How are you? Bwino bwanji :)

I’ve been living here in Livingstone for a week now and it’s actually 4 weeks ago I left Oslo. Crazy!

The town is really nice and has a lot to offer. So it’s perfect, when I for instance need a break from my home in the compound and just want to be a tourist (or use a real toilet):)

So what have I been doing in Livingstone?

Well, I’m supposed to work. However, I’ve not really been working :D As I wrote in my last post, I have been attending club trainings in the different compounds around Livingstone Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This means that I basically just have played netball and/or football 2-3 hours every day. Besides this, I’ve experienced the town and read a good book ;)

Kwenuha has 12 sport clubs placed around Livingstone and I’ve to get to know all of them and see, what they are doing and where I can help. So yep, I’ve still 9 to go ;) But it shouldn’t sound as if I’m not doing or learning anything. I’ve already learned a lot about the African culture and their work habits. Especially their feeling for and attitude towards time…Well, I can tell that it’s quite challenging and frustrating sometimes :D But yeah, I just smile and enjoy the sun when I have to wait :)

At least I can rely on the sun! The sun is shining and it’s about 35 degrees every day. And this is the normal temperature in Livingstone!!! I don’t know, how I’m going to manage to exercise and do trainings when it gets summer and around 45-50 degrees! However, I don’t want to complain :) I just love the sun, as many of you probably know :D

Furthermore, I’ve been learning Nyanja (this is one of the four most spoken local languages in Zambia). Even though it’s a bit difficult, it is worth it to learn! It’s so funny to see peoples reactions, when you reply or greet in Nyanja :D they don’t expect a muzungu (white person) being able to speak their language. Another thing which is quite crazy is, how the children go crazy, when they see a white person walking in the compound :D you feel like a star!

How was my first weekend in Livingstone?

Well, I can say it in one word: AMAZING!!!

When I went to work Friday morning and arrived at 8 o’clock on the dot, I didn’t know that my plans for the weekend would make such a u-turn and in such positive way :) From staying in Livingstone (almost alone) doing nothing, it went to a half-day trip to the Victoria Falls, weekend trip to a small Island in the Zambezi River and a sunset cruise :) Thanks to Siv-Hege and Anne-Kathe (two Norwegian girls I’ve met here in Livingstone).

It all started, when Sister Perpetua (my boss) Friday morning told me that they actually don’t have any work for me. She offered me to take a day off and just relax. Well, in the first moment I was a bit annoyed and frustrated…but then I called Siv-Hege and the adventure started :)

At 10:15 a.m. I was on my way to the Victoria Falls :) The Falls are just AMAZING!!! No wonder, they are the Seventh Natural Wonder of the World. It was definitely not my last time going there :)

 

The Victoria Falls

The bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe

(Do I really have the courage to do a Bungy jump from that bridge?! We'll see)

And how did I end up at the small Island with no electricity and network? Right, Siv-Hege and Anne-Kathe asked if I wanted to join them on their weekend trip to Puvo Island. Without hesitating I said yes and after packing my bag in only 10 minutes (can you believe that?! Me, who always needs at least some hours for packing :D) we were on our way to the Island. 

How did we get there?

Look :)

Yep, 9 people (5 Canadians, 1 American, 2 Norwegians and me) squeezed together in the back of a truck. Quite fun and windy :D

What did we do on the Island?

Absolutely nothing :) Besides enjoying life with a good book, drinking beer, sunset cruises in a canoe, listening to the hippos singing/talking and relaxing in the sun. Yep, it was bearable :D

And the perfect ending of this lovely weekend, was the sunset cruise on the Zambezi River with drinks for free, finger food, a lovely sunset and the view of hippos and elephants :)

So today it was back to reality and work. A lovely spider had chosen to keep me company in my room this morning :) Thanks!

What’s the plan for this week?

Well, attending some club trainings, club competition on Friday and a Fun Day (basically a sports day) on Saturday :)

Goodbye Lusaka – Hello Livingstone :)

Wow, more than a week has passed since my last post and a lot of things have happened :)

The last week at the general orientation in Lusaka we had many workshops, discussions and lectures about “Kicking Aids Out” on the programme. We learned almost everything you have to know about HIV and Aids, so that we are well prepared to share the information, when we work in the field.

