tweaked nipples

Hello Hello our faithful followers…. This is a very exciting blog filled with many many events! We taught our first classes! It was very exciting, but felt very natural. The students seemed to enjoy the classes, but gave us a few pointers on the format they were used to receiving so we can adjust our next lectures. We were sitting in our office (yes it is true, we have an office!) and one of the students came in and said “we are very lucky to have you as tutors.” It was one of those moments where everything felt right in life, and it helped to alleviate some uncertainty about whether we were well received.

Now as usual you have to be ready for everything here in Africa. We came to Lewanika thinking that we would be delivering most of our lectures using Power Points (since that is what we are used to in Canada). So we both come prepared for the first lecture with our computers and LCD projector, only to have the power go out about 8 times during the lectures. But you know Lianne and me, we can improvise anything! So we did, and delivered our lectures in style, with a little laughter thrown in there. One of our lectures was on nursing management pertaining to disorders of the Nervous system. I was describing how to assess and unconscious patient, so I had pretended to be unconscious and asked one of the students to come up and practice their assessment skills. Now in Canada we would first try to rouse the patient by rubbing their sternum…but again here is a whole other story.. One I wasn’t quite expecting! So here I am lying down pretending to be unconscious (keep in mind this is in front of 50 students). And the student comes up and tweaks my nipple! Yes apparently that is how they do it here in Zambia. Needless to say we all laughed pretty loud when I reacted to this…

Yes, Jessica’s nipple pinch was one of my favourite moments. One of my least favourite moments so far was the 10 hour night ride in the back of a land cruiser with 11 people, fish, a baby, in the freezing cold! This is a whole other story we will get too… Now back to teaching. When we arrive into the class all the students stand up. Then they won’t leave the class until we do. We have told them many times that they do not need to stand when we arrive, but they insist. It is very humbling to be treated with so much respect. Jessica and I have decided to attend courses as well such as opthamology, tropical disease, and so on. It will be like free schooling!

I do need to attend a few other courses the students have to take. Subjects such as opthamology, tropical disease, and HIV are not really taught back home…because we often don’t see these diseases in Canada. But here in Africa they are seen so much and it nice to be able to broaden my knowlededge. So if any of you get malaria, tuberculosis or a worm at home, you know who to call. One of my favourite parts of teaching here happens before class even starts. The students always start out the morning with a song. It seems like every African man and woman was blessed with the gift of song, they all have such beautiful voices! And in the morning, the whole class sings. It is something I wish everyone could experience..it sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. I will try to get a video and put it up on the blog…

Introducing...

Well I think that it’s about time for me to introduce myself: my name is Cameron O’Connor and that’s me in the middle down there.

Note: I'm going to be posting more or less random images of me from here on out

Now, because my lovely compatriots have decided to put up blogs updating all of you on what we’ve actually been doing, I am in the enviable position of having to write about pretty much anything I want. Thus I have decided to spend the next ten pages detailing the use of sepharose-glutathione columns in the purification of GST-fusion proteins expressed via E.Coli transfected with the pGEX6P-1 plasmid.

Did I scare everyone off yet? That was essentially a long winded way of letting you all know that I’m a biochemist by training. In fact I got my degree at the good ‘ol University of Alberta just before heading off on this fantastical adventure in Zambia. When I’m not threatening to bore people to death with technical explanations of standard modern biochemical techniques, I’m busy being a 22 year old guy that was born in Kingston Ontario before moving to Mississauga and then Kelowna where I went to school from kindergarten to grade 12 before leaving it all behind to go to the aforementioned institution of heavy drinking/higher learning.


Instead of ripping off a bunch of boring lists detailing my likes/dislikes/top ten X/most underappreciated cheeses/etc., I’ll jump right to talking about my personal thoughts about the trip thus far, leaving you, good reader, to parse out exactly what kind of a person I am, not by how I would describe myself, but how I describe my surroundings. Now, without further ado...

