What's been happening...

This is where I live.  

Just behind us is the main dirt road, and just behind that is Mukinge Hill.

This is the house I share with Anja and Missy. It is big and inside and outside are going to require a lot of maintenance!

Ok so…  What have I been up to in Zambia??
In the first few days I’ve done lots of different things. I’ve been walking up and down a dusty road and greeting people in Kikaonde (or trying!),

 hiking up Mukinge Hill 

and having a picnic at the river with some local girls, 

helping the male ward at the hospital relocate, drawing pictures with some little girls who come and sit on our doorstep, and cooking (which takes a lot more time here than at home – especially considering that at home it usually wasn’t me doing it!). We stocked up a lot in Lusaka but I’m getting tired of having to use up the fresh vegies and stuff- it determines what we cook each night! Also we kind of over-stocked on fresh vege so some has been chucked out- which I hate the thought of! I’m pretty inclined to stop eating like a white person and experience nshima as a staple. After all I did want to come to Africa and live like the Africans do!

Last Saturday I got the opportunity to walk to the boma, which is what they call the closest town. About 5kms of walking and we hit a continuum of stalls and buildings far along a bitumen road. These include countless barber shops, ‘supermarkets’ (smaller than a corner shop), bicycle spares shops, and churches.

this is what my feet look like after a walk to the boma

actually they look like this most nights!

At Mukinge, among other things, I’ve got used to frequent power cuts, hand washing, the sound of someone wailing from the hospital, and I’ve had my first taste of nshima, a Zambian's staple food.