Harnas Wildlife Foundation

Harnas Wildlife Foundation markets itself as one of the few wildlife orphanages and medical centers in the world to take in abused, injured, and captured wild animals. Though it's location (300km NE of Windhoek, near the Botswana border) makes it less popular for tourists than some of the game farms just outside the capital, it has one of the highest profiles, given its international patrons are none other than Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

I'll probably add several separate posts with pictures (I have a ton), so I'll keep the comments in this post pretty general. We left Windhoek feeling quite excited (albeit a bit sleepy) around 7am Saturday morning. There were four of us: Brooke, Kaylan, Mark, and me. We rented one tent and the car, otherwise we were able to scrounge up supplies (another tent, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, headlamps, etc) from Marybeth and the Puccini House owners, which was wonderful. Thankfully Brooke can drive standard and was brave enough to attempt driving on the wrong side of the road and shifting with her left hand!

Gorgeous day, gorgeous drive. With a stop for groceries in Gobabis, it took us just about five hours to get there. It's not that many kilometers, but the roads are fairly narrow and the last 100km or so was on a sand / dirt road, so we didn't dare drive too fast!
To put it mildly, customer service in Namibia is a bit, well, more "relaxed" than in the U.S. At Harnas, however, we were all delightfully surprised at the superb hospitality of our hosts. After we signed some paperwork at the entrance gate, one of the staff members was waiting for us at the reception, holding four glasses of sparkling fruit juice on a tray covered with a white napkin. Wow!! We sat at a picnic table sipping juice while filling out the registration paperwork and Petier told us about the various activities and tour options. When he mentioned an afternoon game tour that involved baby lions, the others saw the look my face and we quickly agreed to sign up. They encouraged us to come back to the lobby area 15-30 min before the 3pm tour so we'd have time for coffee and chocolate cake. After five hours in the car, this made me giddy... and mind you, this is before we went to our campsite and saw a herd of springbok bounding through the air not 200m away.


Saturday was the Fourth of July, and although we were camping in a very remove area of a sparsely populated country, we did our best to celebrate in true American style. We couldn't find sparklers or mini-fireworks, which is a good thing, because dry season + explosions = potential fire and disrupting animal rescue. We did purchase some "Texas-style" steaks (pre-seasoned) in Gobabis, corn on the cob, and potatoes, which we cooked over the campfire. We couldn't find graham crackers or Hershey bars, but we made S'mores on thin tea biscuits with multi-colored marshmellows (very popular here) and Cadbury chocolate. Yumm. Being the dork that I am, I also brought StarPops (suckers that taste like a combination of blue raspberry and cola, not that yummy, but the wrapping is blue foil with silver stars and they looked so patriotic I just had to get them) and a book of "Obama's Most Inspirational Speeches" I received at the Ambassador's Fourth of July party so we could dramatically read a few lines over the campfire.To be sure, another day (or two, or three...) would have been nice, but I think we all agreed this was the perfect weekend get-away. Total cost of the trip (tent rental, 3-day car rental, gasoline for driving 5hrs each way, groceries, per-person camping fee, game drive fee): about $100 USD.

Attack of the Curious Giraffe

Setting up camp at Harnas, we were blown away to see a small herd of springbok leap (they can jump two to three meters high!) through the woods not too far from our camp. It was amazing and a totally cool way to start the trip.

With a bit of time to kill before our tour of the game farm, I went for a little stroll around the camping area (which we had to ourselves). I was stunned to see a beautiful giraffe munching away just 200m away from our tents. After tip-toeing a bit closer and taking about 30 photos of him standing in one spot, I was thrilled when he started to move closer to our camp site. Stopping to nibble along the way, the giraffe slowly made his way toward our site. We were amazed and grew a bit scared when he started to sniff around the food tent... Once he got to the firepit, Kaylan hid in the car. I was tempted but too stunned to do anything and afraid any big movement would startle the giraffe. I'm not sure how a giraffe behaves when startled or angry, but those hooves are pretty big and I'm sure those long legs have some power in them.

