Comings & goings

I’ve been inspired to post because of my brother. He recently blogged about nothing, & it made me laugh…so I figured I should also throw something up here. (Which reminds me Tommy, what of your fish)??

Updates:

1. I have only taken 2 days off of that abdominal bench (and that wasn’t on purpose, I just kind of ran out of time). I’m feeling much stronger, though I’m still a lifetime away from a washboard stomach*hahaha*

2. Arrival of packages: Well, hand delivered wins out. Kelvin arrived safely with a massive bag of goodies…photos to come as jerseys get distributed. No sign of the snail mail package*sigh*

3. With the arrival of Kelvin, came Claire! YAY, so they’ve been staying with us for about a week now. I’ve actually felt like I’ve been on holiday. Claire & I open a bottle of red- or mix up some sangria- & sit out on the ‘patio’ overlooking my dead grass (that’s another story & photo), chatting, reading, or eating:-). I’ve taken a few photos of our ‘adventures’ that I’ll post later.

4. BSA seems to be doing very well on the basketball side. Both the under 18 boys and the under 12 boys won on Saturday (much fun- no photos)! The week before a couple of ‘my’ girls had pitched up, so they were able to join in a friendly game which was eye-opening for them & exciting for me- we’re still working on them!

So really, there’s never a dull moment. My Canadian friend Heather will soon be leaving Lusaka (which is not the good news) but the exciting bit for me is she gave me about six new books & the board game Clue! (Claire & I worked that board game out over a glass of red too)*grin*. Other than missing Heather as a friend…there goes my yoga instructor:-( Guess I’ll need to find a new Friday afternoon activity after she leaves. Boo.

So really, nothing new; I should have a few more photos & stories coming up. For now it’s back to the grind.

Zimbabwe

Well, it's not getting any better in Zim. Mugabe versus Tsvangirai lives on. Mugabe called for a "re-count" before any official results were released. A boat full of arms from China is docked in South Africa & the most Thabo Mbeki mutters is "there is concern". When he was in Lusaka for the big extraordinary SADC meeting, South Africa did not even admit that there is a 'crisis' in Zimbabwe, which is a shame, because the country is in shambles.

But they say if you don't laugh, you'll cry...so here's my fave email of late:

Mugabe was asked when he’s going to bid the Zimbabwean people farewell.
Looking puzzled he answered, “Where are they going??”

The Birthday lives on & on & on (cue Jack Johnson)

Just in! Kolo sent me these photos & I think they're great.

Here we are actually looking photogenic*giggling*

There were men at the party, but the chose not to partake in the photo opp.

That's Kupela, Layla, Christine, Namukolo, Emily, myself & Lauranne

My birthday lives on...

I was really excited on Monday when I received a hand-delivered birthday gift from South Africa! A Canadian former Commonwealth Games Canada intern-friend is based in Cape Town. Turns out she’s also a schoolmate to my workmate…so they meet in Jo’burg for their classwork. Kirstie being the star that she is, sent along these FAB gifts! I’m so spoiled.
My new Namibian bracelet.














A birthday candle:














I was going to say that hand delivering packages is much more effective then sending anything via post (as I’m still awaiting my birthday package from my folks)- when two things happened.
1. I received a package from Aly- holla to receiving a new book! and,
2. My Zambian friend Kelvin, who is now based in Edmonton is supposed to be en route to Lusaka for his first visit in nearly 2 years. My folks- beginning to get worried that the birthday parcel may never arrive- organized another package to be carried by Kel. But imagine this- he was refused to board his flight in the USofA because he didn’t have a transit visa. He was supposed to arrive in the next couple of days & we haven’t heard anything since the hiccup in the States…so that package may be as close as the package sent via snail mail.

Sigh.

But I do feel loved…& what a long birthday- I’m still celebrating:-)

The newest Addition

Well, Alvin came home on Friday with a surprise. (I hope he wasn't hinting anything about my waistline)- a new abdominal bench















It's a beauty. I've never been one of those people who'd do crunches & push ups everyday. Ask me to go running, cycling, roller-blading, play ball- anything, I'm in...but to be all alone & working on abs never really interested me. But, since it's spreading guilt in my living room, I've been on it everyday since he brought it. I'll let you know how long I last*hahaha*!!

