The Rain

I’m back in action in Lusaka and everyone here is talking about two things: football (soccer) and the rain. In regards to football, it’s the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana and the Zambian national team is there. Having barely qualified, they beat Sudan handily in their first game. The next game, against Cameroon, just happened and they weren’t expected to fare as well. Local sentiments ranged from great enthusiasm to an Eyore-ish anticipation of disappointment and sure enough, the Zambian Chipolopolo (copper bullets) lost 5 to 1. The favorites for the competition are Egypt and Ghana, who both have several players who also play on the big name European teams. There also is a pattern and expectation that the host team wins.

In regards to the rain, it’s been out of control. In December this year, Zambia received as much rain as the entire rainy season last year, and the rains are still continuing to be heavy in January. There’s been international coverage of floods in Mozambique, but they are happening here as well. Of particular concern are the floods in the low income compounds/townships on the edges of the big cities. In these areas, deferred maintenance (or no maintenance) of drainage systems and roads means that vehicle travel is only for the very brave, and all the standing water increases disease transmission.

Rarely is the rain in Lusaka gentle like in Seattle. Here you need an umbrella and then sometimes you still get wet. The pictures here (taken outside my house in November) show a heavy downpour, and the resulting driveway flood. Those lovely white walls are now streaked with green algae!

Another (sometimes entertaining) result of the rains is an increase in the wildlife around the house. There is often a frog at the doorstep when I come home in the evening, waiting for the bugs attracted to the light above the door. An increasing number of insects (and then the lizards and the occasional frog) come in the house as well. One December morning, this grasshopper was found taking a drink from the kitchen faucet!

A normal event in Lusaka this time of year is power outages. This January, however, it’s been a bigger problem than usual. Possibly due to flooding near the hydro power plant on the Zambezi river, the entire country was without electricity last Saturday evening, and again on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Thank goodness that power was restored for most folks in time for the Zambia vs. Sudan game on Tuesday night! There are ongoing problems, however, despite the power company’s claim on Wednesday that the situation has been “normalized”. Since I know that power is still irregular at the schools where I am assisting the computer projects, and in several lower income compounds, I think that you would have to define “normalized” as “the rich people are on-line”… Oh dear.