Mark and Brooke jokingly referred to me as the Giraffe Whisperer. Though I'd like to take credit for the power to beckon and tame wild animals, we later found out that Kleppie (the curious giraffe) is quite used to humans; the owners were even able to pet and feed her, but warned us to be careful because she does like to kick her legs. I wasn't brave enough, admiring from a safe distance back felt adventurous enough for me.

Share and Share Alike

I need to provide a recap and photos of our weekend in Harnas – it was amazing and we all had a great time. Unfortunately, I need to hand in a draft of the full legal portion of the assessment to Willem by Friday morning and I’m battling a cold, so it might be a few more days before I have the chance to update the blog. I wrote this entry last week and wasn’t sure if I’d post it, so here’s a little something till I get my act together with the Harnas update.

Namibia’s got me thinking a lot about resources. Natural resources, community resource management, public-private ownership… After my long tirade about the Case of the Missing Lunch last month, and all my other entries about wining and dining, I figured I should take a break from talking about food. Alas, here I go again.

Sadly, quite a few of my personal food items have disappeared from my personal drawers in the Puccini House kitchen. One week it was all the canned goods from the Italians, then it was my bottled curry sauce, a bag of dates, then my Thai spice mix (though this was admittedly stored on the spice rack), then my peach chutney sauce, a can of tuna, a bag of rotini, and then one night I found my personal tea stash in the community cupboard.

Random, and upsetting. I know it wasn’t the same person shopping in my drawer since it would only be a few items at a time over the course of a month. Though these are small groceries disappearing, I usually only go to the supermarket once a week and buy what I can carry. No one’s touched my frozen veggies so I never go hungry (and there are definitely delivery options available), and Brooke hasn’t noticed any of her food disappearing, so it appears I’m just the unlucky one.

Bothered by the disappearing food at home, I was getting rather annoyed when Lucia helps herself to my food at work. I often have a pack of gum, nuts, dried fruit or biltong (jerky) on my desk, and found it odd she helps herself without asking permission or making any sort of acknowledgement. I usually offer, but after a while I began to feel like a food pantry. Of course, I’m happy to share, but felt slighted by the taking without asking or thanking.

Then I thought about it. Am I the rude one for thinking she needs to ask permission? Should the default be to assume things are shared rather than mine and mine-only? Am I a jerk for thinking she should ask?

I like to think the people at Puccini House have just been confused about the communal drawers versus the private drawers (even though my name is now on a sheet of paper inside my drawer). Maybe only one or two bad apples have passed through the hostel and the rest could legitimately think it’s leftover or communal cupboard stock. I can’t complain too much. Knowing I’m a long-term stay, many departing guests have generously left some food for Brooke and me.
Still, I keep my “good stuff” (peanut butter and care package goodies) in my room.

Fourth of July Festivities

This past Saturday marks the first Fourth of July that I’ve spent outside the country. While I missed the watermelon and fireworks, I did manage to attend two parties sponsored by the American Embassy.

The first was a “Fourth of July Community Celebration” open to all Americans residing in Namibia. I registered with the Embassy when I arrived in Namibia, but didn’t make it on to their mailing list for some reason. Fortunately, at this point I know enough Americans to hear about the event anyway.

It was held outdoors at a local elementary school and the weather was typical for Windhoek this time of year – high 60s, perfect sun, no humidity, light breeze. The fee was N$100, about $12 USD. Interestingly, the organizers used a ticket system: your fee included one ticket for a hot dog, one ticket for a hamburger, and one beverage ticket (either a soda, water, or beer). Several women behind the buffet table served the food for you – which felt slightly awkward for a “traditional” picnic. The food, albeit portion-controlled, was quite tasty – someone was telling me the organizers went to great lengths to get genuine eats for us – which apparently means importing hamburgers from Germany (apparently German meat tastes more authentic than anything we can buy here?). The organizers also imported ketchup, mustard, and relish… maybe the expenses from importing was the reason behind the food rationing? For dessert, they had several white cakes decorated with the American flag, brownies, and fruit salad. Drinks were also “local” – Coca Cola Light, Tafel & Windhoek lager (local beer), Savannah (cider) instead of Diet Coke and Budweiser, which was good… I would have been concerned if they went as far as importing liquids to the middle of the desert.

