images of zambia

before i embark on the next great adventure of my life, it seemed appropriate to revisit the last, and share some defining moments captured on film. enjoy.

simple beauty lies hidden in the zambian bush. these photos were taken in chibuye village, in luapula province.

posing in the midst of a cassava field. cassava leaves can be cooked and eaten as relish and the tubers are used to produce the zambian staple dish, nshima.

informational notice on the wall of a local solwezi bar. corkage is a zambian reference to bottles of alcohol, patapata refer to flip flops, and gumboots signify knee high work boots.

volo mashikinyi on the day of my departure from zambia. she was my 15 year old best friend, little sister, cultural interpreter, and guide to the ways of the zambian village.

a woman entering the solwezi market. this picture IS zambia to me in so many ways. from the worn chitenge around her waist to the basin on her head to the litter on the ground. i look at it and FEEL dusty. i immediately want to wash my feet.

another gem from the solwezi market, in northwestern province. this one also speaks loudly to me. this man is on his way to the market, i suppose. although his appearance seems bizarre, he is far from out of place here.

otter's point at cape maclear, lake malawi. so beautiful it was worth the risk of schistosomiasis.

our ride to lake malawi.

miriam

a tribute to the strength of zambian women. these ladies emerged silently from the bush as i was relaxing at a lake near my village. they are carrying basins full of mushrooms.

my fearless guardian, mwevulu. part leopard, part domestic house cat, he was quite possibly the love of my life. may he forever feast on plentiful zambian rodents.

ahhh, my humble zambian abode. back and to the left you can see the pit latrine. the large hut is my house, and the small one in front is the cooking hut.

this smile may very well establish peace on earth. my little neighbor, reegin, greeted me with this gift each and every day.

we came across this beautiful grasshopper in my front lawn one day. the vivid colors (and my neighbors) alerted us to the fact that it may well be poisonous. after photographing it, we gently escorted it to a more remote location.

everyone needs a toddler in their life, and derek was mine. he wandered across the road to my house demanding drinking water, books, toys, lunch, you name it. here he displays his favorite expression as he experiments with drumming.

group hug!

nothing says sharing like 6 zambian children and 1 coloring book.

saying goodbye is always the hardest part. here we are awaiting my final transportation out of kapundu. my girls were kind enough to keep me company while we waited for the motocar to arrive.