I am pleased to report that I had an excellent birthday (except for the absence of a few key people!)... Some people say that I get too excited about my own birthday... those people weren't invited to my party... ;) haha Really, it was a great day... I was at a workshop and gave a presentation during the day but was showered with well wishes by text message and when I returned to work. My colleagues gave me some fun beaded sandles, cards and lots of hugs :) At night my mom and I had a really really nice dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby. It was tres romantic haha. Very nice. Saturday night my mom and I had a few friends over for my birthday dinner. It was very nice to bring my various friends together (the Czechs, Zambians from work/school and a couple other foreign interns) and I think everybody got along very well ... It was a good time :) Photos @: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2180440&l=10912&id=13613119
Christmas has been equally enjoyable, more low key than usual and an interesting mix of old and new celebrations. Indian lunch with one of my colleagues/supervisors yesterday, a relaxing Christmas eve with a bunch of Canadian girls and a Christmas brunch with a pretty diverse bunch (people from: the UK, Japan, Spain, States, Zambia & Canada)... It has been very merry.
Tomorrow: off to Livingstone and Chobe (Botswana) with my Mom for a week! Yay :)
Hope all of your years end well.... xo
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Mish mash
Because it’s been a while and there are many random things to report I’m going back to point form (sor-ry!):
First things first: For those of you who heard through the grapevine and emailed/called to make sure everything is ok: My mother did indeed have malaria, but she is now doing very well, and we think everything will be just fine. She basically just felt miserable one day (aches, fatigue, loss of appetite), got a test which came back negative (which is quite common when you’re on prophylaxis), got diagnosed by a Zambian M.D. Sunday the 9th and has been on intense drugs the past week. We’re glad we caught it though, because malaria is one of the sneakiest diseases out there and reveals itself in various forms (depending on the person) and usually just seems like the flu or something equally nondescript. Although the medication/malaria made her very very tired the first few days (she’s still pretty fatigued), after a few days of medication all of her other symptoms improved. We’re both glad she’s better and just about ready to enjoy our Christmas holiday to Livingstone and Botswana.
- Robinson is coming to visit!! I’m so excited! He figured out how he could get time off work and is planning to come February 10-22! We’re going to meet in Nairobi, take a shuttle to Mt. Kilimanjaro, climb it (takes about 6 days), then fly down to Lusaka and spend a week together in the city and perhaps take the bus to Livingstone (Victoria Falls, safari etc). I am SO looking forward to seeing him and getting to go on an adventure together. I’ll let you know if I survive the mountain trek and if Robinson survives his long list of pre-departure needles. yeow!
- I went to a kitchen party last weekend! It’s basically a much larger, more boisterous, more ceremonial bridal shower. The event takes place in a huge hall and is packed with Zambian women wearing very beautiful traditional outfits. The event begins with the entry of the groom – he is required to unveil his bride and confirm that she is the right girl. After this, the MC provides the couple with a number of comical lessons (some even pertaining to conduct in bed!) and invites the guests to eat (mmm mmm great Zambian food!). Once our bellies are full each guest comes up on stage and is required to dance (very embarrassing) and explain the purpose of our kitchen related gift. It was a great time : )
- What else?... it’s very very rainy here and in turn everything is muddy. I am constantly covered in mud and often soaked with rain. I’m not complaining (better than all that Toronto snow, brrrr!), but it’s so crazy to live in a place that’s so very rainy. To feel a bit more like I’m at home I sometimes wear a scarf (it’s quite cold some days) and often use my ‘ice walking’ skills to survive the slippery, muddy hills and paths.
Photos @: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2172422&l=27b16&id=13613119
First things first: For those of you who heard through the grapevine and emailed/called to make sure everything is ok: My mother did indeed have malaria, but she is now doing very well, and we think everything will be just fine. She basically just felt miserable one day (aches, fatigue, loss of appetite), got a test which came back negative (which is quite common when you’re on prophylaxis), got diagnosed by a Zambian M.D. Sunday the 9th and has been on intense drugs the past week. We’re glad we caught it though, because malaria is one of the sneakiest diseases out there and reveals itself in various forms (depending on the person) and usually just seems like the flu or something equally nondescript. Although the medication/malaria made her very very tired the first few days (she’s still pretty fatigued), after a few days of medication all of her other symptoms improved. We’re both glad she’s better and just about ready to enjoy our Christmas holiday to Livingstone and Botswana.
- Robinson is coming to visit!! I’m so excited! He figured out how he could get time off work and is planning to come February 10-22! We’re going to meet in Nairobi, take a shuttle to Mt. Kilimanjaro, climb it (takes about 6 days), then fly down to Lusaka and spend a week together in the city and perhaps take the bus to Livingstone (Victoria Falls, safari etc). I am SO looking forward to seeing him and getting to go on an adventure together. I’ll let you know if I survive the mountain trek and if Robinson survives his long list of pre-departure needles. yeow!