Eirick and Tafara presenting

Furthermore, we have had a football tournament. That was the highlight of the week for many of us! In particular for my team “fantastic four”! We won, juhhuuu :)

The Fantastic Four

Becky, Arndt and Staffy cheerleading

Besides this, we have visited the Norwegian Embassy and the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in Lusaka. The OYDC is a huge athletic ground and an amazing opportunity for children and youth, where there are fields for football, rugby, handball, volleyball, track and field, basketball and you name it! And the best thing about it, is that it is for free! Unfortunately, there are not enough children using the sport facilities in proportion to the capacity.

Olympic Youth Development Centre

Then our last evening had come…. Thursday evening we all dressed up for our farewell dinner at the Commonwealth Youth Centre. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the evening, however it was kind of sad as well. After spending so much time together, it was weird just being a group of 8 persons (those who are staying in Zambia 10 months). The 8 of us stayed at the Commonwealth Youth Centre for another 2 nights, since we had a specific orientation about Zambia during the weekend, before going to our host families.

Becky and me

After saying goodbye to all the others Friday morning, I had to go to the Danish Embassy for registration. I thought it would be a thing of few minutes…well no! In Africa everything takes a bit longer :D After almost 1 ½ hours waiting, I finally got a paper,  which told me I have to do it online! Thank you :D

However, the Friday waffles at the Norwegian Embassy together with Lina, Johanne and Vitaly afterwards were a got reward :) Maybe I should consider going to Lusaka every Friday to get waffles :)

In the afternoon our specific orientation started. We got information about health, security and all the important things you have to know, when you live in Zambia. What started a bit slowly and as repetition, showed to be a lot of fun :) We “learned” to take the bus, to have dinner at a restaurant, take a taxi, negotiate the price and to order drinks in a bar :)

Saturday we all took the public bus to Kaunda Square, where Nowspar (National Organization for Women in Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation) had organized a sport event. There were a lot of kids and it was great fun playing football and netball with and against them :) However, it also was a very different experience for us “Norwegians”, playing in a sandstorm and on a field with many wholes and a lot of rubbish. The kids were having a wicked time watching us falling :D

Kaunda Square

Sandstorm

After the sport event we all were invited to a BBQ at the chief of Nowspar’s place. It was so nice and we really enjoyed the afternoon :) And you can’t imagine how nice it was eating something else, than just the food we ate the last 10 days.

After the nice afternoon, a shower and packing our bags, we all went out :) We started with pre-drinks, playing cards and water pipe at Vitaly’s place (he was a volunteer last year). After that we were ready to explore the nightlife in Lusaka :) We had a lot of fun and were dancing the whole night! A perfect ending of the general and specific orientation in Lusaka :)

Then the final day had arrived… After a short powernap, I was ready for the 7 hours bus trip towards Livingstone together with Therese and Phoebe. It was a long journey and we were quite happy, when we arrived in Livingstone around 1 p.m. However, it was with mixed feelings. Now the real African life waited for us.

So, here am I now :) Living in Livingstone, together with my lovely host family in a small house in More Light Extension (4 Km outside of Livingstone town). I have 3 brothers (William 16 years old, Patrick 12 years old and Jonathan 5 years old) and 3 cousins (Rebecca 17 years old, Chico 16 years old and Giving 5 years old), and my host parents John and Miriam.

The kids and me in the living room

my toilet in the garden

my room

Monday morning I started work in Kwenuha Women’s Association. My colleagues are really nice and they embraced me with a warm welcome :) The last 3 days I have observed how the organization works and participated in different training sessions in the different communities around Livingstone :)

That was all from me right now. I look forward to the weekend, where I hopefully will see the Victoria Falls :)

My first week in Zambia

Well, where to start. There are so many things I want to share with you :)

Let me start with giving you an impression of what I’m seeing right now and every other evening

Isn’t it nice? I’m already in love with the sunsets and sunrises, however I think everybody would fall in love with them right away :)

Okay, right now I’m sitting in front of the Commonwealth Youth Programme Centre in Lusaka, watching the sunset and looking back on the last week. It has been a really good and interesting but also quite exhausting and busy week :) We have many hours lectures every day and there are just so many new impressions and things to learn and experience.

