Spring in Lusaka

In emails people are often asking me about how hot it is in Lusaka. So here’s a report: It is now spring in Lusaka, which actually is locally referred to more often as “the hot season”. It’s the time before the summer rains arrive. It starts some time in September and goes until the rains begin. The rains are supposed to begin in late October, but last year it wasn’t until late November that the rains really started in earnest. A few weeks ago there was a brief rain storm and everyone started talking about how the rains would be early this year, but now its back to hot and dry. Now back to your question: how hot? Right now its 10 AM on a Sunday morning and I am sitting at my dining room table. My handy dandy clock radio (a present from my dad!) says 82 °F. Outside in the sun I am going to guess it’s in the upper 80s and will be somewhere in the 90s by the afternoon. I never know for sure, though, because there aren’t thermometers on signs like back home and if there were they would be in °C, which is harder for me to interpret. Roughly speaking, though, I think highs in Lusaka during the hot season are in the low to mid 30’s, which means high 80’s and low 90’s in °F. Not too bad compared to some summer days I knew in Utah and Maryland in my distant past, but I do confess to seeking out air conditioning (found in one internet café and a movie theater) on some days! The saving grace for Lusaka is the elevation, about 3000 ft above sea level. Lower elevation areas (such as along the Zambezi river) are reported to be often above 40 °C (104 °F).

One of the wonderful things about the hot season in Lusaka is that the jacaranda trees are blooming. These are the trees with the beautiful purple flowers, shown here. I really enjoy these tree-lined streets in the older neighborhoods in Lusaka. All the wall fences, though, have taken some getting used to. I much prefer strolling along and eying the gardens and nice houses. Unfortunately these walls (along with gates and security guards) are standard protection in Lusaka for NGO’s (non-governmental organizations), businesses or homes that are well-off. By the way, did you know that about 27% of the GDP of Zambia comes from aid money (http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/za-zambia/eco-economy&all=1 )? No wonder those NGO’s need wall fences. A British friend told me about a discussion she had had with a Zambian coworker who asked “In the UK is it also true that the best paying jobs are in the NGO’s, followed by the public sector then the private sector?”. I think she answered that in the UK (like the US) the exact opposite is true (if you think of NGO’s as including all non-profits)!

But I digress… Back to the weather: it is a bit hot now for walking those lovely tree lined roads for exercise, but it’s prime swimming weather! This I am really enjoying.