The setup sounds like what would happen if the Discovery channel decided to start a sitcom: three single young people, two female nurses and a male biochemist, go to Zambia to teach at a nursing college. Wackiness ensues! As it turns out, that description may be somewhat apt. I came into this project without ever having met Jess or Lianne, my only prior contact with them being a few short phone calls and a handful of e-mails, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. As it turns out, I think that we make a pretty good team. The vibe has been good and we have yet to hit any real snags, so it’s pretty hard to complain. In fact this trip has been pretty great thus far, and I’ve been extremely lucky to have two people with some travelling experience with me. Since this is the first time I’ve ever done any travelling without either my family or a large group of people, where pretty much everything was taken care of, it’s been great to have some people around that can let me know when I’m about to do something wrong/life threatening (just kidding mom, relax). Looking back on it, I must have been at least half cracked to agree to go on this trip: I had never met my companions, whom already knew each other quite well, had no clue where I would be staying or how I would be eating, had no experience whatsoever in teaching, barely even knew where Zambia was and could very well have been going in way over my head in pretty much any area that I could end up working in that you care to name.

What I’m really trying to say is that I really should have had more reservations than I did.

Regardless of what I “should have done”, I agreed to come and I haven’t looked back since. One of the big reasons I decided to do this trip was to learn some things, and I can most certainly tell you that I have done exactly that, possibly too much of that actually. It feels good to be doing some travelling, but I must admit that I’m anxious to get to work. All of this fun stuff has been, uh, fun, but it’s definitely time to do something constructive.

Still, it’s hard to not look at this next picture without wanting to go back to Victoria Falls.

I don’t want this to go on for too long, as I have a tendency to ramble, so I’ll finish up here. To all of Jess and Lianne’s family and friends: we’re staying safe, getting along swimmingly and I’m doing my best to watch out for them (although most of the time it seems like it’s them watching out for me as I get the hang of travelling). To my family and friends: I’ll be in Kelowna soon, but I’m seriously thinking about taking out a loan and coming back after spending a week or so at home.

We’ll see.

Well, it’s way past my bedtime. Good night!

Kalabo

These past few days have been a great introduction and reminder of the rural population in Zambia…and very representative of the rural way of life for so many people in Africa. The estimation is that 65% of the Zambian population lives in a rural area. Now when we hear the word rural back home in Canada….life doesn’t even compare to here. The rural way of life has a whole other meaning in Africa. Rural often means extreme poverty, and it is poverty like I have never seen. It is shocking to see that so many people in this world are living this way.

Gene Krupa (one of our colleagues with the Zambia Health Initiative) has been sponsoring children with World Vision for about 20 years. Now I will admit that many times I have seen those ‘World Vision commercials’ on TV..with malnourished children and flies all in their eyes. You also see how far they have to walk to get water, and how little they live off for food. You also see how the whole family (and that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers..etc) live in one small mud hut, and all sleep in the same bed. Well it is all true, but don’t let that be the only thing we know about them.
This past weekend we had the privilege of visiting a village sponsored by World Vision.
The area we visited was around the very small town of Kalabo, World Vision uses this town as a base. One thing I learned about World Vision is that they choose their communities very wisely, based on needs. They plan to be in the community for 10 years, and have a 3 year plan to phase out. The one thing I like about World Vision’s philosophy is how they work to improve the whole community, including areas in agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation, infrastructure development and capacity building. They also keep in mind that all these projects have to be sustainable, so that means when World Vision pulls out..the people of the village are still able to carry on with all the projects on their own. Makes sense..doesn’t it?

Now Kalabo is a village that is only accessible by water. Currently there is no road access, for reasons I don’t quite understand. So that means we had to go by boat…but not any boat…we got to take the World Vision Speedboat!

