Stories from Zambia

 We are here because my dad is working with Evelin Hone college in Lusaka through the US Fulbright program. One of his main jobs has been to work with the Evelin Hone radio station. These are a few of his colleagues in front of the radios sign. Press is especially important now in Zambia because  restrictions have recently been lifted under the new Zambian president. Previously there were news/ radio workers who were put in prison for speaking out against the presidents party (the patriotic front). So now radio and TV stations are given the freedom of the press and are allowed to express their opinions and thoughts. 

  Our new home base of Lusaka is an amazing. We recently went a place downtown called Soweto market. I have never seen so much buying, selling, and negotiating in one place. it was quite an experience and our bargaining skills are now to another level.  (just to anyone wondering this image is not mine)

  In our first two weeks of being in Zambia a new president was elected  Hakainde Hichilema. it was amazing to see the peaceful transition of power, everything moved so smoothly and there was so much mutual respect between the two apposing parties. Even on the radio people were kind and understanding of apposing ideas that it was quite inspiring. No matter who you support I think that this is something that we should strive for in the US.

 

  We left at 8 am for a six hour fishing trip from wild tracks camp on the Zambezi river. we were fishing for Tigerfish and for the first 5 hours My sister Maya was the only person who had caught something. we were lucky enough to run into two elephants while they were drinking by the edge of the water. Our boat captain took us as close as he could. We were able to get within a few feet of them. It was only when everyone else left after 5 hours that I caught a small tigerfish so that we did not go home without having caught something.

 After our perilous drive we arrived to a beautiful camping area right on the Zambezi. on the first night the hippos were particularly active, and we were kept up by all of the grunting and noise that they make all day and night. On the second night there we elephants in our camp we could hear them right outside of our tents pulling the branches off of trees to eat.

We found the prefect bad-ass off-road vehicle for our demanding off-road needs. We tested it out on our way back to the lower Zambezi and this time we used the "shortcut. I don't think anyone in our family has driven like that before.   we also found this huge lizard on the side of the road.

Even though people were going back to school in Boston we started school virtual. I have to say we were a bit disappointed considering that some of us had already spent a year and a half in virtual school. but thankfully it only lasted two weeks because we are now back in person with masks and 8000 gallons of hand sanitizer.   

  we came to the lower Zambezi very unprepared with everything that we though we needed and a two wheel drive two row Toyota. Thankfully our car was up to the task and we made it there without totaling it on the roads made of loose sand. we had no idea what our campsite would be like but we got lucky and ended up right next to the river. The downside of our proximity to the water was the hippos. we could hear them all night walking around our camp and rubbings up against our tents. we also got to see lots of elephants off of the nearby road. on the second day we forgot to pack eggs so we walked 4ish miles to a nearby village. after we got back  the camp owner told us that this was a terrible idea. She told us that there were dangerous lions, leopards, and buffalo and that we were lucky that we did not run into any of them on foot.  we also met some other campers who also live in Lusaka who were very kind and lent us all of the things that we did not know to bright. They a...