Swiss Volunteers on The Experience!

Milena Kettsch & Flurina Borer

Meet Milena Kettsch (above left) and Flurina Borer (right), young, pretty and guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing every Tuesday evening from 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour live on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The girls hail from Switzerland, though Milena has a German passport despite never having lived in that country! Daughter of pastors in the Reformed Church some of her early years were spent in Cameroon. Flurina told us she had spent time in Namibia in the past. The girls had met briefly before coming to Zambia some 3 months ago, since when they had become firm friends!

You might be surprised to learn that the girls, both on gap years between high school and university, told listeners that they’d spent the past two months in Kabwe, Central Zambia (Milli Jam’s home town), as volunteers with Comundo, helping out in a hospice for terminally ill patients run by that NGO. I’m not sure at that age I could have done something like that, and the girls agreed that sometimes it had been quite a traumatic experience. The NGO has a childrens’ centre on the same site which they said helped them with perspective in regard to the hospice.

The girls told listeners that after a few more days in Zambia they would set off to travel to Malawi and Tanzania (including Zanzibar). At the end of their travels Milena would be heading for Basel for a degree course in History and Social Anthropology while Flurina would be going to university in Freiburg to study speech therapy.

The girls explained that they had spent the past week at Chanters Lodge for some R&R – they had been recommended to the lodge by a colleague and were happy with their choice. While in Livingstone they had seen Victoria Falls very early in the morning, which they had loved, getting soaking wet in the process! The day of the show they had spent the day in Chobe NP in Botswana which they had also enjoyed, though they were sad not to have seen ‘big cats’.

The music on the show featured tracks from late Prince, Drake, Callum Scott, Skepta, as well as Wezi, OS Detroi, Kantu and Benny Benassi ft Chris Brown. The girls said they had a very wide taste in music including electro and reggae, but particularly liked Coldplay. No interest in football! One of the girls loves to play volleyball the other enjoys hiking in the Swiss mountains. Both girls are still single, Melina’s boy friend will join her in Tanzania, Flurina had ‘no such complications’!

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Melina wanted to have graduated, have a good job and be travelling, Flurina wanted to be a qualified speech therapist with a good hospital job practicing her speech therapy.

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Dr Mulenga’s Experience!

Dr Teddy Mulenga

We were delighted to welcome Dr Teddy Mulenga (above) to our local radio show as the guest on a recent edition. Dr Mulenga is no stranger to radio – he features weekly on a show on Zambezi 94.1 fm – the same station which broadcasts our show – on which listeners phone in to tell him their health issues and he gives them advice on what to do. Very popular and very professional, hosted by his son Mambo, himself a previous guest on our programme. Our show, The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz, airs every Tuesday evening at 20.30 hrs CAT and is a great mix of latest international and Zambian hit records, as well as chat with our Guest.

Dr Mulenga told us that he had ‘been in Livingstone since 1974’ when he was a schoolboy at Hillcrest Technical Secondary School, just up the road from Chanters Lodge. After passing then ‘Form 5’, now Grade 12, the doctor had proceeded to do his national service, a must in Zambia at that time for all Form 5 graduates. After national service he had attended University of Zambia, where he had read psychology and philosophy.

Upon graduation Dr Mulenga had been selected for the award of a scholarship to study medicine in the then Soviet Union and had spent the next seven years or so in Kiev, now part of Ukraine, where he obtained his medical qualifications. He had also spent time in Sochi on the Black Sea. He still speaks fluent Russian. On return from USSR he had served his internship at Ndola Central Hospital after which he had gone ‘searching for greener pastures’ and had established his own successful clinic in Botswana where he had lived for some 20 years bringing up Mambo and his sister Juliet.

The doctor told us he loves Bob Marley, Lucky Dube and Dolly Parton as well as other musicians who ‘sing proper songs’! On this show we featured tracks from Little Mix ft Sean Paul, Sia, Pink and Charlie XCX. Added to the mix was work from Yemi Alade, Afunika, Avicii ft the Zac Brown Band (the doctor liked that one). Slap D was also included.

