usa – Chanters Lodge Livingstone

Michelle V Hall on Zambezi Radio

Meet Michelle Hall, pictured here relaxing by the swimming pool at Chanters Lodge during her four day holiday in Livingstone, Zambia just 10 kms from Victoria Falls. Michelle was the latest Guest on our weekly Sunday night radio show, The Chanters Lodge Experience on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm, going out live at 20.30 hrs.

“How long have you had your dreadlocks” was the first question Milli Jam, who co-hosts the programme with George Soulchild, asked Michelle. “About 12 years – everyone asks me that!” Was the quick reply. Before she came to Livingstone Michelle had been in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city for a week, involved in an international conference for trainers across Africa. She’s an educational technologist at Columbia University in New York and works out of the Center for New Media Teaching & Learning. She told listeners that her work involves training non clinician physicians, for which there is a high demand, given that most African countries don’t have enough doctors.

Michelle, a self confessed workaholic, works in New York City though she lives in New Jersey and commutes daily. She originally hails from Barbados in the West Indies. She told listeners that when she arrived in Zambia at Lusaka International Airport, immigration had two lists, one of nationalities requiring a visa to enter Zambia and another of nationalities that are visa free. Barbados didn’t appear on either list! She was allowed into Zambia twice, visa free. The second occasion was coming back into the country whilst she was staying at Chanters, when she took the one day safari to Chobe in Botswana, which she much enjoyed.

On hearing that Michelle was from Barbados, George and Milli Jam immediately wanted to know if she knew Rihanna, who also hails from there. Michelle told listeners that although she wasn’t aware of it, she had in fact taught Rihanna at high school in Barbados. They weren’t much interested however when Michelle and I started talking cricket – Sir Gary Sobers and Joel Garner both hail from Barbados. We asked our guest lots of questions about the island including food – their staple food is Kuku and Flying Fish, Kuku is a combination of yellow maize and okra, and no, George didn’t know that fish could fly! Nor did the rest of us!

Music wise it was a good show. We played Chris Brown ‘I Love You’ back to back with Toni Braxton ft Sean Paul ‘Looking At Me’. The Zambian set was Crystal Shawn ‘Chimami’ (‘Girlfriend’) and Alfa Romeo (I love that name!) singing ‘Rumour’. ‘Ride’ by Ciara ft Ludacris and ‘Unthinkable’ by Alicia Keys both went down well with our Guest who told listeners she’d been brought up on R&B. We also featured ‘Riding Solo’ by Jason Derulo and closed with ‘Love Is Wicked’ by Brick & Lace. The latter had performed in Lusaka the previous night.

As usual we gave away a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge. This week the prize was given for the first person to text us the name of the big American city in which Michelle worked – the response was fair but not as good as previous weeks. Perhaps it was a tricky question considering that we’d talked more about Barbados.

Michelle told listeners that she’d found out about Chanters Lodge from Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor on the internet and had been impressed with the good reviews about us on those sites. She’d enjoyed her stay at the lodge and had loved the Chanters Girls! Don’t we all!

Before we closed Milli Jam asked Michelle where she would like to be and what she’d like to be doing 10 years from now. “Back on Barbados teaching in the University” was Michelle’s reply. I’d put money on her achieving her goal!

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AUG

Africa, Botswana, Chanters, Customers, education, guests, Lusaka, radioshow, usa, Zambia

Peter Ronald, Jane Miller Erin and Eli play 107.7 fm

Meet Peter Ronald, Jane Miller, daughter Erin and son Eli, traveling around Africa for six weeks in a rented camper van and hailing from Seattle, USA. Peter’s a financier and Jane a surgeon/professor back in the USA.

We had a reservation for the family for Saturday and Sunday but on Thursday they arrived and asked if we had space for two extra nights, which we had! The deal was that if I gave them the room, they’d appear on Sunday night’s Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George Soulchild our weekly radio show, hosted, promoted, directed and financed by Chanters Lodge on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm! Livingstone’s leading local radio station. I think it was the best show we’ve done since we came back on air in June this year. Why?

The Guests were great, lively, talkative, informative and funny. Had Erin (14) received an invitation to Chelsea Clinton’s wedding? ‘No!’ Did she want to be a doctor or a financier? ‘No!’ What was Eli (10)’s favourite kind of music – classic rock, Monkees and Beatles. Was Jane in a hurry to get back to work in Seattle – no! Is it true the family had stood just one metre away from Victoria Falls on Livingstone Island that very afternoon. Yes! Would they come back to Africa one day? Yes! Had they seen a World Cup game in RSA? Yes Holland v Cameroon. Had they enjoyed it? Yes? Did we want a couple of vuvuzelas asked Jane – ‘yes!’ We said – ‘No’ yelled the kids, they were not giving them away! Shame!

