It’s that time of the year again … and I just love it! I love seeing friends from other parts of the country – especially Windhoek – bumping in each other here … I love chatting with strangers on the beach and have them leave their towels and stuff with me while I’m reading … (as if I don’t have the courage to also take a dip in the coldest of cold waters)
I love the hustle and bustle in the otherwise quiet shops and outlets … but most of all, I love the weather that this season spells … warm and sunny days, although the cold and misty days this season, still rule supreme!
I like the friendly faces and the cheerful energy amongst people who, throughout the year doesn’t even greet each other. Okay, okay … I know that phenomena only starts to happen when all the Christmas shopping is done and you’ve finally waved the crowded parking spaces our town has to offer, goodbye!
I love the smell of ginger beer in my house and even if my husband can’t drink it due to his sensitive ‘constitution’, I’ll make it again next year. The smell of ginger and fresh pineapple always takes me back … many moons away!
I love – when night falls – to go on a drive just to watch the kaleidoscope of colour and light! I love it when families and friends can leave their differences and cold wars for once and become close again … whole again and most of all, I love the message of Love and Forgiveness that the season brings … I call it Happiness Galore!
But what I don’t like is the sudden exploitation which we’re subjected to … the total commercialization of a time supposed to be merry, happy and peaceful. A friend recently commented via the social network, Face Book, that within the first two weeks in December, prizes here in Swakopmund soared sky-high.
We all know that Service and Products go hand in hand and the sad thing is that excellent service here at the Coast is a rare experience … thus making the compromise on the quality of the products, even more sad.
In the words of my friend: “‘fresh’ mixed nuts are now mixed with old past-its-sell-date nuts and there are two or more rotten apples or potatoes per pocket”
So, for some this season is about happiness and joy and for some it has become a massive marketing event where businesses only focus on their products as a must-have-during-Christmas. Christmas has shifted from what the season is meant to represent, to where the consumer goods are in incredibly high demand … also reflecting our ever-increasing desires and wants at the same time – never to satisfy our greed …
Still, for me the season continues to be about sharing and love and yes, to be happy. But there is no way that I’ll be so over-happy and over-zealous that I’ll allow myself to be ripped off on products!
I sometimes still turn a blind eye when it comes to receiving bad service … for various reasons … which I shall not mention here, definitely later. But dear Mr Fresh Produce Provider, when it comes to things I must swallow, please be advised that I shall not compromise … And though I still need to buy them fruit and veggies, I shall simply just buy those ones I can feel and touch and smell … So, stop camouflaging the good ones with two or three rotten ones – otherwise your packaged goods might just become a total lost!
For none other than you!
:)
1 comment:
Good morning how are you?
My name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.
I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.
For all this I would ask you one small favour:
Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Namibia? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Namibia in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and a original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:
Emilio Fernandez Esteban
Calle Valencia, 39
28903 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain
If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com, where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.
Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.
Yours Sincerely
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