Sunday, December 31, 2006
Christmas in Owamboland
So, what is like to celebrate Christmas in Owamboland?
Well, Christmas is not much different from any other time of the year. Except the shops are shut. And so many people….
THE AMBIANCE
There are no street decorations, no traditional Christmas fare in the shops, no sweating Santa ho-ho-hoing his way around the children, no canned Christmas music ANYWHERE. (However, I am pretty certain that Windhoek would have the festive mood we are used to.)
As Owamboland is a poorer corner of Namibia, many people do not have money for things like Christmas crackers and Christmas cake etc. So shops do not sell them. However, ‘Game’ (like K-mart) did sell some tinsel and imitation plastic Christmas trees of various sizes so we got a baby one.
The children and I made crackers.
THE FOOD
Christmas lunch? Well, not being a keen cook, I found it hard to be innovative with tripe, lungs and chicken feet! Seriously though, although that food is common in our nearby shop, also purchasable in another shop is sausage (only boerewors), stewing beef or mutton, mince or frozen chicken. 99% of Namibian food stuff (excluding meat and fish and chicken) in shops comes from South Africa, including frozen stuff. However, one can also buy local Owambo chicken. It is dark meat and rather tough. The Owambo chooks are “free range” and take some catching!
Close to Etosha, there is a small town called Oshivelo (gate). It the ‘border’ town into Owamboland (and has a police road block to check cars and people), and in the war years it marked entry into the “conflict zone”. Now, through it, and across the width of Namibia runs an imaginary ‘red line’ through which there is no movement of animals and fresh animal products. Like the Owambo chooks, Owambo cattle and goats are “free range”, which means disease transmission is easier up in the North. Also, none of the cattle up north are inoculated, due to the socio-economic circumstances of their owners.
Cattle south are confined to farms, and get similar treatment to Aussie cows and so diseases are far easier to control. There is no export of northern meat, and the Namibian meat board are keen to keep the two separate!
In Oshakati I was able to buy a piece of roasting LAMB and that was really nice. (Would have liked mint sauce though!) There are no sheep in Owamboland, just goats, pigs and cattle.
Talking of goats, we came home from church on Christmas Eve to see that our new neighbours had strung up a goat (by the neck) from a tree and were busy hacking off their Christmas lunch. There are a number of goats that can be heard this holiday bleating piteously as they stand, tied up and awaiting the knife.
THE PEOPLE
On Christmas Eve we had some of the street kids around for sausages and potato and to watch the Jesus video in Oshikwanyama.
Christmas Day church for us was like other church services (though longer). There were a couple of carols in Oshikwanyama. However, some churches here hold their Christmas morning service 4-6 a.m. to ‘usher in’ the Christ Child.
In the afternoon we gatecrashed a neighbours’ where they were having a braai/barbie.
A lot of people go to SA or to the coast (or Windhoek) at Christmas, mainly to visit family but also to escape the heat. We have less than a week before we head off to cooler climes!
Not having had family around to visit when we lived in Australia, and with David (when a minister) working over Christmas means that we have never really got into a Christmas groove. We all spent much of the day after church reading new books. Caris got a great one called ‘The three little wolves and the big, bad pig’! People have also kindly sent us dvds so there will be some great, fresh, viewing time in the weeks ahead.
THE JOY
Of course, the great joy of Christmas is the opportunity to remind people of the gospel message of hope for mankind. David was invited to preach at the English-speaking church we were pastoring temporarily in the middle of the year. The couple who are now there have really poured their hearts into it and it is wonderful to see people coming and enjoying it. He was going to be preaching in Ondangwa on Christmas day but then the bishop, who had been unwell, was much better and could do it.
