More about the language

I went down to the local shopping ‘centre’ today. Still no fresh milk but at least they have long life milk. There was meat on sale but it had mostly all passed the sell-by date. But there is a selection of vegetables at the moment so that is good. Stuff may be out of stock when you need it, but there is generally a greater choice than one might expect. I even found bacon once, recently. Unfortunately only 1 packet but we enjoyed it
The post office is an interesting place. Mail is not delivered quite every day but the lady there is very nice. When I take a letter in she jiggles it in her hand to ascertain if it is within the standard weight allowance! The photo is of the security guard beside the PO boxes (notice his gun!).
Every business seems to have a security guard. In our little shopping area there is one for the bank, one for the post office, one for the newly-opened little mobile phone place and two to check your bags when you leave the Spar.
As many homes have no electricity, and as a steady income is hard to find, mobile (cell) phones are very popular. You can pay as you go and, as long as you live near a transmitter (eg near a town) you are ok. Places like local barbers etc offer to let you pay to use their electricity to charge your phone (see attached pic). (Remember, you live in a home with no electricity, running water, or toilet facilities!)

Here are some more ‘pensives’ about Oshikwanyama.

Oshikwanyama is a tonal language. Some words and even sentences look the same but, depending on the way you say it, there can be multiple meanings. One we discovered yesterday is ‘hambelela’. It can mean ‘praise!’ but the way David pronounced it the other day, it meant ‘no meat’!
The word ‘yehama’ means ‘probably’ but ONLY with reference to rain and whether it will!
Here is another o-word … oshinhundungulu. It means ‘egg yoke’.

The vocabulary for family members almost makes one want to be an orphan with no siblings. Try a few for size:
Meme – my mother
Nyoko – your mother
Ina – his/her mother
Omumwamemekadona – my sister (my mother’s daughter)
Omumwamememati – my brother
Omumwameme – my sibling (of my mother)
Omumwayoko – your sibling
Omumwaina – his/her sibling
Mushakati – 2nd child of a family with more than 2 children
Oshiveli – first-born
Onghelo – last-born
Onowele – middle-born, neither first nor last

We have been told some interesting cultural tips, as told by Namibians to Americans we have recently met.
1. when you visit someone, you don't need to call beforehand. Whether you are wanting afternoon tea, an evening meal or even to sleep - you just turn up.
2. when you get visitors, DON’T offer them ‘coke or nice food’ on the first day – only bread and water. Otherwise you WON’T get rid of them!
This couple recently (last week) had a call from someone they knew in Angola. ‘I am sending a friend down to you. He needs picking up from the border (about 1 hr away from us), taking to the police station to fill in some papers and he wants to study in Windhoek’. Sure, said the American guy and went to pick him up. ‘How long will you be staying with us?’
‘Oh, till November!”
Ahhhggghhh! The couple are due to leave for South Africa for another job so could not do so. But such a scenario is a shock to our western sense of personal space.
These people have lived up north here for 2 years and told us that, last year, there was a fire in Oshakati. The people called the fire brigade there and the one here in Ongwediva, 10 kms. After 45 mins the Ongwediva one came (too late). The Oshakati one never turned up. Apparently, last year there was an article in the paper saying 25 of the 27 police cars of the region were out of commission. How hard it must be to try and run a country, let alone a region, on an almost non-existent budget. Apparently, the police spread a rumour last year that $50 police certificates were required for people travelling to and through Botswana. It seems it was just a ploy to try and get some money into the coffers. We can laugh – or we can be grateful that our own country is rich enough not to have to resort to such tactics.

There is a project here in the region to produce solar stoves. These are ovens that run totally on solar power and helps conserve the remaining wood in the area . An expensive initial outlay but then a saving from then on. They come in two sizes: ‘chicken’ size, and ‘goat’ size.