Postcards From Lumwana: April 2012

Sunday, 29 April 2012

Week 5 - Photos

The main street in the rental estate. Our house is at the far end on the left. The street lights have just been installed.

Our street. Tom's school is at the end on the left side of the orange dot. The pool is on the right side.

The tennis / basketball courts and volleyball area next to the pool.

The bar. Next to the pool.

We walk along here to get to the shops. Tom's school, pool etc is on the right by the yellow road blocks.

Con's camp housing for the FIFO staff. (Fly In Fly Out). This is behind the bar.

Following on is the kitchen, laundry and stores, plus the take away shop, which is the door by the bin. It sells chips, burgers, pizza, pies and sausage rolls!

These are the gates we pass through to the shops. The take away shop is on the right and our phone shop is on the left, as are the dining halls for staff. Security mans the gate.

The gates with tent city on the right, bus stop on left and car parking facilities.

Continuing up the road, past tent city. The tents are in fact green. It's the dust that makes them brown. This road leads to an intersection.

Another view of tent city. The path to the shops.

The medical clinic is down this road on the left. This is a continuation of the road that had the gates.

Turn right at the intersection and this road leads to the bank (blue building), hard ware store and ends up at the township (nationals housing).

Turn left at the intersection and you have tent city on your left and the path to the supermarket on your right. This road leads to the main entrance. Huge larpa on the right.

The supermarket. A security officer is at the main entrance and checks all your dockets on leaving.

A sign we pass everyday on the fence of tent city. I have yet to see someone attempting this!

Cars kick up lots of dust as they drive by.

Native vegetation. Laura and I usually walk along here in the mornings after dropping Tom at school.

Native vegetation. Plants are taller than me.

The pretty wildflowers we see that grow here.

It started off with me cutting the kids hair. Phil is lucky as we have been given some clippers, so his hair is easy. Tom’s was well and truly in need of a cut and Laura’s fringe was just getting a tad long. Mine, well, nothing seems to work here. I can’t do a thing with it and there is no hairdresser around. Most of the women wait until they go out on a break and get their hair cut then. As we have no intentions of leaving for a while mine will just have to wait. One of the women was brave enough to let me cut her hair. Diane is new as well, as was in need of a cut, so put out an e-mail asking for a hairdresser. I said I would give it a go. She seemed happy enough and it didn’t look too bad. My cleaner Rose showed up with yet another gorgeous hair do. She is a stunning girl and her hair is amazing. Apparently a lot of the women here wear wigs. They get their own hair braided or mixed in with the wig and so can change their style quite easily. I am considering some braids.

Phil’s temporary work permit has arrived. Now we have to wait for the permanent one, before any of our goods can be sent out of Perth. We have no idea how long this will take. Some say they waited 4 months, others have waited 18 months! If only we knew this before we left. I only hope it is this year! We are coping well though considering. I may have to start ordering clothes off Amazon UK, as I am running low on cool weather items, as are the kids. Although I have been told that a shop in Solwezi sometimes sells clothes. I will have to check it out. We have been lent some toys and given others from people that are leaving so that has been a real bonus for the kids this week.

I was given a blender, which has come in so useful. Bread crumbs are not easily available, so I was able to make my own and it is easier (lazier) to cream butter and sugar for biscuits. We bought a huge pumpkin for $1.20 and an enormous amount of purple sweet potato for $2 off the side of the road today, so I will be making some soup tomorrow. I also bought tomatoes, $2 for about a dozen. Very, very cheap. The lady that sold me the pumpkin did so with a bag of goods balanced on her head. Their posture is amazing. We saw a young girl, mid 20’s carrying an esky on her head without holding onto it, earlier in the week. The women are incredible!

On Wednesday, for ANZAC day, we had a service at the school. It was the first time they had held one. Miss Dianne got up to talk about the meaning of poppies and Laura thought she said ‘puppies’ and so in her loudest voice asked “Where are the puppies? I want to see the puppies.” Her comment certainly got a laugh, however it took me some time to convince her there were no puppies, only poppies. She was very disappointed.

