So… I am slowly going insane.
I have been calling for the gala all day everyday ALL WEEK. Here is how today went, for example.
6:30- got up and took shower. Water was actually warm, surprisingly.
7:20- Ate breakfast of porridge with cinnamon and instant coffee in it… don’t ask me, that’s how I like to flavor it.
8:00- Begged off of raking/ scoffling center pens so that I could go shoot footage of some of the interns at the goat pens… got wrangled into helping hold the goat down while they put meds on her injured foot. I have now progressed from petting-zoo experience only to goat care.
8:30- went back to the center pens and filled an ENTIRE TRASH CAN with yard debris and pointy sticks, then went to rake the last pen in penance for ditching.
9:00- went to the genetics lab to start phoning people for the gala until 12pm… that’s three hours straight of phoning people. Luckily, there were a few others helping me today (rare). Jessica, Casey, and Claire were all assigned to gala, so I made Claire and Jess do some calls while I tried to organize the new contacts excel sheet to Laurie’s specifications. (I already spent ALL DAY YESTERDAY as well working on that.) They got sick of it and started expounding on how much they hate calling people and how rude some people were on the phone within an hour. I tried not to mention TOO MANY TIMES just how many days I spent up to 7 hours phoning people BY MYSELF with no one to talk to. Yeah, when I say that I am getting sick of talking to people over bad phone lines who vaguely speak English and hate getting phoned for donations, I REALLY mean it.
11:30- Got to be part of the cub walk team! A BREAK! AT LAST! Steph and Jess, who do the schedule, have made it a habit to try and schedule me with the cubs AT LEAST every other day because they know phoning for the gala sucks. It means I get to work with them more than the other non-cub-care-specific interns which makes me happy. Also, Casey is USUALLY willing to let me hang in the cubs pen with her on occasion. They feel sorry for me. Anyways, we walked Peter and Senay out to meet some German tourists who were very nice. I could understand what they were saying in German, but I couldn’t formulate answers! Luckily, they had a sort of spokeswoman who spoke English for them who asked questions. But this was the first time that I got to actually answer questions instead of standing around wishing I had a black suit jacket and a discreet earpiece. Cub bodyguard Heather FTW!! This time, their tour guide introduced me (I usually don’t get much of an intro beyond “This is Heather, she’s an intern. Moving on”) and I lead the group over to the cubs at the predator playground, so they asked me lots of questions. I could actually answer all of them!
12:30- back to the gala
1:00- LUNCH TIME!!!! Pasta with meaty, mushroomy, bacony gravy! And bread! It was delicious!
2:00- ..... gala. Had Lauren to help enter data into the sheet while I called people. This one guy hung up on me. It was depressing. But not the first time. Others refused to donate because they had not been “thanked in a timely enough manner” last year. *rolls eyes*
4:30- stopped calling, finished sorting the contacts on the excel sheet. I swear I was becoming dyslexic by the end as I struggled. Ugh.
5:00- finished up the spreadsheet (Casey came in to remind me to stop working at 5, as she always has to, but I was almost done, so she let me finish) and then wrote this blog. My brain feels slightly like it did on paper number 4 of 5 in finals week: like mush soaked lead. Ugh. But hey, I get to look forward to dinner and tomorrow is a half day… hopefully. You never know. It’s a half day unless someone finds something for you to do. Same with our “day off” on Sunday.
Well, for all my complaints, I’m still having fun. Everyone’s really nice in the intern house and some of the girls I was more wary of a week ago are fantastic now. Also, the video I promised my mother has become… more epic. I told one of the girls about it and now it’s more of a tour of CCF/ epic intro to all of the interns that will eventually go up on youtube… so yeah. It may take another week or so… and I feel like a stalker going around recording people constantly… yeah. Wish me luck!
TSCHUSS!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Obligatory Food Tour
Hey guys. Something awesome is currently in the works, so you're gonna have to put up with this post while I make it :)
SO! let’s talk about some awesome food I’ve had while here.
•Cheese burgers with goat chedder cheese. They are amazing and lovingly made by Juan with our own (CCF) cows and cheese. The buns are also delicious and hand made. MANY vegetarians fall off the veggie wagon for a night JUST to taste these. They are that good.
•I have discovered a type of cookie called chockits… or something. They are biscuit and cream and coconut and they are ADDICTIVE. D: I have ordered them twice on Tuesday town runs. They are amazing and I WILL find them when I come back to the states. Somehow.
•Hard boiled eggs covered in curry. Sounds gross, right? But we had them this morning and they were BRILLIANT. One of the guys on the international course from India made them. I will miss him now whereas I didn’t even really care this morning.
