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Michael Paskevicius

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My flight to Namibia went very smoothly. I arrived in London on Monday morning and spent the day with another intern in the city. London is very impressive, and I hope to spend some more time there on my return. I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday night. Happily, I slept on the plane leaving me rested for a three-hour stopover. The Johannesburg airport was really nice. I found a hip little lounge where I had coffee and breakfast for next to nothing. The flight to Windhoek was comfortable and the view over Southern Africa was impressive.

I arrived safely in Windhoek on Monday afternoon. Flying in was like landing on mars as the terrain is vastly different than anything I have seen before. Mountains and hills mark the landscape as do dry riverbeds. I was greeted by my employers after clearing customs. Everything went very smoothly and I had enough energy to meet some of the staff at the University. Everyone here is very nice and I have been welcomed by open arms all around.

The city of Windhoek was beyond all of my expectations. Restaurants are plentiful and offer very complete menu’s including western style foods and drinks. The supermarkets are no different than the local Dominion. Almost all of the food items I expected to sacrifice for the year are available. From what my German and Austrian friends have told me the city also has a pretty lively nightlife. I am very happy with the shopping and city scene as a whole.

My house is located within minutes of the University as well as a major shopping centre. It is very large and well equipped. My room has become completely comfortable within the last couple of days. I have a bed, desk, two armoires, and a door to walk out to the patio. We have a great lot with a very nice garden and a driveway. An electric fence and numerous gates secure the house. Theft is a problem most prominently when opportunities are presented. I share the house with Marybeth from the U.S. who works with Catholic Aids Action preparing underprivileged or orphaned children for primary school. I will be spending some time with Marybeth as a volunteer to this cause. In early February we will be accepting new international students from Germany.

The Internet is terribly slow here. This was something I was unprepared for and it feels like I have gone back in time to the dial up days. I am currently getting about 3kb/s downloading Firefox. My big plans for the website may be limited by available bandwidth. I will try to post pictures and let you know when they are available.

Know that I am well and so far very impressed with what this country has to offer. The work sounds like it will be very challenging and diverse. I will welcome any questions or comments you may have.

By the way, it is warm here but not humid at all. The wind blows fresh air all around. The nights are cool and refreshing. Today it rained, which was very interesting. The sky just opened up and it rained for like an hour. Now it is sunny and beautiful again. Namibia averages 360 days of sun a year.

Blue Light District
Settling into Windhoek Namibia

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