Pictures

Thought I would upload a couple pictures. One is of Sanna and I at the march-past on World AIDS day and the other is of some of the dishes from the mateveto party I described (there was at least double this amount of food!)

I ate caterpillar

Last Saturday I went to a Mateveto - a traditional party whereby the bride-to-be and her family cook for the husband-to-be and his family. This is to show the husband and his family that she comes from a good family, who can cook nicely. I went with Mwande, her aunts and grandmothers and luckily we were on the husband's side so we got to eat. Picture a lot of food, then multiply that by 10 and you'll begin to understand how much food there was! There was every traditional Zambian dish imaginable, including caterpillars. Tastes like chicken! Okay not really, but it tasted alright. Not something I would enjoy eating on a regular basis however. There was a lot of dancing too of course. No party here is complete without the shaking of the hips. On our way back, it started to pour! So we hitched a ride in the back of some truck (as it's very common here to ride in the back of a truck). There we were - about 10 women, in the rain getting soaked, in the dark, trying not to fall off the back of the back of the truck as we bounced up and down from the potholes...singing. It was so fun.

Our travel plans are confirmed! Tomorrow, Heather and I (Melanie went back to Canada for the holidays) are off to Malawi. We will spend Christmas on Lake Malawi and then make our way east to Zanzibar. We are hoping that we are booked on the train from Mbeya (small town on Tanzanian side close to Malawian border) to Dar Es Salaam. There is a train that travels from a town north of Lusaka all the way to Dar. When I went to the train company office here in Lusaka I asked to be booked from Mbeya to Dar. She could not do that from her end so she called someone in another city. Twenty minutes later she told me we were booked in for Dec 27. "What time does the train leave Mbeya?" I ask. "Oh, I don't know that. Probably sometime in the afternoon so get to the train station in the morning." "Okay....and how much is it?" "Oh I don't know" she replies "they pay in shillings over there so I don't know." "Okay....is there a confirmation number or anything?" "No." So this is what I meant by I hope we are booked on the train, as we don't have any confirmation, we don't know what time it's at or the price. It's all part of the adventure! The train ride through Tanzania is supposed to be really nice - through a national park. We will spend one night in Dar and then just under a week in Zanzibar. We have some friends we will meet up with there so that will be great. On the 2nd of January I head to Cape Town to visit Halli! (good friend from Guelph for those of you who don't know her). Can't wait! I will try to blog at some point during my travels but if not, you will surely hear about my travels upon my return to Lusaka. Happy holidays and a happy new year to all!

December 4-5...timeline

8:30pm I am at home, in my pj's, when I get a phone call from Mwande asking me if I could come to her place. "Now?" I ask. "Yes yes. There is an overnight party and I want you to come". I agree, get ready, call my taxi and by 9:15 I am off.

(Sidenote: An "overnight party" is a tradition here for a bride-to-be. It's literally a party that goes through the whole night whereby a group of women gather, there is drumming and dancing, and the women teach the woman who is getting married how to tend to her home and please her husband. Each person brings small bills - if they can afford it - and when they enjoy the drumming or one of the dances they put the money in the bowl. All the money raised goes to the drummers)

9:30pm I arrive, Mwande meets me at a school in her compound, and we make our way to the party. At first we wait and then the drumming begins. It was at someone's home and thus I was wondering why the drummers were outside and then Mwande explained to me that that is where they start from. They must start outside and then get invited into the home once they impress the people with their skills.

10:30pm The drummers have been invited in and the women are mingling before things get started.

11:00pm We eat. Unfortunately for me I have already eaten and am quite full but this is no excuse of course. I must eat again. There is nshima, chicken, and cabbage. Thankfully it was communal eating from large plates so no one could really tell how much I was eating.

11:45pm The drumming and dancing begins. There are two women (one of them being Mwande's older sister) and they sound amazing together. The drinking also begins.

Midnight The bride enters the room with her matron by her side. The bride has her head down and she does not smile (this is a traditional way of showing respect). Each dance everyone sings along to, teaching the bride another lesson about married life. Mwande translated and they were quite interesting, however most are not appropriate to share on a public blog (email me to find out more details).

2:00am After 2 hours of all the women trying to get me to go up and dance, I finally worked up the nerve to do so. I was sweating and trembling with embarrassment. Mwande had taught me one of the dances a couple weeks before so I somewhat knew what I was doing, as much as a white person could, trying to do Zambian dance moves without looking like a complete fool. I think it went alright, with women laughing and yelling (much like at the kitchen party some time ago) in the background, partially I am sure at me and the rest with me.

3:00am An yelling argument breaks out. Apparently one of the women (who was quite outspoken to begin with) was upset that others were dancing when she was wanting to dance alone and she was saying that it should only be one at a time. Others did not agree with this. I am sure the alcohol partially induced this behaviour. Mwande started to sing, trying to calm people down while not getting involved. Unfortunately it didn't work so we left the room and went outside for some air. I should have just gotten up and started dancing, I am sure this would have quieted them right up!

4:00am The party dies down. I fall asleep on the floor.

4:04am I am awoken by the drums. For a few brief moments the drummers were taking a break but then they started back up, even though the dancing had ended.

5:00am Mwande and I leave, go back to her house and she gets ready for us to go to work.

5:50am We start walking to work. We are exhausted but walk nonetheless.

7:10am We arrive at work and everyone can tell we are lacking sleep.

1:15pm Fridays are half days so we "knock off" (go home) early.

8:15pm I am sound asleep.

