Bonjour all, I can’t believe it’s the end of July already! Absolutely crazy. That means I’ve been here almost 2 months! Work has been busy- I am trying to finish up a grant proposal that is due on Aug 1st, but we want to email it in Thursday. Its going well, except the budget portion (its math…go figure). I’m not sure what I will be working on after this- I’ll probably have to find myself another project- I will probably end up working in the organization’s database a bit. Its been a very frustrating process but I have learned a lot [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi All, I apologize for the lapse in communication, I haven’t been visiting internet cafes that much lately. What I usually do is write blog stuff at home and post it when I access internet. I’m a bit behind… Last week (when I got back from Vic Falls): My 3-day week at the office was quite eventful (remember there was a 4 day weekend). Technically, I guess it was a 4 day week because I came back a day early to meet up with Dan and get moving on the proposal. Dan has a motorbike, so he picked me up and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello All, I’ve been having a pretty interesting time. Never a dull moment in Zambia! Last week was very trying for me. Dan and I worked very hard on a funding proposal for the last few weeks. We met with our boss several times to discuss, edit, etc. and were quite proud of the final result. Our boss gave it the thumbs up, told us he really liked it, and we sent it off to our partner NGO for a second review. We did not get the response we had been hoping for… When I got the email, I almost burst [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everyone, I FEEL TERRIBLE. I completely forgot that today was Canada Day until about noon. Epic fail. So…Happy Canada Day everyone! It’s been absolutely FREEZING here. Well, for Zambian standards anyways- about 10 C. My office has windows on almost all sides, and the windows don’t close, so I’ve spent the last day freezing in my summer office clothing, enjoying the cold breeze as it drifts into the room, icing up my fingers as they type away furiously at my keyboard. I gave up today, walked home and grabbed my jeans and a jacket, I was too cold to care [View Full Entry]

---

---

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 [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi All, Hope all is well in Hamilton, Toronto, London, Market Lavington, Australia, etc. Its been an interesting week so far. I’ve been spending a lot of time on this funding proposal, it will never end! I’m trying to organize/plan a budget, which is a bad thing since I am terrible at math! I’m terrified to see my boss’s reaction when I hand it in, hopefully by the end of today. On Monday, I tackled the Immigration Office. After waiting in line, I was told that although I had collected the paperwork for a work permit, I needed a police check. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everyone, So, I have recieved a few emails asking some good questions that I figured where worth responding to on the blog. About my work...(I'm trying to keep names annonymous on this blog, but I'll give you a description). I am working for a tiny 5-person NGO that does work in health policy. Specifically, we address the gap that exists between researchers and policy makers. Ideally, health policies should be based on evidence (ex. mosquito nets should be used to prevent malaria due to inimal health affects and affordability) but that's not how it seems to be working here (going [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everyone, I guess I owe tout le monde an update! Its been both busy and not so busy all at once. Last weekend was pretty eventful. Okay, Friday wasn’t really, I kicked back with a few episodes of House (I have a growing fondness for that bitter man). Saturday, I was both brave and stupid and decided that it would be a really good idea to go explore downtown for the first time by myself. After figuring out which minibus to take and being crammed in next to an elderly man who spent most of the ride coughing into my [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi everyone, Due to popular demand, I am posting photos of my new home. Currently, its just me here at the moment. My roomates are still away, probably until Friday. I must admit that I live in a gated community- safety first! I've introduced myself to the gate guards- you have to knock on the gate to get in or "hoot" your horn if you're in a cab. My room's just the right size, but all I have is a bed and zero furniture...its a work in progress. My roomates have some seriously awesome CDs, including Aqua, this is a good [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi all, So, good news: I am no longer homeless and have moved into a house on Martin Luther Kind Rd (I know, awesome name, right?). It took me a grand total of 30 minutes to unpack my stuff, but it'll begin to feel a bit more like home in time. I've only met one roomate so far- Mike (fake name) who is quite an interesting guy. He grew up here when it was still Rhodesia (!), his parents run a hunting company and he runs his own steel business. I am yet to meet Jason- an American who works for [View Full Entry]

---

---