Here are a few more photos of my house; the first to the right is a shot of the front taken from the driveway. There's a toolshed to the right of the house, outside the shot, used by the guys that are renovating the front house.
To the left is a shot of the backdoor and bedroom window, taken from a small paved patio out back that's currently being torn up and (I think) replaced). Note the bars on the door and window; I basically live in a big safe.
To the right is the 10-foot wall that surrounds my compound, and the next photo to the left is the razor wire on top. Badass. It's nice because if I want to go for a jog or a walk after dark, my property is big enough that I can just go on around the internal perimeter and not have to venture outside. Lusaka is very, very safe during the day, but it makes no sense to go out at night and take risks.To the left is a photo of the front gate of my compound. The guardhouse is right behind the gate to the right, and I have to knock or beep the horn 
when I pull up for the guard to let me in. My guards are named Gift (whom I mentioned earlier) and Douglas. They are both very friendly and I chat them up whenever I'm walking in and out. They seem to work 12-hour shifts and relieve each other, and they work 6 days per week. Some other guy comes for a shift on their off days, but it's almost always Gift and Douglas. It doesn't seem like a difficult job (unless something were to happen), but those are some AWFUL hours.
when I pull up for the guard to let me in. My guards are named Gift (whom I mentioned earlier) and Douglas. They are both very friendly and I chat them up whenever I'm walking in and out. They seem to work 12-hour shifts and relieve each other, and they work 6 days per week. Some other guy comes for a shift on their off days, but it's almost always Gift and Douglas. It doesn't seem like a difficult job (unless something were to happen), but those are some AWFUL hours.
Gift didn't want his photo taken, so I don't have any of them. They wear full guard uniforms, including boots and berets, and they don't have guns but they have nightsticks and mace. I'm just glad they're friendly and seem serious; I've yet to catch them sleeping or out-of-sightline of their posts. It's still surreal having them here, but I'm used to it now.Next on the right is a sign that's hanging on a wall a few doors down from my place. As 
background, the Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa had a stroke right before I came here, and he is still in a hospital in France being treated. The newspapers every day have either updates on his status or news about politicians posturing or bickering with each other about what should be done while he is unable to govern. I think he was generally popular and effective. There is a photo of him in every business I've been to, including restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc...imagine a photo of Bush (like at the Post Office) in each and every business at home. I'm not sure if it's required by law or not, but interesting.
background, the Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa had a stroke right before I came here, and he is still in a hospital in France being treated. The newspapers every day have either updates on his status or news about politicians posturing or bickering with each other about what should be done while he is unable to govern. I think he was generally popular and effective. There is a photo of him in every business I've been to, including restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc...imagine a photo of Bush (like at the Post Office) in each and every business at home. I'm not sure if it's required by law or not, but interesting.
The next 2 are different shots of one of the beautiful tree-lined streets between my place and the U.S. embassy where I work. I live in a relatively affluent neighborhood called Kabulonga, and nearby are many nice roads like this one. The trees are gorgeous, but there's not much else to see because there are walls lining the entire stretch of such streets similar to the one surrounding my compound. Some are painted with signs advertising the businesses on the property (see the first shot), but the residential ones are plain and block sight of the houses and grounds behind them.
I've gotten a few questions from folks at home about the streets here; most of them, especially in the nicer areas, are really good. They are MUCH better than the streets in Dar, which were in horrible condition. Lusaka's streets are in generally good repair. I just started driving this weekend and I'll post more about that w/ some pictures of my car later...teaser: I had to teach myself to drive all British-y on the left, and to do it in a manual transmission car. Fun times.
Next up is a shot of an elephant and rhino statue that sits outside a local business. I first saw this
while walking to a shopping center about 1.5 miles from my house. One of my favorite things to do is get up early on the weekends (and sometimes when I drag my ass out of bed before work) and just walk around Lusaka. It's really peaceful and beautiful, even though much of my area is behind walls. It's a littler crazier and less scenic in the poorer parts of town, so I need to constantly remind myself that I'm still very removed from the "real" Africa. I still really enjoy just being outside around here though.
while walking to a shopping center about 1.5 miles from my house. One of my favorite things to do is get up early on the weekends (and sometimes when I drag my ass out of bed before work) and just walk around Lusaka. It's really peaceful and beautiful, even though much of my area is behind walls. It's a littler crazier and less scenic in the poorer parts of town, so I need to constantly remind myself that I'm still very removed from the "real" Africa. I still really enjoy just being outside around here though. 
The last two photos are of my office. I am serving as the Acting PEPFAR Coordinator while on my detail here, which as I think I mentioned before is a pretty high-level position that was way over my head at first (and still is to a degree). I still plan to write another entry about what I'm doing here for work, but two is enough for today and it's time to go practice driving some more. Tomorrow I'm going outside Lusaka to a small game farm to have lunch with my CDC boss, her family, and a new security officer here at the embassy. I'll take some photos of the landscapes 
outside the city, and post them soon along w/ any animals I encounter and a few of my car. You can also expect some glowing praise of my boss soon, as she's the one who arranged for me to get the car and has been extremely helpful and generous to me since I arrived, even though I'm not really reporting to her on this assignment.
outside the city, and post them soon along w/ any animals I encounter and a few of my car. You can also expect some glowing praise of my boss soon, as she's the one who arranged for me to get the car and has been extremely helpful and generous to me since I arrived, even though I'm not really reporting to her on this assignment.Hope you've enjoyed this photo album, and I promise more soon.
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