Left Zambia to pop into Botswana, accidentally stumble into Zimbabwe and cruise into Namibia

Last weekend we (Melanie, our new Sweedish roomie Sanna, and another friend Julien from Malta) headed to Livingstone. It was our friend Pascal's birthday, who lives there so we wanted to celebrate with him. We arrived Friday and hung out for the afternoon, had a nice supper and went to bed relatively early. Saturday morning we woke up with the sun and headed to Botswana for the day. Livingstone is only about an hour's drive from the border. We took the 5-minute ferry across the Zambezi river to the small and lovely town of Kasane, the northern-most town in Botswana, one that leads right to Chobe National Park. Upon reaching the other side, our driver took us for a little walk, we stepped over some barbed wire that was laying on the ground and then he says (with a slight chuckle), "oh....we are in Zimbabwe!" Apparently there is a more official border post but for a few brief moments we were technically, but illegally on Zimbabwe soil. We spent the afternoon on a small boat, on Chobe river. We played with the hippos, boated around them as they literally jumped out of the water like dolphins. At some points it was a bit scary, when they swam under water and we could not see their whereabouts. Let us not forget, they are wild hippos. We had a delicious lunch on the boat. Our guide pointed out Namibian land at which point we literally boated right into its reeds. So we officially touched 4 countries in a matter of a few hours. At one point we had to pee and got out on shore to do so, about 20 meters from a crocodile. When nature calls...

Sunday we went back to Victoria Falls. This time I decided to do something different. Melanie and Sanna went to the Devil's pool, which is an area on top of the falls that you can actually swim in during the dry season. Unfortunately it was pouring rain and the current was too strong and the water was too dirty that they were not permitted to swim. Julien and I went to the Zimbabwe side of the falls. So much more water on that side! It was absolutely spectacular. There was a lot of mist however, due to the amount of water, as well as the rain. But amazing nonetheless - well worth the $80US ($65 for Zim visa and $15 for entrance on that end). Will have to upload photos next time - not enough internet time right now.

The day I played host

So after many weekends at my friend Mwande's place, it was time I had them over at my place. Mwande had been over several times before but her family was eagerly anticipating this time to come. "How many people do you want to come?!" Mwande asked me. "Um...how many people want to come?" The list began. Then the list grew. Basically everyone I had encountered (and their uncle) in my time there wanted to come! We decided it would be best to split it into 2 days - the young crowd on one day and the older crowd on another. So a week ago Sunday Mwande, her 2 aunts (also our age), 1 teenager, and 14 children under the age of 12 made their way over on the minibus. Plus there were my 2 flatmates and another friend who was staying with us for a few days. I prayed that: 1. everyone would have a nice time, 2. it wouldn't rain and thus we could go outside, considering the size of my flat, 3. our power would be on (it has the tendency to go out on a fairly regular basis) to avoid having to cook for 22 people on a single charcoal burner outside, and 4. there would be enough food. Thankfully all my wishes came true. We made pasta (in a massive pot I borrowed from work) and veggie sauce, garlic bread, salad (coleslaw), and chocolate chip banana bread for a snack later on. The kids coloured, we danced, I gave them all temporary tattoos, we watched some videos and photos from the previous times I had been to their place, and played outside on the grass (there is no grass in their compound so as you can imagine, it was quite exciting for them). It did not rain. The power remained. Everyone went home with full bellies. Good times had by all. So much in fact that Mwande tells me that everyone asks on a daily basis when they are coming back. Soon, I say! Next time it will be Mwande and her mother, grandmothers, and older relatives. I am not sure that colouring, tattouing and playing in the grass will have quite the same effect.

Photos

Here are a few photos I promised. The first is of a Kudu, the second of elephants (obviously) and the last is of me in front of the hippo in the lodge I was describing. More next time!

Nothing like the lullaby of a lion's roar

This past Friday was Independence Day (1964) so of course we had the day off work. We were pretty keen on getting out of the city so Heather, our other friend Leila and I made plans with our friends Ebrahim (Ebs) and Salim to go to Kafue National Park, about 3 hours away. Unfortunately Heather had to go out of town for work so she couldnt come with us. We camped for the weekend, in the middle of the bush. The camp was beautiful, right on the Kafue river. It was very basic, no lodges or anything, just tents. A lovely eating area and very impressive bathrooms with proper toilets and everything! By now I am used to going in a latrine when I go to the compounds so this was luxury. We arrived Friday afternoon, rested for a few moments and then eagerly went on an evening game drive. We saw elephants, heaps of puku and impala (similar to deer), warthog, monkeys, baboons, waterbuck, kudu, and birds. It was amazing! We got back to camp and had a lovely meal. Saturday morning we woke up with the sunset and went on an early drive. Our driver told us that only about 15 minutes before we woke up, there was an elephant a mere 20 feet from our tent! On the drive we really wanted to spot some cats. No such luck, but we did see more elephants, some zebras, and vultures eating the leftover carcass of an impala. After breakfast we headed to another part of the river, 60km into the middle of nowhere, off the main road. A couple of times we had to stop the car to lift up a tree that had been broken down by elephants. We spent the afternoon relaxing, it was so peaceful there. We fished (I caught 2 fish!) and just sat by the water with the hippos not too far from us. There were no other people in sight, just the sounds of the birds and groans of the hippos. On the drive back to the main road we were lucky enough to spot a herd of about 50 elephants. It was quite something. We stopped in at a lodge that we had heard had a hippo that hangs out there. This was true, a hippo just lying there on their balcony overlooking the river with nothing more than a wicker bench separating us from him. Basil is his name. He is a wild hippo, not fed or trained by the lodge staff. He starting going there a few years back when he was being beaten up by the bigger hippos. I would too, it was a beautiful lodge! Now he is there on a daily basis, the owner told us. Great for business though!