Here's proof that's Al's using it:-)

Latest dishes

I had the worst hankering for nachos this weekend. Other than slurpees, I probably miss plain old tortilla chips more than anything...so I dug into the Doritos, even bought some salsa instead of making my own, & enjoyed a nachos & cheese lunch! Not quite like Pete's nachos (with all the company AND drinks to go with it), but I did enjoy.

















On a completely different note, another dish I have recently been hooked on, is "Sampo". Here maize kernels (NOT like our sweet corn from home...this corn is not sweet), are boiled & then mixed with groundnuts (or peanut butter) & sugar to taste. It doesn't look very appetizing, but it is scrumptious!

I've got hot water!!

Actually, the hot water tank was fixed on Saturday afternoon...& I've been enjoying luxuriously full hot baths ever since:-)

Grey hair

When I was brushing my teeth this morning I had a bout of the giggles. Two new, coarse grey hairs were poking wayward above my wet mane; I let out a sigh & admitted that I really am a year older.

I celebrated my 27th yesterday- hard to believe. I had a lovely day & was spoiled the whole weekend. A crew of us went out for drinks Saturday night & my batteries died in the camera, so I’ve been promised photos…they’ll be posted here if they ever to land in my inbox! Then yesterday Alvin presented me with a dress- I had picked out the material ages ago but hadn’t managed to get made into anything- (featured in the photo below), & a surprise dinner, with birthday cake for dessert. Alvin was in cahoots with a couple of great Canadian girls- so they came over bearing Indian cuisine (scrumptious) and a bottle of Amarula! A special day indeed.

(And I’ve been feeling guilty because all last week I was pouting- my parents were not sending any emails because they were off enjoying Arizona with my Gran- & I hadn’t received one birthday card via snail mail, not even from my Auntie Nada who is always the first to have something in my post box…) But after such a great weekend, it just doesn’t feel right to complain!
Thanks to all for the well-wishes! And thanks to those who attempted calling but couldn’t get through- I didn’t do too bad with calls from Montreal & texts from South Africa to Mozambique*grin*.

The new dress - with Christine & Alvin.














The culprits...and a table full o' yummy eats!

There’s no April fool-ing

It’s been quite the morning.
Our hot water tank has broken down…it seems that when this happens it takes weeks to repair*gah*. In the meantime we heat water in a basin & later dump it into the tub- not ideal, but a reasonable temporary solution. Except that this morning the electricity cut; BOO for less than lukewarm baths.

Let’s hope this morning is a big ol’ joke & the week gets progressively better as April pushes on!

All eyes on Zimbabwe

Today Zimbabweans hit the voting stations...will Mugabe be re-elected? I think the outcome is not my preoccupation, I'm just worried about post-election violence. Zambia has been following the pre-election hullabaloo...we're all hoping for a peaceful process.

On a completely different note, I think I've decided this is my favourite time of year in Zam. It's post-rainy season (knock on wood)*grin*, & pre-cold season. The weather is perfect. It's warm enough for tanks & shorts/skirts, but cool enough to be comfortable in jeans. I had a brilliant walk to the Internet cafe, enjoying a breeze the whole way (except when the dust got all up in my face).

As soon as I finish a few more things for Uni- I'm off for an ice cream date- happy weekend!

Chipata trip

I had the most lovely time in Zambia's Eastern province last week. We snuck in a quick trip before the Easter weekend to see a couple of project sites in a town that borders Malawi. I had never been as far east as Chipata, & wanted to send a couple photos to share the beauty!

The first night we stayed in a government hotel that looked so colonial. I had a massive room with a huge balcony. Here is the view from that balcony.















And here's the view to the back- it's so gorgeous looking out to the hills with the mist on the tops*sigh*. (I also loved my morning jogs)!!














The second night we stayed in a hotel that was way on top of a hill. The view was incredible (a beauty that I can never really capture on camera), but this is the view from the bed. Wow.



















