Just on the second weekend of my stay in Mazabuka (way back in May), I had the fortune to have been invited to the wedding of my officemate. It was a colourful, happy event, with lots of dancing and companionship and laughter—a real celebration of life! As the new person in town, the sights and sounds from that day brought forth for me a promising view of things to come.
But alas, that wedding has remained to be the first and (so far) last one I’ve attended. Instead of more weddings or birthdays (which they don’t really celebrate here) and other such events, what came in the six months that followed was one person dying after another. In our workplace alone, four (4) workers have passed away since I arrived. Most people would never mention it, but in three (3) of these cases, the cause of death was HIV/AIDS. (Of course, when you ask colleagues or family members how they died, they’d only say “It’s tuberculosis,” or “He’s been very sick for a long time,” or “Only the doctor knows”.) The fourth case was that of a female who died due to severe complications of having her unborn child aborted.
The abovementioned number of deaths does not even include the numerous family members and friends of my co-workers and colleagues who have gone six feet under the ground in the past months. Deaths are so rampant that almost every week, there is some funeral or burial that my friends and co-workers are attending. Zambia’s “37 years average life expectancy” is, to me, not just a mere statistical figure now. Rather, it represents real people with real names and faces.
One part happiness, three parts grief. I can’t help but wonder if this is a representation of what the next 18 months will bring.
I certainly hope not.
…And a Birth! 
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, life continues to find a way. I am soooooo happy to receive the news of the coming of T and J’s little angel, Raphael Ignacio. Such a beautiful darling boy! I’m sure he’ll break a lot of hearts (like his mom and dad) someday. Welcome to the world, Raffy!
~ pol, 11/21/07
hi,
just like to ask how is working condition in lusaka especially filipinos there? ill be working in lusaka next week will be my flight what would i expect ? Are there many filipino’s in lusaka ? thanks
By: bong on December 1, 2007
at 3:18 pm
hi bong! lusaka has basically all the amenities you could expect from a capital city. yes, there’s a thriving filipino community there–i’m sure you’ll be able to find your way in in no time.
as for working conditions, i guess that would depend on your employer. I work as a development volunteer in a provincial area (approx. 120 km from lusaka), so i am not entirely sure if the conditions in our workplace would apply to yours. but this much i know — the cost of living is quite high in lusaka. as some lusaka-based pinoys once told me, “parang tubig ang pera dito…”
if you have more questions, please feel free to email me via pia1819@yahoo.com. perhaps i can link you up with the filipino community in lusaka. i’m sure they’d be more than happy to have another kababayan in the fold.
welcome to zambia!
~pia
By: pol on December 3, 2007
at 8:28 pm