Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Final days.

Returning to Lusaka it was time to see the heart. The chaos, the trash, poverty, plastic bags, basically where the 3 million (per 2010 census) Lusaktonians (made that one up) are during the day. We found them…buying material and shoes, shouting and selling all of the nick-naks and any piece that they could get their hands on.

We explored the shops at city market, walking by a movie store, a copy shop, and some women selling cow hearts. A conglomeration of anything and everything posed at the west end of town. Walking the streets of town, something I don’t do often, allows you to see a side of Zambia often missed. Lusaka is a sprawling city and town center is not the meat and pride of the city. Perhaps it once was but currently it is a piece of a greater puzzle, but to sift through the pieces time and a guide are helpful in order to appreciate the final product. We walked through the streets. Observed business men and women heading to meetings, observed lines of people waiting to get their voter registration cards, and encountered the mass exodus across the bridge that steadily occurs from 8:00 till 17:00 daily.

Hitting a few hot spots within the city, Sugar Bush and Zam Bikes, my parents got a better feel for the entrepreneurial opportunities of the city. Early mornings and afternoons were spent reading and relaxing on the porch.

Nshima. Finally my parents were able to try a bit of nshima. Zambian food made by a Zambian, Moomba. An evening meal with a family of Zambians that allowed us to try vegetables, ground nuts, chicken, ocra, beans, and gravy with nshima. A well rounded meal…

Following me to work, my parents were able to enter Matero, the city within the city. The compound of horrible roads but beautiful schools, manily because of the kids who attend them, sometimes. We drove around and visited coaches that were finishing up an intervention explaining the biology of HIV. How it attacks your immune system, what the immune system does, etc.

Rounding off the vacation was an evening at the Marine House. Happy hour drinks for St. Patrick’s Day lead us there. A piece of America in the midst of Zambia.

The following day mom and dad left. Headed back to NM and to life there. I went back to work. An extremely unproductive and odd day for me…the weekend has been spent regrouping. Finally there, I think.

Till next time.

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