Farewell, Hello

A common topic at any overseas retreat is check-ins, and often this involves a check on how our hearts heads bodies are doing. So I figured for this post I would do a bit of a reflection of how I'm doing in a heart-head-body kind of check-in.

Heart

Out of everything, I'd say that my heart is the most conflicted right now. I hate saying goodbye so leaving the people I have developed connections with is not fun. I've met a lot of truly amazing and inspiring people and I have learned so much from them. I seriously appreciate how patient people have been with my stupid (and hopefully sometimes not-so-stupid) questions. Someday I hope to come back to Zambia and see my friends and family here again but it's hard to know when that will be and what I will find then. Life in Zambia feels both fragile and fixed at the same time. Fragile because things can change in a split second, people are extremely vulnerable to many shocks. At the same time, it feels so constant... you find a job where you are able to make some money and you stick to it. Why risk everything when you already have something that is working? Kind of like the saying "don't fix something until it's broken."

Then there is the flip side... I'm super, unbelievably excited to see tons of people at home, show pictures, share stories and hear about what has been going on in Canada for the past 3 1/2 months!!!!

Head

It seems that every day I have been here, I have learned something new and really interesting about Zambia, agriculture, development or something in between. Things become so much more real and tangible seeing them on the ground and although my time here has been short, it has opened my eyes to many, many things. At times I've been impressed by the work that is being done, at other times it has made me want to scream with frustration. Before coming, I believed there were no easy solutions to development and now I know it for sure. I also know that the things I have learned are just barely scratching the surface of the situation that exists here in Zambia, and I can't really even speak for the exact situation other parts of the country let alone the continent. I feel like I have a lot of information to digest and things to research once I have access to a fast, free internet connection!

Body

My foot is slowly recovering and overall I've managed to avoid any serious illnesses (knock on wood that this trend continues for the last few days). So overall I'm feeling pretty good although a change in diet and a hot shower will be much appreciated!

To finish off, I've got a list of the top things that I am going to miss about Zambia and top things I am looking forward to in Canada. Of course at the top of both lists is definitely people. There are a ton of people I am excited to see and just as many that I will be sad to say goodbye to. Here are a few more things...

Top things I will miss about being in Zambia:

1. The funny words and sayings that Zambians use in their everyday language.


(A sweet road sign)

2. The joy that comes from the small things. There is a lot that I take for granted in Canada that have become real treats here. Some I was expecting, but others came as a surprise. I can't describe the joy that comes from a piece of delicious Kalomo cheese, some pure fruit juice or the sound of a favourite song.
3. Exchanging greetings with many of the people I pass on the streets.
4. Street vendors. Although the Zambian authorities are trying to get rid of them, I love being able to walk along the street and buy a wide range of fruit, drinks and snacks.
5. Being outside. It's a reality of life in the village in Zambia that life pretty much takes place outside. Even if you are inside, there is usually a breeze coming in the open door or the window. Unfortunately it's a bit less realistic in Canada with the winter and all...
6. Packed mini buses. I'm not quite sure what it is about them, but there is always something different going on in the minibus and it's entertaining to see how many people they can cram in. The buses are designed for about 12, but 20 plus a few babies and massive bags of produce isn't uncommon. And one day, I got in the bus with a group of women from the Seventh Day Adventist church and was treated to beautiful singing all the way home.
7. Sleep. At the farm, I can easily get between 9 to 11 hours of sleep (or at least relaxing in bed) a night, something that becomes a treat as soon as I'm somewhere with electricity (ie. things to distract me/keep me busy). It's hard to imagine a home with about 15 people being peaceful, but it is.
8. The night sky. Every day I have been here I have seen gorgeous sunsets and the view of the stars in the village is pretty awesome too.
9. Singing. People pretty much randomly burst into song whenever and there are some pretty awesome voices around. I am seriously going to miss listening to the choir at my host family's church but managed to get a video of them last weekend :).
10. Pink toilet paper. You can find it in a few different colours, but the most popular and my personal favourite is pink.

Top things I am looking forward to in Canada:

1. Getting into all the activities going on at the EWB UofA chapter. I'm super excited for the coming year and everything that is going on at the chapter and within EWB as a whole!
2. A diverse diet. Nshima is great and all, but it will be nice to have more variety and a less carb-based diet. I'm especially stoked for a couple days in the Okanagan with lots and lots of fruit. Mmmmm, peaches.....!
3. A bit of anonymity. Sometimes it is fun to stand out, but being able to blend into the crowd and not feel constantly watched would be nice once in a while.
4. Buses that run on time. There are a couple of buses in Zambia that run on a schedule, but most just go when they are full, so you can wait 10 minutes or 10 hours.
5. Not being paranoid about various illnesses, especially malaria. There have been a few times where I've felt the beginnings of a fever and thought "oh no, this is it, I've got malaria." Fever is the telltale sign of malaria and a trip to the doctor with a fever is pretty much a guarantee for a malaria test and possibly even medications even if the test comes out negative (which it does no matter what if you are on certain anti-malarial meds). Because the symptoms of malaria don't show up for a couple weeks after being bitten, I'm not home free for a little while yet, but I'm hopeful!
6. Being active. Biking didn't seem to work out quite as well as planned so I can't wait to play some soccer, go dancing and start running again (once my foot is fully recovered that is...).
7. Clean feet. Because it is the dry season here, there is dust pretty much everywhere and it's kind of impossible to keep your feet clean for any period of time and this isn't about to end any time soon. It hasn't rained here since the beginning of May and probably won't until sometime around the end of October.
8. Not being woken up by roosters and guinea fowl. I've gotten used to it, but they still have a tendency to be a little too loud a little too early in the morning.
9. My music. Because of computer mishaps right before leaving Canada, I lost all my music (it's still safe on my computer at home) so I have managed to scrounge some music off of a few people as well as discover some Zambian beats, but can't wait to listen to some of my favourite artists!
10. Coins. With the value of Zambia's currency, the smallest denomination of bill I have seen is a 50 kwacha bill which is about equivalent to and as useful as a penny.

Here are a few pics to finish off of a few of the people who have made my time here really memorable!

(A bunch of the children at the farm)

(Buumba and Treeza, two of my coworkers)

(My host sister, Rachel, cooking up a pot of nshima)

(Mr. Nkhuwa, beside a massive pile of sugar cane from his garden)

(Not to be forgotten, EWB-ers in Zambia! This was at Melissa's goodbye party, unfortunately Mike H and Vicki couldn't make it... Malawians, you guys are awesome too!)

Aaaaannnd a question! What do you appreciate about living in Canada? What perspectives or practices could Canadians benefit from adopting from other countries?