Six weeks ago I came with fellow teachers, Fay and Lianne, and with nine nursing students from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, and helped guide them through a clinical placement at Lewanika General Hospital, our local hospital here in Mongu. With funds raised by the students they were all able to purchase ZamBikes to use around town. I will never forget the first day we all went down to the bus station to pick up our ZamBikes. The bikes are quite flashy looking compared to any other bike you usually see on the road here. First, they are brand new (compared to most of the other rickety bikes you see on the roads here) and the other is that they are painted a very bright yellow! We were quite the talk of the town riding those bikes home from the bus station that day. I don’t think Mongu had ever seen a sight quite like it…imagine ten Makuwa’s (the Lozi name for white person) riding through the streets of Mongu all together on bright yellow bikes! It is uncommon in Mongu to see even just ten young female Makuwa’s all standing together, never mind them all riding bright yellow bikes together.
ZamBikes in the Lusaka bus station..on their way to Mongu!
Biking through the roads in Mongu can be a bit dangerous at times (sorry Mom!). The taxis and minibuses drive so fast, barely paying attention to the mass amount of people walking and biking up and down the roads. The roads are also slowly falling away, leaving jagged edges and potholes in the pavement. This means you have to avoid these dangers all at once! The other thing about Mongu is the sand.
Any Zambian can tell you that Mongu is famous for three things…fish…rice…and the sand! This is a very sandy place, and riding or driving around in it reminds me a lot of navigating through snow. You can see how this would be an added challenge; because you are constantly having to swerve your bike tires around so you don’t get stuck!
Lianne and I have been working in Mongu since 2008, and from the beginning we were one of the few female ‘Makuwas’ in town. This means we usually always have people coming up to us to introduce themselves; we can’t help but stand out! But the beauty of it all is even if we’ve met someone just once…they always seem to remember it and now us means we are friends for life! (Just yet another reason why I love Africa) I am constantly amazed at how many people remember my name; even I only shook their hand once. This has also been reflected in my biking experiences here. It seems that every time I hop on my bike and start biking anywhere in town, I have multiple people coming up and saying hello or wanting to carry on full conversations! I can be biking on any road, and will often hear Jezzzzzzzka! Jezzzzka! (That is how they pronounce my name here). Each time I hear my name being called I never know who it is going to be…. maybe it is one of my taxi drivers, maybe it is a lady from the market, or maybe it is a patient’s family member, who knows who it will be next time?
I think my favourite thing about biking in Mongu is that it brings you so much closer to the people and their lives here in this town. You can see the sights, hear the sounds and smell the smells just that much more. My favourite time to bike is around 6pm, when I am out on the road alongside everyone heading home from work. (Most are usually walking or biking home since they can‘t afford vehicles). This is always good time for conversation with the locals, and they are often shouting out a Hello! Or Kimanzibwani! (Lozi saying for Good Evening).
Dusk comes as the sun begins to set; the women are setting the fires in preparation for bathing the children and cooking nshima (the local dish). There is an air of peace and calm, and I get to soak it all in.
This is only just the beginning!
Jessica
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