Around the World and Back Again

This July I left Kenya to pursue graduate school back in Boston. After 3 years there, and 6 years abroad in total, it feels like a major step. My excitement to learn new skills and grow through an MBA helps to maintain motivation and resolve, my belief that I will be back again soon helps to balance the difficulty of leaving, and returning home to Boston alongside Emily helps to smooth the transition. 

After 114 blog posts, that's at least one a month since the day I left, I'll no longer be adding material on a regular basis. I'm so glad to have this detailed record of the experience, where I can relive the discoveries, the trips, the music and the learning at a monthly or even weekly level. I'm also glad I was able to share all this with people I care about- it helped to maintain a feeling of connection and shared experience.

After these past 3 years of incredible work and exciting travel, I thought this map I made of all my flights during that time would be a fitting coda. Thanks for reading.

Back at Home and Work, in Zambia

Zambia will always have a special and reserved place in my heart. It’s where I made my first real home as an adult, where I met lifelong friends now doing incredible things around the world, where I worked with dozens of amazing young students, many of whom are making their own first new adult homes at the moment, and of course where I met my wonderful girlfriend. I try to remember what I knew, or what little I knew, about Zambia before I moved there, compared to all the beauty and excitement I’ve now experienced. Every time a plane lands after a very long flight, it’s still strange not to be stepping out into the heat under big blue skies at the airport in Lusaka.

In May, for the first time since I left in August 2014, I did step off a plane in Lusaka. As part of my work I’ve been conducting field visits with microfinance institutions engaged in lending to farmers. We’ve identified such institutions all over the globe, and have set out to collect information on their programs as part of our sector-building initiative. Zambia is a country heavily dependent on agricultural activities, so it’s not surprising it hosts a number of agriculturally focused financial institutions despite the particular challenges of its markets and demography. That's how my first visit back to Zambia came about through work.

Knowing I had already made the choice to work elsewhere made it even stranger being in Zambia in yet a third professional capacity. The work meetings and discussions I had were incredibly interesting, and eye opening in multiple ways. I had worked in Zambia for two years in the microfinance sector, yet I had little idea about these other financial service providers operating in rural areas. At FINCA we were very focused on improving and expanding our outreach in the populous urban areas, so I had little interaction with this other part of the sector. I was impressed with the models and strategies these providers have employed in attempts to overcome uniquely Zambian challenges, such as low population density and government involvement in staple crop markets. There also seem to be some exciting areas of opportunity where One Acre Fund may be able to advise or support the work already happening in-country.

It was a very busy week, though I was lucky that most of the visits took place in Lusaka. There are a number of good friends still residing in Lusaka, and nights and weekends gave me some opportunities to catch up with them. This included an outdoor dinner with my old friends Omar and Liz (now reaching the upper echelons of Zambia expat hierarchy), and seeing our friends Esther and Paul's baby, who was an infant when we left and is now walking and talking. I also caught up with old roommates, who have new homes, new fiancés, and new dogs (Sparta’s still around though). Of course I played as much Frisbee as possible, enjoyed all the good restaurants Lusaka has to offer, and managed to cash in a “buy 10 get 1 free” card at Blue Moon in just a week.

It was incredibly good to be back, to confirm those three years really happened, and that friends, students, places, and traditions carry on. It’s shocking how few traces of those years can be found in my current day-to-day life after moving to Kenya; going back was both cathartic and reassuring. I can only hope that another trip, whether through work or on my own, will soon take me back to that big green country full of open people and open spaces.

A few pictures from the trip, excuse the phone quality

(Blue Moon- office away from home)

 (This backyard has a history of nice dinners)

 (New puppy at Ronnel and Lizzie's new home)

 (Lulu, a new friend for Sparta)

(2 games, 25+ people on a typical Wednesday? Not bad Zamultimate)

Goodbyes, and What's Next

I’ve said goodbye to a lot people over my three years in Zambia, far more in both number and frequency than in any other period of my life. Anyone will tell you it’s the nature of life in that environment, especially if you stay more than a year in one place. Meeting cool new people is bittersweet in its natural time limits, and it’s easy to become cynical once you’ve said goodbye to a few cycles of friends.

It was surreal, then, when it was my turn to leave. While I never expected to stay in Zambia the rest of my life, the fact that I had tripled my time there after my initial one year stay had given my experience something of an endless feel. As these were my first real post-college jobs, and my first true home away from Boston, I also wasn’t accustomed to this process of leaving, which people do all the time all over the world. While it was on the horizon basically since 2014 arrived, it still crept up on me as I’m sure it does with most people. It felt like the time to departure was becoming exponentially shorter every time I checked.  But everything went on, just like it continues to do after you leave. Work, trips, errands, sports, I only started to feel the difference when normal meet-ups became “last time I’ll see you” affairs.

