Sun,Sun,Sun

It took me 15 minutes to get first signs of a sunburn when I sat outside in the garden reading my book. The sun  is shining all day long and it is really hard to imagine that just a few days ago I was walking through London freezing like hell.

The weekend was relaxed besides the fact that my luggage haven't arrived as expected. The more exciting I was when I called on Monday and was confirmed that my luggage has arrived. I could sleep much better that night, also due to the fact that the night before Zambia had won against Senegal in the ongoing African Cup. It was a outstanding result and thus was followed by hours of honking the horn and "tooting" the Vuvuzela. When Andy and me took the truck to the office we had to get all stroing boys in the neighbourhood to help push-starting it. It was a funny way of starting the day. On the way to the airport I realized again how beautiful this country is, marked by the extremes of really poor neighbourhoods and shopping malls and Range Rovers.

When I finally got my luggage, I felt how it took a load off my mind. I could take my Malaria-Pill, I finally could get changed, and start feeling like I have eventually arrived in Zambia. On the way back to the office, I got to know real Zambian music, learned about interesting spots in Lusaka, and realized that the streets are full of advertisement warning of and informing aboutn HIV/Aids. Interesting enough that most of the time they highlight that in a relationship it is women who might have other sex partners and thus a couple should get tested. I asked Andy about the dichotomy that Zambia has one of the highest HIV rates despite the seemingly awareness and spead of information. He told me that the awarness is not the problem, but it is the pressure within the communities that make people take the risks. That there is a great difference between changing someone's attitude and changing someone's behavior.

On my way home after hours of studying in the office, it took us 45 instead of 10 minutes since rush hour in Kabawata (the district I am staying in) is ridiculously chaotic. Cars switched from the streets to the fiels, busses used their privilege of picking up poeple to sneak through the traffic jam, and since there are no traffic lights at all, the biggest car always dominates the crossing.Too bad that I was sitting in a damaged compact car that was almost falling apart and also was running out of fuel. I made it home anyway and started to unpack, took a bath and made myself comfortable. A feeling I was longing for during the last 4 days.
I start working with the kids tomorrow, Tuesday, and I am very much looking forward to the first week of getting to know the sites, writing reports about the activities and enjoy the African sun....sun...sun!