- I went to a kitchen party last weekend! It’s basically a much larger, more boisterous, more ceremonial bridal shower. The event takes place in a huge hall and is packed with Zambian women wearing very beautiful traditional outfits. The event begins with the entry of the groom – he is required to unveil his bride and confirm that she is the right girl. After this, the MC provides the couple with a number of comical lessons (some even pertaining to conduct in bed!) and invites the guests to eat (mmm mmm great Zambian food!). Once our bellies are full each guest comes up on stage and is required to dance (very embarrassing) and explain the purpose of our kitchen related gift. It was a great time : )
- What else?... it’s very very rainy here and in turn everything is muddy. I am constantly covered in mud and often soaked with rain. I’m not complaining (better than all that Toronto snow, brrrr!), but it’s so crazy to live in a place that’s so very rainy. To feel a bit more like I’m at home I sometimes wear a scarf (it’s quite cold some days) and often use my ‘ice walking’ skills to survive the slippery, muddy hills and paths.
Photos @: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2172422&l=27b16&id=13613119
Witches & love triangles
Sooo, witchcraft is pretty huge here. Even though it is well hidden and people deny subscribing to it everybody seems to believe in it. Just the other day one of my favourite co-workers (a highly skilled health care worker) told me how her nine siblings and parents were all killed by her father’s jealous girlfriend using witchcraft. She explained that they all had mysterious deaths and that the family is certain that a witch threw a jugey (sp?) into the house (a small, negative charm), resulting in the death of her entire family.
From the aforementioned taxi driver I heard a similar story of witchcraft. This man divorced his second wife because he had found that she was putting charms in his food to make him love her. He explained that he could not tolerate such tricks and dishonesty. My Czech neighbours (Katerina, the anthropologist) actually has been doing a lot of research about witchcraft in Zambia and even visited a witchdoctor. It’s very interesting and almost always involves charms and love triangles. Although I don’t at the end of the day believe that witchcraft is real I can’t help but wonder. At the very least I understand why people believe in it. When life is so unexplainable I imagine it provides an understandable explanation. Fortunately for me, us foreigners seem immune to witchcraft (otherwise the spells would have been used against colonial powers prior to independence). Very interesting business. I’ll let you know how my spell casting goes.
From the aforementioned taxi driver I heard a similar story of witchcraft. This man divorced his second wife because he had found that she was putting charms in his food to make him love her. He explained that he could not tolerate such tricks and dishonesty. My Czech neighbours (Katerina, the anthropologist) actually has been doing a lot of research about witchcraft in Zambia and even visited a witchdoctor. It’s very interesting and almost always involves charms and love triangles. Although I don’t at the end of the day believe that witchcraft is real I can’t help but wonder. At the very least I understand why people believe in it. When life is so unexplainable I imagine it provides an understandable explanation. Fortunately for me, us foreigners seem immune to witchcraft (otherwise the spells would have been used against colonial powers prior to independence). Very interesting business. I’ll let you know how my spell casting goes.
World AIDS Day, etc.
This year’s World AIDS Day ( December 1st ) was a scorcher (!) but was certainly well-celebrated in Lusaka, and at the University of Zambia. I was on the University’s planning committee so the pressure was on… and let me tell you: it was crazy! Pure chaos! Although (as expected) the programming was a little helter-skelter, late and last minute, the greatest drama came from the t-shirts we were giving out (baggy, simple AIDS/UNZA printed t-shirts). I was warned back in Toronto that people in Lusaka go crazy over t-shirts, but it was only on World AIDS Day that I realized the true passion that exists. I don’t know what it is (I’ve been told it’s because they’re free and new) but throughout the morning I found myself literally cornered in our small office by twenty boisterous, angry young men (UNZA students), demanding t-shirts from me (it was kind of scary). The problem was that we didn’t have enough to give to everybody, and had to be selective (only giving them to official student associations) – a concept that was unacceptable to the masses. Anyways, I did manage to sneak out, leaving a male committee member in my place (mwahaha).
