Hello folks!
I have to preface: this likely won't be the most coherent of emails I've crafted in my day. The past two days have included sizeable flights and extended layovers in large airports. I didn't find the ways to obtain the zzz's that I craved, and now I am a young lad in need of a certain midday siesta here in Lusaka, Zambia.
There aren't many impressions to write quite yet, as I've only been in the city for about two hours. I will say that in no way do I feel unsafe. The people I've spoken with so far have been all smiles and very friendly, except one Za
mbian who assumed I was Australian and kept saying "g'day, mate" as I walked past him half an hour ago. The majority of the streets I've seen have been clean and free of litter (with the exception of a few alleys; not unlike anytown USA, I'm sure). Customs was a breeze, the airport was tiny but organized, the sky is blue, the weather is warm, and the place I'm staying at in Lusaka is cozy and welcoming. I'm meeting up with the project director for whom I'll be working this afternoon, which will be nice to chat with him face to face and hash out a few nuances I'll likely encounter while I'm here. But Lusaka seems good. I wouldn't say that I'm in love with the city by any stretch, but it sure has been an easy, stress free day thus far.
Last night, on the other hand, was a different story. I was reading a book about "conservation refugees." The term conservation refugee is new to me, and I now understand it to mean the millions of people who have been displaced by conservation groups who lock up and preserve big tracts of land in developing countries and/or rural and remote areas of developed countries that still have indigenous populations. You see this a lot in big national parks or game preserve in which thousands of locals once lived, hunted, cultivated, gathered, and collected. Once the boundaries of the parks were defined, the people were displaced off of their original land, ultimately winding up in soil-poor land foreign to them or unemployed and in the city, and most often under poverty. The chapters I read last night discussed Canada, Alaska, the American West, Latin America, SE Asia, Iran, but predominantly sub saharan Africa. I felt a growing guilt washing over me last night as I read further and further into the book, knowing that I was heading for sub saharan Africa to contribue to a conservation organization... Thankfully the group I'm working for seems to understand this situation and is working toward conservation goals while simultaneously striving to keep locals on their land, even if that land is within designated game reserves and/or national parks.
mbian who assumed I was Australian and kept saying "g'day, mate" as I walked past him half an hour ago. The majority of the streets I've seen have been clean and free of litter (with the exception of a few alleys; not unlike anytown USA, I'm sure). Customs was a breeze, the airport was tiny but organized, the sky is blue, the weather is warm, and the place I'm staying at in Lusaka is cozy and welcoming. I'm meeting up with the project director for whom I'll be working this afternoon, which will be nice to chat with him face to face and hash out a few nuances I'll likely encounter while I'm here. But Lusaka seems good. I wouldn't say that I'm in love with the city by any stretch, but it sure has been an easy, stress free day thus far.Last night, on the other hand, was a different story. I was reading a book about "conservation refugees." The term conservation refugee is new to me, and I now understand it to mean the millions of people who have been displaced by conservation groups who lock up and preserve big tracts of land in developing countries and/or rural and remote areas of developed countries that still have indigenous populations. You see this a lot in big national parks or game preserve in which thousands of locals once lived, hunted, cultivated, gathered, and collected. Once the boundaries of the parks were defined, the people were displaced off of their original land, ultimately winding up in soil-poor land foreign to them or unemployed and in the city, and most often under poverty. The chapters I read last night discussed Canada, Alaska, the American West, Latin America, SE Asia, Iran, but predominantly sub saharan Africa. I felt a growing guilt washing over me last night as I read further and further into the book, knowing that I was heading for sub saharan Africa to contribue to a conservation organization... Thankfully the group I'm working for seems to understand this situation and is working toward conservation goals while simultaneously striving to keep locals on their land, even if that land is within designated game reserves and/or national parks.
Anyhow, I somehow couldn't rationalize that last night. I just kept feeling the feelings of guilt and let them build. I was doing alright last night, for a while, though. I was bouncing back and forth between being calm and being excited. And sometimes a bit nervous or afraid. It really struck me though as I monitored our flight path and we passed over Libya. Then over Chad and into the Sudan and the Darfur Mountains. I have to admit that as I saw myself passing over those places, looking out the window and wondering what the hell was happening immediately underneath me, I allowed myself to become genuinely frightened. I was afraid for about two hours, but eventually got over it by dumbing down my senses and watching the movie Almost Famous on my little tv screen in front of me. A rather trivial, and unlikely remedy to a quick bout of fear, but it did the trick somehow, and I'm glad it did.
After I started feeling a little better, I noticed an enormous lightning storm off the right side of the plane. Looking at our flight path, I deduced that I was watching a thunderstorm over the Congo Basin. Talk about surreality!
Since landing in Lusaka, however, I've realized that those fears are unjustifed. At least for where I am, in Zambia (I'm sure those fears are indeed justified elsewhere). This country so far has had far better drivers than Panama or Bulgaria or New York. Much less litter and sidewalk trash than Chile or even Chicago. And seemingly friendly people who don't go out of their way to give you a crooked look or a hard time. Again, it's only been a couple of hours, but I feel good about it. I'm at an internet cafe abo
ut a half mile down the road from my little cabana I have rented here, and the walk here was sufficiently uneventful and unspooky. The people in the other cabanas and tents at our little travelers compound were relaxing in the sun, reading books with their cameras strewn about the area. It didn't have the feeling at all that you needed to watch all of your belongings at all times. I overheard one conversation near my cabana involving a couple of Australians here to help build an educational operating room in a local hospital (one with facilities and infrastructure ammenable to teaching local medics and doctors the ins and outs of surgery). Pretty good crowd to be hanging out with so far...
ut a half mile down the road from my little cabana I have rented here, and the walk here was sufficiently uneventful and unspooky. The people in the other cabanas and tents at our little travelers compound were relaxing in the sun, reading books with their cameras strewn about the area. It didn't have the feeling at all that you needed to watch all of your belongings at all times. I overheard one conversation near my cabana involving a couple of Australians here to help build an educational operating room in a local hospital (one with facilities and infrastructure ammenable to teaching local medics and doctors the ins and outs of surgery). Pretty good crowd to be hanging out with so far... Alright, it's time for me to return to my casita to obtain a large quantity of zzz's. I hope to hear from you folks, and just know that everything thus far has started off smoothly!
Daven
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