Everything wrapped up ok, which I’m thankful for. Had the chance to say goodbye to important people and places, including a lucky opportunity to see all the KF students in one place. I sold my car and my few immobile belongings, and packed my life into two suitcases with only a moderate amount of weight and space related stress. Emily and I had people over for one last party with friends, and I wrapped things up at FINCA. Then, it was time to look forward.

Forward is the grease that allows you to turn the wheels of leaving. And we were fortunate to have plenty to look forward to, both in the short and long term. Ahead of us, an action packed few weeks on the west coast of the US. Beyond that: a new adventure in a new location, the fruit of a long job search and much deliberation. Beginning mid-September, I started as an analyst on the Microfinance Partnerships Team at One Acre Fund. In October, I will move to Kenya, to a town near Kisumu in Western called Bungoma, where I will join Emily and be based for two years. 

I’m excited about this new opportunity, where I hope to expand my skills and experience within the field at a company known for its analytical, client-first approach to agricultural microfinance. It has built a strong reputation since being founded in 2006, providing small-scale farmers with access to timely, high-quality farming inputs on credit, with repayment schedules that meet their specific cash-constraints prior to the harvest season. I’m looking forward to the very new environment, in both where I’m working and where I’m living. It’s an exciting time and I’m sure I’ll have more stories to share about it soon. And I'm grateful for all the stories Zambia gave me over these last three years.

(Final weekend trip to Mulungushi Dam)

Zamultimate

My longest running tradition in Zambia has been playing ultimate frisbee. On one of my first days here, my predecessor at KF brought me to a game. I was terrible. Couldn't throw it straight, no hand-eye coordination, all I could do was run. Despite the shot to the ego, I wanted to keep going. And I did, twice a week for three years. What brought me back was the people. Even at my worst, I always felt welcome. They were always willing to teach me and I learned, eventually becoming a pusher of ultimate on all future new people. Zamultimate has been all sorts of things to me, from friend network to professional connector to plain old fun exercise. I will try to carry the spirit on to future games in other places.

(Last game)

KF Reunion

Sometimes timing just works out perfectly. In this case, I couldn't have planned a better way for me to say goodbye to the KF students and staff, the people who originally brought me to Zambia.

The new PiAf Fellow at KF, Olivia, invited me to the annual KF reunion which happened to fall on my second to last weekend in the country. Almost every current student and alumni was there, from the first class, now three years out of school, to the new Grade 8's. For the entire day I sat there with a grin plastered on my face, listening to the students run the show. The older classes presented on topics of their choice. Many talked about the opportunities and struggles they've been finding in their first years at university. Others discussed questions they've experienced about their religious beliefs while living in other cultures abroad. Japhet, pursuing a career in IT, showed us a very complex way to reset your password if you get completely locked out of your computer. One after another they exuded a well-spoken confidence, a passion for their topic, and a real love for the KF program and the students still in it. I couldn't have been happier to be there, to see how far many of them have come, and to imagine a very bright future for them and the ever-growing Kucetekela Foundation network.

 Abram presenting to a full house

 Current students and alumni

Japhet hacking computers

 Team challenge from ALA: tallest tower out of candy, spaghetti, string and tape

Soon there'll be too many to fit in one shot

 Goodbyes

Martinho, my mentee, who has just left to attend Earth University in Costa Rica

Olivia, the new Fellow, three generations on

Florence, my former boss and ED of KF

Managing Matero

In February I hit the reset button again at FINCA, this time to enter the final stage of the four-part management development program I entered in August of 2012.

Last time I wrote about work I was preparing to start as manager of the branch I had been working at since February 2013. This would prove to be the most challenging position I’d held so far, at FINCA or elsewhere. I managed Matero branch for 6 months. In that time its staff grew from 29 to 40 and the loan portfolio increased from about 1.5 to 2 million USD. Managing the size of the branch was the biggest challenge; with over 5,000 clients and 25 Loan Officers I needed to become more hands-off and rely heavily on my Supervisors, which wasn’t always easy for me. Being so far removed from most of the client-level action, I learned that putting in place the right structures and processes was going to yield more results (at least in the long term) than trying to personally solve every problem. This was hard to remember each month-end when we had to report our performance. Each month was a cycle of preparation and then the inevitable hectic chaos in the final week as final loans were approved and arrears were collected. It was pretty exhausting.

