no 23. designing tea card 2024

Well, one year into Windhoek and I finally pulled together a tea card for friends and family. Woohoo! Never heard of a tea card? It's a card that I make where I add a local tea and share an update and package it in a cute way so I can share a snail mail treat. You can head back to this post to learn more.

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To be honest, as soon as I wrote that blog post about my tea cards, I realized that I really missed putting them together and decided I would find a way. So I started doodling some ideas about a card, and definitely wanted to share some of the animals that we've been so lucky to see here. And then I saw a paper cut card and thought how it might be fun to show the layers of the savannah in a special way.

Folding the layers took some time to figure out. I bent and snipped and pasted a couple of different versions so I cold get a layer effect to happen. I did the first one by eyeball. But the measurements were so bizarre. Eventually, I cut the paper and measured everything to minimize the folding error when the thicker printed paper would inevitably cause some discrepancy. I didn't want to waste paper so I made an outline on A3 and put two letters on a page.

The easier part was drawing and designing some animals, placement and color. I lean towards a bit of playful pastel when I'm in my happy place, so I decided to paint the animals in candy-coated arrangements. The result is bizarre but fun, and adds a bit of whimsy to the already proposterous idea that I'm living in Africa.

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  Close-up on first draft design of safari animal folded tea card design by Smarti.

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  Illustrations of giraffe, impala and oryx by Smarti.

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  Close-up of final design of safari animal tea card design by Smarti.

left to right, 1) photo of first draft, 2) animal illustrations, 3) final design @smartigraphicdesign

When I went to the store, I couldn't find any tea that matched the whimsy. But I went with a basic rooibos tea - which is an herbal bush tea that's very popular here. I found a variety with some flavoring variations, and then taped them to a postcard in case people want to write me back a response, or just share it with someone else. I like giving people options.

I found a local printers that was able to make the designs come to life. (Thank you getgraphics!) But unfortunately, they don't have any speciality paper. So I had to go with a basic matte to get saturated colors and a 120g so it would be thin enough to fold. I brought the pages home and cut each one out by hand with a faulty exacto knife. Lesson learned in the morning when each page looked hacked and had paper bits still connecting the sheets. I went in by specialty scissors by hand to fix what I could.

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  Close-up of tea choice and illustrated safari animals by Smarti.

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  Close-up of master letter and cut-out fold by Smarti.

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  Visit to the post office in Windhoek by Smarti.

left to right, 1) roiboos tea packets/postcards, 2) editing a master letter, 3) post office visit @smartigraphicdesign

I wrote a master letter this year because there was too much to share and I knew I wasn't going to have enough time to share all the bits. But I personalized each one at the bottom and then stuffed in the tea to the envelope. For my family in Spain, I had to write out a completely different letter for each one since I know they will brag to each other and I wanted to give each of them something special to share. The personalized writing part took about 3 days to complete.

At the post office, I got a special attendant who helped me to address and stamp each one. One letter, no big deal. 60 letters to different countries? It gets a little complicated. He was flabberghasted at the price near the end, but I was ready for that. Each time I've done this, the cumulative cost is always more than I've anticipated. Thankfully, the postage prices here is incredibly low. But that also means that they might not pay their postal workers enough to care, so who knows if they will ever make it out to their destinations?

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I'm eagerly awaiting when the first news of the cards will start trickling in. I have a feeling it will take somewhere upwards of 3 months since I tested the mail out with one of my sisters last year. But who knows? My biggest worry is that someone's card will go missing and they'll think they were skipped on purpose. Thankfully, I've got backup cards at the ready.

cheers to receiving snail mail and here's to hoping your tea card arrives soon!

smarti

no 22. Dogust

Illustration of dogust @smarti

Dogs. Fluffy, scruffy, small, big, charming, playing, rolling, cuddling. I love 'em all. So when we arrived in Windhoek, I decided to go through volunteer training with the SPCA so I could get to visit some of the doggos. Since August is National Dog month in the US of A (aka Dogust) I thought I would share my experience and some of the SPCA pups that tug at my heart!

