Professor David Campbell told us this quote in Environmental Science one morning. Apparently J. B. S. Handane said this to the Queen of England when she asked him to describe the most important thing he had learned during his career. Maybe I only remember it so specifically because of the ridiculous voices Prof. Campbell used to imitate Handane, or the even more absurd falsetto accent he used for the Queen, but either way the quote stuck with me.
Though I know Handane wasn't speaking specifically about Namibia, or even Gobabeb, he may as well have been.
There are many things that I am still unsure of here in my new home, like how to cook in an oven with one temperature setting, how to turn right from the left side of the road, how to tolerate the salty water, how to stay in touch with loved ones in such an isolated place, or even how to interact well with Namibian high school students. The long list of things I still feel unsure about honestly make me nervous about my time here. I often sit in on a meeting about a trip I am planning and listen to the other two people talk about ecological restoration or plant genetic resources feeling absolutely useless as a colleague let alone someone in charge. At the same time, I am soaking up new information like a sponge. Slowly but surely I am determined to contribute to this place instead of simply sit by passively. Sometimes it is hard to remember how many things I do actually know as I get caught up in how unsure I am. Therefore, I thought my first blog post might be a good opportunity to talk about 33 things that I DO Know:
1. There are 200 species of tenebrionid beetles at Gobabeb.
2. The Gobabeb night sky is one of the most astounding things I have ever, and will ever, experience.
3. The work Lekker means good in Afrikaans
4. There is only one way to cook meat in Namibia: WELL done.
5. The Namib Desert is NOT the oldest desert in the world, just one of the oldest.
6. It is hard to walk in sand.
7. Germany won the world cup, just ask Thorston, our German researcher... better yet don't ask.
8. A flashlight is a torch, a jacket is a jersey, and a text is an sms.
9. Sand will get everywhere... no you don't understand... EVERYWHERE. (clean laundry, in the shower, in your eyes, in your food, etc.)
10. Almost every learner from every school group will take a picture with me because I am a white woman.
11. Scientific names are the only names.
12. Do not smoke the Nicotiana Glauca, aka Wild Tobacco. You will die.
13. Do not approach snakes. You might die.
14. Shake out your shoes every morning. You probably won't die... but you could.
15. The Red Eyed Bulbul (a bird) will forever be referred to as the Red Eyed Dumdum.
16. School groups may bring live animals in their busses to slaughter for dinner.
17. Indigenous does not equal environmentalist.
18. Tea time is the best time.
19. Cheetahs are FAST.
20. In fact, every animal is here FAST.
21. Always drive fast in sand; the more out of control you feel, the better.
22. Scientific papers are bed time reading.
23. Dish night is the worst night of the week.
24. Don't use idioms... Everything is an idiom.
25. The hold tone is the same Mozart song on every phone in Namibia... it will be stuck in your head.
26. 8:00 in Namibia means 9:00... if you're lucky.
27. Just now means in a while. Now means in a minute or two. NOW NOW means right now.
28. Effective Microorganisms are the coolest thing ever.
29. Effective Microorganisms are only available from Japan...
30. How to change a Cryotrap.
31. Living in the Fairgrounds was practice for living in Old House.
32. The internet requires patience to work properly.
33. Nama is impossible to speak as a foreigner.
I will try to find the time to post again to actually describe some of my new life here at Gobabeb soon, but for tonight, it's time for dinner.
