Bicky is leaving.....

and Erik is sad to see his butterfly go. "Bicky", as he calls her, (Vicki) and Erik have had lots of good times in the past few months, and it is hard for Erik to part with people he gets close too, especially after this past year with mom being pregnant, dad moving to Namibia, mom and Erik being home with the growing tummy, then dad coming home and Gabriel being born. Not enough, then we sold the apartment, his room got turned into someone elses room, and before we knew it we were on the plane to Namibia. Here the challenges have been many as well, with a new climate, new ways of playing (and getting used to kids at first coming over to take his toys, because they dont have any, and not necessarly wanting to play with him), new pre-school, new friends and last but not least all the hungry children he sees everyday, especially the four siblings aged 2-10 who collect food from our garbage bin on a weekly basis. The last has upset Erik several times, telling us that we need to talk to the kids and tell them that "they cant eat that, they need to eat real food, because that is garbage" and then suggesting that we give them the food we have. The challenges are for sure different here, and that is why I think it is so hard for Erik to see Vicki leave, as she gave him a sence of home, and he really grew fond of her.

Erik is not the only one who will miss her. I have gained a true friend, and we have had daily walks and runs in the hills of Opuwo together in addition to great times at Braii`s and camping! She will be missed, but I know that the friendship will sustain, and cant wait to see her in Norway someday :-) In a couple of weeks we will venture onto the challenge of haiking the second largest canyon (after Grand Canyon), called Fish River Canyon together before she moves home to England.

Hanging out with the Herero Ladies....

.....Gabriel knows how to look cute enough to be picked up by everyone at the stadium during the sports day. These Herero ladies in traditional wear supported their kids in Opuwo during the first organized sports day ever!

Pre-Primary Sports Day, April 20th

Erik and his pre-school joined a sports day at the stadium last week. It was a day of fun for the kids of Opuwo! More than 140 kids participated, and the stadium was filled with laughter and joy. The most popular event of the day was racing on the dirt around the stadium, but water balloons and relay was also amongst the top three! See pictures!

Mmmm...Eriks food is really good!

Kavango river at Okavango Delta

Easter vacation is over, and we are back in Opuwo after driving 3400 km to Okavango and back. We spent Easter with a lovely American family from Cape Town, Cole (4), Elissa and Eric. The memories are filled with the beautiful surroundings of Kavango river where we spent our nights at Ngepi Camp. Ngepi is set on an island under ancient trees with an amazing view over the Kavango river with flooded swamps, lush green areas and tree houses. Both hippos and crocodiles were seen and heard from the campsites, and I even woke up one morning to the sound of elephants! The Mahango National Park was literally next door with its numerous different game animals. Cole and Erik hung out like 4 and 5 year olds do, playing all day long, only to find themselves pass out from exhaustion at the end of the night. Elissa, Eric, Sammy and I enjoyed late nigths around the campfire.

The bottom picture shows the boys on top of the roof scouting for animals during our safari at Mahango National Park. We saw Gemsbook, Elephants, Hippos, Imapalas, and a dazzle of Zebras amongst many other animals.

Our address in Opuwo!

Many have asked us if we have a regular landpost address in Opuwo, and yes we do. We even have our own mailbox. For you who would like to know it, it is the following:

Fam. Sanders
PO Box 344
Opuwo, Namibia

Just as simple as that!

The beautiful blue skyes of Opuwo

A day at the Lodge in Opuwo

Sunday is our family day where we sometimes go to the Country Lodge in Opuwo for lunch and a swim. The beautiful surroundings are stunning, and the atmosphere great. A nice way to "escape" from the village for a day.