•Game pie. It’s like chicken pot pie or shepherds pie but with wild game instead. (steenbok or oryx, etc) It is SO delicious. The crust is just so flaky and the meat is so fresh and tender. In fact, ALL of the meat here is delicious. We had beef steaks last night that I practically drooled all over. We also had spit roasted warthog that was DELICIOUS. I swear, Juan should be the CCF CHEF not the tourism guy. Everything he cooks is DELICIOUS.
•MEAT
•There was this Pizza in Windhoek that was more like European (eg French) pizza than American. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, etc. DELICIOUS.
•The bread here is delicious, handmade, with bits of corn, and will make me SO fat. I cannot get enough of it! There was also this bread that Juan made in a pot of soup somehow that SHOULD have been soggy but somehow wasn't! I want the recipe SO bad, but he is notorious for being secretive. All the food here is so good!
•Mac and Cheese. Fresh made. From scratch. It was the best thing ever and I convinced the server (we get served portions because there are so many ppl here right now) to give me seconds AND THEN I begged thirds from the kitchen a couple hours later. IT. WAS. HEAVEN.
•Currently drinking scrumptious guava juice that I nicked from the kitchens. LOVE IT!
Okay guys. One more thing. I was on cub care yesterday with the four ambassador cubs and they were SO CUTE! When eating, THEY ignore everything around them so you can pet them all you want! You can even play with their tails or ruffle their ears and they don't care. It was awesome!
MISS YOU ALL! TCHUSS!
SO! let’s talk about some awesome food I’ve had while here.
•Cheese burgers with goat chedder cheese. They are amazing and lovingly made by Juan with our own (CCF) cows and cheese. The buns are also delicious and hand made. MANY vegetarians fall off the veggie wagon for a night JUST to taste these. They are that good.
•I have discovered a type of cookie called chockits… or something. They are biscuit and cream and coconut and they are ADDICTIVE. D: I have ordered them twice on Tuesday town runs. They are amazing and I WILL find them when I come back to the states. Somehow.
•Hard boiled eggs covered in curry. Sounds gross, right? But we had them this morning and they were BRILLIANT. One of the guys on the international course from India made them. I will miss him now whereas I didn’t even really care this morning.
•Game pie. It’s like chicken pot pie or shepherds pie but with wild game instead. (steenbok or oryx, etc) It is SO delicious. The crust is just so flaky and the meat is so fresh and tender. In fact, ALL of the meat here is delicious. We had beef steaks last night that I practically drooled all over. We also had spit roasted warthog that was DELICIOUS. I swear, Juan should be the CCF CHEF not the tourism guy. Everything he cooks is DELICIOUS.
•MEAT
•There was this Pizza in Windhoek that was more like European (eg French) pizza than American. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, etc. DELICIOUS.
•The bread here is delicious, handmade, with bits of corn, and will make me SO fat. I cannot get enough of it! There was also this bread that Juan made in a pot of soup somehow that SHOULD have been soggy but somehow wasn't! I want the recipe SO bad, but he is notorious for being secretive. All the food here is so good!
•Mac and Cheese. Fresh made. From scratch. It was the best thing ever and I convinced the server (we get served portions because there are so many ppl here right now) to give me seconds AND THEN I begged thirds from the kitchen a couple hours later. IT. WAS. HEAVEN.
•Currently drinking scrumptious guava juice that I nicked from the kitchens. LOVE IT!
Okay guys. One more thing. I was on cub care yesterday with the four ambassador cubs and they were SO CUTE! When eating, THEY ignore everything around them so you can pet them all you want! You can even play with their tails or ruffle their ears and they don't care. It was awesome!
MISS YOU ALL! TCHUSS!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Starry Night is Not Just a Painting
Dear World,
My life has been very boring as of late… I have been making phone calls for pretty much three work days straight… and while it is gratifying to be the one in charge of the whole silent auction shebang, I am getting a little tired of over-enunciating to people who speak English as a vague second language over a bad connection.
But I don’t want to either talk or think about the gala at the moment.
Instead, I want to talk about the night sky. This seems random, yes? Well, it REALLY isn’t.
You can see SO many stars here out in the bush. Sometimes when going back to our rooms after dinner, we all turn out our torches and just look at them. (That is of course until we realize that a leopard MAY be stalking us in the dark) The stars are GORGEOUS. And apparently we can’t even see as many as we would in summer. Apparently you can see the ENTIRE Milky Way in stunning, starry detail then. Some interesting things: Orion’s Belt is in an interesting place and the big dipper is upside-down. It’s interesting. Our Australian friend (who is no longer at CCF) called it the Frying Pan.