Another delicious meal back at camp and a relatively early night to bed, considering we had woken up so early that morning. On our way back from the washrooms (after dark) I saw a set of eyes next to our tent, with my headlamp and immediately knew it was some sort of animal. I figured it was an impala or a puku since they are so rampant but when it didnt jump away but rather walked away ever so graciously, I knew it was not. I saw its approximate size and figure, described it to Ebs (who lived in the bush for many years) and sure enough.....it was most likely a leopard. A leapord???! Yikes! Apparently there is a female leopard with her cubs that pass through camp every so often. No need to worry though, I was quickly told. They are not at all interested in humans. Just don't bother them, they are more afraid of you then you are of them. So we sat and just talked for a while longer, only to hear a roar in the distance. Lions, Ebs says...they are likely fighting over a kill they had made. What's next? The sounds of elephants breaking down tree trucks for food. Don't worry, really - you are in a tent, you' re fine. So here we are in a camp with nothing more than a piece of nylon protecting us from the wild animals of Africa. As you can imagine, I didn't sleep all that well. But alas, I am fine. It was an amazing experience and a very relaxing weekend indeed.

I wanted to add some photos of the weekend but I only had a few minutes at the internet cafe so there wasn't enough time to upload them. Next time!

And thus let the rains begin!

Friday afternoon, the rains began. About an hour before it started raining Mwande told me, "it's going to rain today. The clouds are getting dark, the weather is changing and it smells like rain". My response was "no...it's too early isn't it?" The rains aren't supposed to start until mid to late October. What do I know though?! We both left work at the same time and minutes later it started trickling down. Minutes after that it started to rain rain. And minutes thereafter, it started to pour. I have never seen rain quite like it. I even had to take a different path at one point as my normal route was completely flooded. Even so, my alternate path I still had to walk through about a foot of water. I was totally not prepared for the rains to begin, mentally I mean. I felt that my whole aura was thrown off! Also physically I am not ready, no umbrella or gumboots as of yet. Apparently when the rains start early we can expect the next week or two to be really hot...as if the recent 40 degree weather hasn't been hot enough! But I know I will be aching for the heat once it starts raining everyday and I realize how unpleasant it is to be wet all the time.

My #1 and #2 most fun days in Zambia thus far

So last Saturday I was invited to my friend Mwande's home, the same friend that came to Melanie's birthday with us and in the photo with me from my last post. She lives with her mother, three year old daughter Emma, niece and two nephews. I arrived at 10am and she met me at the bus stop by her compound. We started off by buying some food at the market for lunch, followed by watching a dance competition that coincidentally was on at that time. It never seizes to amaze me how the people here can shake their hips! We then continued on to her place. When we were about 200m away I saw a pin sized figure in the horizon, slowly getting bigger and bigger. Mwande then says, "oh, there's Emma!" as she was running towards us with excitement. She ran right into my arms, it was so sweet. She was then my little buddy all day, attached to my hip. The original plan was for me to go to her place the weekend before last but since I was still not 100% well after the malaria, we decided to postpone. But Mwande had told Emma about me and she got really excited to meet me. Apparently, the weekend I had to cancel, Emma dressed herself early in the morning and was waiting by the door for me by the time Mwande woke up. As you can imagine by this, she was quite disappointed after her mother told her I wasn't coming. They live in a very densely populated shanty compound on the outskirts of Lusaka which does not see many (if any at all) white people. Emma had never met a white person before, and she was petting my arm, in awe with the colour of my skin. She didn't speak English but most often you don't need a common verbal language to communicate (which I have learned in working with some of my kids at the CICC who don't speak English). So we got to their place and within minutes, a pile of neighbour kids were coming to visit. We made lunch, outside on charcoal burners as they do not have electricity (or plumbing). We made nshima, rape (green vegetable) with groundnuts (peanuts), and soya pieces. It was delicious! Then we started off, visiting Mwande's family in neighbouring compounds. First was her grandmother, then her sister, and ending with her auntie. Boy did we ever walk a lot, in total of about 1.5 hours in the blazing sun! Throughout our adventure there, more and more kids followed behind us. Everyone was so friendly, greeting us and smiling and wanting to come along. It was such an amazing place, everything and everyone seeming so peaceful and joyful. I just couldn't stop smiling. We had only planned on staying at her aunties for a little while but then she turned the music on and the dance party begun...we started off slowly, everyone a bit shy, and only about 5 people. However, within a short while it seemed like the whole neighbourhood was in her auntie's tiny living room dancing away. There we were, about 25 people (4 adults and the rest kids) dancing to various Zambian and Congolese rhumba artists. I think I lost about 5 pounds in sweat! We danced for about 3 hours before heading back to Mwande's. We got back just before dark, I stayed for supper, sat with her family in their living room (lit up by a candle) and then made my way home. A day I will always remember, that's for sure. I have been invited back every Saturday.

