This week definitely constitutes the end of the beginning. The guys at work now know me well enough that I'm included in the fairly aggressive criticism in team meetings (I'm trying to see this as a positive thing!) and they send me home when they realise that I'm too hungry and grumpy to be useful. The hungry problem will hopefully be rectified soon as we're going to cook lunch together in the office, solving the problem of everyone going home when they get hungry and me being the only one who goes back for the afternoon!
This weekend I got chance to show off my new hometown to a visiting volunteer based a few hours north of here. It was fun to realise that I'm now pretty at home here, as well as yet another opportunity to feel like I'm on holiday. We went to see the Falls, and walked right down to The Boiling Pot (river-level) which I hadn't done before. It's a pretty tiring climb but made very interesting by the number of baboons who share the path! They're apparently known for snatching things from tourists, but I guess they were feeling lazy this weekend as they were completely disinterested in us and mostly hung out picking fleas off each other and letting us take photos. We also went to see a Zambian friend of mine performing in a dance show for tourists, at the very posh Zambezi Sun hotel. The show's put on by a small NGO that helps local young people into full-time employment in the arts. They were all very talented, and we got chatting to the directors afterwards who kindly gave us a lift home and introduced us to the cast.
After a typically lovely lazy sunday, hanging out in the pool at my Australian friends' new home, today has been a typically frustrating Monday. Lots of work to do but no-one quite sure how to get started so we all got sent home early after a slightly confusing argument. Thought I'd take the opportunity to go and blog, but the whole town centre seems to be without power so no internet. (Or supermarket so can't buy chocolate!) And I don't really fancy doing aerobics cos I was bitten to death my mosquitoes at the weekend (stupidly went to an open-air restaurant without my deet) and the only way I'm managing to not scratch my legs is by wearing long thick trousers!
Roll on Thursday, I'm adding a couple of days to Easter weekend and heading off on a camping trip with a few other volunteers. After the relative ease of living in touristy Livingstone I'm looking forward to a few days in the bush being a very different kind of tourist!
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Hi Emily, Easter in the bush sounds quite the experience for lots of photo ops and amazing sounds. We'll have much the same here in Nottingham of course..wild, estactic shrieks in the middle of the night from the Market Square for one. Don't worry about missing easter chocolate...it's all gone off in England due to the bizarre weather patterns so not an easter egg to be found....I heard Hotel Chocolat had a small source but the queues went on for miles. Count yourself a lucky girl to be camping in the bush with a bit of bush tucker. Looking forward to your next update. Jo
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