firewood for our next braai. Every grocery store sells firewood in packets a bit larger than you'd buy at a gas station in the states. The week ended with a wonderful thunderstorm, which transitioned into a gentle rain for most of the evening and night. It had not rained since we arrived. Windhoek's climate is v
ery dry, and we constantly find ourselves thirsty and drinking water. Saline nasal spray is pretty common for newcomers to adjust, and several newcomer kids get nosebleeds because it's so dry. Suffice it to say, we were happy to see precipitation, and Tristan decided to run out and enjoy getting wet.
ery dry, and we constantly find ourselves thirsty and drinking water. Saline nasal spray is pretty common for newcomers to adjust, and several newcomer kids get nosebleeds because it's so dry. Suffice it to say, we were happy to see precipitation, and Tristan decided to run out and enjoy getting wet. 
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