New Words In Lusaka
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa your car “hoots” not honks. Hoot, I tell them, is what an owl does! Rod says Geese “honk” and cars “hoot!” We laugh. In New Zealand Fi says “Rattle Your Dags” means to get you upset-dags referring to the hard little poop balls that stick to the sheep’s wool on his rear end and then “rattle” when he runs. “Tarmac” refers to a blacktop highway and “sunnies” are sunglasses. “Bakkies” are pick-ups. “Robots” are street lights. “Nappies” are diapers. I love learning the distinctions between these new words and phrases and the way the U.S. uses English; helps get a “feel” for the other English language cultures.
Shopping in Lusaka
Spent half a day at an Arizona-Shopping-Mall on the edge of Lusaka. For the first time we get a sense of the extremes in Africa-rich and poor; none of the villagers we have seen so far have any access to these goods in the city…even if they had the money they don�t have any way to get there.
The campers all got their consumer shit and loaded plastic sacks full of drinks and goodies onto the truck. Rod calls it “baby food.” Email here is very expensive-costs me $5 just to check it with no time for replies. There are armed guards all over the mall. On the way out we see a sign reading “Civil Society For Poverty Reduction Youth Project-Coffins Sold Here.” Rod says coffins are one of the biggest up and coming businesses in Africa because of all the deaths due to AIDS.
The day is another long day on the road. I join Janine in the front seat for awhile. She groans about having to get back into the rat race in London when she gets back. She talks about the rudeness and abruptness of everyone and how it will feel after being in Africa…we agree that it must just be a big-city attitude. Popular music is her passion. As with most of the rest she will be looking for work when she returns.
Tags: African Continent, Food, Language, Lusaka, Truck, Zambia
Zoe
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