Another difference I’ve discovered between America and Namibia is that some Americans will go to work even on national holidays but in Namibia they look for every excuse to have a holiday. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays, but this year, because Independence Day and Good Friday landed on the same day, they took Thursday off as well. No reason to take just one day off when you can take two!
Friday afternoon the Ark hosted a Fun Day by the river (which wasn’t actually flowing since we’ve had a few sunny days now) for all the volunteers and people that help out there. We played some volleyball, some balloon games and I even taught the kids how to play American football. At first they tried to turn it into rugby, but there were enough of us that knew the game that eventually the others got the hang of it. It was a blast hanging out with the kids and staff. Usually I’m just helping with homework so it was nice to play a bit.
Saturday afternoon Dieter invited me to join him out on the lake created by the Von Bach Dam. This and a few other dams provide much of the water for the rest of the country. We loaded up our sleeping gear, warm change of clothes, my camera, and a bottle of Coke all on their Hobie Cat, hoisted the sail…and started paddling because there wasn’t much wind. :) Once we did catch a breeze it was awesome dangling my feet in the water, watching the sun set behind us. We navigated down a small inlet to where we would camp for the night. We unrolled our sleeping bags and drank our Coke around the campfire chatting away. All the while, we were keeping a watchful eye on the clouds that slowly started drifting over the almost full
moon. Just as I got a call from some friends back home, we started feeling the first drops. We quickly rolled up our beds and stuffed our bags under a rock outcropping, then took shelter ourselves underneath the Hobie Cat that we’d pulled up on shore. What a true African adventure! Fortunately it was only a quick shower and cleared up for the rest of the night so we could stay out. The next morning as we sailed back watching the moon set on one horizon and the sun rise on the other we were both incredibly thankful that God created people who love 5-star hotels and that we’re not them.
Friday afternoon the Ark hosted a Fun Day by the river (which wasn’t actually flowing since we’ve had a few sunny days now) for all the volunteers and people that help out there. We played some volleyball, some balloon games and I even taught the kids how to play American football. At first they tried to turn it into rugby, but there were enough of us that knew the game that eventually the others got the hang of it. It was a blast hanging out with the kids and staff. Usually I’m just helping with homework so it was nice to play a bit.Saturday afternoon Dieter invited me to join him out on the lake created by the Von Bach Dam. This and a few other dams provide much of the water for the rest of the country. We loaded up our sleeping gear, warm change of clothes, my camera, and a bottle of Coke all on their Hobie Cat, hoisted the sail…and started paddling because there wasn’t much wind. :) Once we did catch a breeze it was awesome dangling my feet in the water, watching the sun set behind us. We navigated down a small inlet to where we would camp for the night. We unrolled our sleeping bags and drank our Coke around the campfire chatting away. All the while, we were keeping a watchful eye on the clouds that slowly started drifting over the almost full
moon. Just as I got a call from some friends back home, we started feeling the first drops. We quickly rolled up our beds and stuffed our bags under a rock outcropping, then took shelter ourselves underneath the Hobie Cat that we’d pulled up on shore. What a true African adventure! Fortunately it was only a quick shower and cleared up for the rest of the night so we could stay out. The next morning as we sailed back watching the moon set on one horizon and the sun rise on the other we were both incredibly thankful that God created people who love 5-star hotels and that we’re not them.Easter morning was spent celebrating with my friends at The Grace and the Glory Community Church. Then it was back to the dam for a braai with Dieter, Joan and Thelma and our neighbors Jimmy and Sandra and their kids. It’s been a great relaxing holiday weekend, and I must say that last night my warm, dry bed was never more enticing. :)
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