If you knoe me at all, you are well aware that my favorite part of life is putting yourself in situations for the sole purpose of *potentially* having a story by the time the situation is resolved. Exhibit A: The quasi-shirtless transient propositioning me at a bus stop. There is no need for an Exhibit B; Exhibit A is proof enough.
Anyways, this past Thursday was probably my favorite night since being in Zambia because it was the first chance that a good story might result from the situation. I get home from work around 6:15 p.m. and realize that the power is out in my hotel room. Not a huge surprise. I am in Zambia, a country which frequently has power outages. So, I grab a book, make a PBJ sandwich, and sit outside. This plan works fantastic until about 6:30 when the sun has completely set. Dumbfounded for what I am going to do now, I just sit outside in the dark. Mosquitoes are starting to flock to me and my sugar-coated appendages and mouth. The PBJ sandwich may have been a mistake. I go inside, using the night vision light on my clock, to find my insect repellent. It’s my first time using the 98% deet and I learn a few lessons. (1) 98% deet in close proximity to your nose will cause a physiological reaction I will refer to as a runny nose, (2) 98% deet carries a strong scent, (3) Mosquitoes aren’t repelled by 98% deet, (4) Mosquitoes enjoy getting as close as possible to the inside of your ear just to let you knoe they are there.
Realizing that even I can not sit in deep thought for the next 4 hours, I ask a quasi-neighbor if I can come over. She agrees and I begin my walk over there. That is, I begin my walk in the dark along Zambian roads. Unlike the paved sidewalks and streetlights you’d normally find in the States, everything is dark and uneven. I also found out that there are occasional irrigation ditches which will pop up in the middle of a path. I have a feeling I made the night of the guy sitting along the path when he heard/saw me fall in. Luckily, I exited the ditch unscathed, save for a minor hit to my dignity.
I (obviously) made it there and back without a problem. At the end of the day, I feel extremely safe walking the streets of Lusaka at any time of the day. At the same time, I really did enjoy the walk home. Whenever you are in a strange situation and do not knoe what to expect, your senses are uber-heightened and you get a rush of adrenaline whenever you sense anything.
Power finally came on around 12:30 a.m. that night. I apparently kept all of the switches on and I awoke to a sudden burst of brightness and noise. It ultimately didn’t develop into a very entertaining story (all of my readers are nodding their heads), but the mere potential made it my favorite night in Zambia so far.
Anyways, this past Thursday was probably my favorite night since being in Zambia because it was the first chance that a good story might result from the situation. I get home from work around 6:15 p.m. and realize that the power is out in my hotel room. Not a huge surprise. I am in Zambia, a country which frequently has power outages. So, I grab a book, make a PBJ sandwich, and sit outside. This plan works fantastic until about 6:30 when the sun has completely set. Dumbfounded for what I am going to do now, I just sit outside in the dark. Mosquitoes are starting to flock to me and my sugar-coated appendages and mouth. The PBJ sandwich may have been a mistake. I go inside, using the night vision light on my clock, to find my insect repellent. It’s my first time using the 98% deet and I learn a few lessons. (1) 98% deet in close proximity to your nose will cause a physiological reaction I will refer to as a runny nose, (2) 98% deet carries a strong scent, (3) Mosquitoes aren’t repelled by 98% deet, (4) Mosquitoes enjoy getting as close as possible to the inside of your ear just to let you knoe they are there.
Realizing that even I can not sit in deep thought for the next 4 hours, I ask a quasi-neighbor if I can come over. She agrees and I begin my walk over there. That is, I begin my walk in the dark along Zambian roads. Unlike the paved sidewalks and streetlights you’d normally find in the States, everything is dark and uneven. I also found out that there are occasional irrigation ditches which will pop up in the middle of a path. I have a feeling I made the night of the guy sitting along the path when he heard/saw me fall in. Luckily, I exited the ditch unscathed, save for a minor hit to my dignity.
I (obviously) made it there and back without a problem. At the end of the day, I feel extremely safe walking the streets of Lusaka at any time of the day. At the same time, I really did enjoy the walk home. Whenever you are in a strange situation and do not knoe what to expect, your senses are uber-heightened and you get a rush of adrenaline whenever you sense anything.
Power finally came on around 12:30 a.m. that night. I apparently kept all of the switches on and I awoke to a sudden burst of brightness and noise. It ultimately didn’t develop into a very entertaining story (all of my readers are nodding their heads), but the mere potential made it my favorite night in Zambia so far.
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