The Gaborone Sun

I will keep this post short because our electricity was out last night for four hours and I wasn't able to write the post I was planning . . . so I will save that for later.  I will write an update in the next few days about what I have been up to and how things are going with the hospice.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a few photos.  The weather here reminds me of Albuquerque winter - nice and toasty so long as you are in the sun, but the second you step into the shade or the sun goes down the temperature plummets!  Generally the highs have been around 68 degrees F and the lows around freezing.  The most dramatic thing here about the weather, though, is the SUN.  And I am not kidding - I grew up in the desert and I love the sun, but I have never experienced a brighter or hotter sun than here in Gaborone - and it is early winter here!  Here is a photo taken yesterday evening from our back porch as the sun was getting ready to set:

Tswana Sun

Doesn't that make you just want to squint or look away?  No matter the time of day the sun has a blinding quality and seems to always be low in the sky.  It is the most amazing feeling to stand in the sun and warm up after a cold night in a poorly insulated flat, but I can't help but suspect that my retinas are frying!

Citrus Tree at the Hospice

Again, notice the quality of light in this photo - this one was taken around 9am this morning.  It is so bright here that in order to grow a vegetable garden (or pretty much any kind of non-desert greenery) you need to create a shade canopy.

Hipster Self-Shot in Shadow

In the picture above you can see the intensity of my shadow and the light reflecting off of the window next to me.  I'm amazed I haven't wound up with a sunburn yet!  Proof that I am not imagining the solar intensity: the most famous hotel here is called the Gaborone Sun.

I promise to write more soon but I thought I would share these photos in the meantime!