Its funny what perspective does to you. Having lived in the UK pretty much all my life, you just get used to being in populous areas.
Okahao is a pretty small village. Driving through it from the “welcome” sign to the “leaving” sign takes exactly one minute and thirty nine seconds. I’ve timed it. A friend is driving in tomorrow and she asked for directions to the hospital. “Drive into Okahao and turn left” I told her, “Then what?” she replied, “That’s it.”, “That’s it?”, “That’s it”. I’m confident she’ll find it.
Yet this is the thing. I live in the happening place around here. In fact, it’s the second biggest settlement in the whole of the region. Because it has the hospital, market, church and post office, people come from miles around to access the place you live. It is the big trip of the week. When you go out into the communities, as I’m starting to get to do, you realise how big a place this small settlement you live in actually is. It sort of gives me a warm buzz (in a self admittedly very sad way) because I’ve never lived in the hub of anywhere before.
I went for a visit to Windhoek last week. Windhoek, I should mention, is no giant, sprawling city either. By European standards it would be classed as a large town, I guess not too different to the size of Gloucester. Yet driving in I felt like I was entering a metropolis. I mean, as we’ve discussed I live in what I class now as a large town, so what the hell was this?
Its all just a trifle odd and I’ve only been here for two and a half months. My plan is to create a new reality TV show called “Shell shock” where contestants live in Okahao for two years and are then warped to a major world city, Tokyo, for instance, or Los Angeles. Their first few days of survival (or not) are aired to a gripped world audience. I reckon it’s a winner.
Now to work on that warping machine…
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9 comments:
Mate I hope you can handle the warping machine better than a John Deere. It'll be a matter of time till you have an off day, and accidentally warp everybody back to the 1980's. Still it would be nice to see them all...
Is the neighbouring village called 'Okahao Please Drive Carefully'?
Hi Ant,
Thought this may help explain the mobiles on in meetings thing, found on a website giving advice for foreigners in Namibia.
'Today, very little stands between Namibians and their mobile phones.
A mobile phone in Namibia is more than just a phone. In fact it is a symbol of your social status. In light of this Namibian mobile etiquette differs from that of the ‘west’. In a meeting, it is customary to display your phone at least once and to leave it on. The more obviously expensive your phone, the higher your status. The more calls you receive during a meeting, the more important you must be.'
Random but true....
xxxx
Yeah, I live in Windhoek, and I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with going home. It's a worry alright.
mate... how about giving us an address so we can all send u some xmas cards/pressies..
benno
Quality blogging my man. Loving every line!
Kruel.
Mate
Loving the very high quality blog, I think if physio ever gets too much you should become a writer!
Heading to Ilkley on the 23rd, you'll be missed. But then, like TJ's left foot, you can't do anything about that!
Keep up the good work!
Ed
Hi Ant,
true story: my brother spent last christmas around lake victoria drinking champagne with an expat dressed in a gorilla outfit. i think you should look him up (i can't imagine he would be hard to find)
love the blog. happy christmas!
yo ho ho
Hugh
Alroight Skip
Are you in the royston vasey of namibia? How many people have come up to you so far and said "give me six!!"? Kid im finally up to speed with the whole blog thing...i know us brummies can be a bit slow and all that!! In fact im surprised that my BBC B computer allows me to do it!! Gotta go Im off to play dare devil dennis!! Gary
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