Grass

It's true, grass is not easy to come by in Namibia.  

(Unless there is money.)  You may find trees and shrubs.  And maybe wild grasses that grow high and untamed, and may be the home for snakes and other creatures you'd rather not confront.  Including mosquitoes!  (Though malaria-carrying mosquitoes don't really live here, but of course they are still buggers!)  So grass, at least the kind you mostly find that is existing all on its own, is not really something you want close to your house or in between the places you'll walk.  Usually the best thing to do is dig it out like weeds.

So mostly you'll find dirt or sand.  (Though it is surprising the way grass will surprise you and pop up out of nowhere in the rainy season where it never seemed possible during the dry season.)  And amusingly, Namibians do tend to their grassless ground... they rake it!  And in a really nicely tended yard of dirt/sand, you should be able to see the lines that raking it left behind!  And it should be as clear of rocks, pebbles, trash, and other misc items as possible.

My school actually just recently purchased plastic rakes for all the classrooms.  Because the learners are responsible for raking the school yard and sweeping out their register class (basically, homeroom) on just about an everyday basis.  (This is a common practice.)  Keeps them busy..!  They must not mind it too much because a couple of them dropped by our house this weekend just to "visit teacher" and spontaneously began to rake our yard!

I would also like to note how much dirtier we find that our clothes get here because of all the loose dirt and dust about.

Grass.  It's an amazing thing.  But think about it: most of the grass we Americans are accustomed to has been intentionally planted and cared for.  Enjoy grass!  For us!