I helped out at Tom’s school on Thursday. It is so exhausting, I have no idea how Miss Jo and Beauty (the helper) do it every day. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the 3 year olds come to school as well, so 2 Mum’s volunteer to help out. So it is more like a playgroup on those days with craft, play, singing and reading as such. This week we had water play, play dough and painting. I had to take Laura as well, so it was a bit difficult looking after her and watching the other kids as well. She was so exhausted by the end of it, but gets on well with the other kids. She will fit in next year that’s for sure.

Yesterday, we finally got our car! It is a white Prado, so I am not too sure how long it will stay white for, not with all this red dust around. We went for a drive out to the dam. I was surprised to see how large it is. It will be wonderful when we get our kayak and can go out on the dam. It also felt strange
being in a car again, as it has been about 3 weeks since I was in one. Even stranger to drive as that
has been a lot longer. It was also the ‘end of month’ morning tea. I had a great time meeting some more girls that have only just come back from break. The kids had a ball, playing with all the others and eating the yummy food that is prepared for us, such as donuts.

Today we went to Solwezi after talking to Grandma and Grandad on Skype. We stocked up on all the foods and goods that we cannot get here in town. It really is amazing to see the people on the roads, at the markets, in the villages. As today was Sunday, a lot of people were heading to church and it amazes me to see the men dressed up in their suits and ties, walking along the road to church. I was able to take some photos today, so will post those later in the week.

I have spent a bit of time taking photos of the town this week and so will post those for you to see where we live. Hopefully it will give you an idea of what Lumwana is like.

Monday, 23 April 2012

Photos- Week 4

Epiphytes in our garden.

Tom in the pool.

The 2 pools.

Laura swimming.

Tom and Laura with other kids from here.

Our cubby house.

Our Brie.

Our planter box.

Week 4 - 22.4.12

Tom is now back at school. His class has changed again, as some kids have returned from holidays and others are out. Apparently, due to the working schedules of parents, kids can miss up to a quarter of their schooling year due to leave. His teacher Miss Jo was sick on Friday and so Tom was in tears as he was not use to the new teacher, Miss Mildred. He had a great day though given his teary beginning.

I made pizza for dinner on Monday night. It turned out really tasty despite the meagre dressings of ham and cheese for the kids and extra salami and pineapple for Phil and myself. I had also made a microwave pudding for dessert, which was so easy and tasty. Thanks again Virginia for the recipe.

On Tuesday afternoon we went to the pool for the first time. There is a small pool that comes midway up my thigh (which is great for the kids) and a large adult pool. As there is no heating, it depends on how hot it has been as to how warmish the water is. The kids had an absolute ball and I am sure we will become regulars. I then made chapatti from scratch for dinner with a chicken curry. They didn’t turn out too bad. I think the chapatti will cook better on the brie (BBQ).

Speaking of which, it is now finished. It looks nothing like the one next door which I suggested they copy. But, it does have character. All we need now is some charcoal and a cooking plate. The planter box or herb garden is now finished as well. Clement has filled it with soil for me, we just need some chicken manure and then we should be right to plant. I am so looking forward to salad. The lettuce that we can get here looks like it has seen better days and so I don’t buy it. We eat only vegetables. The tomatoes are beautiful as are the avocado, so a nice mixed bowl of lettuce will be worth the wait for it to grow.

On Thursday, the bank had no money again when I went twice to get some out. At least the walk is doing me some good. However, the kids groan when I tell them we need to go to the bank again. The shop here is looking at putting ‘swipe’ (EFPTOS) facilities in. That will make things a lot easier, if it works!

