This month marks my 1st year in Zambia. One of my volunteer-friends always tease me when i count my days in Zambia and this week she particularly told me that i am remaining with 12 months to complete my two-year placement or more? which i laughed off. Generally, it was a good one year of life and living in Zambia. The highs and lows, ups and downs, happy and sad times, fun and boring moments, a mixture of emotions. To make me feel much better, let me share the highlights of my stay in Zambia:
Home:
• I have made my house homey, with the wall decors of African wildlife and some trinkets, and most of all i was able to put a plant inside my house!
• Plants can now be found in the plant box by the window of my house and i water them everyday to maintain their growth
• I've got all the basic things in my house from the bedroom to the kitchen to the toilet
Work:
• Facilitated the Diocesan Strategic Plan which runs from 2010 to 2014 that was published in a very nice material. The presentation and training materials i shared already to friends involved in development work
• I finalized the strategic plan of Caritas Chipata which was also packaged nicely
• Trained people on M&E
• The M&E Manual of Caritas Chipata was finished. In fact, I have shared already the document to some Mzungu (Foreigner) friends who are also involved in development work and they were impressed with my work
• Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction Project starts this month and i was instrumental in developing it
• RAISA small grant for HIV/AIDS mainstreaming
• Staffs have improved their report writing skills
Building Relationships:
• Maintains a good and harmonious relationship with fellow VSO vols
• Established friendship with Mzungus in Chipata and at the same time built contacts with regards to work
• New Zambian friends
• Close friends from the diocese both priests and nuns
• Colleagues know the real me
• a group of kids who always wait for me outside the office or just by the road where i pass through when going home. I call them my fans
Life and Living
• I have traveled to Malawi to see the lake and the great landscape of Dedza and been to some of the best places in Zambia like South Lunagwa National Park (2 times! as official safari tour and 2 work-related trips) and Lake Kariba in Siavonga---next stop: Victoria Falls here and crossing the border to Tanzania
• Expert in finding places to buy cheap stuff...gone were the days when i would always go to shoprite to buy everything no matter the price
• Navigated all the places for night life---the quiet and noisy ones, depending on what i want for a weekend night out
• took a bicycle taxi and knows how to get a ride without a hassle...or as always my ever reliable priest-friends who give me a lift when i need it
• Experienced the best and the worst of traveling by public transport
I don't want to rant on the negative things because i want to build on the positive things so that i would have another wonderful year in Zambia. I am full of love in Zambia but i don't know what it means...it's always complicated...
