As you can probably tell if you’ve read any of my other posts about my Zambia trip, I had an absolutely amazing time in the country. There are many reasons why I loved it so much, but here are my top five:

I love the people

After my trip to South Africa earlier in the year, I was expecting the people of Zambia to be friendly and I wasn’t disappointed. Everywhere we went we were greeted with warmth and affection. My overwhelming memory is the laughter that followed us wherever we went. At one clinic we visited the staff actually had to go outside and tell the women waiting to quieten down as they were laughing so loudly. Conversations always take place with a hand on the arm to stress a point or a friendly hug if something funny is said and who can resist smiles like this?

Making new friends

I love the fashion

Women in Zambia know how to style it out. Every day we were greeted by our fixer Sally who always put us to shame by looking amazing. Even in the compounds (slums) the women dress in beautiful bright colours and there are tiny little clothes shops hidden away in the smallest buildings.

The gorgeous Miss Sally

Clothes shopping in the N’gombe compound

I love the food

Food always plays a big part in my trips and the first thing I like to do when I arrive at a place is head to a local restaurant to sample the food.

In Zambia we were lucky to be taken to a restaurant by Sally, which meant we had the added bonus of someone telling us what to order and explaining the different recipes to us. Zambian food is fresh, simple and very tasty and one of the things I really liked about it is that so little is wasted. Even the leaves from the vegetables were used to make other dishes.

Spoilt for choice…

…lunch is served

I love the scenery

It’s hard to find the words to describe the majestic Victoria Falls. One of the biggest waterfalls in the world, it really is something you just have to stand and watch in awe.

A beautiful way to spend the morning

The Zambezi river was also one of the highlights of my trip. It was so calm and peaceful and after a hectic day it was perfect to just sit and watch the sunset over it.

Followed by a relaxing afternoon

I love the positivity

During our #ZambiaHealth trip we met and interviewed a lot of people who have been dealt a difficult hand in life. We met people suffering from illnesses, children living in poverty and journalists who felt afraid to report their stories. At times it felt unbearably sad but what helped was the positivity that so many people managed to maintain despite everything they were going through.

We met health workers who were trying out new medical techniques, young graduates setting up technology start-ups and children working hard to get out of the slums. One of my favourite conversations was with a seven-year-old girl at one of the compound schools. She and her classmates were learning to use tablet computers which had opened up a whole new world to them. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, expecting her to say a teacher like most of her friends, instead she gave me a big grin and said: “a tv producer”. An answer which seemed to perfectly encapsulate the optimism and determination of the Zambian people.

Future tv producer. Watch this space…