Today after we dropped
the kids at school we headed to the embassy for a Fulbright
orientation. A security officer talked to us about crime and staying
safe – mostly stuff we knew, but a good reminder that where there
is a lot of poverty there is a lot of crime. He reminded us to keep
doors locked and windows at least partly closed while driving through
the city, be watchful for pickpockets, etc. We're pretty sure this
little country house with its poorly-fitting wooden doors wouldn't
meet his security standards. Then we had a health briefing from a PA
on the embassy clinic staff. Again, in general stuff we knew but we
were glad for some specific information about medications for
schistosomiasis and malaria. We also found out which pharmacies to
trust – while you don't seem to need prescriptions anywhere, you do
have to be careful of fake pharmaceuticals. We're pretty sure our
house wouldn't meet the PA's standards either – nearly two weeks,
and still not a screen in sight. We do sleep under mosquito nets,
although it doesn't appear to be a very mosquitoey time of year.
We also found that we
can write a check to the cashier at the embassy, drawing money from
our account in the US that is issued to us as kwacha. It's a much
better rate than at the ATM, and no transaction fee. Nice. The
public relations officer also offered to set up some briefings for us
on agriculture and environmental issues, which would be helpful.
As Fulbrighters, we
seem to be in some sort of gray area – we have some privileges at
the embassy, like using the cashier, the library, and the diplomatic
pouch (mail service), but we don't have the full privileges of real
embassy staff. We can't use the clinic there, and can only get
first-class envelopes - not packages - in the diplomatic pouch. (Email
us if you want that address.)
No comments:
Post a Comment