Crazy Dreams, Courtesy of Malaria Medicine

Lusaka is sort of in a malarial zone, depending on who you ask. The CDC just blankets all of Zambia with being there, while others tell me that because of Lusaka's elevation (over 4,000 feet), I'm not really at risk. Well, with the conflicting information, and just to be safe, I am taking malaria medicine while I'm here. There are three main types--expensive and with a shortage, common but with sun and diet restrictions, and weekly but with the chance of hallucinations and vivid dreams. I'm on the third of these: mefloquine. Thankfully I'm avoiding the hallucinations, but my dreams are definitely more vivid than usual, and I usually have very vivid dreams.

I have given bits and pieces of this post to people in chats and the like, but here is all of it: my crazy dream. The other night (I don't exactly remember when), I dreamed I was out with a bunch of people just having a good time; I believe it was some sort of barbeque. You know, I was with all my buddies, including some heads of state and dead people. Of particular note at this gathering was Zambian President Michael Sata, who I'm pretty sure was invited just to hear what he'd say next. In case you're not up on your Zambian gossip, Sata says some pretty funny and outlandish things. For instance, in response to people asking for a new "people-driven" constitution, Sata asked a group of reporters, "Was our current constitution written by animals?" So yeah, he was there.



Zuma Dancing in Traditional Zulu Clothes

With Sata, my friends, and me, was Kim Jong-Il--who insisted on slow-crashing his car into other people's cars--and South African President Jacob Zuma. Zuma was in his traditional Zulu clothing dancing on Kim Jong-Il's car. I know it sounds weird, but it totally made sense in my dream. There were other world leaders there too, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel (although the Kate McKinnon version from SNL). I can't explain why, but Enrique Iglesias was providing our entertainment.

I'm trying to find what lessons I should take from my dream, but the only one that comes to mind is that I probably need a life. :) I shouldn't be dreaming of world leaders--past and present--although the more I think about it, the more I realize that all these people together at a barbeque would probably be very entertaining. So take from it what you want, but this mefloquine-inspired dream at least was fun.

BABY ELEPHANTS!

In an effort to explore more, today I went to the Lilayi Elephant Orphanage, which takes orphaned elephants and rehabilitates them and watches over them before releasing them back into the wild. The elephants were absolutely precious, and it's amazing that the organization runs solely on donations, although if you go there and see the elephants (they're viewable for 1.5 hours each day during "feeding") it's hard not to want to give a donation. And everyone that was there when I was there gave more than the recommended amount, which was amazing.

The video below is amazing for so many reasons. First, I love Ellen DeGeneres. Second, I love Taylor Swift. Third, the two of them get along so well and you can't help but love the way Ellen talks with Taylor and the way Taylor responds. So even though Taylor has been on Ellen many, many times, this may be one of my favorite interviews. But then again, they're all good. So who knows.

Missing the Freedom To Just Do Things

I finally realized what is holding me back from this whole overseas life thing: freedom. It's not a lack of freedoms like in North Korea, but rather the fact that I can't just go and do what I want to be able to go and do at any time. Some of it would be rectified if I had transportation, it was sunny 24 hours a day, or I was in a place with safe and adequate public transportation (like in Europe), but I'm not. I'm in Lusaka, and I'm therefore confined to walking in the safe parts of town or taking a taxi to a safe part of town (an experience I've done without for 3 weeks so far).

It's not a bad life--I'm living well--and the food I've eaten these last few weeks has been delicious and cheap by American standards, but I really want a good turkey sandwich from Panera (I just got an email from them, which is why I'm thinking about them) or to go to the supermarket and buy a bag of baby carrots and just eat them all (please don't judge me for this one). Instead, I feel constrained here. I did just find a bunch of new South African "fast food" chains at one of the malls--Steers, Debonair's Pizza, The Hungry Lion, and Nando's--as well as not-very-appealing-looking versions of Subway and KFC. Outside the food angle, I really want to go mini-golfing, but it's not like there's mini-golfing in Lusaka.

To compensate, I'm planning two excursions out of the city, one to Victoria Falls and one to Zimbabwe. Neither will get me my much-desired America fix, but they will at least get me away from what otherwise will become the monotony of the my life in Lusaka. Perhaps if I lived here full-time and not just for three months, so I had a full apartment or house and a car to get where I wanted to go, it would be different. In fact, I'm sure it would be. But there still wouldn't be a Panera, a good Subway, or baby carrots. It's the little things you miss the most when you suddenly don't have them for an extended period of time. And that is what I have learned so far; I'm learning what the little things I really like but take for granted back in the US are.