I was pleased with the afternoon entertainment – a DJ blasting CCR, a softball game, and sack races for the kids. Joining me for the picnic were Marybeth’s American interns, Amy and Alexis, and Kaylan. Several of the girls we met at the Wine and Cheese reception (the Air Force cadets and Megan) were there, so it was fun to chit-chat with them a bit more.

The second Independence Day party was sponsored by Gail Dennise Mathieu herself (the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia). This party was invitation only – and though I wasn’t technically invited, my boss Willem was, and since he had no interest in going, he suggested I go and represent the LAC in his stead. Excellent.

The Ambassador’s Independence Day Celebration was a complete 180 from Saturday’s picnic. Held at the posh Safari Court Hotel, a 4-star hotel and conference centre just outside the city, this Celebration was held from 12:30 – 14:30 Thursday afternoon. The embossed invitation was personally addressed to Willem in calligraphy, and looked quite impressive. I was feeling too cheap to pay for a private car service (since the address was outside the city centre, they usually charge $70 each way (around $9USD, remember this is enough for an entire entrée at a really nice restaurant here). I found an empty cab, and after deflecting several marriage proposals from my barefoot cab driver, found myself awkwardly outside the large gates surrounding the Safari Court Hotel. Apparently, public taxis do not go in the entrance, so I had to dodge several fancy-looking cars and buses to make my way to the guarded entrance. I’m not sure if the guards thought I was innocent / cute or insane / a security threat, but one led me through the back of the security post (there was no entrance for people on foot) and walked me to the reception area. Immediately greeted by two people in suits, I was escorted through several spacious, marble-tiled hallways to the back of the Safari Court Hotel.

After handing my swanky invitation to one of the staff (I’m sad I couldn’t keep it), I was lead through a receiving line of well-dressed Americans. I’m pretty sure most were diplomats, but they identified themselves by name, not title, unfortunately, so I’m not quite sure exactly who I met. I really wish I had a better memory. Happily, I recognized the Defense Attaché Lt. Col. Rantham from last week as soon as I walked in – it was nice to see at least one familiar face right away. An enormous, fully-stocked bar also awaited… no charge for anything at this reception. It was a working day, though, so I stuck to Coca-Cola Light.

A little after 1pm, the speeches began. In Namibia, it is a sign of respect for each speaker to individually say the name of each figure of authority in the room. This takes quite some time. I didn’t find any of the speeches particularly inspiring, mostly general commentary around the importance of free and fair elections (Namibia has elections coming up this November), both countries’ shared commitment to democracy, freedom, and equality, and everyone’s excitement about Barack Obama (he’s hugely popular here). I did enjoy the performance of the American and Namibian national anthems by a local school group.

The food selection seemed rather “American” but is all pretty common in Namibia as well; it included a variety of cold salads (cole slaw, potato salad, tomato and cucumber salad, green salad), beef in some type of thick sauce, rice, collard greens with onions, a type of fish I didn’t try, and also some distinctly American fare, including sliders (mini hamburgers), and mini-hot dogs wrapped in a croissant.

As far as elbow-rubbing goes, I met two HIV / AIDs workers from Zimbabwe, a reporter for the Namibian (newspaper), a teacher from Angola, and a member of the Namibian Parliament (!!). I hope I didn’t violate any protocols when chatting with him; we met in the food line and I didn’t realize who he was until we has passed the salad. A little embarrassed for not realizing who he was sooner, I decided I’d done enough to represent the LAC, found Megan and the Air Force cadets, and enjoyed the rest of my lunch.

