A Walk Around Continued again

6/11/2013

I  mentioned the church buildings earlier.  Here is the old church building circa 1939 to 1975.  There is some talk about turning it into a museum in recognition of the fact that Kalkfeld was the site of the first Congregational church in Namibia.  The very first building (moved to become part of the school across the highway) was used as a school M-F and church on Sunday until this building was built.

 The second church building is on the right.  It was built because the congregation was too large for the old building.

 Walking down the road toward the highway and the school you cross railroad tracks which are for cargo trains.  Though this is about a 15 minute walk from the house, you hear one rumble by all the way at the house about once a day.

I don't know why but I decided to take pictures along the way, but not all the pictures of everything along the way.  On the left side of the road is the municipal building and the bed and breakfast and the road to the school.  Perhaps I have already posted those pictures from my earlier trip in April but it seems incomplete.  Now that I have been here a while I see things with new eyes and I see things I think I missed before...  But here is a goat on the road.  Goats, and dogs and donkeys and horses and cows around Kalkfeld.  On the road on the way between Otjiwarango and Kalkfeld are warthogs, guinea fowl and kudu and oryx and gemsbock and dik diks.  Some of them I will have pictures of but most we pass too quickly so enjoy the goat.

Quite a few old and abandoned buildings from when Kalkfeld was a town and not a settlement.  Homes, shops, a bank, gas station and a church now used for a preschool.

Here is the abandoned gas station with the donkeys who now pull carts or just hang out along the road.

The next couple of pictures are the new construction in Kalkfeld along the highway at the center of the settlement- the visitor's center and some retail space and some public restrooms.  Construction started in September 2012 and you can see slow progress every week.

 A sign for a private safari lodge but Mount Etjo is the sight of a famous battle between the Herero and German battalion.  I believe the Herero were terribly overpowered.

A rare sight for me to be where the train is and watch it go by.

Kalkfeld settlement is almost centrally located!  70 kilometers (approximately 50 miles) to Otjiwarango (a town of 20,000) and 70 kilometers to Omaruru (a somewhat smaller town).

I walked down the main street in but did not take any pictures (see my previous trip in April) until I saw these children on their way home from school in their uniforms.  They like to see their pictures on my camera even if they don't get a paper one to keep.

Some goats crossing the main street in Kalkveld.

The main street in Kalkfeld with a couple homes and closed shops on the left.  Also down the road are the sewing project (in the old bank building), post office and police station.  I caught the street at "rush hour."

And these are the "folks" rushing at rush hour.  A farmer and his herd and helper- a pretty large herd with lots of calves.  I complimented him on the fine herd and he was very happy/proud.  He lives down the street on the right side in a traditional style home.  I included pictures on my trip before...

The road from the main street back to the church grounds- "Queldom B"  There is one house on the right where staff member from the school lives with her parents and some calm dogs and some very healthy looking chickens and roosters.  There is a larger house/complex on the left which you cannot see with many pieces of equipment.  Haven't met them yet- the kids are afraid of the dog and since they are my tour guides I only go where they lead!

It is a fifteen minute walk from the main street to the church grounds- almost there!

Back to the church grounds and almost home.  Here is the gate.  The church buildings are off to the left and the old parsonage/manse is the light pink building ahead.  The house of my neighbors across the street is on the left and if you could see through it you would see my house.

And this was the treat I had to reward me for my walk-about.  I bought it at the Roadhouse, the convenience store/bar near the construction for the visitor's center (pictures included before).  This is a real find with chocolate AND ice cream and a rare treat- otherwise I will have to walk twice as far each day!

A Walk Around Continued

June 11, 2013
Next comes a view from my house.  Here is the front of the house.

 

Turning toward the left (the pictures are presented counterclockwise) we see the water tower in the yard from the previous post.


Now we are looking toward the outdoor ministry building and the next house down the street.


This is looking toward the old and new church building and there are six homes in that direction.  Most of the youngest children live in that area.


These are the two houses across the street, the closest houses to my house.

This is looking down the street to the right (facing the house).


This is down the street to the right.  There are two houses in that direction.

And there is the termite hill on the right near my house.  You will see pictures of the kids climbing it later.

This is an overall view of the area of the property that is associated with the Kalkveld Congregational Church, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa,and the families from the church who live on the property.  There is a cemetary down to the left of the house past the outdoor ministry building and the houses of the children and all the land around it belongs to the church.

The main street of the settlement of Kalkveld is a 15 minute walk down the dirt road past the church.  The main highway and one of the schools is a 20 minute walk- past the church- and then turning to the left.