NEW YEAR
New Year’s Eve saw us going out to Omugwelume church (see pix). This is the church which lost a wall in floods a year ago. As you can see, there is quite a back-drop to the sermon. The Bible reading had to compete with donkeys racing past, braying. The children went and stood on the wall as the donkeys ran by, close enough to be touched, and this delighted the children. David used a wrapped ‘Christmas present’ to tell of the true Christmas present. When it was unwrapped (by a lady in the congregation) it became a cross. The people, obviously not used to visual aids in the sermon, clapped as if he had done a magic trick.
David has been invited to preach to the Evangelical Baptist pastors on New Year’s Day on ‘the importance of theological education’ and, following that, to do a presentation about NETS. We are excited about that. This (small) denomination is about the most theologically-sound in the country, and has great vision for growth in the North.
THE HOLS
We shall be off on our hols in a few sleeps and will be away from home about 3-22 January. We will split the drive over 2 days to get down there and perhaps do the same coming back as it is over 1,000kms each way, esp as we are taking the desert route down so not much of the road will be tarred and very little will be straight (except the coastal road).
Now I had better finish correcting the proof-read Greek manuscript before we leave … !
And when we get back from our break it is all systems go for workshops around the Northern region.
Well, Christmas is not much different from any other time of the year. Except the shops are shut. And so many people….
THE AMBIANCE
There are no street decorations, no traditional Christmas fare in the shops, no sweating Santa ho-ho-hoing his way around the children, no canned Christmas music ANYWHERE. (However, I am pretty certain that Windhoek would have the festive mood we are used to.)
As Owamboland is a poorer corner of Namibia, many people do not have money for things like Christmas crackers and Christmas cake etc. So shops do not sell them. However, ‘Game’ (like K-mart) did sell some tinsel and imitation plastic Christmas trees of various sizes so we got a baby one.
The children and I made crackers.
THE FOOD
Christmas lunch? Well, not being a keen cook, I found it hard to be innovative with tripe, lungs and chicken feet! Seriously though, although that food is common in our nearby shop, also purchasable in another shop is sausage (only boerewors), stewing beef or mutton, mince or frozen chicken. 99% of Namibian food stuff (excluding meat and fish and chicken) in shops comes from South Africa, including frozen stuff. However, one can also buy local Owambo chicken. It is dark meat and rather tough. The Owambo chooks are “free range” and take some catching!
Close to Etosha, there is a small town called Oshivelo (gate). It the ‘border’ town into Owamboland (and has a police road block to check cars and people), and in the war years it marked entry into the “conflict zone”. Now, through it, and across the width of Namibia runs an imaginary ‘red line’ through which there is no movement of animals and fresh animal products. Like the Owambo chooks, Owambo cattle and goats are “free range”, which means disease transmission is easier up in the North. Also, none of the cattle up north are inoculated, due to the socio-economic circumstances of their owners.
Cattle south are confined to farms, and get similar treatment to Aussie cows and so diseases are far easier to control. There is no export of northern meat, and the Namibian meat board are keen to keep the two separate!
In Oshakati I was able to buy a piece of roasting LAMB and that was really nice. (Would have liked mint sauce though!) There are no sheep in Owamboland, just goats, pigs and cattle.
Talking of goats, we came home from church on Christmas Eve to see that our new neighbours had strung up a goat (by the neck) from a tree and were busy hacking off their Christmas lunch. There are a number of goats that can be heard this holiday bleating piteously as they stand, tied up and awaiting the knife.
THE PEOPLE
On Christmas Eve we had some of the street kids around for sausages and potato and to watch the Jesus video in Oshikwanyama.
Christmas Day church for us was like other church services (though longer). There were a couple of carols in Oshikwanyama. However, some churches here hold their Christmas morning service 4-6 a.m. to ‘usher in’ the Christ Child.
In the afternoon we gatecrashed a neighbours’ where they were having a braai/barbie.
A lot of people go to SA or to the coast (or Windhoek) at Christmas, mainly to visit family but also to escape the heat. We have less than a week before we head off to cooler climes!