That is Chipata down below, it was really a stunning place for a guest house. (And a great hill to conquer first thing in the morning)*grin*














I loved all the sunflowers in Eastern province. We had a 30km drive outside of Chipata town to see one of our projects. The school has an agricultural program so they use the sunflower oil in the kids' food. So lovely!

An afternoon for the ladies...

Well we had another successful ladies event last weekend (despite the fact that somebody actually invited a man- imagine)!
We enjoyed an afternoon of indulgence- wine, food, African entertainment, & good company.
Here are the last few women standing:-)


Kolo, Kupela, Me, Kujai & Iris

Me & the girls who are most like my family here!

A Curious Kawalala

It was a bizarre weekend on the home front. It seems we have a neighbourhood thief who takes the strangest goods. (Kawalala is one of my favourite words in chiNyanja - it refers to a thief).
Saturday morning Alvin hung clothes on the clothes line, as per usual. When we arrived home later in the day & he brought in the dry clothes, he asked if I had removed some of the clothes pegs. It appears that, perhaps one of our neighbours’ maids actually took pegs off of our line (leaving t-shirts hanging by one peg) for their own purposes. Alvin & I laughed, thinking, what a strange thing to take. People who don’t have enough clothes pegs usually lay their clothes across shrubs, rather than taking other peoples’ pegs.

But the really laughable story comes on Sunday morning. I had another load of laundry to hang on the line, & when I came in I asked Alvin if he had moved our garbage bin. (Remember my post recording my excitement that I’ll no longer be burning my garbage…that my flatmates & I have invested in regular garbage pick-up?) Anyhoo, the bin Alvin & I bought mysteriously went missing…and it had to have been in between about 06h00 (when our night guard knocks off) & 06h20 when I awoke. The hilarious bit is that the kawalala even left with the garbage, imagine?!

Solutions: Alvin bought a new garbage bin…& yellow clothes pegs (a new colour in the yard)*laugh*

Sometimes it is not the end in itself that is important, but journey to get there

It’s been a while since a weekend spurred TWO posts for my blog…Here's the first one. Or maybe the second one depending on the order in which you will read them?

For those of you who are unaware, Saturday March 8th was International Women’s Day. I decided to support some of my friends who were helping to coordinate women’s day festivities by participating in their activities. The day was to start with a march at 08h00. I had invited a French friend (new to Lusaka) to join me. We arrived at Northmead ‘on the run’ & found not one woman or marching band. I called one of my friends & caught countless apologies “Ahh, we were supposed to send you a message, we forgot to tell you the starting venue has changed…just go to Police headquarters in town, you’ll find them there”.
Sigh.
Iris & I decide to take the thirty-minute walk & try to head them off as they head from town to the ‘freedom statue’. As we’re nearing town we find a female police officer & after exchanging International women’s day greetings, she explains that the ladies were actually marching from Longacres to the freedom statue. Refusing to admit defeat, we toe-heeled it over to the statue. By that time I was thinking I was going to be late for my 10h00 meeting. I needed to start heading in the direction of my meeting. So Iris & I agreed to the happy medium: we would walk into the marchers.
It actually turned out to be a beautiful morning. All of the different groups had different matching outfits, so it was like walking past a rainbow. People were singing & dancing & marching along. In the end both Iris & I agreed that it was better to be walking past them rather than with them, because we got to see everyone, rather than being sandwiched in between two groups.

Later that evening a colleague had planned a Ugandan dinner/ baby shower for another colleague’s wife. And what an evening we had. Alison went over the top with scrumptious Ugandan cuisine (she’s Ugandan), prizes & baby gifts. It was a special evening for the ladies, with some reflection on the days’ events. Alison was especially furious with the gallantry of the march; she noted that the budgets for participating in such events are exorbitant. She felt (as an African mother), that the money would be better spent decreasing maternal mortality in Zambia. It was a valid (& thought-provoking) argument from a woman who works closely with the Ministry of Health, with maternal mortality being the worst performing MDG (Millenium Development Goal) in Zambia.

Regardless of the politics behind it, there is something to be said for getting a group of women together. Whether celebrating woman-ness, or to discuss our challenges, there is merit in being together. I had a memorable International Women’s Day 2008 to be sure.