Friday afternoon’s drinks were great. It really is a good way to catch up on everything and get out the house for a chat. As we all have kids of different ages or none, we do not always see each other during the week. So I really enjoy this time with the other women. On the way home the kids decided that they wanted to play on the nearest termite mound, so off they went. As I was coming back for them, our neighbours came out and informed me that a 2.5 – 3m Black Mamba was seen there earlier on. The kids have thus been told not to play on any more termite mounds as they are a great hiding spot for snakes. We have also gone through what to do if they see a snake. Black Mamba’s are the deadliest, fastest and most aggressive snakes around!! I thought Australian wildlife was scary……..

On Saturday I mentioned to our gardener Clement, that we would like to move the cubby house from the house at the end of the street to our house. Off he went and found some helpers. I could not believe it. Only a short time later, here comes our cubby house being walked down the road on the shoulders of 7 men!!!!! It sure was a sight to see. The cubby house is now at our place on the ground at present, but it will eventually get put back up on stilts.

Phil and I spent Sunday morning outside. He dug up the area for our Larpa, and I continued on with more gardening. We then moved about 500 bricks and stacked them against the house. In the afternoon we all went back to the pool for a swim. We had arranged for another family to meet us there. Michelle and Jan (pronounced Yan) are from South Africa and have two children also. Janelle (Yanelle) is nearly four and Janni (Yanni) has just turned one. The kids had a great time playing together and we had a lovely time chatting and watching them.

I’ve realised that I have not said much about the ‘town’ here as such. So here goes. There are many different living areas. There is Con’s (Construction) Camp – which consists of 6 houses, that were the original housing facilities, and many units for the FIFO (Fly-in-Fly-out) crew. Next to this is ‘Tent City’ – this consists of many long army type tents which have air-conditioners attached and share washing facilities. This is the single men’s living area. Then there is the ‘Rental Estate’ – this is where we live. There are about 35 houses and 60 duplexes in this area. Lumwana Town, I would say has a hundred or more houses in it. This is right next to us, and is where the locals that work on the mine site can live and also where some contractors and their families live.

Con’s Camp and the Rental Estate homes are like transportable homes. Whereas, the town houses are made of brick and rendered. Near Con’s Camp are the Mess units, cooking and washing facilities, storage areas, a small shop where you can buy sim cards and phone time. Next to this is the International school which backs onto the town school. This then backs onto us.

There are 2 large soccer fields, as soccer is very popular here. A golf club as previously mentioned and a dam that we have yet to see. We also have 2 banks, only one is accessible to us, a hardware store that sells TV’s, fridges and supplies the internet service and a petrol station that sells diesel on site. I nearly forgot, we also have a bar! Of course the pool, tennis courts, a sand volley ball court, a gym and squash courts. Most of these need a membership in order to use them. At the moment we have only membership to the pool.

The roads here are all dirt, except when you get close to the mine’s main entrance, which is then bitumen. Thus, it is very dusty. Now that the rainy season has finished, everything is drying out and doing so quickly! The sides of the road, where green plants use to live, are now turning red-brown from a coating of dust. When we go out walking, the dust manages to penetrate our runners and socks and turns our feet red-brown. You constantly feel covered in dust. The kids wear their sunglasses religiously to protect their eyes from the dust that the cars and busses throw up. I’m teaching them to turn their heads also, so they don’t inhale too much. There’s a lot of sand and quite a few rocks around as well on some of the walking areas, so you have to be careful walking. Pushing a stroller (I have borrowed one) can be hard work. You really need a 4WD pram! I can't wait for mine to arrive.

The weather is changing too. The mornings are getting cooler. Even though we are heading into the dry season, it is still heading into winter. The days are warm and not as humid. Most days sees no clouds about at all and other’s we might be lucky to get a nice cool breeze. Everything is slowly changing colour, going from a bright lush green to a dirty red, dry brown.

Monday, 16 April 2012

Photos - Week 3

Our fire pit area. Just need some wooden seats.

Site of new Brie.

Wild flowers in the area.