Now if you think you have seen everything in this area, go back and look at the pictures again at the sky.  It is really that color.  And that big during the day and at night with every star of the milky way visible.  And then there are the people... but we shall get there as we walk.

A Walk Around

June 11, 2013

Done with unpacking and settling I decided to take a walk around.  For those of you who have been wondering what Namibia, specifically Kalkveld looks like... here is my pictorial tour.

First we start with the most exciting new part of the community.  The Outdoor Ministry project.  It is next to the house I am living in.  The cows don't seem to mind the disruption of their watering and feed trough.  This is the front of the building and my house is to the right- quite a ways.

This is the back of the building and the pile of bricks that will be used up by the end of the week taking the building walls up to the top of the window frames.  The workers really put in a productive week!

Here is the master bricklayer sizing things up.

This is a view looking back toward my house.  The water tower on the left in the background is in the left side of my yard.

Looking toward the church from the front of the Outdoor Ministry building.

The Outdoor Ministry Project building construction

June 10, 2013
And here is the next phase of construction for the Outdoor Ministry Project.  It is designed to be a building with eight bathrooms, a kitchen, office and dining room.  Then the Namibia Synod will have a place for meetings, retreats, camps in the northern part of Namibia under the stars.

Everything is done by hand- a labor of love.

 The master craftsman from Rehoboth- a volunteer from the church.

 His second in command.

 Two men from Kalkveld who were happy to have jobs helping.

 All the materials are hauled by hand.

Layer by layer, brick by brick.

Out the front door

June 9, 2013

So I arrived, went to church on Sunday (didn't preach because I didn't have my work visa in hand yet), started unpacking and left it all to go outside.  Here are the pictures out the front door.  It is winter in the desert of Namibia.  The sun is very hot still but it is cold at night.  The trees are not leaf-less but they are dormant.  It rains in the late spring and summer (November to March).  It is dusty and brown but there are shades of colors, muted rainbow colors.  Of course the sky is crystal clear beautiful blue.

Across the "street."  Uncle Jan, Auntie Poppie and Vanessa live there with their little dogs too- Jessie (a jack russell mix who took a week to get to know me), Zoe (who gets picked on by the other two who pull her dachshund ears) and Dexter (the little white poodle terrier who follows me home to make sure I get there okay- long walk across the street you know).  In the middle foreground you can see the fence of my yard with the pruned tree.  The church is off to the far right (not in the picture).

One of the neighbors outside my fence who woke me early. I found out the whole herd walks by every morning.  The herd belongs to Om (Uncle) Garrett and he may just make them into biltong (beef jerky) if they give him any more headaches.  And he stores some extra feed in my yard so now I know why they like my place so much.

 Run right along you...

Out to the right from the front door toward the construction site for the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, Namibia Synod Outdoor Ministry project.  You can just see a pile of gravel.  And beyond that (far left) is the next house down the "street".  

A New HOME!

June 8, 2013 

For those of you who have been following this blog my apologies for being gone so long.  When I got to Kalkveld I found the connection is a little  s   -l -  o -  w - e-  r - h-  e- r - e!  And between being busy settling in and being discouraged I couldn't just post my pictures and go, well I just got a lot behind.  But I am back and here are some initial pictures of my new home when I arrived.  They tiled the floors, painted the walls, brought in furniture and dishes, many many things I need.  Here is what it looked like when I arrived and I can't BELIEVE I failed to take pictures of the people.

Here is the bedroom- even the bed was made and ready!!  The big window looks out the front of the house.  The left wall is the living room wall.

The living room with a few of my scarves from around the world and pictures of family and my God is Still Speaking chalice and plate and my dancing people menorrah.  Behind the chair on the right is a window and behind the photographer is the front door and to the left is the wall shared with the bedroom.  Opposite the front door is the door to the hallway/kitchen.

The kitchen looking toward the two bedrooms and the living room.  Bathroom is behind wall straight ahead.  Second bedroom is next to the bathroom.

The kitchen with new two plate stove and oven and sink.

The kitchen from the living room with refrigerator.  The door leads out to a nice side porch.

And the all important badkamer- the only Afrikaans word I have for the rooms in the house (except huis).

Bright and welcoming colors, clean and plenty of space for visitors!  It looks a little different now (more lived in- more stuff and a lot more messy unfortunately.)  There is one bedroom I am not showing (right now there are boxes of books and mattresses for visitors).  There is another room outside the kitchen door to the right off the side porch.  I am hoping to turn it into an office/guest bedroom.  There is plenty of space so come and visit! Now that I have been here a month people are asking when my family and friends are coming to visit.  (and when you tell me you are coming that will spur me to get busy finishing up!)