It wasn’t always like that though. The 6 months were immensely important for both my practical knowledge and personal growth, and I learned a great deal in areas where previously I had little experience. There were also many moments of reward and satisfaction mixed in there. Some of my favorites included the promotions of colleagues I had worked with for a long time, our team building activities after meeting monthly goals, and the customer care day where we hosted clients and staff alike at our branch and recognized our most venerable clients. One village banking group at the event told their story of 12 years of growth and loyalty at FINCA, and it reminded everyone why this work can be so powerful. It was also fulfilling to be in a position to make positive change in that particular branch's universe. Whether it was developing staff, improving the branch experience for the clients, or trying to guide good performance (#2 branch of the year!), each success felt like it made a difference.

(Customer Care Desk at Matero)

(Christmas Raffle presentation)

 (Customer Care Day at Matero- dance troupe in the car park)

  (CC Day at Matero- hosting Head Office staff)

 (CC Day at Matero- VB group recognized for 12 years of loyalty)

(Last Matero teambuilding- goodbye cake and oversized card)

At the end of 6 months I was ready to try a new position and see how else I might fit into the microfinance equation. Still, I know I will sometimes be nostalgic for the branch level, where so much of the success, progress and craziness is happening. I know I'll miss Matero, where I unexpectedly spent a year of my life. My new position, as of February, is Credit Manager for one of FINCA Zambia’s new loan products, Small Enterprise Lending. This product caters to the Zambian entrepreneurs running businesses which are larger and more developed than what MFI’s have traditionally funded. The loans we currently give range between 20 and 60 thousand USD. It’s the new frontier for microfinance, and the same clients are also being targeted by banks through downscaling efforts. These clients represent, along with savings, a future of self-sustaining business for the industry, where the ultimate goal is increasing accessibility and decreasing cost for business people of all sizes who are not currently included in the traditional financial system. 

Lessons, Easy and Hard

Life in Zambia presents an often unique set of problems and resolutions, each with their own lessons. In this post I want to talk specifically about lessons involving things lost; sometimes found again, sometimes not.

Robbery is not a common thing here in Zambia, though having dealt with it every few months I can say it’s far more common than any other place I've lived. Many of the incidents had an element of luck to them, some did not. Each had a lesson to be gained from it, though there sure are a lot to learn.

My first experience with robbery here is tied for both the luckiest and stupidest. Having left our gate open as well as our front door I don’t think there could've been a clearer invitation for a passing opportunist. I came home around midnight to pack for an early morning trip to find my computer and camera missing. After waking up my sleeping roommates I started to look around outside when I heard footsteps behind our garage. I turned the corner in time to see someone climbing over the wall into our neighbors’ property. My roommates and I headed him off outside their house, catching him just before he disappeared into the cane fields. Upon capture he immediately confessed that he had hidden all the items in the same cane fields, after making probably 4 or 5 quiet trips into the house full of sleeping people. We were wary of entering the fields alone, but of course there’s no 911 to call here, so my roommate took my car (a minivan at the time) to go pick up police officers from the nearest post. Once we had some backup we trudged in a line through the dense, unnerving cane until we found all the items. At that point, in some bizarre version of a childhood car trip, I loaded the armed police in through the sliding door, put the tied up thief in the trunk, and then returned them to their station.

Lesson learned: close the gate, lock the house. Luck rating: 9/10

Our second theft also occurred at home about a year later. Up in the predawn hours, my roommate and I followed the sound of water to a leaking tap outside. Well, not leaking exactly; gushing. Perplexed, we debated how it could have broken overnight when we suddenly realized, this was the spot where our washing machine had once sat. The tap hadn’t broken; its receptacle had been forcibly removed.

Lesson learned: lock the gate. Luck rating: 8/10 (some months afterwards the police showed up at our house with the stolen machine, something of a small miracle)

Petty theft takes some serious confidence, which I learned some months later. I borrowed a friend’s car on a day mine was being serviced. That evening I came out of the branch to find that the side view mirrors had been stolen. Luckily they had only pried the mirror part from the housing. But they’d done it right outside the front door of a bank. With a security guard. In full view of my office. They must’ve really needed the cash.

