Day 9 : Monday 27.07
Morning I went to the Process. I spent long time designing the Big Banner and collecting data from everybody around. Melanie and me stayed late at work. I think it was after 9 when we went looking for a Cab we walked to the highstreet but we were lost for a while. Finally we reached Family 24 Hours ( a 24 hours store, bar and Casino) we got drinks and beef pies. I think I'm enjoying what I'm doing here, usually in Egypt or even in Austria I wouldn't really eat from same looking stores or I would look for any packed food there. We got Taxi from there, I went home first and then it took Melanie to her place.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Day 8 : Sunday 26.07
Day 8 : Sunday 26.07
Michael Picked me up in the morning to the Coptic Church to attend the service . later I left to the Show grounds to help with the house model building . I left early at 4.30 to Gerritz, a German restaurant but unfortunately it was closed. I walked then to Manda Hill shopping center did the week shopping at Shoprite !
I enjoyed being on my own going here and there walking , taking a Cab and bargaining about the ride fare !
Michael Picked me up in the morning to the Coptic Church to attend the service . later I left to the Show grounds to help with the house model building . I left early at 4.30 to Gerritz, a German restaurant but unfortunately it was closed. I walked then to Manda Hill shopping center did the week shopping at Shoprite !
I enjoyed being on my own going here and there walking , taking a Cab and bargaining about the ride fare !
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day 7: Saturday 25.07
Day 7 : Saturday 25.07
Weeeeeekeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend !!! NOOTTT :D
Been to the process's office. I met Melanie and I spent sometime on internet checking emails then I discussed with Melanie how should we prepare the show banners and flyers !
afternoon : we went to Subway's Cairo road and we had something to eat ! I left her to the show grounds and I met tryson, Chabala and the community people over there. Finally we started building the house model ! I enjoyed working with my own hands hammering, sawing, measuring...etc. I haven't done this since a while !
*Though I wasn't really of great use to them . ..really i mean they could have done it all without me.. but I am happy I worked .. I enjoyed doing this.
*Maybe it got something to do with the shock I had when I did my first site training at Orascom few years ago.. it was that time when I discovered that the architect only supervise and advise but he doesn't really use his hands !
We stayed there till 6 in the evening or I should say till Eighteen Hours just like Zambians do!
Weeeeeekeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend !!! NOOTTT :D
Been to the process's office. I met Melanie and I spent sometime on internet checking emails then I discussed with Melanie how should we prepare the show banners and flyers !
afternoon : we went to Subway's Cairo road and we had something to eat ! I left her to the show grounds and I met tryson, Chabala and the community people over there. Finally we started building the house model ! I enjoyed working with my own hands hammering, sawing, measuring...etc. I haven't done this since a while !
*Though I wasn't really of great use to them . ..really i mean they could have done it all without me.. but I am happy I worked .. I enjoyed doing this.
*Maybe it got something to do with the shock I had when I did my first site training at Orascom few years ago.. it was that time when I discovered that the architect only supervise and advise but he doesn't really use his hands !
We stayed there till 6 in the evening or I should say till Eighteen Hours just like Zambians do!
Day 6 : Friday 24.07
Day 6 : Friday 24.07
Hot Shower Day !!
Finally I was able to have a hot shower..
well..it wasn't really shower but I boiled some water in the kitchen, put them in a bucket and used a mug to shower.
I'm not complaining about this ! I should be grateful for the hot water !
Work : there wasn't really much to do, everybody was busy with preparing budgets before the weekend. I hope tomorrow we'll start building the house model in the show grounds. I read about Copperbelt project and then attended the youth meeting, they were preparing what should they speak about in next week's radio program. after the meeting i watched a DVD by Slum/Shack Dwellers International about different peoples process in African and Asian slums !
Back home I spent 6 hours browsing all files I have on my computer ! Pictures, music, MSN saved history ..some were last modified on 2001 ! hmm.. memories !!
Now I'm listening to Diab's ana aktar wa7ed bey7ebak album :)
Hot Shower Day !!
Finally I was able to have a hot shower..
well..it wasn't really shower but I boiled some water in the kitchen, put them in a bucket and used a mug to shower.
I'm not complaining about this ! I should be grateful for the hot water !
Work : there wasn't really much to do, everybody was busy with preparing budgets before the weekend. I hope tomorrow we'll start building the house model in the show grounds. I read about Copperbelt project and then attended the youth meeting, they were preparing what should they speak about in next week's radio program. after the meeting i watched a DVD by Slum/Shack Dwellers International about different peoples process in African and Asian slums !