The boat ride took about 2 hours along the Zambezi River. On the way we passed scattered straw homes along the banks of the river. It was great insight into how the river people live. I felt like the Queen the whole time because every single child we passed waved to us. That is why I love Africa.
We stayed the night at a guest home in Kalabo, then the next day took a few 4X4 LandCruisers to Namatendi. A small village within the catchment area of World Vision’s Kalbo project. It also happens to be where Gene’s sponsor children live. It isn’t often that outsiders come to visit this village..so we were quite the spectacle!
As soon as we arrived the whole village was out in the village square ..there was drumming and dancing to welcome us. Lianne and I even got in on a little dancing…

Then we toured around to the homes of Gene’s children. It was very special to see the difference he is making in their lives. The fact that these kids can go to school..is huge! I think my favourite part of this whole trip was walking around the village. Everywhere we went we had a HUGE trail of children following us.

Now both me and Lianne always have to have fun with the children. Lianne even brought a fake microphone so we were all singing. Even a rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston was busted out! There is just something about the kids here in Africa..so happy all the time...i just love em. I really hope that we can get back here to visit. People were so gracious and thankful that we would come all the way out to Namatendi to visit their village..as no one every comes due to the lack of transport.

All in all it was a very special visit, something that I will never forget.

Jessica

Senanga (aka senannnnnnnnngahh)

This is for my mama, cause she likes to give out Canadian tattoos as well. There was a lot of laughter from the location of this tattoo!!

Western Province feels like home to me. Not literally, but we are finally settled in with some familiarities of home. For instance, we have a garbage for compost, recycling (ok you caught me, we burn the paper products), and then a garbage for plastics that we bury. We had our first family meal in the new house and organized the pantry. It feels good to be moved in. I have to say that the Sisters we are staying with are the craftiest ladies I know. They have literally recycled almost everything into something. For example, the loofah in our shower is an old onion bag (you know the orange kind) and it is amazing next to the rock that doubles as a pumice stone!
Our first week at the school was filled with meetings and getting to know the staff. We sat in on a lecture the other day, and I finally feel that I can do this. The classrooms are smaller so it is an intimate setting with the students, which I like better than larger lecture theatres. I have to get me one of those nursing hats that all the students wear! It is the ultimate souvenir. Next week is the projected start date of our lectures, however, all of our teaching tools are in Lusaka awaiting a trip to Mongu (they were suppose to be here last week, need I say doing laundry is a must with only a few pairs of underwear!). There was a glitch in communication and we are still waiting for the remainder of our luggage.
The class we sat in on started off with a prayer (as almost event/task does in this country) and the most beautiful song I have ever heard. The spirituality and faith here is portrayed with a multitude of songs and dances. It is unreal how harmonious a group can sound at such an early hour of the morning.
Last week was a long weekend, so Monday and Tuesday were holidays (I am not sure which ones, I am sure Jess will mention it though). We spent the weekend travelling around Western Province with Gene and Mubita (Margaret’s husband). Before I get into the details, I have to say that everyone has been commenting on how much I look like a Losi. The other day two guards at the visa office said I look Losi and gave me a Losi name, Limpo (meaning “gift”). My Losi is coming along nicely too I must add, I know at least 7 words now….
Ok, back to the trip. We travelled for just over an hour South West from Mongu. A company from Japan was paving the road. When Gene travelled to Senanga last year, he said it took close to 3 hours. Thanks to the new road, the trip took us just over an hour. When we first arrived in Senanga we fell in love. It is a quaint, cosy little town, and…there was a fishing derby! Dad this is where you need to pay attention. There were teams that each had a boat and over 60 people in total. The fishermen consisted mainly of South Africans, and other mukwas (white people) from the surrounding areas. The two main fish in the Zambezi are Bream and Tiger fish. Bream are very tasty. In fact while we were visiting Mubita’s village, Tamoona, we had the local dish nshima (buhobe in this area) and bream.

Tasty looking aint it!!

The fishing derby attracted many locals that would drink and watch the fishermen come in. Tragically, one of the boats lost control and hit a local fishing boat (like a canoe). The fishing derby boats are speedboats, so when they collided, a small local boy was killed. In Canada the fishing derby would have stopped, but the fishing derby went on, as did the celebrations.

