Zambia Celebrates...and Mourns.

In the course of a week here in Zambia we had a huge celebration…and a major loss.  Zambia first celebrated 50 years of Independence during which everyone came together to show their love and pride in their country.  I was quite impressed and was happy to be here during this "Golden Jubilee" celebration.  But, then, just a few days later the country lost their leader, President Michael Sata .  It’s been an interesting couple of weeks as the country has gone into national mourning.  Tomorrow will be a national holiday as the late President is buried and a mass is held in his honor.  But, again, the country has come together to honor the President in a peaceful way which is a strong testament to the character of the Zambian people.  

President Michael Sata.

Zambia celebrates 50 years of Independence.

Zambia mourns the loss of the President (ladies in black). 

Cape Town and birthdays, birthdays.

I’m pretty lucky to live so close to an amazing city.  Cape Town, South Africa.  Well, okay, it’s not exactly close, close (I end up using this phrasing a lot now so forgive me).  For example, I will say, “I’m coming now, now.”  Which, in African terms, means I’m coming now…but not really.  So “close, close” means it’s close…but not really.  I had to take two flights to get there but it’s not like flying to America?  Anyway,  for my birthday all I wanted to do was spend the weekend in this amazing city with a couple of my lovely girlfriends.  Cape Town is one of those magical cities that has everything (if you’ve never been I’m telling you that you must visit).  It has mountains, the ocean, wine, shopping, penguins, beautiful gardens, amazing food...and so much more.  We spent the weekend hiking, drinking wine, going to the spa, shopping and generally just lounging around (not in that particular order).  It was an amazing weekend.  Thank you, thank you to my wonderful friends for allowing me to celebrate in style.  

My So Far Life in Africa.

I never thought that I would be living away from the US (and in Africa??) for what will be almost 5 years now.  I sometimes think it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done.  Other times it seems like the best thing.  But, really, I don't know if there is much difference?  

What this means for me: 

• ·         My things have been in storage for an eternity. 
• ·         I now drive on the ‘wrong side’ of the road like a pro.
• ·         I have made and said goodbye to more friends than I care to think about.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to stay on here in Zambia for a while longer...which I will do.

What this means for you:

• ·         You better get on over here to visit me while you can…I know you have always wanted to go on an African safari or see the beautiful Victoria Falls?
• ·         You can still send me a care package if you haven’t managed in the last 5 years!
• ·         You are all loved and missed “too much” as we say here.  

Peace Corps Love.

So I had the chance yet again to go back to visit my Peace Corps community.  When I left 2 years ago, I never thought that I would be back to visit every year.  I feel incredibly lucky that I have been given this opportunity to see the kids that I worked with (although they are all growing up!) and hug the women who were my family, and get up early to run in the quiet village while the sun rises over the beautiful Drakensburg mountains.  I think about my Peace Corps service and the quiet (and stressful, amazing, life-changing) living that I did there for 2 years.  I was telling someone about what it’s like going back and never in my lifetime will I get to experience being a “celebrity” but when I go back I definitely feel like a celebrity.  People embrace me in warm hugs (okay, they basically trample me) and smile like nothing I’ve ever seen before..my Peace Corps community will forever be a part of me.  

I helped with what is now an annual event of bringing a group of girls (all in Grade 11) from Johannesburg to live and help in the community where I stayed in Limpopo.  They get to see what I experienced (only that it’s a much shorter time period – a week isn’t enough time but at least it’s something).  And basically one of the girls summed up so very nicely one morning as we were talking.  Everyone is the same whether they grow up in a rural area or a big city or in Africa or in America.  Maybe we don’t all look or sound the same.  But we all just want to be happy and free.  To live in a world where we can have an education and play with friends and give and receive love.  I think that we sometimes believe that with poverty there is only sadness.  And I am not saying that it is easy or there aren’t difficulties that are maybe part of the reality that go along with living in rural area and we need to work to figure out a way forward for the many challenges that exist such as poor education systems and a lack of clean or available water and limited health services.  But there is also happiness there.  And the girls get to see that happiness…

I hope you can see some of that happiness in my pictures.  xoxo

Road Trippin' in Northern Zambia.

There’s this wonderful long weekend in July where you can piece together an American holiday (umm, that would be the one you know about…the 4^th of July) and then the ever popular Zambian holidays, Heroes Day and Unity Day.  I can’t really tell you what Heroes were celebrated on Heroes Day (nor can any Zambians).  And Unity Day?  I guess Unity Day is a day that people rest.  I can get into that…

Anyway, for this long weekend I headed north.  Having lived in the Western Province for my first year and then “the big city” this last year, I hadn't ventured too far into other parts of Zambia so I was eager to do some snooping around.  Two girlfriends and I had put together a 4 day travel adventure that would have us leaving Lusaka on Friday and returning the following week on Tuesday and driving about 10 hours north (northeast) of Lusaka.  We packed up the car and were ready for our adventure (if you would have seen how many bags of chips we packed you would have thought we were three 13 year old girls going to camp)?  But, really, who can go on a road trip without junk food? 