Outsmarting the Zambian sun

In preparation for the Youth Basketball League’s opening tournament (Saturday & Sunday March 1st & 2nd) I thought I had all of my “protection against the sun” methods in place. I had my SPF 15 sunblock, SPF 20 lipscreen, my baseball cap & my long sleeve ‘quick dry’ t-shirt.
As always, the sun got the last laugh. My ears are a fiery red, and the backs of my hands are still giving off heat. I was apprehensive to go out of the house at all on Sunday…but I had to submit an assignment on line, so was forced to be seen in public. The burns are not as bad as they could have been…but after 3.5 years I should have a foolproof plan for long hours in the sun*sigh*
Burning aside, I am still beaming from watching our little under 12 boys play. It was priceless…the most exciting bit being that they’re really quite skilled. This year the YBL has extended to include under 12s in the league!

Funnily enough, the BSA team that performed best was the newly formed under 12s*grin*. The under 18s lost both games (I’ll have to sit down with them & re-group), & the U15s fared very well, taking 2nd place. The girls were barred from playing because they need to prove to me that they’re ready. I’m glad I didn’t sign them up because not one of them pitched up to watch the games (I was disappointed). But I’ll be at the courts today & get excited over some small thing so that my inspiration will be back in line!
Here’s a photo of the U12s warming up…with the Youth Basketball League’s brand spanking new scoreboard. Pretty sweet if you ask me:-)














The only non-basketball related piece of news is that Alvin went to visit his grandmother & came back with bags of maize and chibwabwa (pumpkin leaves). I really wanted to prepare the chibwabwa (pronounced like those hideous little dogs- Chihuahua) but didn’t have much confidence in my abilities. I invited over one of my colleagues & we had a blast preparing a hearty Zambian meal. Delicious!
Note that Zambian cook with a fair lot of o-i-l…YIPE.














Oh, I also had a haircut last night much better than the last one I had in Long acres market*hahah*. I decided to pose by the bike…I never posted a photo of the 'new bike' (we've had it since before the India trip). Somehow Alvin managed a swap of sorts, & got this brand spanking new bike for the same price as the second-hand one that had the problem with the pedal (like every time I took it for a ride the whole arm of the pedal would fall off). So this is the beauty I’ll be cruising on…I wanted to go for a ride this morning but slept clear through my alarm. I’ve got a date tomorrow morning though…I’ll let ya’ll know how that goes*smile*. And for those friends of mine who are really into bikes…this is like the Cadillac of bikes in Lusaka, & yes, it’s about the equivalent of a cheap Canadian Tire bike. But for all it’s worth, I couldn’t be happier.

I can't believe I forgot to mention

It's guava season! Whoop! It's almost as good as mango season...if only I could figure out how to make guava daiquiris...

Delays…

I’m not sure why I haven’t made time to post- lots of exciting things have been happening despite my preoccupation with studying.

1. There’s been an influx of Canadian visitors- YAY, one carrying a care-package from Sarah T. See Ritz bits indulgence below (it’s strange what one craves when away from home for a long time).















I even brought my camera to a party on the weekend & the camera remained stored in my bag for the duration- whoops. There’s been lots of time to catch up with old friends though, a most enjoyable weekend!

2. I’m coaching 4 girls at BSA…we only need a few more to make a full team- keep those fingers crossed, these girls really love ball, I’m so excited!

3. I’ve just finished a beautiful novel by a Nigerian woman named Chimanda Ngozi Adichie called Half of a Yellow Sun. I strongly recommend for those who are interested in my favourite type of novel- historical fiction!

4. I promised an update on my mini-garden. When I returned from India I found my Aloe had been attacked by some insects. Yesterday I went out & soaked the plant in soapy water (I read somewhere that dish soap is supposed to kill the bugs without harming the plant)- but it looks really awful. My dill has come up nicely, but unfortunately the basil has been wiped out by heavy rains, as well as the tomato & chili plants. Boo. I will have to re-group & try again. So much for my green thumb:-(

My poor aloe

My much healthier looking dill!

