Initial Thoughts:
I heard the stories from last year and how much fun everyone had had and, to be honest, it’s just something that fitted with what I do. It involved the four major things I care about sports, children, travelling and meeting new people. I didn’t seem to have many expectations but I did talk a lot to people who’d been here before and so I got a basic idea which satisfied me. I’m the kind of person that just gets on with things and try not to moan. I am very much a person who makes do with the cards I am dealt.
You learn independence during four years at University, but out here you learn what to do with it and really reinforce your own capabilities in the project and as a person.
Impressions of Lusaka/Zambia:
I was really surprised at how dirty Lusaka is. You get used to rubbish at home because you use bins, landfill sites etc. but here it is shocking. It kind of makes me think that our recycling that we do at home is a complete waste of time. They’re not doing it here at all and it – to an extent - nullifies what we do in our own country. We’re sitting at home worrying about our carbon footprint and moan about not putting our tin of tuna in the right recycling box. By no means should we stop our efforts at home but maybe teaching developing nations about the issues of waste would be an effective process.
The people in Lusaka are friendly…sometimes overly friendly. I felt threatened once when one man grabbed me and I tried to get his hand off me but he kept grabbing on. It was a strange experience, something I was not very used to.
I think I’m quite a strong girl and also very independent. I hate the idea of people thinking I am incapable of anything be it because I am a girl, too young or even because I am white. So when a man takes control like that I was quite shocked. But here you have to change your perspectives of your personal space and also the expectations others have of you.
Impressions of the Value of the Project:
I think the project is hugely valuable primarily because it is another perspective. So many people out here have a different view to life, to culture, that it is important that people come to them and they can experience thoughts, beliefs and ideas from differing people and cultures. It is sad to think that people here are not likely to go on holiday elsewhere so we have to come to them.
There has been a lot of time for contemplation out here especially about the project both positively and negatively. This whole project makes you self assess and self reflect all the time and I am not good at sitting down and talking about issues like that. As I said, I am pragmatic so I deal with what I have…I don’t usually self assess but here I have to (and I think I am getting better!!)
The project is definitely valuable to us and we have all learned copious amounts since we have been here. At university you chose to live with certain people you are friends with but here we are forced together with a group of people we wouldn't necessarily know already and, truth be told, I have made some great friends and we have such a laugh together. The group all work very well together too.
The project is hugely beneficial to Sport In Action who just could not do what they do without us. Resources are low in this country but the need for action is huge, and the 12 bright eyed white students from St Andrews are a great benefit to the programme. It is fantastic news when the schools tell us we are having an effect and also the teachers, the children, the peer leaders, all learn from us and we from them.
We need to perhaps to do more at some of our placements including encouraging the peer leaders who are not doing so well or need a bit of a confidence boost. I have met one or two peer leaders who just are not being very productive and we need to help SIA help them achieve more.
As a university we are always told we are an academic university striving for academic excellence but I think that the university community is such a diverse group of people that we ca not just base everything on academics. A project like this shows our willingness to look outside ourselves and do some practical things for others and have a little break from academia. Without that our academics are just a piece of paper or a tick in a box. It is not good enough to learn for learnings sake. I have got so much more out of extra curricular activities at the university than I have out of academics. We are an academically able university but we should not loose all the extras! I have been on a team, I have been a committee member, a team leader – if I had sat in the library all the time I would still have had a degree but I would be much less of a person. Project Zambia has reiterated this - learning is not just about books!
Impressions of the Team:
Sport In Action are bit slow but they do a great job and get it done. Their resources are limited but all work from ridiculous o’clock in the morning till ridiculous o’clock at night.
The university staff have been good. We have always known they are there to help, but we know they are not there to tell us off.
I think we have all got on well as a group seeing as we did not get the chance to get together as a complete group before we came out to Zambia. It has been relaxed and because of the size of the group people can get their own time to chill out and I will definitely stay in touch with people when I get back.
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