Lianne

MONGU!!

here is one of my many rashes!! OK just joking, it is an attack from the mosquitos in Livingstone...No Malaria yet.

I can’t even begin to tell you how I feel being in Mongu. It finally feels like a place to call home. We can start to get settled, get to know the area and start to learn Losi, the local language. I already have 4 words down and it has only been 24 hours. Here is your first word to learn….mulumele ( pronounced mooloomelly) which is the local greeting.

As we were driving closer to Mongu I started to get more excited as things started to lose their urban feel. I am trying not to compare….but it was definitely like moving from Accra (Ghana’s capital) to Tamale. You start seeing less development and a trend towards simple living such as ox drawn carts and so forth. However, with a lack of development you also see a trend towards poverty. Children were everywhere walking without shoes and torn shirts. At the same time they smiled more and yelled out mukuwa which means white person. The children stole my heart at once. I will tell you more about this later down the page….

The flood plains in Mongu. The picture just doesn't capture the 50km span that is flooded in the rainy season!

So we get into Mongu, its dark, and we had just watched the most amazing sunset ever. We find living arrangements for Gene and Mubita at the Cheshire House for Physically disabled children (they stayed in the visitors residence), then continued on to Moya O Kenile House which will be our home for the next 6 months. I have to admit, I was frightened at first not know what to expect. The electric fence followed by the voice of Sister Christina was a little worrisome at first. Within the first 30 minutes or so following the introduction I could not have asked for a better place to stay. Sister Christina is Irish and a bucket of fun. She has a sarcastic sense of humour and a very effect take charge personality. The place is spotless and just gorgeous. Jessica and I are staying in the Convent with the Sisters right now (2 of them) and then will move into the guest house later this week when Brian (another Irish man working on building schools and their education system) moves out. The two Irish folks are the funniest people ever!! On top of it all, the sisters have been cooking our meals while we are staying in the convent and it is delicious. Get this….we had spaghetti last night with soya product rather than meat and EVERYONE had a beer. I love Irish nuns!!! They make the best baking as well. I have snooped around and the guest house is great too. It is close to the convent and has a sink in each room. The kitchen comes with 2 pantries and there is a large sitting area. I am sure we will post pictures later.

Lianne, Sister Mary, Jessica, Brian, Sister Cathy, and Cam.....Our favorite Nuns.

So the first few days is filled with networking as usual. It is still intimidating to walk to Lewanika College and know that people`s education relies on you! Here is what we have learned about Mongu so far…. Mongu district has a population of approximately 200 000 people, with on 60 000 living in the town of Mongu. It is part of the Western Province, the least developed province in the Country. Lewanika Nursing School has only 2 tutors (professors) for close to 100 students!!! There is a great demand for nurses as there is world wide, so the ministry has recommended an increase in uptake numbers for new nursing students. However, the demand on the teaching staff is already stretched, proving a need for human resource in all sectors (nurses, students, and staff).

In the health sector, we have learned that HIV/AIDS is the number one killer in this region, followed by TB, malaria, then pneumonia. Interestingly enough, Malaria was the highest on the mortality list 3 years ago until a malaria campaign was introduced. This included introducing a new line of drug (coartem), distribution of mosquito nets, staff training, and introduction of rapid diagnostic test. In addition the HIV/AIDS rate has increased. www.lewanikageneralhospital.org

Here we are meeting with the Permanent Secretary (equivalent to the Premier) of Western Province.

Back to the children....I can’t even tell you how much they bring joy to my day. Every day as we leave the convent, there is a line of 5-8 children waiting to say “hello, how are you” to the truck of white people driving by. This is some of the only English they know as most children in this region cannot afford the school fees. Then there is the Chesire House....This is a place where children with physical disability go after surgery for rehabilitation. I was in the vehicle waiting for Gene and I watched a small child crawl for a couple hundred meters with two casts on his legs. I wanted so badly to pick the child up and carry him to his room, but we were on our way. The home is doing amazing work and had some volunteers there as well. This may be a good opportunity for me to volunteer in the future!

