Political view

Oops haven't posted for a while. I'm slacking. A few weeks ago my colleague and I went to Parliament to give a brief presentation on our findings from our regional field visit protection report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Economics and Natural Resources.

Me in front of the Parliament building in Windhoek

Unlike the Houses of Parliament in London, the Parliament building is a very light and airy structure with a laid back feel. There was much joviality as we were introduced to four MPs including the leader of the opposition. This committee was about to go China for a week to meet the Government there in order to learn how the Chinese prepare for and respond to natural disasters. It was the perfect timing to capture and draw their attention to the main challenges for addressing protection concerns from the recent flood emergency. Our presentation was well received and we wished the MPs all the best for their visit.

We had a few minutes to enjoy the view of the Parliament Garden while waiting for a lift back to the office.

Me across the road from the Parliament Garden

Later on the Town Hoppers shuttle bus picked me up from UN House and I embarked on a weekend adventure to Swakopmund, a German-style town on the coast.  The journey took about 4.5 hours through ever-changing landscapes, with two short stops in Okahandja and Usakos. I arrived in Swakop at 7pm after dark and checked in to Villa Wiese, an International Backpackers lodge, quirky but cool. I toddled off down the street and popped in to the Napolitana restaurant to enjoy a pizza followed by chocolate mousse. Stay tuned for another exciting episode....

On the good life....

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....