Anyway, the first night we stayed at our friend’s house (well, her grandmother’s house) in a village just outside of Mpika.  Unfortunately, we arrived quite late and were a bit zombie-like so didn’t get to enjoy much of the village hospitality.  We simply crawled under the blankets and passed out but not before enjoying the stars.  So many stars.  The next morning we had to get up early and get on the road to make it to our next destination for a guided tour.  That very loud rooster who would not quiet down came in handy in waking us up early the next morning.  It took us about 2 hours to drive to the Shiwangandu Manor 

(http://www.shiwangandu.com/).  It’s this strange British colonial house sitting in the middle of nowhere that has a rich history (you can read about the history on the website if you are interested) but basically this adventurous British man landed in Zambia looking for a place to settle as he was also trying to find the border between the Congo and Zambia.  We actually ended up staying at the Impandala farmhouse which sits on the property (about 3km away from the main house).  It was a beautiful old farmhouse with two spacious rooms and a huge kitchen where we could cook our own food (like we needed more food after eating all those chips…)!

There’s a natural hot springs not too far from the farmhouse where we spent the afternoon.  It was pretty spectacular to be able to bask in the warm water and sink your toes in the sand (and I’ll admit we were doing this while drinking a cold beer).  We then drove back to the old farmhouse where we slept almost 12 hours…it was probably the best night of sleep I have had in the last year.  Maybe it was the comfy bed or the quietness or the relaxing day.  Whatever it was…if I need to get a good night’s sleep again I’m definitely going back to the farmhouse.

The next morning we drove back towards Mpika and headed on a little dirt road to a place called Mutinondo (http://www.mutinondozambia.com/main_frame.htm).  It’s this little piece of heaven in the middle of nowhere.  It’s a wilderness area that has all kinds of outdoor activities - you can hike to 3 or 4 natural waterfalls, there are hills (called inselbergs) with natural granite which provided a kind of sparkly distraction.  But mostly there was lots of time to relax, read and sip wine from our balcony with an amazing view.

The only unfortunate part was the freezing cold temperatures at night.  Okay, they probably aren’t that cold but compared to the bliss that we usually live in here in Zambia it was quite cold.  We had to huddle around the fire at night and then quickly jump into bed around 8PM.  Oh, and then there were the bats living in the roof.  Not so pleasant when you have to crawl out of bed to use the outdoor toilet at night.  But, hey, this is Africa.

It was an amazing weekend and hopefully you will enjoy the pictures!  I keep trying to tell you all to get on over here for a visit.  And I promise not to take you to a place with bats…that’s optional on the African tour.

Work. Zimbabwe. And Habibi.

It has been too long since my last post.  The reason?  My life has probably gotten… boring.   I am sort of in a groove at work.  It’s good though.  I am enjoying the challenge and continuing to learn more than I would ever want to know about logistics and supply chain management.  Most of my time is spent in the office, behind a computer, analyzing data and putting that data into reports (not very glamorous or African, huh)?  I do miss being out in the field though and hope to make more time in the future to get my hands dirty not just analyzing data but being part of the collection process. 

Anyway, I have managed to make some time to travel these past couple of months (you can’t live here and not make time to travel).  I went to Zimbabwe to an amazing music, arts and theater festival called HIFA (www.hifa.co.zw). It’s an international event hosted every year showcasing local, regional and international music, fashion, dance, and theater talent.  I was terribly impressed with the caliber of talent showcased and couldn’t get over the organization of the festival.  Having lived in Zambia for a couple of years this has not been my experience in general.  There was a legendary concert here in Zambia last year (okay, maybe not legendary but pretty epic) which was not quite as organized.  The concert started 5 or 6 hours late, had one portable toilet for hundreds of attendees and even though you paid for a ticket, no one was actually checking tickets.  I do love Zambia though...oh, and did you hear about the WHO report on Zambia and our drinking habits?  Go ahead and read...

http://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/04/30/poverty-responsibile-making-zambian-women-worst-alcohol-abusers-world/

But my most exciting news to share is that I have been taking care of the most amazing dog these past couple of months.  Habibi (which means “my beloved” in Arabic) is a Tibetan Terrier and is one of a kind…I don’t know if I’m going to want to give him back to his family (who has been in the states for the last few months).  He has been a lovely little distraction and made me remember why I loved having a dog in my life. I'm posting a few pictures from my Zimbabwe trip so enjoy...and here's Habibi. :)

Habibi.

Running is not a Religion, it is a Place.

