7 quick takes...

I'm so glad that we got to make memories with my parents.

1. Good morning! Greetings from Okahandja, de temporary home of my parents and the very temporary home of our little family as we spent the weekend at their place. The rest of the past week was also with them but not at their home as we were exploring Namibia; which is really worth exploring. I have been many times in this country (the first time was 14 years ago, before I even knew Hartmut and I could have never imagined the big role this country would play in my life) and every time I'm here its beauty and wildness just blow me away. God's majesty is so visible in the endless desert, beautiful mountains and untouched nature! Doing it with my parents made it extra special.
2. I'm in bed, the rest of the family is still asleep, it's still dark and even after more than a week im Namibia, the time that the sun goes up and down is still confusing me. Namibia and Malawi are in the same time zone, eventhough we are about 2000 kilometers west which means that it gets light much later here. Normally in Malawi we are up and about around 6am but now that it's still dark everybody is fast asleep. This weekend Europe changed time back to summertime and all the parent are complaining about how it rattles their children; I could never relate because I had never experienced that hour difference in daylight but now I finally see how it makes waking up in the morning very difficult. So for all those moms out there who had grumpy children this morning, we can do this!
3. We are all doing well although I can notice that the constant change and lack of routine is affecting the girls a little. They need us more to keep the peace, are more easily annoyed with us and each other and there are more tears and screams than we are used to. It's understandable, the last 3 weeks have been been a whirlwind of change and Sophie and Doris have to constantly adjust to different people, different landscapes and different ways of doing things. But although it's not always easy, I would not want to change anything about it. We are all learning to be more adaptable, more resilient and stronger together. We are seeing some masterpieces of the creation and learn to appreciate the continent we call home even more.
4. Red boulders bigger than you can imagine, weirdly shaped rock structures and a tall steep mountain towering high over the desert plains. When we ask where we can camp we hear that we can choose wherever we please but campsite 9, 10 and 11 have the best sunset views. The campsites are big and far apart; we drive around from one to the other to find the best spot for us. Campsite 10, beautifully nestled in a little curve of the mountain and with some trees for shade is still free. It's simple but perfect, it will make a good spot for two days of camping. That we chose well was proven only ten minutes after arriving. A family that had visited the place many times arrived just after us and was very dissapointed to see that their favourite spot was taken by us. They loved it so much because of the abundance of birds and aninals and he did not exaggerate, we saw many birds, dassies and even had a very friendly ground squirrel visit us. I had seen the Spitzkoppe mountain many times but only from a distance as its visible from the road to Swakopmund where we always drive to to visit Hartmut's gran. Going to stay and explore the intriguing island mountain was a dream come true. It did not disappoint. The landscapes were stunning, the one sunset that wasn't blocked by clouds breathtaking and we loved hiking up and down the rocks (although I'm afraid that I can't say that my mom was as excited about seeing her granddaughters on the steep slopes). I think the pictures must do the talking because it's impossible to capture the beauty of the place in words, even pictures don't do it justice. It would be beatbif you come to see it for yourself; I can totally recommend it.
5. Swakopmund is a lovely town that you find there where the desert meets the ocean. The German architecture against a backdrop of tall sand dunes has made it a popular tourist destination and although I love the sand dunes, the shops with German books and toys and the nice buildings, our main reason to go here is Omingel, Hartmut's grandmother. Hartmut and his siblings are her only grandchildren and she is a very proud (great) grandmother. It was wonderful to have a chance to visit her and although the girls were not to keen at first (a child who loves old age homes should get a medal!) but warmed up once she gave then some bags of Haribo beara (their favourite sweets!). Clever move Omingel 😉
6. Beaming smiles, happy greetings and a general sense of elation as people greet each other at church. Some people are farmers, everybody knows farmers. If I had not been in Namibia so many times, the source of all this joy would have left me puzzled as most Dutch people don't get that excited about rain. Namibia is going through a heavy drought and it's already affecting the economy. It's the end of the rainy season and the fields are supposed to be green and lush but instead they are dry and yellow, you can already count the ribs of the cows that need to feed from it and it will still be until the end of the year until the next big rains are expected. Farmers are worried that their animals won't survive the season and sell them, now that they have still some meat on them for prices that hardly cover the costs. But the last week brought some showers, even in the desert where we were camping. Nothing can live without water and we are grateful for these droplets of hope.
7. As I write this we are on the short drive to Windhoek where we will spend the week with Hartmut's parents, see friends and more family, get swimming classed, do admin and hopefully feel very Dutch and very German as we plan to attend both the (early) Dutch King's Day celebrations and the german Carnaval parade. It promises to be another week full of family, friends, food and fun and I feel so grateful that we get to do this.