But the really exciting thing lately has been the moon. It is LOVELY to watch the moon rise from the top of the water tower. It rises before the sky is dark, so at first you see the moon against every color of the light spectrum. African sunsets are AMAZING. However, in recent days there has been a full moon. Now, I know that people often claim that they can kinda sorta see by moonlight at night, but here you REALLY can. It’s like, never really dark here when the moon is up. I haven’t even been using my torch when walking to Lightfoot for a bonfire or home from dinner at night. It’s amazing how bright it is. It’s like, reverse light pollution or something. Also, there was a lunar eclipse last night! RANDOMLY! I mean, we were sitting inside, minding our own business, and Brittany comes in hollering about an eclipse! I have seen one before (I think… or was it solar???) but never randomly. Usually mom lets me know DAYS in advance about anything interesting in the sky, so this was just weird!
Anyways, stargazing is AMAZING here and I can’t wait to see them in the summer. (In Botswana)
Tschuss!
My life has been very boring as of late… I have been making phone calls for pretty much three work days straight… and while it is gratifying to be the one in charge of the whole silent auction shebang, I am getting a little tired of over-enunciating to people who speak English as a vague second language over a bad connection.
But I don’t want to either talk or think about the gala at the moment.
Instead, I want to talk about the night sky. This seems random, yes? Well, it REALLY isn’t.
You can see SO many stars here out in the bush. Sometimes when going back to our rooms after dinner, we all turn out our torches and just look at them. (That is of course until we realize that a leopard MAY be stalking us in the dark) The stars are GORGEOUS. And apparently we can’t even see as many as we would in summer. Apparently you can see the ENTIRE Milky Way in stunning, starry detail then. Some interesting things: Orion’s Belt is in an interesting place and the big dipper is upside-down. It’s interesting. Our Australian friend (who is no longer at CCF) called it the Frying Pan.
But the really exciting thing lately has been the moon. It is LOVELY to watch the moon rise from the top of the water tower. It rises before the sky is dark, so at first you see the moon against every color of the light spectrum. African sunsets are AMAZING. However, in recent days there has been a full moon. Now, I know that people often claim that they can kinda sorta see by moonlight at night, but here you REALLY can. It’s like, never really dark here when the moon is up. I haven’t even been using my torch when walking to Lightfoot for a bonfire or home from dinner at night. It’s amazing how bright it is. It’s like, reverse light pollution or something. Also, there was a lunar eclipse last night! RANDOMLY! I mean, we were sitting inside, minding our own business, and Brittany comes in hollering about an eclipse! I have seen one before (I think… or was it solar???) but never randomly. Usually mom lets me know DAYS in advance about anything interesting in the sky, so this was just weird!
Anyways, stargazing is AMAZING here and I can’t wait to see them in the summer. (In Botswana)
Tschuss!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tourism Expo or Secret Wine Tasting Party? The World Will Never Know
Hey guys!
Sorry I haven’t been in contact for a while. First, the internet was out for a few days and then… wait for it…
I WAS SENT TO WINDHOEK TO A TOURISM EXPO!!!!!
So, okay. It’s a little exciting because I got to go to Windhoek, which is both civilization and means that they trust me at least a little to get things done. So, here’s how this came about. My overall project here is the Fundraising Gala Dinner thing that CCF is holding at the Windhoek Country Club in July. It is a HUGE event. The interns’ (well… mostly Claire and I) is to find donations for the silent auction portion of the evening. Thus, I have been phoning potential sponsors for days.
Anyways, Laurie asked Claire and I to go with Juan (the head tourism guy at CCF) to garner interest for the gallery at the Namibian Tourism Expo. So, we gamely got up at 3:30 AM to take a 3 hour drive to Windhoek… and upon our arrival found out it didn’t start until 3pm and we didn’t need to set up… ugh. I was SO TIRED. But it was still fun. It was a HUGE event. There were SEVEN halls filled to the bursting with vendors. There were loads of resort houses, lodges, wineries, organic fooderies, supply shops, crafty places, and conservancies on display. Claire and I talk to about ¾ of EVERY hall. We had mixed results: some people were really interested and some wanted nothing to do with us. But we tried our best.
The other interesting thing about this expo was… the wine tasting. It was EVERYWHERE. The expo went from 3pm to 10pm and everyone was AT LEAST tipsy by 8pm… yeah, Claire and I were the most sober people at the whole expo INCLUDING the vendors. (Though we did have to taste this beer that Juan wanted info from around 6pm… it actually wasn’t bad… I guess… for beer.)
It was also funny to see everyone’s faces when we got back and told them that we ate at restaurants, but that is neither here nor there.
We also stayed at Juan’s house in Windhoek, which I thought would be weird, but it oddly wasn’t. It was a gorgeous house and FREE! (best price!)
Besides the gala, I’ve mostly been filling the position of “Laurie’s private secretary” as she tries to figure out things upon her return from a two month trip… I think she drafted me since I was the one to organize her office… eh. Anywho, I hope to do some fun, interesting things soon. I’ll keep you posted!
And how did I get drafted to working on ANOTHER silent auction?!? I SWEAR I will be an expert at these things by the time I die without ever having an OFFICIAL silent suction setup position or career. Lol.
