Mzungu is a Swahili word meaning "white person", but it is used loosely to refer to foreigners. It is much like the term gringo used in the Spanish and Portuguese languages. The locals also call out "Chinese" and "Japanese" to me.
Adjusting to life here has been fairly easy so far. I believe I was off to a good start without having to cope with jet lag or traveler's diarrhea. There are few deviations from daily life in the US. Fortunately the water is safe for cleaning; although, we boil and filter the water we drink. There are daily power outages that last a couple hours at best. We have two housekeepers, Hilda and Harriet, and they do the dishes, clean the flats, and wash and iron our clothes.
Putsi flies (aka the African Tumbu fly) are common in Zambia. They lay eggs on damp clothing hung out to dry, and the larvae can invade the skin causing cutaneous myiasis. Basically it's like hosting maggots in your skin. It can be prevented by ironing all clothes, including underwear. The heat kills the eggs. Look up videos of their extraction at your own risk.
My flatmate mentioned that Lusaka is the second most expensive city in Africa (I don't know what is her reference). This was made evident at the local grocery store, Spar, where groceries cost as much as they do in the US, if not more. You can find most foods that are available in the US; however, they are subject to taste and availability. We are currently experiencing a national sugar shortage. One kg of sugar can cost between 10 to 12 pin, and up to 22 pin in some areas. It is a major concern because most baby foods are prepared using sugar.
The monetary unit is a kwacha. The exchange rate is about 3,400 kwacha to a USD. In the 90s, inflation rose quicker than the government's ability to print higher denomination notes so Zambians had to pin their smaller bills together. Today a 'pin' refers to 1,000 kwacha (i.e. 10 pin is equivalent to 10,000 ZMK). And on a semi-related note, a long pinky fingernail is an indication of wealth because manual labor would be difficult otherwise. I suppose that goes hand in hand with its suggestion of cocaine use in the US, implying that it is the wealthy that can afford it.
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2 comments:
Hahahaha – you should yell back Filipino!!!!!
Eww to the traveler’s diarrhea, glad you didn’t have it. Sorry about the power outages – but could you bring those housekeepers back with you?? But tell them I don’t like hot, ironed panties.
Wow – how much does the sugar price convert to in UD dollars? They better get on that Splenda tip!
Interesting about the “pin” – but don’t let it fool you, crackheads and pimps have long pinkynails too! lolol
The sugar shelves in the grocery store are completely empty. It's affected Zambian bottlers too. They've been unable to produce Coke, Fanta, and Sprite. We might have to import sugar from Zimbabwe...
10-12 pin = $3-4
22 pin = $7
And I'll see if I can convince Hilda and Harriet to come to Atlanta!
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