Buying wine in my village isn't an option. And the beer options are downright depressing. Apart from selection, openly drinking in my village is something I look to actively avoid. Brings far too much attention and isn't an ideal image for my learners who live around the shebeens to witness.
On the one weekend a month I head into my shopping town, I stock up.
So much so that, after introducing my friend L— to my favorite wine, we proceeded to buy out their entire stock in a month’s time.
Upon going into the bottle store in Rundu a couple of days ago and searching for it, L— discovered that they were out.. But they’d anticipated our needs. The buyer had ordered a case just for us the last time I’d been in and walked out with six bottles. Apparently I've developed a reputation — not for the absurd armfuls of wine — but for my reusable BAGGU bags. They recognize me on sight, evidently.
We can afford few luxuries as PCVs. But good wine. I’m not giving that up. Even while other PCVs are happily chugging down tassie/coca-cola concoctions.
And next December holiday — if I can save enough pennies, or nickels, rather, as they are the lowest form of Namibian currency — I’ll be in Cape Town and Paarl on a wine tour visiting my favorite winemakers. First on the list is Fairview and the Goatshed Restaurant.
I cannot wait.