VSCO Journal | #Three2OneAfrika

Some context for you.

These are moments I recorded during my trip to Zambia in March 2016 to visit my best friend, Dana, who lives and works with Peace Corps. My other best friend, Sydnie, flew over from America to meet us.

We spent the first few days in the village where Dana lives, while ending the trip in Livingstone and Lusaka.

Warning- I have not edited this, choosing to keep all the raw details. No time like the present to be as real, vulnerable, and candid as possible. Sorry if you find it vulgar or inappropriate. If I am going to share some of it, I am going to share all of it. Get in contact if you want to comment on anything or have questions.

March 10 — Thursday — Travel Day One

In my own row on the plane! Three seats to myself. Watching some weird fantasy Asian movie about humans and monsters.

African young guy came and asked to sit with me because there was more room. Then he was really eager to talk, and after a while I said I just wanted to watch a movie. But he let me out to use the toilet (which while waiting, I actually got light headed, felt a spell coming on and had to sit on the floor!), then he saw my dreads and was like, “You’re a rasta??” And touched them. Ha.

This guy next to me on the next flight talks to himself and is quite friendly ha. Kinda weird. So it’s 3am. And we have 2hrs left and I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep. Oh, he yawns tooooo loudly.

March 11 — Friday — Travel Day Two

7:01am landed. The most beautiful coming in scene to Ethiopia- fog and sunrise, silhouettes and old planes, crows flying low next to us as we pull in. Open spaces.

Walked off the plane with an older man, Gary, who’s come back to Cape Town to see his second daughter get married. He lives up north by Leeds. Excited to wake up to coffee on the beach, he says. Sweet guy.

Okay through security and to other gate. Immediately got creepy stares from two different Asian men! Haha. I have to kill an hour or so.

Landed in Harare, waiting about an hour on the plane before taking off again.

Sat/met/talked with guy named William with an empty seat between us. We slept on and off then chatted about Africa. He’s from Harare so was asking when I came and for what- he knew some of the homes I was working with here, and one of the churches I went to. Got my email to connect because he also does charity work.

Others boarding now! So close to being there!! So much weird eating and rice and crackers and gluten on planes.

Asking Dana, “what does it mean to make a difference?” after hearing about her time in Zambia.

Can’t fill water bottle up in sink because there have been cholera outbreaks.

7:39pm: off the side of the road

11:34pm: well we made it to the hut! It’s awesome, and so Dana. We met her host family in the pitch black, stars are huge and so bright. Took hours driving through the bush/bumpy roads. Driver is going to sleep in his car here and head back in the morn (Tom).

Host family with kids, Dana pointed out pics of us on her wall and they all had huge smiles and exclaimed because they were seeing us in person. Shoes off at door. They brought us two pots, three bowls and spoons. Rice and chicken (which Syd and I found out later was actually soya!) for a really late dinner- we were starved.

Dana showed us her bathroom, hole in the ground like in Japan.

March 12- Saturday — Hut Day One

Syd and I slept in till 11ish, Dana and family up and around.

11–3: nsaka time- lots of coffee, homemade pancakes, Pious visits to talk, spent the day talking and catching up with each other. Rained a bit.

Took a walk down to the clinic Dana and villagers are building, bricks and mud.

Bath water drawn, Syd showered, then Dana and I together with open sky and lighting in distance. Sky getting dark now.

Got clean and went for family dinner, sat on mats, took pics and vids of family while waiting for food to cook.

We were offered the ovaries of chicken they caught and killed earlier as part of their tradition with honored guests. Had rape and ugali.

Sat on mats, kids on one next to us, ate with hands, reminded me of Zim. I taught Innocent a handshake and clap game.

We looked at pictures from girls camp, shadow danced.

Said goodnight, came back to the hut and made tea and rummaged in a bag of American candy. Malawi tea. Talked for few hours: Dana being slapped, crazy stalker, and what peace corps is really like. Getting bike. Girl getting murdered.

Bathroom run before bed, brought lamp. Dana thought she saw someone, I was peeing as they ran in. False alarm. We were all jumpy tonight.