This leads me to my second most fun day thus far. Yesterday, I went back to Mwande's place. Unfortunately Emma was with her grandmother at the farm so I didn't get to see them. Mwande picked me up, we bought some food from the market for lunch and headed straight to her auntie Stella's place. I cooked the nshima this time. I can tell that I am getting better at cooking it, as there are no longer dried chunks of mealie meal (corn flour) that have not been properly mixed in. They both told me a bit about their past, the "hell" they have been through, which gave me goose bumps. It is an inspiration to see where they are now, their successes and achievements, with all they have overcome. We then headed to Mwande's friend's baby shower, for 2 month old Janet. There were about 20 women, all with babies. I have in heaven, as you can imagine. It started off with singing and praying. There is always one or two people who lead the songs while the others follow, clapping away. Again, I got goose bumps and chills through my whole body. It is incredible how a group of women who likely have never all sung together as a group can sound like a professional choir. The songs were just so powerful and passionate, despite me not being able to understand them as they were in Nyanja. We then ate and opened presents and danced. Presents varied quite a bit, from 10pin (about $3) in cash to a soother to dresses. Mwande and I washed, rinsed, and dried all the dishes and the women were telling us they hope we have lots of babies who grow up and be as hard workers as us. No washing machines in sight. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. All in all, quite a different baby shower than those in Canada. I will be back there next Saturday, for yet another baby shower!

The photos - last post I forgot to mention what the photos were. One of is of my friend Mwande and I and the other I took in the village I had visited. This post, the photos are of my flat. My landlord and his family live in most of what you see. We live in the right portion, where you see a window, a door and another window. Then the other photo is of our living room and kitchen (with Heather sitting there). To the right of that photo there is a tv and another couch and to the left is the rest of the kitchen and our bedrooms. Small but cozy!

My love affair with Zambia....until I got malaria

Day after day I am loving it here more and more. We got our work permits! I can legally work here until 2010....so who knows. The weather is definitely getting hotter, averaging 35-40 degrees. Only to get hotter in October! "This is nothing!" people say. I usually resort to wearing a hair scarf which I wet to cool me down.

A couple weeks ago I got the opportunity to travel to Chongwe, a rural village about an hour and a half out of Lusaka - an hour and 20 minutes of that off the beaten track and into the bush. The YWCA is helping to build a skills training centre there which will also double as a boarding house. We went to check on the status of the construction of the building, which we discovered hasn't yet begun. Some of the local residents did not speak any English and and a boy I was playing with I don't think had ever seen a white person before. He was about 8 years old and at first he appeared to be scared of me but after some time he smiled and then we made some drawings with sticks in the dirt. I took a couple photos of him which he just loved and if I get the chance to go back to the village I will develop the photos and give them to him.

Last week I slept over at the CICC, where I work. The girls had been asking me to spend the night for quite some time so I was happy to do so. I brought my laptop, speakers and Zambian music that I have acquired since being here. The girls love dancing! We spent the entire afternoon dancing and laughing and playing. My hips sure are starting to loosen up as I learn to dance like a Zambian. It's really fun. I brought stuff to make dinner - spaghetti, sauce with veggies, garlic bread, and salad. A few of them had never eaten spaghetti before. They helped cook and really had fun doing it. Yum, it was good and everyone enjoyed it. Phew! I taught them limbo and brought some magazines for them to read. It was just such a fun night for us all. The next morning I was asked to accompany one of the girls to school, as it was "parent-teacher interviews". I felt privileged to go. And yes she is doing well, especially in math, science, and baking.

Last Saturday was Melanie's birthday so to celebrate we had a party at a restaurant and karaoke bar. We sang and danced the night away! It was a lot of fun. A couple of my friends from work came along, one of whom had never been to a restaurant before nor had ever used a fork and knife (nshima you eat with your hands of course). She was quite overwhelmed at first but definitely enjoyed herself. A night to remember, she said. I agree.

Last Sunday I was invited to a kitchen party (bachelorette type party), which was originally scheduled for a few weeks ago but was postponed due to national mourning after the president died. There were about 350 women, drumming, dancing, and food galore. A kitchen party is quite the procession - first there is drumming and people just mingling, then we ate, then the bride is brought out, covered with a chitenge (traditional fabric), after which the husband-to-be comes out with flowers and money, hoping she will accept his offer. If she does, she will take the chitenge off her face and they will kiss. Then he will leave and the party continues. Each present is then opened by a "helper" while the bride is seated on a cushion on the floor with her face down not looking too happy. I asked why this was and a woman told me it was a form of respect. When your present is opened you are to go up in front of everyone, explain to the bride what it is and then dance with the drums in the background. So picture a room with 350 women, yelling out in excitement, cheering, laughing, and pointing at the 3 muzungu's (white people) up there trying to shake our hips while not looking too silly. Good thing I have had so much practice with my kids at work (as well as at the club that plays Congolese rhumba, which I just love), otherwise I would have no idea what to do. They were so excited! I was so nervous. But it was fun! I am hoping that their laughing and screaming was with us rather than at us. My guess is that it was a bit of both.

So yup, it's true...I got malaria. Malaria here is like a common cold back in Canada - everyone and there uncle gets it on a yearly basis. I started feeling a bit sick to my stomach Tuesday morning but didnt think much of it and went to work anyway. It didnt get better. I threw up, felt very weak, had a headache, and a fever. I went to a clinic, they did a quick blood test and 15 minutes later I got my results. Malaria it is. It's true what they say - that anti-malaria pills aren't 100%. We automatically think of malaria as a disease that kills, which yes it does but that generally only occurs when people unfortunately can't afford treatment or those who live in the villages who don't have immediate access to medical facilities. In addition to taking the medication, lots of sleep, and 4 days off work, I also did a home-made sauna natural remedy thing that I was advised about from my neighbour. You take the leaves of a weeping willow tree (which look very different from those in Canada) and the leaves of a peach tree (both of which we have in our front yard) and boil them for 30 minutes. Then get under a blanket with the pot, mixing the leaves around for about 5 minutes and the steam takes care of the rest. Apparently the mixture of your body sweating and the natural chemicals in the leaves is beneficial! So no need to worry - I finished my last pill this morning, am feeling much better, and expect to make full recovery in the next few days. I go back to the clinic this week to make sure the parasite is out of my body completely. And hey, it made this blog a little more interesting! So despite getting malaria, I still love it here.