Doctor Mulenga is a keen chess player but revealed he usually loses to son Mambo who is himself an excellent player. He has written four books on various topics and is involved in publishing, criticism, as well as sometimes consultancy at Livingstone General Hospital ‘helping the young doctors’. He is ‘The Sceptic’ on Facebook and pretty controversial too! He has never bungee jumped and expressed his medical opinion that people doing that to their bodies might not be wise! He told listeners that he is a long term client of Chanters Lodge and a regular listener to our show.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now he answered with the one word ‘Parliament’! And then roared with laughter! So did we!

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Peter and Frances Shaw on The Experience!

Peter & Frances Shaw

 

Meet Peter and Frances Shaw, guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ airs live every Tuesday evening at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, and is a great mix of latest international pop music together with Zambian tracks, as well as chat with our weekly guest, sometimes overseas visitors staying at Chanters Lodge like Peter and Frances, sometimes Livingstone personalities, occasionally members of the lodge staff!

Peter and Frances hail from Guildford in Surrey, UK, though Peter is a Yorkshireman by birth. Frances was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. They told listeners they had been married for 40 years and that they had met in Toronto, Canada. They had both been educated at Durham University and both hold doctorates. The couple told listeners that Peter, a management consultant, had been in Zambia for about ten days on business, Frances had joined him a little later. They were now on holiday. It was their first time to visit Zambia and felt they could not do so without seeing the mighty Victoria Falls. They had done so that very afternoon and were impressed, comparing the area favourably with Niagara Falls which they had also visited. They were looking forward to a camping trip to Chobe NP in Botswana during the following weekend.

The music on the show was good with tracks from Fifth Harmony, Flo Rida ft Jason Derulo, Justin Bieber and Riton (Rinse & Repeat lol!). Other were from Shenky Shuga, Rihanna ft Drake and DJ Zoz. Frances said her pop music favourites were 60’s tracks, Buddy Holly and the Beatles. Peter is a big fan of Brass Bands, often linked to the former colliery towns in his native Yorkshire.

Peter, a Hull City supporter, and an author of some 22 books on leadership is a former Director General in the UK Civil Service, and Frances a leading mover in the Feed the Minds NGO. They have three grown up children. a daughter and two sons. One son is a minister in the Church of England and indulges in Iron Man Triathlons, the other, a management consultant plays Ultimate at international level.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Frances said she would be happy to still be around spending time with her grandchildren, Peter would like to be in an interesting place still teaching leadership!

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MAR
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Phyllis Ng’andu on The Experience!

Phyllis Ng'andu

Meet Phyllis Ng’andu (above) guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz, airing every Tuesday night at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 94.1 fm. Listeners to our show are very familiar with ‘Phyll’, as she likes to be known, being the only full time female presenter employed by Zambezi 94.1 fm at the present time. She told us she is currently involved with show presentation, news reading and production – she obviously loves the job!

Phyll explained that she had, for the most part, been brought up in Botswana, where her dad, an expatriate Zambian, has worked for many years as a radiographer. However she did complete her secondary education back in Zambia at Namwianga Secondary School in Kalomo, some 120 kms north of Livingstone. She also holds a diploma in social work from Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka. “Not exactly social work that you’re doing now” we commented. Phyll explained that she just loved broadcasting! We wondered how she had come to join Zambezi fm, and she explained that this was her second stint with the station having previously been a part time presenter before she went back to school. On completion and her return to Livingstone the station management had demanded her recall and she had been happy to oblige.

A single mother of two year old Mubanga, Phyll told us that she loves house music as well as Zambian music and that her favourite international artist is Adele. “Because of the new album?” Wondered Milli Jam. “No, from way back” replied Phyll. She has never done the bungee jump and didn’t sound too keen on doing so! She supports Liverpool which made Jay Hillz happy! She has two brothers and two sisters of whom she is the oldest. She speaks five languages.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing ten years’ from now, ambitious, bubbly Phyll told us that she would like to follow the example of fellow Zambian broadcaster Maureen Nkandu and be working for the BBC. She claimed she would still be single in ten years’ time – we had our doubts about that, but not about her ambition to become an international broadcaster.

 

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From Calgary to Livingstone!

Heather & Doug Spackman & Bev Loney

Meet Bev Loney (left above), as well as Heather and Doug Spackman, guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. Bev is Heather’s dad, and Doug her husband of the last twenty eight years! Staying at Chanters Lodge, booked through their agent Mike Donovan at Lion Dog Safaris, Bev, Heather and Doug who hail from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, were kind enough to give us some of their time to appear as guests on our local radio show, airing every Tuesday evening for an hour on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station.

