Some details

Ok, so I’m at a restaurant and was sitting at my table and realized that all of my blogs haven’t been as detailed as they should be- I mean I tell you guys about the activities that I do here but not a whole lot about Zambia itself. I think its time that I filled everyone in on what its like being here, what the culture’s like, etc.
So, I guess its important to start off by saying that Zambia-unlike all its surrounding countries, has never been at war! This is something that people are quite proud of here (and fair enough). There’ s a long and brutal history of colonialism, but I think the reason why Zambia has been so peaceful after independence is because the government launched a hard-core nationalization program, which created a sense of country pride. There’s over 72 languages that are spoken in Zambia- Bemba, Nyanja, and Ba being some of the most widely used, but everyone speaks English. I want to learn Bemba or Nyanja, but its really hard to do in the city because people automatically address you in English. I know how to say hello and thank you in Nyanja and Bemba, and I know how to tell a taxi driver that I don’t want to get into his taxi, but that’s about it.
Lusaka isn’t very big- but it feels that way for the first little while. There’s a lot of little neighbourhoods, each with its own distinct character. My neighbourhood (Kabulonga) is mostly residential and quiet and not so exciting. I really like going to the busier places because there’s more going on, but I usually can’t go alone.
I’ve had to really accept that I simply can’t do everything that I was able to do in Canada on my own here. For one, it gets dark after 6 and its just not safe for me, as a muzungu, to be out on my own. Second of all, being female doesn’t exactly make it easier. Women do not really have equal status to men- and so issues of assault and domestic violence are not unheard of. Also, if something were to happen to me, it is acceptable for a man to argue that my actions/clothing provoked him. Needless to say, I don’t travel alone at night, and if I do, its by taxi and not minibus. This has been pretty difficult for me because I consider myself to be fairly independent. I like doing what I want when I want, and so I’v had to really adjust my way of thinking. After work finishes, I have about an hour to get dne anything that I need to do and then (as I put it), I go into hiding. This is where Dr. Gregory House keeps me sane.
Hierarchy is another thing I’ve had to become mindful of. In Canada there’s definitely hierarchy, but its not as blatant as it is here. I’ve had to be conscious of it, particularly because I work with a lot of medical personnel - who (if you want to get in touch with them respectively) you contact through their secretary or by getting in touch with them through another esteemed professional. You can’t just call someone and be like “Hi, my name is, I am from here, and I need to ask you a few questions about this”. Definetly not a good idea. I’ve also become aware of how as a muzungu, I automatically am given a higher status than a lot of people. This makes me uncomfortable, especially since I’ve started volunteering somewhere. I’ve become aware that I’ve been given seniority over a lot of people who don’t necessarily need my advice and who are already doing just fine without me. I realize that I do have some skills to bring to the table, and I’m happy to offer it to them, but there are definitely some serious politics involved. The first week or two here, I felt like my body was a walking, talking, breathing and historically loaded political symbol for something that I am both a part of, and also not a part of. I mean, I didn’t participate in colonialism, but my lifestyle in Canada and even here has been made possible by it. Its been very difficult for me to come to terms with, and I’ve had to almost re-adjust in my own skin.
On a lighter note, Zambia is very beautiful. Its easy to assume that Lusaka is just full of dust, but if you look closely you’ll see some great things. For one, the people are exceptionally kind and helpful (with the exception of the odd taxi driver). Also the vegetation is fantastic- there’s a lot of trees and plants that I’ve never seen before in my life. I won’t deny that serious poverty exists here. I’ve passed by the shantytowns and have been told that cholera outbreaks are not uncommon. As a health student, this infuriates me because its totally preventable and the government is s restricted in the preventative measures that it can take.
HIV/AIDS is a fact of life here, there’s no denying that. Zambia has some of the highest infection rates in the world for a lot of complicated reasons (for those of you at UTSC, GGRB28 is a good class to take, as is ANTC68). While everyone here knows about HIV, no one admits to having it and a lot of people are afraid to get tested. So, if someone is ‘late’ (passed away) from HIV, people will say “Yes, they were sick for a long time…”So no one discusses it openly, but there is awareness.
There’s a lot more I can write, but I’m not sure if I’d every stop typing. I’ll sign off here.
Thanks everyone!

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