If you would like me to send you a postcard or letter please e-mail me your address and I will do so! Alternatively, you can send me a letter (hint hint, haha) with your return address and I will write you back:

Laura Shugar (obviously)
P.O. box 34906
Lusaka, Zambia
Africa

I would give you my plot number to send letters directly to my flat but apparently if you do that, and your letter looks somewhat interesting, the mail person may get curious and open it. Sending to the P.O box is safer.

Vic falls

The photos worked this time. They are both taken at Victoria falls. The first photo is of my at the top of the falls, looking down...a long, long way down! The other photo is of the falls - the right side of the picture is a section of the Zambian side and the left is the Zimbabwe side. As you can see from the mist, the Zim side has much more flow in the dry season. Photos just doesn't do it justice.

Hippos and crocs and elephants, oh my!

So not this past weekend but the weekend before we traveled down to Livingstone, home to Victoria Falls (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world). It was beautiful, despite there not being much water at all. Keep in mind that it has not rained a single drop in about 5 months so one can only expect the falls to be less spectacular this time of year. With this said however, there are advantages to going now. The falls are also called Mosi-oa-Tunya (The smoke that thunders), and the spray from it (in the rainy season) can be seen from 30km away.

So we boarded the 6am bus on Friday morning and off we were! The first 5 hours went by fairly quickly but come hour 6, when we began driving on an unpaved path, the bumpy road began and the driver swerved from left to right and right to left in attempt to avoid all the potholes, bumps, and ditches. But alas, we made it safe and sound in just over 6 hours. We were even given cookies and a drink on the bus! Luckily we had a few friends, also CIDA interns, who are living in Livingstone and gladly took us in for the weekend. First thing Saturday morning we headed to the falls, no time to waste. We hit up every viewing point, and considered crossing over to the Zimbabwe side (as in the dry season, the Zim side has much more water) but it was quite expensive.

"In high water a raincoat is largely ineffective as the spray blows all around and soaks you in seconds" (yes, quoted from a guide book). Thus, it is obviously much more difficult to take photos in the rainy season. Also, because it was the dry season we were able to walk on top of the falls, looking down! We rock-hopped to where the falls were and it was spectacular. There was a lovely rainbow and the water sprayed us a bit (which was nice because it was so hot). On our way back however, the water had risen (who knew there would be a tide?!) and the route we had originally taken was submerged under water. My anxiety grew and I was somewhat concerned we would get stranded on top of the waterfall. "Coincidentally" there are local guys strategically waiting here for tourists such as ourselves to take us back to dry land. Not without getting wet first though. Off our shoes came and into the water we went - at one point up to our knees, balancing on not-so-steady rocks. The only way back was to shuffle side to side along a man-made ledge the width of a balance beam. We created a human chain, holding hands to create more stability as the current increased in strength (does it sound like a cheesy suspense novel yet?!). After the initial shock of actually doing this wore off, it became quite an exciting adventure! We even almost had a few run-ins with wild monkeys in the parking lot on our way back into town.

In the evening we boarded a sunset cruise along the Zambezi river, which runs along a national park. Here we saw an elephant, crocs, hippos, and many different species of birds. We had dinner - a braii (bbq), and drinks and just relaxed. The sunset here is spectacular, going from a bright orange to pink and ending with a purple sky.

Our bus trip back was not quite as pleasant as the trip there. We started off an hour and a half late (after taping up the cracked windshield with clear packing tape), broke down about 30 minutes into the trip (whereby they fixed a broken tube by wrapping around an old t-shirt), had to back track when they realized that they had left tools behind where we had broken down, and made lengthy stops about 12 times. Ten hours later, we finally arrived home. And back to work we went. I am definitely hoping to make it back to Livingstone in the rainy season, to see the falls in full force.

I tried to upload photos of the falls but the internet kept cutting out before the photos loaded properly. Hopefully it will work next time.

Hello! Just wanted to add a couple photos. The first is my learning to cook nshima at the market. It's hard work! The second is of a skirt I had made by my new tailor friend at one of the markets. Not bad for $12 (including the chitenge fabric)! The third is one of the many powerful signs in Lusaka.

More to come soon!

Gospel overload...

Well as many of you I am sure have heard on the international news, Zambia's president, Dr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa died last Wednesday at the age of 59. In June he suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized in France since then. It has been a solemn time here as he was a very well liked president among many. The body arrived from France on Saturday and there was a full procession of cars and military along the main road through Lusaka, making its way to a conference centre for body viewing. The coffin was basically hitched onto the back of a truck in order for people to pay their respects, rather than it being in a hearse. Thousands of people, myself included, lined the street to watch as it went by. Now the body is being taken around to the other provinces in Zambia before he is laid to rest here in Lusaka next Wednesday. There is 21 days of mourning, which means no formal activities can take place. If your wedding was planned for this weekend you would postpone. I was supposed to go to a kitchen party yesterday (a ladies only, bachelorette type party where there is drumming, dancing, food and fun) but it too has been postponed. In addition, gospel music is rampant and is being played everywhere you go - at work, on the radio, on tv, at the mall, on the minibuses, at the bars, etc, etc, etc. There will be a presidential by-election in 3 months time. We expect that Zambia's history of peace and stability will remain during this time.

Yesterday one of the girls I work with said I was fat. She is 7. She said I am "big mama". Being called fat here is supposedly a compliment, as it means Zambia is treating you well, however it didn't feel like that at the time!