I'm also missing March Madness, resigned to follow the scores on ESPN.com, and it is weird to wake up at 6:00am for work and see that the games from the night before are still going on. I'm also not able to follow up with most of the TV shows I like. For some random reason, M-Net (a South Africa-based TV channel) has a weird obsession with The Voice and keeps airing episodes, which is good, and I can catch The Big Bang Theory via a weird app on my computer that shows episodes with Vietnamese subtitles. But that's it.

And that brings me to these two images. For the Vietnamese audience, the translators feel the need to explain some Americanisms, such as who Pee-Wee Herman is:

But what's even better is when they can't figure out the "Americanisms," as this image shows:

It's not how I usually watch the show, of course, but it is keeping me entertained. :) So finally, for this post's video of something that makes me happy, in honor of me finding the Nando's at Manda Hill, here's an oldie-but-goodie:

No, I Don't Need a Taxi; Yes, I Know I'm White

I'm writing this post while outside enjoying a nice breeze and watching the perfectly blue sky and pool. I understand the weather in DC is roller-coastering. It's much quieter here, with daily highs around 80, daily lows around 65, and brief thunderstorms every day just to spice things up.


My View as I Write This Post

This has been a relatively quiet week, save for an unexpected (but totally awesome) day off on Wednesday for Youth Day. I took that opportunity to do a little bit more exploring in my one-mile stretch that is considered the safest part of town. And I discovered that there really isn't much, beyond the two shopping centers. The Parliament building is halfway between them and tucked back off the main road, but that's about it. Perhaps soon I'll check out the University of Zambia, just to see it. With a whole lot of weekends coming up and with few plans for any of them, I'm going to need to find good activities.

In any case, I'm thinking about getting a shirt that on the front says "No, I Don't Need a Taxi" and on the back says "Yes, I Know I'm White." As soon as I step off the hotel grounds, taxi drivers incessantly try to get me to get in their taxis. The other day, I had a great exchange with one of them:

"Hey! Mzungu! Taxi?" (I wasn't sure if he was talking to me at first because there are a surprisingly large number of white people in Zambia, including a lot of white Zambians.)
"No."
"Where are you going?"
"Arcades." (the shopping mall across the street)
"Let me take you there. 10 kwacha." (that's about $1.50)
"No thanks. It'd be quicker for me to walk."
"But my car has air conditioning. Just 10 kwacha."
"That's OK," I said, and by that point I was already halfway across the street and he gave up.

The best part? I saw the same driver on my way back to my hotel (he was waiting at Arcades looking for someone to take) and he raised the price to 15 kwacha for me:

"Hey, mzungu mzungu! Taxi?" (my thinking: I know I'm pale, but did he really need to double the mzungu?!?!)
"No."
"But you're white." (as if that was supposed to convince me to take a taxi?)
"No, don't need a taxi."
"15 kwacha. Where are you going?"
"Back to my hotel."
"Oh." Success.

I've seen the same driver a few other times during the week, and now he just laughs at me. Unfortunately, he's the only one who knows I don't need a taxi.

This cover of A Great Big World's Say Something isn't even my favorite one, but it's Pentatonix, and it's really good, so enjoy. I love the way they changed it up a bit, although I am a bit disappointed that the guy's playing a real cello.

A Real Life Game of Frogger

I was warned before coming out that one of the biggest dangers I'd face in Lusaka is walking on the sidewalk, especially at night, as cars don't adhere to the arbitrary division between road and sidewalk and, at night, sometimes forget to turn on their headlights. In my first few days here, I noticed both those things. But with a shopping center across Great East Road (one of Zambia's--and Lusaka's--most important roads/highways) from my hotel, I knew I would need to brave the crossing eventually.

Arcades Shopping Mall

 Of course, I'm not dumb enough to try this for the first time at night, so with today being a Saturday and no work, I decided it was a perfect time to do some exploring of Arcades (the shopping mall across the street) and Manda Hill Mall (an enclosed Western-style shopping mall about a mile down the road). I loved the game Frogger growing up--it's a little daring even though if Frogger went splat it's not like I really died (more on this in a minute)--but never thought I'd get the chance to play a real version of it! :) I've traveled to crazy cities before--Dar es Saaam and Tirana come to mind--but none were as intense as Lusaka in this regard.