The music on the show was great ‘I Want You’ by Treysongz does it for me at the moment, though our American Guests had never heard of him! ‘Today’ by Brandy is a great song which the Chanters Girls love. ‘We No Speak Americano’ by Yolanda Be Cool – top that week in UK, unknown to our Guests from USA – but it had Eli and Erin talking. Typical summer disco track and no, ‘we no speak Americano!’

I hope George will write up the Zambian musical aspect of the show for a blog later this week but Milli Jam featured J Dot ‘Could you be the DJ?’ – I preferred his Chrishian ‘And When You Missed Me’, though I can’t find out much about the artist or the song at the moment. Spelling?

Had our Guests enjoyed Zambia? Yes, especially as by chance they’d been at Mukuni Village at the time there were rehearsals for the famous Lwindi Tradtional Cermemy so they’d seen a lot of traditional dance and had loved that! They seemed to keep themselves pretty busy while they were here.

As usual we greeted the Guests and staff back at the lodge and gave away a dinner for two for the first person to text us Jane’s profession. Doctor – easy winner! We made special mention of the long hours and hard work undertaken by the Chanters Girls during a busy week with very early departures and a lot of running about!

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AUG

accommodation, activities, Africa, education, guests, medical, tourism, usa, victoriafalls, Zambia

Ben Reed Has The Chanters Lodge Experience

Last night Sunday 6th June, 2010, we were delighted to relaunch The Chanters Lodge Experience on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm at 20.30 hrs with Milli Jam and George Soulchild hosting the show, and with ‘Zambia’s best known mzungu part time DJ’ (me!) very much around. So too was Ben Reed, a Guest of ours at Chanters Lodge in Livingstone. Ben writes a very interesting blog Adventures With Ben which is a must read! Zambezi FM is of course Zambia’s best loved local radio station – imitated but never duplicated.

The show kicked off with two great local tracks ‘Contolo’ by Pee Jay and JK ft Saoma’s massive hit ‘Kapiri Piri’ which we were assured meant that ‘this girl is as hot as chilli!’ After the show the Chanters Girls assured me this was the case – and that they were too! We also played Solo by Iyaz and Miley Cyrus’s latest ‘Can’t Be Tamed’ – and I guess she can’t from the sound of it! Billy Currington’s smash country hit People Are Crazy took everyone by surprise.

Ben, our Guest, had been down in South Africa doing some work for the World Cup preperations and had determined that he must see Victoria Falls before taking off back to the States. He loved Zambia it and Zambia as well as the bungee jump he’d bravely done too! You can follow Ben on Twitter @adventureswben and strongly suggest you do. He’s been to a lot of places and travelled a long way for someone obviously going far in life. There’s his photo!

We played BoB – Nothing On You and we were all of the opinion that on this particular Sunday night, nobody had anything on us as far as local radio was concerned – it was great! We were received by everyone at the station like long lost friends! Thanks Guys!

Oh! And we played Waving Flag by K’naan for Henry Chanter aged 8!

7
JUN

Africa, entrepreneurship, guests, livingstone, radioshow, staff, usa, victoriafalls, Zambia

Reverse Culture Shock

I loved this from Linda Gregersen’s blog. Until recently, Linda and husband David (above) were missionaries working at Namwianga Mission near Kalomo, some 130 kms north of Livingstone and were frequent visitors to, and great supporters of Chanters Lodge. Here’s Linda’s reverse culture shock of going home to live in America:

1. You begin every other sentence with “In Africa we did it this way” even though you notice people’s eyes glazing over.

2. You feel like the Beverly Hillbillies when you walk into the Apple Store and see all the newest computer technology. It’s all you can do to keep from saying, “GOLLY, look at that!”

3. You get in on the wrong side of the car–often. And you just hope you will remember which side of the road to drive on.

4. You watch TV shows, amazed that people can actually say and do those things on TV now.

5. You can’t get enough hamburgers or good Mexican food.

6. You feel guilty when you take a shower because you’re using more than a bucket of water.

7. You wonder what your Zambian friends are doing–all the time.

8. You can’t understand ANY of the Lost finale.

9. You try not to say, “But there are starving children in Africa” when you see people wasting money (in your opinion anyway).

10. You can’t get over how fast your internet works.

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MAY

Africa, friends, usa, Zambia

It’s Wild!