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Week 3 - 15.4.12

Laura’s fever meant that I was up during the night with her, poor thing. We went and borrowed some DVD’s from Vannida (who has 2 girls) and Marree, who happened to have some ‘boy’ ones for Tom. He was going out in sympathy with Laura and apparently was sick too. He kept telling me he was ‘hot’ and to ‘kiss my head’, which is how I check for a fever and of course he did not have one. So, Monday was spent watching DVD’s and dealing with 2 very miserable children.

Tuesday we had our first travel warning today. We were advised not to go to Solwezi as there was a riot on the road into town. Apparently a pedestrian was hit by a car and all hell had broken loose.

Phil also had his second day of ‘Leadership Training’ today. He finished early and so Tom and I headed to town to buy a rake for the gardener. It was amazing as a big thunderstorm was building and here we were, walking around with huge lightning strikes and booms of thunder. It actually rained most of the day, but it isn’t cold, it’s very similar to a tropical storm.

Wednesday saw me in the garden again today. It is starting to look tidy, so many weeds! We collected our banana plants, 6 in all, and now need to put them in. Again there was another thunderstorm. I really don’t mind if it rains for another few weeks, as I am trying to establish some plants and don’t want the dry season to start just yet.

We went to the park in the afternoon. The ‘home school’ kids were playing tag, and let Tom and Laura both join in and it was great to see the kids interacting with some other children. It did take a while, as Tom in particular is still very shy, but it was worth me playing tag as well, just to see them joining in. A lot of the South African kids here are home schooled. I am not too sure why, as the school here seems great. I certainly will not be home schooling my two!

On Thursday our 1000 bricks arrived. I could not stand back and let Michael (our builder) and Steven (his helper) unload them alone. I went to bed that night exhausted and awoke the next day very sore. My exercise regime is very limited at the moment, and so every little bit helps. The men informed me that I am “a hardworking woman”. I took that as a compliment.

The place is slowly getting busier as people are coming back from their holidays. We met a couple of boys, Callum and Gryffd, who live two houses up. Callum will be in Tom’s class at school.

Our gardener Clement, finished our fire pit area today. I can’t wait to have our first fire!

We are able to order meat through the catering facility here, instead of travelling to Solwezi, and this afternoon we went to collect it. Unfortunately, the meat had not arrived and so again the kids and I were out walking when a thunderstorm hit. The thunder here is absolutely incredible. I am surprised Laura did not start to cry it was so loud. It vibrates through your entire body. We ended up having to walk to the shops in the rain, thankfully we bumped into Vannida and she gave us a lift home.

Friday saw me creating a path from our back area, to the soon to be Larpa. I managed to get half done. I then needed to make more bread. We go through so much bread over here as we eat it for lunch nearly every day. I also tried making some fruit buns from a recipe my mother-in-law gave me (thanks Virginia). They looked like rock buns, but they actually tasted really nice. I will definitely make them again.

On Saturday our sand arrived late in the afternoon. The first truck lost two tyres and so they had to switch trucks. This poor truck needed three men to jump start it! It’s a wonder we got it at all.

Today, Michael and Steven were here early to start building our BBQ or Braai as they call it here. I can’t wait for it to be finished and start using it. We have been so lucky to have had power on the whole time we have been here. The stories I have heard about it being off for 5 hours or more, make me live in dread of those days that await me. Then it will be sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I went for a walk this morning. We have a dam about 5km away, so I thought I would walk the road that goes to it. The road is not one I will be taking the kids down in the near future as it is full of pot holes filled with water and mud galore. Can you imagine what my two would like after 5 minutes????? Anyway it was beautiful, so peaceful just listening to the sounds of the birds. It is a lovely walk. The road is a red-brown dirt colour, as mentioned, full of pot holes and mud. The land to either side is full of grasses and trees. The trees are not much wider than my shoulders, but stretch right up to the sky. Their bark is a dark brown and it is speckled with lichen and moss that dangles down from the limbs. The canopy is sparse which sends dappled light to the ground below. Every now and then there is a large termite mound, also covered with grasses and growing trees. The edges of the road, are lined with daisy like yellow flowers which reach up to my shoulders, and sprinkled about are blue and orange wild flowers also. As you walk along you disturb the hundreds of butterflies which then take flight and fly around you as you walk. It really is beautiful. I only wish I could see a giraffe reaching up high to eat from a tree or a zebra grazing in the grass. I will take my camera next time to try and capture its essence.

