Culture Shock in Zambia
For an inexperienced expat moving to Zambia the most profound adjustment will be to the poverty endemic to much of Africa and clearly manifest in Zambia. The sharp contradictions between the have and the have-nots is very noticeable. Within a few miles, one can see the transition from rural mud huts to ostentatious shopping malls, with the obligatory 4x4 luxury vehicles lined up outside.
The people of Zambia are renowned for being warm, charming and curious. Staring is common and the children will often greet white people with shouts of mazungu, mazungu! (white man).Zambian men will often hold hands for the duration of a conversation. This is not suggestive, and simply a cultural equivalent of ‘look at me when you speak to me.’
Politeness is highly respected in Zambian culture. Requests after a person’s well-being is the typical start to a conversation even in a service situation. While this is not so in the best hotels, as the waiters have been trained to the degree of obsequiousness necessary to entertain wealthy foreigners, speaking to a clerk at a local store will require some tact.
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