Tschuss!
Sorry I haven’t been in contact for a while. First, the internet was out for a few days and then… wait for it…
I WAS SENT TO WINDHOEK TO A TOURISM EXPO!!!!!
So, okay. It’s a little exciting because I got to go to Windhoek, which is both civilization and means that they trust me at least a little to get things done. So, here’s how this came about. My overall project here is the Fundraising Gala Dinner thing that CCF is holding at the Windhoek Country Club in July. It is a HUGE event. The interns’ (well… mostly Claire and I) is to find donations for the silent auction portion of the evening. Thus, I have been phoning potential sponsors for days.
Anyways, Laurie asked Claire and I to go with Juan (the head tourism guy at CCF) to garner interest for the gallery at the Namibian Tourism Expo. So, we gamely got up at 3:30 AM to take a 3 hour drive to Windhoek… and upon our arrival found out it didn’t start until 3pm and we didn’t need to set up… ugh. I was SO TIRED. But it was still fun. It was a HUGE event. There were SEVEN halls filled to the bursting with vendors. There were loads of resort houses, lodges, wineries, organic fooderies, supply shops, crafty places, and conservancies on display. Claire and I talk to about ¾ of EVERY hall. We had mixed results: some people were really interested and some wanted nothing to do with us. But we tried our best.
The other interesting thing about this expo was… the wine tasting. It was EVERYWHERE. The expo went from 3pm to 10pm and everyone was AT LEAST tipsy by 8pm… yeah, Claire and I were the most sober people at the whole expo INCLUDING the vendors. (Though we did have to taste this beer that Juan wanted info from around 6pm… it actually wasn’t bad… I guess… for beer.)
It was also funny to see everyone’s faces when we got back and told them that we ate at restaurants, but that is neither here nor there.
We also stayed at Juan’s house in Windhoek, which I thought would be weird, but it oddly wasn’t. It was a gorgeous house and FREE! (best price!)
Besides the gala, I’ve mostly been filling the position of “Laurie’s private secretary” as she tries to figure out things upon her return from a two month trip… I think she drafted me since I was the one to organize her office… eh. Anywho, I hope to do some fun, interesting things soon. I’ll keep you posted!
And how did I get drafted to working on ANOTHER silent auction?!? I SWEAR I will be an expert at these things by the time I die without ever having an OFFICIAL silent suction setup position or career. Lol.
Tschuss!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Zebra and Giraffe and Oryx, OH MY
So, Tuesday was a VERY exciting day!
Well… actually…. It was really boring quite a bit of the time… but I guess you can form your own opinion.
On Tuesday, we had our first TWELVE HOUR waterhole count! YAY! They happen once on the 31st of every month. During this waterhole count, eight people divide into pairs of two and sit in a “hide” for twelve hours straight and count each animal that comes in and out of their specific site. We include approximate age (calf, adolescent, adult) and sex and species.
So. We all got up at 4:30 AM in order to get to our site by 6 AM (the count goes from 6-6). We’ve usually been getting up at 6:30 each morning, so two hours early was REALLY early. I ended up forgetting my camera in the rush! (Don’t worry though! My hide-mate, Jill, had a spiffy camera that I ended up commandeering!) It was FREEZING at 4:30 AM, frost on the ground and all. But we were troopers and we trooped down to the hotspot for breakfast (starbucks VIA FTW!) and then got into the cars. We still really didn’t know what to expect…
My site was called Hog’s Haven. It consisted of a large open space and man-made watering hole (the watering holes are at Bellabino farm and are enclosed. There are no natural ones). About 20-30 meters from the water stood our hide! It was an (about) 5-7ft brick room with a tin roof and a foot wide slit in the side to observe. And we had to stay in there… for 12 hours straight. Mind you, Jill is an Earthwatch volunteer, not an intern, and MUCH older than me… and I had met her for the first time the night before… and I had never spoken to her before…. Yeah, so I really didn’t know what to expect.
But it turned out to be really cool! The first three hours went REALLY fast and an Oryx showed up within the first half hour. We saw a lot of really cool animals and animal behavior throughout the day! (I’m pretty sure we recorded the most out of all the groups). There were a TON of warthogs, obviously. (Warthogs are no longer exciting for us. We see them every morning. But they do this really cute thing where they touch snouts in a little kiss motion). Also, there were ten Oryx that hung out PRACTICALLY ALL DAY! They were just hanging out by the salt lick and being really territorial over it. (They would back off for giraffe, but would chase off any other would-be salt lickers). I kept imagining that they were talking like the two moose in Brother Bear. They’re so funny. We also saw three giraffe. And let me tell you. Giraffe are HILARIOUS when they’re trying to drink from the water hole. They have to kind of contortion themselves down and then drink. One just bypassed the pool and went for the giant green water tank that feeds water into the waterhole, lol! We also saw several Jackal and one red hartebeest! (Which we were told NOT to expect to see). We also saw a bunch of Eland which are HUGE! Also, if you ever see a group of eland, it’s REALLY amusing to watch their ears and tails twitch constantly. I had never really seen them that close because they are REALLY car-shy. There were also THREE separate heard of Zebra. It’s really hard to count zebra, actually. They all stand in a group and then just look like one of those mind bender posters. (Like Liz had in the room). But the babies were ADORABLE!
