On the work side, it has been going well. Although the funny part is, I never seem to know what we are doing. We had quite the intensive schedule that was pre-set for us. Rick told me not to worry about it, as it will change by the time we get there. And boy has it changed!!! By the minute. We never seem to know where we are going next. It is quite funny actually, but we are getting some great work done.
The other day we visited some members out in the field practicing their drills. Some of you may already know this, but Windhoek has adopted the Russian style of drill, and had formal training from Russia on it. ...hmm, never quite expected to see this in Africa!!! I've posted a couple of pics below...
The other evening Rick and I were out doing some shopping. There was a group of women from the Himba tribe selling their crafts in the open market. I ended up purchasing some items from them. It was a hilarious bargaining session! At the end of the day, I think I ended up paying too much but they said I can get my picture taken with them! So I've posted that below as well. The picture of me taking money out of my wallet appears to be rather incriminating I have to admit, but it was great fun. ...You don't see this on the streets of Abbotsford that's for sure!!!
Today we were out for lunch with one of our colleagues from the Police force. Have I mentioned their entire diet seems to consist of meat?? Seriously, I've never seen so much protein served over three daily meals. We were having a conversation and I mentioned that my family doesn't eat a lot of red meat. When I said that, he appeared to be in shock! I said we tend to eat a lot of fish and chicken, to which he replied "but fish and chicken isn't meat, you need meat with your meal!". Too funny.
So I get back to my room after my presentation in the afternoon and I get a phone call that they are sending a driver as there has been some confusion with the schedule. We are to meet with some media people at the Hilton. Once again, another change to "the program". A traffic member showed up to drive me over to meet the rest of the group. Oh my, I was so happy to see the hotel parking lot by the time we arrived! I guess the fact I'm still alive to update my blog is indicative that all my prayers worked during the drive.
When we finished with that, we got back to our room to get ready for our dinner with the former Mayor. .....so jumping back a few days, we were woken up in the middle of the night by somebody screaming outside. Rick warned me the next morning that he was surprised it wasn't accompanied by gunshots. .....so as we are getting ready, I realized I need a needle and thread to sew a button back on. I figured since Tracy was staying at the Hilton (and we definitely aren't, which is a whole other story) she may have a sewing kit in her bathroom. So I decided to call her and ask, and just as she says "hello" gunfire erupts outside of our complex!! And I'm talking a lot of gunfire!! My immediate reaction was to exit my bedroom towards the stairwell, at which time I figured it can't be a real gunfight because there have been too many shots fired! Since the rest of my day appeared to be an episode of faulty towers, I started laughing. I also figured Rick would likely stick his head out the window to see what is going on. In other words, if he managed to escape his bedroom, everything must be ok! I start laughing hysterically as I'm on the phone, gunfire in the background, and Tracy yelling at me "OMG is that gunfire? Stop laughing, WTF is going on!". Just then Rick comes around the corner, laughing so hard tears are coming from his eyes, but composes himself long enough to yell out "I've been hit!!!". I think Tracy ended up being most scared by that one! ...as it turned out, it was an ERT exercise in the grounds outside. I choose to believe it wasn't a live fire exercise as there were children playing nearby out back. ....at least that is what I hope!!
After that we had an amazing dinner with the former Mayor. They put on a traditional Namibian/African meal for us. Spinach, porridge, ....and lots of meat! We were also treated to a traditional tribal dance from a group of people that were from the same tribe as one of the other colleagues we have been working with. Amazing!!! I swear if you closed your eyes, it sounded like the sound track to The Lion King! Now that is Africa, how cool. ....The best part, and it will be if you read my last post, is the group is sponsored as part a program from the area we visited yesterday (the informal settlements). They perform at various events to earn a small amount of money. It also keeps them focused, as they have to practice a lot to hold true to their tribal traditions. Once again, truly amazing.... Time for me to get some rest, it is after midnight here and it has been some very long days, but very cool ones to say the least.
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