Happy Independence Day!

The holiday certainly isn't forgotten in Namibia. I've been lucky enough to attend two Independence Day parties sponsored by the U.S. Embassy (I'll write about this next week) and this weekend I'm celebrating with a quick trip to Harnas Wildlife Foundation. Wish us safe travels on our first do-it-yourself weekend get-away and expect pictures next week!

Have a very Happy Fourth of July and please eat some extra watermelon for me... that's one thing we don't get here.

Feedback

This is my first attempting at blogging, so my apologies for all the formatting glitches and errors I'm noticing as I scan through past entries. I usually write my posts off-line in a word document and upload them quickly to save internet time, but I can't seem to figure out why the formatting / fonts get crazy.

A bit of the feedback I've gotten so far:

• We Want More Photos! I'll try! I don't carry my camera with me often (I want to make sure I still have it when I travel) and uploading photos uses up quite a bit of internet time, but I'll try to spice things up with photos wherever possible.
  
  
• Please Use Hyperlinks! Check. I just learned how to do this.
  
  
• Do You Actually Work? Yes, quite a bit actually. Look forward to more on this front, starting today.
  

Keep the comments coming!

Lots of Work Amidst the Play

Looking over the past 20 entries or so, I realize it must look like all I do is eat, drink, and dance. While I enjoy all of these things greatly, my week actually revolves around my work at the Legal Assistance Center. I feel a tad awkward blogging about work (I'm pretty sure CEB had us sign a non-disclosure agreement explicitly saying we would never blog about work?), but since it’s just friends and family who read this, I’m past due for an update on how my internship is progressing. Also, the final product will be publicly available, and there's no client confidentiality to worry about.

I am incredibly lucky to have the amount of responsibility I do. Up to this point, I’ve been doing the majority of work for the legal portion of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Since the scope of a SEA is extremely broad, the relevant legal areas we need to cover in our report run the gamut from worker health and safety regulations to water law to land use regulation to corporate governance. Our report needs to summarize all current legislation and relevant case law, and then analyze how well this current case law protects the people and environment in the Erongo region. To me, it seems a solid knowledge in just one area of law (water law, for example) could take an entire summer. Namibia is a young democracy but was administered by South Africa before independence. Since they adopted all law in force at the time of independence, many of the laws in force are unwieldy regulations adopted in South Africa and applied to Namibia half a century ago.

For this report to be a good one, we need to do more than understand what laws are technically in force, we should also understand how the law is actually applied. For example, many Namibian laws vest various Ministers with a great deal of power, but do they actually inspect mining operations at will, demand operating documents, and impose fines for non-compliance? Are the fines drafted in 1956 South Africa an effective deterrent for a subsidiary of RioTinto in 2009?

My work for the past few weeks has been looking at previous environmental assessments and legal reports to determine what laws might have applicability to our report. Since the scope of our report is so broad, you can imagine how long the list of relevant legislation is, and one single law might be several hundred pages along. It is slow but steady work.

While it is fascinating for me to get my hands dirty with actual rules, regulations, and case law after a year of abstract legal ideas, it’s also overwhelming. What’s more, my boss has been out of the office for nearly three weeks, on the road for work and more recently mourning the loss of his sister. I’m eager to get feedback on the work I’ve done so far (and hopefully get the okay for my travel plans) but his family duties obviously come first.

Dress Respectfully and Be Proud of Yourselves!

For some reason, I get a kick out of the sign in the gym advising women to “Dress appropriately, not provocatively. Dress respectfully and be proud of yourselves!” I’m pretty sure I have a different body temperature boiling point than people in Namibia. When I run on the treadmill, I’m seriously sweating in shorts and a t-shirt, but people on both sides of me are fully outfitted in sweat pants and long-sleeves. It’s insane.

