8-21-2001

3:00 PM

I woke up at 5ish this morning, just beginning to show signs of sunrise.
Sleeping is quite different, bed netting, pillows stuffed with small pieces of foam, kind of like couch pillows. I’m INCREDIBLY thankful I brought my pillow from home.
I lay in bed and worked on the laptop, hoping to create an equipment assignment, but realizing that the only version of the Zambia list was the original one, not the one I had worked on just before leaving. Big drag.

Breakfast was continental, however, I ordered 3 eggs scrambled. Catsup is a good thing.

Billy, Rich and I, along with our driver Douglas, went into downtown Lusaka and checked into our equipment rental…Rich began a merchant process with the owner (Mr. Parmar) while Billy and I talked with the son of the owner (N.J. Parmar, also known as Max E or Nimesh) about the different system specs and needs. Essentially, this is a retailer who saw the market for musical instruments and sound equipment and sells and rents equipment on a first come, first served basis. Even though we had been in dialogue via email, we had apparently put no money down to secure our systems and now we have come to find out that only some of the gear is actually available when we need it. Keep in mind, the store also sells G Strings, thongs, negligees, CD’s, cameras, jewelry and the like. The owner and his son had a copy of my email to Francis, delineating what our needs would be and why, but they appear to have second-guessed us and figured we really didn’t need all the things we stated. Now, combine this with a pastors meeting happening simultaneously as Billy and I are going through systems stuff, Rich has left to attend this pastors meeting, a meeting where the statement was made that the King’s Way band will play anywhere, anytime and is self-sufficient so that all we need is a location and we will come in, plug in and play.

Oh my.

I could list the system inadequacies, but suffice it to say I will be running house sound from the stage (no snake available), what was a 24 channel mixer (16 mic inputs) became a 16 channel mixer (8 mic inputs), the processing (reverb, effects, etc) I brought will be the processing we will use. The mic cables will also have to be ours. I asked for use of whatever they have in stock and their 30’ lengths became 20’ lengths and they asked if 5 or 6 would do…

When in Rome, make lemonade…no, wait…that’s not it…

Security soldiers carry what appear to be AK47’s or AR15’s (wood-stock carbines with curved magazines), street-wide and city-wide. I’m thinking Chinese or Russian AR15 carbines. (I might have these models confused, but to some extent, a carbine is a carbine, is a carbine.)

I just thought you should get a pretty clear picture of what was common place for police and militia in the malls and on the streets in Zambia. I'm pretty sensitive to observing these weapons because I was into them as a youth, but they are VERY different when they are in someone else's hands, in someone else's country. Where my rules do not necessarily apply…

As we were leaving the Bible House, where the pastors meet and confer, a little boy, 7 or 8 years old, came up to our car as we were loading into it, leaving the pastors meeting. He was dressed in a ¾ torn red T-shirt looked me straight in the face and told me of his blind family member who needs any money that I or we can offer. I shook my head in the universal “no” language, but he remained there, staring at me, even as we began to back out of our parking place. It left an impression on me…

This ain’t Kansas, and Toto didn’t make the flight…Come to think of it, I don’t think much of Toto anymore…the dog that is, not the band.

So, less I digress too much further, Rich, Francis Billy and I are to meet after Francis and Rich consume lunch (lunch was spaghetti, with cheddar cheese melted on top, on top of a bowl of minced spiced ground beef with carrots and string beans). Indeed, I am eating some foods I would not otherwise. Considering I am such a food-wimp, I am breaking new ground for food wimps internationally.

Oops. I digressed again. Anyway, we will meet to talk about what we can and cannot do given what we learned today. This will be some challenging conversation.

I’ll have more soon-