A Packet of Nescafe

Today a packet of Nescafe, tomorrow black tea with milk so far that’s my week planned out. Living in the bush can be very exciting. Which flavour will it be today I ask myself, shall I live on the wild side and chose mint tea?

Back in my village again after a lovely Christmas vacation. My n’ganda is still standing, my cat is still alive; this is very important after I had a long telephone conversation half in Mambwe and half in English discussing whether my cat was dead or alive, and my garden is in full bloom. In addition I have added Cilantro, Peppers, Carrots and Split Peas.

I reflect back on vacation and am amazed we are still alive. Let me begin by explaining our adventure even before arriving to Livingstone. Meera and I hitched from Mbala to Kasama then waited four hours till our next hitch took us to Mpika. From there we picked up Sarita and caught another hitch to Capiri where we stopped for Shwarma and a Scotch Egg. Happy and satisfied with our greesy Scotch eggs, we caught another hitch which took us to Kabwe and then our final hitch of the day to Lusaka. Wheewe. After resting for a few days in Lusaka we caught our final hitch down to Livingstone which was the most intense ride thus far. We continually grabbed the “oh shit handles” in the car as we swerved all over the dirt road, like I said intense. Finally relieved, stressed and hungry we climbed out of our ride and arrived safely to our hostel in Livingstone.

The next few days we spent in Livingstone were booked full leaving us no time for rest. The following day after our arrival we began death defying act #2. White Water Rafting down the Zambezi River which is ranked number 3 out of the Top Ten Rivers in the World (or so the internet tells us). This adventure included the feeling of drowning, being flipped three times and saved by Steve, our wonderful rafting guide, and swimming with “vegetarian” crocodiles. Thanks rafting guide for mentioning the crocodiles after the completion of our trip. However in the end, rafting was the best part of our vacation and we made it out alive…Highly recommended by the way!

On Christmas our journey continued and off we went to Botswana for a 2 day 1 night Safari at Chobe National Park. We drank tea and coffee while boating down the river full of Hippos, Elephants, Water Buffalo and Crocs. We drove around and saw Zebras, Elephants, Hyenas, Wild Dogs, apparently these are rare, and much more. Our posh tents were equipped with soft plush bedding and rain jackets due to the torrential down pours we experienced at camp. All was calm and relaxing till the next day back on the boat again and death defying act #3 happened. Our boat silently pulls up to a group of Elephants playing in the water when one starts to meander over to our boat. We all sit there silently when the elephant starts to become irritated stomping around and then charges our boat however then decides it’s had enough of us and turns around and leaves. Talk about scary we almost peed ourselves, not really…

Fortunately for us we make it back alive and the following day we leave back up north. Our first hitch takes us as far as Kabwe again where we stop for a latte and delicious muffins. At this point of our journey we are loving life and all seems swell. We continue to hitch and surprisingly find someone going all the way to Kasama, the exact place we want to go. Unfortunately for us, our ride did not mention there was to be a stop in between and hours later proceeds to drop us off in the middle of nowhere with no expectations of picking us up again. We attempted to hitch down what little traffic we did encounter but to no avail, no luck. An hour later as the sun is setting, our ride appeared and picked us up to continue our 8 hour journey to Kasama. In the distance we could see the beginning of the 100K stretch of bad pot holed road and the sun setting behind the mountains, all we could do was pray. We were swerving all over the road to miss the pot holes but somehow would plow right through them. A saying someone once told me the driver says “ If you break before hitting the pot hole all the vehicles weight will go into the tires causing damage to your vehicle. If you continue to drive fast through the pot hole, it’s better for you and your car”. This little stunt became death defying act #4, and whoever told our driver this little factoid needs to stop and check out their vehicle and bodies after going through the potholes.

In the end we all made it to our respected sites in one piece and with no regrets. Vacation was amazing, we met a lot of really great people, tried a variety of different adventures and best of all ate amazing food.

Katie

*If this adventurous vacation has sparked your interest, stay tuned till next month, February, when we set sail to Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Cramp, Liver, Diaphragm!!! Which is it?

