I know that the next six weeks of posts will be filled with intricate details of Zambian culture, extensive epidemiological studies of sub-Saharan HIV strains, and Serious Journalism — so I figure I’m allowed a moment of boyish excitement before I hit the hard stuff:
I have been in Kate Beckinsale’s bedroom.
To explain: My flight plan first took me from Washington, D.C., to London, where I had a 12-hour layover. I’d planned to bum around the city aimlessly, with my only planned event being grabbing lunch with Tod, my newspaper’s London bureau chief. But a happy change of circumstances meant I ended up wandering around town all day long with Tod, his awesome nine-year-old daughter Fiona, and two of Tod’s journalist friends. Along with swapping a bushel of old foreign correspondent stories, we even tracked down David Blaine, Mr. Starving Suspended Magician. A good time was had by all (or at least me).
But the single most exciting moment came early on, when Tod offhandedly mentioned that the house (which he bought a couple months ago) was until recently occupied by Ms. Beckinsale, a starlet who had been a minor obsession of mine since The Last Days of Disco. (Oxford-educated, cute as hell — how can you go wrong?) I could have phrased my day’s greatest excitement in a variety of ways (“I’ve used Kate Beckinsale’s bathroom,” “I’ve eaten a croissant in Kate Beckinsale’s kitchen,” etc.), but the bedroom mention seemed most inappropriate.
After my excitement subsided, I hopped on another plane and, 10 hours later, landed in Lusaka at about 6:15 a.m. this morning. First impressions of Zambia later.
So glad you're there safely!
You probably know this already, but you are very funny. I especially liked the duct tape exchange: "Sounds like an excellent product."
You're my hero.
Also: I haven't had time to read through all of your dispatches, but have you come across a white guy who's a microlight pilot with a very squeaky, strange voice, kind of reminds you of Gilbert Godfrey? My boyfriend and I ran into him on the border by the Falls and we still remember his weirdness fondly.
Best,
Jessie Graham
former Pew Fellow
I got to this site via the search engine "google" because I was looking forward to buying some bathroom wall tiles online in Zambia.
What a surprise I got !!!
The site is listed as an online hardware store, but no sign of listed products for sale
Regards
Joe
You snobby, pom / yankee, son of a bitch. where do you white F*&%ers get off judging third world counties. From you "notes" you had only been in Zambia 5 mins and already you could tell how the economy failed!, man they could sure use a guy like you at the world bank, you are so insightful.
Any way retard I have to go, but next time you travel get to know a place before opening your mouth
Hey Mwila -- Thanks so much for your wise comments. I'll be sure to never speak about anything other than my home town again. I had no idea the economy of Zambia was doing so amazingly well, what with that $300 per-capita income and all.
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