But lets start at the beginning:
While getting my visa at Dar Es Salaam International Airport, I was kind of anxious, what to expect from the days to come, since this is my first time traveling alone. But as soon as I got out of the airport, I enjoyed wandering around the busy streets of Dar.
During my first evening, I scratched my original plan to go to Lake Malawi and joined a group of Dutch guys to Zanzibar for the next week.
On Zanzibar, I had a great time with them in Stone Town, Jambiani and Nungwi.
Not too much worthy of telling happened during that time, not too much interesting to other people, who might read this blog, respectively. For me, it was a wonderful time.
Having to leave them in Nungwi, to get on my way to Zambia I had another night in Stone Town, on which I met Susanne from Australia (in fact, since I forgot to give her my contacts, I hope she reads this entry and contacts me).
Unfortunately Ramadan ended on the exact day, that I left, so I was not able to experience all the celebrations going on all over Zanzibar that day.
Anyway: after that I got back to Dar, got my ticket for Tazara-line, which would be my home for the next two and a half days.
On that train to Zambia, I was again lucky enough to meet Dan, an (obviously American) Peace Corps volunteer, who has stayed quite some time in North Western Province of Zambia, already. Besides Dan, I spent my time on the train with other PC volunteers.
Since Dan had to go in the same direction as I did, he was kind enough to take me hitch hiking from Serenje, where we got off the train, to Ndola with him.
Having spent my first night and first full day in Ndola, I can say, that life here is exhausting, but much more quiet, than my last few days have been.
To sum up:
During my days traveling through Tanzania and Zambia, I met many great people, given the short time, I had before getting to Ndola.
It's raining in Stonetown.
Hanging out in Stonetown.
Impressions of Jambiani.
Hanging out again at Nungwi with Mack and friends.
Sunset at Nungwi.
Ramadan in Stone Town is over: I took this picture just before leaving Zanzibar at my favourite place in Stonetown: Jaw's Corner. Unfortunately, I had to leave on the day, the celebration started.
Dan and me enjoying the ride on Tazara-line.
Zambian sunset.
Tazara-line.
Dan organizing his trip to the North Western Province, while taking a break from hitch hiking at a gas station near Kapiri-Mposhi.
On my first week in Ndola, I got to know all the other volunteers and the Zambian family, we are staying with, who are an amazing bunch of people. I got to learn about most of the projects in McKanzee, with which iChange is directly involved with. The only thing I did not know, was that iChange was actually kind of an Christian organisation and so I unknowingly stumbled into an environment, I as not familiar with (and by that I don't mean Zambia). Anyway in my second week in Ndola I got high fever and lay in bed for two days. On the third day, the mother of the family decided, that it was time for me , to go to a hospital, since I did not show any signs of recovery. So there I was, walking through the around 35°C with 39°C fever. After we found out, that the private clinic, she wanted to take me to, was closed, we took a taxi to the public hospital. It took around 4 hours and some bureaucracy to see nurses for 5 minutes, and a doctor for another five minutes.
Guys cutting a big tree, which was burnt out from the inside.
Daniel talking to the youth of McKanzee.
Everybody wanted to have a look after the tree was cut.
Daniel showing his apprentice Isaac how to fix school porches.
Jolie...
David improving the quality of living at Malayka Home.
This rabbit was not very nice to his companions, so it had to be killed. The neighbor came over, because he's good at skinning rabbits.
Luckily, I recovered just in time to bring most of the volunteers to the airport in Lusaka and travel in Zambia for two weeks with Daniel and Dominik. After being back in Ndola, these two weeks seem so long, since I experienced so much: first we went to Mpanshya, a small town on the way to Chipata, east of Lusaka, where we spent a few nights, visiting the carpentry of a Swiss mission and a bush hospital. Afterwards we went back to Lusaka for two nights or so, just to travel up to Lake Tanganyika afterwards to visit an OM mission, which was very interesting: since they didn't know that we were coming and just 'got rid' of their last visitors for this summer (this happened due to some miscommunication), they didn't really know what to do with us and sent us to a little village called Chipwa, half an hour after we arrived at their base in Mpulungu.
So we went there and were very grateful to experience for two and a half days, how people in a village at Lake Tangayika live. What was really interesting for me though, was, that people around the Lake (even the missionaries from 'developed countries' after being involved in local life for some time), do believe in witchcraft and I heard many stories about how missionaries fought it with prayers and other testimonies of Christian faith. Being raised in an environment, where there is no space for such believes, it was amazing to hear people talk about those things with such conviction and obviousness. If these stories are true or not, is anyone's guess. I also had long conversations about the Bible and Christianity and especially the difference between religion and faith with some of the missionaries at the OM base. Now I'm back in Ndola for another week and then again two weeks of traveling on my own ahead of me.
Football.
Kids in Lusaka.
Lusaka.
The beautiful little town of Mpanshya.
New retirement home at Mulele near Mpanshya. Built by Swiss missionaries.
Our room in Mpanshya.
My favorite style of traveling: we were lucky enough to get a free ride back to Lusaka on the back of a pick-up truck.
The streets of Lusaka at night.
Lake Tanganyika: since it lies in the East African Rift Valley, its shores are kind of steep and valleys located directly at the lake are reached best by boat. This is one of the boats, which are used for public transport. We, as well, used one of those boats to get to Chipwa.
Sunset at Chipwa.
A little girl washing er face in the lake.
The people at this big freshwater lake naturally live of fishing. Walking through Chipwa, we saw many guys mending nets.
Lake Tanganyika, one of the world's biggest freshwater lakes, is bordered by four countries: DRC in the West, Burundi in the North East, Tanzania in the East and Zambia in the South. Chipwa (in the front) is located directly at the border (being the river visible in this picture) to Tanzania. That's why people speak a mix of Bemba, Lungu (not sure, if it's written correctly) and Swahili.
Junior: only son of the family we stayed with in Chipwa and, because of his father's absence, our guide. He did a good job. Here he is closing in on a runaway pig. He needs to get it back to the village, away from the river, so it won't get killed by crocodiles.
Junior fishing at the river, which describes the border to Tanzania.
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