In Country Induction

I could not put a date on this entry since I missed so many days because our in-country training has been very busy because of the different sessions squeezed in 5 days! Gender and culture in Zambia, history of Zambia and, National volunteering, HIV and AIDS in Zambia, monitoring and evaluation, etc. I would not be dwelling so much on the details of each session but let me share what struck me most during each session. Zambia like any other countries has its own story to tell when it comes to fighting for freedom. It has own heroes that lead the battle to achieve freedom, and this year, Zambia is celebrating its 40th year of independence. It was striking to know that Zambian currency was once higher than the value of a US$ during the early years of independence specifically during the time when the price of copper was very high in the world market. Copper, is the major contributor to the country’s economy, one of the regions in Zambia in fact is called Copperbelt which goes by the name because of the availability of copper in the entire province. However, the price of copper went down which affected the economy of the country, Zambia started to “know” the international money-lending institutions and due to other political reasons, its economy continuously went down. In addition to this, the HIV and AIDS epidemic slowly affected the entire nation in several aspects. As mentioned during the lecture on gender and culture in Zambia, volunteers are not discouraged to fall in love or engage in sexual affairs; however, it has always to be kept in mind “treat every Zambian as HIV/AIDS positive”, personally I do not agree to this generalization but on the other hand, this is a way of reminding oneself of the reality of HIV and AIDS, and should therefore take extra caution on this matter. During the session on HIV and AIDS, two
PLHWA were present to share their experiences and how they managed their condition. During the session on Culture ‘in’ Zambia, I was confused how family was explained. If Filipinos are extended, Zambia is much more extended; aunties can be mothers while uncles can be fathers, etc.

Parties! During the course of the week, the British High Commission in Zambia through the High Commissioner hosted a cocktail party for volunteers. It also coincided with the 50th founding anniversary of VSO global and I learned that night that VSO Zambia was among the first five countries VSO volunteers served. It was a nice party, I got the chance to meet serving volunteers, Zambians and other nationals. The High Commissioner was well-knowledgeable about what VSO is doing that was proven through her speech. A cultural presentation was also one of the highlights of the evening wherein VSO work was portrayed through drama, dance and song. Another party was dubbed cultural night which was held on the last evening of the induction and hosted by VSO for partners and volunteers. The presentations portrayed dance and songs from the different tribes of Zambia. It was amazing to see the youths dancing while singing, in other words, dancing to their music! They were good at swaying their hips and tapping their feet. I had the feel of it when I was forced to dance during the last number wherein the leader of the group started to take volunteers from their seats. I was seated behind, the last row actually, but fortunately or unfortunately, I was pulled out to represent the Filipinos. Well, I managed to sway my hips and danced Filipino way to the tune of African music…