Petrol here is astronomically high - over $3 per litre. And we complain in Canada?! Due to this fact, I often notice the tank on empty. People dont get very much petrol at one time, they fill up as little as 1L at a time. Yesterday, the minibus I was on actually ran out of gas. We coasted for a while then some people got out and pushed until we got to the station. It was quite the sight!

Planning on going to Livingstone next weekend, to see Victoria falls. The falls are on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. People argue here about which side is more beautiful, just like Niagara falls. Unfortunately, I don't believe we will be making it to the Zim side.

An update on our immigration papers! We are still awaiting our work permits...When we entered the country we were given a 30 day visitors visa. So we went in last week to check on our papers. Luckily we met someone a couple weekends ago at a BBQ who works for immigration. We went straight to his desk and within 10 minutes we were in and out. Although out work permits were not ready as of yet, he stamped our passports, extending our visitor visa another 30 days. Melanie, who was away with work during that time was not able to come with us to immigration. When she got back to Lusaka her 30 day visa had expired. The fine was 1.8 million kw, or almost $600 CDN. Because of our new friend, he was able to wave the fee for her with nothing more than a warning. We must once again go back to immigration within 30 days and hope that our work permits will be ready.

Hope all is well! Take care.

Just a few photos...

Picture 1 is of this dodgy roller coaster whereby all that was stopping the people on it from going over the end was a few tires. The 2nd is of Melanie, Healther and I about to go out for a night on the town! The 3rd is of one of the girls I work with.

6th time's a charm...

After 5 failed and frustrating attempts in obtaining our temporary work permits at Zambian immigration, we have finally succeeded...well, we hope. We were told before we came that this process would not be easy. When I went to NZ, all I had to do was drop off my passport and a few documents at the NZ embassy in Ottawa and voila...4 days later I received my visa. Here is totally different. The first time I went by myself and the woman at reception told me I had to go to another office. The second time I went with Heather, Melanie and one of her work colleagues Midlam. The receptionist told us we had to come back when we had enough money, in Kwacha (Zambian currency), even though we had previously been told that we had to pay in US $. We went back the next day, with Midlam again, all our documents, and enough Kwacha, and were told we had to change the wording of one of documents - simply changing the word "visa" to "temporary work permit". So back to our offices again, re-typed the letter with the correct wording and then back to immigration in the afternoon. After putting our documents in the correct order and stapling them in the fashion they required, we were given the okay to pay. Unfortunately we were not told that as of that afternoon they had changed the rules, and everyone had to make payments in the mornings from then on. Grrr! The 5th time the computers were down so we were told to come back in an hour. So finally, the 6th time at immigration, our payments were made and off went our documents and application forms, into the land of the unknown....we will have to go back soon to see if our applications have been approved. Wish us luck!

Work is going well! The other day we took the kids on an outing, to a place called Dream Valley which is basically a large area with a pool and some rocks to climb on. It was nice though! They had lots of fun swimming and hanging out outside the shelter walls and locked gate with which they normally confined to.

On a funny note - saying "now" does not necessarily mean what we would think. For example, we call our taxi driver, asking him if he could come pick us up now. And he'll respond in one of three ways: "now?", "just now?", or "now now?" And depending on when we want him to come, we will answer accordingly. Now means anytime really, no rush. Just now means anytime in the next 30 minutes or so and just now means immediately. It took some time to remember which was which but now (or now now) it's quite entertaining!

Cleaning here is a huge deal. Everyone is cleaning, all the time.
1. There are always clothes on everyone's lines.
2. People are constantly whipping out their shoe shiners at every opportunity!
3. Zambians just love washing their cars
4. Sweeping the street, sidewalks, ditches, and driveways is very common.

If you would like to call me or text message me (which would be really exciting!), my cell is
011 260 97 947 4935. I will text you back, if I dont it's because I didnt get your text. Sometimes the lines are down and messages don't go through. In terms of my address, that will come soon. I dont know my P.O Box.

Hope all is well, wherever you are in the world!

-Mwansa

Yum yum Nshima!

I dont believe I have talked about the food here yet...well, nshima (pronounced sheema) is their staple food. It is made out of corn flour and cooked to a very specific consistency. You can use the same flour to make all kinds of different dishes. So it becomes this sort of lumpy ball of stuff that you eat with your hands with whatever "relish" (or side dish) it is prepared with. For example, there is nshima and rape (yes, thats right....it's called rape. Its a green vegetable that you cut up very finely and cook with tomatoes and onions. You can buy it in Canada and there you would call it rapini I believe. Or there is nshima and meat or chicken, nshima and beans, nshima and scrambled eggs, etc. Before I came here, people told me that they didnt really like nshima, that it's rather bland. Zambians don't use spices, just salt. I like nshima though! It's fun to eat. Bake a little ball of it in the palm of my hand and then dip it in the relish of the day. There aren't a lot of restaurants that make typical Zambian food but I eat it everyday at the shelter with the girls. I even helped prepare it yesterday with one of them! It's not easy, thats for sure. There's only a few windows of opportunity to add more flour and hot water. Otherwise, it turns to mush. Once I do it a few more times, I will start cooking it at home. More about food....Zambian's consumption of salt and sugar is exceptional! Most families buy a few pounds of sugar at a time and generally put 5-6 heaping tablespoons of it in their tea. When I say, "ay zikomo" or "no thank you" to sugar in my tea they look at me with puzzling faces. Salt is the same. I dont add any salt to my nshima and relish, but they tip over the bottle of salt and make a little mountain on their plate. On another note, the other night we went for dinner at our landlord's (whose flat is attached to ours). It was such a lovely evening! And, there was SO much food! Chicken, beef, game meat (which was warthog...pumba!), potato salad, nshima, rape, rolls, rice, 2 kinds of cake, and custard. A feast! There were so many of us too, cause they have a big family. In total, we were about 12. It was delicious!

