Quick Update: Dad is FINALLY here in Zambia! We both will get our Zambian partner assignments tomorrow and have groups during this upcoming week! Please be praying for our week ahead with brand new kiddos!
Looking back on the majority of my previous posts, I’ve realized that I haven’t really shared much about Zambian culture unless the information was necessary to explain the story. Instead of just describing the Zambian way of life, I would like to share some personal anecdotes that speak for themselves.
On Zambian dining:
Upon entering a restaurant, we are seated and given individual menus. The items on the menu look very appealing, especially the chicken and bacon sandwich and mango freezo (which is a smoothie or a milkshake). So when asked what I would like to order, I tell the waitress that I would like a mango freezo and a chicken and bacon sandwich. She stops me mid-sentence and tells me that they are out of bacon. Cool. I order the runner-up to my initial choice of entree without any issues and the waitress proceeds to the rest of the table. Ten minutes after she leaves to put our orders in, she comes back and tells me that they are also out of the mango freezo and I have to pick another, so I pick yet another runner-up and order the white chocolate freezo. Okay good. Another 30 minutes later, we all get our food and drinks and dig in. Well, my white chocolate second choice freezo actually just tastes like a milk freezo. No flavor, kinda gross. So I ask the waitress to put in some chocolate syrup and call it good. TY-PI-CAL.
On the Zambian perception of the Asian culture:
Here in Mulungushi Village, many of the villas are rented out to members of the Bank of China or something like that, so there is a large population of Asians in this little neighborhood of ours. Well, one of our truck drivers, Uncle Ben, has shed some light for us on what Zambians really think of these Asians. I wasn’t there for the actual conversation, but in short, Zambians are scared of Asians because they think that Asians all know karate and can beat up the Zambians. No joke.
On an experience with Zambian cleaning ladies:
Every week we hire a couple cleaning ladies to tidy up and clean the villas that we rent out for our Americans to stay in. When they’re done cleaning all of the other villas, we have them come to the summer staff villa to clean our floors, kitchen, and bathrooms. Well, one morning, I had to be somewhere else for something, and so I left Pamela cleaning in our villa. I come back to see that she is working hard on her hands and knees scrubbing our kitchen floor... with a couple rags and a green loofa. I thought to myself, “hmm that’s kinda weird that she’s using a loofa to clean the floors.. and it’s also kinda funny that it’s about the same color as the one that I use in the shower!” Needless to say, later that night as I’m taking a shower, I reach for my little green loofa and it has mysteriously disappeared! Ironic? Nope.
Other little tidbits:
- Unlike the typical American college sorority girl, all Zambians like their T-shirts TIGHT so they order them a size (or two) too small.
- Zambians tend to mix up their “L’s” and their “R’s” when speaking English (Engrish), so I am known to many as “Auntie Maliah” and my dad is “Uncle Cretus.”
A very small percentage of Zambians wear deodorant.
- By the lack of trash cans in public places, Zambians seemingly support littering and are against proper waste disposal and recycling.
- Zambia is so dusty and dirty during this season that we track in so much dust all around our villa. Literally every inch of our villa has a layer of dust on top of it. As soon as I step out of the shower and my feet hit the ground, I’m already filthy.
-All Zambians have beautiful singing voices. Every day at the end of camp, the Zambians lead a couple songs in a cappella for a time of worship, and every single one of them sounds like an angel.
-Fun word differences: a softy = a soft drink; petrol = gasoline; plastics = plastic bags; snap = photo
Ohhhh Zambia.. you're definitely in a league of your own.
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