Living in the bush requires that you learn particular survival skills which would put Bear Grills to shame. For my Zambian neighbors, especially those in the remote villages, this statement is far truer than it is for me. The survival skills which I have learned are, in reality, merely how I have learned to maintain a relative level of Western comfort and luxury in a remote, third world setting. I’d like to pass on these survival skills to you.
FOOD
Some of you may have images of me creeping through the bush, spear in hand, searching for antelope and other beasties to munch on. Though this sounds like a fun adventure, my hunting and gathering isn’t quite so primitive.
The grocery store at which we do our shopping is four hours away. Because of the distance and the cost of gas we usually only go to the store once a month. This means that we have to creatively shop for a month’s supply of food, transport it for four hours in 110F heat, and then make it last until the next shopping trip.
For the most part, I’m eating everything I could ever want. Most of my meals require more preparation than at home since prepared/frozen food is limited in comparison to what Wegman’s offers. But it is probably far healthier anyway.
We bring a cooler to transport our frozen/cold food. Always buy at least one frozen meat or vegetable package so that it keeps the other cold items cold for the four hour journey. (This is surprisingly very successful).
Keeping produce can be tricky in the heat. Make sure you open, wash, and store vegetables in cold water immediately upon arrival at home. This will help it to last longer, though you will likely be searching in Jembo for fresh produce about two weeks into the month.
Buy multiple smaller bottles of mayonnaise rather than one big jar. With the power going out regularly, the mayonnaise is the first thing to go bad. (Credit for the wisdom of this survival skill goes to Cindy)
Milk is purchased in 1 Liter boxes. It is stored without any kinds of preservatives, and likely produced without any added hormones, making it much healthier. It is stored at Ultra High Temperatures meaning that it won’t go bad until the box is opened. I keep about 15 boxes of milk in my dresser drawer.
Juice is also bought in boxes, again about 15 at a time.
I’ve learned a new appreciation for the statement, “The best thing since sliced bread.” Sometimes, the store is out of sliced bread. So I’m beginning to master the art of slicing bread. Easier said than done. The bread we buy is all baked right there in the store, meaning it’s all very fresh without preservatives. Probably a thousand times healthier than any bagged bread Wegman’s has to offer, but also a thousand times more crumbly.
Chocolate must always be on hand. It must also always be kept in the refrigerator so as to maintain its shape.
ELECTRICITY
The power goes out regularly here. When I first arrived this usually only happened about once or twice a week for just a couple of hours. Now that the rainy season is here, we are having more frequent outages that can last nearly all day or all night. You never realize how much you depend upon electricity until you are without it.
Always keep your computer plugged in when the electricity is on. This ensures that you’ll have a full battery charge if and when the power does go out. Computer usage during a power outage must always be for business, not for pleasure, so that you save the battery for the necessities.
Be very sad that you cannot use your fans in the very hot heat, and then be very thankful that at least you can when the power works. The same goes for your washing machine.
I am blessed to have running water in my house. Most of my neighbors rely on a hand pump, and the not too distant villages rely upon holes in the ground. However, running water doesn’t run without electricity. So, always keep water stored up. I have bottles, buckets, and jugs of all sizes filled up and ready for a long power outage. You’ll need water on hand for drinking, dish-washing, toilet-flushing, and yes even bathing. Be prepared.
Always keep a mental picture of what you have in your fridge and where it is. Before you open your fridge, make a very careful decision of what you need. Open the fridge as little as possible during a power outage, especially during the day when it is hot as this will quickly make the inside of your fridge warm. When necessary, transfer dairy and meat items to the freezer.
Know where your candles, matches, and flashlights are. When the power goes out at night, it will be absolutely pitch black. Unless you’re blessed with a full moon, it will be nearly impossible to see anything at all. So, you must know where these items are so that you can stumble around and find them in the dark.
CREEPY CRAWLIES
This is Africa. There are bugs. Buy a fly swatter (or three) and get over it. (And make sure you clean up all food crumbs at the end of the day so you don’t attract more!)
HEAT
It’s hot. We had a stretch of a couple weeks where it was consistantly above 100F, regularly around 115-120. Usually, it cools off some at night, but when it was this hot it did not. The heat is physically and emotionally exhausting. (Certainly doesn’t help anything if you have malaria!) So, you’ve gotta learn how to beat the heat.
Take multiple cold showers during the day. Especially right before bed. Lowering your body temperature this way will help maintain your sanity.
Drink lots of water. I’m drinking about a gallon and a half of liquid a day. (So thankful the tap water is safe to drink!) And eat salty foods. High sodium is not a fear in this heat when you’re sweating out buckets of water throughout the day.
Using the fans at the end of the day to blow the hot air OUT of the apartment is more effective than trying to use them to suck the cold air in.
Stay inside during the hottest part of the day. Use the oven or stove as little as possible. Take every opportunity to eat one of Cindy’s frozen banana smoothies. (Yum!)
Pray for rain.
When you’re lying in bed at night not able to fall asleep because it is so hot, get a wet washcloth and rub it all over your body. When the washcloth quickly becomes hot because your body temperature is so high, get ice cubes from the freezer. Hold the ice cubes in your arm pits for as long as you can bear. Do your best to fall asleep.
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