My new office
It was June 1st and I was on the move. It was the day I was going to meet my new partner organization for the first time. A Canadian friend offered to drive me up to Kitwe, the city I would be calling home for the next 6 months since she was heading in that direction. That morning we jumped into the car she was borrowing, the aptly named “fun mobile” because it made travel an adventure and the other proposed names: “death car” and “death trap” didn’t seem like they captured everything the car could provide.
We cut in and out of Lusaka’s morning traffic as we made our way north. We finally started to gain some speed as we began to move against the incoming northern traffic. It quickly sank in that I’ve never been North of Lusaka. We were still in the city but we were passing shops, stations and neighborhoods I’ve never seen before. Six months of experience in Zambia… and I only know the East and the South.
I caught the last glimpses of the the buildings shrinking away in the side view mirror. Now, large commercial farms were all I saw. This reminded me of my past travels towards Eastern Province with one key difference. These farms didn’t stop appearing. There were villages, yes. But, they were far and few between. It was clear that this trip was shaping up to be different than before. At some stops I couldn’t understand the local language which was now Bemba, instead of the Nyanja I was accustomed to.
As we drove, it was hard to ignore that the road we were using would be better put to use as the proving grounds for future lunar vehicles. We swerved across the entire width of the road avoiding the 4-inch deep potholes that came up quickly. The patchwork of road repairs were indistinguishable at a distance and looked just as menacing. But she kept her foot on the pedal. A few times earlier, letting up on the throttle made our fun mobile lose power all together.
Eventually, after a few roadside stops and conversations we were almost in Kitwe. I was amazed by the divided highway leading into the city. We made a right-turn into a compound and pulled up to the wide open warehouse door. Inside I saw workers moving and loading bags of chicken feed.
We got out of the fun mobile and, before the owners had time to come out and greet us, I went over the key points of our terms of reference. “Responsibilities: analyze and improve current business systems, pilot a franchise business model for expansion.” I reminded myself about my personal goals of increasing access to better quality feed for farmers and increasing opportunities for business ownership and employment.
Closing the door, I glance down and realize that I’m not well dressed. My shirt is half-tucked in and wrinkled from the seatbelt I used to strap myself in extra tight. At my feet are well dusted hiking shoes. “You must be Anthony”, I hear from in front of me. I glance up and see my new counterpart for the first time. Cracking a smile in return, I shoot back “Yes! How are you?” I’ve arrived and began my next few months in Zambia on the Business Development Services team of EWB.