No! Not the bungee jumping, zip line and gorge swinging that a group of post graduate students from the University of California, Berkeley undertook while they were staying at Chanters Lodge recently on a brief break from their involvement with Comaco. The trade name for Comaco products is ‘It’s Wild‘ – “never heard of it!” I said to the group as I was dropping them off for a one night ‘splurge’ at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa. “You should have done” said Ciera Ashley, the group organizer, “one of their trucks just passed us on the road and this morning we were eating ‘It’s Wild’ Peanut Butter and Honey in your restaurant!” (Richard! Don’t worry, it might be an age thing – my remark not theirs! )

COMACO is a model for rural development that supports natural resource management. It operates through a community-owned trading centre, registered as a non-profit company, called the Conservation Farmer Wildlife Producer Trading Centre.CTC

Community residents benefit from this trading centre by receiving high market value for goods they produce and having access to affordable farmer inputs and improved farming skills on the condition that they adopt land use practices that help conserve their area’s natural resources. Specific land use practices required include conservation farming, which helps maintain soil fertility, crops that help reduce conflicts with wildlife or rates of land clearing, and commitment to stop wildlife snaring or illegal hunting. Under these conditions and by increasing the market value of more desired crops, the model is able to influence the land use practices of thousands of households across large landscapes that are associated with important wildlife and watershed resources. All proceeds from the company are reinvested in efforts to achieve food security, increased rural income, and improved natural resource management. With assistance from a range of collaborating partners, COMACO has become increasingly self-financing to help sustain efforts to mitigate problems of environmental degradation in areas where poverty and food insecurity were primary factors driving this degradation. Six basic steps describe how COMACO has set about to achieve increased synergies between agriculture, markets and conservation:

1. Target poor, food-insecure farming families with improved farming practices (conservation farming, composting, improved seed varieties, etc.) to increase food production and attain sufficient food to meet their annual needs.

2. Concurrent with step one, organize farmers into producer groups, especially those learning improved farming practices, and promote group commitment to abandon land use practices destructive to natural resources.

3. Diversify livelihood skills (livestock husbandry, dry season gardening, carpentry, bee-keeping, improved fisheries management, etc.) among these producer groups to increase opportunities for earning legal income without degrading natural resources in their area.

4. Mobilize producer groups in a prescribed area as a depot unit and establish a trading depot for bulking goods for markets.

5. Establish a regional trading center that offers producer groups through their depots fair, high-paying producer prices, on-site transactions, and reliable transport of goods to high-paying markets.

6. Formalize an agreement with producer groups through their depot that such services and benefits are available only if producer groups are fully compliant to land use practices not in conflict with their natural resources as guided by a community-approved land use plan.

We’ll certainly support them knowingly, in future!

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MAY

activities, Africa, agriculture, Chanters, development, Economy, education, entrepreneurship, guests, usa, Zambia

Stories From Travel Agents

Check these travel agent stories!

– A Client asked for an aisle seats so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window.

– A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?”

– A woman called who wanted to go to Capetown. The agent started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted saying “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts. The agent calmly explained, “Capecod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa.” Her response … click.

– A man called, furious about a Florida package. The agent asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. The agent tried to explain that this wasn’t possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. The Client replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state.”

– A man asked, “Is it possible to see England from Canada?” “No.” Replied the agent. The Client said “But they look so close on the map.”

– Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When the agent checked the booking he noticed the Client had only a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When asked why he wanted to rent a car, the Client said, “I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time.”

The photo? Capetown of course! Who could possible be confused….?

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APR

rsa, tourism, travel, usa

David and Linda Gregersen

It’s horrible when good friends leave Africa and head for home. Yesterday we said goodbye to David and Linda Gregersen as they headed back to Austin, Texas at the end of a 5 year stint in Southern Zambia. They were teachers at George Benson Christian College preparing students to become secondary teachers. They frequently travelled to area villages and churches to tell the story of Jesus Christ and were supported by their home congregation of 20 years, Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin, Texas.

David and Linda were great supporters of Chanters Lodge, Livingstone during their time in Zambia and in appreciation we were delighted to give them complimentary accommodation for their last night in the country, in our newest and nicest poolside room – number 12. Of course they had bream fillets in breadcrumbs for their ‘last supper’ – always Linda’s favourite!

We congratulate them on the birth of their new grandson Jacob Robert and wish them every success back in the USA. They’ll be sorely missed.

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APR

Chanters, education, food, guests, restaurants, usa, Zambia

Hotel Erwin, Venice Beach

I loved this from Hotel Interactive

“When the time came, in May 2009, for the Hotel Erwin to announce its arrival on the trendy, eclectic shores of California’s Venice Beach, the handwriting was on the wall – in this case, the exterior wall, just outside the entrance. In fact, the handwriting was in glowing, screaming neon colors, splashed there by NORM, a local graffiti artist whose signature work gave the new 119-room hotel immediate street credibility.

