So I’ve arrived in Lusaka. And its overwhelming. Much more than I thought it would be. Everything is so noisy. There are cars and people everywhere. Billboards, advertisements, and stores everywhere you look. And the smells are so strong- exhaust, food, garbage. Gone is the quiet earthy village of Macha. Even the language is different here…no one speaks Tonga. And people dress in modern clothes rather than traditional. And the tourists…. I feel like I don’t fit in at all. When I first arrived in Zambia, Lusaka seemed so foreign and exotic: so African. Now it feels too modern, too much like Europe and the USA. Its also very strange to go from seeing people starving for months now, rejoicing over having maize and ground nuts, to seeing people here filling up shopping carts overflowing with food. It is actually very upsetting to see such disparity of wealth in this country. I already miss the children and moms terribly and feel awful for leaving. I wish I knew there was someone to take care of them.
Its going to be a hard transition back to life in the States.
The photos are of the sunset over the Macha Dam.
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I hear ya, there certainly is a huge difference between the cities and the villages, the rich and the poor here. The gap is a bit overwhelming. I will tell you one thing though, as I went to Chikanta to stay with a family for cultural immersion and language learning, I was not prepared for how different it would be from Macha. I knew there would be differences, such as no power and no white people, but what I found is that is was too different. The economy, the lifestyle, just the feel of it all. Even though Chikanta is comprised of Tongas just like most of the people from Mahca (there are a lot of transplants in Macha of course) and it is only an hour away, the difference between the two places is alarming. Anyway, I am still processing much of what happened and I will blog about it in some time.
ReplyDeleteI really pray that your transition back into the states will be smooth and quick. Of course you will never forget this place, but I also pray that Macha, Zambia doesn't get replaces with the busyness of USA too quickly as well.