Manda Hill Mall

There are two things that make the Lusaka version of crossing the road at this particular location that much more intense, although thankfully there are no crocodiles that I know of around this part of Lusaka. First, it's maybe one hundred yards from a major traffic circle, and the University of Zambia is along that traffic circle as well. Second is the proliferation of minibuses. And no, unlike in East Africa where they're called matatu or daladala, in Zambia, they still call them minibuses (I asked a local, and he seemed confused by my question). Thankfully this morning during my first crossing there was a parade for International Women's Day which effectively blocked cars from traveling west and caused a serious traffic jam going east, making the crossing easier. However, my attempt later in the day to go to the supermarket and dinner--a lovely Thai restaurant apparently owned by an actual Thai family that settled in Lusaka--was a little more daring. Especially because it was dusk, but not dark. But I made it across the road twice(!), in part by following the locals, but also because eventually there's a big enough break in the cars and minibuses to permit a quick jog across.

So there you go, I got to play real-life Frogger today, and I'm pretty sure I'll get to play it many more times in the coming months since all the good restaurants are on that side of the street. For this post's video: I brought four books with me, including all three in the Divergent trilogy, and I finished the first book earlier today while laying by the pool (tough life, right?). If you haven't read it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. However, that now means I want to see the movie, which I might be able to since there are movie theaters in both malls. Anyway, here's a trailer for the movie:

A Few Days In, Way Too Tired, and Dumb Move #1

If there are spelling mistakes, sorry. If the grammar isn't very good, even more apologies. Basically, I'm running on fumes--definitely jet-lagged--but can't fall asleep. A blog post seemed to be a good activity, although I hope reading this doesn't put other people to sleep. I laughed at that little joke, and then realized no one else probably will. So moving on...

Dulles Airport at the height of the storm.

Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, I made it to Lusaka on schedule. Ten minutes early, even. As a snowstorm pummeled the DC area, I sat sort-of comfortably at the airport, waiting for my flight. I figured that I would rather be at the airport ready to catch a flight than sitting at home nervous as to whether I'd make it to the airport on time. Obviously, with snow, the flight was delayed, meaning I spent a good 7ish hours at the airport. Now, I love airports, but with nothing open and few other people around, it was a tad boring.

The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg--a 15ish hour direct flight--was just plain odd. In the past, every time I've flown across multiple time zones, the airline would try to adjust your food and sleep schedule to match with your destination. Not Delta, They served dinner at the equivalent of 3am, a light snack around 6am, and a breakfast around 1pm. It was odd, and really threw me for a loop. I get that the flight was 15 hours and had a 7 hour time change, but still. It all felt really off.

And now here I am in Zambia after a short flight from South Africa. I've been pretty impressed with Zambia so far, although I do wish I was a little more awake and perceptive. The one thing I have noticed in the mornings, and that really surprises me, is that Lusaka actually has a rush hour. Not like a DC rush hour or some other African cities I've been to (looking at you, Dar) where every road in every direction gets backed up. Nope, in Lusaka, the traffic in the morning flows into the city, and in the evenings, it goes the opposite direction. As I said, I was impressed and shocked by the development.

Can't believe I forgot this. :(

In a related but off-topic story.... I like to think of myself as a reasonably smart guy. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here; rather, for being someone who loves to travel and can usually follow a list, I made a dumb move before coming out. Some might even call it a rookie mistake. I have a new, wonderful camera that takes just as wonderful pictures. But don't expect to see any of those for a few months because I, in my infinite preparedness, forgot the bring the cord that connects my camera to my computer. I have stunning shots of this morning sunrises--radiant oranges streaking across the sky with dark blue undertones (yes, you should be jealous)--but you won't get to see those until June unless I can find a relatively cheap one at the mall this weekend. I'm sorry. As of right now, I think that's the only thing I forgot to bring, but I'm sure other things will surface in the coming weeks.

I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend and catching up on sleep before really leaving the hotel for things like dinner next week. In the meantime, for this post's video, I chose Nancy Grace's staff's prank on her. I can't stand Nancy Grace, and the fact that her own producers did this makes me so incredibly happy. Now if only CNN would finally cut her off--she's crazy and rude and usually just plain-wrong--life would be grand. Jon Stewart complaining about Nancy Grace after the Jodi Arias trial is a good follow-on video. :)