Thursday, 7 July 2022

Taking Stock - Lilayi and Chaminuka, a long weekend in Zambia - July 2022

Making: A legacy... I guess...actually I hope. The first week of July, has given us a four day loooong weekend in Zambia. Time for light exploring and reflection. One question has been dominating my mind right now. Which part of my life should I sacrifice ? I have no certain answer yet. Like a ping pong ball in an intense championship match my mind restlessly zooms indecisively from one option to the next. For the last ten years I worked hard to learn and improve in many areas of my professional life. In the beginning it was rough. I felt so out of place that I almost quit. My Dad encouraged me to stay and coached me through the difficult times. I prayed a lot too. Eventually I started to have little breakthroughs, I learnt my craft but also learnt about people and how to work with them. It's a skill we overlook, but interpersonal skills are a rare and critical treasure. A gift that keeps on giving if you know how to harness them well. Moving to another country has cemented in my mind, that I am no longer a student in some areas of my work life. So what's the plan for the legacy? I want it to be fruitful...

Drinking: I had this Sangria at Lilayi Lodge. Y'all look at the size of this Sangria! Definitely worth the price. It was the perfect afternoon cocktail to signal the commencement of four-days-no-work

Reading: I bought two books a while back. Everything is f*cked by Mark Manson and Africa is not a country by Dipo Faloyin. Have you read any of these books? Comment below and tell me what you think.

Watching: Wow...hehehe... where to begin? The list is below. Aside from my usual themes, I really enjoyed three British mysteries that I completed on Netflix.

Royal Feast

Angel's Last Mission Love

Song of Youth

Mr. Sunshine

Anatomy of a Scandal

The Stranger

Stay Close

Million Pound Menu

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

Love on the spectrum US

Selling Sunset Season 5

Late Night

Miss Sloane

The Mystery Of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend

Listening: Waiting patiently for Beyoncé's new album. I've also got Somebody's Son on repeat these last few weeks.

Wishing: To take more real vacations. Taking time to visit the Lilayi Elephant Nursery, Lilayi Lodge and Chaminuka Lodge was just the mini break my mind needed. It wasn't a long journey, just an hour drive from the city, still I felt like I had left my busy life behind. It was nice to spend time, laugh and eat with a colleague and her family.

Loving: All the scenery at the lodges. My room at Chaminuka Lodge was delightful; they turned the heating on in the evening so that when we returned to our rooms after diner it was warm. They even left two thick blankets just in case the cold was too intense at night. There was a cute little work station which I could have taken advantage of but I vowed not to work for 72 hours. We took a mini game drive in the evening to see the animals; lions, cheetahs, zebra, puku, water buck, elephants, wildebeest , lechwe, sable antelope, bush buck etc.. There was a lively band playing while we ate our buffet lunch and dinner; we sang along and enjoyed our meals . It was refreshing! Looking forward to seeing more of Zambia.

Eating: Not much to report... here... I was eating all weekend. The ribs at Lilayi Lodge. Yummy and large portions like the cocktail. Fresh bread with butter as an appetizer, it is these kind of details that really matter. We even got to do some cheese tasting at Chamunika, I understand why the choice of drink is wine and not water now.