scavenger hunt in lusaka markets

As one of the first duties of EWB in-country training, I was to head out on a scavenger hunt into the markets of Lusaka on my own. Having to be on my own and having to take the crammed mini-buses from the EWB house out to the markets was very intimidating at first. When I arrived at the markets, it actually wasn’t that bad.

Walking along Lumunba Rd. in Lusaka

Lusaka mini-bus stop

Lusaka mini-bus

Inside a Lusaka mini-bus

I managed to befriend two shop keepers, Sydney and Paul, and they helped me find these items (with names I was unfamiliar with, so I didn’t know what those items were). I managed to purchase a pair of flip-flops (they call them tropicals), some beautiful Zambian fabric called chitenje in Nyanja, some Jon Cena’s (bread named after a famous wrestler.

With Sydney (left) and Paul (right) in Lusaka City Market


Inside Lusaka City Market

Sydney and Paul are two young men who own and work at two stalls at the Lusaka City Market. So that morning Sydney and Paul greeted me as I wandering the busy market alone. Being the only foreigner in the market, they were more than happy to help me out. As we walked through the extremely packed market, there was great conversation about life in Zambia and I asked them about themselves. They were two men working very hard to earn an honest living by selling jeans (imported from South Africa) and dress shoes. Even though they owned competing stalls, there was definitely an air of comradery between members of neighbouring stalls. The sense of community was very strong. Both men don’t earn a lot but have very positive and optimistic outlooks in life. They left their stalls to help me out that day without asking for anything in return. I was super grateful. In a few months when my own jeans start to wear out, I’ll definitely go back to Sydney and Paul. Making these types of connections make me feel more at home.