- Typical Day
- Why do people like doing this?
- Staple Diet
- Accommodation
- The Season
- Time Zone
- Plug
- Distance from town
- Transport to town
- Cost of a beer
- Cost of a coke
- Cost of internet
- Communication with home
- Things to do at weekend/free time
- Extra points for this destination
- Background Reading and Information
- Current Exchange Rate
Typical Day
Rachel Stephens, one of our recent Oyster volunteers in Zambia, has this to say about her typical day:
A typical day for me began with waking up at around 10am. School started at around 11am depending on when the teachers and pupils turned up! The time system in Zambia is very different from in the UK in that it is very laid back. People tend to turn up whenever they are ready, making it a very relaxed atmosphere. The school was a five minute walk around the corner from our house, although sometimes it took longer because everyone likes to stop for a chat! When school started I would normally take the children for maths. This is the easiest subject to teach as there are no language barriers. Lessons are taught from books so it is easy to follow and pick up if you have to help in another class. After, the children would normally have an English lesson, which would be started by the teacher and then I would carry on from her, helping with pronunciation, and then marking their work.
In the afternoon, everyone would either go home for lunch (if they were older pupils) or finish for the day (if they were younger). I was not usually required to help with the afternoon classes, but I did return everyday at 3pm to do after school activities with the children who wanted to stay behind. These included a number of things, such as art, sewing, sports, dancing and poems. Duck Duck Goose was always a favourite, although we had to change it to Table Table Chair because some of the children didn't know what ducks or geese were!
When school had finished, there were plenty of things to do for the rest of the afternoon and the evening. The house was right next to Dambwa Central market which sold most things that you could want, from fruit and veg to batteries, so that was always nice to visit. The market also has a small internet cafe which was cheap and air conditioned. Livingstone town centre was also close by and easy to get to.
Why do people like doing this?
Compared to other countries in East Africa, such as Tanzania and Kenya, Zambia has traditionally been less popular with gap year travellers. Oyster volunteers in Zambia tend to be looking for a country and project that are a bit more off of the beaten track.
Our projects in Livingstone offer the best of both worlds; we have fantastic projects where volunteers can make a real difference to people's lives, whilst at the same time, having a sense of western life in the town centre of Livingstone, which attracts large numbers of tourists every year for safaris and to see the famous Victoria Falls.
Rachel chose Zamia because it was close to a lot of things, such as the Falls and the national park, which made it a very beautiful place to stay, as well as interesting and fun. The placements are so worthwhile and genuinely do make a difference to the people. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is willing to put in some hard work to achieve something very fulfilling! I would go back today if I could!
Staple Diet
Nshima is a maize based product that has the consistency of very thick mash potato.
All levels of Zambian society eat Nshima, it is relatively cheap to produce so most people can afford it. Nshima is generally accompanied by 2 side dishes or sauces, usually one meat or fish based and one vegetable based.
You will be self catering in your accommodation and there will be plenty of local markets where you can stock up on fresh fruit and vegetable. A staple meal for a volunteer might be based on rice and pasta as opposed to Nshima which is quite bland for the untrained palette!
In Livingstone there are plenty of places for you to get a meal out. The centre of Livingstone is geared up in a lot of respects for the western tourists on their way to the Victoria Falls so you will find that there is a lot of choice but prices might be slightly higher than in other parts of town.
Accommodation
Oyster arranges comfortable accommodation for you and your group about 30 minutes walk from the centre of town. We rent you a good house (by Zambian standards) in the suburbs. You should expect to share a room with another Oyster volunteer.
The Season
Livingstone has a hot climate with temperatures getting as high as 40.6oC at the height of the summer. The hottest months are September and October before the main rains come in mid November. The rainy season lasts until April and the country remains cooler until August. May to July are generally considered to be the best times to visit from a climatic point of view.
Time Zone
Zambia is 2 hours ahead of GMT
Plug
Electric power is 230V and three types of plug can be used in Zambia. You may find that one building has a mix of all three! These are 2 pin round plugs, 3 pin round (with earth) and the standard UK 3 pin plug.
Distance from town
Livingstone town centre is about a 30 minute walk from the accommodation.
Livingstone has a few shops, nice places to eat and drink, a museum and even a cinema!
Transport to town
You can get to town, by local bus, in about 10 minutes. This journey costs the equivalent of 20p each way. Taxis to town are available but more expensive - expect to pay about £1.50 each way.
Cost of a beer
5000 Kwacha
Cost of a coke
2500 Kwacha - be aware that bottled water is slightly more expensive.
Cost of internet
The standard cost in an internet café is 50 Kwacha per minute. Half an hour would be about 20p but some places do a 'deal' where if you stay on for a certain amount of time (usually an hour) they give you some sort of discounted rate. However you will have to bear in mind that the internet connection in Livingstone is painfully slow, and it will normally take about an hour to check your email and facebook and reply to any messages.
Communication with home
There are a number of internet cafes in Livingstone that are available for use. It is also worth buying a Zambian SIM Card for your (unlocked) mobile phone. That way friends and family from the UK will be able to call you and you will be able to text them. The mobile is also useful for you to keep in touch with Kirsty and the other volunteers.
Things to do at weekend/free time
Oyster includes a trip to visit Victoria Falls in the cost of the placement. This is one of the most popular things to do in this part of Zambia.
Volunteers in the past have used the weekends to meet up with friends in Livingstone and check emails etc. Livingstone has a cinema which volunteers have used before - beware though - there won't be any new releases showing!
Other popular activities include going on elephant back safaris (approx $150) and white water rafting (approx $90) to name a couple!
Rachel recommends the following:
Extra points for this destination
Background Reading and Information
Current Exchange Rate
1 British Pound = 7 Zambian Quatcha
This information should be used as a guide only.
Currency data has been provided by a third party source.