Well, the hide was freezing all day and we were very cramped and I REALLY didn’t want to have to pee in the bushes again, but we made it. And the car was very warm on the way home. Oh, and we saw a leopard on the way as well. XD I’ll put pics up on Facebook as soon as I can get them from Jill.
On a totally separate note; Laurie finally got back Tuesday evening! XD We were all really excited to meet her (re-meet her in my case), and it was amusing to hear Brittany call her “Dr. Marker” when I always just call her Laurie. Today we had a meeting with her and she could only consistently remember Casey and my names because she had known both of us for a very long time. (Casey is an intern that has been here two months already. She is from Oregon. Goes to SOU, actually!) We were talking about overarching responsibilities here, projects, ideas, and our general skills. She seemed very interested in my ability to “be handy” due to theater. (I already built a frame to stand a cabinet on in her office… yeah. Go me… couldn’t really figure out a centimeter measuring tape though…)
Anyways, I had a great couple of days! Miss you all already
Well… actually…. It was really boring quite a bit of the time… but I guess you can form your own opinion.
On Tuesday, we had our first TWELVE HOUR waterhole count! YAY! They happen once on the 31st of every month. During this waterhole count, eight people divide into pairs of two and sit in a “hide” for twelve hours straight and count each animal that comes in and out of their specific site. We include approximate age (calf, adolescent, adult) and sex and species.
So. We all got up at 4:30 AM in order to get to our site by 6 AM (the count goes from 6-6). We’ve usually been getting up at 6:30 each morning, so two hours early was REALLY early. I ended up forgetting my camera in the rush! (Don’t worry though! My hide-mate, Jill, had a spiffy camera that I ended up commandeering!) It was FREEZING at 4:30 AM, frost on the ground and all. But we were troopers and we trooped down to the hotspot for breakfast (starbucks VIA FTW!) and then got into the cars. We still really didn’t know what to expect…
My site was called Hog’s Haven. It consisted of a large open space and man-made watering hole (the watering holes are at Bellabino farm and are enclosed. There are no natural ones). About 20-30 meters from the water stood our hide! It was an (about) 5-7ft brick room with a tin roof and a foot wide slit in the side to observe. And we had to stay in there… for 12 hours straight. Mind you, Jill is an Earthwatch volunteer, not an intern, and MUCH older than me… and I had met her for the first time the night before… and I had never spoken to her before…. Yeah, so I really didn’t know what to expect.
But it turned out to be really cool! The first three hours went REALLY fast and an Oryx showed up within the first half hour. We saw a lot of really cool animals and animal behavior throughout the day! (I’m pretty sure we recorded the most out of all the groups). There were a TON of warthogs, obviously. (Warthogs are no longer exciting for us. We see them every morning. But they do this really cute thing where they touch snouts in a little kiss motion). Also, there were ten Oryx that hung out PRACTICALLY ALL DAY! They were just hanging out by the salt lick and being really territorial over it. (They would back off for giraffe, but would chase off any other would-be salt lickers). I kept imagining that they were talking like the two moose in Brother Bear. They’re so funny. We also saw three giraffe. And let me tell you. Giraffe are HILARIOUS when they’re trying to drink from the water hole. They have to kind of contortion themselves down and then drink. One just bypassed the pool and went for the giant green water tank that feeds water into the waterhole, lol! We also saw several Jackal and one red hartebeest! (Which we were told NOT to expect to see). We also saw a bunch of Eland which are HUGE! Also, if you ever see a group of eland, it’s REALLY amusing to watch their ears and tails twitch constantly. I had never really seen them that close because they are REALLY car-shy. There were also THREE separate heard of Zebra. It’s really hard to count zebra, actually. They all stand in a group and then just look like one of those mind bender posters. (Like Liz had in the room). But the babies were ADORABLE!
Well, the hide was freezing all day and we were very cramped and I REALLY didn’t want to have to pee in the bushes again, but we made it. And the car was very warm on the way home. Oh, and we saw a leopard on the way as well. XD I’ll put pics up on Facebook as soon as I can get them from Jill.
