living like a local

---

So to get along in Africa you have to have a really open mind and just go with the flow - my time in Europe was very beneficial for me in that nothing here bothers me - the bus that you're in just got stuck in the sand and you're 60 km out in the bush, no worries. Supposed to take blood pressure and don't know how, it's okay. Someone asking you to marry them, not today. Brave, one of the Zambians that I work with actually commented on that - I went with him and 17 others in a combi (which is really a stripped minivan, so it was a bit tight) out to a village to do community HIV education. Drive out 60 km, half of it over very bumpy/sandy ground, debate over the correct direction a few times, and finally arrive, did get to see a giraffe! Afer a bit of sitting around, two guys started drumming and Brave and a few others danced and sang and performed a skit about HIV and STD prevention. I ate a few pieces of wild fruit and a bite of cassava - which was clearly the thing to do to impress the everyone - apparently most people just patently refuse to try things. Driving back we got stuck in the sand, not really a hard thing to do when you're loaded down with 19 people, so everyone out to push - again there apparently was surprise that I didn't get annoyed. Oh, and on the way out the spare tire flew off, got bumped a few too many times and came loose - some frantic yelling at the driver and we stopped and someone ran back to get it. Got back to Mambo Way 2 hours after the expected return time just in time to make a peanut butter sandwich and head out to my afternoon project, literally 5 minutes to chug a liter of water and back out.

So Brave and I went out to one of the local bars and then dance club last night - another thing he wasn't expecting me to do. As I was the only white person in bar for a while, it was a bit odd and I'm still not used to guys constantly asking to talk to me or trying to give me their number - it's really just the association with a white person that they want. Brave got a few looks as we were obviously there together - definitely not a common sight. I've tried to explain the 'i'm not married but i have a boyfriend' to people, but I think the only thing that matters is if I'm married - anyone who's not is fair game. So for the rest of the time here I'll be married. Lots of 'working' women at the bar, sad fact that sex without a condom is common, it's just more expensive. Tangent - the HIVE (HIV Education) program is vital because of the utter lack of understanding of how you get HIV and how to use a condom - many people reuse them or use 3 or 4 at a time, which is likely to result in breakage. Funny story - one of the HIVE sessions involved a lesson on the correct way to put on a condom with a banana as a stand-in. Only half the people ate the banana before practicing - Brave yelling, 'it is not banana, it is dick!" Yeah, HIVE is actually really fun - there is no off-limit question so you get some real beauties. Anyway, back to last night - after the bar we moved on to the dance club - the music is either straight out of LA, 105.9 FM, or African, so I knew alot of the songs - Sean Paul, Akon, NeYo...danced until 4 and closed the place down. It's nice to know that my spastic dancing fits in here and is considered normal - apparently that was a surprise for Brave as well, a white chick who can dance like an African. Then back home, I thought I was going to have to hop the really tall fence (not so much a hop as hope not to break an ankle falling on the other side) but luckily the night guard heard us and unlocked the gate for me. Off to bed for a few hours, wake up and walk a few miles to Zigzags, a guest house with a really good full English breakfast (bacon, sausage, fries, beans, toast) and free wireless. Anyway I didn't have that, just a banana smoothie, which was my first fruit in a few days. There's only four of us here now, most everyone went to Zimbabwe for a safari - I'll be doing that later. The rest of today has just been spent napping and blogging and putzing aound, it's nice to have a rest day. Tomorrow I'm going to go see the Falls, it's a short taxi ride away, maybe 10 miles or so. Then projects start again on Monday.

I've met a girl from Colorado - been working with her a lot at Maramba Clinic and home based care. She climbs, though not much recently, and has done a bit in JTree. Small world. Most of the volunteers are British with a smattering of American (California is definitely the place, 2 people from santa monica, then me, and a girl from SF.), some Irish and Germans. About 20 of us in all. I get along really well with everyone here at Mambo, some of the others not so much - I think some people just hang out with eachother - it's debatable how much they're really experiencing. There are definitely local bars and expat bars, so in a way there's two different Livingstones. I'm trying to experience the local one. And making just a little effort is really appreciated - I've learned how to say good morning, thank you and a few other words and how to show respect to older people (a modified clapping motion). This usually elicits smiles and laughs from anyone in the vicinity. Since I'm here for awhile, Brave said he'd give me some Nyanja lessons, so hopefully I'll be able to speak like a 2 year old by the time I leave. Things are a bit complicated by the fact that there are 6 major languages and 73 dialects, but most people understand Nyanje or English. It already seems like I've been here for awhile, and in a really good way. So off to shower and nap - I'll try to blog every weekend, but email is a bit expensive and slow, so I may not reply all the time, but emails are always appreciated! It's good to hear about things on the other side of the world.

---