This trip is such a learning experience. I bought some textbooks from the bookstore in Lusaka and have been learning so much about tropical medicine. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to work abroad to do it. It is so rewarding to work with the people of developing countries as well. It can definitely be trying at time, but in the end teaches you to be a more patient person. I just finished reading this book called “Hope in Hell.” It is about expats working with MSF (Doctors without Borders), it describes many of the feelings that I feel. One point in particular I enjoy is the aspect of how it is difficult to relate to expat work. It is a great read if anyone is interested, I would be glad to hear what you think!!

Lianne

The Road to Mongu

On Wednesday, the day finally arrived..we left for Mongu! Yes it was a long time coming, but really it all worked out. We were graciously escorted by Mubita Maimbolwa. He is the husband of Margaret Maimbolwa, a Zambian whom with we have been working with very closely over the past 6 months. She is currently the Assistant Dean of the School of Medicine at UTH. She is another amazing women, and has been added to my growing list of heros. She makes the list because she has accomplished so much (including becoming a midwife, plus gaining a Master’s and a PhD, on top of writing research papers, and advocating for the rural people of Zambia)..and somehow in there she managed to have 5 kids!! See why she made it to my hero list?

Ok now that I have properly introduced Margaret, I will next introduce her husband Mubita Maimbolwa-our personal escort to Mongu! He also has quite the resume too. He was the former Permanent Secretary of the Western Province (which is where Mongu just so happens to be located) This is more or less equivalent to being Premier of British Columbia! He also worked for a few different ministries within the government, and still has strong political ties. He was also born and raised in Western province so that makes him the perfect person to introduce us to the Western province. (Since this is where we will be spending the next six months)

Another bonus piece to Mubita driving us was we got to ride in his government vehicle..which just so happens to be a brand new Land Cruiser. It just gets better and better..I know! The drive to Mongu takes about 6 hours, the road is very very straight so makes for easy driving. The one hazard is wild animals, because we actually drive through Kafue National Park (Which is one of the largest parks in Africa). We heard rumours of elephants along this road….and it is true! We spotted lots of animals including elephants, impala, antelope, seble, cranes, stork, warthogs. Not bad hey?

So now here we are in Mongu, I will stop now because Lianne will blog about our first couple days here. Just know that life is good here in Mongu. Indeed we are living with nuns. But wait here is the best part…they are Irish, and they drink beer and whiskey. (they also do yoga!) This should be an interesting few months.

Jessica

What It Means To Be Canadian

This is how Canada Day should be...

The three musketeers all ready for Canada Day

Today we celebrated Canada Day in the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka. See we are still trying to make it to Mongu..and we were supposed to leave on Tuesday, but since that was Canada Day the executive decision was made to celebrate our nation’s birthday in Lusaka.

We were invited to a party thrown by the Canadian High Commission. It was held at the house of the development coordinator at the High Commission called Laurie Rogers. Man was it ever fun. They had a good old traditional BBQ, hot dogs..hamburgers, kebabs, and lots of salad. Now for someone back in Canada this may not seem that out of the ordinary…but for us…it was exactly what we needed to remind us of home. Did I mention that there was also an open bar??
So the beer was again flowing (seems like we have been drinking quite a bit at all these social dinners, they never let your glass go empty here!). We weren’t drinking any Pilsner though Dad… It was local beer, (Mosi or Castle are the brands here) but still good enough for me. So with all that beer flowing so were the conversations. Since pretty much every Canadian here in Zambia is working on one development project or another.. this was again another perfect networking opportunity.

Being away from the country on Canada Day only strengthened for me how proud I am to be a Canadian. In the development world, Canada continues to be a leader in affecting positive change in so many developing countries. The presence of Canadians is very much appreciated by the Zambian people. As Mr. Maimbolwa put it’Canadians are held in very high regard’. Around Zambia we have been introduced to many projects that Canadians are contributing to..you name it and they are doing it.So just know….all those other Canadians out there around the world really are doing a good job to represent our country..so be proud to be a Canadian!

Jessica