What do you normally eat?
This is not really different from my food intake in the United States. For morning, I eat either cereal or yogurt with some sort of fruit. For lunch, I have a sandwich, usually peanut butter and jelly, some Pringles and usually an apple. Dinner is more varied. I usually cook chicken with some rice and some sort of vegetable (usually green beans). Other times I will cook spaghetti. Other times I will eat a just eat salad for dinner. Some nights I am really tired; therefore, I just eat microwave popcorn. I know it is not the best thing, but sometimes I don’t feel like cooking and cleaning up after a long day of work. On the weekends, I get more creative because I have more time. I may cook up an omelette on the weekends or make cookies.
The biggest difference from the states is that I don’t eat out. There are a couple of places in Ndola, but I don’t visit them frequently. Once a month, I may go get a pizza. Sometimes I do go with my Zambians friends to this shady joint to buy french fries. It is shady, but it only cost $1.50 for a huge plate of fries. I definitely would not go to this place at night without my Zambian friends. To tell you how shady this place is, we have to park our car where we can see it because there is a high likelihood it will be broken into if we don’t. Unfortunately, it burned down a couple of weeks ago. They are in the process of rebuilding it, but our life has definitely been missing something in its absence.
What food item do you miss most?
What I miss the most is probably a good latte. There is one coffee shop/restaurant in Ndola, but their lattes are not the best. They are alright, but I could really go for a good latte. I know that sounds a little bit pretentious (my brother calls me a coffee snob by the way), but I can really enjoy a good latte when I get the chance. A problem could also be that the coffee shop is not really designed for comfort. It is designed more as a restaurant; therefore, I am missing the coffee shop feel just as much as I am actually missing the coffee.
How's your car?
My car is running well. After a month and a half, the insurance company finally paid for the repairs; therefore, the car is doing good considering it is a 1996 Toyota Carina. Next week is the big test though. On the 16th, I am leaving for Lusaka and then Livingstone to take a little vacation with some friends. That is 1400 kms round trip. I don’t think that the Carina will have any problems, but you never know.
Is it hard to adjust driving on the left side of the road?
Not really. I have fully adjusted to that aspect of driving. It would definitely take concentration for me to come back to the states and drive on the right hand side of the road. The adjustment is really not that hard except the fact that you constantly have to be thinking while driving. There is no relaxing drive to the store because you are constantly having to figure out which side of the road to be on. I can now start to relax because it has become second nature, but at the beginning this was not the case.
What is the local language and have you learned any yet?
The local language is a tribal language called Bemba. I don’t know very much Bemba unfortunately. I know basic greetings and words like yes and know. If I truly wanted to know Bemba, I would move to the bush where no one knows English. In Ndola, especially in the city, every one pretty much speaks English. English is also the official language of Zambia. In the compounds, less English is spoken, but I can still get by. I should be learning more Bemba, but because it is not a necessity, it has not made it high upon the priority list.
Does the toilet flush in the opposite direction now that your below the equator?
Yes, it does. I have not researched why, but for those of you who ever wondered, it does flush in the opposite direction.
Tomorrow, I will be sure to answer more questions for you. Talk to you soon.
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