Hmm...whats next? Today I was supposed to go to a court case of one of the clients but that fell through, so instead I went to a funeral. Unfortunately, funerals are not hard to come by here. I didn't know the man but I was asked to come anyhow. He was a very well-known and well-respected doctor at the University teaching Hospital and the executive director of CHAZ (Churches Health Association of Zambia). He was a large donor towards the YWCA. There were upwards of 5000 people there, open casket, and lots of singing. It was a beautiful service and seemed more of a celebration with the way they were singing and clapping. It was 4 hours long.

Work is getting better by the day. The girls are opening up and some of them have shared their stories with me. They always ask me at the end of the day if I am coming the next day. That makes me feel good! I proposed to them that we make a little movie, with pictures and videos. They love the camera! And more importantly, they love posing for the camera! It's really cute.

The other day I went to this compound where a group of women were making bags made out of recycled plastic grocery bags. So cool! I bought one, that photo is of me with the woman who made the bag. The second photo is pretty self-explanatory, me holding a baby (the baby of the woman who made the bag) which I loved! So warm and comforting (for me! I can only imagine what it must be like for the babies). The bag was about $20, if anyone wants one just let me know and I can go back and get one! Part of the money goes straight to them and the rest of it goes towards buying necessary supplies for a support group which they all belong to, for women who are HIV+.

Until next time...

Mwansa (which is my Zambian name that the girls I work with gave me)

Muzungu, muzungu!

Hello!

So things here are progressing nicely. I am really starting to enjoy myself! I had my first week of work and it went pretty good. I spent 3 days at the shelter and 2 days at the YWCA office. First I will talk about the office. I spent most of my time there kind of just sitting, waiting. There wasnt much for me to do but they told me to come there as opposed to going to the shelter. I found it rather pointless but kept quiet nonetheless. Wednesday evening there was a fundraiser at the Y for their 50th anniversary. They had performers - dancing, poetry reading, singing, fashion show as well as food and drinks for sale. It was fun but I think the turnout was less than they had anticipated. Payday here is the last Thursday of the month so unfortunately it was the evening before everyone got paid so people were saying they couldnt come because they didnt have the money for it. Come payday, everyone lines up at the ATM but by the end of the month, they have run out of money. So Wednesday I helped set up for the function and also met two girls who are completing their social work diploma at one of the colleges here. They are on "attachment" at the Y, meaning their placement. I was invited to one girls church! There are a few main questions people ask you when you first meet - your name, how many people are in your family, if you're married, and if you believe in God. When I tell people I am Jewish, their jaws practically hit the floor. The girls at the shelter are convinced I will be Christian by the time I leave Zambia. Zambia is considered a Christian country, if you haven't picked up on that.
So now to the girls at the CICC (child in crisis centre, the shelter where I will be spending most of my time)...there are 12 of them and they range in age from 4-16. At first, they seemed hesitant to talk to me or invite me to play with them. I hoped that in time, they would begin to trust me, as I of course understand that they may have difficulties with trust, considering their history of being abused. By the end of the week, I was playing with them, and chatting about God and heaven and hell. A few of them want to learn French so I am teaching them that, while they teach me Nyanja. I feel like I am learning quickly! A few new sentences I have picked up:
Tifouna kusovela - Do you want to play a game?
Vinoukila bwino - It smells good
Nizakakouyewa - I will miss you

There is one girl who is deaf so not only am I trying to learn Nyanja but sign language as well! People back home have been asking me if the girls appear depressed or anxious, considering the sexual abuse they have experienced. My answer would be no, not in the way we would think. They laugh, play, run around...all the things we would think a "happy" child would do. What strikes me most though is some of the things they talk about. For instance, as I was teaching of the girls French today, some of the sentences she wanted translated were "My mother doesnt like me", "I am stranded", "I don't have a family" and that, was heartbreaking. So there is no doubt work to be done, in terms of counseling, and in time, once trust and a relationship is built, I am sure their stories will come out.

A note about the minibuses: There is no such thing as too close for comfort here! That goes for the number of people on the buses, the distance away from pedestrians, and other cars. On a bus bench where in Canada, we would fit 3 adults comfortably, sits at least 5 here, maybe 6 if one were a child. It sure is cozy! Next is that pedestrians NEVER have right of way, so watch out, all the time! They wont stop. Period. Traffic here is busy, all the time. There are about 2 million minbuses on the road in addition to all the cars. It is often quite chaotic and could take 20 minutes to drive 20 feet. But even so, with all the traffic chaos, I have not seen any accidents (knock on wood). It takes me anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and a half each way to get to work. I have an interesting route though, driving through town. Lots of things to look at and take in. I have had a few marriage proposals on the minubus. I tell them, "Ndine wokwatiwa", meaning, I am married but they dont seem to care.

Muzungu, muzungu!! White people, white people! I hear this throughout my day. Some say it is used as a derogatory term but others say that it is meant as just so...white people. It is interesting to note where the white people are, it is as if they hibernate during the day. I rarely see another white person all day, unless I stop at the mall on my way home to pick up something I need (a bar of soap, some bread, use the internet, etc.). I dont see them on the minibuses, ever.


You can buy just about anything on the side of the road...peanuts, candy, potatoes, beds (literally, there is someone who sells wooden beds that I pass by), sofas, TV's. I love it!

