I've made it to Kitwe.

It has officially been a week since I left Ohio. Most of this week has been spent alternately traveling and then waiting, over and over again. We just missed all those east coast flight delays (thank goodness) and the flights were totally fine. British Airways is marginally better than any American airline I have ever been on, food being the biggest determinant. Also, it occurred to me somewhere halfway over the Atlantic that it’s actually quite odd the way people behave about airplanes. The behavior I’m speaking of is the calmness. It doesn’t seem right that we can remain calm, sleep even, when we are moving at six hundred miles an hour 47,000 feet above the ocean… imagine moving that fast on land, I bet I wouldn’t be calm in that situation.

We spent half a day in London. We walked to the Big Ben and the London Eye and ate at a great little all natural deli and cafe chain called Pret. If you are ever in London, eat there. It’s basically on every street corner. Really, I spent most of the day thinking about the coming flight to Lusaka.

The flight was not full and I got two seats to myself which was extremely nice as we were in coach. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of Africa below me because we flew over-night but as we were approaching Lusaka, the sun was rising. It was spectacular and reminded me of Jodie Foster saying “They should have sent a poet,” in the movie Contact.

In Lusaka, we were met by a woman from the US Embassy which was odd because she looked professional and we looked dirty and tired. We were supposed to go straight to the lodge and settle in but ended up having to immediately go for a security briefing, without showering. The briefing wasn’t nearly as official as it sounds. We were basically told to watch out for pick-pocketers, don’t ride the minibuses, and be very careful at night. This was my favorite line: “If you do get mugged in Zambia, it will be with a smile…where as in Zimbabwe they might just shoot you.” This was the beginning of a series of mini testimonies that I’ve heard about Zambia. Everyone wants us to know that Zambia is absolutely not like South Africa and Zimbabwe and they are very proud of this (as they should be).

Even though I have never been on this continent, I expected it to be comparable to India. It is in some ways, they were both British colonies, but there is one thing that struck me as different immediately: the population. It is not very crowded at all. The whole nation only has 11 million people, which isn’t even half as much as Ohio. I find it much easier to breathe/think/speak without that sheer mass of humanity pouring down on me from all directions like in some Indian cities.

Unfortunately, we have arrived in Zambia in a time of national mourning for their late President Mwanawasa. He died on August 19th and tomorrow is his funeral in Lusaka. He was loved, from what I’ve gathered. In honor of his passing, radio stations only play somber music and all happy events, like weddings, have been cancelled.

We are now in Kitwe but tomorrow everything will be closed due to the funeral. We do not have a house yet but hope to have one by Friday. It will be nice to unpack.

Perhaps the bravest thing I’ve done this whole trip was come face to face with a large, hairy, black spider in the shower. It’s not that I wanted to kill him, it’s just that he was so huge, one of us had to die. My insides still squirm when I picture him.

I have not been to the orphanage yet but I have been to CINDI (Children in Distress NGO). I may do an internship or some teaching for them. Thursday I will finally meet Eddy and the kids, I am very excited!

Peace,
Vidya