Meeting with the Ministry of WorkOn this Monday, we were schedule to meet with the Ministry of Work and then travel by car to Ndola where the site is. The main goal of meeting up with the Ministry was to hunt down a copy of the building codes and standard as well as environmental regulations and also determine some of the building practices and water treatment options. The Ministry was really friendly, and very willing to help. Just like us, they have never taken on a project this big and are very interested in the things they can learn from it. Part of the willingness also comes from the fact that this project has the potential to feed the poorest of the Zambia as well as diversify the economy and the agricultural industry. One of the biggest goals of the meeting was to determine if they are willing to have a partnership with eMi. Foreign professionals are forbidden to do any work in Zambia unless they are partnered with a local professional. I am happy to say they are glad to help us out and partner up with us.
After the meeting, we decided to head downtown to grab some lunch and exchange some local currency before we head up to Ndola. As we were walking back to the car after lunch, a group of locals came up to us. They distracted all of us and stole from one of the team member. The person did not realize he lost some money until later on in the night.
The car ride up to Ndola was very interesting. The ride is supposed to take about 2.5 to 3 hours. There were a total of 8 guys and we have a 7 person car plus some luggage. We managed to somehow get everything and everyone is the car. I can tell you that we got to know each other very well after the ride. We also made lots of stops to switch seat, every round, one person will get the front passenger seat. It was kind of like musical chairs. Even though it was very tight and cramp in the car, we still manage to stop and pick up 3 watermelons. With all the stops, the total trip took 6 hours. By the time we got to Ndola, we were are very tired and hungry but it was an awesome car ride. Lots of sharing, story telling, and bonding.
After the meeting, we decided to head downtown to grab some lunch and exchange some local currency before we head up to Ndola. As we were walking back to the car after lunch, a group of locals came up to us. They distracted all of us and stole from one of the team member. The person did not realize he lost some money until later on in the night.
The car ride up to Ndola was very interesting. The ride is supposed to take about 2.5 to 3 hours. There were a total of 8 guys and we have a 7 person car plus some luggage. We managed to somehow get everything and everyone is the car. I can tell you that we got to know each other very well after the ride. We also made lots of stops to switch seat, every round, one person will get the front passenger seat. It was kind of like musical chairs. Even though it was very tight and cramp in the car, we still manage to stop and pick up 3 watermelons. With all the stops, the total trip took 6 hours. By the time we got to Ndola, we were are very tired and hungry but it was an awesome car ride. Lots of sharing, story telling, and bonding.
1 comment:
Hi Johnny! How's it going? I haven't chatted with you in a long time! I can't believe I "haphazardly" came to your blog! Feel free to gimme a shout, at mayo_2002@hotmail.com! (This is May from Vancouver by the way if you still remember...lol...the one who went to the same highschool as you...^^)
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