Not having had family around to visit when we lived in Australia, and with David (when a minister) working over Christmas means that we have never really got into a Christmas groove. We all spent much of the day after church reading new books. Caris got a great one called ‘The three little wolves and the big, bad pig’! People have also kindly sent us dvds so there will be some great, fresh, viewing time in the weeks ahead.
THE JOY
Of course, the great joy of Christmas is the opportunity to remind people of the gospel message of hope for mankind. David was invited to preach at the English-speaking church we were pastoring temporarily in the middle of the year. The couple who are now there have really poured their hearts into it and it is wonderful to see people coming and enjoying it. He was going to be preaching in Ondangwa on Christmas day but then the bishop, who had been unwell, was much better and could do it.
NEW YEAR
New Year’s Eve saw us going out to Omugwelume church (see pix). This is the church which lost a wall in floods a year ago. As you can see, there is quite a back-drop to the sermon. The Bible reading had to compete with donkeys racing past, braying. The children went and stood on the wall as the donkeys ran by, close enough to be touched, and this delighted the children. David used a wrapped ‘Christmas present’ to tell of the true Christmas present. When it was unwrapped (by a lady in the congregation) it became a cross. The people, obviously not used to visual aids in the sermon, clapped as if he had done a magic trick.
David has been invited to preach to the Evangelical Baptist pastors on New Year’s Day on ‘the importance of theological education’ and, following that, to do a presentation about NETS. We are excited about that. This (small) denomination is about the most theologically-sound in the country, and has great vision for growth in the North.
THE HOLS
We shall be off on our hols in a few sleeps and will be away from home about 3-22 January. We will split the drive over 2 days to get down there and perhaps do the same coming back as it is over 1,000kms each way, esp as we are taking the desert route down so not much of the road will be tarred and very little will be straight (except the coastal road).
Now I had better finish correcting the proof-read Greek manuscript before we leave … !
And when we get back from our break it is all systems go for workshops around the Northern region.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Taxi Antics
I did not mention, in my last posting, the shopping problems in catering for the party. It took 5 shops before I found one that sold birthday candles. I could not find ice cream at all although, in the 4th shop, I found a watermelon … that was ideal. I had to buy things at different shops! Ah, well. At least we do have these things here. At least 90% of all the produce in shops comes from South Africa. The fresh produce comes up in huge trucks from the Cape.
Owamboland, esp in this area, is becoming more open to commerce. This is where the bulk of the fighting went on in the war for independence, with the SWAPO resistance fighters coming in from bases in Angola and with South African troops based in and around Oshakati and Ondangwa.
David’s taxi trip to the Anglican conference was an adventure in itself. I drove him the 3km to the main road (Oshakati-Ondangwa) and he took a taxi to Ondangwa. There he had to change for the conference centre which is near Oshikango up on the border. He was first dropped off (the taxi driver agreed to leave the main road and take him the few extra kms) at a place where he had some NETS business. The guy had not turned up so David waited for him. Then the chap kindly took David to another place where he had promised to try and help someone with their computer. He gave up after 2 hours and had to lug NETS books (for a demonstration and talk he was scheduled to do at the conference), his bedding etc back to the main road and catch a taxi towards the conference centre. The centre is quite a few kms off the main road with just a sand track leading to it. The taxi would not take him there so he had to start lugging all his stuff in the blazing heat along the dirt track past homesteads (mini hut-villages comprising of extended families) of people staring at him until finally a truck coming in with water stopped and let him join the other folk squashed on the back!
Coming home was much easier: a lift to Ondangwa and a taxi to Ongwediva.
Today is his trip to Windhoek for the graduation. David will be speaking at the graduation for the Distance Ed students. We considered going down with him but it is a long drive (esp for the children) for just a couple of days. (David will enjoy the fact that it is at least 5 degrees cooler down there.)