On a totally separate note; Laurie finally got back Tuesday evening! XD We were all really excited to meet her (re-meet her in my case), and it was amusing to hear Brittany call her “Dr. Marker” when I always just call her Laurie. Today we had a meeting with her and she could only consistently remember Casey and my names because she had known both of us for a very long time. (Casey is an intern that has been here two months already. She is from Oregon. Goes to SOU, actually!) We were talking about overarching responsibilities here, projects, ideas, and our general skills. She seemed very interested in my ability to “be handy” due to theater. (I already built a frame to stand a cabinet on in her office… yeah. Go me… couldn’t really figure out a centimeter measuring tape though…)
Anyways, I had a great couple of days! Miss you all already
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tips for Namibian Travellers. Abridged.
All I did today was clean Laurie's office. Which was quite an adventure in mouse droppings, dust, dead moths, live and dead spiders, cobwebs, etc; but not very interesting. So! For today's blog, you get tips I have for Namibian travelers that I have learned ALREADY! :D
Useful Tips for Namibia:
1.Bugspray is your BEST friend
I know people will tell you this, but there really ARE mozzies everywhere, even in the dry season. Cover ANYWHERE that is exposed or covered only by light fabric. Even at night. I had NO bug bites at all until one night I wore shorts to bed without thinking that bugs would really be a problem while I slept (there didn’t seem to be any in my room…)… I didn’t put bug stuff on my upper legs… and woke up with bug bites everywhere. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW! Just, anytime any skin is exposed to the air, it is mozzie food, so cover it with bug spray.
2.Sunblock is your other best friend. It throws picnics with the bugspray.
It is sunny. Very sunny. Like, hole in the ozone layer above Namibia sunny. Wear sunblock even if you never burn. The intern from AUSTRALIA got a sun burn. Do not skimp on it. Any showing skin should get a slathering. And some not showing skin too if you think you might take off a layer.
3.Long hair with pony-tail capabilities is a plus
Long hair in a pony-tail keeps the sun off the back of your neck. It is also good for swishing at flies or mozzies who are flying around your ears when your hands are full. (Like a real horse!)
4.Long pants and sleeves are like force fields.
Okay, so not quite that cool. But seriously: every plant in Namibia has thorns except for the grass. (And sometimes that’s touch and go.) Some of the thorns are bright white and two inches long. Some of them look deceptively soft (they’re not!). So if you plan to do ANYTHING outside, wear long pants and at least BRING something long-sleeved along. You will thank me later.
5.Don’t go cheap on sunglasses. The sun can spot penny pinchers.
Cheap sunglasses, as I am finding out, don’t block the sun as well as you’d like. The sun still hurts and you still squint. So spend the money to get good ones so that you’re not squinting 99% of the day. That being said, don’t go out buying Prada sunglasses just cuz they’re expensive. They just make you look like a rich target in the cities. Go to REI. Get a pair that WORKS but is not flashy.
6.NEVER approach animals. Even cute ones.
Keep at a distance. In the case of leopards, snakes, baboons, etc stay at a VERY safe distance. Do not approach an animal even if you think it may be struggling to live or dead. It may be okay or it may still savage you. They are WILD. If you are concerned, call a local wildlife authority. They have people trained not to get mauled.
7.Termite mounds look good in photos but could be full of snakes.
Well, usually just the one snake, actually. Snakes like the Spitting Zebra Cobra and the Black Mamba like to make homes in termite mounds. They are deadly. So no photo ops next to termite mounds unless you feel like washing out your eyes with water for twenty minutes to wash out zebra cobra poison.
8.The Audubon Society African Mammals book is not good enough
Sure, it IS good, to an extent. But it really doesn’t include all the various BIRDS you see in Namibia. And they are many and varied, indeed. However, finding a wildlife guidebook to NAMIBIA in your local bookstore is like trying to get water out of a rock: it only works if you’re Jesus. Get a guide book for Southern Africa. You should do better.
9.Make sure you like your traveling buddy
Namibia goes city, lots of bush, city, lots of bush, city, etc. The time to get from one place to the next is very long. There are animals and pretty views, yes, but not all the time. It can get pretty monotonous. So if you hate your travel buddy, know that you will be stuck with them in the car for a very long time. That being said, try to stay awake. I apparently missed a herd of giraffe on the way from Windhoek to CCF.
Today is Brittany’s 21st birthday. We’re celebrating with champagne and s’mores. Well… we might… we kinda got into the s’mores last night when there was a fire. Basically, there was a fire in the fire pit and Rachel and Kristi told us that they had NEVER had a s’more before! I know right!? I couldn’t believe it either. And then Rosie (she works in the clinic) came over and I taught her how to make one too, because she hadn’t had one either! Apparently s’mores are an American thing… I was actually surprised that they would have all the ingredients here… well… we had to use digestive biscuit type things for graham crackers, but they tasted BASICALLY the same. Ah, gotta love Africa.
ps- Australians call mosquitoes "mozzies"
Useful Tips for Namibia:
1.Bugspray is your BEST friend
I know people will tell you this, but there really ARE mozzies everywhere, even in the dry season. Cover ANYWHERE that is exposed or covered only by light fabric. Even at night. I had NO bug bites at all until one night I wore shorts to bed without thinking that bugs would really be a problem while I slept (there didn’t seem to be any in my room…)… I didn’t put bug stuff on my upper legs… and woke up with bug bites everywhere. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW! Just, anytime any skin is exposed to the air, it is mozzie food, so cover it with bug spray.
