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“Yes, Please!” – Divided by a Common Language
Posted by John Crockett on 17 December 2008
Zambia and the U.K. apparently share a common language. Still, it's often hard to communicate with each other, especially since words are often used differently. In my first three months here I have managed to pick up a few translations for "English" phrases. Initially this can be quite confusing, but with time I am starting to communicate in "Zamlish." During VSO training sessions, I was encouraged to consider Zambia as a "high context" culture - ...Full Story- Tags: Devex, Zambia, VSO, John Crockett, Zamlish, language barriers, communication, intercultural, multi-kulti, multicultural, intercultural communication, sign language, communication difficulties, dialect, accent, understand
- Posted:12/17/2008 09:34:48 PM | Email | Permalink
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An Inconvenient Truth
Posted by John Crockett on 08 December 2008
I have always been an awful liar. As a child I believed that everybody knew whether I was lying or not, and so I inevitably blurted out the truth. Here in Zambia, unmarried Betty and I have been encouraged to keep our marital status to ourselves. Here couples do not live together without being married, and often girls marry when they are just thirteen. Co-habitation is not accepted and those that do co-habit are excluded by their community. In our country training in Lusaka, we ask...Full Story- Tags: Devex, Zambia, John Crockett, marriage status, social norms, living abroad, foreign customs, husband and wife, secrecy, cultural differences, customs
- Posted:12/08/2008 04:07:02 PM | Email | Permalink
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Wanted: New (or Old) Ways to Share Information
Posted by John Crockett on 02 December 2008
Information is a precious commodity here in Lundazi. An important initial task for any resource mobilizer or project manager is to find out where the particular mines of information are located and extract as much as possible. In previous jobs I have been overloaded with information in my first few days. Strategic plans, annual reports, specific induction days and possibly even an assigned "buddy" to show me the ropes - these have been some of the ways new employers have ...Full Story- Tags: Devex, Africa, Zambia, communication, ICT, technology, information technology, IT, access, information sharing, media, telephone, Internet, computer, face to face, verbal, direct, development communication, strategy, hierarchies, planning
- Posted:12/02/2008 04:10:20 PM | Email | Permalink
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When Building Bridges, the Foundation Counts
Posted by John Crockett on 24 November 2008
A month into my stay in Zambia, I'm still unsure what I will be doing over the next two years. The Council has been busy dealing with the elections and their aftermath. I have taken the opportunity to get to know some of the people that work in and around Lundazi. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to ride out of town to look at how two bridge building projects are getting along. Both projects are being funded by the Zambian government's Constituency Development Fund, which is dist...Full Story- Tags: Devex, UNV, John Crockett, Africa, Zambia, volunteer, entry level, field work, partnership, bridge, bridge building, infrastructure, transportation, education, bottom up approach
- Posted:11/24/2008 08:01:37 PM | Email | Permalink
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Not Attacked In Post-Election Violence Shock
Posted by John Crockett on 17 November 2008
Journalists were being turned away from refugee camps on the morning of Oct. 30 due to the failure of political violence to force Zambians to flee their homes. Camps set up by the Red Cross stuffed with humanitarian aid remained inaccessible as free and fair elections took place in an unintimidating atmosphere. Journalists, unable to feed on the scraps of positive images that the election generated, quickly became desperate. Michael Sata, the presidential election's losing cand...Full Story- Tags: Africa, Devex, Zambia, elections, president, election violence, opposition, media, coverage, Michael Sata, Rupiah Banda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, democracy, good governance
- Posted:11/17/2008 09:58:11 PM | Email | Permalink
- Comments:1 | Post Comment
Recent Posts
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“Yes, Please!” – Divided by a Common Language 17 December 2008
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An Inconvenient Truth 08 December 2008
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Wanted: New (or Old) Ways to Share Information 02 December 2008
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When Building Bridges, the Foundation Counts 24 November 2008
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Not Attacked In Post-Election Violence Shock 17 November 2008
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A Tale of Two Elections 29 October 2008
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On a Road to Nowhere, Slowly 29 October 2008
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Freezing Life 23 October 2008
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Leaving and Larium 20 October 2008
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