Final Reflection and Advice

Being back in the United States after such a long time is a surreal experience. In a certain way, I am completely accustomed to the comforts of home, but in another I am experiencing reverse culture shock. Some things are obvious, as in going and taking a hot shower or being able to drive, but others are more subtle changes, for better or for worse. I do not look at my phone as much as I did before I left, I appreciate the food in my fridge more, and the luxury of being able to drink tap water. I would say that all of these changes are positive, and lends credibility to the idea that this experience has given me perspective on my life and the opportunities I've had.

Another thing that this trip has taught me is the relative nature of happiness. Visiting Botswana after Zambia, we passed through villages of the native Khoisan people near the Okavango Delta. The Khoisan people have lived virtually unchanged lives for thousands of years, lives that closely mirror those of the people in rural Zambia. Prior to coming to Africa, I had read a New York Times article about the Khoisan. The article talked about how, in many ways, their culture and society could be considered the most advanced in the world, as they had developed a way of life where they would only need to spend an average of 14 hours a week working to secure their food supply, allowing them to spend the rest of their free time eating, socializing, or creating art or tools. Compared to other societies, this one has remained unchanged for thousands of years, through dramatic changes in climate and power in Africa. Looking at this way of life side by side with our lives, or even that of some of the civilizations throughout history such as Rome that are considered the most successful, it makes one question how to define a "successful society." Americans work 40 hours or more a week, and although they might have a TV and a car, who is to say that they are more happy than the Khoisan? The Romans conquered the world that was known to them, but their empire rose and fell and the Khoisan remained the same. All of this lends perspective to how we define ourselves and what our purpose is, and I feel that much of this can be applied to Zambia. As everyone who has done the program comes to know, Zambians do not have that much of a sense of urgency and deadlines. They are easygoing, laid back, friendly and positive people, and the contrast between this way of living and Cornell could not be more stark. This has taught me to be able to step back, take a deep breath, and reevaluate my priorities, and what I consider important in my live.

In terms of advice, there are some particular logistical things that I would recommend, but the main thing is this: You will get out of this program what you put into it. Do not expect for opportunities, cultural or in terms of your research, to fall into your lap. You have to be proactive, send emails, strike up conversations with people on the minibus or taxi, ask your coworkers and your host family about themselves and their lives, in order to have a full and enriching experience. You will find undoubtedly that Zambians are an extraverted and welcoming people, something that is truly singular and special.

Other pieces of advice would be bring a lot of books (preferably kindle for packing purposes). Especially books specific to the region and its history. I read "When the Crocodile Eats the Sun" about Zimbabwe, and "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela. Reading about a place while you are in it gives you a greater perspective on it.

Finally, I recommend making use of your time in Africa. I thoroughly planned a trip to do when the program ended and it could not have paid off more. I don't know if I will ever get the opportunity to go to the region again, and am grateful that I had the time and opportunity to make the most of my time in the continent.