The graffiti artist’s interpretation of the hotel’s logo said “welcome to the Erwin,” Venice Beach-style. And that’s just what it was meant to do.

“When we were designing the hotel it was very important that the hotel be a reflection and good partner with the local community,” said Benjamin Malmquist, general manager. “And Venice is renowned, has a worldwide reputation, for some really unique and creative graffiti art. That’s part of the culture at Venice Beach.”

Brilliant!

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APR

art, hotels, usa

Leadership

I liked this article from Inc Magazine on what they call The New Rules of Leadership. I’ve edited a lot of it, left and commented on just seven I feel to be the most relevant for us at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone:

1. Have a Bias Towards Action
Before Josh James founded online analytics company Omniture, he carried around an idea book, and jotted down ideas every day. He ended up with a patent on a product: a hair-in-hairbrush remover he dubbed Brush’s Groom. It never made a cent, but the process taught him about creating a business plan, marketing, and distribution.

Chanters
Where would we be without our ‘to do list’ and handover book?

2. Keep Communications to a Minimum
Joel Spolsky, founder and CEO of Fog Creek Software in New York City, asks: When was the last time you scheduled a meeting and invited eight people instead of the three people who really needed to be there? When did you send a non-consequential company-wide email? These are symptoms of a common ailment that Spolsky dubs too much communication.

Chanters
I realised some time ago the best way to communicate here is to write a few lines about what I think on the bottom of the bi-weekly food percentage calculation placed on a table in the kitchen. Everyone reads it!

3. Motivate Employees Through Volunteerism
When your company is booming, but your employees are service-industry workers who can’t be paid too much in reward, what do you do? Amy Simmons, founder of Amy’s Ice Cream in Austin, Texas, gets her workers involved in the impact her company has on the community. She brings employees to hospital volunteer days and lets them choose which charities Amy’s Ice Cream supports. Pretty sweet.

Chanters
I think this is a cracking idea and feel we should be doing more for the community.

4. Make Customer Service Everyone’s Job
Anytime anyone writes an e-mail to Kayak, the travel search engine Paul English founded with Steve Hafner in 2004, they get a personal response. And a phone call? English will jump over desks to answer it. Indeed every employee, from an office assistant to a web developer, is expected to do the same.

Chanters
Gosh yes! Of course it is!

5. Leave Your Schedule Open Agility is the key to productivity for Scott Lang, the CEO of Silver Spring Network, a Redwood City, California-based developer of smart energy grids. He leaves large blocks of his schedule open, such that on an average day, he’s only 50 percent scheduled. That way, he’s open to impromptu meetings, such as if an important new partner’s CEO drops by (that happened one open afternoon). And, if he winds up with extra time, he fills it with self-education and big-picture, future-oriented thinking.

Chanters
Not always easy, but another goal of mine.

6. Don’t Treat All Employees Equally
Cutrone, founder of Manhattan PR firm People’s Revolution, describes her office as a research and development lab for the “ultimate power chicks.” That said, each employee comes with different skill sets and character defects, she says, so she doesn’t treat any of her employees the same. “We’re talking all day long about our lives, our fears, what’s happening, our clients, it’s a very creative place,” she says.

Chanters
I like this one

7. Work Weekends, and Love It
For Seth Priebatsch, CEO of SCVNGR, a Boston-based start-up that helps organizations engage people through location-based smartphone games, weekends are not only fair game, but also are highly productive. When he has a particularly difficult problem to solve, he likes to come in on the weekend when there’s less going on and spend a day on it. Evenings are for reading up on fresh technology. And he expects the same of his peers and potential hires. “I’ll interview people on Saturdays, late at night, early in the morning. Those are perfectly reasonable times to expect someone who is a rock star to be on top of his or her game and excited.”

Chanters
We have no choice!

The picture? Chanters Lodge team photo with Powey The Clown!

1
APR

Africa, Chanters, management, usa, Zambia

Losing Andrew Carnegie

I love Seth Godin’s blog – as you must have heard me say before! Usually brief, always to the point and generally right. Here’s a nice one from him:

Losing Andrew Carnegie (pictured above)

“Carnegie apparently said, “Take away my people, but leave my factories and soon grass will grow on the factory floors……Take away my factories, but leave my people and soon we will have a new and better factory.”

Is there a typical large corporation working today that still believes this? Most organizations now have it backwards. The factory, the infrastructure, the systems, the patents, the process, the manual… that’s king. In fact, shareholders demand it.

It turns out that success is coming from the atypical organizations, the ones that can get back to embracing irreplaceable people, the linchpins, the ones that make a difference. Anything else can be replicated cheaper by someone else.”

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MAR

blog, management, usa

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