So, enough about t-shirts. My real job was to organize ‘March Past’ (a march around campus in the morning to signify unity in the fight against AIDS). Fortunately, we had great weather, the marching band showed up on time, the banner we printed looked excellent and we had a pretty good turn out of students (although very few invited staff came). Best of all, the much-loved first President Dr. Kaunda (our Guest of Honour) marched alongside. He’s a wonderful old man and very deserving of all the admiration. He is recognized primarily for his role in the fight for independence and work in the HIV/AIDS field. I’m not sure if during his presidency HIV was such an issue (he began in the mid-60s), but since then he has been very active and vocal. Most notably, he was one of the first African leaders to admit that his family was affected by HIV/AIDS – right after his son died of the disease. Pretty huge… As expected, his speech at UNZA was interesting and passionate, and was started by him jogging onto stage and doing a couple jumping jacks (pretty impressive for an 80 year old man!)… Although his speech was positive and encouraging I couldn’t help but feel sad. As he sang ‘we will fight and overcome AIDS’ in a low, frail voice I couldn’t help but think that he probably won’t live to see the day when AIDS is under control in Africa. He has spent his whole life trying to gain freedom and prosperity for Zambians, he has spent much of his life fighting AIDS, but he’ll never see the end of it. It just seems so wrong, and sad... But, hopefully I’m just a miserable pessimist and things will get better sooner rather than later…
On a less down note, the rest of the day’s festivities went really well. There were a few good speeches, some hilarious dance-drama presentations and awards presented to the most involved students. One of which was Bob (who I work with) and Bernard (the only openly HIV positive student on campus). Can you believe it? 7000 students, about 1400 are likely HIV positive and only one of them feels comfortable enough to admit it... I hope next year Bernard has more competition. :)
~~~
Over the past few weeks I’ve come to realize how much HIV education and outreach remains to be tackled – particularly for the truly ‘working class’ population here in Zambia. I think that the university population is pretty aware of HIV, prevention methods and treatment options but so many people outside this highly educated group are really missing information. For instance, just the other day my taxi driver (after hearing me talk about some AIDS-related work issues to my mom) asked at the end of the trip “can God cure HIV?”. I was caught off-guard and probably answered too bluntly, but fortunately I didn’t seem to offend him. He proceeded to tell me of his positive HIV status and asked a few questions about treatment. The next trip together he told me how he contracted the virus (from his second wife) and how sad he was that his little daughter was also infected. Despite his difficult situation he seems like a very happy and peaceful man, and I think we both enjoy these conversations. Since then, I’ve had similar conversations with the gatekeeper on campus (he’s really eager to distribute pamphlets and condoms to his neighbours in the compound) and one of the security guards at UNZA (he quietly passed me a little note asking for information about STDs). I think I keep getting approached because I am seen as a person who can be confided in because I am not a member of their community (i.e. who would I tell?). While I quite enjoy these little interactions they also totally surprise and frustrate me. Considering all the foreign aid in Zambia it shocks me that simple information about HIV prevention and treatment isn’t getting to everybody.
See photos @: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176646&l=45b70&id=13613119
So, enough about t-shirts. My real job was to organize ‘March Past’ (a march around campus in the morning to signify unity in the fight against AIDS). Fortunately, we had great weather, the marching band showed up on time, the banner we printed looked excellent and we had a pretty good turn out of students (although very few invited staff came). Best of all, the much-loved first President Dr. Kaunda (our Guest of Honour) marched alongside. He’s a wonderful old man and very deserving of all the admiration. He is recognized primarily for his role in the fight for independence and work in the HIV/AIDS field. I’m not sure if during his presidency HIV was such an issue (he began in the mid-60s), but since then he has been very active and vocal. Most notably, he was one of the first African leaders to admit that his family was affected by HIV/AIDS – right after his son died of the disease. Pretty huge… As expected, his speech at UNZA was interesting and passionate, and was started by him jogging onto stage and doing a couple jumping jacks (pretty impressive for an 80 year old man!)… Although his speech was positive and encouraging I couldn’t help but feel sad. As he sang ‘we will fight and overcome AIDS’ in a low, frail voice I couldn’t help but think that he probably won’t live to see the day when AIDS is under control in Africa. He has spent his whole life trying to gain freedom and prosperity for Zambians, he has spent much of his life fighting AIDS, but he’ll never see the end of it. It just seems so wrong, and sad... But, hopefully I’m just a miserable pessimist and things will get better sooner rather than later…
On a less down note, the rest of the day’s festivities went really well. There were a few good speeches, some hilarious dance-drama presentations and awards presented to the most involved students. One of which was Bob (who I work with) and Bernard (the only openly HIV positive student on campus). Can you believe it? 7000 students, about 1400 are likely HIV positive and only one of them feels comfortable enough to admit it... I hope next year Bernard has more competition. :)
~~~
Over the past few weeks I’ve come to realize how much HIV education and outreach remains to be tackled – particularly for the truly ‘working class’ population here in Zambia. I think that the university population is pretty aware of HIV, prevention methods and treatment options but so many people outside this highly educated group are really missing information. For instance, just the other day my taxi driver (after hearing me talk about some AIDS-related work issues to my mom) asked at the end of the trip “can God cure HIV?”. I was caught off-guard and probably answered too bluntly, but fortunately I didn’t seem to offend him. He proceeded to tell me of his positive HIV status and asked a few questions about treatment. The next trip together he told me how he contracted the virus (from his second wife) and how sad he was that his little daughter was also infected. Despite his difficult situation he seems like a very happy and peaceful man, and I think we both enjoy these conversations. Since then, I’ve had similar conversations with the gatekeeper on campus (he’s really eager to distribute pamphlets and condoms to his neighbours in the compound) and one of the security guards at UNZA (he quietly passed me a little note asking for information about STDs). I think I keep getting approached because I am seen as a person who can be confided in because I am not a member of their community (i.e. who would I tell?). While I quite enjoy these little interactions they also totally surprise and frustrate me. Considering all the foreign aid in Zambia it shocks me that simple information about HIV prevention and treatment isn’t getting to everybody.
See photos @: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176646&l=45b70&id=13613119
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