Supplies

Every Tuesday we head into Livingstone for group meetings and to purchase supplies. There is a store in town called Shoprite, which is similar to an American grocery store. They have most food items that we need plus additional items such as soap, hygiene products, etc. Around town there are various other stores that carry different supplies like paper, furniture, construction materials, etc.

Most Zambians shop at the many outdoor markets. These can be fun to walk through with so many people packed together selling specific items. We have used these markets for clothing, vinyl flooring, wood, containers, and some food items. There are also people all over who sell things on the sidewalks, usually food items or electronics. This is where we mainly purchase bananas, pineapples, and avocados.

Often times when we are in town, we eat out at a restaurant for lunch. There are a number of cafes and restaurants that have a variety of foods and prepare American food as well. So after a week of not eating meat it is nice to grab a burger, pizza, Zambian Mexican, shawarma, or some other food that might contain meat or cheese!

We are in the process of finding fish suppliers in the village and we may even be able to purchase a chicken periodically. We should be receiving our first fish tomorrow from a local villager as long as he is successful. There are some villagers who purchase items such as eggs in town and then resell the in the village. But they are pretty hit and miss as to whether they will actually have stock.

So it is usually an experience trying to find certain items! Sometimes it is like a treasure hunt and sometimes it is frustrating. And we always have to be weary of receiving the Mzungu (white person) prices.