Windhoek
British High Commissioner to Namibia Jo Lomas chatted to New Era about her plans for the Christmas holidays. Lomas assumed duty as high commissioner to Namibia on November 30, 2015. Prior to that she had served as the deputy head in Sarajevo from June 2011 to July 2015. She also served as Chargé d’Affaires from January to August 2014 in Bosnia.
How do you plan to spend this coming Christmas (will it be in Namibia or outside the country)?
I will be in Windhoek for Christmas and will be welcoming friends who are travelling from the UK. I enjoy being at home (wherever that may be) for Christmas and I love showing our guests this beautiful country. Then in the New Year we will be at the coast with the rest of Namibia.
How do you usually spend the Christmas period – any specific Christmas tradition that you are likely to skip or looking forward to uphold?
I am still getting used to the southern hemisphere Christmas. Before coming to Namibia we were posted to Bosnia – one winter we woke up to a metre of snow in our back garden. So we are used to wrapping up warm for Christmas and going for a brisk walk before a hot dinner, and a fire. It still feels strange to have such hot weather for Christmas, but otherwise I enjoy all the wonderful sunshine.
We follow the usual Christmas traditions. A stocking out for Santa on Christmas Eve (even though my six-year-old is already a cynic), Christmas dinner of course, though we go for Beef Wellington (beef fillet wrapped in stuffing and pastry) rather than turkey on Christmas Day. Above all, Christmas for me is a time to spend with my family after a busy year.
Any special message to share during this coming holiday season?
Drive carefully! Especially when I am heading to Swakopmund. Seriously, the car accident rate here is shocking. With just a little bit more care from everybody we can ensure more people get to see the New Year in. Otherwise I wish all your readers a happy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.