Mum's the word

My mom’s here! She arrived safe and sound (and a little tired) on Thursday early morning, and seems to have settled in quite well – it was so good to finally see her! Thursday was spent unpacking, sleeping and going to the mall to get some foodstuffs and appliances. For some reason my mother’s living standards are higher than mine (haha)… I mean really, who actually needs sharp knives, toasters and bowls? Yesterday I had to go to work so my mom stayed at home, got used to the viscous guard dog, slept some more and made a lovely dinner (so nice to come home to!). Today we went to the Dutch market and had a really good time. We bought lots of vegetables, I got a very pretty hat (to shade me on the long walk to work), had some coffee and Chinese buns, and I introduced her to my friends here. She seems quite happy here, likes the apartment, is very interested in the local culture and I have a few volunteer leads she seems happy about (mainly with children, AIDS and education). Unfortunately though, I think she is a little bit surprised by the distance between home and town (therefore requiring long walks or taxis for her). Understandably, she doesn’t feel very independent… however, I think as she gets used to walking, gets a phone and explores the bus and taxis she will feel a lot better. Also, we plan to go on a safari in 2 weeks (yay!) so that should be a fun break for us both… more on that soon :)

Not much is new on my end. I met those two Canadian girls (Emily & Julie) for Indian food and drinks last week, and had a really good time – they’re really nice girls. Independence day was pretty uneventful, except that the Zambians seemed a lot more happy and friendly on their day off and many wore the national flag as an outfit (I just went into work and went for a coffee with my Czech neighbour Michelle). Speaking of work, it’s still going quite well. I’ve gotten used to the speed (and the often cancelled meetings haha), and the big good news for me is that the gender equity project I have been working on has been fully supported by my supervisor in Toronto. On Tuesday he told me he was happy to switch the focus in Zambia from Physical Education (which has proven to be a difficult department to work with) to Gender Studies. As a result, much of my time has been spent emailing, working on proposals and attending workshops. Last week I observed the Gender Equity section of a Peer Education workshop (for student AIDS educators). It was great to see my two student colleagues/the initiators of all the gender work (Bob & Remmy) conducting the workshops and asking the students to debate statements like ‘men are good at raising children’, ‘women should be virgins when they marry’ and ‘men are emotionally stronger than women’. Very interesting and fun to be part of.

I think that’s about it on my end… I should probably scurry home to my dinner!... Please do keep in touch. I like hearing about all of your lives as much as you (hopefully) like hearing about my adventures here!