Yesterday was my team's first full day in Zambia, and what a day it was! We took
a minibus from where we're staying to downtown Lusaka, where we walked through
an open-air produce market and into a large, covered goods market. There, we
bought cloth for skirts/sarongs (15,000 Kwache each, which comes out to roughly
$3.75). It was incredibly sunny during the day, and although I wore a hat and
drank lots of water I got tired quickly. We walked all the way from there to
the Lusaka Post Office, and along the way stopped at three different bookstores
looking for small books on local dialects of Zambia. Though we didn't have much
luck finding them, we did have a good time looking at the math, history,
English, and science textbooks they had. If they weren't so heavy, I would have
bought some to bring back to MIT with me. From the post office, we took another
minibus to Manda Hill, a strip mall that lots of ex-pats frequent. I have to
admit, the minibus experience takes a little getting used to. The drivers only
leave a stop if their bus is full, so it is an interesting optimization problem
for a group of five to select which bus out of the 10 waiting will fill up first
once they get on it. And then once you think the bus is full, they fold out
chairs into the aisles and pack more people into those. Anyway, at Manda Hill
we walked around some more and ate dinner before taking the minibus back to our
guest house.

It is unclear if we are going to be in Lusaka this weekend or Mwape, but I hope
to have internet access again tomorrow. This morning, my team leaders have a
meeting with the Dean of Engineering at UNZA, and we have planned on meeting
our 3 UNZA student colleagues this afternonon. Take care!

Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)

yay first entry whats the time in zambia its 1130pm in this part of the world

Posted by: anono what ever on January 11, 2007

No first post, again :(
I still think pictures would be awesome if you have a camera, I mean, Africa has got to be so different.
But what's with the "Zambia ate my neighbors?" Is there an interesting story behind that?

Posted by: Elizabeth on January 11, 2007

I'm sure this will be an unforgettable experience of your life. Keep going on. My best wishes from Italy. Enjoy your stay.

Posted by: Ovippo on January 11, 2007

Hey Elizabeth -- I can explain the title. Mitra sends these entries to me and then I post them for her, but she hasn't given me any titles. "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" is the name of a Super Nintendo game. Since Mitra lives right next to me and is in Zambia for IAP, I thought it was clever. (still, nothing I come up with will be as clever as Mitra's "zOMG Zambia!" title).

Posted by: Sam on January 11, 2007

Zombies at my neighbors : Favorie game for SNES EVER. I sold it for 10 dollars though >.Zombies at my neighbors : Favorie game for SNES EVER. I sold it for 10 dollars though >.<.

Posted by: Prashanth on January 11, 2007

Sam-
The title was sort of clever:) Please do ask Mitra to send some photos for the blogs. We'd all love to see some pictures of a different place.

Posted by: 0 on January 12, 2007

Waiting for a minibus and folding chairs sound somewhat familiar to me... but I would wait not more than thirty minutes... How long do you approximately wait for the bus to get full, Mitra?
I can't wait for your titles Sam honestly

Posted by: turnef on January 12, 2007

I like to study in mit and I want to give information from you

Posted by: ehsan on January 14, 2007

in 'marathi' language
Mitra means Friend i.e.
mitra=friend

Posted by: bhushan on January 14, 2007

in 'marathi' language
Mitra means Friend i.e.
mitra=friend

Jai Maharashtra

Posted by: bhushan on January 14, 2007

What a perfectly sub-Saharan, if not anti-bourgeois excursion . . .

Methinks Laura Tyson would be impressed (I certainly am)!

Posted by: TKD on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

its nice to see That MIT is sending its students to africa, to see whatgwun on the continent. im a worker at the state IT agency in south africa and we have been researching the 100$ PC project, and i stumbled upon your blog, and i think its really cool. it seems as though conrad was a sceptic, enjoy.

peace

Posted by: Tlou on January 16, 2007

I'm so happy to find an Iranian name in MIT site but not sure that you Iranian and bahai,are you?
please if you have time help me about this brand new open-learning courses in MIT.
Best wishes

Posted by: adib on January 17, 2007

Well, it looks like all women like shopping...

Posted by: jacky on January 20, 2007

broooom........ Here goes! Who made it going? I mean I wonder (not wander ;|) to know who made the minibus to go with a broooooom?... drove it! Please forgive this nonsense pranks....

Well, honestly I would like a bit wandering story, in the country's land and water and air, excluding the wanderings in mall.

Please...... it's my pinion, and not intended to make any mall enthusiast disappointed.




Chiario.

Wandering Albatross

sparkofblueedge@yahoo.com
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YAAAAAAAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Posted by: Wanderin Albatross on January 20, 2007

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it doesn't accept HTML grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Posted by: Wandering Albatross on January 20, 2007

hey,you got a visitor from China.from your blog,i know sth about college life in America,it's very different from China,hehe

Posted by: kobe on January 22, 2007

hey,you got a visitor from China.from your blog,i know sth about college life in America,it's very different from China,hehe

Posted by: kobe on January 22, 2007

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