2.Sunblock is your other best friend. It throws picnics with the bugspray.
It is sunny. Very sunny. Like, hole in the ozone layer above Namibia sunny. Wear sunblock even if you never burn. The intern from AUSTRALIA got a sun burn. Do not skimp on it. Any showing skin should get a slathering. And some not showing skin too if you think you might take off a layer.
3.Long hair with pony-tail capabilities is a plus
Long hair in a pony-tail keeps the sun off the back of your neck. It is also good for swishing at flies or mozzies who are flying around your ears when your hands are full. (Like a real horse!)
4.Long pants and sleeves are like force fields.
Okay, so not quite that cool. But seriously: every plant in Namibia has thorns except for the grass. (And sometimes that’s touch and go.) Some of the thorns are bright white and two inches long. Some of them look deceptively soft (they’re not!). So if you plan to do ANYTHING outside, wear long pants and at least BRING something long-sleeved along. You will thank me later.
5.Don’t go cheap on sunglasses. The sun can spot penny pinchers.
Cheap sunglasses, as I am finding out, don’t block the sun as well as you’d like. The sun still hurts and you still squint. So spend the money to get good ones so that you’re not squinting 99% of the day. That being said, don’t go out buying Prada sunglasses just cuz they’re expensive. They just make you look like a rich target in the cities. Go to REI. Get a pair that WORKS but is not flashy.
6.NEVER approach animals. Even cute ones.
Keep at a distance. In the case of leopards, snakes, baboons, etc stay at a VERY safe distance. Do not approach an animal even if you think it may be struggling to live or dead. It may be okay or it may still savage you. They are WILD. If you are concerned, call a local wildlife authority. They have people trained not to get mauled.
7.Termite mounds look good in photos but could be full of snakes.
Well, usually just the one snake, actually. Snakes like the Spitting Zebra Cobra and the Black Mamba like to make homes in termite mounds. They are deadly. So no photo ops next to termite mounds unless you feel like washing out your eyes with water for twenty minutes to wash out zebra cobra poison.
8.The Audubon Society African Mammals book is not good enough
Sure, it IS good, to an extent. But it really doesn’t include all the various BIRDS you see in Namibia. And they are many and varied, indeed. However, finding a wildlife guidebook to NAMIBIA in your local bookstore is like trying to get water out of a rock: it only works if you’re Jesus. Get a guide book for Southern Africa. You should do better.
9.Make sure you like your traveling buddy
Namibia goes city, lots of bush, city, lots of bush, city, etc. The time to get from one place to the next is very long. There are animals and pretty views, yes, but not all the time. It can get pretty monotonous. So if you hate your travel buddy, know that you will be stuck with them in the car for a very long time. That being said, try to stay awake. I apparently missed a herd of giraffe on the way from Windhoek to CCF.
Today is Brittany’s 21st birthday. We’re celebrating with champagne and s’mores. Well… we might… we kinda got into the s’mores last night when there was a fire. Basically, there was a fire in the fire pit and Rachel and Kristi told us that they had NEVER had a s’more before! I know right!? I couldn’t believe it either. And then Rosie (she works in the clinic) came over and I taught her how to make one too, because she hadn’t had one either! Apparently s’mores are an American thing… I was actually surprised that they would have all the ingredients here… well… we had to use digestive biscuit type things for graham crackers, but they tasted BASICALLY the same. Ah, gotta love Africa.
ps- Australians call mosquitoes "mozzies"
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Goats Are Funny and Other Tales from the Bush
Today started out on an interesting note. Since one of the goat herders is gone right now, I got to help feed the Anatolian shepherds! (aka the dogs that watch and guard the herd of goats here at the CCF farm. I met Joeh (one of the guys that works with the goats) at the big, quite industrial, barn. There he introduced me to… someone. I couldn’t really pronounce his name and now I can’t remember it. Anyways, after he mixed up the food (dog food, cooked donkey meat, and water… interestingly enough, the dog food was made out of rice and ostrich…); we went over to the goat pens to feed the dogs. They were VERY happy to see us, and they were adorable. On a side note for Liz, one of the dogs was named Leah. :D
Besides the dogs, the goats were VERY funny. On the second trip feeding the dogs (once at 8am, once at 3pm), there was this goat that REALLY wanted to eat the dog food. Like REALLY/ He would jump up like one of the dogs and try to steal some from the bowl in my hand. And when I wouldn’t give it to him, he tried to eat my pants instead! Lol! Also, once Shadow was done eating her food, she walked away from it and at least 15 goats went over to start eating the leftovers! I had to shoo them away just to grab the bowl! (On that note, shooing goats isn’t hard. You just kind walk through them and they get out of the way. It was REALLY amusing walking through a virtual SEA of goats, all of them bleating at you noisily).