Heather is a school counsellor, Doug an IT specialist in the oil industry and Bev many years retired. Doug and Heather have two ‘kids’ one boy one girl, but no grand children as yet!

Doug told listeners that they had been planning a trip to Africa for the past eight years. Apart from Bev and Heather who had been to North Africa it was the first time for the family to travel to Africa.. Having been told they were at the beginning of a one month trip, “why start in Livingstone?” Wondered Milli Jam. Heather explained that although they had the great Niagara Falls in Canada they had always wanted to see Victoria Falls and now that they had done so, they were certainly not disappointed. They believed Victoria Falls were more impressive.

The family told listeners that apart from seeing Victoria Falls, they had very much enjoyed a one day safari to Chobe NP in Botswana, as well as the lion encounter and elephant safari locally while they had been in Livingstone, and had found Zambians to be very warm and friendly people.

The music on the show was good with tracks from Years and Years, Zayn Malik, Lukas Graham, Charlie Puth ft Selena Gomez as well as Elle King. Also, FJay, Sussie, Mr Veezy and Justin Bieber (in honour of our Canadian guests)!

When they left Zambia the following day the group would travel to Tanzania for a two week safari followed by a week on the beach in Zanzibar! Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, Heather and Doug both wanted to be retired and travelling, Bev wanted to be in good health and still around.

 

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The Victor Hambayi Overland Experience

V. Hambayi

Why the Victor Hambayi ‘Overland’ Experience? Well, Victor Hambayi, pictured above, was our guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft Jay Hillz, our weekly Sunday night radio show airing at 20.30 hrs for an hour live on Zambezi 94.1 fm’ Livingstone’s longest established local commercial radio station. Victor is an overland driver/guide with Nomad Africa Adventure Tours, hence the headline! Nomad boasts a fleet of around 40 vehicles, 150 staff and 40 scheduled departures a month all over Africa. Victor told listeners that he had worked for the outfit for about three years.

Whilst the group has lots of different tours Victor told us that he most often does the trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, via Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. He drives and guides and is accompanied by a chef who cooks for the Clients – between 19 and 26 people per trip, sometimes camping throughout, sometimes lodge accommodation throughout, sometimes a combination. Victor clearly likes the guiding side of the job more than the driving which he described as ‘tough’. “Breakdowns?” We wondered. “Occasionally” replied Victor, “but Nomad are well organized when the situation arises and vehicles are seldom stuck with a breakdown for more than 24 hours. Clients are warned in advance that such things do sometimes happen!”

The music on the show was good with tracks from WSTRN, 99 Souls ft Destiny’s Child and Brandy, Years and Years, as well as Format B. Jay dropped two Zambian latest smash hits, ‘Kabouvelo’ by Lloydee and ‘Cocoa Butter’ from Kaladoshas ft Petersen. There was also a remix of Adele’s ‘Hello’ and a South African track from Galza. Victor, whose nick name as a younger man was ‘Mr Smooth’ (“it’s a long story”), told us he likes R&B and that his favourite artists are Bobby Brown and Lionel Richie.

Brought up in Southern Province as his dad worked for Zambia Railways, Victor was educated at St Raphael’s and Hillcrest Secondary Schools in Livingstone and had also been trained in panel beating and spray painting at a local college. By the time he was qualified, Livingstone Motor Assemblers had closed and there were no jobs in his line. He then trained as a driver and worked for Bushtracks in Livingstone before doing a favour for Nomad, ending up working for them. The overland season lasts from February to November so at the time of the show he was enjoying spending time with his wife and family whom he missed a lot when he was on the road. He has four children ranging in ages from 19 to 1 year 2 months!

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Victor said he would like to have a share in an overland tour business with superb guides offering wonderful service, coupled with extraordinary knowledge.

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NOV
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Elizabeth Rogers

Elizabeth Rogers

Meet Elizabeth Rogers, a guest at Chanters Lodge, pictured above, who appeared on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft Jay Hillz. The Experience is our weekly radio show airing every Sunday night on Zambezi 94.1 fm – Livingstone’s leading commercial local radio station, reaching a radius of about 75 kms around the tourist capital and broadcasting 24/7.