Illustration of wolf alpo @smarti

Let me clarify first and foremost, that I cannot adopt a dog...yet, so volunteering with the SPCA is the nest best thing. (If you are truly curious: and s much as I want to, it just wouldn't work in the short term for our nomadic expat lifestyle, which also wouldn't be fair to a dog long-term. I have to make sure that we're completely settled so that I can make proper arrangements for prolonged placement and care for my pet's life. [...] I say all that from my rational mind, but I swear, sometimes my heart just melts in my volunteering sessions.)

So, SPCA - if you don't know it - is Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. As a charity, they take in sick, injured, abandoned and abused animals. They treat and care for these animals and prepare them for adoption. The volunteer training in Windhoek took up a Saturday morning and then volunteers are welcome to join during opening hours to walk doggies, play with puppies, cuddle cats and kittens, and just generally care for the animals.

For a year now, I go in once a week to spend a couple of hours with the dogs and puppies. (Cats are...fine...just not my preference). Some times I take the dogs for a walk, sometimes I help wash dishes or set out dinner bowls. Mostly, I just enter kennels and spend time with dogs, petting and cuddling them. I've been told that spending time with the dogs makes some of these street dogs more comfortable with humans and therefore more adoptable.

Some dogs like the attention more than others, so for the tricky ones sometimes I just sit there while they tolerate my presence. Its so gratifying when they trust enough to come closer and let me pet them! Some dogs know the drill, and immediately bowl over for belly rubs and cuddles. With the puppies, It's a lot good behavior repetition - redirecting jumping behavior with lowered hands. giving chest and belly rubs, and pulling away when they start to nibble. They're cute, but sometimes I find it harder than just chilling with the older dogs.

Here's some of the SPCA doggos in Windhoek that I've been hanging out with:

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  Photo of tiny brown dog Talia at SPCA Windhoek.

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  Photo of cautious mutt Mike at SPCA windhoek.

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  Photo of attentive Hunter at SPCA Windhoek.

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  Photo of gentle Wolf Alpo at SPCA Windhoek.

photos of Talia / Mike / Hunter / Wolf Alpo from Windhoek SPCA website

Talia - she's a 10-month tiny crossbreed female dog who is perfectly kind and quiet. She is quite timid, somewhat of a chihuahua demeanour - she cowers when you get too close, but she enjoys the cuddles and is so cute. She'd probably enjoy a very chill household.

Mike - he's only 10 months but will probably be a medium sized dog. His coat is minky soft. He was a street pup (maybe shepherding mix?) so he likes coralling and running around. He's a bit nervous around people but has started to realize that humans are there to pet him and is slowly getting closer. He's very playful. I imagine he'd be happiest with kiddos around.

Hunter - 1 year old crossbreed dog - with something of a husky in him. He's a handful, playing and jumping in water to cool down, but eager for cuddles and very posessive for attention. But he's very very soft and easy to cozy down with for a snuggle.

Wolf Alpo - 4 year old German Shepherd. Easily the gentle giant, he's got a sweet and quiet soul. He seems to mix well with a lot of different dogs and brings gravitas wherever he goes. He has the kindest eyes.

Illustration of mike @smarti

My weekly visits to the SPCA are a real highlight - it feels like I have 50 dogs to myself! I appreciate how it also helps clear my head. I always go home quite satisfied even if a little heartsore to see them still waiting in their kennels for adoption. Sometimes I'm even unrightfully sad when they get adopted because I know I'll miss spending time with them.

If you are keen to have a pet, visit your local SPCA to rescue a fluffy love. Or if you are like me, see if you can volunteer at the SPCA to get a little time to walk and cuddle a doggo and get them ready for their forever homes.

wishing you a furry cuddle moment to sooth the soul,

smarti

no. 21 Windhoek Winter Care Secrets

Illustration of windhoek winter care secrets @smarti

It's weird to be going through the coldest months while everyone in northern hemisphere is melting under the hot summer sun. But this is our second winter in Windhoek, and while the days are warm under the sun, the desert winter nights can feel brutal. I've been testing some new things this time around, and I think I'm finally getting the hang of the season?

So Namibia is a dry arid desert landscape. There are hills and mountains, but it's mostly shades of creams, tans and browns. There's a brilliant short spring where the rains make everything suddenly very green. But for the rest of the year it's mostly neutral and sparse. It can be quite soothing actually, even though the verdant green is so exciting when it appears!