Besides that, I was mostly in Laurie’s office for most of the day ORGANIZING IT. And let me tell you, it REALLY could use it. The papers are covered in dust and cobwebs and dead moths and spiders and a lot of the stuff has been chewed up by a mouse. In fact; when I started on Laurie’s office with Santa yesterday, we found the mouse IN IT’S NEST in one of the boxes! I almost grabbed it without knowing! But it jumped out and ran off, which wasn’t a huge deal but it did startle Santa and I a lot! Basically, I actually enjoyed organizing Laurie’s office in the same way I enjoyed the living room in my suite after I finish cleaning it. It just makes me feel better about life. However, there is A LOT of stuff and Laurie’s not here so I can’t ask her if we can throw anything away. Instead, I’m just organizing and labeling EVERYTHING.
I also went on a Circuit Count this evening, which is a lot like a game count but longer and through thicker bush. We actually have to keep our windows rolled up and the side-view mirrors turned in so that the thorns and branches that are creeping in don’t SMACK us! There’s this great nails-on-chalkboard sound almost THE WHOLE TIME. I went on one yesterday as well (in which we got stuck in an aardvark hole momentarily and had to push the truck out of it) and we barely saw any animals. This time, we were scrabbling for extra paper to record them because this route took us through the main field! I even saw eland for the first time. (Though from a far distance because they are car-shy and run away from EVERYTHING!!!!)
One last thing. Yesterday, I was weeding the OK cubs’ pen with Casey and we took a five minute break at one point… and she finally introduced me to the cubs! I mean, in their pen, petting them, talking to them, the works! It was midday and so they were really lazy and sleepy so they just came over to be petted and licked my hand a lot :D :D :D They were ADORABLE! Their names are Peter, Tigerlilly, Sene, and Kaije. Peter’s face is SO FLUFFY! XD Best five minute break EVER!!!!
Anyways, I love you all! Look forward to my next exciting adventure!!!
Besides the dogs, the goats were VERY funny. On the second trip feeding the dogs (once at 8am, once at 3pm), there was this goat that REALLY wanted to eat the dog food. Like REALLY/ He would jump up like one of the dogs and try to steal some from the bowl in my hand. And when I wouldn’t give it to him, he tried to eat my pants instead! Lol! Also, once Shadow was done eating her food, she walked away from it and at least 15 goats went over to start eating the leftovers! I had to shoo them away just to grab the bowl! (On that note, shooing goats isn’t hard. You just kind walk through them and they get out of the way. It was REALLY amusing walking through a virtual SEA of goats, all of them bleating at you noisily).
Besides that, I was mostly in Laurie’s office for most of the day ORGANIZING IT. And let me tell you, it REALLY could use it. The papers are covered in dust and cobwebs and dead moths and spiders and a lot of the stuff has been chewed up by a mouse. In fact; when I started on Laurie’s office with Santa yesterday, we found the mouse IN IT’S NEST in one of the boxes! I almost grabbed it without knowing! But it jumped out and ran off, which wasn’t a huge deal but it did startle Santa and I a lot! Basically, I actually enjoyed organizing Laurie’s office in the same way I enjoyed the living room in my suite after I finish cleaning it. It just makes me feel better about life. However, there is A LOT of stuff and Laurie’s not here so I can’t ask her if we can throw anything away. Instead, I’m just organizing and labeling EVERYTHING.
I also went on a Circuit Count this evening, which is a lot like a game count but longer and through thicker bush. We actually have to keep our windows rolled up and the side-view mirrors turned in so that the thorns and branches that are creeping in don’t SMACK us! There’s this great nails-on-chalkboard sound almost THE WHOLE TIME. I went on one yesterday as well (in which we got stuck in an aardvark hole momentarily and had to push the truck out of it) and we barely saw any animals. This time, we were scrabbling for extra paper to record them because this route took us through the main field! I even saw eland for the first time. (Though from a far distance because they are car-shy and run away from EVERYTHING!!!!)
One last thing. Yesterday, I was weeding the OK cubs’ pen with Casey and we took a five minute break at one point… and she finally introduced me to the cubs! I mean, in their pen, petting them, talking to them, the works! It was midday and so they were really lazy and sleepy so they just came over to be petted and licked my hand a lot :D :D :D They were ADORABLE! Their names are Peter, Tigerlilly, Sene, and Kaije. Peter’s face is SO FLUFFY! XD Best five minute break EVER!!!!
Anyways, I love you all! Look forward to my next exciting adventure!!!
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