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.

Gray lines in sport hunting

Our last day in London, mid-way to Namibia, gave us an opportunity to explore the British Museum. We've got some photos posted of the museum on the Picasa site (link to album in upper left corner of blog).

One of the exhibits stimulated me to think a bit about the gray lines in sport hunting. This is a topic that I enjoy struggling through with students in my courses, as we explore the ethics of sport hunting. In the Assyrian exhibit, there is a magnificent room lined with stone reliefs showing a lion hunt of the Assyrian king. They were from a palace in Ninevah, in modern-day northern Iraq, and date from about 600 BC.

As the photos below show, several lions (perhaps up to 15, representing different parts of Assyria) were released from cages. The king used this opportunity to show his power over his people, in symbolic fashion, by killing all of the lions. Actually, he had several archers who wounded the lions, and other men who herded the lions into a corral--after which, the king dispatched the lion (see photo on right).

Professional wildlife biologists struggle with this issue constantly--more than 2500 years after these reliefs were constructed. Several years ago, Nebraska's governor put a lot of pressure on the Game and Parks Commission to increase pheasant populations (a non-native species in Nebraska) by releasing pen-raised birds. Besides the fact that pen-raised birds do not survive very long in the wild (not even long enough to be hunted, really), the ethics of releasing a non-native species into an ecosystem is quite controversial--as you might expect.

As I begin working in Namibia, I'm also fully aware that I will probably find several types of situations where hunts are not really 'hunts' in the full meaning of the word. So, does this matter to the end-goal? Animals are often confined by fences--how large does a fenced area have to be to encourage fair chase? Animals may be purchased and brought to ranches for specific people to hunt. Is that ethical? Is it even ethical for hunting to become a sport that may become limited to upper-class hunters because of high hunt fees? When do the efforts of a couple guys/gals to put up a blind and save its use for their friends turn into an upper-class hunt club? Don't those upper-class folks pay a lot for conservation? When does the "we're paying for conservation" argument fail to be meaningful?

So, an unexpected period of reflection in the British Museum. I'm sure you'll see some thoughts on this throughout future posts.

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.