Adjusting

The whole week I’ve been preoccupied with school books, on-line discussion boards & simply re-adjusting to being a student again. Once I settle in, I’ll be fine- but for now, it’s all a bit overwhelming.

I do have some incriminating photos from Alvin’s “welcome home” bash last Saturday night. A couple of Alvin’s friends had mentioned they wanted to pass through for a visit & to check in on the “patient”. I decided to invite a couple of the girls over (even met some great Canadian gals), & prepare for celebration. We had a blast…and about 5 litres of wine (and that’s only the girls). Alvin was designated photographer as he was the only one with a steady hand (he’s the smart one who is not drinking)…

I’m banking on NO such festivities this weekend. I have to save those brain cells for my studies*wicked smile*.

Here we three usual suspects are cheers-ing to the girls who couldn't be with us- those who are doing exciting things in other countries!















This is the crew. What a soiree.














P.S. Alvin is recovering well. He's busy with work & physiotherapy & will start coaching again as soon as this weekend.

Sunny day

I feel like I can post this photo today (taken from Zambia's independent daily newspaper- the Post- Tuesday) because it is a beautiful sun-shine-y morning. I hope it holds out for the whole day because I want to find my boys at the courts today...keep those fingers crossed.

I shouldn't make light of the flooding situation, but these kids are serious entrepreneurs!

Otherwise, I'm settling back into work & daily Lusaka life. Alvin has started physiotherapy so we hope the road to recovery will be smooth. Our luggage arrived yesterday- at least I'll be able to sport some new Indian attire on the weekend...since I couldn't show it off at work*grin*.

Something I haven't reflected on since I've been so caught up in the trip to India, is the political situation in Kenya. It was a year ago that I went to Nairobi & met a host lovely Kenyan people. A Somali-Kenyan had opened up & mentioned how life could be really hard for her sometimes because though she was born in Kenya, she would never be considered Kenyan. (There are thousands of Somali refugees living in Kenya). I suppose tribal tensions ran deeper than I had imagined.

A friend I made there has lost both of his parents to fire bombing youth. I'm quite shell-shocked and can't imagine how chaotic life must be. Something I find quite ironic now, is that one of the guys I met had been to Vancouver for some exhibit/artshow. He told me he was so shocked that poverty like he saw in Vancouver could exist in Canada. These are guys who grew up in the slums of Nairobi- shocked that East Hastings exsits. Now we all turn and say "typical Africa". My heart is broken for Kenya and my friends.

The Taj Mahal

One of my Indian friends (who also misinformed me that the weather would be nice in India) recommended that we should try to hit the Taj Mahal. Since Alvin has been recovering from the surgery well, and the post-surgery physiotherapy wasn't quite what we had expected, we decided to take a chance & take a day tour.

It was well worth the gruelling 4 hour drive (one way)! I've never been one much for architecture or artsy fartsy tours, but the Taj Mahal is simply breathtaking. I'm so happy we went!

This guy nearly got run over by our bus driver. He ripped into traffic without shoulder checking or worrying about his surroundings- I can't believe Alvin caught the photo!

We had a very informative tour guide, & I'm fascinated by the history of the Taj Mahal, but I know how dry travel logs can get when someone narrates brutally long & unexciting stories. So please peruse the photos at your leisure, and know that I would strongly recommend jumping that plane & seeing it for yourself!

The view from the back, I thought it was lovely.

I'm really here!

The tour also included the Agra Fort. Again, plenty of cool tales about this impressive structure, but I'll refrain from gory details.

I loved this space because it was where the king would meet with his citizens to try to deal with problems. It all seems so civilized (though we don't seem to be learning from the past, what with war all over the world). The other reason I liked this place was that there was a palace for the King's Muslim wife, a palace for the King's Hindu wife, and then an area in which Christians could come & pray (though it wasn't clear if the King actually had a Christian wife...or if the guide was only teasing). Again, what a lesson today's leaders could learn from an ancient Mughal empire...*sigh*

Here is a view from the Fort & if you look hard enough you can see the Taj Mahal over Alvin's shoulder!