It's Not Not Far

Wow. I am back in Zambia, sitting in the really ritzy expat hotel in Solwezi with the 3 Project Managers from Meheba. It has been a really long 4 days getting here, but I could not be happier. It feels like we just left....

Boston to London was a tough flight because I couldn't really sleep...had a center seat and just couldn't relax. Landed at 8 am London time and met my friend Holly from FORGE at the Starbucks at Heathrow. We took the tube into the city to meet my friend Jamie from Boston for a bit on his lunch break. It was a nice sunny day, but Holly and I were exhausted from the night before. We ate grade-B Tex-Mex at a place called the Texas Embassy and then headed back to the airport. Another FORGE staff member (Susannah) was on our flight to Lusaka. I slept lots on that flight and also watched the Darjeeling Limited. Waited in a lonnnnng customs line for tourists only to be told once I reached the front that I actually had a 3-year multiple entry visa from the summer. Who knew?

Susannah and I ran errands around Northmead in Lusaka, then took a quick power nap. Then Holly and I ran errands in town.....got a cell phone, bought some project supplies, and got a bus ticket for my trip to Solwezi. Ate pizza twice and tried to sleep a little. The mosquitoes in Lusaka were vicious and I have a huge bite in the middle of my forehead.

Heard lots of news about Meheba and the projects Joe and I worked on last summer from various people....makes me very excited and happy.

Driving into Meheba tonight....I hear it is startlingly green and tropical right now. Can't wait to see some familiar faces. Being here feels oddly like being in the DR in January....muddy roads, humid weather, green green growth everywhere. The bike I brought made it in one piece--hooray! Excited to get going on some thesis and project research in the next two weeks.

Send me a text: 011260976603010!!!

xo
V