Lesson learned: keep the security guard by the cars. Luck rating: 5/10 (replacing the whole mirror apparatus would’ve been very expensive)

This is one I’m going to include even though it’s not a theft per se and it’s going to make me look like an idiot, but it’s a good story. We had been grocery shopping and, in a moment of monumental forgetfulness, I left my iPad in the cart we had been using. We hadn’t even left the mall before I realized, but enough time had passed for probably 50 people to cycle through the supermarket. We ran back and began frantically checking every cart and basket we could see, whether or not they were in use. I looked like a crazy person trotting back and forth down the checkout lines, peering anxiously at people’s grocery selections. Emily, in a more practical move, asked the management to view the CCTV footage. It wasn’t long before we saw our poor, oblivious selves  on the screen abandoning our cart, and a woman grabbing it not 10 seconds later. A minute or two after that in the footage we thought we could see the same woman leaving the store in a hurry, without having bought anything. That seemed to be the end of that; hours of searching at Shoprite and useless trips to police stations left us empty handed. We returned home, defeated. Acting on an afterthought, I went to the “find my iPhone” website and, behold, there was the tiny blinking beacon of my lost tablet. I must have left the internet turned on while looking up measurement conversions. In an adrenaline-fueled rush we dashed out to the car and, following the map on the computer, set off on the hunt. It was all the way across town but we were there in no time, and quickly realized the problem: the map wasn’t detailed enough. There were at least 15 houses around the dot, each subdivided into multiple family apartments; how were we ever going to pinpoint who had taken it? I started the only way I could think of, going door to door, trying to determine who looked like they had just found a computer. After a few houses it was clear this wasn’t going to bear fruit, but we were so close! In a last ditch effort I hit the button which sounded an alarm on the iPad. Not five minutes later a woman called, saying she had found my number by going through my email, and that she had the computer. She asked where she could meet us, to which I was able to reply, just come out of your house. In no time I was reunited with it, as improbable as it had seemed a few hours before. 

Lesson learned: don’t be a forgetful idiot. Luck rating: 15/10

The most recent addition to my robbery portfolio, and certainly the hardest to swallow, occurred just last Thursday. I had gone to withdraw my salary which had been deposited by mistake to my account at another bank rather than at FINCA. Because I only have one free withdrawal a month, I took out the whole thing at once. After leaving, on the way to deposit it at my branch, I stopped to get some food. A few minutes later, when I came back to the car, I found the driver’s side door slightly ajar and the envelope with the cash gone. My heart just sank to the ground; right away I knew that that money was long gone. Still, I stomached the police station to bring an officer back to the scene, where he pointed out to me how my lock had been jimmied and told me it’s a common thing to be followed after making a withdrawal at a bank. He told me these guys are professionals; they were probably in and out in a minute and the chances of retrieving the cash were essentially zero. Again I endured the bureaucracy of the police station to file a report, not because I thought it would help, but because I didn’t know what else to do with myself. In the end, it’s money, and if they were going to follow me and take it anyway, at least I didn’t have to get hurt I guess. Still, I’ll be kicking myself for this one for some time to come.

Lesson(s) learned: be careful with cash, split it up or keep it on you. Always look over your shoulder as you leave the bank. Luck rating: 0/10

Reflection Time

The beginning of the year is an easy and tempting opportunity for self-reflection. When you’re with friends and family for the holidays, ringing in the New Year, or just trying to remember to write the correct date, certain questions seem to come naturally. Where was I this time last year? At that time, where did I see myself now? And of course the big one: where will I be this time next year?

It’s hard to believe it was a year ago that my family came to visit Zambia. Looking back over that time it’s clear that sharing it with them changed some of my own perceptions of living here. Instead of it being something totally separate and foreign from my life in the US, I began to feel like I could merge the two parts. Now, when sharing stories, my family could recognize names and places from their own experience. More than that, Zambia, down to all the mundane details of living here, was now something meaningful and real for them which could connect us across the long distance.

(Victoria Falls 2012)

After the big, exciting holiday last year and my recent visit to the US in August, I was approaching this holiday season resigned to the idea of spending it away from my family. The prospect wasn't very appealing (Lusaka empties out during the holidays) so I decided to approach my bosses anyway just to see what would happen. Both have plenty of experience living abroad and away from their families, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when they were open to the idea. I couldn't have been happier about it.

Having already set the expectation for my absence, my mom and I decided to take advantage of the situation and make it a surprise for the rest of my family. I haven’t had many opportunities in life to pull such an elaborate trick on them so we really went all out with it.  Watching the shock and confusion register on their faces, we were both pretty pleased with the success of our deception.   