Rough night of sleep what with thinking about people breaking in and hearing that shrew in the roof that might chew through to us.

March 13 — Sunday — Hut Day Two

Got out of bed around 9:30am. Changed and out to nsaka. Spent the day here again. Lots of coffee, eggs and pancakes, so much dreaming and discussing and talking and making lists of our dreams and future plans.

3:30pm, little walk to sunflower fields again, sun really hot, getting burned. Back and cleaned a bit, thunder and rain rolling in.

Not sure we have any plans or will do anything tonight.

Sunset watching, songwriting, boiled peanuts.

Innocent comes to give us peanuts, speaks tribal to Syd. We don’t understand, say English?

He concentrated and said “water for bath?” And Syd said,” Yay! Show me,” and he held out his hand to her and they walked off cutely together.

Bath time, really hot water, dark, make dinner.

Rice, chakalaka & soya, candy and decaf coffee.

Floor meal and talk and weird sounds and laughs- oh we wrote a song.

Bathroom routine with lights going out, spitting toothpaste in bushes, toilet run, mosquito nets, goodnights.

March 14 — Monday — Village Day

Woke at 7:30am. Oatmeal and coffee- plan to leave at 10am to walk to main village and meet friend for lunch; then see clinic.

Caro had stomach problems so didn’t leave until 11.

1.5–2hr walk to town, school children walked with us. Sunny.

Walked past school, went to markets, talked with people, got yogurt at shops, she pointed out the guy who slapped her, the crazy man, and the Zim guy who wouldn’t give her tin sheets for the new clinic.

Went to clinic and waited till others got back from lunch to tour it. Sick people wrapped around wall in line. I took a voice memo of the tour.

Saw rooms, talked, met people she worked with, saw her do a youth talk about HIV/AIDS, sex, condoms. Saw her talk about her grant with guy, plan things, propose things. #DanaInAction

Munali coffee, Kasama coffee — roasters in Zambia.

March 15 — Tuesday — Travel to Livingstone

Woke at 4am to “The Shrew” with Syd, then we fell in and out of sleep. Woke a bit later to loud metal scratching, Dana woke too- “It” was into the food.

She turned on the light to see and Syd and I look up and a mouse was right above our heads on the net hahah!! We jumped and giggled and Syd shrieked a bit as the mouse flew across the net and away into the roof.

It was two mice we figured. She moved the food, we went back to sleep. Tried to, anyway.

Woke at 6am to Dana saying the driver was already on his way and would be there in 20min! We were expecting African time, not real time, so we were the ones being rushed! We changed and packed and got the hut ready for our departure and said bye to her family (squeezed little Innocent). Sad times.

Mini van from hut to main village by 6:30am, and we didn’t wait to pick up more people! Went straight on to Kabwe, got there by 8:30am and had so much more time that we got a quick taxi to Fig Tree Cafe- western with English breakfasts and coffee. Had a really relaxing and surprising breakfast, then toilet break, then out on the road to hitch to the capital.

A Chinese man and Zam man leaving the cafe honked at us and gave us a ride to the bus station.

Crazy hectic station. “Mzungu!! Mzungu!!”

Everyone selling things and buying tickets, etc. We have a crowd following us because they know we are going to Livingstone. A man proposes to me and I say I’m married. Sydnie asks to borrow one of my rings so she can do the same. We follow Dana around to the legit ticket box and find a bus leaving at 12:30pm, run to the toilet again, board, and hunker down for a 7hr ride.

1–8pm. So hot. 4 breaks? Lots of water, naps, staring, talking, crowded stank, we were in the back row. Ground nuts and roasted maize. Banana and apple. Horrid music videos haha.

Arrived in Livingston- taxi to a hostel we were recommended to, checked the room, seemed safe enough, dropped bags off and went to find food. Dana showed us places she comes to with the volunteers. Ate at a new outdoor cafe, so nice!! So like Arusha. Zambezi burgers and chips and beer. Stan the Man our waiter. Mosquito spray. Walked back and all showered to decompress.