This afternoon we were invited to Janni’s first birthday party. We all had a lovely time. The kids missed their day sleeps and so have finally headed off to bed. I will be too once I finish this. I have told myself that every Sunday night is blog night. I aim to keep this up, so I hope you all enjoy reading about my week.

Tom is back to school tomorrow and so it will just be Laura and myself for the mornings from now on. I am looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with her. I think Tom will benefit from his time away from us.

Sometimes I still can't believe I am here, literally in the middle of Africa! I will be in bed reading and all of a sudden it will hit me, that I am no longer in Forbes. When I walk down the street now, it seems like I have been here for ages. I no longer feel so 'white'. It is starting to feel like home. I met a new couple today who have been here a week, and already I am informing them on how things work. It's nice to be able to help others as I remember only too well what it felt like to arrive here 3 weeks ago.

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Photos: Week 2 - 8.4.12

Easter morning 2012 in Lumwana.

Lumwana Resort restaurant. Had breakfast here.

Tom, Abby (nearly 5 mths) and Laura.

Phil, Laura, Sandra,Tom,Scott,Carrie and Greg

Termite mound. Lots around.

Hmmm. Not a good advertisement for business!

Sandra and Laura at markets.

Laura wanted to help wash the shoes.

We bought our material from the store in the background.

They are very HIV aware over here.

Week 2 - 8.4.12

Happy Easter everyone! Our first in Zambia.

The Indian take away was lovely. No one got sick from it, so we will definitely go back.

This week has been another busy one as usual. It has been the first week of school holidays.

Monday saw the kids and I busy in the garden. We moved a whole load of rocks and then I dug up a load of soil to put some banana plants in. The banana plants unfortunately have still not been acquired, so hopefully this week we can do that.

On Tuesdays our gardener Clement and cleaner Rose come in. Laura adores Mr Clement and follows him around helping him dig in the garden. He also comes on Thursdays and Saturday mornings. We now have a garden bed around most of the fences, so we can now put some plants in. Rose was away this week, so Gilliness came on Tuesday and Mary on Thursday. I love the fact that I no longer have to iron Phil’s work clothes or anything for that matter. I just pile the clothes on the ironing board and voila, they get ironed and folded!

Wednesday we discovered the Golf Club. So far there is only 1 hole, but I have been told there are plans for 18. How long this will take is anyone’s guess. But the playground is lovely, nice clean sand and covered by trees. Thursday nights are the nights to go there for dinner. Hopefully we will get there soon, when the kids are up to behaving when we go out. The local children behave so well. Mine are incredibly embarrassing. They are acting out quite a bit. I really am hoping it is just a small phase!

Friday, Sandra a friend of mine was kind enough to take me to the shops here in town with her car, so I could do a full pantry stock up. Spent 1,500,000 kwacha. It’s very hard dealing with so many zero’s. If only it was AUD!!!!! The money is going to change in June and I think they are taking off a zero. You soon get use to walking around with a bulging purse from all the notes as they really don’t have much value. About 1000kwa : 5AUD.

The bank is still an issue, as a lot of days you have to queue for an hour or so, or there is no money. Tom keeps asking why we have to keep going to the bank. I have tried to explain that we can’t use our cards here, but how does a 3 year old understand that.

We also visited the markets on Friday and I bought a beautiful carved wooden fruit bowl and some vegies. You can buy cooked caterpillars, to eat as a snack. I will try them one day, they look very crispy, but not that appetising. But hey I am game!

