Boxing in Zambia

So, I've joined a boxing gym here in Zambia. It's really more of a fitness thing, as opposed to a gym where prospective fighters train, but nonetheless, we're hitting the bag and the trainers' glove pads. It's a super intense workout, and the instructors were or are competing fighters. They shout commands in thick Zambian accents, so half the time I can't understand them, but I've been enough times to know what they want. Two of my favorite exclamations are from the instructor named "Charles" (he's the referee in the picture to the right).  He insists on all the windows in the gym being shut and the A/C being off, so when I sneak over and open a window while he's not watching, he'll find it, close it, then yell "more heat!" The other line is delivered when someone is working hard at the end of the training session, and he'll say, "I like your spirit!"

The pic above is of a boxing exhibition, where Zambians were sourced from gyms in which they're trained to fight competitively. It's taking place in a temporary ring that they set up in an outdoor shopping center. If you can see in the background, quite a crowd is watching. This exhibition was all youth boxing and was only a max of three rounds. It was quite entertaining. That said, you could tell that resources for the gyms and kids were tight, as boxing shorts were often way too big and equipment was subpar. That said, it was exciting for me to see kids who clearly weren't wealthy, getting involved in an organized sport in order to use their time in a positive manner.

Zambian ingenuity

If you spend enough time in Zambia, then you're bound to see an item being used for something for which it wasn't designed. Such is the case in this picture. Here we have a wheelbarrow which has lost it's original load receptacle, but there's no need to go to the hardware store, at least not when you have a 55 gallon drum nearby. Just lop that thing in two, and bolt it on the wheelbarrow. That's a done deal. You'll also see a lot of wheelbarrows with a car tire being used, instead of the smaller tire like you see on this one. It looks like a bear to control, but I'm sure it navigates some of the tougher terrain easier.  

Here's another interesting shot from being out in the Zambian reddish, brown clay for too long. My dress shoes were a dusty mess after a day spent outside.

Zambia game recap

The Zambian Chipolopolo Boys lost the soccer match last night to the Ghana Black Stars (Ghana's flag has one black star on it) in a score of 2 - 1. My buddy Paul Mulenga and I watched it at the Barclay's complex. It was shown on a big screen, but the quality was lacking, as frequently the signal was lost, which lead to a lot of hollering from the crowd. That said, it was a fun and lively atmosphere. There were probably a few hundred people on the grassy field sitting in bleachers, chairs or just on the grass. It was a chilly evening, with temps probably between 55 - 60. 

Different folks came in with different Zambia affiliated outfits, from mohawks, to hard hats to scarves to panchos, but perhaps my favorite were the guys who came in with their faces completely white with what looked like chalk. These guys were rowdy and got a lot of responses from the crowd. I asked a couple of people what it meant for them to have their faces done in white, and I received responses which varied. The answers were that they were supposed to look crazy, that it was supposed to show excitement or that it was supposed to demonstrate team support - whatever it meant, I wish I'd have gotten my pic taken with them. They kinda looked like these guys, but they weren't wearing any type of tribal gear like they were from the bush.

Here's a pic of my buddy Paul and me. Paul is helping me to meet other people and get acclimated to things in Zambia that I don't understand. When I was here last summer, his wife is the one who cooked me the grub worms, so that I could try them. 

And I had to include the pic of Paul and me without the flash. Paul and I had a good laugh at this pic. It's a good reminder to always smile in pics. :)

Zambia vs. Ghana with World Cup implications

So, tonight there is an important football (soccer) match between Zambia and Ghana. If Zambia doesn't win, then there is no chance for getting into the World Cup. Zambia hasn't been playing well this year, which is surprising, per their recent win of the Africa Cup of Nations last year (basically they won the Africa world championship). So, I'm going to go with some Zambian buddies to a local establishment to watch the game on the big screen and hopefully get a feel for the local fervor over rooting for the Chipolopolo (copper bullet) Boys. 

P.S. As a side note, one of my coworkers gets so worked up during the games, that he is unable to watch them. As I understand, there will be late night carousing taking place in the streets should Zambia pull off the victory.

A few things are different here...

So, there are a few things different here (well, actually a lot), but I only have pictures of a few things, so that's what I'm going to write about. First off, a lot of the single family homes and even some businesses have walls around them made from concrete blocks, and there is either a manual or electronic gate to get onto the property. A lot of the gates even have a guard house next to them, which isn't always manned, it just depends on if the house has hired a guard or not.





For advertising, they won't do a lot of the typical billboards that we have in the States, but there are some. Instead, one of the preferred ways is to actually paint an advertisement on the side of the concrete block walls. Here's a pic of my favorite wall painting so far, but I haven't eaten there yet.

On top of the concrete walls around the perimeter of the property are usually one of three things:




electric wire









razor wire

glass shards







or a combo of all three!


The reason for this seems to be to deter theft, as there doesn't seem to be much violence here.




Another interesting difference here, is that in construction projects, sometimes they will just use uniformly cut tree stems as support for floors/ceilings, while they're putting the project together. This is much like the use of bamboo in China for scaffolding, except the trees they use here don't naturally grow straight like bamboo does, so it doesn't appear quite as stable.




And finally, we have door height. At 6' 2", I'm probably in the top 2 - 4% in height here, which is clearly evidenced by the door frame heights. I'm guessing doors are between 6' 3" and 6' 4" inches tall, which gives me about an inch of freedom, unless I'm rocking a hat or the standard Dallas bouffant hair.