So if you haven't heard of this amazing runner, Dr. George Sheehan, you should read a bit about his story and his passion for running - and living.  He ran the world's first sub-five-minute mile by a 50 year old and went on to run an impressive laundry list of runs in his lifetime...but was more impressive was his philosophy on running.  During my Peace Corps service I started running,  Throughout my life, I was always interested in health and wellness but my love of running was rekindled during my time living in a remote South African village.  I can’t really say what sparked this love affair with running but I do know running helped me stay sane during my service.  I loved getting up early in the morning and running along the village roads in the quiet mornings.  It was my time to really clear my head and create some space.  When I was feeling frustrated or stressed out or happy or sad, I would lace up my shoes and run.  George Sheehan once implied that running was a religion but what he was trying to say was that it's a place where you can completely lose yourself and commune with God and yourself.  Here's the short essay if you are interested -http://www.georgesheehan.com/running_religion.html

When I started running, I randomly was participating in a few marathons here and there…South Africa is rich with running events.  Not so much in the villages but in the large communities.  So I did a few marathons and then this crazy ultra marathon (which is where you run the distance of two marathons).  I loved all of these events – not because I’m really any good but because it gave me a chance to be part of a community of like-minded people who love running as much as I do.  Anyway, when I left South Africa I have continued running. I typically run here in the mornings before most people are up and before there are cars on the road (because there aren’t that many sidewalks so your risk of dying is much lower).  I haven’t really done any races because, well, there aren’t any here in Zambia.  So a few months ago I decided I would go back to South Africa and run a couple this year.  Thus, last weekend I traveled back to Johannesburg to run in my first marathon in over a year.  It gave me the chance to see old friends, get my hair cut (very important since Zambia is not to connected to good hair stylists) and ultimately run in this marathon.  I was pleased with the run but really I don’t care how I do…I run because I love it.  Because it's sorta like my religion.  

Obrigada, Brazil.

Happy 2014!  I was lucky enough to ring in the New Year in one of the most beautiful places in the world. This was my first time in South America and without a doubt I am already anxious to come back and see more - our time here was too short.  I am reminded every time I travel how very little I know about the world, really.  One of my biggest regrets is probably not starting to travel earlier in my life.  I feel like being able to visit other places and see even just a small part of the world is such a valuable opportunity.  Yes, it can be a bit daunting to leave your comfort zone and try to figure out how to move around but it's worth the time and effort.  I hope that I continue to have the opportunity to travel around this crazy world as much as I possibly can...

Anyway, Brazil.  Where to start?  Heather and I tried to explore as much as possible of the two cities we visited.  We spent our first week in Salvador which is the capital of Bahia and sits on the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Brazil.  We stayed with a friend there who had previously lived in Lusaka and was gracious enough to let us stay in his summer home (he lives in Brasilia but is from a small town outside of Salvador so goes there to visit family).  We didn't have a car to get around and since his place was located outside of the actual city centre it was a bit difficult to get around but we managed after a few adventures. Unfortunately, neither of us speak Portuguese (Heather can manage much better than she will admit and could at least get us food and taxis which proved to be very helpful) but I was of no help.  I did figure out a few key phrases like "thank you" and "do you speak English" and "I don't speak Portuguese" but to have a meaningful conversation?  Impossible.  But, we were able to visit the beautiful beach of Barra and also went to the historic centre of Pelourinho which was spectacular.  We spent Christmas on the beach in Salvador (one of many days spent on the beach)!  But on Christmas day the beach was packed with families playing, drinking and making merry.  It was fun to be part of the celebration!

After leaving Salvador, we made our way to Rio de Janeiro to spend a week. Heather had been there a couple of times before so had a friend who graciously allowed us to stay in his home.  We spent New Year's Eve among hundreds of thousands of people who sit on the beach in Copacabana and watch fireworks and drink champagne.  Then people just walk along the beach basically all night!?  It's like a giant moving party with people everywhere...it's really amazing to see.  We joined in for a while and then took refuge at a house party.  Turned out to be a truly memorable night.  This night was among many other nights in Rio which were filled with fun adventures and drinking caipirinhas (Brazil's national cocktail made with cachaca, lime and sugar).  Quite tasty and a drink I will try to recreate when I go back home.

During the day we visited Sugarloaf Mountain which offered spectacular views of the city, the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemor) which is this huge statue of Jesus Christ that overlooks the entire city of Rio de Janeiro and is considered the largest art deco statue in the world, visited amazing neighborhoods like Lapa and Saint Teresa, and made our way up the Escadaria Selaron (stairs of Lapa) which are beautifully decorated stairs.

I have to tell you though that it was hot.  Basically you would shower to go out and end up covered in sweat within 5 minutes of being outside.  The lovely thing about this city though is that everyone is free.  Meaning they wear what they want and no one is uptight about their appearance.  So even if you are sweating away at least you are doing it among people that don't seem to mind too much...

I loved my time in Brazil.  I definitely want to come back again...I mean the World Cup is right around the corner??  And there is also Carnival??  So many good times to be had in Brazil.  I've tried to put up a few pictures so please take a look.  And, again, wishing you all a happy, happy new year!