Reflections from the Zambezi

Landing in Nairobi "Karibu Kenya" or "Welcome to Kenya" is the atmosphere we feel as we land in Kenya. I have just landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after a flight of slightly over two hours from Lusaka. The date is Saturday, 27th May 2007. It is my first time to visit Kenya since I was born. This is one of the nations I have always looked forward to visit. After completing the immigration formalities at the airport I head to look for my checked in bag. Finding the bag I begin to look for Keith Underhill, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Nairobi, who has come to pick me up. Immediately I see him I recognize him, though I last saw him thirteen years ago. He is with Jacob, a member of his church. We exchange greetings and move to the vehicle and drive off from the airport. As we drive off, Pastor Underhill has to pay some gate fee at the exit gate. He leaves a gospel tract with the man collecting the money. I take note and ask myself: &qu

I n July 2005, Judy and I undertook a trip into a land that had been hit by a 'Tsunami'. In case you are thinking we had ventured into Asia which was hit by Tsunami in December 2004, I wish to state no sir or no madam!. We travelled to Zimbabwe, which had undergone an Operation Murambatsvina ('Drive out Rubbish'). It is this cleanup, that the locals had nicknamed Operation 'Tsunami'. This was due to buildings being destroyed at short notice leaving some people homeless. Our mission was very simple: have a short vacation and visit relations on mum's side. The first objective was partially fulfilled as we did not get to stay at our desired haven: Resthaven Guest House. Friday, 22 July 2005 We started off from Lusaka at 04 00 on 24th July using a Pioneer Coach. We arrived at the Chirundu border post at 06 00. We were cleared after two hours after the usual immigration and customs hassles. I was almost asked to pay a deposit for an old audio cassette play

"Welcome to Botswana", is the greeting that faces us as we walk into Sersetse Khama International Airport in Gaborone. The date is 8th October 2006. My travel companions are two workmates from my ministry. One of our hosts hugs us and welcomes us to Botswana. After greetings we are driven to our respective lodging places. My host takes me out for a meal at Nando's. With the issue of hunger sorted out, it's now time to head to Brackenden Lodge where I'll spend my first night. We are here for a study visit under UNESCO on HIV & AIDS. Before I sleep, I make final touches to our country paper presentation in readiness for the next day's meeting. Slightly after midnight my body is screaming for rest, the hot shower is so refreshing and the bed is so enticing. The trip to Gaborone has been hectic. A two hour flight from Lusaka to Johannesburg followed by a three hour stop-over at Johannesburg International Airport (now called Oliver Tambo International Airport!)

On 24th October 2006, I landed at Beijing International airport in China. I was in China to attend a forum on Vocational Education. This was my first time to travel outside Africa. My earlier trips had been to the Southern African region i.e. to Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The trip to China started from Lusaka International Airport at 13 40 on 23rd October. With eleven other officials, I boarded Ethiopian Airlines. Our first stopover (45 minutes) was in Lilongwe. Some food was loaded onto the plane and the plane was refueled. The next leg of the flight was to Addis Ababa. We arrived in Addis at 20 00 (19 00 Zambia time) after flying for about 3 hours. We were at the airport for 4 hours. We visited several shops in the recently refurbished airport. I was impressed with the display of local products, such as clothes, coffee, artifacts, music CDs and tapes at the airport. Most of these were fairly priced in either US dollars or Ethiopian B

Writing a dissertation is a requirement in most Masters degree’s in addition to course work in order to get a qualification. A number of students find it difficult to complete their qualifications because of having to write a dissertation. However, that should not be the case. Any student that has passed his coursework can and should be able to write a passing dissertation. What are the tips to writing a good dissertation? 1. Ensure you submit your research or dissertation proposal on time. Give the proposal adequate attention and follow the Universities guidelines. 2. Choose a topic where you have adequate knowledge and ready access to information. Choosing a complicated topic to impress others will just make it almost impossible for you to complete your dissertation on time. 3. Read the Universities Dissertation Guidelines before and after writing each chapter. 4. Allocate adequate time to the dissertation. Make a time plan using a Gantt- Chart and stick it at a visible