Octavia Jordan Rocks ‘The Experience!’

Meet Octavia Jordan (pictured above) a pharmacy student from Howard University, Washington DC and our Guest on the most recent edition of the ‘Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Soulchild’. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Octavia had been staying at Chanters Lodge for two weeks while on attachment to Livingstone General Hospital as part of her doctorate. Octavia explained to listeners that she was in her eighth and final year of study to become a pharmacist and that she was the first student from Howard to come to Zambia on attachment. “A pioneer then?” We said. “Yes!” She said. “Are you from Washington?” Milli Jam wondered at the top of the show and Octavia told us that in fact she hails from Ann Arbor in Michigan and that the first years of her study were at the University of Michigan.

Octavia told listeners that this was her first visit to Africa and that for a week before arriving in Zambia she had spent time in Pretoria, South Africa. When she left Livingstone at the end of the following week she would spend another week in the Howard University office there. “Is Zambia what you expected?” wondered Milli Jam, but Octavia seemed not to be sure, so we thought perhaps it wasn’t. She did say that staying in Pretoria was more or less like staying in her home town back in the States with the same restaurants and shops! She loved Zambian people whom she described as warm, friendly and helpful and also liked Zambian food, especially nsima and Zambezi bream!

The music on the show was good, opening with latest tracks from One Direction and Olly Murs. Milimo chose Zambian tracks by Chefy – Foolish Me (“I know this track” said Octavia as one of the Chanters Girls back at the lodge sent me a text to say ‘thanks for playing this one!’) and Salma ft O.C’ ‘Folo Folo’. We also featured tracks from the late great Puff Johnson as well as Justin Bieber with Nicki Minaj, Akon and Icona Pop.

Octavia said she had enjoyed Victoria Falls and had plucked up the courage to do the bungee jump and the bridge swing. “Have you told your mum?” I wondered. She had. “And what did she say?” I asked. “She said I was mad!” The predictable reply. “What did she say when you first told her you were coming to Africa?” I asked. “She told me not to come back married!” From this we deduced that Octavia was single which she confirmed. She said she’d had a good time at one or two of the clubs in Livingstone when she’d been free at weekends and loved Zambian music.

She had watched the Zambian national soccer team on TV too, though she confessed to being more a fan of American football and the Washington Redskins. Octavia was also lucky enough to see the lunar rainbow at the Falls during her visit, which she loved, and had also visited the crocodile park.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing ten years from now, Octavia told us that she would like to be a practicing pharmacist, specializing, location – geographically open, married with lots of children. We didn’t doubt she would achieve all of that!

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