What is this squash?

Today got off to a frustrating start but ended very well. I went to Wernhill Park (mall) in hopes of finding some throw pillows to brighten up the room, nail clippers, and a hamper. I came back with nothing I needed, except some more hangers, but I did get some more groceries. The lines were long in most stores and I was having some trouble with my credit card. I would have liked to spend some more time shopping but I planned to check out the gym, and since it closed at 1pm, I wanted to give myself enough time to get there and get a workout in.

With a little help from a local, I found Nucleus Fitness hidden inside the Craft Centre. Unfortunately, the price of a gym membership increased 400% over the price in my guidebook (published just one year ago) and they only take cash. For one month, it would be N$450 ($56), and since I would probably only use it on the weekends it was more than I hoped to pay. I also felt a little uncomfortable on my walk / jog over – the “streets were quiet” even though it was 11am on a Saturday and I’ve had enough warnings to know I should avoid being on any street by myself, even in the broad daylight. No running is hard enough, but no gym too?! Maybe some other interns would be interested in going with me. I’ll have to work on this – I have a feeling the workout DVDs I brought will get old after a few weeks.

At any rate, I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the sun and chatting with Guido (the flamboyant Lufthansa flight attendant). There was a family from Zambia cooking quite an elaborate meal in the kitchen, so we didn’t start cooking until almost 7. Marguerite joined us for dinner.

I was attempting to cook schnitznel, green beans, and butternut squash sticks (conveniently cut and prepackaged at Pick N Pay) and Marguerite was very confused thinking I was going to put cinnamon on my meat. I explained to her I like cinnamon on my squash, which only added to her confusion. She asked wasn’t squash like tennis, with the rackets? I laughed and understood what she was saying. Explaining there was no relationship between the sport and the veggie, I also added that “squash” could be used as a verb, like “squash the competition” or “squash a bug.” If anyone knows if the various uses of squash have any logical relationship, please let me know. I had no answer for Marguerite. This is a good exercise for me – I need to be more precise with my choice of words, and speaking with the Italians has forced me to slow down and think a bit before I speak.

Puccini House would be perfect in the summer. The picnic tables outside are wonderful – the sky is clear and the stars are bright, it’s just hard to eat dinner outside when it’s 40 degrees. We sat, talked, and enjoyed dinner together. Guido’s bottle of South African Chardonnay helped with the cold a bit, but I slept with two sweatshirts and sweatpants last night. I should have packed more warm clothes…