end of zambia

well, i’m back in toronto, missing zambia and feeling strange. it is weird to feel both back in place and out of place at the same time. it has been great seeing friends and family (back to alberta in two days!) but i also miss zambia.

the end of my trip to east africa was great. i enjoyed a three day safari in tanzania, including in the ngoro goro crater, which was very beautiful. i took the tazara train back from dar es salaam to zambia, which was quite interesting, particularly when a two and a half day trip was 18 hours late to get into a small town in zambia four hours away from lusaka! we arrived at 4am, and i had to take a small bus into lusaka. needless to say by the time i pulled into the bus station i was tired, smelly and very testy.

the last week in zambia was great. in’utu and i had an amazing time at a posh lodge in south luanga national park, where we went on safari. we saw lots of animals, including lions within feet of an open jeep. a little stressful!

i also had an amazing birthday party/going away with lots of indian food and dancing. the waiter’s even sung me happy birthday and kissed me on the cheek, which was slightly awkward and definitely funny.

26 hours on a plane and i was back in toronto, greeted by both hannah and beth at the airport. i am getting settled back in and looking for a job. hoping to stay in toronto at least for a bit.

so, that’s it. it will take awhile to process my time away and my time back, figuring out where to fit in. but with such great people in my life, it definitely makes things easier.