Lusaka at Last

Where to start?

Ok, for starters, I’m here. After many months of waiting and preparation the moment has arrived. It’s probably too early to be making any observations, but I wanted to say I’d arrived safely and quickly share a few of my first impressions.

Kind, open, welcoming, friendly- all these adjectives could be used to describe any number of the people I’ve been meeting here since my arrival on Thursday night. Of course there is Jamie, the outgoing fellow at KF, who I will be working closely with over his last days here to help transition into the position. He has been incredibly helpful already in orienting me to life here in Lusaka. He’s also introduced me to dozens of people from all over the world, although the Boston area is well represented, who have been unbelievably welcoming, opening their homes, lives and frisbee games to me without question or hesitation. And of course there are the Zambians I’ve met so far, including coworkers, school administrators, KF scholars and other young adults who have already surpassed their reputation for warmth and kindness. I can tell it will be a true pleasure living here among all of these people

Zambia itself seems to have a lot of depth to it. Domestically there seems to be much to explore, with many amazing parks, game reserves and natural wonders. Its central location gives it access to many other countries in the region including Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Locally, Lusaka seems to be, from the areas I’ve seen at least, a pretty manageable city despite the fact that it is vastly overpopulated. Granted, I haven’t made it to the bustling city center yet, but all the immediate surrounding area is pretty residential, with many decent roads and traffic that is infinitely less chaotic than Dakar. I’ve been trying my hand at driving on the “wrong” side over the past few days and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it, although I have a tendency to drift to the side of the road and give my passenger a good scare. The car I’ll be using has a lot of character; it’s an older Toyota SUV that’s maroon-ish/ purple with no A/C, tires that squeal around even the gentlest of turns, and an engine that runs for a good twenty seconds even after the keys are out of the ignition. I am definitely looking forward to piloting this well-seasoned vehicle through all sorts of terrain this year.

Tomorrow we’ll really start to get into more of the details of the position’s responsibilities. I’ve been given a binder of information so large it wouldn’t qualify as carry-on luggage on an airplane. I’m just getting my feet wet here but so far things are looking pretty good. I hope that’s a sign of things to come.

(My sweet Toyota Surf)