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| outside our gate |
So the two other interns and I have been in Lusaka for just under a week so far, although it has already felt like much longer, but loving it so far! We have all pretty much fully recovered from our jet lag and crazy flights, delays and temporarily lost luggage. My two roommates include Angus and Jeselle, who are the 2 other interns working with GRS in Lusaka for the year.
Home sweet home: Our house here is Lusaka has everything we need, four bedrooms (an extra for any other staff/interns who may come through), kitchen, living room area and a back patio area. My bedroom is great, got my own bathroom, big ole' bed and plenty of room. Although we are only supposed to have 3 of us living here, we do have a few hundred or so extra roommates right now. Whom you might ask? Many of us around the world call them "roaches," although we have begun to call them Jesus (in the least sacrilegious way possible!), because no matter how many times you kill them I have complete faith, and they prove without fail, that they will rise again, and again...Also, we have an awesome dog named Kamba, although I feel bad for her right now b/c she currently has a cone on and stiches after getting into some barbed wire on our plot a few days before we got here :(
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| Resourcefulness at its finest |
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| We don't need no gym in Lusaka |
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| our girl Kamba |
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| Like I said, office on the left & house on the right, VERY CLOSE |
Our office is on the same plot of land as well, so literally only a few steps away from our patio. Just roll out of bed and go to work, no traffic...wooh wooh! Our plot boasts a beautiful little garden (maintained by our rockstar gardener Giftee, who has promised to improve my gardening skills!), an avocado, banana, mango, lemon, and monkey fruit(not exactly sure what that is yet...)!
Another thing I love here is that everyone is greeted with 2 kisses on the cheek and a handshake that can last the whole conversation. And I am starting to learn a few words in nyanja , hopefully I can get it down pretty good throughout my year.
The weather has been absolutely amazing so far. "Winter" is winding down here, so pretty much imagine a perfect fall day sunny, 75 degrees, nice breeze and you have a day in Lusaka! The only downside is how dry it is here, it can feel like a dust bowl some days, especially going for a run and having the cars whip up a pile of dirt in your face. Mornings and nights get a bit cool, but can't complain. It will begin to heat up and get really hot towards the end of September/early October and then rainy season begin sometime in November.
Driving...yeah so if you weren't aware they drive on the left side of the road here and traffic laws? Haha that's a good one. As a programs interns one of my jobs is to get to know the city pretty well, as I will be taking staff and coaches to the different compounds to deliver the interventions and help run our Voluntary Testing Tournaments. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but honestly not as bad as I thought it would be. It takes a mix of being a defensive & aggressive driver, while being constantly aware of mini-buses/pedestrians darting out at any time! And I am proud to say I only turned on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker one time so far...
We had our first staff meeting/introduction last week and had a delicious staff lunch of nshima and the relish(different bean & veggie sides) that you dip the nshima in. Nshima(pronounced "shima") is the staple meal and carb in Zambia, it is basically a soft starch ball made from maize that you eat with your hands and dip in the relishes, delicious! It is a lot like banku or fufu in West Africa, and doesn't fail to give you a food baby while also proceeding to make you completely unproductive for the rest of the day aka ITIS.
The staff here is full of some awesomely crazy people, so it will definitely be a lively work environment!
This week I am learning more about my exact role/job responsibilities I will be working on throughout my internship internship, and we will be going out into the field and working with the coaches a bit. Updates to come on that soon!
For now,
Caseface
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