Taking David to the ‘taxi rank’ was bedlam. The location is at the huge Oshakati open market. There are quite a few mini buses going to major towns, all vying for custom. Before we had even stopped the car, we were mobbed. The drivers crowd and push and shout and grab you to persuade you to go in their taxi as they can’t leave until all the seats are filled. People were pulling David in every direction. He saw someone taking his bags from the back of our ute/bakkie and putting them in their taxi. David had quite a fight to get them back. Others were swarming over the car, trying to get in and all shouting at me to tell David to go with them. David finally saw a driver he went with last time and said he was going with him. Other drivers accused the driver of being a ‘bochocho’ (thief/schelm/unsavoury character) and saying he would not take David all the way to Windhoek … all of which David knew to be untrue. It took another 2 hours before the taxi was full enough to set off for Windhoek. (Wish I had risked my camera there and taken a shot!) Even though I knew they were just looking for custom, it was a bit scary. I would hate to be in a real uprising.
Can you imagine the chaos if inter-city trains you are used to waited till they were full before setting off?!
How we are longing for the pool area that they are building here to be finished. It is a whole complex with a restaurant, place for wedding receptions, etc and entry will be costly. But just driving past every day on the school run we look at the pool beyond the electric fence and long to be immersed in cool water! Knowing this is the only swimming pool in Owamboland (except small private ones in guest lodges), the owners will be onto a good thing. They have also laid turf so there is real grass (a rare sight up here) and they have 4 springbok grazing on it. Perhaps they will open the pool in December???? If so, I know where we will all choose to spend our birthdays!
People say the weather should start cooling down in March and, as we came in March, we can remember how hot it was but how soon it became bearable. David wonders when the thermometer will show a temperature BELOW 30?! Of course, I actually enjoy being warm but, with the rains due, the humidity is very high and unpleasant. Like the poor, the mozzies are always with us but are worse now with the rainy season about to start. I will attach a pic of the children’s bed.
The rains also bring out the giant millipede. Caris, being animal-mad, loves to pick them up. The locals, seemingly scared of any insect or reptile, look on in horrified fascination.
Interested in our local news? Here is the site of the national paper: www.namibian.com.na.
I have found a great book to read: the autobiography of Nancy Bird, one of Australia’s earliest women pilots , covering the emergence of the Australian flying industry.
I had better go and feed the children. Étienne is writing a book on invertebrates and Caris has written a letter to Santa (see pic).
Owamboland, esp in this area, is becoming more open to commerce. This is where the bulk of the fighting went on in the war for independence, with the SWAPO resistance fighters coming in from bases in Angola and with South African troops based in and around Oshakati and Ondangwa.
David’s taxi trip to the Anglican conference was an adventure in itself. I drove him the 3km to the main road (Oshakati-Ondangwa) and he took a taxi to Ondangwa. There he had to change for the conference centre which is near Oshikango up on the border. He was first dropped off (the taxi driver agreed to leave the main road and take him the few extra kms) at a place where he had some NETS business. The guy had not turned up so David waited for him. Then the chap kindly took David to another place where he had promised to try and help someone with their computer. He gave up after 2 hours and had to lug NETS books (for a demonstration and talk he was scheduled to do at the conference), his bedding etc back to the main road and catch a taxi towards the conference centre. The centre is quite a few kms off the main road with just a sand track leading to it. The taxi would not take him there so he had to start lugging all his stuff in the blazing heat along the dirt track past homesteads (mini hut-villages comprising of extended families) of people staring at him until finally a truck coming in with water stopped and let him join the other folk squashed on the back!
Coming home was much easier: a lift to Ondangwa and a taxi to Ongwediva.
Today is his trip to Windhoek for the graduation. David will be speaking at the graduation for the Distance Ed students. We considered going down with him but it is a long drive (esp for the children) for just a couple of days. (David will enjoy the fact that it is at least 5 degrees cooler down there.)