I’m having lots fun at the gym and am very happy I joined. Unless a soccer or cricket game is on, they usually have the TV tuned to “BASSment,” which is an African version of MTV and quite entertaining to watch. I’ve becoming a regular at crazy Monday aerobics and it turns out that Japie (the instructor mentioned in a previous post) is a hasher. Go figure! Thinking back to the first aerobics class, it make sense.

Hashing, for those who aren’t familiar, is a running / beer drinking club. According to Wikipedia, hashing originated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British Paper Chase or "Hare and Hounds," to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend.

I hashed quite a bit in DC and had a good time with it. I’d found a local chapter on the internet, but the web site hadn’t been updated in three years, so I’d pretty much given up on that idea until recently. Brooke and I were chatting with the Japie after class last week; she mentioned her need to modify one of his hip-swivel kick moves because of knee problems. Asking if we were runners, Japie suggested we come run with the harriers and promised to bring us their contact info the following Monday.

True to his word, Japie brought me contact info for the local Mismanagement (hash term for leadership) to class last night. I was actually a little nervous during class, wondering if he was keeping an eye on me to make sure I was “hash material.” I felt even more embarrassed when an enthusiastic but quiet woman from the front row came up to me after class and mentioned she’d seen me at El Cubano on Friday, commenting I was “quite the dancer” and it made her happy to see someone having so much fun. Well that’s a bit embarrassing. Overhearing, Japie joked he was going to get me on stage next week to co-teach with him because it also makes him happy to see how excited I get in the class. I can’t help it, something about the silliness of the moves and the blaring techno make it hard not to smile. Musical highlights of today – techno remixes of James Blunt’s Beautiful, Axel F (you’d recognize it – it’s on my 80s gold CD and was definitely a movie or TV theme), and Calabria 2007.

I’m totally pumped about the hash and really hope I can make it one of these weeks… I wonder if the Windhoek Harriers have ever had anyone from the Everyday is Wednesday DC Hash? Knowing hashers, though, they probably have.

Sunday Safari (Day trip to Okapuka)

The pictures are a much better summary than my words, so I’ll take a breather on this one and let you enjoy some photos of our day-trip to Okapuka, a game farm about 30km north of Windhoek. The photos above are of a lion-feeding. We watched from behind a wooden wall with square peep holes cut across the middle at varying heights; electric and barbed wire covered the front. A weird set-up, but we were amazingly close. Our feeding was also quite interesting because it is rare for the lion to let the lioness eat before he is finished - this only happens when she is pregnant or in heat. Note the tongue sticking out of his mouth in the first picture.

To start, here’s a rhino looking refreshed after a nice bath in the mud. Namibia has two types of rhinos, black and white. The names are misleading because they are indistinguishable in color. “White” is a mistranslation of the Dutch word “wijd” (meaning wide), referring to the wide, square upper lip of the White Rhinoceros, distinct from the pointed lip of the Black Rhinoceros.

I do have one funny story about the afternoon. See the rhino heading for our safari vehicle? For a good twenty seconds I thought I’d meet my end with his horn through my stomach. The guide in our safari car had a big bucket of food he would dump on the ground so the rhino would come near the safari car and eat, giving us a great change to snap some photos and watch it from super close. The problem was that after feeding the rhino, the guide stored the bucket of food right underneath my feet (I was sitting in the back of the car). Apparently one helping wasn’t enough, because after finished the food on the ground the rhino made his way toward our vehicle. Rhinos have terrible eyesight but an amazing sense of smell - which makes you nervous when there is a bucket of food sitting right under your legs... It is kind of amazing to think about now but absolutely terrifying in the moment, there was a good twenty seconds where I feared for my life and prayed for the sound of the engine starting. Rhinos are actually pretty peaceful unless you get near a mom with her baby. Still, that horn and big body make me nervous.

