It has been a while since I last updated you on my adventures in Zambia. That is due to two reasons. First, after my stay in Livingstone there has been very much a routine in my every day activities as well as in my work at the sites. Due to heavy rainfalls are we most of the time without internet at the office which prevents me from uploading pictures, and write reports frequently.
However, the last 2 weeks were not without some highlights to be mentioned
1) One of the biggest changes that occurred in our house has probably been the installation of a DSTV box which now provides us with 196 TV channels and covers most sport events. Instead of spending many hours and much money at the bars around the corner, Marten and me are very much enjoying watching the games from our couch. Getting the dish on the roof, setting the cables as well as struggling with the impact of the weather was a fight to remember. Marten and I agreed: It was worth it.
2) I booked another long weekend at the hostel in Livingstone in order to experience African wildlife once again this time with Marten and Dominique. We are going to do a one-day Safari trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, see the Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwean side as well as enjoy the All-you-can-drink/eat feature at the sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. It is also some sort of finishing up my stay in Zambia since I will have only 4 days left in Lusaka before heading home to Sweden.
3) In the middle of the night (22.00 – yes I was already asleep since I am working sooooooooo hard) I heard the familiar voice of Andy outside of the gate. It has been only a few weeks since he left, but it was good to see him again. And I think it was very much satisfying to come back to the place he used to live.
4) Talking about Sasha….this dog/puppy drives me crazy. She is all over the laundry, eats my socks, attempts to eat my Flip-Flops and is hungry all the time. Well I can sympathize with the last point since I do not like to be hungry neither. Anyway, I was just getting some supplies at the corner shop when she decided to jump into one of the garbage wholes of our neighbor’s house. Apparently the food she found there was more important than figuring out how to get out of the whole again. It took me 1 hour and help of 4 other people when I finally gave up and went home. Surprisingly, Marten needed only 2 minutes to say the magic words and to bring her home. I have to learn Dutch since it appears to me very similar to whatever language dogs are speaking.
5) My work is just going great. I spend hours in the sun with amazing kids, have a great time with peer leaders, and coach handball and basketball teams in the afternoon. The last weeks have been some successful weeks as well. Both boys and girls played at a very high level during school games and finished 2nd and first place respectively. It was a bless to see the long hours of practice eventually work out.
6) Last Monday Marten invited me to assist in one of his lessons at at school/facility that works with and takes care of children with physical and mental disabilities. This experience showed me once again the power of sports to bring joy into the lives of children as well as how to improve the
skills acquired through sports.
7) Constant highlight is actually my stomach who decides to be upsetting me all the time. I don’t know what to eat or drink anymore and I started to get used to it instead. Marten has some sort of wonder pills that make my stomach shut up for a minute but I am looking forward to the time when I am back in familiar surroundings. I could give you further insights into the situation in my stomach but I assume that this is of least interest to you.
8) We went to a couple of markets in town and close to our place. Markets here in Zambia are colorful, entail many different smells, offer the weirdest things to purchase and most often end with me and Marten leaving the market with empty hands. It is however an experience that gives insight into the traditional routines regarding food consumption and production though appears to me, and my stomach, to be an adventure to pass on.
9) One thing, however, that I would not like to miss out on is the fruits in Zambia. It is such a difference in the quality of taste compared to what I get back home in Sweden. The most recent revelation was the eating of a pineapple which blew my mind. I am still thinking about how to get as many pineapples as possible to Sweden without causing a stir
Next updates coming soon! Have a great week!
Mulenga – Njonka (means “snake” my other nickname since my skin peels off at least once a month due to sunburns )
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