Taking David to the ‘taxi rank’ was bedlam. The location is at the huge Oshakati open market. There are quite a few mini buses going to major towns, all vying for custom. Before we had even stopped the car, we were mobbed. The drivers crowd and push and shout and grab you to persuade you to go in their taxi as they can’t leave until all the seats are filled. People were pulling David in every direction. He saw someone taking his bags from the back of our ute/bakkie and putting them in their taxi. David had quite a fight to get them back. Others were swarming over the car, trying to get in and all shouting at me to tell David to go with them. David finally saw a driver he went with last time and said he was going with him. Other drivers accused the driver of being a ‘bochocho’ (thief/schelm/unsavoury character) and saying he would not take David all the way to Windhoek … all of which David knew to be untrue. It took another 2 hours before the taxi was full enough to set off for Windhoek. (Wish I had risked my camera there and taken a shot!) Even though I knew they were just looking for custom, it was a bit scary. I would hate to be in a real uprising.
Can you imagine the chaos if inter-city trains you are used to waited till they were full before setting off?!
How we are longing for the pool area that they are building here to be finished. It is a whole complex with a restaurant, place for wedding receptions, etc and entry will be costly. But just driving past every day on the school run we look at the pool beyond the electric fence and long to be immersed in cool water! Knowing this is the only swimming pool in Owamboland (except small private ones in guest lodges), the owners will be onto a good thing. They have also laid turf so there is real grass (a rare sight up here) and they have 4 springbok grazing on it. Perhaps they will open the pool in December???? If so, I know where we will all choose to spend our birthdays!
People say the weather should start cooling down in March and, as we came in March, we can remember how hot it was but how soon it became bearable. David wonders when the thermometer will show a temperature BELOW 30?! Of course, I actually enjoy being warm but, with the rains due, the humidity is very high and unpleasant. Like the poor, the mozzies are always with us but are worse now with the rainy season about to start. I will attach a pic of the children’s bed.
The rains also bring out the giant millipede. Caris, being animal-mad, loves to pick them up. The locals, seemingly scared of any insect or reptile, look on in horrified fascination.
Interested in our local news? Here is the site of the national paper: www.namibian.com.na.
I have found a great book to read: the autobiography of Nancy Bird, one of Australia’s earliest women pilots , covering the emergence of the Australian flying industry.
I had better go and feed the children. Étienne is writing a book on invertebrates and Caris has written a letter to Santa (see pic).
Monday, November 20, 2006
Happy Birthday
We are having a busy time!
According to our sources, the Armidale area (Australia) has had snow. Meanwhile we are waking up to 30 degrees and going to bed with 34 degrees. We are not game to see what the temperature is at midday!
Last week we had a visit from 2 people from the Netherlands whose mission organisation helps (among other things) sponsor prisoners to study through NETS. They attended (with David) the NETS graduation at our nearest prison. I will ask David to write more about these keen young men who are even allowed out of prison to go and minister to people in the nearby hospital.
David left today for a conference. He is taking a local taxi - it is 90 mins away - and leaving me with the car, which is great. (We are usually left car-less as he needs the car to travel to workshops and there is no public transport.) At least there are local taxis. To catch one of these vehicles one simply has to stand at the side of the road and flag them down. For their part, regardless of how full the taxi is, if they see a potential customer they pip the horn to catch your attention. But, as the cars are unregistered, sometimes unroadworthy, and are driven by people who have not heard of speed limits, one has to pray! The other day the newspaper reported one man in hospital after his car collided with a warthog. Friends of ours had a close shave when a large on-coming truck swerved to avoid a donkey in the road instead of slowing down. The truck came onto their side of the road and they were forced off the road. Providentially, there was no ditch or people in their way.
There is an Oshiwambo proverb-story about a dog, a donkey and a goat. They wanted a ride in a taxi.
The donkey paid his fare but they did not let him get in.
The dog paid his fare but they would not give him the change.
The goat tried to travel without paying.
