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.
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