At the start of this year, if you had to ask me what I would envision my life would be like by August, I would never have guessed that I would be in Zambia, running my own social media management company. Maybe I’m a pessimist but I didn’t see myself being content with my decision to pack up my life in Australia and permanently relocate to my country of birth. In fact even after I had made the decision to create a new life in my motherland, I still had plan a, b, c, d and e; you know just in case nothing worked out the way I hoped it would.
To say I’m content with my new life seems like such an understatement. I’ve looked back on the last three months (which have really felt like three years) and I’ve asked myself what, if anything I would change and I always come up blank. That’s not to say, that things have all been rosy. I’ve had to make tough decisions that have affected my personal and professional life. I’ve come out on the other side a little bit bruised and scarred but it’s nothing prayer, a few drinks, love from my family and possibly a ridiculously over priced gift to myself can’t fix. It’s life. Shit happens.
What has me surprised is how my resilience factor went up by a few notches. I think the old me would have spiralled into a crying fit and near depressive state based on some of the experiences of the last three months. The new me, the increasingly confident Lusaka girl, is a little more hardened and a lot more nonchalant about some of the things that dare come my way.
I say dare, because waking up in Lusaka every day requires you to be ready to put your game face on and deal with whatever the dawn shall bring. You dare a street kid to try and snatch your purse from you, he’ll learn that you are not above throwing off Nine West heels, hiking up your Karen Millen dress and breaking into a Marion Jones type sprint whilst yelling “stop thief”; just to get your contents back. You dare your cousin’s car to stop in the middle of Lusaka lunchtime traffic on a scorcher of a day. You won’t have time to be dainty and bougie as Lusaka’s temperamental and impatient drivers honk their horns and ridicule you. You’ll make a plan. You’ll push said car to the side of the road with your cousin and maybe the help of some good Samaritans, and then haggle with a taxi driver who also moonlights as a mechanic to assist you fix your car in time to make a meeting across town.
I’ll be the first to admit that from time to time, my “Melbourne tendencies “do tend to come out in all their bougie glory. Take the day I was utterly perplexed by my internet service provider and my electricity provider at the same time. I ranted for a good hour about the “uselessness” of Zambian services. Mind you, the lights and internet service were back in two hours. You may laugh but I was quickly put in my place by a friend who reminded me that in her area she was still waiting for electricity to come back on. That was Thursday, her electricity went on Tuesday. I’ll take two hours over two days, thanks!
So Chaud, readers I’m back. I’m in a new place, making new friends, running a new business and also trying to work out my personal life.
Social Butterfly
Twitter: @mskkj
Website: www.mukukamayuka.com
Image Credit: GoogleImages
Chaud: The Magazine 