Stefan's MCC Experience

Sorry for not putting much on in the last month of my stay in Zambia. I really had better intentions, for awhile anyways. I had even writt...

The government here has recently bemoaned the slow start to the "Buy Zambian!" advertisement campaign. I guess I'll do my par...

I do a lot of snacking these days. This is probably a combination of the early morning breakfasts which leave a long time till the late lun...

One of the sad realities at any school where pupils have to pay to attend is that, when they don't, there are consequences. Both my sch...

I found a video of a hockey game at the MCC Guest House a while ago and last week I got the chance to show it to my host family. This was a...

Seeing as Zambian news is probably not coming from the mouth of Peter Mansbridge any time soon here are my top 5 Zambian news stories of 200...

As of yesterday, there were 50 days left in my Zambian stay. That is pretty scary - time is really flying by. I guess now when people ask w...

Took what may be my last real trip out of town this past weekend, this time to visit fellow MCCers in Macha, a small community a couple hour...

When I awoke on Friday I knew that something was amiss. My stomach was feeling really quite awful, but I thought that maybe the bike ride to...

Some how, before coming here, I had the illusion that Africa is always hot. Let me tell you now that it is not. As North Americans are now...

Once again there has been a lapse in entries, this time due to a trip I took to Zambia's Northwestern Province. MCC was providing some ...

Tuesday was a holiday here (Labour Day). For each holiday there is a march past the president and then numerous speeches in front of the Fr...

How does one encapsulate a week in paradise in a few paragraphs? I’m going to have to try, however, given the incredible holiday experienc...

The African name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya which, in English, translates into "the smoke that thunders." It seems like ...

Spelling mistake? Well, that's what I would call it. This sign on a minibus I saw this morning is no mere spelling mistake, however. Not...

It has been a while since I've done a list, so here goes another one. The five worst relishes (side dishes) with nshima. I should poin...

Every six months, MCC produces reports for people who sponsor a Global Family program at several schools in Zambia. Two of the schools that...

I have received some questions about the mood in Zambia regarding its beligerent neighbour to the south, Zimbabwe, so I thought I would shar...

Just wanting to put a bookend to the story of last week's police raid. The room is now reopened. I have been told that they still have...

Throughout the term I have been involved in the sports program at Chimwemwe School, mostly through coaching the netball team. The Senior Te...

A funny story from the life of my host dad. At least it was funny for me, although I cannot say that it was funny for him. He was at church...

I was teaching my Grade 8 computer class yesterday when I noticed the director at the door talking with some police men. I was curious to k...

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend parts of a three day conference hosted by the Ministry of Education entitled "The First Na...

I suppose that every country has a few items that they are proud of and would like everyone to know. In Zambia, however, it seems like ever...

This Sunday I visited one of the major local craft markets to stock up on my African craft collection. It was actually quite a successful v...

This weekend I had the chance to take a 5 day trip to accompany my host father on his business in the Copperbelt. Much of the trip was spen...

It has surprised me a little the important role of females in my experience here. In fact, it seems that this term has been particularly de...

This question was asked of me at a farewell party this summer and at the time I failed to come up with an answer. I can now answer this def...

I have some news for the future to report to everyone. I have accepted an offer from Queen's University in Kingston to do my MA in Hist...

1. Grade 7 Classroom, Chimwemwe Trust School Add 65 adolescent kids + one small room + little ventilation + kids sitting three to a desk + ...

Thought some of you would like this title, but it is also apt because Lusaka is both hilly and full of music. In fact, one of the things I ...

One of the major challenges I have found in teaching is the wide range of skill levels possessed by the students. In my Grade 8 class, for ...

The sun is shining again after a month of frequent rain making me a very happy person. Rainy season is not technically over yet - rains wil...

There. Just wanted to see how many uses of the word "fail" I could throw into one failure of a title. It was for good reason, ho...

A week ago we discovered that the inter-school leagues were about to start and so last week we set about training our players in boys footba...

I've eaten a few strange things lately so I thought I should provide an update on my recent swallowings. Awhile ago I had fried termites...

Zambian English has many subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, differences from Canadian English. The longer I'm here I increasingly tak...