My Neighborhood

One of the first challenges when I arrived in Lusaka was finding appropriate housing. The first problem with this was the expense. The kwacha (the Zambian unit of currency) has increased in value relative to the dollar rather dramatically over the last two years. There are various theories about why this has happened, from increased copper prices, to election campaign hijinks. Living expenses here are now quite comparable to those in the US, which caught me by surprise. The second problem was availability. There seems to be a high demand (from a combination of Zambians and ex-pats) for secure middle-class housing.

Fortunately, with the help of a real estate agent I was able to find a 3-bedroom town house in a secure neighborhood in a convenient part of town. I will need to find someone to share it with. It is furnished, although sparsely, and clean. From the flooring and fixtures I will guess that it was built in the 70’s, but I don’t know that it is as easy to date things here as it is in the states.

From my house I can easily walk to the bus stops and some shops. Security here is as in many places in Lusaka. The town house complex is surrounded by a high wall with bits of glass cemented in the top edge. There is a gate with a security guard that is closed at night. Then the individual houses each also have their own gates. Padlocks are everywhere, and it is taking some time to get used to all the fiddling with them.

I’ve only met one set of neighbors so far, but the people seem generally happy and friendly. The neighborhood seems to be roughly equal parts black Zambians and those of Indian origin. There are a few white Zambians or ex-pats thrown into the mix as well. There are even some chickens (see photo)! There also is a regular after school football (soccer) game that happens on the complex's road.

I was quite surprised to see that everyone in the neighborhood has dishes for DSTV, a satellite TV service. My house came furnished with a TV, so I have decided to sign up. Those of you who know me from the states will be surprised by this choice, but I guess I don’t have as many other things to keep me busy yet. Sadly, there is no internet service here. I’ll be going to internet cafes or the school computer labs to post for this blog.