My advice

Future Participant,
 Today I’m sitting in America in a room with a big diagonal skylight that gives me a great view of the sky and trees nearby. The sky is grey, and in some unexpected way, this is a profound reminder that I’m in a different place now, a different world. Here, clouds mean rain, and if you don’t put on a jacket when you look up and see they grey, you’ll regret it. But in Zambia, winters have plenty of clouds but no rain, like when you upset a baby and it grimaces and stares and you cringe, bracing for the tears but they never come. And in the same way you let out a sigh of relief when the baby keeps quiet, you’ll probably find yourself sighing every afternoon in Zambia; no rain, no life shattering failures, no reason to call it quits.
 If nothing else, Zambia taught me to relax – to understand that things might not go as planned, and to know that when they don’t, I’ll be fine. It taught me to see clouds and not freak out about rain. When you get there, when you’re in the heat of your research, you’ll have interviews when you fish for answers and don’t get them, moments when you work hard for something and it doesn’t happen, moments when you think you look like a fool. But if you let the mellow Zambian lifestyle help you keep it all in perspective, you’ll be glad you did.
 That’s not the only advice I have, though. The more time you spend anywhere, the longer your list of shoulda-coulda-woulda’s becomes. So, I’ve decided to write some of mine here, in case you actually read this in search of some practical suggestions.
 1)  Download A LOT of music. Sure, you’ll sometimes have the wifi to save some playlists in country, but this wifi can less reliable than you might expect, and when you’re on an eight-hour bus ride to the middle of nowhere, you’ll want to hear anything but the same twenty songs you’d been playing all trip.
2)  Bring iodine tablets. Buying water is a real pain, and without iodine there will certainly be afternoons where you want to just lay in bed and binge-watch Game of Thrones but you’re parched and you need to walk to the store for some Aquasavana instead. If you live at Abundant Life, you’ll be almost next door to a good grocery store where you can buy water, but trust me, you’ll have a couple days where you’re so lazy you’ll be glad you can just drink purified sink water.
3)  Plan your post-program excursion early. If you want to stay in Africa for a bit before you head home after the trip, figure it out and do your research early. There is a lot to do in Southern Africa, but the quicker you decide what you’d want to do, the more freedom you’ll have. Also, if you’re feeling adventurous, I ardently recommend hitting some national parks in Botswana. Some of the folks on my trip and I went on a 10-day self-drive safari in Botswana and it was easily one of the coolest experiences of my life to date.
4)  Live and die by google drive. My research partner and I made one big google drive folder with little folders full of articles to cite, interview transcripts, contact lists, and section outlines. We also did all of our writing and editing for our paper in google docs and made our final presentation on google slides. When everything is in one place, your work feels a bit less overwhelming.

Hope this helped!

Paul

Final Reflection & Advice

First off, congratulations on becoming a participant of this program! I hope you’re excited to go to Zambia.

This summer went by much quicker than I would’ve imagined. I’ve never traveled outside the country before and this was my 2^nd time on a plane so to say I was nervous was an understatement. On the day we were leaving, our flight got cancelled because a part of the plane needed to be repaired so South African Airlines placed us all in hotels for the night. What a great way to start the program. It was nice though because we all bonded by playing multiple games of mafia. The day after we arrived, our homestays came to pick us up and I was nervous to meet mine because she was the new addition this year. Being in a homestay definitely put me at ease during the first couple of weeks because I was in an environment I didn’t know and I was far away from my family. My host mom really became my second mom and my homestay family made those four weeks amazing. 

Things started to become a routine very quickly. I woke up, had eggs for breakfast, hopped on the minibus to SAIPAR, went to the SANI Foundation (my placement), hopped on the minibus back to SAIPAR and went to my homestay. Tuesdays and Thursdays were the hospital days and it was nice talking to the medical students about their experiences since their schooling system is different from ours in the US. This routine was something that I liked since everyday life at Cornell is the opposite.

In terms of your research, you might not have a clear topic to focus on for the first two or three weeks, or your topic might change, but don’t worry if you don’t have a solid research question at the beginning. Marja, at SAIPAR, was great at pointing us in the right direction so take advantage and ask for help. Communication is key; if there’s an issue you need to deal with, telling Tatyana, Marja or your research contact will make all the difference.

During the last four weeks, try to do things together as a group because it’s a nice break away from the research. We had group dinners for most of the week and it was nice having all of us eat together. For our last week, we closed off with having a prom (you guys don’t have to do this but you should 😊 ).

Did I become a changed person after the program was over? Not quite. Every situation I dealt with was new to me so I had to push myself but I feel like for the most part I’m the same person. I’m an open minded person but some situations tested me a bit. For instance, some stakeholders said things that rubbed me the wrong way but I tried understanding things from their perspective. Even going on the peace corps trip was a bit rough because I don’t do camping and I thought it wasn’t gonna be fun for me but those four days went pretty well.

