Dear readers!
I'm aware that I've been a bit slack lately and haven't posted on my blog for a while. I hope you enjoyed the slide show I posted up yesterday! I've had my head down the last few weeks analysing data and getting a report finished. My colleagues and I had managed to gather a lot of information from interviews during our field visit. We have heard about some good practices and innovations in responding to protection concerns during the relief phase of the flood emergency, and some key individuals who are championing the cause at field level which is encouraging. However there are still gaps during the return and recovery phase and much work to be done in the next four months to strengthen leadership, coordination, conduct trainings and assist stakeholders to come up with a realistic and practical plan for the protection sector. We have a series of meetings ahead of us this coming week to galvanise more support and commitment across the board so hopefully we can accelerate the process.
Meanwhile on the 'leisure' front I've also been a bit busy too! I want to make the most of my time here. A couple of weeks ago I managed to join the monthly guided tour of the Botanic Gardens which started at 8.00 am on a Saturday morning. I set off from home in the chilly morning air to walk down to the botanic gardens and I arrived to find a really good turnout, people from all ages and backgrounds had pitched up ready to explore the wealth of plant specimens with the help from our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Wilhem, a very tall German chap. The tour took 2.5 hours and after much searcing, scrutinising leaves, seeds and flowers and listening to numerous anecdotes on plant collecting we ended the tour with a lovely steaming cup of tea and delicious home made cake. During the tour I made two new friends, a Brit called Beth who works as a field guide at the P.A.W.S project at Okonjima (cheetah conservation) and Mark who is an American anthropologist, studying management systems and structures in uranium mining.
The next day Beth, Mark and I decided to go out for dinner at NICE, the Namibian Institute for Culinary Education which is a 'finishing' school for future top chefs in Namibia. The food is top notch at reasonable prices and the setting beautiful, a myriad of individually themed and beautifully designed dining rooms.
I enjoyed some grilled butterfish on couscous with tomato chutney, accompanied by a refreshing glass of chardonnay, followed by a cassata parfait and coffee. Delightful!
Another culinary find is the Cinnamon Cafe, a quaint cafe attached to Otto's antiques, ideal for a tasty brunch or lunch. I enjoyed a steak roll and then pancakes with chocolate sauce! Browsing Otto's is like stepping into a time machine and being transported back into Namibia's chequered history....
I'm aware that I've been a bit slack lately and haven't posted on my blog for a while. I hope you enjoyed the slide show I posted up yesterday! I've had my head down the last few weeks analysing data and getting a report finished. My colleagues and I had managed to gather a lot of information from interviews during our field visit. We have heard about some good practices and innovations in responding to protection concerns during the relief phase of the flood emergency, and some key individuals who are championing the cause at field level which is encouraging. However there are still gaps during the return and recovery phase and much work to be done in the next four months to strengthen leadership, coordination, conduct trainings and assist stakeholders to come up with a realistic and practical plan for the protection sector. We have a series of meetings ahead of us this coming week to galvanise more support and commitment across the board so hopefully we can accelerate the process.
Meanwhile on the 'leisure' front I've also been a bit busy too! I want to make the most of my time here. A couple of weeks ago I managed to join the monthly guided tour of the Botanic Gardens which started at 8.00 am on a Saturday morning. I set off from home in the chilly morning air to walk down to the botanic gardens and I arrived to find a really good turnout, people from all ages and backgrounds had pitched up ready to explore the wealth of plant specimens with the help from our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Wilhem, a very tall German chap. The tour took 2.5 hours and after much searcing, scrutinising leaves, seeds and flowers and listening to numerous anecdotes on plant collecting we ended the tour with a lovely steaming cup of tea and delicious home made cake. During the tour I made two new friends, a Brit called Beth who works as a field guide at the P.A.W.S project at Okonjima (cheetah conservation) and Mark who is an American anthropologist, studying management systems and structures in uranium mining.
The next day Beth, Mark and I decided to go out for dinner at NICE, the Namibian Institute for Culinary Education which is a 'finishing' school for future top chefs in Namibia. The food is top notch at reasonable prices and the setting beautiful, a myriad of individually themed and beautifully designed dining rooms.
I enjoyed some grilled butterfish on couscous with tomato chutney, accompanied by a refreshing glass of chardonnay, followed by a cassata parfait and coffee. Delightful!
Another culinary find is the Cinnamon Cafe, a quaint cafe attached to Otto's antiques, ideal for a tasty brunch or lunch. I enjoyed a steak roll and then pancakes with chocolate sauce! Browsing Otto's is like stepping into a time machine and being transported back into Namibia's chequered history....
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