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.

Nairobi Attack

What began in Nairobi last Saturday and only finished two days ago has deeply affected communities in this part of the world. The terrifying and upsetting features of this violence have left everyone with a profound vulnerability alongside the grief. I feel awful for all of those people who had to experience this trauma, and those who are surviving their friends and loved ones. I just wanted to share a blog post which was shared with me that speaks truer than many media accounts about the nature of the suffering, as well as the "common humanity and decency" generated by this event.

Nairobi Westgate Mall Terror Attack, And The Folly Of ‘Otherness’ – What Al-Shabaab Revealed About Us

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.)