Juxtapositions 1: Modern Life in the Capital
on Andrew Sacret (Zambia), 05/Mar/2011 13:38, 34 days ago
Upon leaving Mazabuka amid the protests, store closures and the general sense of unease, I came to Lusaka for a long weekend. My friends Helen and Dan have been generous hosts on short notice. It's always a pleasure to spend time with them.I spent Friday morning at the VSO office catching up on some correspondence, updating my computer and informing the VSO staff about the situation in Mazabuka. In the afternoon, I went to the clinic for an overdue check-up (all fine), and then off to the mall to replace my decaying dress shoes (the uneven pavements and muddy roads have badly abused my shoes!) I tried setting up an appointment to see Habitat for Humanity, but seeing as it was short notice on a Friday, I got nowhere with that request.As I sat at the mall enjoying a delicious cup of mocha java at Mugg& Bean, I couldn't help but think that this felt like such another world from the one I'd left the day before. A shiny new mall, a western-style coffee shop, and several styles of shoe to choose from...Manda Hill reopened in November after a major renovation.  Could be the Eaton Centre. Not so different from Loblaws