'Africa Called Her Name'

Late last year, Elaine Fougere published what might be called the ultimate travel book, "Africa Calls My Name: Remembering, Not Wondering." (available on Kobo)
Warning: This is not your regular ‘travel book,' but rather her first-person account of moving her family to live in Zambia for a year.
Transparency: Elaine is my cousin-in-law; her husband Roy is my first cousin.

Early in the book, she confesses that she had always wanted to travel and live in Africa, and was getting restless.
By mid-1995, the family had just lived through a grueling five-year bout of chemo therapy against Roy's cancer, and were ready to do something new — and different.
Roy, a mining engineer, signed a contract with copper mine in central Zambia to help improve the skills of local miners.
Their two children, daughter Leah, and son Nicholas, both approaching their teens, were both eager to make the move.
Using a straight-ahead, highly readable style (remeniscent of the lady herself!), Elaine describes their adventures of settling and living in Zambia for a year.
She often cites entries in her personal journal, which describe in detail her feelings and reactions to incidents at the time.
They had to overcome many challenges, and had some rewards, right from their arrival:
— Their house didn't have a proper kitchen, and no laundry facilities. She resorted to spending hours with plenty of elbow grease, scouring the bathtub before she could do the daily laundry.
— Despite Elaine’s vigorous efforts (she was an experienced teacher) both Leah and Nicholas were enrolled in the regular education system (provided by the mining company) which did not allow learning by question and discovery. Both youngsters were excellent students, and were not fans of “receiving, copying, memorizing, and regurgitating" teaching styles.
— Grocery shopping was a daily activity, and the family were always able to be together for lunch and supper. A BIG plus!
— The local man she hired to clean the house was an excellent worker, and the house was immaculate. For example, his floor-waxing skills featured attaching the buffing cloths to his feet and skating back and forth over the floor!
— Regular banking service with local staff was a continual source of frustration, in that they were unable to do cash transfers for any banking activity that involved International procedures.
— Learning to drive a stick-shift Toyota would not be too difficult for Elaine, you might say, until she realized that she had to learn to shift with her left hand and adopt a new driving mantra: “Keep left, keep left.”
— Dealing with racial slurs by some white friends directed towards the local folks was difficult, but they had to accept those negative aspects of the local culture.
— She describes a dramatic incident at a rebel roadblock when she and her friends were subjected to interrogation and threats, at gunpoint.
Elaine and her family had usually tried explanation and persuasion to stand their ground, but then would often have to resort to a "Let's-get- on-with-it" philosophy to move forward. (You’ll have to get the book, Dear Reader, to learn how they conducted themselves during that tense episode!)
In the latter part of the year, the family got to join a golf club, Leah eagerly began riding lessons, and Nicholas got his own tutor, and could ask questions!
They also travelled extensively to take in many tourist attractions throughout central Africa, including the spectacular Victoria Falls.
After a year, Roy signed a contract with a mining company in southeast Asia, and the family picked up and moved there.
I highly recommend her book; I invite you to get the Kobo App, and download the book.
Elaine’s love affair with Africa has never really wavered, which explains why, more than 20 years later, the title of her book remains: "Africa Calls My Name."