Being home for the holidays was even nicer than I’d expected. I was able to catch up with old friends, some I hadn't seen in years, and spend plenty of time with my family. I also had the chance to spend some time with Emily in Boston, which was really a great experience. In the same way as having my family visit Zambia, I felt very lucky to be able to share parts of our pre-Zambia lives with each other. We were even treated to a snowstorm and, let me tell you, after 3 years of no snow you really get nostalgic for it. Thinking last year about what this holiday season would bring I know I couldn't have imagined a better two weeks.

       

 (Gingerbread house construction, serious business)

The remaining question floating out there still can’t be answered neatly. This is the time where I start considering what my options are and where they could take me. As in the past, the process can be overwhelming, but there’s a flip side to that which excites me. While it’s still half a year away, I’m looking forward to where August 2014 and the end of my current contract will lead me.

Big Graduation, Big Migration

When I first arrived in Zambia as a fellow with Kucetekela Foundation, one of my first tasks was organizing the Work Experience program for our Grade 10's.  We split up the driving to the sites amongst the staff and I was assigned to bring Martinho, a mild-mannered 10^th grader, to his internship at a medical laboratory. In order to beat traffic I would pick him up early in the morning and we’d arrive well before the lab opened. Sitting together in the parking lot that first day we were initially at a loss for words, but, over a game of chess on my computer we started to bond. That became our morning ritual, the chess games a conduit for us to talk and learn about one another, and from that week forward we stayed close.

Early this year I officially became Martinho’s mentor through KF, which was a very happy moment for me. Now it’s Frisbee rather than chess that connects us. Our car rides together and lunches every few months give me a chance to find out how things are going at school, but it’s also a time for me to learn more about this gifted, motivated, and increasingly well-spoken young man.

Last month I found myself in a position I don’t think I could’ve predicted two years ago: watching Martinho graduate from Grade 12 and the KF scholarship program. Seeing him and the other KF graduate Kate dancing into the ceremony, sitting in their formal wear and gowns, collecting their prizes for first and second in the class (big grins on their faces) was at the same time a happy and surreal experience. Being surrounded that afternoon by the KF students and all the positivity of the day flooded me with good memories and reminded me of things I loved about Zambia which I’d started to forget.

(Kate and Martinho)

It’s that time of the year again; the other weekend we packed ourselves into the Rav’s and went north for the bat migration. As usual it was a great trip, and because the bats had shifted their roosting place closer to the viewing area, we were able to witness it from what felt like a whole new perspective. This year BBC came to Zambia to film the migration for the BBC Africa series. It’s featured in Episode 2 of the series, “Savannah”. I think a quick cameo from us dedicated bat watchers would have added something nice, but it seems they’re not interested in filming humans for this program. This year we also included a stop over at a nearby waterfall. It was really a stunning place; it felt like we’d walked down into some preserved prehistoric oasis. Swimming at its base after hiking in the heat was an excellent way to close out the trip.

Re-reading this post, I realized the content is, in many ways, very similar to the post I had written this time last year (am I becoming that predictable?). If I had just waited until next Thursday I would’ve included a bit about the Thanksgiving dinner that we’re planning to have. I think it’s safe to say that, like every year, it’ll be a welcome and comforting reminder of home. Wishing you all a very happy early Thanksgiving. And a happy early 60th birthday to my Dad; it seems this, my 60th post, was well timed to celebrate

October in Zambia

It’s Halloween, and while the weather here is hot rather than brisk and there’s dust on the ground instead of leaves, we still managed a small token of recognition. See if you can guess whose squash is whose (hint: you wouldn't be able to tell it was Emily's first jack-o-lantern)

And how better to celebrate the last day of October than with an awesome end to a truly impressive baseball season. Waking up at 2 am to stream the game live was worth it to watch this bearded bunch of ballplayers put on another great show. Thinking of all of you celebrating in Boston today. 

Engagement Photos

Last weekend I did an engagement photo shoot with two friends around Lusaka. They'll have official photos done later, but this shoot was more for them to relive and remember their 5 years together here before moving away a few days later. We went all over town searching for those quintessential Lusaka icons and places. With the light and the city cooperating we came away with some fun photos. Here are few of my favorites.