But let me start from the beginning :)

The journey

Before the first flight

Monday the 6^th of August at 1:20 p.m. o’clock the airplane left Oslo Gardermoen heading Frankfurt Airport in Germany. With some tears in my eyes I found my seat in the plane…happy that I was together with the other Norwegians :) and actually not noticing that I was sitting next to two Norwegian celebrities :D We arrived safely in Frankfurt and were ready for 5 hours waiting time for the next flight. At 8:45 p.m. we were ready for the 10.30 hours flight towards Johannesburg. With a lot of movies and some hours sleep, the flight didn’t feel that long. In J.B. we got our first impressions of Africa, except of the temperatures. We had -2 degrees!!! Yep, we were freezing ;)

At 12:30 p.m. we finally arrived in Lusaka. Unexpectedly, everyone got their bags and the whole journey went according to the schedule :) Nice!

The rest of the Tuesday we met the other volunteers from East and South Africa, got our rooms and were welcomed of a lovely Zambian dancing group. It was great fun seeing them dance and especially when we, the Norwegians, joined them :D

Here some impressions of the dancing

Where are we staying, who are “we” and what are we doing?

 Right, as written in my last post, I’m on a general orientation for all volunteers until the 17^th of August in Lusaka. We are staying at the Commonwealth Youth Programme Centre on the campus of the University of Zambia in Lusaka. We are 10 volunteers from Norway who will be placed in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Then there are 8 Africans who are going to Norway (they are for instance from Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia) and 7 Africans who are going to work in another African country. I’m for instance sharing a room with Becky from Kenya, who is going to work in an organization in Zimbabwe after these 10 days.

Becky and me in the dining room

So what are we actually doing?

Well, we are having lectures, workshops, dialogues, discussions and group work about topics as for instance sport and development, the different countries and their cultures, and culture and development. Furthermore, we have been on community visits in different parts of Lusaka.

The community visit has been really interesting and exciting, since it was the first time we had the opportunity to see something else than the campus area. However, it also was quite touching to see under which circumstances they live…you really appreciate your life at home. On the other hand, it was so nice and warming seeing a little girl’s smile, when I throw a ball to her and we played :)

The next days we are going to have a focus on Kicking Aids Out, health and cross-cultural understanding, before we all are heading to our host families in different cities and countries this weekend. In my case, Livingstone in Zambia :)

Besides all this, we spend our time with many social and some physical activities in the evenings :) 

Here are some impressions

Playing netball

Meeting Petronellas family

Class activity

All in all, I’m having a good time here! However, I’m also really looking forward meeting my host family and start working in Kwenuha Women Association (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kwenuha-Women-Association/198640513507162) :)

Why am I in Zambia?

For those who don’t know why I am in Zambia :)

I finished my Bachelor of Science at the University of Copenhagen in June 2012 and wanted to get some practical experiences, before starting with my master degree. After a lot of searching, I found the really nice exchange programme “Idretts Fredskoprs”, which the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports offers in cooperation with Fredskorpset. I applied and was one of the lucky ones to be chosen to be part of the team :) See the following web pages for more information:

www.idrett.no

www.fredskorpset.no

http://www.idrett.no/tema/internasjonalt/utviklingssamarbeid/Sider/idrettensfredskorps.aspx

Besides this, I’m taking the study ” Sport, Culture and Development Cooperation” at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

The next 10 months, I’ll stay in a host family in Livingstone in Zambia and work in Kwenuha Women association. 

Zambia here I come :)

Puha! Now the day has come and it's only few hours to I'm taking the flight towards Lusaka, Zambia. The first stop is Frankfurt, second Johannesburg and Tuesday morning I'll finally arrive in Lusaka. The next 10 days I'm staying in Lusaka together with all the others from the Idretts Fredskorps. We are having a general orientation, where we are going to meet the people who are going on an exchange to Norway and the people who are going on an exchange to an other African country. I think it's going to be quite interesting ;) After the 10 days, my way will go down to Livingstone, where I will be working for Kwenuha Women Association and living in a host family :)

It's quite crazy and still a bit unrealistic that it's today I'm leaving...I'm really looking forward to my experience in Zambia, however I've also to admit that it's with a bit mixed feelings...I'm going to miss you all a lot :*

The last week here in Oslo has been really good and gone way too fast. I still feel that I've so many things to do before my time in Zambia. 

However, I've met nice people, had interesting lectures about Sport and Development and had social activities in the evenings :) Nice! And the weekend with my mum, Kai, Bela and Laura has just been so lovely! Really nice that they all came to Oslo for me :) 

So yeah, what can say? 

Thanks, and goodbye Europe and hello Zambia :)