No Power? No Problem.

Last night, shortly after dinner the power went out. By that, I mean the whole city was out of power until about 10 am. So what else could my roommates and I do but light candles, eat Dove chocolate, and watch Twilight on my Mac (battery power)? Twilight the movie has become the central comedy of our little casa. I never knew Edward Cullen could provide such hilarious entertainment. There is one point when he says "hello," and he sounds just like an ESL student who recently learned his first phrase of English. I think we played that scene about 7 times, and could still barely hear him over our laughter. It's kind of like Family Guy, when you think the scene is going to end but it keeps on going. For instance, when Peter hurts himself and goes "ow. ow. ow..." for 90 seconds straight. Just when you think you couldn't play a scene anymore, you play it 2 more times.

So that is the extent of my African adventure—making Twilight jokes.

Lusaka is a unique place. Most people think, "You're going to Africa! You're going to live in the bush!" Hardly. On my next visit to this continent I would love to have a more rural adventure. However, I am working as a professional and live in the capital city, where everyone complains about traffic, just like back home. It reminds me of a Mexican city, in that it is urban, the roads are shoddy, and there is a lot of dirt due to the dry season. Children in my area don't play in the streets; they wear uniforms, and go to school. You cannot walk to a market (except Sundays), but you can take a taxi to the grocery store, or go to the bar/club across the street (which we have yet to attempt).

I live in a flat, which is modern. However, as stated, we have gone without power, and the majority of my showers have been cold. You may think, "It's Africa; a cold shower must feel good in that heat." Another misconception. It's winter here in Zambia, which is a temperate climate. The days are the right degree of warm, but the nights drop down to the 50s.

Although this post may sound unpleasant, I love it here. I make note of the differences, because I find them humorous and entertaining. Recalling my experiences makes me laugh, and I appreciate being able to empathize with the people around me.

It is still my goal to make it out to a village before I leave, and I may be able to make it happen. We shall see. In the meantime, I am going to Livingstone over the 4th of July (for 5 days). I will see Victoria Falls (hopefully while flying a microlight plane/hang glider thing), safari in Botswana, bungee jump in no man's land (if I muster up the courage), and either river board or raft the Zambezi (unless I decided to fly to Uganda and raft the Nile with Grace!!).

So that will be my vacation, but I assure you that I do lots of legal work in the office, from 8-5 (or 8 to 17, as they say here). :-D

I will write about my work in the office and my visit to a compound eventually....