Last few tips: get ready for the minibus rides (prepared to be squished), the bargaining for taxi rides, bargaining for the minibus prices, bargaining for souvenirs (yeah lots of bargaining) and definitely try the fritters! If you can, I would suggest staying a few days after the program is over. Whether you decide to go back to Livingstone (which is what some of us, including me, did) or go to another country, enjoy the few extra days after finishing the program.

Wishing you the best,

Linda ♥

Final Reflection

Dear future participant,

So vividly do I remember being in your current position. Reading the ‘dear future participant’ letter, just a few weeks away from departure, somehow feeling like I would never be in the position myself to write this very letter- yet here we are. As I write this, I am about 10 hours into the very long trip back to the U.S., back to Cornell- the place where journey truly began. And FYI, 15 hours cross- continental flights do wonders for reflection.

This letter is supposed to give advice for your adventure that is yet to come, based off of what I have seen, experienced, learned, and reflected upon during these past two months. Yet, as I sort through my thoughts attempting to discern what “advice” could be rendered useful for someone like you who will soon go through this experience, I find it to be incredibly difficult. Attempting to accurately capture the essence of what my experience has been, by putting it into words, will likely undermine the reality of what you’re about to experience. Therefore, think of that as a disclaimer before you continue on reading.

Piece of advice number one: During the course of preparing for this experience, you’re supposed to come up with “personal goals” that you want to achieve during your time in Zambia. Even in the application for this journey, before you really know anything about what the trip will consist of, you’re supposed to somehow be able to speak about what “goals” you want to reach. Don’t get me wrong- goals are great, and prior to this experience I saw nothing wrong with jotting down a few personal and professional goals I hoped to achieve during the trip. It wasn’t until the end of the trip that I realized the “goals” I had set for myself were naïve and rather ignorant. What I learned the most during the course of these past two months, on personal or professional levels, were lessons I never would have expected to learn and they were realizations I didn’t see coming. I mention this because I realized if I wouldn’t have gone into this experience fully open minded, and if I would have had a narrow focus on only attaining the pre- determined goals I had set for myself prior to this trip, I would have been hindered in what I have learned during the past two months.

Piece of advice number two: This trip will put you out of your comfort zone every single day. There wasn’t a day that passed where my limits weren’t tested and my mental capacity wasn’t pushed to the brink- from taking the minibus to bargaining with vendors to navigating the streets of downtown Lusaka. This trip isn’t for the weak willed, and it isn’t for those who have the inability to be flexible, open minded, and willing to completely and entirely delve into a new culture and a new way of life. The best thing you can do is eliminate all fixed expectations that you may have prior to departure. This includes expectations about your homestay family, your research, and the nature of your day to day routine from your bathing methods to your modes of transportation. Be ready to roll with the punches, because you never know what a day in Zambia will bring. That being said, Zambian life is a beautiful thing, so diving in completely with a positive, curious attitude paired with an open mind and heart and will only be beneficial to you because you will have the fortunate opportunity to not only interact, but also build meaningful relationships with some of the friendliest people in the world in addition to taking part in their rich, vibrant, and exciting culture.

Piece of advice number three: All of that being said, you will experience highs and you will undoubtedly experience lows. This journey will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, and it’s important to remember that mental strength is incredibly powerful- especially during those low points. Whether you feel particularly homesick or as though research is going nowhere or you’re going through a week that feels painfully routine and monotonous or you’re just physically ill- remember, from someone that’s been there and who is currently sitting on a plane wondering how in the world the time passed so quickly, that in a blink of an eye you’ll be on your way back home too. So even when things get difficult, try to enjoy every moment that you have because before you know it will be over.

I remember before coming here, everyone told me that I would come back a “changed person”, and I’m still trying to figure out what that even means and if it’s true. I don’t think I can say for certain or to what extent I am “changed”, but I can certainly say that I have gained significant insights from the lessons I have learned in Zambia, that I otherwise would not have realized. So to conclude, I wish you the best of luck and I genuinely hope that your experience is as incredible and eye opening as mine was.

