Livingstone

Motivated by boredom and Zebra Guest House fever we decided to take a weekend trip to see the great Mosi-oa-tunya (Victoria Falls). Joining us was Mr. Bambang, a friend who is also staying at the Zebra House. Before leaving, everyone was sure to tell us that it was not the rainy season and that the falls would be at best a trickle. But we wanted to go anyways to see the rocks and perhaps swim in the devil's pool. By paying a fee, visitors can walk or boat out to Livingstone Island to swim in a pool that is only a few meters away from the edge of the falls. Exhilarating thought Lebo and I. Too dangerous thought mom and dad.

We left early Friday morning to catch the bus from town. After 6 hours we arrived at the Fawlty Towers hostel where we immediately partook in the free poolside pancakes. To our delight pancakes were served daily at 3 pm. Saturday morning saw us up bright and early for Mr. Bambang's micro flight above the falls. We all then took an hour and a half walk across the dry Zambezi riverbed with our guide Phineas. He took us right up to the edge of the falls at several different points. Dad made sure to always have a firm hand on a rock and good feet positioning just in case there were to be a great rush of water.

We saw birds and very aggressive baboons but no elephants. One baboon was so bold as to shove a sitting man after the man took his backpack away from the baboon. Mr. Bambang told us that in Indonesia, where he is from, the monkeys are so clever that they steal tourists' cameras and will only give them back when presented with food!

Other highlights from the weekend included the Livingstone museum where we spent all morning walking through history beginning with the Stone Age. A fascinating place with lots of information. Dad was surprisingly one of the first to finish but only after we left did he realize he missed the Natural History section and then we all understood his quickness. Lebo, Bambang and I went up the road to to the Capitol Limited Theater to see Social Network for 14,000 kwacha ($3). Too bad it was an illegal download with the Columbia Pictures watermark appearing every five minutes throughout. We are planning to go back in April after the rains that have started in the western part of the country reach Livingston so that we can see the mist and the roaring falls.

Tiny Tim and Friends: Pediatric Care

I found a place to volunteer this week! It's called Tiny Tim and Friends. Dr. Tim Meade started the organization six years ago in Lusaka in order to provide antiretroviral drugs to children and caregivers of children who are HIV+. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the staff hold clinic days in which the enrolled patients come for their monthly checkups. The rest of the week the staff go into the communities to either give workshops on health issues or to work in coordination with Grassroots Soccer to test children for HIV. I'm hoping to mostly work in the clinic but also get involved in the adherence counseling and workshops. I went on an outreach to a grade school were we tested 17 kids. They all tested negative which was great but we were disappointed because only 17 of the 86 children had gotten their parents/guardians to sign the permission slip allowing us to test them. Phoning and house visits will be the next steps to complete testing all these kids.

The clinic is in town so I take the bus in every morning. It takes about an hour and half due to the traffic. I went to lunch with the guys in the office one day and experienced the real Lusaka. When mom, dad, Lebo and I first visited town it didn't leave any lasting impressions - dusty, busy and dirty with not much to see. However with 5 Zambian men leading me to lunch in the city market I saw a whole different kind of town. We walked past the storefronts that I only initially saw into a maze of pathways where stall after stall showed women cooking inshima and chicken. As you walk by each stall you see white balls of cornmeal floating in boiling water and chicken frying in vats of oil. Then you look past the women tending to the pots into small little huts where men in business attire sit crammed in at little tables eating. One of the guys told me that this is where you come to have real nshima. I wonder where you would find fake nshima though.... Lunch was good although I don't think I will ever eat the okra again. Something about having to pick up a snotty mess of greens with sticky cornmeal was not appetizing. I think next week I'll eat with the women of the office and see what they do.

-Nora