Settling In

I'm settling in here, getting comfortable, so I have less to write home about.  Last week, I went to the Epandula village in the Ohangwena region of Namibia.  Yesterday, I went to the Omufitugwalwani village (no, I can't say it out loud) in the Omusati region to interview women.  I had to get my translator to write down the names, since I couldn't get more than the first few letters by ear.  Anyway, it's nice seeing different parts of the country- yesterday, there was a lot of wide open spaces with little else besides grass, huge watering holes, palm trees, and a lot of donkeys.  The women showed me around their collective garden, with mango, lemon, guava, and banana trees as well as sweet potato and sugar cane plants.  They gave me a guava, and lemons bigger than my fist!  Unfortunately, it's completely the wrong season for mangoes and bananas here.


Yesterday I went to KFC for the second time, and had ice cream.  The soft serve was super sweet and super airy- it tasted more like whipped cream than ice cream. 

The weekend was really quiet- I just stayed home and played with the kids.  I played Uma with Tourchy- it's a rope game that you play by jumping over stationary ropes at different heights in a specific pattern (one leg in the middle, two legs in, out, etc.).  It has a lot in common with jump rope, but the ropes don't move.  I got time to take pictures of the Sheyanena home.  I can't get a good picture of my room, will upload it when I can.  

The front of the house

Front of the house, continued, with garage

I don't know what to call this- side yard?  between garage and house, where my window looks out

The dining/tv/family room.  They have a huge sitting room built, but it doesn't have electricity yet.

The porch, where we spend a lot of our time

The view from the front porch