Tiffany

Final Reflection

Dear future participant,

 Firstly, congratulations on making it this far! You’re about to embark on one of the most enriching and exciting adventures of your life! As I write this letter, it has been less than 24 hours since I got back from Lusaka, and I miss it so much. I miss so many things like the easygoing culture, the smell of the air, and music in the mini buses. My time in Zambia was life-changing for me. Trust me, I am not big on clichés, but Zambia definitely changed a lot for me.

The main thing I loved about the Zambia program was the amount of independence the program gave me. The trip leaders left after two weeks and then we were basically on our own. It was super scary at first, but it was also empowering. I remember being so scared of taking the minibus by myself at first or bargaining with the vendors at the market. But after doing it once, I realized it wasn't nearly as scary as I made it out to be in my head. People in Zambia are generally super friendly and always willing to help you find directions or translate some Nyanja. The biggest piece of advice I have for you as you start on this adventure is writing a blog or a journal. I was never really into blogging or journaling before this trip, however, once I started I couldn't stop. Blogging gave me an opportunity to reflect on my experiences and it also gave me a chance to share my first-hand experiences with other people. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. I also realized that once I started writing, it was forcing me to be more "in the moment" every day so that I would remember experiences better when I was writing about them the following night. I wrote a weekly blog (although it got harder to keep up as the research got more hectic). Honestly, I'm so glad I made myself do it though because now I have a collection of memories I can refer to any time I want. It also helps when you're writing final reflections and reports for various funding applications (pro tip).

Another piece of advice I want to share is that when the research begins to get hectic (and no matter how good of a work ethic you have, things will get really hectic around weeks 6 and 7), try to make time everyday to do something fun (whether it's going for a run in Kabulonga, trying a new coffee shop, watching a movie you downloaded on Netflix). It's always really good to have a mental break every day so that you can take the time to reflect on your experiences instead of being constantly stressed about research.

I am so excited for you and I hope your experience is as wonderful as mine was. Good luck!

Mira

blog post 4: research reflection

Being able to conduct meaningful research has been one of the best aspects of my experience in Zambia. However, preparing my research topic has not been easy. For one, my topic focuses on climate change issues and environmental legislation. Neither of these fields are a part of my course work at Cornell.  Not only are environmental issues not my specialty or where I see my career going, looking at and analyzing policy has proven to be very difficult considering I have little to no experience in the area. Additionally, climate change is a very big issue. It affects many part of the world and there is no way to anticipate how an area will be affected by climate change issues. In most cases, actions concerning preserving the environment only come into effect after the damage from climate change is already done. As student working on the issue for two months, it often felt impossible to tackle such a big topic. Living in Zambia also made things even more difficult. Not only does Zambia lack the resources needed to tackle climate change issues, the climate change issue that Zambia faces are different from those faced by the United States. As a result, the majority of my time in Zambia was spent learning about current legislation in Zambia and the ways Zambians contribute and are affected by climate change.

Although my topic required a lot of time, I am very happy that I was able to learn about climate change issues in Zambia. I feel like my topic was a current concern for a lot of people in Zambia. Many of the organizations we interviewed were very aware of the current state of climate change in Zambia. Many people were interested in the subject and wanted to get involved in the area. Even our organization, Actionaid, has climate change and environmental issues as one of their top priorities. Conducting this type of research was very fulfilling because it feels like many people and organization who are interested in getting involved in climate change issues will genuinely benefit from our paper.

In order to effectively work in my new environment, I’ve had to force myself to set deadlines and plan ahead. Not having access to wifi at abundant life was a huge obstacle especially when we began writing our research paper. Somedays, the majority of my work days would be spent responding to emails, conducting interviews, and downloading environmental legislations to read at night. Additionally, my research experience forced me to be accountable for my own work. Because our topic is so specific, few people have worked on it. This adds a lot of pressure but at the same time makes me want to present my best work.