We had a great group for the safari – from left to right there’s Kaylan (intern buddy at the LAC), Brooke (neighbor at Puccini House, interning at Mt. Sinai Center in Katutura), me, and in the back row are Marybeth’s volunteers: Alex, Amy, and Elena (sorry for my big head!). Our photographer is Clay, an American who joined us on the safari, and was a good sport about all the estrogen.

Fun fact for the day: as giraffes get older, their spots get darker.

NICE is Very Nice Indeed

Tired after two nights of dancing and a full day in the sunshine, I was looking forward to curling up with my book in bed and getting a decent night’s sleep. My body has been extremely cooperative with new foods and evening adventures since I’ve been here, but I could feel a hint of a cold coming on and I didn’t want to push it. Brooke had to work all weekend and was in need a relaxing evening, but it was a Saturday night after all, so when she suggested we walk over to NICE and grab a glass of wine, we both agreed that was the perfect way to end the day.

The Namibian Institute of Culinary Education (NICE) is just around the corner from Puccini House. NICE is a chef finishing school linked to a profit-generating restaurant. The idea is that the restaurant will eventual fund the school, eventually making the whole project self-sustainable. With the tourism boom in Namibia, the demand for management and hospitality professionals far exceeds the supply, due largely to a lack of training facilities. (This is the case for many professions, particularly doctors and nurses, but that’s a different blog entry…) The idea is that NICE will provide world-class training for the future restaurant and hospitality management professionals of Namibia. Neat, right? And just around the corner.

So a glass of wine turned in to splitting a bottle, but at N$120 ($15 USD) for a really good bottle of cabernet, we might as well. We know we’re not supposed to walk at night by ourselves, but it’s so darn close, it seems totally absurd to call a cab. We joked on the way home that a bottle of wine at a nice restaurant costs the equivalent of the round-trip cab ride from a private taxi (which costs seven times more than the public taxis and severely complicates my danger / cheapskate calculations).

We’ll definitely go back to NICE and next time will order some food with our wine. It’s supposed to have the best sushi in the city. Who’d have thought I’d been eating sushi here?!

Diplomats and Dance Parties

On Friday evening, Ruth, Kaylan, and I went to a “Young Diplomats Wine and Cheese Reception,” hosted by the Lt. Colonel Christian Ranthum, Defense Attache for the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek. While a gathering of diplomats sounds a bit more glamorous than the unpaid volunteers I usually roll with, the invitation said “Interns Welcome” and it promised wine, so it didn’t talk too much arm-twisting for any of us to RSVP "Yes."

Courtesy of the U.S. embassy and the American taxpayers, Lt. Colonel Ranthum and his family live in a lovely home atop a hill in Klein Windhoek. The reception was held on their gorgeous stone patio with a beautiful view of the city (and a heated in ground pool to boot). I spent most of my time chatting with two cadets from the Air Force Academy who are on a whirl-wind tour of the country, and a very sweet girl named Megan, from DC and working for the National Institute of Health. I did have the opportunity to meet our host, and though I’m still a bit confused about what exactly a defense attaché does, from what I understand he works as a liaison between the United States military, the Namibian military, and the U.S. Embassy, serving as a representative and gathering intelligence. When he was talking about his role, he seemed surprised I asked so many questions about the military aspect of his job. When I mentioned my brother and father had also served in the military, his entire expression changed and he wanted to shake my hand (Dad and Ryan, I thought you’d enjoy that). Props to the U.S. Embassy for the nice wine selection and spread of cheese.

After a quick stop at home for a hot shower and a cup of tea, I rallied up my energy and headed out for Canadian Nicole’s birthday party. After a small gathering at her house (including fresh homemade sangria, yum) we headed out… yup, El Cubano. It was the birthday girl’s choice or else I may have campaigned to go elsewhere… I haven’t explored enough of the city to go there as much as I have. At any rate, we stayed until closing time, so despite my reservations, good times were had by all.

