Motivations

Volleyball is my Thursday night activity. Seeing that the last time I played a real volleyball game was almost ten years ago, I never expected to find myself regularly showing up for games and making a concerted effort to improve my limited skills. There are a few very competitive players, but I think most come out because it is a social activity that draws a nice mix of people.

In fact, the group of people really could not be any more diverse. There is the crew of people who own some sort of business in Zambia ranging from toys to cement. Some work for the many international schools in Lusaka. Of course, there is the bunch that fall into the development sector: Peace Corps, development agencies of various countries, UN, and other NGOs. In amidst the group there are a few Zambians, US marines (as far as I know their sole job is to guard the embassy), family members of diplomats, a professional hunter (!), and a few other people who call Zambia home. Since everyone comes from such varied backgrounds, where you come from and who you are really does not matter as long as you can more or less play volleyball.

However, people do wonder what brought you to Zambia. A while back I read Helen Fielding’s satirical novel about humanitarian aid workers, Cause Celeb. One character wears a T-shirt printed with a multiple choice test – An aid worker is a: (a) missionary? (b) mercenary? (c) misfit? (d) broken heart? (sorry, don’t have the book on me, so not an exact quote). I was reminded of the book because every time I meet someone new, the standard questions asked include how long have you been in Zambia? Where are you from? What do you do? How long are you staying? That is, something must have brought you to Zambia because you can’t just be here. Why want to live and work in a developing country, when you could be in a developed country with all of the modern day conveniences. I don’t think I fall into any of the four categories, but my motivations probably include some part of each. Missionary – believing in a more just world. Mercenary – wanting to do something good. Misfit – not wanting the suburban life. Broken heart – who knows. I suppose knowing one’s motivation depends on how honest you are willing to be, but I think most people I’ve met here have in common curiosity, adventure, and a desire for something more.

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In case you are wondering, my hair is awesome… side swept, flippy ends and all. Now I think I am supposed to return the favour, but I’m not sure if I want to be responsible for someone’s hair.

Social activites

I have not been blogging about my social activities because there is not much to say. Lusaka, for a capital city, does not have much in terms of exciting, fun, or interesting activities. The expat community does not mingle much with the local Zambian community – not that I was expecting any different. So far I’ve involved myself in a few sport leagues and spend my weekends alternating between going out dancing, house parties, and quieter dinners at home.

There are a number of sport activities such as football, volleyball, squash, and yoga, which are good ways to spend some weekday evenings. With the exception of yoga, the evening usually ends with beers at a backpacker’s lodge. Recently, I have come across book clubs and drumming circles, if exercise is not your thing. There are also a number of clubs that scare me including the Ambassador’s wives club, which I take to mean the wives of ambassadors and high commissioners in Zambia. As if that social circle needs to be any more exclusive.

On weekends, there are a few clubs that have earned okay reviews. In my experience, the music is unpredictable and sometimes it does not get good until very late. Then there is the issue of what a French friend calls sticky men… i.e. ones that just won’t go away. Nonetheless, it is nice to spend the night dancing away. The house parties thrown by expats with big houses are okay as well. Some are more cliquey and pretentious than others, but there are always hypocritical development workers who claim to shun such parties, but actually welcome the break from “dealing with Zambia”.

Socializing for me has come to finding a balance between mzungu functions and actually spending time to make Zambian friends.