I traveled to Lusaka this week for a lost retainer. Where it has gone, nobody knows...The problem is, in the last four months I have moved about eight times. The retainer packed his bag and said, "no more moving for me, I'm staying where I'm at." Where that is, like I said "nobody knows!" It was the first time I have been down to Lusaka in one month, really not long at all but this time was a little different, we embarked on an adventure to get down here. First I took the night bus from Mbala to Mpika and stayed overnight, for an important meeting of course. The meeting consisted of Popcorn balls and Peanut Brittle, so as you can tell there was much to discuss. Then from there Sarita and I proceeded to find a hitch, which only took 40 minutes to find. Upon climbing into the vehicle, the driver asked, "so what are you contributing to petrol?" Well he was going to Capiri anyway why did we need to contribute right? After a long discussion and much negotiating we came to K50,000 total, which was frustrating but in the end I was fine with. By the end of the trip, we had long discussions and found out that our driver was an extremely intelligent, motivated and just friendly man, and enjoyed every minute of the long 6 hour drive. We even got most of our money back and bought shwarma with the returned kwacha. We were dropped in Capiri where we ate our lunch and eargerly looked for our next victims. After many NO's we were frustrated until we happened upon a man who knew Sarita and told us to hop into the back. This is where my troubles of the diaphragm began. We had another great hitch and this man was wonderful as well so we finally arrived into Lusaka safe and sound around 6pm.

Later the next day I went to see our PCMO. She informed me that I might have a liver problem, this was consultation number 1. She quickly scribbled the address and off I went to get an ultra sound. The next doctor informed me that it was not my liver that it might just be my muscles cramping, consultation number 2. Lastly I saw a doctor who reviewed my results and informed me that it was most likely a torn or injured diaphragm, consultation number 3. In the end, I have three very different opinions and after a long day of traveling around, my stomach still hurts and I am certainly no better off than I started. I will see how I bear the pain tomorrow...till then we will see.

Poor lost retainer, always on the back burner.

Stay tuned till next time...what will the conclusions and results be?

Technological advances! It it has taken a while for of to figure out how to post on a mobile shoe so here we go. As we speak i am enjoying a cup of hot cider and sitting on my stoop of my nganda, house. It is early morning here in zambia and there is a brisk wind that forces me to where a jacket, which for their hottest month i really cant complain. The jacket also helps keep the mosquitos away. Yesterday i attended my first zambian wedding, i spent most of the day cramped up against the wall packed in with at least forty women, i think this only added to the experience. I watched women make music with wooden chairs, sing and dance the traditional dances. When i attempted these dances the women burst out laughing which lead me to believe that i rocked those dances. The festivities died down and at last we were on our way home. Next wedding is in one month so i know what i will need to practice till then. My oatmeal and cider are calling my name till next time, dancing queen!

Technological advances! It it has taken a while for me to figure out how to post on a mobile phone so here we go. As we speak I am enjoying a cup of hot cider and sitting on the stoop of my n'ganda, also known as a house. It is early morning here in Zambia and there is a brisk wind that forces me to where a jacket, which for the hottest month of the year I really can't complain. The jacket also helps keep the mosquito's away, just say NO to Malaria! Yesterday I attended my first Zambian wedding where I spent most of the day cramped up against the wall packed in with at least forty women. This of course only added to the experience. I watched women make music with wooden chairs, sing and dance the traditional dances, and just laugh and enjoy one anothers company. Of course when I attempted to partake in the traditional dances, the women burst out laughing. This leads me to believe that I really rocked those dances. The festivities lasted all day and I began to grow tired, so as soon as they died down, we were on our way home...thank goodness! Next wedding is in one month, till then I will be practicing in my house and I will show these women that white women CAN dance. My oatmeal and cider are calling my name till next time;

Dancing Queen!

Rolling+Rumbling Thunder

Last night was the beginning of the rainy season, however many would object to this statement. If it is indeed the beginning of the rain, the cycle of Zambia will be thrown out of wack. Agriculture is just being started, houses are not done and fish ponds are awaiting the big dig. When I speak of housing I speak mainly of my own roof and hut.

I have been living in Zambia for nearly two months, if not more at this point, eagerly awaiting to move out into my village, greet the cheif and get on with my work. Problem is my house is not yet finished so here I sit, sipping my hot chocolate and writing on a computer. Yes I am enjoying a hot chocolate on a hot muggy day, so what! I can't really complain it is much easier to read at night with electricity and cook a soya and vegetable dinner on a stove that I easily turn to number 8, but I did sign up for Peace Corps fully aware that I will not have electricity nor will I have a stove, so here I await for the final word on my hut. I am however longing for a package ku Amelika which inside contains a headlamp that my mother happily sent. This way I will be able to continue my books, "Into the Wild" then on to "Northanger Abbey" then possibly "A Walk in the Woods." So many books, and surprisingly so much time...how odd!

For Now, Northern Zambia is treating me well.