Ready for work!

One week has passed since I came to Zambia.

Yesterday and today I was being introduced to my place of work and other parts of Lusaka by my supervisor Viktor, and his nephew. They picked me up in the morning and we drove around the city and into Kabanana where I will be working.

To start my research, I have to have an official approval from both UNC’s Internal Research Board (IRB) and a Zambian IRB. We drove to the Institute for Social and Economic Research and the University of Zambia (UNZA) to find out about how to get an academic affiliation for my project here. After making three separate visits, we finally found the right person at the Department for Research and Graduate Studies. While talking to her, someone locked us out in her office by accident and we spent ten minutes ‘imprisoned’. We got a good laugh out of it with the professor we were visiting, which made the stuffy, academic atmosphere in the room much lighter. I had to send her my research proposal in the afternoon and she would be in touch with me about following up. I am hoping to get the research affiliation at UNZA sometime within the next 2-3 weeks, depending on how fast they review my application.

Yesterday afternoon I also got to see my worksite for the first time. Kabanana is an area of squatter settlements bordering two other similar districts. It’s sprawled across a semi-steep hill facing Roma, the district I live in. The walk from there to Kabanana takes around 30 minutes. It’s much faster than taking a bus which doesn’t ride directly up the hill to Kabanana but connects from the city center. That trip would take me at least an hour every morning (and cost me mula). I am actually looking forward to walking to and from work every day. Other than being a great exercise (and a wake-up hike in the morning), it’s a cool opportunity to get familiar with the Kabanana community. I am also curious about people’s reactions when they see a muzungu walking around their tiny compounds every day. I hope by the end of the two months I will have a grip on many of the big and small paths, shortcuts and roads winding through Kabanana, as well as get to know a lot of the local families. More about Kabanana, its residents and my co-workers later :)

 

 Bird's eye view on Kabanana and Roma. Notice the striking difference in the housing density.