Easter and Music in Zambia.

During Easter weekend, I don’t think I ate a single bit of chocolate??  Or attended any religious functions for that matter! :) But I did watch a lot of live music?  In Africa, you find new ways to celebrate holidays, I suppose.  

I ended up making my way with a few friends (via a couple of buses and taxis) to Siavonga (which is a beautiful little town/village on Lake Kariba which I think I wrote about when I went there for a work function a few months ago) where they were holding a Zambian music festival.  Although this was the first year this festival was being held, we had been told that “thousands” of people were expected to attend so were anxious to check it out and enjoy music outside by the lake.  Unfortunately, the “thousands” number had been quite inflated.  I would guess that maybe a hundred people were there?  After the initial shock of realizing we were going to be dancing mostly alone (oh well?!), we figured it was still a beautiful setting and there was great music?  So we enjoyed our time anyway…hopefully next year more people will take advantage of the opportunity to hear some great music.  Just so you can feel like you were almost there with me (!), check out the links below (I tried to give a sample of just a few of the great artists)!  I have to say that Zambian music is slowly growing on me…

Mutinta - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KMhtgftkI

Scarlet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPs231eK68w

B-Flow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odQDVWU2Df0

The outdoor stage at the music festival.

Weekend Travel Goes Bad.

I thought I would take a lovely weekend holiday to Victoria Falls but unfortunately it didn’t turn out exactly as planned.  I shall try to give a short update.  I started out taking the bus to Lusaka where I was meeting my friend Heather so that we could connect to another bus and go on to Livingstone.  Because my bus from Mongu was delayed (the journey from Mongu to Lusaka should take about 8 hours but it took a bit longer), we didn’t make our connection and ended up leaving from Lusaka about 3 hours later than anticipated.  The bus ride to Livingstone was miserable, 1.) because I was now almost 16 hours into my bus ride journey and 2.) we stopped at every little town/village along the way to pick-up or drop off people.  Anyway, we arrived in Livingstone on Friday evening happy to be there and ready for some dinner.  This is when the “unfortunate event” happened.

We were walking out of my friend, Joel's, gate to get dinner and it was dark (around 7:30PM) and I believe I had just turned to say something to Heather when all of a sudden I was at the bottom of a concrete ditch on my head.  I don’t know exactly how I tripped and fell but all I know is that my face was covered in dirt and my neck was hurting.  I was a bit panicked because the first thing that crossed my mind was that I might be paralyzed for the rest of my life.  Then I made sure my teeth were all still in my mouth.  And then I started crying.  Heather and Joel were now looking for me (because you couldn’t really see into this small ditch) but they realized I wasn’t just playing a game of hide and seek so they got two men from the street to help carry me into Joel's house so my injuries could be assessed.  

The short story is that I am fine.  I am not paralyzed, have all of my teeth and only have bruises and cuts.  Although I landed on my head, I didn’t fall hard enough to do any real damage to my neck.  Thank goodness.  So after a long night of picking sand and rocks out of my face so that the cuts could be cleaned, I slept and we managed to wrap me up like a mummy so that we could go to the falls on Saturday.  It was quite comical though because people would try to avert their eyes yet stare upon seeing me only to say, “Sorry.”  I started feeling bad for people who had to look at me.

After one day in Livingstone (yes, one day...that was crazy planning looking back), we took the bus back to Lusaka (a mere 8 hours) and then I hopped on the bus back to Mongu.  This should have only taken 8 hours but the bus broke down and we had to wait while they fixed it.  So, very late on Sunday I was back in Mongu after my relaxing weekend away.

 

I have put some pictures up of my weekend travels (and, yes, I put one up showing my poor head but it's not too bad, I promise).  I look forward to visiting the majestic Victoria Falls again soon...under better circumstances.  :) 

It happened so fast.

I was working in and around Mongu District last week visiting health centers (just doing my job like I do now...thank goodness I am actually starting to understand my job).  Every day we set out from the office and moved through copious amounts of sand to visit staff from various health centers.  Essentially, we check to see if they understand how to complete and submit monthly reports, then we do a routine stock assessment of the drugs at their center and also check to see if they have any challenges (and provide training as needed).  All in all, it takes a couple of hours or more for this process to take place at each health center (sometimes more depending on what drugs you are checking).

Of course you find all kinds of crazy things (not always related to the work you are doing…just in general things that amaze and surprise me).  For instance (and this is just one example...I have so many stories), we were meeting with the staff who run this very remote health center last week (it takes almost two hours to access by foot but luckily we had a car).  Anyway, as we were meeting, a small group of women came to the center and they were ushered into the back room (which is like a small clinic/patient room).  I was barely aware of their presence as we kept meeting (one of the women we were meeting with got up and attended to them).  We just kept on talking and working in the storage room.  Well, I’m not even kidding that maybe 15 or 20 minutes went by and I see these women come back out and start to leave.  I asked the staff what had happened because I was curious?  She casually said that one of the women had just given birth.  What?!  I practically fell out of my chair.  There had been no screaming, yelling…nothing.  And it had been seriously less than 30 minutes for this entire process (entering, birthing, paperwork, leaving).  Amazing.  No big deal.