Elizabeth told listeners that this was her first visit to Livingstone which she was very much enjoying, despite the low level of water in Victoria Falls. She had managed to cross on to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls where there is always more water at this time of year – mainly due to our electricity company in Zambia diverting the Zambezi above the Falls to power their hydro electric system. She had really enjoyed the day on both sides of the border.

Elizabeth is a pharmacist by profession, holding a PharmD following 10 years of tertiary education in Virginia, USA from where she hails. We were shocked to learn the length of time she had to study but not really surprised to hear that she was contemplating more studies when she returned to the States. “Do you have student loans to repay”? I wondered. She replied in the affirmative but seemed pretty cool about it! She told listeners that she had been working in Lusaka in public health for the past year – mainly with matters concerning the HIV/Aids epidemic.

The music on the show was good featuring tracks from Ariane Grande, Coldplay, Axwell > Ingrosso ft Pusha T, Omi and Sygma ft Rita Ora. Jay dropped ‘I Love You’ by upcoming Zambian outfit Urban Hype, telling us that he had had the pleasure of interviewing the group during the week on the breakfast show he hosts daily on Zambezi 94.1 fm. He strongly tipped the band for a bright future.

Elizabeth told listeners she had enjoyed a wonderful day out in Chobe NP in Botswana, during her visit where she had been lucky enough to see lions as well, of course, as hundreds and hundreds of elephant. She had experienced a super lunch at Chobe Safari Lodge. She was very excited about the cheetah encounter she had booked for the following morning before her flight back to Lusaka.

She is single, and from the time she leaves Lusaka to return to the States, probably unemployed. We voiced the opinion that neither of these statuses would last long. Music wise she loves Rascal Flatts,and sports wise she is an avid supporter of the USA Ladies Soccer Team – the world champions.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing ten years’ from now, she told us that she would like to be married, a mother to her children, and working in pharmaceuticals specifically in the field of drug safety. We wished her all the best!

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Another Norwegian Experience!

IMG-20151030-00189

We are always happy to welcome Norwegians as our guests on the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz, our weekly radio show airing for an hour live every Sunday night on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Over the eight years the show has been broadcast there have been many Norwegian guests. Lene Sivertsen (right), Anita Hind Andresen (centre) and Marianne Olssen (above left) were the latest Norwegian visitors to appear on our programme. For Marianne it was her second time to be with us, but a first for Lene and Anita, and in fact a first time in Zambia for those two ladies.

Lene and Anita told listeners they were from a Norwegian NGO – SMISO – established to fight against incest and sexual abuse in Norway and now largely funded by the Norwegian government. They were in Zambia to liaise with Response Network, a Zambian NGO, based in Livingstone, Southern Province of Zambia, which believes in development that mobilizes people’s own human and environmental resources, as they have seen that self-esteem, knowledge and creativity grow with responsibility. Lene told us that statistics for sexual abuse of young people are remarkably similar across the world – some 9% of girls and 1% of boys aged between 14 and 18. SMISO offers counselling and support to affected youngsters. Marianne told us that she was the facilitator between SMISO and Response Network.

The music on the show was good featuring ‘Hello’ Adele’s new worldwide smash hit, as well as tracks from KDA ft Tinie Tempah and Katy B, Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo, Mic Burner, Melissa Steel, Drake and Drimz.

The ladies said they had enjoyed their view of the Victoria Falls but were disappointed there was so little water – they vowed to come back again at an earlier time of year when the Falls were full. They had a two day one night safari planned to Chobe NP in Botswana during their stay which would see them spend a total of about two weeks altogether in Livingstone. They had no intention to bungee jump. They had spent a night in one of the rural villages near Livingstone to observe the rural way of life, had eaten Zambian food and were thoroughly impressed with the warm and welcoming attitude of Zambians wherever they had gone.

On a more personal note, Lene told us that she was in a relationship and had a 19 year old son, currently serving in the Norwegian military, Marianne that she was newly a very proud grand mother, and Anita happily married with 2 children aged 16 and 18. Both Lene and Anita work full time for SMISO. All three ladies live in Tromsoe in the far north of Norway up by the Arctic Circle.

The ladies told listeners that they had been happy and comfortable at Chanters Lodge. With regard to the future they all expressed the opinion that they were pretty happy with their lives as they were and they would be delighted for that situation to continue!

 

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Another Dutch Experience!