Made kinda plan for tomorrow.

March 16 — Wednesday — Victoria Falls

Falling asleep was a bit rough (new place, new sounds, new fears) but we had AC which was crazy, and a western toilet to relieve ourselves- also weird!! And a shower with water, no mosquito nets though.

We take malarone every night and also wear the roll on bug spray stuff.

I’m currently still in bed, Dana wakes so early because she is used to getting up with the sun, so is moving around now too. Syd is asleep. We are sharing a bed again, but we’ve switched sides!

Drinking water to hydrate, that one day I had diarrhea and we went into the main village (since I was shaky and lightheaded), I drank those rocksalt things and got fully rehydrated.

Dana and I are both about to start our period sometime, so we are wondering when that will be.

Since Dana and I have both been to Vic Falls, we have let Syd decide what she wants to do! I think we’ve said the falls, high tea, market? I’m not sure- there are elephant rides, safaris, sunset cruises which are also nice, all the extreme events, etc.

I AM ready to sleep back in Oxford with the feeling of safety. I forgot how aware and cautious I am here from just past experiences and because it’s Africa.

Hearing Dana point out where she thought the drug lord almost attacked her, the semi truck men who followed her and her friend after they hitchhiked with them late at night because the other guys they hitched with wanted to go to a hotel with them instead.

“I don’t think you guys know my irrational fear of squirrels slash monkeys.”

Bahaha- Sydnie when prepping her about the baboons at Vic Falls.

Ended up doing Vic Falls- changing in the toilets trying not to touch any surfaces (because they were questionable) haha. Finding it strange to have shorts on and see my legs.

The falls were great, loved being completely soaked like at a water park, seeing the beauty, soaking up sun, running and climbing around like hyper children. Jumping in the air. Flipping our hair. Being wild.

Changing back in the toilets, heading to high tea at the Royal Livingstone. Contrast in wealth was crazy. We sat outside on plush couches and chairs, looking out over the river and lawn, trying teas and going back to the buffet for more cakes and quiches- to fill us up for days.

Dana planned her trip home in preparation for her grandmother’s funeral.

Dinner was great! Split a bottle of merlot, sat outside again, spent three hours there, met cool people.

Went out dancing till 3am. Dana got the news about her grandmother passing, so we left.

March 17 — Thursday — Livingstone to Lusaka

Dana dropped us at bus station to ride back to Lusaka. She was flying back to America later that day.

Syd and I had a much nicer bus experience this time (AC, pre bought snacks). It all went more smoothly since we knew what to expect. Slept most of the time.

Taxi driver, Humphrey, took us to one hostel- was full. We tried the next, Kulala Backpackers, and got a room. Went out to a mall nearby for ice cream and chicken.

Walking home with setting sun, got lost, a bit nervous about the darkness. But a nice man showed us the way, spent the rest of the night catching up on the outside world and resting underneath our mosquito nets. This was the end.

March 18 — Friday — Travel Back Day One

Humphrey taxi to airport- trying to find fuel for him to get back, but all gas stations are out. Fuel comes down from Tanzania, and they get it from Somalia. Have to wait for the trucks to bring the fuel. We have seen some lonnnnggg ques on this trip.

Finally got to the airport and had a couple hours to spare before I needed to go through security. So Syd and I got coffee, swapped pictures and stories. Reflected on the trip. Enjoyed the extra time and peaceful outtro to our Africa travels.

I hugged and kissed her goodbye, security, gate, waiting, boarding, take off. Every step of the flying routine so familiar.

Lusaka → Ethiopia → London

Met a cool couple on my whole way back. We spent the 4hr layover in Ethiopia together (9pm-1am), splitting coffees, chips, and conversations. Felt like I knew them pretty well by the end of the trip. We got on, they were family. I might visit them someday.

March 19 — Saturday — Travel Back Day Two

Going through customs in London, getting a guy from Uganda and talking about how we love Africa and the warmer weather and how he came here for school then “got stuck” and has been here ever since. We laughed. He let me through. Stomach’s kinda weird. Almost home.