Friday afternoon was my initiation into afternoon drinks. Gayle and her family are leaving today so we had farewell drinks. It was so nice to sit down and relax and have a glass of wine or two. The kids played and did not annoy me too much, and it was great just to chat and get to know the other girls better.

Saturday, I was out in the garden again. I have managed to clear one strip that runs down our front door path and put some plants in. Today I aim to do the other side. Heavy work as it is all overgrown with grass and full of gravel. So the gravel has to come up, before the plants can go in. I also need to go and collect more plants from another garden. We all share here. Everything grows from cuttings.
We now also have a water tank. It was a bit of an effort, with Phil pushing the wheelbarrow holding the tank and me holding it on from the front. Unfortunately, Phil ran into my left heel and it is now
badly bruised. Bit of cursing at the time I must say. You get so use to having a car and trailer to move things. We have asked another expat down the road who owns a cubby house, if we can have it as his kids are grown up. How on earth we are going to move it, remains to be seen! But the kids will love it. Every time we go past it, they say how they would like one like that. I don’t dare tell them that it is theirs.

This morning the kids had their egg hunt. Easter bunny managed to get my letter that we had moved. They were very excited. We then went to Manyama for breakfast. This is a little village ½ an hour away . The Indian take away does an English breakfast as well. We had cooked eggs, some ham, baked beans and toast. As there was no juice, I drank coffee! Mind you it was very dilute and milky. Not bad, but I still prefer my juice!

On the way home from breakfast, Sandra, Greg, Laura and I stopped in to browse the Manyama markets. So many eyes were on us, but all friendly. We of course were the only non-locals there. We bought some material and a woven mat. A good experience in all and would like to go back and explore more.

Laura now has her first fever. Hopefully it won’t develop into anything.

Sunday, 1 April 2012

Week 1- 1.4.12

We have been here a week now. I have enjoyed myself immensely, even though by the end of each day I am exhausted. So much walking....
On Monday we went and enrolled Tom in Kindy at the Lumwana Mine School. He will be going every day from 8am to 12pm. Wednesday was his trial day. He loved it so much he went back Thursday and Friday! There are 5 other kids in his class, 3 girls and now 3 boys.
On Thursday, the Kindy group was joined by the 3 yr olds. I stayed to help out as one of the other mum's was sick. We made some Easter baskets and bunny ears. All the playing, singing and dancing was enough to exhaust me! Had heaps of fun. That afternoon was a tea for a couple of women who are looking at coming over. Lovely women, so I hope they decide to come. It was a great chance for me to meet some more of the girls. We had a lovely time until we were gassed out by the fogging (when they spray to kill off the mozzies) nearby.
Friday saw a farewell at Tom's school for a little girl whom is leaving for Laos, plus a little treat from the Easter Bunny. Miss Jo, Tom's teacher had asked him to bring a little pre-Easter treat for the kids. Again had a great time talking to all the mum's about the quirkiness of living here. There is so much to learn about when to shop, what is the best time to go to the bank, so you don't line up for over an hour or so, and more. Learning more every day.
Saturday Phil worked in the morning. That afternoon I walked into town to see the markets and do some shopping. Some lovely looking vegetables and locally made wood products at the markets. Can't wait to start shopping for stuff like that.
Today we had morning tea at one of the Geologist's house. They have a great garden and have given us the go ahead to take as many cuttings as we can, plus some banana plants. It will be great when we can go out and pick our own fresh banana's. I also spent some time in the garden today and the local neighbours had some African music playing. Sounded really lovely to listen too.
I attempted to make bread from scratch today so Phil has some fresh bread for lunches. They look ok, but I have no idea what they will taste like! Phil has just gone out with Josh (Geo from this morning) to pick up Indian takeaway!!!! Who new the nearest town had an Indian restaurant.