We have moved into our flat, and out of the guesthouse we were in temporarily. Our new place is really nice. Our landlord lives in the house attached to our place, along with his banja (family). It has hot water! The guesthouse didn't so my hot shower this morning was really nice! Mind you, the shower appears to be either frigid or scalding. I have yet to find the sweet spot. There are 2 bedrooms each with a bunk bed. So two of us are sharing a room now, and we will potentially switch every 2 months so we each get our own room.

The first photo is in the back of a minuibus (with Melanie on the left). The second is me in front of the Y head office.

Well I am sure this is long enough for now. Hope everyone is doing well! Please let me know how you are doing, as messages from home are always appreciated!

Pictures

Hello mudzanga (friends)!
Just wanted to share a few photos of my first few days here...

Laura

Muli Bwanji?

July 26 2008

Muli Bwanji? Ndili Bweno, Zikomo! (How are you? I am fine, thank you)
Zanga langa ndine Laura. Nanga inu? (My name is Laura, and yours?)
Ine Ndine Waku Canada (I am from Canada)
Kodi asewenza nchito yanji? Ndine wotzipeleka mu YWCA (What do you do for work? I am a volunteer with the YWCA)

Well, as you can tell, I am learning Nyanja! Although English is the primary language of Zambia, there are many other languages spoken, Nyanja bring the most popular. Today was day 2 of our language training and it is going great! Melanie, Heather and I have 2 teachers - Elijah and Golden. They are fabulous! We've only had about 6 hours of learning and we can already carry a very basic conversation! It's very exciting. Today we also did minibus training with Elihah and Golden. I suppose it sounds a bit silly to do bus training, but the bus system here is pretty chaotic and very intimidating. So they took us to each of our places of work, we got on, got off, learned how to negotiate price (in Nyanja of course). It was really fun! So now I am slightly less intimidated and feel pretty good about getting to work on Monday. Mind you, I do have to go through the town's main bus station which is basically about 500 minibuses crammed into a lot, whereby every conductor is screaming out their destinations, honking their horns, and yelling at you to come onto their bus. Again, all part of the adventure! I am sure in no time I will more than used to it. Elijah and Golden are very special people, so kind and welcoming, always smiling. People in Lusaka are generally like this, its very comforting. On the minibuses today, we sparked up conversations with random people, again, in Nyanja. People laugh but Golden told us that that is common and it is not at all that they are making fun but that they are excited that we are learning their language. Nyanja is definitely not a simple language. There are different types of phrasing used for articulating formal (with respect) vs informal talk. For example, if I were referring to my brother informally, I would call him my Bulongo, but formally he would be my Alongo. However, if I were a boy and I was referring to my brother informally he would be my Mubale or formally, my Abale. So not only is there the difference here of informal vs. formal but also if you are referring to same-sex vs. opposite sex. Have I sufficiently confused you?

I am starting to really take to this town! Today was the first day I have truly felt this. It is partially due to the fact that I am finally starting to feeling better, but also learning the language, the bus system, and beginning to talk to the locals in their language!

Tsalani Bwino! (Good bye! - if I am leaving the room I would say this, if I were staying and someone else was leaving, I would say "pitani bwino" to them)

42 hours of travel, 4 plane rides, 2.5 hours of sleep, and one hospital visit later...

I am here!!! Where do I begin? The trip over here was long, very very long. We flew Vancouver to Singapore (with a stop over in Korea for refueling and crew change - 11 hours plus 7 hours plus 1 hour stopover) to Johannesburg (10 hours) to Lusaka (2.5 hours). We had Canadian Olympic athletes on our flight to Singapore - the swim team and the women's soccer team on their way to the Olympics! It was interesting to talk to them and hear their stories of how they go to be where they are. They are so young too! Between 15 and 27. So yes, as mentioned the flights were long and I slept very little. Needless to say, we arrived safely. We had a few people pick us up from the airport which was great. Beth, a VIDEA intern from last year who stayed here an extra 5 months was there to greet us as was a YWCA (the organization I will be working with) staff.
The drive into the city from the airport was a bit overwhelming and it really hit that I was in fact, in Africa. Lots of people on the side of the highway selling candies, kids with no shoes and barely any clothes, very run down housing. I expect to become more acclimatized to this over time but it definitely hit hard right off the bat. I was expecting they were going to take me into the office to meet everyone, as that is what I had been told previously, but I wasn't. That was fine by me though as I was obviously exhausted and didn't feel so hot. We got driven to the guesthouse we are staying at this week, until our flat is ready for us August 1st. No hot water in this guesthouse, or shower head. It's all part of the adventure! Beth took us for a little walk around the area, and to the mall. Apparently we'll be spending a lot of time at the mall! We were told that during our training in Victoria. So we picked up a few groceries, non perishable though as we dont have a fridge in this guesthouse. I didnt sleep well at all my first night, maybe a few hours at the most. There were many many dogs barking all night long and then the roosters started crowing around 4am.
I was feeling dizzy and nauseous as well and hoped it was just jet lag and lack of sleep. I still didnt feel well the next morning so off to the hospital we went! They did a quick blood test, results were back in mere minutes. Turns out I have a bacterial infection and I left there with some antibiotics. Hopefully I'll start feeling better in the next couple of days. We have not done much exploring yet but hope to soon. We start work on Monday. When I saw "we" I am referring to Melanie, Heather and I. They are the other 2 interns I am here with. And let me say, it is great being here together! Well that is all the time I have for now but will post again when I can! Missing you all...a lot.