Back home I spent 6 hours browsing all files I have on my computer ! Pictures, music, MSN saved history ..some were last modified on 2001 ! hmm.. memories !!
Now I'm listening to Diab's ana aktar wa7ed bey7ebak album :)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 5: Thursday 23.07
Day 5: Thursday 23.07
Tryson, me and some people from the communities went in the morning to the show grounds to start with our plot landscaping where we'll be showing later
during the agricultural show a house model,some arts and crafts. later on we went back to the office and I met memory and Marijke for the first time. they re working with the process also but i didn't have the chance to meet them before as they were in a workshop. now the whole team is there : nelson, george, lizzy, tryson, chabala, melanie, marijke and memory !
Irish team in the compound :
back home I met a group from Ireland they will only spend the night over here and they're traveling tomorrow to copperbelt. well.. i think its nice having people around there !
I enjoyed watching Shawshank Redemption on my laptop for the 798798989090 time before going ins Bett ! :)
Tryson, me and some people from the communities went in the morning to the show grounds to start with our plot landscaping where we'll be showing later
during the agricultural show a house model,some arts and crafts. later on we went back to the office and I met memory and Marijke for the first time. they re working with the process also but i didn't have the chance to meet them before as they were in a workshop. now the whole team is there : nelson, george, lizzy, tryson, chabala, melanie, marijke and memory !
Irish team in the compound :
back home I met a group from Ireland they will only spend the night over here and they're traveling tomorrow to copperbelt. well.. i think its nice having people around there !
I enjoyed watching Shawshank Redemption on my laptop for the 798798989090 time before going ins Bett ! :)
Fourth day : Wednesday 22.07
Fourth day : Wednesday 22.07
A long day !
I've been to Kabanana another big slum in Lusaka and attended a saving scheme meeting ! People are really doing a good job, they save about 10 cents a day
(500 Kawasha) and they apply for loans to help them upgrading their lives. What I find wonderful is that each saving scheme decide on their own selves the upgrade they need.
today I went to a typical Zambian Restaurant (The Queen's Calabash) and I tried some Zambian food . '
According to Melanie's Description they were :
Steak on Bone
Fisashi (Vegetables in Peanut Sauce)
Delele ( Okra cooking in bicarbonate of Soda & Tomato)
Nshima (Staple food made from maize meal)
they don't use any tools you've got to use ur hands and the bread is not really bread !! its like a white paste (nshima)..I'm not sure whether i enjoyed the meal or the experience but I'm sure there's something I liked there !
Different Evening !
Abouna Abraham from the coptic church in Zambia reached my number and called me asking if i'd like to go there this evening and meet him. I took a taxi from villa elizabeth to naorthmead for 20 000 Kawacha and I met abouna with some Egyptians working in the coptic hospital and school in Lusaka ! I had nice time there.
I should be traveling soon to Kitwe or Livingston with the people's process not sure though when exactly !
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Third Day : Tuesday 21.07.09
Third Day : Tuesday 21.07.09
After having everydays morning cold shower I went with tryson and we had a walk in Cairo Road, one of the most important roads in Lusaka. we arrived at the Show ground where we met two men from the communities. we discussed how are we going to build the model house for the Agriculture show.later on we went to Manda Hill one of two famous shopping centres in Lusaka (the other one is the Arcades), for me they just look like San Francisco shopping plazas. one can find there some stores that he already know about: Subway fast food, Shoprite, Bata and Zain .I finally got a cellphone ! a pay as you go sim card costs 5000 Kawacha and 1 SMS to Egypt costs around 550 Kawacha.Something one easily notices about Lusaka is the top-ups kiosks they're just spread up everywhere. Tryson told me today that people might have nothing to eat for the night but they top-up their phones ! Back to the office I've checked my emails and then we left to do some shopping at shoprite.I didn't buy much stuff I got Peanut Butter, Tuna, Toast, Water, Biscuits, Plastic Plate, plastic table tools, Scotsh Brite, Axion and I paid 55 000 Kawacha ! I have to say that people in Slums (most of Lusaka's population) earn around 500 000 Kawacha per month as total household Income. Imagine paying 55 000 Kawacha for 1 meal ! Lusaka is not cheap like one can imagine: you pay 15 000 Kawacha for a 5 minutes Taxi ride.1 Dollar = 5000 Kawacha.
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