Where are the lights?

Today marks two months since I arrived in Lusaka. I apologize for my general lack of communication. I was simply not in the frame of mind to write anything coherent (not that this blog will be :). My mind was recovering from months of non-stop 'dissertating' (writing, defending, revising, and submitting). Moreover, my mind was adjusting to a new land and was in denial about starting adult life in earnest. All these matters contributed to a rather unsettling feeling. But not to worry, I kept mental (and sometimes written) records of my initial and repeated reactions as a newcomer. This first post will give a glimpse and summary of my first two months. Nothing earth-shattering or profound...

Here I am. I arrived in Lusaka late at night from Boston, via Amsterdam. I had been warned about the rather small size of the city's international airport and the fact that I would have to walk on the tarmac before getting to its main building, so that left no impression. After all, that was (and maybe still is) the situation at Accra's Kotoka International Airport (although these days, a bus takes you from point A to point B). A very tired bunch of passengers, we were welcomed by a rather upbeat female airport officer. Although many of us immediately got into our respective lines -- mine being the "Visa Holders" line -- she insisted that we could spread out into other lines since we were "all God’s children!" I took her advice and made my way to the "Zambians only" line. I figured that if I hid the front of my passport, it would not be until I was face-to-face with the immigration officer that I would reveal my non-Zambian identity. My plan worked, but the officer focused on what was crucial: my visa only allowed me into stay in the country for 30 days a year. Already knowing this, I nodded. My workplace has applied for a work permit on my behalf, which will take anywhere from 2-6 months to be issued. Until then, I have to get extensions every 30 days. I cringe at the thought of wasted passport pages, thanks to immigration officers who stamp passport pages with no appreciation for their value.

"Where are the lights?" That was my very first reaction after getting out of the airport. I was welcomed by a young Ghanaian couple (friends of a mutual friend) who showed me the best of Ghanaian hospitality by inviting me to stay with them until I found a suitable apartment. More on them in the next post...  “Is this a back road?” I asked. “Where are the lights?” The husband and wife chuckled. I was very surprised that the airport road, a major road, has such few lamp posts. Not the greatest impression on what was to come, I thought. As we got closer into town, though, I started seeing the lights. And many of them. Having been here for two months, I can now safely say that my initial reaction still stands (i.e. that the airport road needs to be well lit). But where there are lights, Lusaka is very well lit. Too well lit, in fact. The main shopping malls (Arcades, Manda Hill, and Levy Junction) remind me of the bright and migraine-inducing lights of Times Square in New York City. Houses are lit on all sides. Indeed, my land lady’s daughter (more on that in the next post) couldn’t understand why I hadn't thought of leaving the front light of my apartment on all night. “You will attract thieves” she explained. “What thieves?” I asked. But what I really wanted to say is: “Serious thieves will bring their own torch lights!”

Lusaka. The next morning, I went on a little tour of the city. All I kept thinking was how much Lusaka also reminded me of Accra circa 1999-2000 when it was at the cusp of its "development"… right before infrastructural expansion, massive traffic and road congestion, pollution, and increased crime rate. I was happy to be in a place so peaceful, but also excited to be here at this particular time in the city's evolution. And what a lovely and organized city it is. Definitely one of the cleanest African cities I have been to. The people of Lusaka (and presumably Zambia) are very friendly and have a healthy appreciation for good music and nature.

"You are very adventurous" Southern Africans are used to buying tomatoes and onions from shops that include a grocery section, but as a West African, I am used to going to the market to get my staples. One Saturday, I tagged along with my host and her friend to Soweto Market. There, I bargained for goods and felt quite at home. My next step is to learn Nyanja, one of more than 70 languages in Zambia. It is spoken widely in Lusaka and understood all over Zambia. I am learning my new city by the day, and so far, so good. In my next post, I will tell you about my adventures of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Our office manager called me adventurous, for exploring areas and languages in such a short time.

Wilson. For the first six weeks, I had an arrangement with Wilson, a driver who operates from the taxi rank on Zambezi Road, in an area called Roma (where I was staying with the Ghanaian couple). We agreed that he would pick me up from home every morning and take me to my workplace in Kabulonga, about 25 minutes away (with traffic). We negotiated for 35,000 Zambian Kwacha (ZMK) ($7), one way. Even though the currency is called Kwacha, the slang for 1000 ZMK is "one pin".  I am still not sure where the word comes from, but that's how we say it around here! (Un)fortunately, the Government of the Republic of Zambia will be re-denominating the currency in January 2013, where the highest denomination will be 100 ZMK. I wonder whether 'pin' will be replaced?
Wilson was very helpful and sometimes too eager to do his job. On several occasions, he would call before I would, asking if it was time to come pick me up at work (admittedly, it was after 5pm, but I had also told him that I would work late). We explored new places together, and thanks to my roaming around the city, he was also introduced to several parts of his own city. Wilson started driving only about a year and a half ago. Before that he was a gardener in what he described as "an Indian man’s house" for 10 years. After realizing that this work would not get him as far as he wanted to go, he left the job and started a small business (mowing lawns). Soon, he saved enough to buy a small car and started to operate as a taxi driver. One thing that drove me insane with Wilson is that he would play the same song every morning and on repeat. It felt like I was in my own version of “Groundhog Day”!! His song of choice? "Omoge Mi" by P-Square, the Nigerian superstar duo. Needless to say, I have removed that song from my iPod mix! I learned a lot from Wilson and appreciated his entrepreneurial spirit, but the relationship was not sustainable. It was clear that I needed to purchase a car as soon as possible.

“We have knocked off” Why would an internet café in the middle of a busy shopping mall close at 5pm on a weekend, when customers are willing to pay for your service? “Because we too we have to go home and relax” the customer service guy explained. Evidently, I have been spoiled by longer hours of operation in the US and in Accra, Ghana. Only recently did Game, a subsidiary of Walmart, extend its weekly hours to 19:00 from 17:00. All this to say that I had to take a lot of time off work during the day to get anything meaningful done (setting up a bank account, buying basics and necessities for my new abode, etc.). The good news is that said internet café closes at 21:00 on weekdays and now that I have a car, I can stay until late without having to pay for an extra taxi ride home (I would have liked to walk back home, but the roads are deserted by 21:00).

3G..4G..a million Gs. Why don't I just get internet at home, you ask? Well, because it is not cheap! Who knew that browsing Facebook for 20 minutes and checking email for 10 minutes could consume (and I use the word intentionally) about 40MB? Oh how I have learned to be succinct and to the point when it comes to my internet usage! :) At the moment, it seems cheaper to go to the cafe where 60 minutes costs 9 pin and where there are no data restrictions. Access to the internet can also be bought as data bundles on phones or using a USB. Prices range from 5 pin for 10MB/month, to 300 pin ($60) for 3GB/month, to 800 pin ($160) for 10GB/month. One can also get internet at home, where the unlimited package (from 6pm to 8am) costs 1 million ZMK ($200) per month. I am focusing on unlimited plans because of how quickly megabytes are consumed even with the simplest tasks. Having only received two paychecks since my post-doc began, I think it wise to keep going to the internet café until further notice (or until a benefactor steps forward :).

So what are you doing in Lusaka? Variations on this question have been endless. Well, as many of you know, I finally completed my doctoral degree in Development Sociology and Demography at Cornell University this August. I applied for and was blessed to receive the highly competitive Fred H. Bixby Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Population Council. I am now working as part of the research team of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP). The goal of this 2-year fellowship is to be mentored by a Senior Researcher and to produce high quality deliverables (i.e publications) that will help catapult a novice like myself to new heights!

Thank you for reading my first post! More to come, so stay tuned!