Martijn Bazen

 

Meet Martijn Bazen, guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft Jay Hillz, our weekly radio show airing every Sunday at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. This was the second weekend running that we had featured a Dutchman on our programme – hence the title of the blog. Martin lives in Scheveningen, one of the eight districts of The Hague, ‘Dutch Capital of Peace and Justice’ we were told!

Martijn was on a flying visit to Livingstone, (though he actually arrived in the city by coach from Lusaka), to see the Falls and to spend a day in Chobe NP in Botswana. He told listeners he had enjoyed both of these activities, but that he would come back to Zambia with his family one of these days, to see Victoria Falls when they were full!

Martijn explained that he was in Zambia for five weeks on a voluntary basis helping Makeni Ecumenical Centre in Lusaka with their finances and accounts – he is a Finance Manager by profession. Makeni is a suburb in Lusaka where The Makeni Ecumenical Centre is situated, providing primary, secondary and adult education courses in a variety of vocational subjects, as well as clinics, family planning services, and an AIDS orphan village.

Until recently Martijn was a lecturer in economics and financial management at the University of The Hague, (he holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Amsterdam) but will soon take up an appointment as Finance Manager for the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam. Was he excited about his new job Milli Jam wondered? You bet he was! Who wouldn’t be!

The music on our show was far from classical, featuring tracks from Olly Murs, One Direction, Robin Schultz, Ben Haenow and Kelly Clarkson, Mr Jeezy ft Izrael and Roberto, as well as Demi Levato and Ciara. Our guest told us that he has a very wide taste in music, he loves everything from classical to Bob Marley.

Married for 19 years to Justine, a lawyer, the couple have a 16 year old daughter and a 12 year old son, a violinist and footballer respectively! The family support Manchester City and Ajax but our guest declined to discuss the Netherlands’ recent failure to qualify for Euro 2016. Shame!

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, he said he hoped to be a doting grand father and to be happily enjoying his every day! We thanked him for the help he was giving the Makeni Ecumenical Centre and for appearing on our show!

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Another Aussie Experience!

Connie Stevens & Wallis Woodhams

Meet Connie Stevens and Wallis Woodhams (above), Australian travellers and guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing at 20.30 hrs CAT every Sunday night on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone leading local radio station. Our guests told listeners that they were traveling as friends, that they both hailed from Perth, Western Australia and that this was their first visit to Zambia. In fact they revealed that this was also their very first visit to Africa! “Is it what you expected?” Asked Milli Jam. They thought about the question for a few seconds and then answered “on the whole yes!”

Connie and Wallis said that they were almost half way through their two week trip to Zambia and that they were loving it. They had already visited Botswana for a full day safari in Chobe NP where they had seen ‘thousands of elephants’. They had walked with lions, and on the morning of the show they had completed a half day birding safari in the Mosi-o-Tunya NP in Livingstone where they had been lucky enough to see more than thirty three different species of birds, all correctly identified by their knowledgable and charming guides. They had also see the rhino in the park on the same trip. In addition to that, they had seen Victoria Falls and visited the Livingstone Museum. On the previous Saturday they had dined on the five star dinner train in Livingstone.

The music on the show was great with tracks from Fuse ODG, Ellie Goulding, Naughty Boy featuring Beyonce and Arrow Benjamin. Milli Jam and Jay chose work from T Sean ft Jusic, Ruff Kaida and T-Boy, Christina Millan, Urban Hype and Cynthia Morgan. Our pick of the week was Sam Smith’s haunting ‘The Writing’s On The Wall’ and we closed with the appropriate for Livingstone ‘Heatwave’ from Robin Schultz ft Akon. Connie said she loved classical music whereas Wally was more into music from the 50’s and 60’s.

Our guests told us that Connie was the manager of a bird shop in Perth, selling exotic birds and also garden ornaments, while Wallis was in the earth moving business preparing construction sites. Connie is a widow with a son and a daughter and two grand children, Wallis is a divorcee and has two sons. They had heard about Chanters Lodge, where they were staying, through Dianne Rapson, a frequent visitor to the lodge and a three time guest on our show. Connie and Wallis were well pleased with the recommendation.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing 10 years from now, Connie said she would like to be retired and relaxed, Wally said he would like to be working, relaxing and fishing!

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OCT
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activities, Africa, Chanters, entertainment, guests, livingstone, music, radioshow, victoriafalls, Zambia

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