Blog post 3

Zambia Blog Post 3

James Hickling

            Looking back on my time in my homestay, I can confidently say it was a positive experience. My host family was accommodating, friendly, helpful, and full of character. Living with a working class family has opened my eyes to a whole side of Zambian life that I otherwise would not have been able to experience. While living in Abundant Life has its benefits as well, it is in the heart of ex-pat Kabulonga and does not offer the same authentic experience. Traveling through woodlands to Nyumba Yanga, I have struck up conversations with people on the street, or gotten stares from school children muttering “Muzungu” to one another. The neighborhood had a bustling, but friendly feel to it, and I will remember it as the most pure form of the Lusaka experience.

            Having conversations with my host family at night has also given me a window into the lives of the average Zambian that is invaluable. I feel like I really got to know them, as well as the life of the modern Zambian, a distinct fusion of traditional culture and adaptation to modern technology and international culture. My host brother, Divine, is at the age where he says everything that comes to his mind, and I have enjoyed playing with him and his baby sister Taonga.

            Despite the homestay being over, I hope to continue to reinforce the relationships that I have built, and even later today Nathan and I are visiting the house to give Enala, our host mother, a cake for her birthday.

            My host family has also served a more practical, helpful role of helping to orient me in this country. They tell me of the proper minibus toll and where the stops are, how to navigate certain parts of the city, as well as general information that is useful to a foreigner such as colloquial Nyanja and a friendly cab driver’s contact information.

            Enala’s homecooked meals have shown me authentic Zambian food, and I can honestly say that I have slowly honed an efficient technique for eating Nshima and not looking ridiculous. By being immersed in the culture, I feel more close to the Zambian people, and better understand the daily struggles and pleasures of their lives. I also feel that their struggles are also the struggles of people in so many other countries across the globe. Raising a family, finding a good job, doing well in school, looking after their health and one hundred other things that cross the minds of mothers and fathers across the world.

            I hope that Brian and Enala continue to welcome Cornell students into their homes and give them the same wonderful experience that I have had, furthering a more interconnected world and the creation of global citizens.