Bluegrass in Lusaka

One of the greatest things to happen since I've lived here was bringing together a group of people to play music way back in January 2012. We started by playing only bluegrass, eventually naming ourselves the Copper Spoon Bangers to capture that Zambian flair. We ranged in skill levels but were all amateurs, and that's the greatest thing about it. It's a chance to practice, learn, and just enjoy playing with other people. The second greatest thing is the way it's constantly changing. We're always having new people join us, while others eventually have to leave. We often get people just passing through for a couple weeks to sit in as well. In its current iteration, the group regularly features an upright bass, acoustic guitars, a singer, a violin, a keyboard, and a mandolin. In the past we've also had djembes, a twelve string guitar, and a banjo. While we've only recorded ourselves once, it was one of my favorite covers, and after finally having internet capable of uploading it I wanted to share.

(You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover) featuring Julie's vocal talents)

FINCA, Supervisor Recap

It’s been a while since I’ve written about work here. This is due in part to how much things have changed during my last position. From month to month I was either in a new location or a new mindset. Now, in retrospect, it’s much easier to give a coherent recap.

From January until July I continued my training by working in the role of a Credit Supervisor at the branch level. I started in Chawama, one of our newest branches at the time. The branch was a pleasant place to work, though the area was rough during the rainy season. I supervised two different products and enjoyed helping lay the foundation for how operations would be run there in the future. After one month I was transferred to Matero branch where there was an opportunity to cut my teeth on a challenging situation. 

After a series of issues in the past year, most of the staff had been replaced with new hires who had inherited poorly performing portfolios and difficult clients from their predecessors. I took over management of a team of five Loan Officers; one half of the Business Loan cluster. It was a testing situation at first. I struggled to push improvements on all fronts, from the types of clients we were funding, the quality of the analyses being done, the monitoring of clients, and my own people management skills. It took some time, but somewhere in April we started to see progress. My Loan Officers were improving both individually and as a team, and we were starting to make a real dent in the problems we had inherited. By the time I was finishing my term as a supervisor, both my cluster and Matero branch seemed to have turned a corner. The specter of the past was dissipating and the new team was capable, confident and achieving results not seen here in a long time. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction to be part of that transition and to see the staff develop, some even receiving promotions.

So it was with great pleasure that, for my next assignment, I had the opportunity to take over as Branch Manager of the same Matero branch. A promotion for our previous Branch Manager opened up the position at just the right time, and I couldn’t have been happier to continue working with the same team to make this the best branch in FINCA Zambia. My first few weeks in this new role have presented a whole new series of challenges and opportunities, and I’m looking forward to learning and growing here in the months ahead.

(Matero Branch)

Visitors and Bon Voyage

Living here, I always feel very lucky when people come to visit. No one is ever “passing through” Zambia. Actually, you have to go pretty out of your way to get here. So having a friend visit is always a special event, and this month has been full of them. Not long after Jamie left, my college friend Becca, on a family trip in East Africa, came down for a weekend. While the trip was too short, we had plenty of time to catch up during a visit to the Lower Zambezi. The two of us took the relatively short drive down to the river which involved a pontoon crossing and some rough roads that made me glad I replaced the 12 year old tires before we left.

Kiambi, the camp where we stayed, is an oasis perched on a cliff overlooking the confluence of the Zambezi and Kafue rivers. The big lazy river moving deceptively quickly below offered itself as a perfect canvas for the sunset we were just in time to catch. We braved the cold at night with plenty of warm clothes, resisting the urge to bring some coals from the fire into the tent with us. The stars glittered in the chilly darkness,  showing clearly Scorpius and the Big Dipper, which only appear for a short time during the year down here. We were also privy to the uncommon sight of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in the sky together.

We spent our one full day perfecting the art of relaxation, ending it with a beautiful boat ride on the river for sunset. As dusk was falling we stumbled on a group of elephants playing in the water. Our guide got us right up next to them and it was really something else to watch these huge animals romping like puppies.

Speaking of puppies, our dog is now in what I imagine to be his rebellious adolescent years. His reign as sole house mascot, however, is being eroded by the arrival of two new turkeys. There is a tentative understanding developing between them as they try to assess what threat the other poses.

(Sparta sizing them up)

In the same airport trip I dropped Becca off and picked up Anne, an old Lusaka resident on her third visit back. We were close friends during my first year here so of course there’s plenty of reminiscing to be done when she’s back. It’s been great having her around, and I’m looking forward to a group trip this weekend up to Ndola to watch Chiplopolo play Lesotho for a chance to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Of course there has to be a tradeoff to all this fun. This week Zambia said goodbye to an institution. Jes, the ever adventure-ready, master traveler, cook and Frisbee player, brought to a close her almost 4 year relationship with this country. While we will certainly miss her here, I know she can’t ignore when adventure beckons with a chance to bike across Eastern Europe.

(Photo credit: Cheryl R.)