With the desert landscape, we also get the dyness. Moisture evaporates quickly. It can be a matter of minutes before things are bone dry. Now this is awesome when it comes to line drawing your laundry really fast, but it's awful when the back of your hands and knuckles start to crack and bleed.

The cool thing about the desert is that the sun will never abandon you. It's always there, and the sunshine and heat is so comforting year round. (When we lived in Copenhagen I really struggled when the sun would not appear for days on end. One time we clocked 20 days in the winter with cloudy grey skies and no sun!) But in the winter, even though the sun is out, that heat will only kick in around midday once it has had a couple of hours baking the land.

So you will wake up frigid with the sun rise. Then feel the warmth expand all around by midday. And as the afternoon fades into sunset, the heat will wane and you're back into deep dark cold winter. It's probably exacerbated since the insulation in the houses here sucks - because they have to prioritise dissapating the heat during the summers. (Totally opposite of Copenhagen which had great insulation, which would create its own summer nightmare when the tiny windows couldn't be opened enough for airflow and summer heat relief!)

Illustration of windhoek winter strip tease @smarti

Here are the things that are working for me so far:

• Take fewer showers. I rinse once a day, mostly before bed, and especially after a workout. But I've learned to take fewer showers and I don't always scrub and soap as intensely. I've been told that soap strips the skin of oils and that's what makes it so vulnerable to cracking and bleeding cold. I soap where I must, but it's not worth soaping all over when my skin feels raw under the shower-head.
  

• Slather on oil post-shower. I got a glass bottle of baobab oil, and have been refilling it with jojoba oil at the zero waste store. After toweling off from the shower, I spend a couple of minutes just pouring it all over and massaging it into my skin. I suppose you could add lavendar oils and other things and make it more of a indulgent experience. But just as is, it's already making a huge difference in soothing my skin. And I love that it's all natural and whatever is absorbed into my skin won't cause allergic reactions or exczema like synethic oils and vaselines do. Yay nature!

• Add oils to meals. I cook with coconut oil and olive oil, but I'm also adding hemp oil to smoothies and salads to help retain some oil in my body as well. When I do sweat, I like to imagine that the oils in my body are helping to lubricate my skin. I mean, it works for people who eat garlic and then you can smell it as it seeps out of their pores. So why not hemp oil? Here's to hoping.
  

• Layer on the clothes. I make sure to plan a spring outfit as my base layer - tank tops and leggings. And then I pack on sweaters, fleece-lined pants, knitted socks, wool berets. Top it with a puffy jacket or puffy vest - even for a day inside the house. As the day goes on, I take off layers as needed. I bask in that midday sun. And then I pile it all back on as the afternoon freezes into evening hours.

• Bring a notepad to bed. I can no longer stay up working late nights because the cold is so intense. Afternoons are my jam and my brain sometimes crackles out some firework midnight ideas! I tried sitting at my desk and wrapping myself in a blanket - but oh gosh, the cold seemed to seep in from every corner. I would shiver and shake like a chihuahua. So now, I just pack it up before dinner and bring a notepad to bed for doodling or planning. (We are a no-phones-in-the-bedroom household.) It's frustrating to not be able to work when I know my productivity takes on a magic quality, but it's probably better for my health and immunity to stay calm and cozy in bed on those dramatically cold nights.
  

• Cuddle a flaxseed heatpad. A couple of years ago, I bought a period relief pack from Somedays to help me manage cramping. And their flaxseed heatpad has become the true multipurpose star of the show! I'm heating her up in the microwave every night before bed to cuddle under the covers. I remember reading about this in an old book where they would heat bricks in the fireplace, wrap them in flannel and then slip them under the comforter to create a heat pocket. If I had a water bottle I'd do something similar. It definitely makes the winter sleeping in these freezing temperatures more bearable.
  

Illustration of windhoek winter oil drench @smarti

I could probably just buy a space heater and move it around the house with me as needed. But I really struggle to buy more things with my expat nomadic minimalist lifestyle. If I do buy something, I need to make sure that it's quality made and won't just be plastic baloney that'll end up in landfill. Besides, every time I go to the store, all the heaters are sold out! So...I'll just keep making do with what I've got.

Here's to hoping the NoHemi is keeping cool in that summer heat,

and the SoHemi is keeping warm with the sun's retreat,

smarti