That is why, when they see a vehicle, the donkey stands in the middle of the road – and refusing to move - waiting for the lift that he has paid for, the dog chases after the vehicle to get his change and the goat runs away because he knows he did not pay.
David comes back on Wednesday and then leaves on Friday for Windhoek where he will attend the NETS graduation. He is taking an inter-major-town taxi (like a mini bus) - they drive like a banshee and are packed to the gunnels with people. But it can be a language opportunity, if David is sitting next to someone with a language similar enough to Oshikwanyama for him to understand.
The Greek manuscript has gone off for proof-reading. I hope it will need only minimal changes so that I can say I have basically finished! Had I known how much work was involved I would have thought longer before saying ‘yes’. However, ever since I wrote the original manual (1997) I have hoped to present it as a correspondence course for ESL folk.
As school breaks up on 24th November, we have had an early birthday for the children (see pix below). We played games inside for an hour or so until there was enough shade outside to play (the sand is too hot to stand on otherwise, and the sun too strong). I think back to the fun party we had last year, in Armidale, and of everyone who came to add to the happy memory.
David has a one or two of workshops, and a couple of preaching engagements before the end of the year. One of the sermons is for a NETS student who is getting married in December.
Why not write and tell us what YOU have been up to recently?!
According to our sources, the Armidale area (Australia) has had snow. Meanwhile we are waking up to 30 degrees and going to bed with 34 degrees. We are not game to see what the temperature is at midday!
Last week we had a visit from 2 people from the Netherlands whose mission organisation helps (among other things) sponsor prisoners to study through NETS. They attended (with David) the NETS graduation at our nearest prison. I will ask David to write more about these keen young men who are even allowed out of prison to go and minister to people in the nearby hospital.
David left today for a conference. He is taking a local taxi - it is 90 mins away - and leaving me with the car, which is great. (We are usually left car-less as he needs the car to travel to workshops and there is no public transport.) At least there are local taxis. To catch one of these vehicles one simply has to stand at the side of the road and flag them down. For their part, regardless of how full the taxi is, if they see a potential customer they pip the horn to catch your attention. But, as the cars are unregistered, sometimes unroadworthy, and are driven by people who have not heard of speed limits, one has to pray! The other day the newspaper reported one man in hospital after his car collided with a warthog. Friends of ours had a close shave when a large on-coming truck swerved to avoid a donkey in the road instead of slowing down. The truck came onto their side of the road and they were forced off the road. Providentially, there was no ditch or people in their way.
There is an Oshiwambo proverb-story about a dog, a donkey and a goat. They wanted a ride in a taxi.
The donkey paid his fare but they did not let him get in.
The dog paid his fare but they would not give him the change.
The goat tried to travel without paying.
That is why, when they see a vehicle, the donkey stands in the middle of the road – and refusing to move - waiting for the lift that he has paid for, the dog chases after the vehicle to get his change and the goat runs away because he knows he did not pay.
David comes back on Wednesday and then leaves on Friday for Windhoek where he will attend the NETS graduation. He is taking an inter-major-town taxi (like a mini bus) - they drive like a banshee and are packed to the gunnels with people. But it can be a language opportunity, if David is sitting next to someone with a language similar enough to Oshikwanyama for him to understand.
The Greek manuscript has gone off for proof-reading. I hope it will need only minimal changes so that I can say I have basically finished! Had I known how much work was involved I would have thought longer before saying ‘yes’. However, ever since I wrote the original manual (1997) I have hoped to present it as a correspondence course for ESL folk.
As school breaks up on 24th November, we have had an early birthday for the children (see pix below). We played games inside for an hour or so until there was enough shade outside to play (the sand is too hot to stand on otherwise, and the sun too strong). I think back to the fun party we had last year, in Armidale, and of everyone who came to add to the happy memory.
David has a one or two of workshops, and a couple of preaching engagements before the end of the year. One of the sermons is for a NETS student who is getting married in December.
Why not write and tell us what YOU have been up to recently?!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
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