My legs are very sore today. I feel like I did hill sprints or something. I didn’t, just dancing the past two nights. I feel a bit pathetic for being as sore as I am, but dancing can be a good workout, right? Everyone on Dancing with the Stars looks great… but then again, I’m pretty sure they aren’t drinking Windhoek lager or red wine back stage…

If it’s not obvious yet, I’m a big fan of the nightlife in Windhoek. Smoke in the bars is gross, but an extra load of laundry a week is worth it. Admittedly making sweeping generalizations, the scene feels less drunk and frat-tastic than the bars and less pretentious than the dance clubs back home. The music selection is very danceable (always at Funky Lab, more variable at El Cubano) – a lot of hip-hop, some salsa and random pop, but invariably upbeat, which in my opinion is totally preferable to techno (too intense) or 80s and Journey (I’m a big fan but it’s better suited for karaoke and car rides vs. the dance floor). I recognize a lot of the music from the states, but they definitely mix in some more local music. I feel less self-conscious and less ogled at on the dance floor than I do walking down the street. It’s liberating, and it’s fun.

More Wining and Dining

I’ve been eating like royalty the past few days, so before reading further consider yourself warned that this post is entirely about food.

Sunday Night ~ La Marmite (Cameroonian and West African food): Sunday evening, Brooke and I joined Marybeth’s interns for dinner at La Marmite, located just north of the city centre on Independence Avenue (and fairly close my office). La Marmite takes its name from the French word for a cavernous cooking pot. The owner is originally from Cameroon (colonized by the French) and he has done an amazing job decorating the place – I wish I’d brought my camera – some beautiful masks and wooden carvings decorate the restaurant; the patterned table clothes, cozy alcoves, candles, and uni-sex bathrooms (!) give the place character.

I’ve been itching to try this place - I’d had West African food almost once a week when I lived in Geneva and fell in love with it. There were several men on my floor from Burkina Faso who would cook huge traditional feasts on Sunday afternoons, and the spread usually included a spicy peanut-chicken stew, which they always generously shared with me. Communal kitchens do have their advantages.

Anything with peanut butter is off to a good start in my book, so I was able to narrow down my choices fairly quickly. Alex and I both ordered the Vegetarian Peanut Butter with couscous, a variety of vegetables (eggplant, tomato, spinach) cooked in a thick, creamy nutty sauce. Elena ordered the fish of the day which came with couscous and salad, while Brooke ordered Mafe Chicken, a West African specialty where chicken and spinach are cooked with roasted groundnuts (like peanut butter). There wasn’t a grain of couscous left on anyone’s plate, except for a bit of meat left on Brooke’s. Her dish was really tasty, but ordering chicken dishes here isn’t the same as the states, where boneless, skinless chicken is the standard. It’s not unusual to find bones or bits of grizzle in your meat and takes a little getting used to.

Tuesday Night ~ Ocean Basket (Seafood!): Ocean Basket is a local chain I’d heard good things about, so I joined Shaun and friends for dinner Tuesday evening. I’m proud of myself for being so brave. I didn’t like seafood as a kid – fish sticks and tuna made me gag; I didn’t even try salmon or regular cooked fish until college. I definitely eat and enjoy seafood now, but it’s still not something I eat very often (fresh salmon and tilapia don’t really work on a law student schedule or budget).

Without thinking, I told Shaun I liked seafood and trying new things, so he ordered for me without letting me look at the menu. I was a little nervous when a steaming seafood platter – shells, antennae, eyeballs, fish skin, and all – was plopped on my place mat. The platter included oysters, mussels, prawns, fried baby octopus, port sardines, calamari, and linefish. I tried everything. The fried baby octopus (it makes me sad to say that) might have been my favorite. Everything tasted quite fresh and good – but I did have a hard time with the prawn antennae (they were like six inches long!!) strewn about the table. I certainly didn’t clean up my plate but I did pretty well.