For as much as I am amazed with all of the challenges that exist here I am equally amazed at the simplicity of life.  I felt proud to be in Africa as I witnessed how simple life could be.  Although I did comment to the staff (as they were laughing at my amazement of the situation) that there is no way I could have done what this woman did...unless I had been given some very high doses of drugs.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of the happy occasion.  But I didn't.  It all happened so fast.  So, instead here are some pictures of us out and about in Mongu. 

We got a bit stuck so had to push the car a bit.

Some of great animals in and around Mongu.

Sand, sand everywhere.

Yoga in Mongu.

Sometimes I forget how much I love yoga.  Especially when I haven’t been that diligent about practicing.  I'm lucky if I get on my mat a couple of times a week when I’m really committed.  And then when I’m traveling it’s even more sporadic.  I find it hard without a yoga community to practice with - I know it shouldn’t be but I miss practicing with other people even if it’s just occasionally.  It keeps me motivated and connected.  I was in Lusaka this last week and took a class with a friend.  It was great to have 20+ other people around.  Hearing them breathe.  Moving together.  I know it’s not necessary to have a practice that revolves around other people.  But it sure is nice once in a while. 

Recently, I had this conversation with a volunteer who just moved to Mongu (she is an Italian volunteer who came here to help with an agriculture project a few weeks ago).  Well, she got all animated and excited and said that she had recently started doing some yoga and would love to have a class in Mongu!  She asked if I would be willing to teach.  Of course?!  We had our inaugural class this week with just a few people to try it out and already have plans to expand.  People from our mutual projects as well as the community seem interested in joining so we have to find a larger space?  I can’t tell you how good it feels to practice with a community again…right here in Mongu. 

This is Africa.

I told someone the other day that I both love and hate Africa all in the same moment.  I don’t know that I can completely explain this sentiment but I know that I feel it.  I love running in the mornings and having a little girl smile shyly at me from behind her mother.  I love the sunsets here.  I love that you can see a community working together in small but substantial ways, trying to make things better.  But I hate finding laziness or corruption.  Or the fact that no one questions authority and that they can just accept things they way they are, even if they aren’t working.  And I know these things exist all over the world.  But I have found my way here.  To Africa.  And somehow every day I continue finding ways in which I both love and hate it here. 

The view from my window.

A Little Bit of This A Little Bit of That.

So I’m just going to post a few pictures of things that I have been doing while I’ve been out and about in Zambia these past couple of months. The first are photos from my travels up north during the training I went to in the Copperbelt – we visited this Chimpanzee orphanage camp called Chimfunshi (www.chimfunshi.org.za).

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835568537264084849?authkey=CNSymq3W7ODJbQ

The next group is from a “kitchen party” I went to over the Christmas holiday in Mongu. A kitchen party is sort of like a bachelorette party for a woman who is preparing to get married here in Zambia. They have all kinds of traditional ceremonies which take place during a typical kitchen party but the overall theme is to prepare a woman for her wedding and share information (only women come to this party) about how to take care of her husband (and you also give gifts to the bride-to-be). I was invited to this particular kitchen party by a friend from Mongu sort of by chance (without knowing what I was getting into)…it was fun. There was a lot of dancing. Lots.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835563594026715169

The last photos are from my recent work retreat where we went to Siavonga which is located on Lake Kariba (which borders Zambia and Zimbabwe). It was quite beautiful. Hot and humid but beautiful. On the last afternoon we took a boat cruise and were hoping to see some hippos. We didn’t but we still had a good time.

https://plus.google.com/photos/108740867339265842929/albums/5835568537264084849

And you can now get to all of my photos anytime by clicking on the link which says My Photo Album on the right over there.  It should be working.

Enjoy!

 

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like...

2013.  You thought I was going somewhere else with that opening, didn’t you?!  J  Happy New Year!  I am pleased to report that I have successfully made it through another year.  I do have to admit that 2012 was probably not my most productive year.  Strangely, I sort of felt like 2012 was my “gap year.”  You know, that year between high school and college (not that I am at all in this age range but it’s the idea)?  Maybe I just needed some time to figure things out.  I wasn't really planning it this way.  I didn't have a map.  It just seemed to happen. 

Let’s see, I finished my Peace Corps service in South Africa at the beginning of 2012 (which has changed my life in so many ways).  Then I took a month long hiatus trip floating around South Africa after which I traveled back to the US of A…and lived with my parents for the next several months.  Well, actually, for about a month during that time I traveled here and there.  And the entire time I was searching to find my place in the world all the while letting go of old habits that weren't really helping me move forward.  And, now, here I am.  In Zambia.  Where I finished out the remainder of 2012. 

I don’t know that I have had some big revelation which is making me feel like it’s now going to be okay.  But I think it's going to be okay.  And I don’t have any regrets about 2012.  It was a good year.  One that I will never forget.  And, just for fun, I thought I would share a couple of songs that will forever remind me of New Year's 2013 in Zambia (hopefully the links work)!  

Fuse ODG featuring Wyclef Jean

DJ Vetkuk vs. Mahoota featuring Dr. Malinga